Wildlife lovers' joy at Bempton Cliffs summer bird spectacle

Birdwatchers and nature photographers have been flocking to an East Yorkshire nature reserve to get up close and personal with its wildlife.

Between March to October, half a million seabirds gather on Bempton Cliffs which overlook the North Sea.

The chalk cliff habitat is known as an important breeding ground for many species, including puffins, gannets, kittiwakes and guillemots.

Wildlife photographer Steve Race said taking photos at Bempton was addictive.

Mr Race, who runs photography classes for visitors at Bempton, described the sight from the cliffs of the swooping birds as "mind blowing".

He said: "A lot of people who come on the course haven't been here before, so for them to come in and stand on top of a 400 ft wide chalk cliff and see all these incredible birds flying around is amazing."

Mr Race, who has been visiting the area for 40 years, said he never got sick of the "incredible spectacle of birds".

"It's an addiction - you get that bug of getting the picture you want and seeing it, but then you want to try and get something better."

Summer at Bempton Cliffs

The seabird breeding season is in full swing as nearly half a million seabirds cling to the cliffs.

Breeding tree sparrows, whitethroats, corn buntings, skylarks, linnets, reed buntings, rock and meadow pipits can all be seen.

A range of the more common butterflies may be seen on sunny days, along with day-flying moths such as cinnabars, burnet moths and occasionally hummingbird hawkmoths.

Source: RSPB

Janice Elliott said her passion for wildlife photography was the reason she had travelled 180 miles (290km) from Bedford to Bempton.

"I wanted to see the puffins and the gannets.... it's just been amazing."

Another visitor, retired headteacher Jenny Hartley, said she had visited the site many times on school trips but had always wanted to learn more about taking pictures.

"We're also learning about species and habitat so there's a massive science lesson going on as well which is what I love."

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