Bempton Cliffs RSPB Nature Reserve

Bempton Cliffs RSPB Nature Reserve

Bempton Cliffs is a popular nature reserve run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) situated on the north side of the Flamborough peninsula, just west of North Landing. The reserve takes in 3.5 miles of paths along the clifftops and is home to the largest seabird colony in England.

At the height of its summer population, over 200,000 birds make Bempton Cliffs home, while the grasslands and fields than run right up to the cliffs are home to a wide variety of animals and insects, including stoats, weasels, rabbits, and butterflies including red admirals, common blues, and small coppers.

But it is the birds that most people come to see, and here you are spoiled for choice. As you walk along the cliffs you can view kittiwakes, gannets, razorbills, guillemots, and puffins. In addition, there are fulmars, herring gulls, tree sparrows, goldfinches, greenfinches, and blue tits, while soaring high above are peregrines, kestrels, and short-eared owls.

The Cliffs also provide an autumn resting place for migratory birds like redwings, bramblings, yellow-browed warblers, and pink-footed geese. A special feeding station gives visitors, especially younger visitors, the chance to see some bird species close up.

The location is simply stunning, with wonderful chalk cliffs and grassland. A few miles away is Flamborough Headland, home to the oldest existing lighthouse in Britain.