Thursday wasn't the best of summer days, rather cloudy but mild. We decided on a return visit to RSPB Bempton Cliffs to see if we could catch sight of any of the seabird chicks and get any better pictures of puffins.
Travelling around Yorkshire you can’t help but notice all the signs around warning of traffic problems over the weekend due to the Tour de France starting in the county. We've decided it will be best to stay local perhaps having a visit to the plot. Many roads are closed completely so long delays are expected on other routes.
The signs around York inform you not to follow Sat Nav directions but I'm betting your average paper map of York won't be much use either. The roads around the coast weren't very busy at all on our trip to Bempton.
We were lucky enough to get some shots of the seabird chicks being raised perched precariously on the edge of the cliffs. It was a little bit breezy on the cliffs so holding the camera steady was difficult at times.
This little gannet’s chick plea for food wasn't successful. It really does make you wonder how these birds manage to bring up their young on such an exposed ledge in the face of gales coming in off the North Sea.
I did mange to get my closest shot to date of a puffin.
There was lots of long grass blowing about in front of the puffin and my camera either focused on the blowing grass or the shot of the puffin was blurred due to the grass. The puffin didn't stay in this spot for long but luckily I managed at least one decent shot out of the dozens I took with the puffin in focus and no grass spoiling the picture. The adult puffins will be leaving and heading out to sea later this month leaving their offspring behind in the nest to find their own way out to sea. Puffins will be 5 or 6 years old before returning to breed and may live for up to 20 years.
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Wonderful photos. We're heading out of Leeds tomorrow on our holidays, I'm hoping all the traffic jams are pointing the other way.
ReplyDeleteI think the only problem heading south is Sheffield but that's on Sunday so you will hopefully avoid any problems there.
DeleteHope you have a really great holiday and the weather's is good.
The seabird chicks look so cute and the puffin..........I was once in Northumberland on the shore puffin spotting. Did not see one puffin. Must have been exciting to be able to shoot such an amazing picture.
ReplyDeleteThey can be difficult to spot at Bempton. They spend most of the time in holes in the cliffs so you have to be lucky to spot them having a breath of fresh air.
DeleteEastbourne is shut this weekend too for a bike ride bloomin inconvenient
ReplyDeleteI've given up watching any local news programmes as we've had this event rammed down our throats for weeks on end now.
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