RSPB Bempton Cliffs :: 30 July 2023

My wife has never seen a puffin and we'd hoped she'd find one in Cornwall, but she was still waiting. While on holiday in Scotland we decided to book some accommodation in Bridlington, stopping there on the way home.

In Bridlington we had a delicious meal at "Salt" in the harbour before retiring for the night - there was quite a bit of noise from the harbour, the room was quite warm, and we didn't sleep as well as we hoped. In the morning I managed a full breakfast, but my wife had a migraine and could only manage some toast and tea. We checked out and made the short journey to the RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve with fingers crossed that there would be a puffin and in view - it was very late in the season.

On arrival I claimed to have achieved the challenge when I introduced her to a 5ft high plastic puffin outside the Visitor's Centre - she laughed but I suspect she was hoping I wasn't joking. We passed through the Centre and established that we would be best turning left along the cliff face - when I visited previously this is where I had my best views of the puffins.

There were a good number of birds on the cliff faces, on the water and in the sky but so many fewer than when the season is in full swing. The gannets were the stars of the show and were by far the most numerous. Ominously there were no puffins to be seen and all but two guillemots in view on the cliff. Gannets fed reasonably close to shore and from time to time would gather and perform synchronous diving in search of their fish. The food supply had come close to shore, and we were informed that a few minke whales had followed them in and were visible from the shore - but not at the moment.

I scanned all the cliffs, and on the water, looking for a puffin but was coming up empty. Helpfully the RSPB Volunteer (on the platform we found ourselves on) said he wasn't aware of any from this viewpoint. I found a couple of guillemots, one of which had a jumpling behind. I'm told these birds only have one chick and this guillemot was sitting on theirs - who knows where this lone jumpling's parents were.

On the cliffs and in the air were numbers of kittiwake, a mixture of adults and juveniles. The juveniles were striking in their plumage, and I set about trying to get a photo of one.

Eventually I scoped a puffin far out on the water and to our right. I put Charlotte on the bird - she wasn't impressed with the dot she was being presented with - she'd seen one but not to her satisfaction ...

I spotted another puffin on the wing and followed it as it weaved around the cliffs. Fortunately, it dived into a hole in the rock and was visible through the scope. Excellent - I showed Charlotte and she was really pleased - result. The bird came and went and each time we got a couple of minutes view. I let the Volunteer know where the bird was in case anyone else wanted to see one. Mission accomplished; we headed back to the Visitor Centre for some lunch.

We had an hour or so before we needed to head for home and so we dropped back down to the cliff and turned right. We were afforded more displays by the gannets and kittiwakes, and a handful of tree sparrows flew back and forth from the cliff edge back up and into the scrub and hedges. We stopped at the viewing platform I'd seen the black-browed albatross from last year and had just one sighting of a puffin - on the wing and impossible to put Charlotte on. Out in the bay minke whales and dolphins could be seen rising and falling as the fed on the shoals of fish, accompanied by diving gannets. It was quite a sight and a great way to end the day.

Seamill & Stevenston Point :: 25-28 July 2023

Now for a holiday in Scotland visiting my mum and brothers, the first since my mum had a fall and overdue. With such visits I get the opportunity to do a bit of birdwatching along the Ayrshire coast, pre-breakfast strolls or sea watches. The weather was forecast to be unsettled for the week, but we arrived in sunshine. The week followed the forecast, but we were very fortunate in when the showers passed through and weren't overly hindered.

The first morning I woke and decided that I'd have a trip down to Stevenston Point and do a bit of sea watching - if nothing else I could jump down onto the beach and see the gulls and sanderlings. I arrived and it was still dry although there was then a short shower when I had to jump back into the car. That passed I could concentrate on the gannets and sandwich terns feeding along the shore. It was only about half an hour before Dougie Edmond arrived (@dougie252) and joined me in the watch.

While Dougie was focussed on capturing the diving gannets and terns, I spotted a juvenile guillemot following a parent - shortly after Dougie was on it too - nice to see them fledged and on the water. Other guillemots, including black could be seen scattered around and groups of up to a couple of dozen Manx shearwaters passed regularly.

The rocks in front of the Point were being uncovered by the receding tide and soon common sandpipers and sanderling appeared. Turnstones, dunlin and ringed plover darted around, and a couple of common terns joined the fishing parties. Try as I might, I couldn't find any red-throated divers amongst the large number of shags. I chatted a little with Dougie, but time was getting on and I had to get back to have breakfast with my wife. I'd try again the following morning.

After breakfast my wife announced that she was going to go out for a brisk walk and so I took the opportunity to drop down onto the beach to see if I could connect with any dippers on the burn. Initially none were to be found but within 10 minutes I saw a juvenile feeding on the far-left corner - all too soon it flew back upstream and out of view.

The next morning I decided to return to Stevenston Point and found the weather was much nicer but today I'd be on my own. There were more black guillemots out on the water, but fewer common guillemots. In the distance boats cruised by looking rather appealing in the early hours. Manx shearwaters flew past in groups, closer than on the previous day; I scanned through them with my scope for any other shearwater species, but with no success. Oystercatchers flew through regularly but soon a couple of birds caught my eye - two red knot - good to see as I haven't connected with any here for a couple of years.

I was then able to pick out a couple of very distant red-throated divers on the southern side of the Point. I watched as they fished, gradually getting closer and closer, but never close. I waited and watched as more boats passed offshore but eventually ran out of time, heading back to the hotel for breakfast.

Thursday started wet and so I didn't go out birding at all. It was then Friday, and I decided once more to visit Stevenston Point, hopeful that I'd be able to pick up something new. Gannets and sandwich terns fished and sanderling flocks flashed by, occasionally landing on the end of the rocks. Further out, Manx shearwater sped across the waves at regular intervals, some getting a little closer. Still no other shearwater species apparent.

Through the scope I found a couple of red-throated divers along the beach to the north and decided to up-sticks and make my way along the dunes to see them at closer quarters. I flushed a handful of meadow pipits from beside the path, the first I'd seen here on this visit. I decided to drop down onto the beach and hoped to be getting close but found the birds were still distant offshore. I spent some time watching, waiting, and enjoying the views but they just refused to play ball - there were now four on show.

Again time beat me, and I had to pack up and make for the hotel and breakfast. It would be my last opportunity to get out birding, but I enjoyed my three visits and had some good views of some nice birds although nothing to add to my year list.