RSPB Bempton Cliffs - 3rd September 2017

Good Morning

It's early autumn on the cliffs with most of the Kittiwakes now departed, leaving Gannets, Fulmars, Herring Gulls and Shags to impress. Attention is also starting to focus on the more vegetated areas away from the cliffs, in the hope of migrating passerines. Excitement grew for a while with the four day presence of a (now departed) Greenish Warbler! Watch this space and of course the wooded areas!

So, what is about at the moment?

Aside from the wildlife, the cliff vistas can be very dramatically inspiring!

Without a doubt, the most numerous birds on the cliffs at the moment are the Gannets. Many still have Gugas (Gannet chicks) of which some are still in their downy plumage. It is also noticeable that many juvenile and immature birds (Gannets don't mature into adult plumage for five years) are still on the cliffs in their "clubs"!

A year 4 Gannet

A year 3 Gannet

Young Love? A year 4 Gannet with a year 3!

Adult Gannet with year 1 Guga in synchronised mode!

Mum! Feed me! I'll be fledging soon!

Year 1 Guga

Year 4 Gannet

Year 2 Gannet

Year 4 Gannet

"It's the way I tell 'em"!

Gannets with year 1 Gugas of varying ages

So what else presented itself to the camera lens? Two Peregrines graced the sky at Jubilee Corner viewpoint, but impossible to get both in the same image!

A good number of Great Black Backed Gulls passed by

With such a large colony of seabirds, it is not unusual to sea dead seabirds on the water. Often these are juvenile birds, but today an adult Gannet provided lunch to some of the Great Black Backed Gulls. Natural re-cycling!