Puffin fever spreads over Bridlington with first sighting of the year at Bempton Cliffs

The first of this year's puffins have been spotted at the idyllic Bempton Cliffs RSPB site near Bridlington.
By Claudia Bowes
Published 28th Feb 2023, 12:46 BST

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Two of the iconic birds were sighted on February 22, and it won't be long until the rest of the colony return to their nest sites.

Puffins are small and robust birds that are famous for their colourful beaks and orange feet.

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The RSPB site at Bempton cliffs, near Bridlington, are renowned as a hive of puffin activity with a colony migrating to nest there every year.

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The first puffins have landed on the coast possibly as the breeding season draws near.The first puffins have landed on the coast possibly as the breeding season draws near.
The first puffins have landed on the coast possibly as the breeding season draws near.

Poppy Rummery, Visitor Experience Officer at the RSPB, said: “The full force of the puffins will not come back until the end of March or early April.

"I have had a lot of questions like ‘oh is it not really early?’, ‘Why are they back now?’ - but looking at previous years some have come back mid to late February before.

“I think they will be scoping out nest sites, but it could also be dependent on weather and things like that.

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"Often, if it is a bit miserable out at sea, you might get a few guillemots and razorbills back early and the puffins could be following the crowd.”

The Bempton Cliffs RSPB site is well known as a hotspot for puffins and brings much tourism to the Bridlington area.The Bempton Cliffs RSPB site is well known as a hotspot for puffins and brings much tourism to the Bridlington area.
The Bempton Cliffs RSPB site is well known as a hotspot for puffins and brings much tourism to the Bridlington area.

The two puffins spotted on the cliffs didn’t have the eye-catching colours they are known for, causing many visitors to wonder if they were youngsters on their first migratory trip.

Ms Rummery said: “They are definitely adults, they have just got their winter plumage.

“After breeding season they lose their colourful beak, bright orange feet and they go a lot darker in colour.

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“Because they are spending so much time at sea they don’t need to be all bright and colourful like they are in breeding season.”

Bempton Cliffs are a renowned site for birdwatchers and the puffins in particular bring much tourism to the Bridlington area.

Ms Rummery said: “Puffins are the gateway for getting people into birds and wildlife.

“The puffins definitely draw people to our area and they make people emotional as well. There are people I have chatted to on the cliffs who have cried when they see their first puffin!”

To find out more about the RSPB site at Bempton and their popular puffins, visit: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/bempton-cliffs/

Related topics:BridlingtonRSPB