Puffins and Pufflings on the North Yorkshire Coastline

By A Venturing Nomad.

I was deliriously delighted to discover that the UK’s largest mainland sea bird colony was just along the road from where I reside, and not as I had assumed, in the Highlands of Scotland, or even further. 

Bempton, a small village nestled comfortably between Flamborough and Filey,  is well-supported, with a pub, shops and post office, a former RAF listening station and even a claim to being a film location. However, this village is best known for hosting the Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve. Its simple and humble entrance is completely understated for the treats that are in-store and a 30-minute walk from its very own railway station and the village itself.    

Or, if you prefer to drive, just a short walk from the reservation car park, Gannets, Guillemots and Kittiwakes perform acrobatic feats worthy of any circus performance and dart and dive as they fish to feed themselves and their families. You are transfixed in mesmerising awe of the effortless mid-air dances in what seems like touching distance.

But it was the Puffins I had come to see today. Ever since I first heard that these endearing little birds only have their strikingly striped beak for the mating season, so in essence, both male and female ‘put on their face’ hatch only one egg, burrowed into the ground, but that when it hatches, it is referred to as a Puffling, my heart only melted a little more.

The stocky little birds form long-lasting relationships and are usually in bonded pairs that return to their nesting site in the summer months after wintering at sea. Their solitary chicks fledge at night and, along with the mature birds, spend the winters at sea, returning after five years to the same nesting site.

The viewing points at the reserve are located so you can peer right into the ‘nooks and crannies’ of the cliffs and watch this live-action natural wonders show whilst not affecting the inhabitants. Yes, people had ‘big boy’ zoom action cameras, but you can equally use the zoom feature on your phone to get some fantastic trophy photographs to both share and stare at.

Ours was an evening visit under the aura of the setting summer sun, often called golden hour, as the sun peeps out from behind evening clouds to cast a warm glow over the cliffs and its noisy residents.

The constant captivating contortions of the display are hypnotic, and time passes quickly, marked only by the continuous clicks of the camera shutter. No one is speaking apart from the occasional gasp of recognition of something truly spectacular: nature in all its evening glory.

There is much in the press at the moment about spending time in nature and how it is beneficial to our well-being and mental health; there are no arguments here this evening. All the sea life, on, above and below the cliffs are magical marvels, but none more so than the perky little puffins and their endearing pufflings.

Not travelling overseas until age 19, this Venturing Nomad's work and life have taken her to just under 70 countries, with more adventures always planned. Twelve years as a Diplomat led to excitement and adventures across the globe, and she is now enjoying travelling with her young daughter and seeing the world afresh through her eyes.

A published author in fact and fiction, she firmly believes in the mantra "take only photos - leave only footprints". More of a feeder than a foodie, she has cooked her way around the globe, from the hill tribes in Thailand, Nonna's kitchen in Italy to the beachfront hotel in Morocco. There is always a story and, more importantly, a recipe.

You can contact her at [email protected]