An invitation across to Yorkshire for the weekend would take us to the seaside, but to be correct, hundreds of feet above the sea at Bempton Cliffs.

The weather this week was changeable all across the country but we were graced with a reasonable weather for our weekend at the coast.

Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough are the prominent headland on the north eastern coast of England north of Hull. As a result, it is a good sighting point for migrating birds.

It also has a resident population of sea and other bird life on the steep cliffs and farm fields that are included within the RSPB Reserve

Here volunteers were out in force to assist visitors and to enjoy new sightings for themselves each day.

The viewing platform allows safe viewing "over the edge".

The cliffs are famous for its breeding seabirds, including Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, common Guillemot, black-legged Kittiwake and Fulmar.

You'll find the Puffins near the top of the cliffs, nesting in burrows whilst the Kittiwakes, Gannets and the Guillemots are slightly further down.

The Shags occupying the broad ledges and caves at the bottom of the cliffs.

Today we were graced with the return of hundreds of Gannets, which seemed to be moving ever north along the coast.

"There about 3,500 Gannets at Bempton - the colony has grown from around 30 pairs in the late 1960's when the first birds arrived, using the cliffs as an overspill from Bass Rock further up the coast."

Info courtesy of BBC Nature's Calendar page

The staff reported that porpoises had also been seen today,

but the only grey and white speckled 'head' I saw through the binoculars turned out to be a fisherman's float !

A fleeting fly-by during our morning visit was from a Peregrine Falcon, but even the keenest photographers and the experienced volunteers failed to capture a picture.

The reserve area also includes the fields behind the cliffs which today had allowed sightings, even for us, of a stonechat and an owl, plus the sounds of other familiar countryside birds.

- - - o o o - - -   Flamborough is also famous for Fish and Chips and so after our visit to the cliffs we call in at the nearby village of Bempton to purchase some lunch.   This was securely wrapped for a short journey and a short time later, eaten in luxury within the calm environment of my brother's motor home. It was rather cool and breezy outside !   After the addition of a pot of steaming hot tea, we set off for a walk, starting at the lighthouse at Flamborough Head.     - - - o o o - - -

The sign board advertised Flamborough as somewhere to "blow away the cobwebs".

Our walk out to the foghorn and around the top of the cliffs certainly did.

The now-redundant Foghorn and staff residential building, with the lighthouse now seen across the fields some distance behind.

Looking north to Selwicks Bay with its chalk cliffs and wave cut platform, now fully exposed at low tide.

The top of the headlands are covered in boulder clay that readily falls away as the cliffs erode over time.

Naturally extra care must be taken, especially when conditions underfoot are damp.

The view south from close to the Bird Observatory . . . today's sightings can be found on-line here

Shortly we would walk over to the next small headland, where someone is already standing.

From there we could get a look down on the next section of cliff which has almost eroded away to form an island or sea stack.

Totally unexpected to Loes and I was the view down onto the beach at High Stack.

Moving round to a better vantage point for the sand and shingle bank , we could count about two hundred and fifty seals, hauled up on the beach at what is now low tide.

The lighter coloured and smaller seals tend to be the first year pups born in early autumn last year.

Back to the car park now and a view across to an octagonal white tower beyond the group of Flamborough Head houses.

This was the first lighthouse on Flamborough Head and dates from 1669, in the reign of King Charles II.

It was built with private funds, but it is suspected that the brushwood or coal fired "light" on the top was never lit due to lack of funds.

The signboard tells of the story.

The information board also mentioned the notorious "American Invader" and the "Battle of Flamborough Head".

This is the same John Paul Jones that tried to invade the port of Whitehaven in Cumbria that I've mentioned before on the web site.

Time to head home !

- - - o o o - - -

The second reason for our invite this weekend, was a visit to Hull Theatre.

Loes, Peter and Mary outside the venue.

Inside the scene was set for a concert by the National Philharmonic Orchestra

who performed a fine concert of Berlioz – Béatrice et Bénédict: Overture, Mozart – Oboe Concerto and Sibelius – Symphony No.2.

A classic evening of varied orchestral works to round off a lovely weekend.