Bempton for the Fifth and Final Time 7th August 2021

For days now Mark, my twitching buddy has been irritated that on our last visit he did not get the best of images of the Black browed Albatross at Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire . It did not help that many other photographers had been luckier and got truly exceptional pictures when they visited and he was determined to rectify the situation.

The problem is and continues to be so, the albatross can disappear for a day or more, so if you are unlucky, a four hour drive in our case can result in nothing but a frustrating day standing on the cliffs staring at Gannets.

In the end Mark could contain himself no longer and at literally a few hours notice texted me on Friday evening to say he and a birding colleague Andrew were going for the albatross at 1am in the morning, so for the fifth time in as many weeks I found myself in Mark's car, heading north through the night to Bempton.

We arrived in the reserve car park, on time, at 5am and by 5.30 had reached the Staple Newk lookout perched on top of the 300 foot cliffs, where we found just four other birders watching the dawn arise.

There was hardly time to ask about the albatross before there it was, right below us, milling around amongst the countless Gannets. One huge concern was now dispensed with.The albatross was here but the second major concern, whether it would stay to give us the close views we desired, remained unresolved.

It promptly disappeared behind a cliff and was gone. Forty five minutes of anxious anticipation and a beautiful sunrise later it finally re-appeared from around the cliff on which it had presumably been perched out of sight.

'There he is!' someone cried as the albatross swept into view. The following two hours are recorded in the images below. 

It was all over by 8.30am. After several bravura flypasts at regular intervals the albatross flew out to sea, landed distantly and commenced bathing.We suspected it would not return to the cliffs and this was confirmed as it was not seen for the rest of the day.

Of course Bempton being a major seabird breeding colony, there was still the forever changing spectacle of seabirds going about their lives. The Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins have departed for the open sea and will only return next year but the Gannets and Kittiwakes remain.

The Gannets looked incredibly beautiful in the first rays of a sun that was just rising above the horizon, their white plumage given a suffusion of golden light as they stood on or flew around their clifftop home.They are also a dream to photograph as they adopt their ritualised breeding attitudes.

There were still many young Gannets of various ages sat on their perilous ledges, each with a parent guarding them whilst the other parent was away fishing. It will be a while yet before the colony grows silent when the last young birds head out on their maiden flights to spend the next two to three years off the coast of Africa. How many will survive the many perils that face them at sea and return to breed?

Many of the young Kittiwakes have now fledged and are trying out their wings on the wind currents sweeping over and around the cliffs. Soon they too will head out to sea for the winter and away from land. They have an innate mastery of the air and its capricious currents and circle around practicing landing on the cliff ledges before dropping back off the cliff and flying in endless circles with the Gannets. They look so smart and neat in their brand new plumage, a pristine combination of black, grey and white. Gulls have mean looking white or yellow eyes, that stare impassively but Kittiwakes have black eyes giving them what can only be described as a gentle face that is less troubling to a sensitive soul such as myself and makes them all the more appealing.

As an afterthought I can recommend Copperfields, a cafe in nearby Flamborough where we had a truly excellent breakfast. The ideal way to end our morning with the albatross.