RSPB Bempton provides five superb viewpoints, the southern two - New Roll-up and Staple Newk and the coastal path between providing the best views of Gannets. Photographing white birds is always a nightmare, too much light and the plumage highlights are blown, too little results in noisy blurred shots. Luckily we had booked into a comfortable hotel near Scarborough for three nights, affording two whole days on the reserve. With that amount of time at hand I should have been able to get some results. As it happened, Monday our first day was heavily overcast but Tuesday was bright and sunny. Oddly enough the weather affects more than exposure - the wind strength and direction appears to determine how the birds fly along the cliff edges. Not enough breeze to give the required lift and the birds stay low and if they are flying predominantly north, then in some flight shots the wings cast a shadow over the head - complicated old game isn't it.
Up close and personal with a stunning bird, either on the ground.............
.....or in the air.
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| More control surfaces than a RAF Typhoon and probably more aerobatic! |
Nesting material is hard to come by, the cliff top grass systematically denuded by a horde of desperate birds. Further inland the Kittiwakes were doing the same to a field of grass, any deterrent used by the farmer was totally ignored.
Uniform spacing between nests determined by the ability to deliver a well aimed stab of the beak without exposing the egg.
Miles of perfect nesting habitat - looking south from Staple Newk
