Bempton Cliffs

RSPB Bempton Cliffs is a nature reserve, run by the RSPB, at Bempton in Yorkshire, England. A nature reserve (natural reserve, nature preserve, natural preserve) is an area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. ... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ... Bempton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area...

It is best known for its breeding seabirds, including Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Common Guillemot, Kittiwake and Fulmar. Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ... Binomial name Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758 The Razorbill, Alca torda, is a large alcid, 38-43 cm in length, with a 60-69 cm wingspan. ... Binomial name Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763) The Common Guillemot, known as the Common Murre in North America, Uria aalge, is a large alcid. ... Species Rissa tridactyla Rissa brevirostris The Kittiwakes (genus Rissa) are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae. ... Species (Linnaeus, 1761) (A. Smith, 1840) For other uses, see Fulmar (disambiguation). ...

Location

The hard chalk cliffs at Bempton rise are relatively resistant to erosion and offer lots of sheltered headlands and crevices for nesting birds. The cliffs run about 10 km from Flamborough Head north towards Filey and are over 100 m high at points. The Needles,situated on the Isle Of Wight, are part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... Bempton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as understood by materials science, see Erosion (materials science) For erosion as an English analogy, see Erosion (figurative) For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil... The chalk tower near Flamborough Head. ... Statistics Population: 6560 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TA115807 Administration Borough: Scarborough Shire county: North Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: North Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (East Riding) Services Police force: North Yorkshire Police Fire and rescue: North Yorkshire Ambulance...

There are good walkways along the top of the cliffs and several well fenced and protected observation points. Most times there will be helpful bird watchers with a range of scopes and binoculars on hand.

Kittiwakes

Numerically the most common bird, and in fact around 10% of the United Kingdom population live here.

Puffins

Unlike most sites in the UK, the puffins here nest in crevices in the rocks rather than in burrows, so although there are estimated to be around 6000 (2005), they are not as easy to see close up. Still, in May and June there are enough to go round. Local watchers suggested in 2005 that the effect of global warming was to reduce the numbers of sand eels available locally, as the sand eel thrives on plankton which had been driven much further north by the 2 degree rise in local sea temperatures. Species Fratercula arctica Fratercula corniculata Fratercula cirrhata For prehistoric species, see article text. ... Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected... Sand Eel or Sandeel is the common name used for a considerable number of species of fish. ... Photomontage of plankton organisms Plankton are any drifting organism that inhabits the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. ...

The puffins themselves mostly fly 40 km south to Dogger Bank to feed. Location of the Dogger Bank Dogger Bank (from dogge, an old Dutch word for fishing boat) is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 km off the coast of the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve
• Information Britain entry
• Travel Publishing information