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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“The birds tenderly tap their beaks together and throw their heads back and call with delight.” |
Today’s weather looks really good and Dad is keen to go out and do something. He has decided that Mum and I should go bird watching and is making plans to take us to a spit of land near Hull because it has a nature reserve on it. I eventually persuade him that this isn’t a great idea as clearly it is very remote, not ideal for Mum who really needs to go somewhere more accessible. In the end they decide to take me up to Bampton Cliffs again where they will drop me off. Then my parents will go off and visit nearby Bridlington as Mum doesn’t really want to go.
Today’s visit is very different to the one last week. There is no gloomy fog rolling in from the sea and shrouding the cliffs in murk. Today is hot, sunny and very bright. I’m thankful that I’ve got the right gear with me and slather on the sun cream, very aware that there is no shade or cover here at all.
There had been a number of coaches in the car park and clearly there are a lot of people visiting today. Instead of going left at the cliff, I turn right, exploring the area I missed last time. This brings me to a stunning view point looking down onto a rocky pinnacle, covered in nesting gannets. The birds are being closely studied by a nearby ornithologist, who has a photograph of the site with a series of nests circled in red. He is monitoring the progress of a group of birds, noting how many produce eggs, how many hatch and how many of the chicks survive and fledge.
I prefer to watch the birds’ remarkably tender family life going on below me. The parents are carefully shading their young charges under outstretched wings. Every so often the other parent will arrive, greeting its partner with a wonderful display of affection. The birds tenderly tap their beaks together and throw their heads back and call with delight. Then they swap over, the returning parent feeding the chick and the other parent eventually flying off to find more food.
I spend most of the day working my way up and down the coast, visiting all the viewing points. However hunger finally gets the best of me and I go in search of a quiet retreat to eat my sandwiches. I end up on a sunny bench inland at a handy little bird feeding station. This isn’t aimed at the sea birds, but at the smaller garden birds I’m more familiar. However there is one surprise visitor – tree sparrows. This once common bird has all but disappeared from our countryside now. I honestly can’t recall ever seeing one before – in fact I’ve probably seen more little egrets in the UK than tree sparrows.
I was just getting myself sorted to return to the cliffs when my phone rang. Dad has obviously become bored and wants to know if I want picking up yet. I grudgingly agree and head back up towards the visitor centre. It turns out to be quite fortunate, because it begins to rain at just the moment they arrive.
previous travel blog entry
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