England's best place to see nesting seabirds has just got even better, thanks to the opening of a brand new visitor centre overlooking the dramatic cliff-top home to a quarter of a million birds.

From April to October, the RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve on the East Yorkshire coast plays host to an annual seabird spectacle – the sights, sounds (and smells) of 250,000 breeding birds.

From courting puffins to swooping gannets, the coastal cliffs near Bridlington offer stunning wildlife encounters, a world away from the traditional sights and sounds of the bustling seaside resort just down the road.

In one of nature's great displays, the cliffs between Bempton and Flamborough come alive with nest-building adults or young chicks taking their first steps.  Visitors can get close to the action from special cliff-edge viewing platforms, offering the perfect vantage point to spot and photograph the birds.

With huge numbers to watch, beginners can easily learn the difference between gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars, while the much-loved puffin - a firm family favourite each year - makes its home at the reserve between mid-April and mid-July.

To learn a little more about these comical little birds, join a Puffin Patrol (until 19 July), a 90-minute guided stroll along the cliff tops.  Among other wildlife gems on offer is the chance to see gannets, the UK's largest seabird, thanks to 23,000 of them that flock to the cliffs each year.

This year, visitors to Bempton have even more to enjoy.

A striking new seabird centre, which opened this spring, boasts an exhibition area, large TV screens showing live images from the cliffs along with a well-stocked shop, including the best selection of binoculars and scopes on the East Coast.  Drinks and snacks are also available and can be enjoyed on a new decked area overlooking the wildflower meadow and the cliff tops beyond.  The reserve is open throughout the year, and the new seabird centre is open daily from 9.30am-5 pm in summer and 9.30am–4 pm in winter (www.rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs).

For a wildlife experience from a different perspective, climb aboard a traditional, working Yorkshire fishing coble for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Living Seas Safari weekend boat trips, which run from North Landing, in Flamborough, around the chalk headland from April to June (www.ywt.org.uk/living-seas-safaris) while the RSPB also run Seabird Cruises from Bridlington harbour.

Bempton is one of a growing list of wildlife reserves that make up The Yorkshire Nature Triangle, stretching from the Humber estuary up to Bridlington and inland to the Yorkshire Wolds. More than 30 wildlife sites can be found within the Triangle, including the National Nature Reserve at Spurn and RSPB reserve Blacktoft Sands (www.yorkshirenaturetriangle.org.uk).

For more details about things to do and where to stay, visit www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com.

-ENDS-

For further information, please contact:

Andy Gray     

E-mail: andy.gray@vhey.co.uk Tel: 01482 39152