Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is inviting everyone who loves nature to come to Flamborough Cliffs on 14th and 15th May for a weekend of activities to celebrate one of the nation’s best-loved seabirds – the puffin.

Puffins, also known as ‘sea parrots’, are one of our most recognisable birds. They’re black and white, with bright orange legs and webbed feet, and a chunky, colourful blue, red and yellow bill. The cliffs of Flamborough Headland are a safe haven for puffins, and this is one of the best places in the UK to see them and thousands of other seabirds, including kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots.

The Yorkshire Puffin Festival, funded and supported by Yorkshire Coast BID, takes place at the Trust’s Flamborough Cliffs nature reserve and is packed full of puffin fun, including:

•    exclusive online launch event with writer and naturalist Stephen Rutt
•    a seashore safari, guided walks and wildlife watching – including peering at puffins – with friendly experts
•    craft activities, storytelling, a puffin challenge, face painting and more.

For most of the events you can just drop in or book on the day, but you’ll need to book in advance for some. Parking and Puffin HQ are at North Landing.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s regional manager David Craven said:

“Puffins are wonderful birds and we’re very fortunate to have them here in Yorkshire. This is the perfect time to see them on the spectacular white cliffs at Flamborough after spending the winter at sea, and their famous, colourful bills are at their brightest. But like so many species of wildlife in the UK, puffins need our protection. Being there and soaking up the sounds and sights of all these birds and the sea is a real experience, and a reminder that we must do all we can to protect our wild places and creatures.”

Martyn Coltman, Yorkshire Coast BID Director said:

“We are thrilled to once again be supporting this year’s Yorkshire Puffin Festival. Not only is the festival jam-packed with activities for all the family to enjoy but it is a fantastic way to raise awareness and learn more about what we need to do to protect their welfare.
 
Flamborough's Headland provides one of the best places in the country to view these distinctive birds, with puffins attracting many visitors each year - it's a real hotspot.
 
Here at the Yorkshire Coast BID we aim to promote the incredible coast whilst ensuring we are protecting it for the future and the Yorkshire Puffin Festival is the perfect example of this.”

Puffin populations globally are in decline, but numbers on the Yorkshire coast have stayed reasonably steady, at around 4,000, with the last count taking place in 2018. But the health and number of our puffins depends on more than just where they nest. They could dramatically decline if their food source is affected. A puffin’s favourite meal is sand eels; a small, silver, eel-like fish that makes up around 90% of their diet. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has welcomed recent protection for sand eels and other marine wildlife at Dogger Bank Special Area of Conservation in the North Sea – good news for puffins and other seabirds, as well as other fish, seals, whales and dolphins.

If you can’t get to the coast for the Yorkshire Puffin Festival, there’s plenty to enjoy online at ywt.org.uk/puffin-fest where you can also become a Puffin Protector. Download your free pack full of puffin facts, activities to do at home, advice on where to see them, puffin-themed gifts and competitions, and ideas to help you protect puffins. 

Visit https://www.ywt.org.uk/yorkshire-puffin-festival/plan-your-adventure for more information about each event and activity, and to book.