We’re unbelievably lucky to host a puffin colony at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Flamborough Cliffs reserve. Every year we look forward to welcoming them back when they land in April to raise a single puffling with their same loyal mate, before departing again in early August.

These small but hardy fellows spend most of the year out at sea, landing on coastlines to breed at a few select areas of the UK. Other colonies require a boat trip but Flamborough Cliffs are home to many puffins which you can see from land. This is just a short walk south from the car park at North Landing and the perfect spot to enjoy the cliff top scenery, flowering meadows and some spectacular sea views.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘sea parrot’ or ‘the clown of the sea’, the Atlantic puffin is instantly recognisable from its brightly coloured parrot-like bill. They are black above, with a white belly and cheeks, and beautiful orange, webbed feet. These vivid feet can help you pick them out on the cliff ledges amongst the throng of seabirds.

Puffins are striking but they’re smaller than anticipated. It takes a bit of patience, some luck and maybe a pair of binoculars - but spend a summer afternoon watching the white cliffs from the land and you’re in with a good chance of spotting more than one precocious puffin perching on the cliffs, especially looking intently for those orange feet and supersize bill.

You can also spot them dashing back and forth on a fast wing beat over the water, home in time to deliver a fish supper.

Puffins are best suited to life at sea. With their waddling walk, clumsy flying and habit for bumpy landings, the sea is where they prefer to be. Here they spend most of their year; bobbing around, far from our coastlines, in large groups called rafts.

Surprisingly, the stubby wings that makes movement awkward for them on land are perfectly adapted for diving and swimming. Underwater they have great agility, using their feet like rudders to direct them toward their catch. Their serrated bills also allow them to carry multiple fish at a time. In fact, one puffin was recorded as having 83 small sand eels in its bill all at once!

Flamborough Cliffs, along with nearby Bempton, host some of the most important seabird colonies in Europe. Each summer, thousands of seabirds, including puffins, kittiwakes and razorbills, flock to these stunning chalk cliffs to raise their young amongst the nooks and crannies safely protected from predators.

Sand eels are a hugely important part of the North Sea's ecology. In fact, the fledging success of Yorkshire's puffins entirely depends on them. But as the climate crisis causes temperatures in the North Sea to rise, sand eels are being forced to move further north in search of colder waters. As a result, puffins must travel further and further away from their nests in search of this vital food source, leaving their vulnerable chicks alone, defenceless and increasingly hungry. If these worrying trends continue, we could lose our beloved, colourful Yorkshire visitors forever.

At Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, we’re so proud that our Flamborough Cliffs reserve plays host to puffins every year, and we want it to stay that way. The first step is to ensure our families, friends and fellow nature-lovers fall for our Flamborough feathered friends and have a chance to see and help protect them, before it’s too late.

In May 2018 we launched the first annual Yorkshire Puffin Festival at Flamborough to coincide with the puffins coming home to the cliffs.

We’re delighted that it’s becoming something of an annual event and this year, on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th May, the festival returns to Flamborough to celebrate the UK's most colourful and charismatic seabird and raise awareness of our very special puffin colony. The bunting will be out, and the rugged coastline will provide a stunningly wild backdrop for a host of varied and fun activities.

For the full Yorkshire Puffin Festival programme and to discover how protecting puffins starts at home, head to our online hub: ywt.org.uk/puffin-festival. Start planning your trip to Flamborough this summer to enjoy Yorkshire’s delightful, surprising and not to be missed puffins and their seabird friends.

  • Emma Lusby is Communications Manager of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust