WITH their bright orange legs, webbed feet, broad faces and chunky red-and-yellow bills, puffins are perhaps our quirkiest seabirds.

The sea cliffs from Filey to Bridlington host the largest mainland colony anywhere in the UK. And if you want to go and see them, there’s no better time than this coming weekend.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, supported by Yorkshire Coast BID, is holding its annual puffin festival at the Flamborough Cliffs nature reserve this Saturday and Sunday, May 13 and 14.

Events this coming weekend include:

l boat trips by traditional fishing coble to discover the rugged coastline and spot some of our seabirds from a different angle;

l peering at puffins from the clifftop with expert volunteers as part of a guided walk;

l a guided walk at dusk to spot the reserve’s resident barn owls;

l a beach clean - help to look after marine wildlife as well as puffins;

l puffin-themed crafts making a sock puffin with Thread and Press;

l a puffin-themed drama workshop with Singing with Zoe;

l a Yorkshire Puffin Contest to find Yorkshire’s best puffin performer - with a prize for the best entry.

David Craven, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s regional manager, said Flamborough Cliffs was one of the few places you could see puffins - also known as ‘sea parrots’ - without taking a boat. The cliffs are just a short walk from the car park at North Landing.

“May is the perfect time to see these birds at Flamborough, where they’ve returned after spending the winter at sea,” David said.

“Watching puffins at Flamborough is one of the best wildlife watching spectacles in Yorkshire. It’s an experience that brings delight to so many people, we’re so lucky to have them - so what better way to celebrate them than with a weekend of activities?

“These wonderful birds also need our help, through protection of their fishing grounds and food supply to their fragile marine habitat. We’ll be helping people to take action over the weekend too.”

The sea cliffs from Filey to Bridlington are sometimes known as Yorkshire’s ‘Seabird City’ - and are home to the largest mainland seabird colony in the UK. As well as puffins, there are- for a brief period between May and August - internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds including fulmars, herring gulls, kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says that globally, puffin populations are in decline. “Although numbers on the Yorkshire coast have stayed reasonably steady at roughly 4,000, they are at risk from the effects of climate change on their main food source, sand eels,” a spokesperson said.

To find out more about the puffin festival, visit ywt.org.uk/yorkshire-puffin-festival/plan-your-adventure Some activities, including the boat trip, will require pre-booking - but there will also be plenty for those who drop in.