Endearing little birds with clown-like features, it is no wonder puffins are so much loved and draw so many people to spot them on the East Yorkshire coast when they visit each year. RSPB Bempton Cliffs is home to the UK’s largest mainland seabird colony and of national and international importance.

The chalk cliffs that tower hundreds of feet over the North Sea recently welcomed back the first puffin of the season, faithfully returning to its nesting site. Around 3,000 of the distinctive birds, with their bright orange legs and multi-coloured bills, will colonise the cliffs up until the summer, with pairs of puffins each raising a single chick, cutely-named a puffling, in their secret burrows.

It is a magical experience to witness and one that Kirsten Carter, the RSPB’s head of marine policy – UK land and sea, highly recommends. Kirsten has some heart-warming facts to share about the puffin, whose comical appearance has earned it the monikers Sea Parrot and Clown of the Sea.