Kittiwakes at Seaford

Last year I wrote an item on the Kittiwake colony on the chalk cliffs at Seaford in East Sussex, England. The birds are returning back to Seaford now but there won't be much to see until the lay their eggs around about May. For now there maybe some courtship going on and even some nest renovations.

 Nesting Kittiwakes - August 2010

According to my contact at the RSPB there will be some exciting photo opportunities from June & July. The Kittiwakes will be on their eggs through June and chicks should start appearing around the start of July. The juveniles should start to fly around early August.

Kittiwake in flight from the cliff top!

There are some stunning photo opportunities for both birders and photographers. Splash Point at the end of the esplanade will mean you need a 400 mm lens on an APS-C sensor or Canon EOS 50D etc or at least 600 mm on a full frame sensor such as the Canon 5D MkII or EOS 1DS MkII. For the more adventurous you can walk to the cliff top, which is not fenced and subject to landslip - you have been warned! There are some excellent spots here that don't take you dangerously close to the cliff edge for some really spectacular images. Personally, I think it's best to do the cliff top photography as part of a group for mutual safety.

I will be organising some photo walks around the Kittiwake season. So watch this space for further news of the Seaford Kittiwakes and some special photo walks.

Ian