RSPB Bempton Cliffs: 'There’s nothing like seeing your first bottlenose dolphin' - Volunteers to keep keen eye on Yorkshire's incredible marine wildlife

They might see minke whales, or harbour seals. Already, a dolphin known as Runny Paint is causing excitement.

The Shorewatch scheme taps into a national effort to monitor marine mammals. At Bempton Cliffs, 28 trained volunteers are taking part using special binoculars.

RSPB administrator Susanna O’Neill is one of them. She helped bring the scheme back to Yorkshire after helping one while on a sabbatical in Shetland.

“There’s nothing like seeing your first bottlenose dolphin leap clear of the water and hearing the people around you gasp and cheer,” she said.

“It’s magical and incredibly emotional. People often don’t realise there’s such phenomenal marine life off the Yorkshire coast.

“This is first and foremost about conservation though," she added.

"With climate change and human activity continuing to impact our seas, it’s more important than ever to gather reliable data on our marine wildlife."

RSPB Bempton Cliffs, in East Yorkshire, is well known for its seabirds with over half a million nesting here each year.

Now Shorewatch, with the group Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), focuses on what lies beyond the cliffs. This is the first location in England.

This week volunteers reached their first milestone, with 100 watches 10-minute watches over 51 days. There have been 33 bottlenose dolphins, 19 porpoises, and nine grey seals.

One of the dolphins, known as Runny Paint for its distinctive white markings, is thought to have come from the Moray Firth population in northeast Scotland.

Katie Dyke is coordinator from WDC. Bempton Cliffs, she said, is the perfect location: "The high cliffs give excellent visibility, and the volunteer team has been so committed

"The data being gathered here will help strengthen our understanding of how cetaceans use the English coastline – and how best to safeguard them. Together, we’re not only recording vital data but also inspiring people to care about marine life on their doorstep.”

And Dave O’Hara, reserve manager at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, said the research is critical in understanding how to best protect marine life.

“Visitors travel from right across the UK and overseas to see seabirds in their thousands here, but they also have the chance to spot something spectacular out at sea too," he said.

"We hope to become just as famous for sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

"This area is hugely important for marine mammals due to the frontal systems in the area bringing plentiful food supplies.

"Many feeding areas for seabirds and marine mammals overlap and data from projects such as this helps us understand how best to protect species dependent on the North Sea in the future”.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​