Kittiwakes at Splash Point, Seaford

Kittiwakes nesting at Splash Point

Nesting activity was in full swing at the Kittiwake colony at Splash Point, Seaford, yesterday.  Damage caused by last winter's storms meant that the extension to the promenade in front of the chalk cliffs was closed.  Nevertheless, it is possible to get a good view from the jetty and I counted 311 birds on cliff ledges.  That does not add up to nest sites, but birds were sitting on nests and there was a great deal of activity with birds flying in with beaks full of nest material.  Nests seem to consist of untidy piles of beach debris, including bits of coloured rope and a great deal of old guano.
It is too far from the jetty for me to get a good shot of the nests with my camera, but I was able to get this group from the top of the cliffs.  The only place where I felt safe standing (it would be daft to go too close to the edge after the battering the cliffs have had this year) just gave a view of this little group, but just after I took the photo, one of the birds stood up to reveal an egg.