The Scottish Seabird Centre
Yesterday, I got the opportunity to visit North Berwick's wonderful Scottish Seabird Centre.
After a spot of lunch in the Seabird Café, which offers up some stunning views of the iconic Bass Rock, myself and my aunt and uncle descended into the attraction's Discovery Centre. The area was split into five zones, each with its own live, interactive camera focused on one of the Firth of Forth's islands. Panning the rocky edges of North Fidra, I managed to get an intimate view of a pair of nestling fulmars, while over on Bass Rock I followed some soaring gulls, and spotted a resident shag.
Two fish tanks in the Craigleith Zone exhibited some very bizarre-looking native fish (the Blenny, in particular, caught my eye), while taxidermy seabirds and reconstructed skeletons illustrated the complex anatomy of the nearby archipelago's winged residents. A walk-through 'Flyway Tunnel' brought us out to the Turtle and Ray Zone, and a small gallery that showcased a variety of works by local artists. Before we left, we made our way into the Wildlife Theatre to catch its next showing, which was all about one of the charity's most successful conservation programmes. More on that in my next post, as it sparked my interest and generated the prospect of a brand new adventure!..
Later on we made our way over to Dunbar. We were glad to see, once we'd arrived, that the icy winds and snow we'd encountered in Berwick had long but disappeared. We hopped out of the car and headed down to the harbour, in hope of spotting some of the seals that are regularly reported visiting the area. Accounts tell us that the animals have, over time, become extremely confident: one, referred to by the locals as ‘Sammy’, has been filmed climbing onto a skipper’s boat and snatching a fish straight out of his hand! A few crafty individuals also seem to have learned which vessels bring in their beloved mackerel, and are often caught making beeline for them as they return from sea.
Who knows whether or not one of them was the opportunistic ‘Sammy’, but right there in front of us, bobbing up and down inside the harbour walls, were two common seals; Phoca vitulina. The pair looked completely unperturbed by the grey clouds that were rolling in but we, on the other hand, were wary... it wasn’t long before hail hit, forcing us back to the warmth and cover of the car.
A good day was had by all, despite the buffeting received from the wind, hail and snow. That’s the Scottish weather for you...
After a spot of lunch in the Seabird Café, which offers up some stunning views of the iconic Bass Rock, myself and my aunt and uncle descended into the attraction's Discovery Centre. The area was split into five zones, each with its own live, interactive camera focused on one of the Firth of Forth's islands. Panning the rocky edges of North Fidra, I managed to get an intimate view of a pair of nestling fulmars, while over on Bass Rock I followed some soaring gulls, and spotted a resident shag.
Later on we made our way over to Dunbar. We were glad to see, once we'd arrived, that the icy winds and snow we'd encountered in Berwick had long but disappeared. We hopped out of the car and headed down to the harbour, in hope of spotting some of the seals that are regularly reported visiting the area. Accounts tell us that the animals have, over time, become extremely confident: one, referred to by the locals as ‘Sammy’, has been filmed climbing onto a skipper’s boat and snatching a fish straight out of his hand! A few crafty individuals also seem to have learned which vessels bring in their beloved mackerel, and are often caught making beeline for them as they return from sea.
Who knows whether or not one of them was the opportunistic ‘Sammy’, but right there in front of us, bobbing up and down inside the harbour walls, were two common seals; Phoca vitulina. The pair looked completely unperturbed by the grey clouds that were rolling in but we, on the other hand, were wary... it wasn’t long before hail hit, forcing us back to the warmth and cover of the car.
A good day was had by all, despite the buffeting received from the wind, hail and snow. That’s the Scottish weather for you...
Comments
Post a Comment