How the Seabird
Centre took flight

Protect

The Scottish Seabird Centre has found a way of bringing visitors closer to nature while protecting the habitats of its local sealife

Perched on a rocky outcrop at North Berwick harbour, the Scottish Seabird Centre has brought hundreds of thousands of visitors closer to its extraordinary array of local wildlife – without threatening the habitats of the animals everyone wants to see.

The Centre’s breakthrough technology is the network of solar-powered cameras that beam live pictures from the bird colonies on the nearby islands, once dubbed one of the Twelve Wildlife Wonders of the World by Sir David Attenborough for their rich array of local sea life.

The technology means that visitors can watch puffins, shags, terns, guillemots, razorbills, eider ducks, kittiwakes and seals while the birds themselves are protected from the disturbance that would be caused by such huge numbers of visitors tramping over the islands.

Construction of the building is in tune with its natural surroundings and wherever possible, materials used were locally sourced and environmentally sustainable.

The Centre’s outreach programme enables it to work with schools across the country by bringing young people to North Berwick to learn about wildlife and the environment and by providing resources and teaching ideas for the classroom.

“The aim of the Scottish Seabird Centre’s education programme is to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to appreciate, learn about and care for Scotland’s wildlife and natural environment.”

The Centre is working closely with Scandinavian colleagues to establish a similar national venture in Norway, and is examining the possibility of setting up direct camera links with the Falklands and Galapagos islands.

did you know?

• Around 600 volunteers support the work of the Centre
• The Firth of Forth is home to over 300,000 seabirds
• In the local waters you can also see seals, dolphins and whales