Whilst we were recently away in the North East, we took in a visit to The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. It wasn’t far from where we were staying and made for a really enjoyable, and interesting day out.
The Centre is located overlooking the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock. It’s a haven for seabird and it’s a gem of a place to visit, especially with children, as it’s so hands-on. In the Discovery Centre, you are able to control live cameras as you can zoom in and sport the wildlife on the various islands. This was endlessly fascinating for all three children and Damian and I as we spotted puffins, a peregrine falcon, Shags and their chicks and all manner of other birds.
There was a board up which detailed the various sightings that had been made, and the staff there were really helpful in terms of helping us locate different birds and answering the children’s questions as they found different things using the cameras.
As you make your way around this area there is an oceans quiz, which the children can complete. There’s also plenty of information boards and even a kids corner with brass rubbings and a small soft play area for smaller visitors.
We then had a walk through another exhibit which looked at migration patterns before settling down to watch a 3D film which was pretty impressive!
We then had a quick drink and snack in the cafe before heading back up to the Discovery Centre for another look around. We also picked up (free) tickets to an event in the theatre about how robots are used to help clear plastic from the oceans.
If you visit the centre and they have one of these shows on, it’s well worth getting a ticket for one. The tickets are free and the show we went to was fantastic. The lady who ran it was really good getting the children engaged and thinking about the issue of ocean plastics.
We learnt about the different robots, how plastics becomes microplastics and the many issues that it creates. We watched short video clips that really hit home and demonstrated the enormity of the problem, as well as the efforts to fix things.
We got to look at items made from recycled plastics which was really interesting and the whole thing has sparked an interest in Daniel, and he wants to focus his geography fair on the issue of Ocean plastics.
The Scottish SeaBird Centre is a fantastic day out and one that we all thoroughly enjoyed. It’s encouraged Daniel and Emma to learn more about the issues of Ocean plastic and, of course, to learn more about the many wonderful birds we spotted there. If you plan and book ahead, there are boat trips you can take which sound really good.
