Linking with the First Scotrail Train service from Edinburgh to North Berwick, the new service will run from 23 June until 31 August and will give visitors travelling from the Capital easy access to top East Lothian attractions including the National Museum of Flight, the Scottish Seabird Centre and Tantallon Castle.
Designed for both visitors and locals, shuttle bus service 111 will be operated by First Bus, with funding support from East Lothian Council.
First Minister of Scotland Launches First Ever Homecoming Year
June 16, 2008
Rt Hon Alex Salmond, MSP, First Minister of Scotland this week launched the country’s first ever Homecoming year, at Edinburgh Castle.
The John Muir Odyssey, East Lothian, 2009
One of the flagship events of Homecoming Scotland 2009, the John Muir Odyssey, will follow in the footsteps of John Muir, celebrating the life and legacy of this great Scot, regarded as “the Father of modern day conservation”. From his birthplace in East Lothian, with an exciting itinerary, by land and sea, the Odyssey promises dramatic scenery, spectacular coastline and the amazing wildlife that inspired John Muir.
PUFFIN numbers on one of Scotland's strongholds have dropped by 30 per cent in five years. It is believed Scotland's most popular seabird could be suffering because of a lack of food supply caused by warming seas as a result of climate change. The Isle of May in the Firth of Forth is home to the largest colony of puffins in the North Sea. After almost 40 years of numbers rapidly increasing on the island, the puffin population has now dramatically fallen.
Five years ago there were 69,000 pairs of puffins on the Isle of May but now numbers have dropped to just 41,000 pairs. This contrasts to 100,000 pairs that scientists had expected to find if numbers had continued growing at previous rates. Professor Mike Harris from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who led the research, has been studying puffins on the Isle of May for the past three decades. He said: "Something worrying appears to have happened over last winter and probably the one before.
"Puffins appear to be joining the ranks of other seabirds in the North Sea that are suffering reduced breeding success and decline in numbers."
He thinks the most likely cause is sea warming, which has an impact on the amount of plankton in the water. With fewer plankton the fish that feed on them are affected, and so are the puffins that rely on the fish to feed.
"Puffins can probably cope quite well with a change of sea temperature," he said. "It doesn't affect them directly but just through the food supply."
He said when the birds returned to the Isle of May this year to breed they were very underweight compared to normal, backing up the theory they are struggling to find enough food. "It's too early to start talking about the demise of the puffins but we need to understand what's going on," he said.
He said another possibility is that large numbers decided to have a year off from breeding. But this is very unlikely. "We also need to widen the survey to include other colonies in the North Sea to measure to what extent the population is declining in the area," he said.
Caroline Warburton, manager of Wild Scotland, said it was worrying, as puffins were a huge tourist attraction. "They are by far the favourite seabird. If they suffer a similar drop over the next few years, it would become much rarer to see puffins."
It is, according to no less an authority than Sir David Attenborough, one of the most exhilarating wildlife experiences available to man: a sight on a par with the migration of the wildebeest across the African savannah or the awesome swarming of the monarch butterfly in the streaming forests of Mexico.
This summer, British nature lovers will be given the chance to experience at first hand the extraordinary sights, sounds and smells of the world's largest colony of northern gannets.
To a packed theatre week at the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick, the world authority on gannets and boobies, Dr Bryan Nelson, gave a fascinating insight into the world of the gannets on the Bass Rock.
Dr Nelson, the world's leading expert on gannets and acclaimed author of the “The Atlantic Gannet” gave a personal insight into his work on the Bass Rock and the seabirds that live on this unique island in the Firth of Forth. Dr Nelson has had an enduring association with the Bass Rock and its seabirds, spanning over 40 years. A lifetime devoted to the observation and study of gannets and boobies began in 1961 when he began married life with his wife June, living on the Bass Rock , studying the birds for three years from 1961-63.
Edinburgh Castle and Kelvingrove top visitor attractions in record year
A record number of people were drawn to visitor attractions across Scotland last year with Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Edinburgh Castle being named as the most popular places.
SCOTTISH SEABIRD CENTRE SEES INCREASE OF OVER 25% IN VISITOR NUMBERS
- 284,702 people visit award winning five star attraction in North Berwick -
P6/7 pupils from Law Primary School, North Berwick have become fully fledged junior tour guides in a new pilot programme developed with the Seabird Centre with support from East Lothian Council. The pupils spent six weeks learning about the Seabird Centre and its wildlife and being coached as tour guides and it is now their chance to perform to family, teachers and other school children visiting the Seabird Centre.
Emma Gardiner, the Seabird Centre's Education Officer comments, “The children have been very excited about the programme and there was quite a bit of pressure on the children as they had to memorise and present a script, but their presentations were very impressive.”
The Herald's photographer Julie Howden enjoyed a visit to the Bass Rock this week with the Seabird Centre's exclusive photographic boat trips. These are organised twice a week and can be booked by calling 44 (0) 1620 890202 or at info@seabird.org. See Julie's "Herald" gallery of her experience on the Bass Rock.
Forward Vision’s MIC1 series-Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) CCTV cameras (also known as Metal Mickeys) have helped turn the Scottish Seabird Centre into a world leader in sustainable, remote wildlife watching.
The Scottish Seabird Centre is one of the Millennium successes and now a world leader in remote wildlife viewing. It is located at North Berwick on the Forth Estuary, about half an hour’s drive from Edinburgh. The area is internationally renowned for colonies of many seabirds, such as gannets, kittiwakes and puffins. Hundreds of thousands of them come each year to breed on islands such as the Bass Rock and the Isle of May.
Winners of “Nature of Britain” Photographic Competition announced
The Scottish Seabird Centre has been campaigning with the support of its 7,000 members and 290,000 visitors, for the last two years against the ship-to-ship transfer of Russian crude oil at swinging anchor in the Firth of Forth (see previous articles). CONTROVERSIAL proposals for ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth were rejected yesterday in a move applauded by environmental campaigners and politicians from all parties. Forth Ports confirmed it had refused permission for the transfers, admitting the strength of public opinion against them had been pivotal in the decision. The proposals would have seen almost eight million tonnes of Russian crude oil pumped between tankers each year, and had raised fears of an environmentally catastrophic spill.
The announcement comes as the row continues over where control over the marine environment should rest, with the Scottish Government adamant it should have the final say. New regulations are currently being consulted on at Westminster, following a Private Members Bill by Mark Lazarowicz, the Edinburgh North and Leith MP.
The RSPB said last night it was delighted that "common sense prevailed" and called for the introduction of "specific marine legislation".
The Marine Conservation Society said it was "thrilled that the internationally important habitats" would be protected.
The application for the transfers had been made by SPT Marine Services. Ian Laws, its managing director, said the firm was "extremely disappointed" at the decision, but that there were currently no plans to appeal it.
Charles Hammond, the chief executive of Forth Ports, said the organisation had consulted heavily over the last three years with numerous interested parties and had commissioned an in-depth technical study.
The plan would have seen oil pumped between tankers anchored five miles off the coast. Local councils, residents and environmental groups had opposed the plans, fearing an oil spill. The area is home to internationally important wildlife, including breeding seabirds and wintering waterfowl. Mr Hammond said the investigations had established that ship-to-ship transfers could be done "in certain circumstances" in the Forth without affecting the environment. But he continued: "Commercially, as a public company, we have had to look at the project as a whole and we believe, given the uncertain scope of the project, taking account of the views of all the interested parties and looking at the number of other projects we are involved in, it's not in the interests of the company or shareholders to proceed with the application."
He said the firm had considered the level of public opposition to the scheme, and was also concerned that the scale of the project was unclear. He said it could not be established how many vessels might be involved and without such information it was unclear what level of resources would have to be committed to the project. Mr Hammond denied that the authority had been pressured into turning down the application by the SNP administration, insisting: "This is a decision we took of our own accord." He added that Forth Ports would not be considering applications for ship-to-ship transfers until the regulatory system had been straightened out.
Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said: "I strongly welcome the fact that Forth Ports are not going ahead with the controversial ship-to-ship transfers in the estuary."
Richard Lochhead, the cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment, said the announcement was "the right decision for Scotland and the right decision for Forth Ports". He continued, "I am grateful to Forth Ports for their constructive engagement with the Scottish Government and with the Scottish Parliament on this issue."
KEY FIGURES BACK MOVE
"The Fife coastline is an internationally important area, and any accident during ship-to-ship oil transfers would have put this valuable environment at risk"
Dan Barlow, acting director of WWF Scotland
"I hope that this marks the beginning of a long line of decisions to protect our wonderful natural heritage"
Erich Hoyt, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
"The plans meant high risks but no gain for us. No money or jobs were on the table"
Dave Berry, leader of East Lothian Council
"The meetings with ministers, the many letters and phone calls now seem very worthwhile"
Scottish Seabird Centre welcomes Ship to Ship decision but calls for better protection of Scotland’s seas
The Scottish Seabird Centre welcomes today’s announcement by Forth Ports not to proceed with the plans for ship to ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth. The Seabird Centre has been campaigning against the proposals since they were first announced, organising petitions and events as well as lobbying politicians whenever possible.
Pictured is the Scottish Seabird Centre’s Tammie the Puffin outside the residence of the First Minister of Scotland, No 6 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, with a petition to stop ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Firth of Forth, addressed “To the Future Occupant”.
The petition of almost 2,000 names is being sent today to Scotland’s new First Minister, Alex Salmond. A copy has also been presented, in person, to the Chief Executive of Forth Ports Authority, Charles Hammond.
SNP leader Alex Salmond today promised early action on a bid to block controversial ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Forth. Mr Salmond, expected to be elected First Minister tomorrow, welcomed a proposal from the Greens which would give ministers new powers to veto activities which pose a threat to conservation areas.
The plan to transfer up to eight million tonnes of Russian crude oil every year between tankers in the Forth has provoked strong opposition from environmentalists and politicians in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife. The current law leaves Forth Ports plc, the company who would benefit financially from allowing the operation to go ahead, to decide whether or not it needs to apply to the Scottish Executive for a licence.
The first gannet of the year, to return to its nest on the Bass Rock, was spotted on 20th February by William Pearce, age 4, from West Butterwick, North Lincolnshire, who won a prize of a wildlife watching backpack. This signals the return of all the gannets to the island during the next few weeks. Gannets mate for life (up to 37 years) and also return to the same nest every year, which must prove a big challenge in a colony of over150,000 gannets. The gannets spend most of the year on the Bass Rock, mating, nesting and rearing their fluffy white chicks, until the end of October when the juveniles set out on their long journey to the West Coast of Africa. Why not adopt a Bass Rock Gannet Family and watch their progress through the year?
The new Kids’ Zone at the Scottish Seabird Centre is proving to be a huge hit with families. The giant Puffin Burrow with its soft play area, tunnel, giant rockers, slide and ball pool is a great place for children to run off lots of energy and give parents a chance to relax.
There is also a new programme of events daily during the Easter school holidays, including ‘Build your own Easter Nest’ and follow our ‘Easter Egg trail’. ‘Meet the Raptors’ – get up close to a peregrine falcon and an eagle owl and live handling session with ‘The Terrible Lizard’ and ‘Walking with Birds’ offers a great variety of birdwatching walks around East Lothian and beyond!
The first puffin of the year was spotted on Tuesday 1st April by Mr and Mrs Leftley (and their 20 month old son, Francis) from Birmingham, who were visiting the Seabird Centre while on holiday. They were delighted with their prize of a puffin backpack.
The puffins are flighty before finally settling down on the islands to nest and can easily be disturbed. The extreme weather conditions, we believe, may have had an effect and we hope that they will soon return. The Seabird Centre is leading a five year project to reinstate the puffins on Craigleith and Fidra Islands which have been driven away by an invasive plant Tree Mallow. The Mallow Bashers, aka the team of volunteers have been working hard in readiness for the puffins returning. With their arrival imminent, much of the work on the islands will stop until the end of the puffin season at the end of July. Visit the SOS Puffin page for more information.
