03 August, 2015
Isle of May welcomes Piper the Puffin
A new puffin mascot for the Isle of May National Nature Reserve proved popular during the annual Family Day - and also picked up a snazzy name through a competition for visitors to the island.
‘Piper’ was the name picked from entries during Family Day on 24 July. It was suggested by Anne Shivas of North Berwick. Anne wins a VIP trip to the island next year for her and her family.
Around 120 people joined the fun on the island. The crafts tent offered painting and mask-making. Also in the crafts tent were the facepainters who were kept busy decorating children and adults with their favourite Isle of May creatures. In the atmospheric South Horn, storytellers kept families entertained with tales about the island’s wildlife.
A treasure trail organised by Fife’s Knitted Nature took families on a walk of discovery. In the visitor centre, a marine tank will be displaying some of the creatures found in the sea around the island. The Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery intrigued visitors with a display of lobsters at different stages of life.
David Steel, SNH’s Isle of May reserve manager, said, “We’ve had lots of brilliant activities for families, inspired by the wonderful nature on this fantastic island. We have had an excellent day, even the sun shone on us! And a big welcome to Piper, our puffin mascot. We chose the name Piper because it was unusual and original, but with a Scottish flavour.”
It’s free to visit the nature reserve, but you must take a boat trip to reach the island. Sailings are on the privately-run May Princess or Osprey of Anstruther from the Anstruther Harbour or through the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.
- Anstruther - for tickets and details, see www.isleofmayferry.com (May Princess) or www.isleofmayboattrips.co.uk (RIB Osprey).
- North Berwick - For tickets and details, book online on the Scottish Seabird Centre website at www.seabird.org or call 01620 890 202.
Known locally as 'The May', this small island sits on the edge of the Firth of Forth. The island's importance for seabirds has drawn scientists to its shores for many years and the May is home to the oldest continuously running bird observatory in the UK. The May is also a regular haunt for grey seals, often seen lounging on the shoreline rocks. This island is a historical gem and it's been a place of pilgrimage for centuries with an early island monastery. The May was also the site of Scotland's very first lighthouse, built in 1636, while the current, castle-like lighthouse was designed by the engineer Robert Stevenson.
Tentsmuir is one of about 50 NNRs in Scotland. NNRs are special places that look after some of the best of Scotland’s nature on behalf of everyone who lives or visits Scotland, and they provide unique opportunities to visit, enjoy and learn more about Scotland’s nature. For more information, see www.nnr-scotland.org.uk .
Contact information
- Name
- SNH Media
- snhmedia@snh.gov.uk
NatureScot is Scotland's nature agency. We work to enhance our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it. Our priority is a nature-rich future for Scotland and an effective response to the climate emergency. For more information, visit our website at www.nature.scot or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nature_scot
’S e NatureScot buidheann nàdair na h-Alba. Bidh sinn a’ neartachadh àrainneachd na h-Alba agus a’ brosnachadh dhaoine gu barrachd suim a chur ann an nàdar. Tha e mar phrìomhachas againn gum bi nàdar na h-Alba beairteach agus gun dèilig sinn gu h-èifeachdach le èiginn na gnàth-shìde. Tha an tuilleadh fiosrachaidh aig www.nature.scot no air Twitter aig https://twitter.com/nature_scot
