Day 5: September 21, 2023 (Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick)

Alessandra, Meret & Viktorija.

Our alarm clocks rang early in the morning and with it a day full of adventure began for us. The only problem was that it was definitely too early for all of us. (We met at 7.45; teacher’s comment 😉) We stayed in our warm and cosy beds until the last moment. After getting up and taking a look in the fridge we realised that the fridge in our flat was pretty empty, but we still scraped together the remaining food and ate our breakfast in a hurry. Afterwards we thought for a long time about our clothes and how many layers we need. Then we packed our backpacks with our lunch and headed downstairs to the lobby. At 7:45 a.m., we were given some information about today and then we left for the train station. Arriving at the station we caught the 8:18 a.m. train to North Berwick. Some were sleeping, some were listening to music and others were playing games on the train. When we arrived in North Berwick, we had to walk a few minutes to the Sea Bird Centre. Once we had arrived, we had half an hour to explore the area before our program started. The sea was beautiful!

Afterwards we met Jack who was going to be our teacher for the day. Jack gave us an introduction to the day and explained some basic rules of behaviour when exploring the rocky shore. Afterwards we were allowed to go out to the rocky shore with buckets. We saw many different crabs, mussels and other creatures. We explored the rocky shores until 11 a.m., after which Jack told us some interesting facts about the animals that live there.

During the half-hour break after exploring, we all ate something and relaxed. Afterwards we have an introduction to the biodiversity of birds and mammals. We were then allowed to look for birds with binoculars and identify them using an identity card. Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins or whales, which can be the case at times. After whale watching we had a lunch break, some of us had already brought lunch with them and others got something from the cafe at the Sea Bird Centre. After lunch, we discussed the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle and we also looked at the centre’s exhibition. At the end of the day a boat tour was planned, which unfortunately was cancelled because the wind was too strong. Instead, we picked up trash along the beach to do something good for our environment and the animals that live there. Afterwards we said goodbye to Jack and headed home. We are now going to cook something together in our apartments and then spend a cosy last evening in Edinburgh together as a class, because we will hit the road again tomorrow!