East Lothian Outdoor Guide

1 Gannet Scotland is home to around 60% of Europe’s gannets. From late January gannets return to the Bass Rock: numbers peak at over 150,000 making it the largest Northern gannet colony in the world. Gannets are Britain’s largest seabird and they have a distinctive appearance: adults are bright white with black wingtips and a yellow marking on their heads, a long neck, pointed beak and long pointed tail. At sea they flap and then glide low over the water, often travelling in small groups. They feed by flying high and circling before plunging into the sea, at speeds of up to 60mph/96kmph. Spot Them: They arrive at the Bass Rock from late January onwards and leave in October. 2 Kittiwake A gentle looking, medium-sized gull, kittiwakes have a small yellow bill, dark eye, grey back and white underneath: their little legs are short and black. In flight, the black wing-tips show no white, unlike other gulls, and look as if they have been ‘dipped in ink’. Spot Them: The best place to see them is Dunbar Harbour. Believed to be the largest mainland colony on a man-made structure in Scotland. 3 Brown Hare The Brown Hare, closely related to the rabbit is one of the fastest of all the smaller animals, being able to move at speeds of around 45mph. Hares apart from their size have a larger yellow coloured eye and a distinctive black tip to their tail. Spot Them: Arable fields either dawn or dusk. 4 Burnet moth Two species can be found in East Lothian – the 6 spotted and 5 spotted – count the red spots to work out which is which! Spot Them: The Burnet moth is found in grassy areas and near the coast mid June-August. to see in East Lothian! 10 East Lothian Outdoor Guide Top10 spots