Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a 'virtual tour' and a free, downloadable education pack of the rugged Isle of May nature reserve.
The Isle of May National Nature Reserve is a popular visitor destination, with field trips by boat from Fife and East Lothian throughout the tourist season. The educational pack being launched by SNH, owner of the island, is an 170 page education pack which fits within the 5-14 national curriculum guidelines and is particularly suitable for 8-12 year olds. The virtual tour can be found on the SNH web site.
The May or May Isle, as it is called locally, is a long rocky island
with sheer cliffs and caves. It is home to thousands of grey seals, the
fourth largest breeding group in the UK, who feed in the rich kelp
forests surrounding the island. It is most famous for its seabirds,
over 200,000 of them, which include shags, puffins, terns, guillemots,
razorbills, eider ducks, gulls, kittiwakes and fulmars. The huge west
cliffs are teeming with seabirds in summer.
The virtual tour on the SNH web site includes short videos, audio and photos which will allow users to experience - "the crash of the waves, the high-pitched cry of terns and singing of seals." The nature reserve's manager speaks about the island's varied natural
history, its lighthouses, its place as a holy place and what it is like
to live there.
The free pack can be downloaded from here or can be obtained on CD from SNH, 46 Crossgate, Cupar KY15 5HS.