THE Scottish Seabird Centre has welcomed the arrival of its first gannets of the year after installing new cameras.

At the centre’s new interactive Discovery Experience in North Berwick, bird fans will be able to take control of the cameras for themselves to observe the behaviour of the world’s largest northern gannet colony on nearby Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth.

As the last of the country’s white snowscapes thaw, the island off the coast of East Lothian appears to turn white with the sheer volume of gannets settling into their summer home for the breeding season. The gannets typically start to circle the rock in late February, then finally land and take residence on the Island in late March.

Mal Watson of the Scottish Seabird Centre, said: “The sight of thousands of gannets nesting on Bass Rock is always amazing to witness.”