A new visitor attraction will launch next weekend (Saturday 26 March 2011) which aims to ensure visitors to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre in New Lanark can enjoy an atmospheric peregrine watching experience every time they visit.
‘The Peregrine Experience’, a new addition in the Visitor Centre, combines the comfort of indoor bird watching with the atmosphere of a hide in the Scottish wilderness, thanks to live nest cam footage which streams to a big screen and an intimate indoor viewing area.
Marking the official start of the peregrine breeding season, this weekend will also see the start of ‘Operation Peregrine’, an annual 24-hour protection watch to keep the resident breeding peregrines safe at the Falls of Clyde.
Lyndsay Mark, the Scottish Wildlife Trust Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre Manager, said: “Our new visitor attraction, ‘the Peregrine Experience’, aims to compliment the peregrine viewing site on our reserve.
“Falls of Clyde is one of the best places in the entire UK to see breeding peregrines close-up as they complete the ritual of pair bonding, nest excavating, egg laying and raising their young until the chicks’ fledge from the nest.
“Thanks to the perfect vantage point offered across the gorge to the nest site, many visitors enjoy coming to our wildlife reserve in the spring and summer to watch the birds, but sometimes the unpredictable Scottish weather can make an outdoor visit off-putting.
“In recent years, our visitors have enjoying video footage from the nest which we’ve streamed live into the Visitor Centre. ‘The Peregrine Experience’ is about making the most of that fantastic footage by creating an atmospheric place to enjoy it – and what could be better than a whole area of the visitor centre kitted out just like an outdoor hide.”
Entry to ‘The Peregrine Experience’ is available to visitors to the Falls of Clyde Visitor Centres. Admission to the centre costs £2 per adult, £1 per concession, and is free for Scottish Wildlife Trust members. By buying your ticket to Falls of Clyde as part of the New Lanark Passport means that you will receive 50% off your entry, including ‘The Peregrine Experience.’
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicola McGovern, Scottish Wildlife Trust
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Lyndsay Mark, Visitor Centre Manager, and Tom Hall, Peregrine Protection Officer, are available for comment on 01555 665262.
2. The Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre is open between 11 am and 5 pm throughout the year, excepting January and February when opening hours are reduced to 12 noon to 4 pm. The peregrine viewing area is manned between 10 am and 8 pm (or dusk) each day from 26 March 2011. A suggested donation to the reserve is £1 per adult, 50p per concession, and free for SWT members.
3. Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre is one mile south of Lanark, off the A73. Follow signs for New Lanark Heritage Site. SWT visitor centre is in the Old Mill Dyeworks in New Lanark, past the Robert Owen School.
4. Operation Peregrine is managed in conjunction with The Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime initiative (PAW). This partnership is run by Scottish Natural Heritage and has the support of the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Police forces and wildlife organisations such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
5. The Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve welcomes over 60,000 visitors each year [with 25,000 visitors to the visitor centre].
6. The Scottish Wildlife Trust is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 35,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. The Scottish Wildlife Trust seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.
7. The Scottish Wildlife Trust receives financial assistance and support from a number of organisations including Scottish Natural Heritage and the People’s Postcode Lottery.