Dive In Deeper - Sheer Cliffs

Seabirds are ocean-going birds that feed on fish and spend most of their time out at sea. They must come to land to lay their eggs during the summer months. They choose remote coastal sites, usually cliffs, which are near to their main feeding grounds and safe from land predators such as foxes and stoats.

Situated 15 miles along the coast from Macduff, between Gardenstown and Pennan, are the Troup Head cliffs. These are around 50m high and made of metamorphic schist rock which is over 600 million years old! Troup Head became an RSPB nature reserve in December 2005 and it is possible to walk out to the reserve to see the birds nesting along the cliff.

The main species that come to nest at Troup Head include gannets, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars and shags.

Cliffs also provide a great vantage point for whale and dolphin spotting. The Moray Firth is an Special Area of Conservation as it supports the only known resident population of bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus in the North Sea. The population is estimated to be around 130 individuals. Dolphins are present all year round, and, while they range widely in the Moray Firth, they appear to favour particular areas and can often been seen just offshore of the aquarium as they travel up and down the coastline.