THE Bass Rock is now under constant watch following the unveiling of the second of two new sculptures at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.

‘The Watcher’, created by Scottish artist Kenny Hunter, is a life-sized male figure cast in bronze, dressed in outdoor wear, typical of a bird watcher or naturalist, who is gazing out towards Bass Rock through binoculars.

The sculpture follows on from the gannet archway, designed by artist Diane McLean, which was installed in December last year.

The seabird centre ran a competition for artists in 2011 to create new works of art to act as gateways to the centre, with the winning duo whittled down following 30 original artist submissions, a public exhibition and vote.

Kenny Hunter, best known for his Citizen Firefighter sculpture outside Glasgow’s Central Station, has an emotional connection to North Berwick which stems from his East Lothian childhood, during which he would make regular trips to the town. His interest in nature and Scottish wildlife has grown through the boat trips at the centre.

He said: “The Watcher is an anonymous figure the public will encounter at ground level, as an equal. I hope The Watcher will encourage people to venture out of their comfort zone, to look at nature and to the sea across the Forth from the centre.

“I’d like to think that the sculpture will encourage people to be still and ask themselves what he’s thinking about, what he’s looking at and then engage with it themselves.

“The public’s experience of The Watcher will be more or less like the experience they have of North Berwick Harbour and the centre itself, evoking the countless other departures and homecomings played out in this location throughout history.” Tom Brock, chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre, added: “Art is an outstanding way to inspire people about wildlife. Since opening, the seabird centre has supported numerous photographers, painters and sculptors, and many of their works can now be seen in and around the centre.

“As we celebrate Scotland’s wildlife in the year of Homecoming, this latest addition will hopefully make people think about our impact on wildlife and the natural environment – both good and bad – historically, now and in the future.

“This stunning new sculpture by an artist of Kenny Hunter’s calibre, with Scotland’s wildlife as its inspiration, will, I am sure, be a popular additional attraction at the Scottish Seabird Centre.

“We are very grateful to everyone that has supported this wonderful initiative, in particular Creative Scotland and East Lothian Council. We are also grateful to everyone that voted in the public competition to choose the winning sculptures.”