Clarington Central – Day 4

Tuesday morning after packing up and leaving the Whale Camp the group hiked to Swallowtail Lighthouse.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning with no fog so the students had a great view from the area around the lighthouse.   While hiking the students were able to see the herring weirs in Pettes Cove and some of the seals that hang around the weirs.  The lighthouse is also being restored so the students got to check out some of that process.
 
Just before lunch the group boarded the ferry for the 1.5 hour trip back to the mainland.  When the group got back to St. Andrews they had some time in the town to visit the shops and go hunting for souvenirs.  Many of the students found the candy store, Kandyland, and bought copious amounts of sugary treats.  Oh dear!
 
In the evening the students conducted a lab to determine if size affects the flipping rate of sea stars and sea urchins.  The students and teachers were amazed at the flexibility of the sea stars and just how these animals maneuver.  Most of the animals were pretty speedy with only a few urchins refusing to cooperate!
 
After the lab the students had the chance to work on homework and also to go stargazing with the teachers.  In the area where the group is from in Ontario there is quite a bit of light pollution so they were happy to be in an area that was dark and they could see lots of the night sky.  The group was lucky and saw 7 or 8 meteors in a span of about 20 minutes.  Pretty great way to end the trip!    

Pettes Cove

Swallowtail Lighthouse

herring weir

The lighthouse restoration is underway.

Sea star flipping.