The Longannet Power Station is located on the north side of the River Forth just to the east of Kincardine. The Power Station comprises an extensive area of land that includes the main power generating plant, coal tip, lagoons, ash tip, rough grass, scrub and woodland. Due to safety and security restrictions much of the site is out of bounds to Club Members. However the areas, which are accessible, are of great interest. The sites biggest attraction is in the number of gulls present particularly during the winter months, with species of white-winged gulls occurring annually.

Scottish Power have laid down the following conditions for Club Members' access to Longannet Power Station.

Members wishing to visit the site must be registered (via the Club Secretary) with Scottish Power. A list of current registered members will be held at the main gate security office.

To gain access to the site Members must stop at the main gate security office and produce their current membership card. The security officer will validate your card against the list held, you will then sign in and be issued with a visitor's pass, which must be returned on leaving the site.

Scottish Power reserve the right to refuse or terminate a visit to the site due to operational and/or safety conditions.

Operational areas of the site must be avoided.

All visits to the site must be carried out during daylight hours.

Members must park their cars in the car park at the Contractors' Yard. No vehicles are to be driven out onto the lagoon area.

The power station uses a large quantity of river water as a cooling medium and it is necessary to filter this water before it can be used in the plant. Large revolving cylindrical screens carry out the filtering process at the pumping station immediately to the south of the main plant. During this process large quantities of small fish and crustaceans are extracted and initially placed in an open skip adjacent to the screens, before being disposed of on the tip or ash pans.

Large flocks of gulls are attracted to the power station by this food supply, and in winter huge roosts of Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls can be found on and around the tip and ash pans which, together with the  roofs of the buildings and the small jetty, make ideal roosting areas. Flocks should always be checked for rarer gulls such as Glaucous and Iceland Gull which are regular winter visitors.

In summer, Common Tern can also be seen foraging along the cooling water discharge channel located to the North of the lagoons searching for animal scraps not caught in the debris screens.

Flocks of several hundred Lapwing are also often found roosting on the lagoons during the winter, along with small groups of Curlew and occasionally Ringed Plover. Also at this time of the year, the pasture fields directly north of the lagoons usually become flooded, and these can often be found supporting large numbers of foraging Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Redshank.  However the lagoons are best for waders in late spring and the autumn, with notable species of past years including Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Whimbrel, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper.

 The seawall affords excellent views of wildfowl, including  Shelduck, Eider, Mallard and Teal, as well as Great Crested Grebe and occasional Red-throated Diver out on the estuary.

Around the lagoons, Woodcock, Redpoll and Siskin can occasionally be found in the birch copses along the roadway and a nest box scheme is also run in the woodland areas.  Snow Bunting can often be found on the rough ground around the lagoons during the winter months.

Peregrine Falcon are frequently seen flying above and roosting on the power station year-round while Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard are often observed around the lagoons and surrounding woodland patches. Merlin can also sometimes be seen hunting around the lagoons during winter.

The Longannet lagoon, which is accessed on foot from the contractors car park, is best observed from the southern side with the sun behind you. Care should be taken when approaching the rim of the lagoon so as not to disturb the roosting birds.

For reasons of safety access on to the tip area is not allowed. However this area can be well viewed from the surrounding area.