Episode 1 Hebrides - Islands on the Edge

On the edge of the Atlantic lies a world of rock and water.

Wind-scoured and rugged, yet full of grace and beauty.

Exposed to a restless ocean and Europe's wildest weather,

the animals of these islands face challenge after challenge.

For a year, we'll follow life in this magical

but unpredictable place...

..revealing secret lives...

..and mysterious worlds...

..rarely seen...

..and never filmed here before.

Here, on Scotland's wild west coast.

Here, in The Hebrides.

Like the twin walls of a fortress, the islands of the Hebrides

stand as Europe's final frontier against the Atlantic Ocean.

Each island has its own special character.

But those at the southern tip of the chain

are the most contrasting of all.

The fertile whisky island of Islay.

Mountainous Jura.

And the gentle twin islands of Colonsay and Oronsay.

It's early September in the Hebrides

and the wheel of the seasons is turning.

Huge migratory basking sharks still feed on plankton

close to the islands.

But soon they'll move on.

Only the toughest will survive

what autumn is about to throw at the islands on the edge.

For young animals facing an independent life,

it's a testing time.

BIRDSONG

On Islay, there's a restless mood amongst the swallows

that have spent summer nesting in the whisky distilleries.

Newly-fledged birds line up on the wires ready to leave

for their wintering grounds in Africa, but deep inside the store,

one last nest is still occupied.

While the ancient art of whisky-making

carries on at its gentle pace, the adults rush to feed up their chicks.

CHICKS CHIRRUP

Swallows eat insects, and the supply is already dwindling

as the summer ends.

If there's a sudden cold snap, there'll be no food at all

and the chicks could starve,

so they must get out of the nest and head south as soon as they can.

The weather is already unsettled, and worse is on the way.

THUNDER RUMBLES

On the coast nearby, independence is also looming for a young otter.

At one year old, this cub is still dependant on his mother.

But he's fully grown and like a stay-at-home teenager,

his welcome is wearing thin.

Otter cubs may stay with their mother for up to 18 months,

sharing food and sleeping quarters.

But if the female comes into season, the youngster will be pushed out.

There's a stranger on the scene.

It's a mature dog otter, with a distinctive kinked tail.

Boldly fishing in the family patch,

he shows his full length as he swims to shore.

He knows there's a female here. He can smell her.

He's searching for her everywhere.

The cub has spotted the intruder.

He's terrified. Territorial males will try to kill cubs,

so there's real danger for him.

The cub can't let him out of his sight.

If his mother chooses to mate with the male,

he'll be completely on his own.

The female has joined the male and the pair swim off together.

For a year this cub has relied on his mother to guide him to food,

help him shelter from storms and protect him from other otters.

For the first time in his life, he's alone...

..and the most dangerous time of the year has arrived.

THUNDER RUMBLES

Weather changes fast here on the islands on the edge.

Parts of the Inner Hebrides get over three metres of rain in a year.

When it rains here, it really rains.

These are dreadful conditions for young swallows.

But the nest is empty.

CHICKS CHIRRUP

They're safe. The chicks have fledged

and moved into the washback room,

the place where the barley mash ferments into alcohol.

The chicks are uncertain of their powers of flight.

They're reluctant to leave the companionship of the family

and constantly snuggle up to each other...

..reassured by the close contact that always defined their world.

One chick is growing in confidence and, encouraged by the calls

of the adults, makes tentative forays towards the ceiling.

This is a very dangerous time.

A mistake now could mean the end of a very short life.

The other three huddle together,

still missing the security of the nest.

But they must leave Islay soon

or face certain starvation as the cold weather sweeps in.

If they're lucky, they'll return to the distillery in eight months

to raise their own broods, a return trip of 12,000 miles.

Back in the store, casks of whisky sleep on...

..maturing for ten generations of swallows

before being declared ready.

Each year 2% of the spirit disappears through evaporation.

It's called the angel's share.

Just like miniature angels...

..the swallows are gone...

..melting into the clear blue sky.

They've made it out of the distillery just in time.

THUNDER RUMBLES

The wind that sends them safely on their way is bringing change.

High above the three great mountains of Jura, the clouds are brewing.

The first big autumn storm is here.

In the Sound of Islay, the waters pick up pace.

Soon, the racing flood tide will combine with the wind,

making the sea into a force to be reckoned with.

Even the lifeboat turns and starts heading for home.

The weather is blowing straight in from the Atlantic.

There's nothing between Islay and America

but 3,000 miles of wild sea.

At least young swans can follow their parents...

..but the young otter is completely alone.

To keep himself alive he must master fishing,

even in these wild conditions.

Without his mother's experience to guide him,

the decisions he makes now are critical.

Many young otters die in their first winter.

This is the supreme challenge.

He's passed his first big test.

BIRDS CRY

It's been a serious storm.

The waves have pulped the seaweed and whisked it into foam.

But although the winds are dropping,

there's more bad weather in store for the islands on the edge.

Storms and tides in mid-September are some of biggest of the year.

Beneath the waves, the ferocious tidal flows are good news.

Here, beyond the curtains of kelp, is a remarkable world

of creatures who depend on the movement

of the tide to keep them alive.

A squat lobster can search for food,

but most creatures here are firmly anchored to the rock.

These are dead man's fingers - a type of soft coral.

Each colony is made up of hundreds of tiny animals called polyps.

The movements of the tide are critical for these animals

as they filter plankton from the water streaming past.

But corals have enemies.

A sea slug.

This miniature predator eats soft coral polyps.

The fingers, however, have a neat trick.

All the polyps are connected by a primitive net of nerves,

and they retract as one.

The tide has turned.

It's picking up pace.

Soon the beaches here on the Isle of Oronsay

will be completely submerged by the highest tide of the year.

SEAL ROARS

SEAL ROARS

The grey seal pupping season has started.

There are new babies everywhere,

suckling on some of the richest milk in the world.

BIRD CRIES

This is a dangerous place to be born.

The seals are packed close together on the beach.

SEAL ROARS

Mothers will attack pups that don't smell like their own,

and fight viciously.

SEALS ROAR

Newborn pups don't know how to swim.

Usually they won't enter the water until they're three weeks old,

but today the tide'll reach so far up the beach,

they'll need to learn very quickly.

Some mothers are already showing their pups how to swim.

But they're too young to cope.

A fight breaks out in the water between two females,

and both pups are at risk of being caught in the crossfire.

SEALS ROAR

One mother and pup struggle back to the beach,

but the other baby is exhausted by being in the water.

It's just two days old.

It must rest.

Today's tide will be the highest of the year

and the pup is completely unprepared for what's to come.

The water is still rising.

Rocks which are usually safe resting places will soon be underwater.

The mother seal has made a serious mistake.

The rising tide is now funnelling a huge volume of water

through the narrow gap between the islands of Jura and Scarba.

This is the legendary Corryvreckan -

the "Hag's Cauldron."

A place reserved for the most dedicated thrill seekers.

As the tidal flow is squeezed between the islands,

the seabed suddenly plunges into a cavernous hole...

..300 metres down.

The water then surges up and hammers into a rock pinnacle

just below the surface.

The turbulent water,

supercharged by the highest tide of the year,

is now on a direct course to Oronsay and the seal family.

They have no choice but to sit it out.

The mother rolls on one side,

trying to shield her pup,

but it mistakes the cue

and moves in to suckle.

The pup is just hanging on.

If it's swept away, it could drown.

There's nothing the mother can do to help her baby now.

Its only hope is to swim back to the beach alone.

The pup is safe at last,

and now it can enjoy the most satisfying feed of its life.

Autumn is turning out to be very wet this year in the Inner Hebrides.

On the Isle of Rum, 60 miles north of Oronsay,

this is having some surprising consequences.

STAG ROARS

At this time of year, female red deer, called hinds,

should be coming into season,

triggering the annual mating contest known as the rut.

DEER BLEAT

But the wet weather has set everything back.

So although the stags are pumped up with testosterone

and desperate to mate...

..not a single hind is ready for them.

Now, as the weather finally improves,

things are about to change.

Astonishingly though, each hind will only be in season for one hour.

If the stags are to mate with them,

they'll need to be in exactly the right place at the right moment.

From now on, the tension will build.

WIND WHISTLES

Nothing defines the weather of the Inner Hebrides more than the wind.

Gusts of 60 miles per hour are common in summer.

And now, at the turning point of the year,

they can reach 100.

Now, at the beginning of autumn, the winds turn to the north,

bringing long-distance travellers to Islay's Loch Gruinart...

Whooper swans.

They've flown direct from their breeding grounds in Iceland -

nearly 1,000 kilometres away.

The youngsters of these families

have made the journey for the first time.

Their feet haven't touched the ground

since they left Iceland more than 40 hours ago.

Islay is the very limit of what they can manage in a single flight.

They need to rest.

The swans are in transit,

heading for wintering grounds further south.

But their travelling companions will stay much longer...

Barnacle geese.

More than 40,000 of these geese have travelled from Greenland

to spend autumn and winter on the rich farmland here.

The island offers them a haven.

There are no ground predators like foxes here.

But they seem edgy.

It's a false alarm.

A buzzard is too small to pose a threat to these geese.

But bigger birds of prey will hunt them...

..and this is an island of eagles.

There are at least ten pairs of golden eagles on Islay,

and recently the even larger white-tailed eagle

has taken up residence here.

The flocks of geese are a great potential food supply.

They'll need to be on their guard at all times.

High above the cliffs on the south coast of Islay

stands a lonely monument.

It commemorates the sinking of two American troop ships in 1918...

..the Tuscania and the Otranto.

600 lives were lost in these disasters,

as men were drowned or dashed on the jagged rocks.

These treacherous waters have claimed many victims over the years.

There are hundreds of wrecks around Islay.

But new life has sprung from these tragedies.

The rusting ribs and hulls

provide a home for many plants and animals.

They are man-made reefs.

Crabs take up residence in the nooks and crannies,

while shoals of pollack patrol the ship's skeleton.

The wreck is a perfect home for these relatives of the cod.

They're predators searching for smaller fish to ambush

in the decaying chambers of the ship.

Wrasse are quick to rush for cover.

The decaying plates of the stern pulsate with life.

Hundreds of anemones sit alongside the jewel-like cup coral.

Barnacles cover the hull of the ship.

These tiny relatives of crabs and lobsters

beat their feathery legs to draw passing plankton into their shells.

Being anchored to the wreck gives them extra height

above the seabed and access to more food.

Everywhere, new life springs from death and destruction.

These ferocious seas nurture as well as destroy.

Dawn breaks on Islay.

The barnacle geese are roosting on the mud flats of Loch Indaal,

still recovering from their marathon flight.

But they must feed, and as the sun rises,

the flocks will spread out across the island.

There are killers about.

White-tailed eagles.

With so many geese in the air, the eagles can't single one out.

Hooded crows join the melee.

There's been a kill.

One of the eagles has brought a goose down.

They fight over the spoils on the rapidly emptying mud flats.

DEER BLEAT

In Scots Gaelic, October is called "an Damhair" -

"the roaring time".

On Rum, the first hinds are finally coming into season.

Their scent pulls in stags from miles around.

At last, the rut can begin.

But the rules of this mating game are complex.

It's not won by muscle and brute force alone.

The hinds are attracted by the deepest and most powerful roars,

but they also need males to treat them sensitively,

or they'll choose a different stag.

The master of Rum's Kilmory Glen holds the best patch

with the lushest grass.

It's attracted a large group of hinds.

Across the river, which marks the border of the master's domain,

another stag watches and waits.

He's older - this year's rut might be his last.

The older stag's side of the river is rougher with less grass.

It's harder for him to hang onto the hinds.

Attracted by the master's roar

and the sweeter grazing across the water, they just keep slipping away.

For the old stag to mate,

he must cross the river and fight the master.

If the risk pays off and he wins, he could father many calves.

Staying put means he'll probably father none.

Another hind slips away across the river...

..but the old stag chooses not to follow her.

It could be a wise decision.

The master is constantly fighting off other stags

and will start to tire.

The old stag will stand a better chance of winning

if he waits for exactly the right moment.

"The geese will tell it in autumn" runs a Gaelic saying,

and now the whole of Islay rings with their cries.

They've found an unexpected treat in the form of barley.

This autumn has been so wet,

the farmers couldn't harvest the whole crop, so some of the grain

destined for the whiskey distilleries

is now feeding the birds.

The lush farmland of Islay is the reason that the island

is so special for wildlife.

It's the best place in the Hebrides for raising cattle and sheep.

And because most of the farming here is gentle and low-intensity,

there's plenty of space and surplus food for wildlife.

Flocks of twite, declining in the rest of Britain,

make a great living here from what gets spilt and left over.

Mid-autumn is a key point in the sheep-farmers' year

as the flocks head for the October stock sale.

Buyers travel from across Britain to bid for the season's fattened lambs

and despite all the rain, they're looking in prime condition.

It's a great social occasion for the island too and there's a real buzz.

Even the smallest lamb always finds a buyer.

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

And the celebrations will carry on deep into the night.

At dawn on the Isle of Rum, the old stag is making his move.

A hind has come into season on the master's side of the river.

He's finally decided to cross into enemy territory.

The master is fighting another stag on the hill.

This could be the old stag's chance.

But his decision may come with a heavy cost.

If he's injured, he may not survive the winter.

This may be the last chance to overthrow his rival and breed.

He's staking everything on this challenge.

The master sees off the stag on the hill,

but he's heard the old stag's roars.

Fights can be won or lost by the tiniest error,

so every clash and parry is critical.

The old stag is pushed back, the master has the advantage.

The old stag gives it his last supreme effort.

An antler in the eye would deter many stags, but not the master.

The master moves in to attack...

..but he slips.

And the old stag pushes home his advantage...

..goring the master deeply in his side.

Badly wounded, the master retreats.

It's all over for him.

There is a new ruler in Kilmory Glen and he's won all the hinds.

The defeated master withdraws to recover.

He'll have to wait until next year before trying again.

It's been the wettest, stormiest autumn for many years

in the inner Hebrides.

But life here is adaptable and resilient.

It has to be, in a place where the only certainty is constant change.

On Islay, the Whooper swans are restless.

By now they'd normally be in their wintering grounds,

but the unharvested barley has kept them here through the whole autumn.

But now they're leaving...

..climbing into the slate-grey sky.

The wheel of the seasons is turning.

Soon autumn will become winter,

bringing more challenges

to the animals of these islands on the edge.

Next time, winter becomes spring in the Hebrides.

White-tailed eagles, the lords of the isles,

prepare for the breeding season

in the face of the biggest spring storm in living memory.

The warming seas bloom with life.

And the season reaches its climax

with the arrival of ocean juggernauts.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd