0:00:03 > 0:00:09On the edge of the Atlantic lies a world of rock and water.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Wind-scoured and rugged...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20yet full of grace and beauty.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Exposed to a restless ocean...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34..and Europe's wildest weather,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the animals and people of these islands
0:00:37 > 0:00:39face challenge after challenge.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41GEESE HONKING
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We've lived side by side for centuries here...
0:00:47 > 0:00:51..sharing the same landscape through the same seasons.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58And as the world changes...
0:01:00 > 0:01:03..pressures are mounting on all of us.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11So, can the people of these islands work together with the natural world
0:01:11 > 0:01:13to find a new way forward?
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Here on Scotland's wild west coast...
0:01:19 > 0:01:20GROWLING
0:01:21 > 0:01:25..here in the Hebrides.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47The west coast of Scotland
0:01:47 > 0:01:49has hundreds of islands...
0:01:58 > 0:02:01..but there are only a few places like this,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05where you can almost step across from the mainland.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08It's one of the oldest gateways to the Hebrides,
0:02:08 > 0:02:13the crossing, by ferry, from Glenelg to the Isle of Skye -
0:02:13 > 0:02:14the Kyle Rhea Narrows.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25It's a short crossing, but there's a strong tidal flow.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Seasoned ferryman, Donnie MacDonald,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37knows precisely how to use these currents to get across.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42And he's not the only one to exploit this fast channel.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The tide sweeps hundreds of mackerel to the surface every day...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56..and the local animals know it.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02A harbour seal is poised, one of more than 100,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05ready to take these rich pickings.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09'The channel's narrow and it's, er...'
0:03:09 > 0:03:11the seals are working here all the time,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and they're pushing the fish up to the top.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Gulls also wait in the wings.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24And something else is watching the gulls...
0:03:26 > 0:03:28..white-tailed eagles.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Such is the draw of the eagles that, instead of using the bridge to Skye,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42tourists are choosing to cross on this old ferry.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47It keeps us busy all day.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50It's good entertainment for us, as well.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52And the tourists just love him, completely love him.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Donnie steers to give them a ringside view,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and the eagle puts on a show.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05He's realised he needn't hunt for his own mackerel.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13As soon as a seal catches a fish, the gulls dive...
0:04:17 > 0:04:19..and the eagle spots his chance.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Look at this!
0:04:28 > 0:04:30He's put on a good show today.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The gull has the mackerel in its throat...
0:04:40 > 0:04:43..but the eagle's determined to win its prize.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Did you get that?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59The largest predatory bird in Britain,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02living right alongside us,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and benefiting us in unexpected ways.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07The income from the tourists
0:05:07 > 0:05:10is keeping this community ferry service alive.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16This is the story of the people
0:05:16 > 0:05:20who live side by side with wild animals in the Hebrides.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28From the air, many of these islands
0:05:28 > 0:05:30seem the very essence of wilderness.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35From the watery world of the Uists...
0:05:37 > 0:05:41..to the rugged mountains of Harris and Jura.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47But this landscape's been shaped
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and nurtured by people for millennia.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02People and wildlife can be the best of neighbours.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07After all, we share these island homes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13But, sometimes, neighbours fall out.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28This is Islay, known as the Queen of the Hebrides.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Mild and damp, it has some of the best farmland in the islands.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Low lying fields and plenty of lush, green grass
0:06:44 > 0:06:46are perfect for livestock...
0:06:48 > 0:06:51..making up the bulk of farmers' livelihoods here.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03It's also the destination for visitors from Greenland...
0:07:07 > 0:07:09..Barnacle geese...
0:07:11 > 0:07:14..arriving for the winter in their tens of thousands,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18after flying non-stop for 48 hours...
0:07:22 > 0:07:26..eventually settling on the mudflats for a well-earned rest.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37James How manages a reserve and farm
0:07:37 > 0:07:41for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It's his job to help look after this giant flock.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51'Geese, a massive part of the island, there's no getting away from that'
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and I love them to bits, you know, I miss them when they're not here,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and I love them when they come back.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57I always think of them a bit like
0:07:57 > 0:08:00some of these great African migrations, actually.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02The geese are our big migration,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05this is the graziers that we get from the north.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08They're not wildebeest, but they're nearly there!
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Once the geese have rested, they start to get hungry
0:08:16 > 0:08:18and they need to graze.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32Over 40,000 geese, heading to the farmers' fields...
0:08:38 > 0:08:42..including those belonging to beef farmer, James Brown.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'You can hear the geese just now.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'The geese are just arriving now, in their thousands.'
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Every year there seems to be more.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53GEESE HONKING
0:08:59 > 0:09:0170% of Greenland's Barnacle geese
0:09:01 > 0:09:04arriving to feast on their favourite food...
0:09:06 > 0:09:10..the rich grassland the farmers want for their sheep and cows.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Ironically, artificial fertilizers, better grass seeds
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and larger fields - which have benefited the farmers -
0:09:27 > 0:09:29have also boosted the number of geese.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35They are big, strong, hungry birds,
0:09:35 > 0:09:36so they are eating a lot.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38They do a huge amount of damage...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42..and over the years it's got worse.
0:09:51 > 0:09:5320 geese can eat the same amount as a cow...
0:09:57 > 0:10:01..in field, after field, after field.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12The geese are always going to be here
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and you've just got to live with them.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I wouldn't like to kill them all, I'm not that type.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19I like the geese, I love to hear them,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21but they do cost us a lot of money.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29As these important migrants were protected
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and the farmers were losing money, a compromise had to be struck.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41In the 1980s, the RSPB bought their Loch Gruinart reserve
0:10:41 > 0:10:44to take some pressure off the geese and the farms...
0:10:46 > 0:10:48..and they employed people like James How,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50who's both a farmer and a conservationist.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56'I went to work for the RSPB as a volunteer
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'and I realised that, at the time,'
0:10:59 > 0:11:02they didn't have a lot of knowledge of agricultural systems,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05so I thought I'll go away and I'll come back to them
0:11:05 > 0:11:09when I know about agriculture in a much more defined manner.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14James learned how to manage the land
0:11:14 > 0:11:17to suit both the livestock and the geese.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21And, eventually, I did come back to them, after quite some years.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Came up here for a three week holiday,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and I've been here now 16 years, one way or another.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The RSPB has found a way to protect the geese
0:11:34 > 0:11:38and the Government now compensates farmers for their lost grazing, too.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41'Well, with the compensation,'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44you know, it's softened the blow quite a bit
0:11:44 > 0:11:46and you've just got to live with them.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50And on Islay these spectacular flocks
0:11:50 > 0:11:51are starting to earn their keep.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57They are bringing in a lot of tourists, which is not a bad thing.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01And they are here, so we might as well try and exploit them.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03They also taste OK!
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I live right in the middle of one of the best goose areas,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and the geese, all winter, are around.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I can hear their chattering all day.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36And it just becomes part of your daily existence.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Come the springtime the geese will leave,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and the first thing you notice is how quiet it goes.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44You've got all the songbirds singing,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47but suddenly the goose chattering's there and it's almost like, you know,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51they're friends - they've gone back away but they'll come back, you know.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27People have farmed these islands for over 6,000 years, shaping the land.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Some of the oldest workings are still visible
0:13:35 > 0:13:37as strips and ridges on the hills.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45But from the 1700s, a new type of farming took over
0:13:45 > 0:13:47which still exists today...
0:13:49 > 0:13:50..crofting.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59The Hebrides supported thousands of crofts -
0:13:59 > 0:14:01small pieces of land close to the shore.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Families lived in cottages, growing their own food
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and tending their livestock on communal land.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16There are fewer crofters now,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19but some people do remember how things once were.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Alice Starmore is a well-known knitting designer.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30She owns a croft on Lewis.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It used to be a necessity to croft.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40When my parents were children you had to have a croft to survive.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44And it was tough.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Now it's a privilege to have land and to be able to use it.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I consider that to be a huge privilege
0:14:53 > 0:14:55and it's a really important part of my life.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Traditionally, crofters spent their winters by the shore.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Then, in the summer, families took their livestock up to the moor,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09allowing the grass at the croft to regrow.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20When Alice was a child,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23the hills of the moorland became her home every summer.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26It was very beautiful and we didn't have electricity,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28and you just lived very, very simply.
0:15:28 > 0:15:34And we walked and, just as children, had the whole freedom of the place.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39It was just discovery every day in nature.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47The moor is a haven for wildlife.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Red-throated and black-throated divers return every year to breed...
0:16:00 > 0:16:05..and the small, isolated pools are perfect for damselflies.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Its spectacular outbursts of natural colour
0:16:12 > 0:16:14have been a lifelong inspiration.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I take my cue from nature.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I'm well known in the world of knitting,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24especially for my colour work,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29and it all comes from here, and from my experiences,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and from my love of the nature of this place.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And every colour that I've composed out of it
0:16:36 > 0:16:39comes specifically from nature.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45I think people in textiles and art have always used nature.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Nature is just filled with colour and texture,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50and all of those things.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55So, yes, this place, specifically, has informed that for me.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Crofting is in decline...
0:17:04 > 0:17:06..and nowadays is more a lifestyle choice,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08and not an easy one, at that.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14But perhaps people like Alice can keep the traditions going
0:17:14 > 0:17:16for the next generation.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21My grandson is very, very interested in the croft and in the cattle,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and he enjoys them immensely.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I would like to think that, for me, anyway,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28that is something that is going to continue.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30I would like to leave this croft
0:17:30 > 0:17:35in really, really good shape for the future.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54By spending their summers away on the moor,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58the crofters gave the coastal land time to regenerate.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And, by giving nature time to recover,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16they created a unique place down by the shoreline...
0:18:18 > 0:18:20..the machair.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27In summer it's a wonderland of flowers and insects.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Once, much of Britain's farmland looked like this.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47But now the machair is almost the only place
0:18:47 > 0:18:50to find one of the rarest bees in Britain...
0:18:54 > 0:18:57..the great yellow bumblebee,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00which feeds on deep-flowered plants like vetches and clovers.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11And where there are plenty of insects, there are birds.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Alison MacLennan is an RSPB Conservation Officer.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29The farmland of the Hebrides is made up of a really rich mosaic
0:19:29 > 0:19:32of pasture land, agricultural land,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35but all in small units - little parcels.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39So, you get lots of different habitats in a relatively small area
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and that's what makes it so attractive to the wildlife.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47For centuries, crofters have fertilized the machair with seaweed
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and let the land lie fallow for years between crops.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's a recipe which allows wildlife to thrive.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03The closeness of beach and cultivated land
0:20:03 > 0:20:06has thrown a lifeline to one of our rarest birds...
0:20:10 > 0:20:11..the chough.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14They're a type of crow.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Here on Oronsay they live close to the shore.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Choughs are amazing birds, really. They're full of character.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Like many members of the crow family,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32they're actually very intelligent, but there's a sort of smartness,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36and more a sort of chumminess about choughs, really.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40I like to think of them as the sort of collar and tie version
0:20:40 > 0:20:42of the crow family.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Choughs spend most of their time looking for insects to feed on.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53That's primarily what they're actually after.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57They dig for them in the rotting kelp...
0:21:00 > 0:21:03..or in cowpats above the beach.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10It's time consuming - little reward for a lot of hard work -
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and tempers can flare.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14THEY SQUAWK
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Apparently, some birds simply can't find enough to eat,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25especially in their first winter.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31There are fewer than 60 pairs of chough in the Hebrides.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But there is a simple way to help them.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It's what the RSPB do on Islay and Oronsay.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46'To have cattle managed in traditional ways,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50'where they're out grazing on pastures year-round'
0:21:50 > 0:21:52so they're fed outside in the winter and whatnot,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56so there is this sort of year-round supply of cattle dung,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and that provides a year-round source of food for the birds.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Finding enough food is one thing, but finding shelter is another.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Especially if you nest on the ground.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23BIRD BUZZING
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'Ah, the call of the corncrake -'
0:22:30 > 0:22:34so often heard in the northwest but so seldom seen!
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Corncrakes fly here from Africa.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42A century ago you could hear them craking all over Britain.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50But now they're only found here.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54They don't ask much -
0:22:54 > 0:22:56just for somewhere to hide until their chicks are grown.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01But on modern farms there's no space for nettles
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and the crops are cut earlier now, killing their chicks.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10In the islands, though, crofters leave their nettles.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14If they also harvest late,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16they can give the corncrakes a place to call home.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25There's just over 1,000 calling males -
0:23:25 > 0:23:29they're the only ones that make this peculiar rasping call,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32but that's up from just over 300 calling males
0:23:32 > 0:23:34back in the early '90s.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01For some animals, survival depends entirely on living on an island.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Colonsay is warmed by offshore currents.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It's so lush here that palm trees grow
0:24:17 > 0:24:19in the gardens of Colonsay House.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And this island is home to more than a third
0:24:24 > 0:24:26of all Britain's flowering plants...
0:24:28 > 0:24:32..an abundance of riches for the insects which pollinate them.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Including one which is really special...
0:24:47 > 0:24:49..Britain's native honeybee.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Andrew Abrahams is a master beekeeper.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03The black bee is well adapted to island life,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and probably west coast life, you could say,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11in the sense that there always seems to be feast or famine.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16I suppose the skill of living out on the islands is to adapt to that,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and the bees pretty well do that.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Black bees have lived on the mainland
0:25:24 > 0:25:26since the end of the last ice age...
0:25:28 > 0:25:31..but they were brought to these islands by Irish monks
0:25:31 > 0:25:32more than 1,000 years ago.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41One of their priories still stands on neighbouring Oronsay.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47For them the bees were very important for honey,
0:25:47 > 0:25:52mostly medicinal purposes, but also for beeswax.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57The monks used the beeswax to make candles,
0:25:57 > 0:25:58helping them read and write,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01so preserving knowledge through the Dark Ages.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10But, in the early 1900s,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14black bees on the mainland were virtually wiped out by disease.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Continental bees were imported to replace them
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but they're not as well adapted to our climate.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27The black bee is suited to the hard weather...
0:26:27 > 0:26:32wet, cold winters, and often very wet, cold summers.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39It has the ability to survive in difficult conditions,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43so it's important that the genes of the black bee,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47which is our native bee, are conserved,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and that's what I'm hoping to do here with the bees that I've got.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Andrew is lobbying the Scottish Government
0:26:59 > 0:27:02to turn Colonsay into a black bee reserve
0:27:02 > 0:27:06so no other kinds of bees and their diseases can be brought here.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12We need to conserve the black bees.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17We maybe don't know why, we have no idea what the future holds...
0:27:17 > 0:27:21but scientists the world over
0:27:21 > 0:27:25are shouting the warning that we lose honeybees in general,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29but also genetic resources of honeybees, at our peril.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31We mustn't lose that genetic resource.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37If Andrew does manage to turn these islands into a reserve
0:27:37 > 0:27:41it will give the black bees a sanctuary,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43just as Oronsay once was for the monks.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09While the Hebrides are refuges for some residents...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14..they also attract some very impressive visitors.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21In the waters around his home on Coll,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Innes Henderson fishes for crabs with his son, Ross.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31And in the summer they're not alone.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Well, we get quite a lot of visitors in the summer.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39The main one's the basking sharks,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41which seem to be getting more and more every year,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and the most fantastic creatures
0:28:44 > 0:28:46that we know very little about.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54For years basking sharks were harpooned for their oil
0:28:54 > 0:28:55and their numbers crashed.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04They're protected now, and the waters around Coll and Tiree
0:29:04 > 0:29:07are once more among the best places in the world to see them.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13They feed on the surface with their noses up
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and, I mean, there's quite often days
0:29:15 > 0:29:19where we're having to drive round them, there's that many of them.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35But, even so, they've been slow to give up their secrets.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43Dr Mauvis Gore has studied sharks across the globe,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46but basking sharks in Scotland had eluded her.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51Until a chance meeting in Tobermory harbour changed everything.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57We were waiting to fuel up and there was this fishing boat in the way,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00so I went over to talk to the fisherman, just asking him if he...
0:30:00 > 0:30:03I ask everybody if they've ever seen any basking sharks.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06And he turns around to me in a throw-away remark,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09and he says, "We've got hundreds of them on Coll." I said, "What?!"
0:30:10 > 0:30:13She said, "That's impossible." And she came out the next day,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and she saw 100 and... I think it was a 130 that first day.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31It was a breakthrough for Mauvis.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35After years of looking, she could finally get to grips
0:30:35 > 0:30:38with these mysterious giants.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59In the summer months, they're drawn to our rich Hebridean waters
0:30:59 > 0:31:00to feed on plankton.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09You just see this black fin coming through the waters.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11And, often as not, they'll turn towards you,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and they'll be coming straight at you.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15And it's just, it's just wonderful.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21They're so calm and they're beautiful,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23they move so smoothly through the water,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25so graceful at what they're doing.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27They're just feeding most of the time
0:31:27 > 0:31:32and they seem to not mind you, as long as you don't mind them.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35They're just wonderful animals.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Since Mauvis first saw the sharks here, with Innes,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42she's come back every summer, just like them.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48She's even fitted some sharks with tags to track where they go.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57And one of her tags revealed something extraordinary...
0:32:00 > 0:32:02..just how far a basking shark can travel.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07And this one had gone all the way across the Atlantic
0:32:07 > 0:32:10and ended up just off of Newfoundland,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and this was a real first for basking sharks.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Nobody had ever shown that they could actually do this.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18So this tag was absolutely fantastic,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21telling us that the sharks can cross the Atlantic.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25They had the energy and the drive and the need to do this.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31People used to imagine that when the sharks left our coasts
0:32:31 > 0:32:32they didn't feed...
0:32:34 > 0:32:38..but instead wintered far below, in a sleep-like state.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45But, as Mauvis and other scientists discover more about their lives,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48it seems they travel, and feed continuously.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Perhaps basking shark populations all around the globe are connected.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Sharks are in decline everywhere,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10but here in the Hebrides basking sharks seem to be doing well.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14I think people are beginning to appreciate
0:33:14 > 0:33:16just what wonderful animals they are
0:33:16 > 0:33:19and what an iconic species it is for Scotland.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24They're just amazing. They're fantastic creatures.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27They're mouths look that big you could walk in without bending down.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31They're very graceful. Beautiful things to watch.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36I feel that I'm privileged to be in their sea, really.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Er, they're far more powerful
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and probably see more of the world than I ever will.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47The sharks are a sign
0:33:47 > 0:33:50of how much food there is around these islands in summer.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57But the seas here used to be even richer.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10And they could be again,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13if we can bring our demands into balance with nature.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Dirk Campbell is a marine biologist who now dives for scallops.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Traditionally, the west coast was one of the most productive fishing zones
0:34:39 > 0:34:42in temperate waters.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44The '70s was the heyday of all fishing.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49It was like the zenith of, like, abundance and industrialisation -
0:34:49 > 0:34:51they came together and there was
0:34:51 > 0:34:55just phenomenal fishing catches reported everywhere.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00The demand for fish was insatiable...
0:35:02 > 0:35:04..and the sea appeared to have no limits.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20But over the next 20 years fish stocks dwindled.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28White fish - turbot, monkfish, plaice, cod -
0:35:28 > 0:35:31that's the bigger picture, that's what we've lost.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34And that was in abundance in this sort of heyday.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39So, very slowly, very insidiously,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41so that no-one noticed, really -
0:35:41 > 0:35:43no-one turned round and said, "Where've they gone?" -
0:35:43 > 0:35:46they just sort of disappeared.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01On islands like Islay
0:36:01 > 0:36:05many fishermen concentrated on catching crabs, lobster
0:36:05 > 0:36:07and the still plentiful shellfish.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13The smaller vessels use creels to catch them.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17It's sustainable and has a low impact.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23This is the Firth of Lorn, near Mull.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Its home to some of the most diverse and fragile reefs in British waters.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Dirk and other divers catch the scallops which live here,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44mainly on the gravelly seabed alongside the reefs.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Picking them individually does no damage to other marine life...
0:36:56 > 0:36:59..and it leaves the younger ones behind to grow on.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07You really need to fish it accurately and sensitively.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12In the face of abundance, just take enough for your needs.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Since 2007, this area has been closed
0:37:18 > 0:37:21to types of fishing more likely to cause damage.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24The closure is temporary,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27but Dirk believes he's already seen the difference it can make.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Very slowly, we're starting to see recovery
0:37:32 > 0:37:35on a scale that...creates excitement.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57For Dirk, permanently closing off some parts of the coastline
0:37:57 > 0:37:58is the way forward.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02The easiest and most effective way
0:38:02 > 0:38:05is simply to close off an area and trust in nature.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Just leave it, and the rewards will come to you,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16they'll leap out the water. I really believe it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31It's a bit like leaving the machair to recover between crops,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33but on a much longer timescale.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Perhaps this is the beginning of a new relationship
0:38:38 > 0:38:40between people and the sea.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50A healthy sea benefits everyone who fishes...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and that includes communities of animals.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Huge numbers of gannets - a fifth of the world population -
0:39:17 > 0:39:19fish off these shores...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28..and, in turn, we can benefit from them.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37The seabird colonies of the Hebrides are some of the very best.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47The Hebrides are an absolutely stunning place for seabirds -
0:39:47 > 0:39:52not just in the UK context, not just in a European context -
0:39:52 > 0:39:56we've got some of the top seabird colonies in the world.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05The Treshnish Isles lie just to the west of Mull...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11..and they're home to everyone's favourite bird...
0:40:13 > 0:40:14..puffins...
0:40:17 > 0:40:20..coming back to nest after spending the winter out at sea.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28But there are dangers on the cliffs above.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Ravens will kill puffins.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43And hooded crows, or hoodies,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46will mug them for their fish once they're ashore.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56But these puffins have some unlikely allies.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Every afternoon, a boat arrives,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07and the puffins know that the ravens and crows are frightened of people.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13So they wait on the sea until the visitors set foot on the islands.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22And, as soon as the coast is clear, in they come.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Providing the people show respect, it's an ideal trade-off.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45In exchange for getting on with their lives in safety,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48the puffins give us the views of a lifetime.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55And everyone loves puffins.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Puffins are SUCH characters.
0:42:00 > 0:42:06Each one just oozing with sort of character and sort of attitude.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Puffins mate for life, but they've been apart all winter,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19so now they re-affirm their vows.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30They've got that really brightly coloured bill
0:42:30 > 0:42:32and it's there for a purpose,
0:42:32 > 0:42:37and there's a whole series of little head flicking, and beak tapping,
0:42:37 > 0:42:38and bobbing that's involved,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41and, actually, showing off that fantastic bill,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45and demonstrating that you are the one for your partner.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Once they have a chick,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58both parents will need to gather beakfuls of sprats and sand eels.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16These birds will actually let you get really close to them,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20so you can get a real inside view of what life is like for a puffin.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23And it's not easy these days, either.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27You know, the puffin is one of these species that is relying on sand eels,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31and sand eels are in a lot of trouble at the moment.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35The problem is the world's climate is changing,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39and as the sea warms up there's less food for sand eels,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41and fewer fish for the puffins.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52The warming seas have issued another challenge
0:43:52 > 0:43:54to these islands on the edge.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59The Hebrides are renowned for storms.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12And now the effects of climate change
0:44:12 > 0:44:15are making them even more powerful and unpredictable.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51It's far from easy living here...
0:44:53 > 0:44:56..and many islands struggle to hold on to their people.
0:45:09 > 0:45:10The island of Jura.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Willie MacDonald is head keeper at one of the estates,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29and he's lived here all his life.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Any small island, small population,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35everything about them is fragile.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36The economy is very fragile.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39The population - everything dictated by the population
0:45:39 > 0:45:43because you haven't got enough people to sustain businesses properly.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Everything's on the borderline all the time.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48And I think that's the way it will always be.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53Your ferry service is your critical link - that has to subsidised.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55So, I mean, everything is fragile. It's just part of life here.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01It doesn't help that Jura is so isolated.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14The only way to drive on or off the island is from neighbouring Islay.
0:46:32 > 0:46:33DEER BRAYING
0:46:35 > 0:46:36On Islay and Jura
0:46:36 > 0:46:39there's one animal which brings in more money than any other.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47On Jura it even outnumbers the people by 30 to one,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50and it's the mainstay of the island's economy.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57The red deer.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Jura's name is appropriate...
0:47:03 > 0:47:06..from the Old Norse for 'Island of Deer'.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17How they're managed is critical for both us and them.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Obviously, the red deer are our dominant wild animal,
0:47:24 > 0:47:25but, I mean, there's lots of others as well.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27We've got seven sporting estates,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29all of them actively involved in deer management,
0:47:29 > 0:47:31it's very important to them.
0:47:31 > 0:47:32If that wasn't happening,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35then the deer population on Jura would be...
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Well, it would explode,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40and that would then bring in a lot of problems with it.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45It's Willie MacDonald's job to control the herd by culling
0:47:45 > 0:47:48to maintain a careful balance between people,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50the landscape and the deer.
0:47:52 > 0:47:53We control the animals -
0:47:53 > 0:47:57that means that we control the management of the deer herds,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59farming controls, your bird life,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02the environment that these birds and the wildlife lives within.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05So, man has a huge part of play in that.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12But there's a fine line between man's involvement
0:48:12 > 0:48:14and plain interference.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Over on the Uists, there's a non-native animal
0:48:19 > 0:48:22that has settled in rather comfortably.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28Back in the 1970s, hedgehogs were introduced
0:48:28 > 0:48:31by a well-meaning gardener to eat slugs.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Since then, their population has exploded...
0:48:38 > 0:48:41..and they're eating the eggs of rare waders on the machair, too.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46And, without natural predators,
0:48:46 > 0:48:50there are now between 3,000 and 4,000 of these prickly customers
0:48:50 > 0:48:51running around the islands.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57But there's an ongoing project to capture every one...
0:48:59 > 0:49:01..luring them into traps with fish oil...
0:49:02 > 0:49:06..and sending them back to the mainland, where they belong.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22When we introduce new animals to these islands,
0:49:22 > 0:49:24they always cause problems.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30But there are native animals with roots as deep as ours
0:49:30 > 0:49:32which had completely vanished...
0:49:34 > 0:49:36..and now we're bringing some back.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46White-tailed eagles...
0:49:46 > 0:49:48reintroduced from Norway.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11The island of Mull is now home to 14 pairs...
0:50:13 > 0:50:17..and plantations of conifers provide ideal places to nest.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37The eagles were wiped out by hunters -
0:50:37 > 0:50:39the last bird shot in 1918.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48But now the white-tailed eagle is protected by law.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Every new chick is monitored by the Forestry Commission...
0:51:02 > 0:51:05..and David Sexton from the RSPB.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08When the chicks are about five or six weeks old,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11we make a close visit to find out how they're doing,
0:51:11 > 0:51:13give them a health check.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14It's always a tricky operation -
0:51:14 > 0:51:18we're always a bit worried and concerned, make sure things go well.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25And all under the watchful eyes of the parents.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28There's a bit of flying round and they get a bit worked up
0:51:28 > 0:51:30to start with, but they soon calm down
0:51:30 > 0:51:33and we are in and out of here as quickly as possible.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Even at this young age, it's best to keep your fingers
0:51:39 > 0:51:40away from those sharp beaks.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49Once they've settled down, the chicks are ringed
0:51:49 > 0:51:52to help identify them when they're older.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Reintroducing these eagles to Scotland has been a success.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04From the first few birds released in the mid 1970s,
0:52:04 > 0:52:07there are now over 50 pairs breeding in the Hebrides.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18And, as this year's chicks prepare to leave,
0:52:18 > 0:52:20each first flight is a testament
0:52:20 > 0:52:24to the communities of people who've brought them this far.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07But bringing white-tailed eagles back has been controversial.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17They're expert hunters and some farmers fear for their lambs.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21They're big predators
0:53:21 > 0:53:23and we're all getting used to living with a bird again
0:53:23 > 0:53:27that has been extinct now in Scotland for virtually 100 years.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29So it does take some getting used to.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32But often they're just scavenging.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36These two youngsters have found a deer carcass.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42And, of course, they're commonly called sea eagles for a reason...
0:53:44 > 0:53:47..this is where they search for much of their food.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04We're getting to know them again,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07like the islanders who once knew them so well.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11There are quite a number of Gaelic names for the white-tailed eagle,
0:54:11 > 0:54:15but the one that it's best known for is 'Iolaire sil na greine',
0:54:15 > 0:54:18which means, 'The eagle with the sun in its eye'.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26The adult has this beautiful, golden yellow iris to its eye,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28as if the sun was shining from it.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36And gold is what the eagles are bringing -
0:54:36 > 0:54:38tourists are flocking here to see them.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43They have been a tremendous benefit to the islands.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45There's a tremendous tourist economy
0:54:45 > 0:54:49that is just going to see the sea eagles,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52and it's bringing somewhere in the region of, for Mull,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56perhaps about £5 million to the economy each year.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01I have to say that the white-tailed eagle
0:55:01 > 0:55:04is something really special for me.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10They're big, long-lived birds with an identity.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12They are individuals.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14You can get to know them as individuals
0:55:14 > 0:55:18and that's something quite special, I think, in the natural world.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39These islands, with their unique landscapes and spectacular wildlife,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42have been popular with visitors for a very long time.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52People have come here for years to take to the water...
0:55:54 > 0:55:56..on paddle steamers, like the Waverley...
0:56:01 > 0:56:03..to visit castles, like Duart...
0:56:10 > 0:56:13..or to cruise alongside dolphins...
0:56:23 > 0:56:26..travel to see the basalt columns of Staffa...
0:56:32 > 0:56:35..journey into the hidden world of Fingal's Cave.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Tourism is set to play a huge role
0:56:49 > 0:56:53in the future of the people and the wildlife living here.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05But the key is our relationship with the animals
0:57:05 > 0:57:08and the home we share with them.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13If we can farm and fish sensitively...
0:57:15 > 0:57:17..if we can show respect for other lives...
0:57:19 > 0:57:23..and strike a balance between our needs and theirs...
0:57:25 > 0:57:28..the Hebrides have every chance of remaining so special.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Well, I've never known anything else.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34You know, it's been here all my life,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37but I think the big thing about staying here
0:57:37 > 0:57:41is not just take it for granted - to really appreciate what we've got.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44You'll never get bored looking round and seeing the scenery,
0:57:44 > 0:57:46always something different.
0:57:46 > 0:57:52It's just an amazing place to be. Surprises around every corner.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57The proximity of the mountain tops and the sea - just stunning.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01We'll never escape nature as human beings,
0:58:01 > 0:58:06and I think that, hopefully, there will be a growing respect for it.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14These are islands which can inspire us...
0:58:16 > 0:58:18..which can fill us with awe.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Here, in the Hebrides.
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd