0:00:05 > 0:00:08Imagine walking away from your normal life
0:00:08 > 0:00:12to live on a beautiful island packed with spectacular wildlife.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Well, that's what I'm doing,
0:00:17 > 0:00:22working as a volunteer nature ranger in the Outer Hebrides.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Welcome to my great escape.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Come on, Rubes, come on!
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I've travelled 600 miles from Bristol,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41to my new home in the Outer Hebrides,
0:00:41 > 0:00:47where my duties as wildlife ranger have included investigating a mystery whale-stranding.
0:00:47 > 0:00:53They wash up really very rarely so what I've got to do is take a skin sample and send it off to the labs
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- and see what they can say about this particular whale.- 270, going once...
0:00:57 > 0:01:02A fundraising dinner has raised essential cash for the cause.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06£2,500. That is a working budget here, and there's loads I can do with that money.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11Now, at last, I can get going on some hard graft.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Do till January.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26I confront the reality of controlling wild bird populations.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29It's freezing cold.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I'm stiff and aching,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and it's started to rain.
0:01:33 > 0:01:39But also I get to witness one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Europe.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53It's my first big storm,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57and all the locals have been really excited about me seeing my first big storm.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59They've all been talking about it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01The ferocity
0:02:01 > 0:02:07of the wind and the waves, coming together with the land, just beggars belief.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12I can't imagine being out there in it. It would just be... It'd be hell.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21This is about a force 8 or so, I'd say.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27This storm has had a 600-mile run-up from Iceland.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32In a way this, is the start of the winter,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The Outer Hebrides will become a very different place for me.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38A lot wilder and a lot more demanding.
0:02:46 > 0:02:53I wouldn't say that winter is about to arrive any more, I would say it has arrived.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But good things are starting to happen.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57I find myself on an awful lot of committees, which is quite
0:02:57 > 0:03:03interesting, and actually coming up with projects that I think we can really put into action.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Got a bit of money now from the great feast.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I'm entering the last half of my time here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14So I need to actually get out now and get on with it.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19And it's very timely cos the girls from
0:03:19 > 0:03:23the Whale And Dolphin Conservation Society are coming up to visit.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Nice to see you, hi there.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31I'm a marine biologist by training, and I'm really keen to help them with some research work.
0:03:31 > 0:03:38And I'm hoping I can lock in to projects they'll give me to take on in the future with local people.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Nicola Hodgson and Sarah Dolman run a scheme where people who live on the coast keep an eye on the sea,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and report any whale and dolphin sightings.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48They're not very happy about being inside!
0:03:48 > 0:03:55The idea is to build up a better picture of just how many of the big cetaceans pass through these waters.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57We will talk about whales and dolphins in a moment, but everyone
0:03:57 > 0:04:00who comes here has to meet the pigs. They're like my kids.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Right. Walk this way. It's about a five-minute walk.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Perfect!
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Well, the weather's better than it was yesterday.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Yes, it is, isn't it?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14No, this is a very good day.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Where was the beaked whale that you found?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- That was in, er, Benbecula.- OK.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27My stunning diagnosis of what species it was, was, "Right, it's a whale and
0:04:27 > 0:04:32"it's got a beak, so I think it's probably a beaked whale." Yeah, that was it, that was the extent.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- That was a good process of elimination!- That's better than most people would do.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Yeah, positively Sherlock Holmes-like.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Obviously, I'm only here for a limited period, but I know you want ongoing research, don't you?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44You want ongoing data coming in.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Well, WDCS has recently set up a scheme called Shorewatch,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and we're looking for people who would be prepared to be trained up,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57so that they can collect data to a good standard, and who will monitor all year round.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59So if I put together a group of local volunteers, people who
0:04:59 > 0:05:03are enthusiasts, you could come up and do a day's training with them?
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Absolutely, and we would provide them with binoculars...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08This is pretty much the kit you need, isn't it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11This is what you need when you're out in the field, yeah, to record the animals.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15We've got this field guide which tells you about
0:05:15 > 0:05:17some of the most commonly-seen species off the west coast here.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Also we've got information on here about reporting strandings.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Do you know, an important point here is, it is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's amazing what you see when you sit quietly.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34We tend to, when we walk along the coast, walk and talk, and make noise,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and everything disappears then all comes back, doesn't it?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40When you sit quietly, it's just wonderful what appears.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Yeah, absolutely. We don't see them very often.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Shall we head back and I'll give you the samples that I've got, which is in my freezer?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Making it smell of stranded whale.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52And then we'll go from there.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- That'll be great.- Perfect, right, let's go. Come on, dog.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It really is a mystery what animals are in these waters.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01The stranded whale I've been investigating is so rare,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05it's going to need DNA testing to establish exactly what it is.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Right, here we are.- Great.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- A festering bit of whale.- So this is the remains of a beaked whale.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Yes. That's a bit of tissue,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17so I went through the blubber, so I took a bit of the blubber,
0:06:17 > 0:06:22- and then went down and took a chunk of the tissue as well.- Perfect. - Good.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27There are several species of beaked whales that might strand here, so if it can help us pin down
0:06:27 > 0:06:30what species it was, then that would be really valuable data.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I'd be really interested, really, really interested.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35That's all that's left, I had some in an omelette when I brought it back(!)
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- Tasty.- It was delicious!
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I'm desperate to start spending some of the money we've raised, and today
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I'm heading to Eriskay to catch the inter-island ferry to Barra.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08That's Eriskay, the island of Eriskay, and I'm heading to Barra.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15And this is the Sound of Barra, home to one of the only resident pods of bottle-nosed dolphins in the UK.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17There's two - the other one's the other coast of Scotland,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19the east coast of Scotland, on the Moray Firth.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22The whole reason for going across to Barra
0:07:22 > 0:07:28is, there's a local guy in Barra who's got a fantastic nature trail that he's really keen to promote,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33so as part of the work of the ranger, I'm going to go over there and do the trail with him.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I've optimistically brought the rib, in the hope of seeing those dolphins.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43So the first thing is to park it up before I head off to see this trail.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Hello, Jon, how are you?
0:07:48 > 0:07:54- I'm not bad, thanks.- Jonathon Grant was the ranger in Barra between 2002 and 2005,
0:07:54 > 0:08:00until the funding ran out, but he's still committed to getting new projects off the ground.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02So have you always lived in Barra?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06No, I was brought up in Glasgow, but I moved back to Barra when I was 18.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09My parents were from Barra, my family was from Barra.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12So Barra's in the blood, as it were.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Yeah. It's a place you can get quite enthusiastic about.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Oh, I can imagine.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Cos this is lovely, isn't it?
0:08:18 > 0:08:22This, just right alongside the loch, nice and flat.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24In the summer time it's fantastic.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Yeah, yea. So what actually needs doing for this trail?
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Well, the path goes so far, and then peters out.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33What would be nice would be to
0:08:33 > 0:08:36mark out a defined route
0:08:36 > 0:08:41across to the other side of the island, to Loch Awe, down beside
0:08:41 > 0:08:44the old Northbay school house.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48I really want to come and try and help out people like Jon, get trails
0:08:48 > 0:08:52like this marked out and just move their work on forward a little bit.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It must be quite disheartening, wanting to do things like this
0:08:56 > 0:08:59but there's no funding, there's no backing coming from anywhere.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03As I said, it's just an opportunity really for a local guy who is very proud of
0:09:03 > 0:09:07the environment he lives in, to show people that environment.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16The plan is to put up a series of marker posts that people can easily follow without a map.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Nice view.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22No, fantastic view! Fantastic view.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26You can just make out Rum there on the background, then Skye up there.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- Right. Oh, of course, you can see the...- The Colonsay.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Oh, is that Colonsay? Wow.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33The rain's coming in, isn't it?
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You can feel it thundering in from the beach, so shall we make a run for it?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41We've already got the posts organised.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44It just needs a good day and a bit of hard graft.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05The next day, the sun is shining and Barra is transformed.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15One of the aims of the of the island, of the various committees
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and things on the island, is to try and promote the tourism here,
0:10:18 > 0:10:25because when tourists arrive, of course, it brings income and money into the islands.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29And just looking at the place,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33you wonder why it isn't one of the top tourist hot spots in Britain.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39It's beautiful wave-breaking here, really sharp waves, surfing's really, really good off Barra.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45But you've got petrels and terns and gulls and otters and...
0:10:45 > 0:10:48It's kind of wild surfing, you know.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Such a great spot. It's a bit cold, bit chilly. Autumnal.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55But what a beautiful spot, what a grand spot.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04This weather is so spectacular, banging in trail markers can wait
0:11:04 > 0:11:09while I try to see the bottlenose dolphins out in the sound.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14This is quite a sort of well-known population of dolphins here, in the Sound of Barra.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's a resident population, and that's quite unusual in the UK.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24This is one of the main areas where they're seen. The locals assure me
0:11:24 > 0:11:31it's a lousy time to see the dolphins, and they're right cos they know - they see them a lot.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34But I haven't got much choice, I've only got a few weeks left.
0:11:34 > 0:11:41So I'm hoping if I spend a few hours out here just trawling round, they'll make my day and they'll come
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and have a little look at me.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I mean, although they're a resident population here, they'll also head
0:11:46 > 0:11:52out on the hunt as well, so they could just be out hunting.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01Right off the bow, I've just seen something huge jump. Let's go up and have a look.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Oh, can feel my heart! There they are, there they are.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Weyhey! Here they come!
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And they're huge, look at the size of them!
0:12:14 > 0:12:20Whoa! Oh, the whole of them stayed right in front of us.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25What you're seeing here is a perfect example of communication and co-operation
0:12:25 > 0:12:29because the males come in first, they come in and check you out,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and they make sure I'm all right and I'm safe, then they'll call in the females.
0:12:32 > 0:12:40It's team work, communication and a fantastic sight. Look at this, look at this.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Look at that! Beautiful.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48They're one of the most acrobatic of the dolphins as well.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51That huge body, you see it just explode out of the water.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04I think that's it. They've come and had a little look at me and decided I'm quite dull,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I think. But it was lovely, they were round the boat for a long time.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I was keeping the boat just straight and level.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12By doing that, you let the animals come in to you,
0:13:12 > 0:13:19you're not chasing the animals, so they come in and decide how close the interaction's going to be.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Just a great sight.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Anyway, enough fun for now.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Jonathon and I have work to do.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38This is putting in the first guided trail that I'm actually going to physically put in.
0:13:38 > 0:13:45It's quite a big day, this, because I've spent all this time trying to raise funds, and finally this is
0:13:45 > 0:13:50the first bit of proper rangering, I think, creating something that'll be here when I leave.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Cracking day for it as well.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57The other reason it's a big day today is it's my birthday. I'm 43.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Unimaginable age.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05I got one card from Reuben, which was a nice touch, I thought, as he's a dog and dog's aren't really...
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They're not that thoughtful when it comes to birthdays, they're quite forgetful.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10All right, Rubes?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I think the very first thing we should do is just decide
0:14:12 > 0:14:15exactly how we're going to cut across onto that hillside.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Yeah. These are the things I'm going to be putting in at other places around the islands.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Do you get these just from local building merchants, do you?
0:14:22 > 0:14:24These were actually supplied by the council for another trail,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29but I was told just to keep the spare ones and use them wherever.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37I think somewhere about here, we probably want a post anyway.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- That's easier for me now anyway. - Yeah.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43The trail is 3.5 miles long.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50But most of it is over tough terrain that takes you into wild country.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53If I take this one, I'll just, I'll stick it on the top for now, and if
0:14:53 > 0:14:58we get these ones in...and then when these are in, we'll go up and have a look where to stick this one.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00What a way to spend your birthday.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Right, shut up, Rubes.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Just going to leave that one there like that, just lying flat, people can find it, I'm sure!
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Now comes the hard part, digging them in.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25There's an easier way of doing this.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27As in paying someone to do it.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- How about here? - Yep, that works OK there.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Yeah, perfect.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Get digging, Rubes!
0:15:41 > 0:15:46This is really significant for me doing this because, as I said,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49it's really the first bit of stuff I could describe as actually putting
0:15:49 > 0:15:56something in that wasn't here when I arrived, and might not, you know, might not have been done.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Fine piece of work.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02That'll be there for 2,000 years, that post - you can tell, can't you?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Look at that.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It's my first pole.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Right.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Ah, I suppose we should do another one, really.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16Or several.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29I'm really aware, as I do this, that I've got to set myself realistic targets before I leave.
0:16:29 > 0:16:37So, the plan is to try and do a trail on each island if I can, and then try and produce
0:16:37 > 0:16:40a brochure, a leaflet that describes all the trails, so
0:16:40 > 0:16:43anyone coming to visit the islands can come and do those trails.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49So this is it. Journey's end.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52The last one.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Anywhere here, I think is a pretty good spot.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Yeah, yeah, and you can see the other one up there, can't you, just sticking out the top there.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- Do you want to do the honours? - I would be delighted.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I'll use my lucky shovel. Perfect, here we go.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Many a weary traveller
0:17:07 > 0:17:11will be delighted to get to this post, I hope.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Well, a sweet moment.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17OK, plonk her in.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Well done. Good stuff, good stuff.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Right, I'm going to wobble my way to the car.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42That's a really nice day's work for me, that is, cos that is so satisfying to get out and actually
0:17:42 > 0:17:45get out on the ground, and physically start
0:17:45 > 0:17:49hammering in posts to mark out these amazing trails around the islands.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54The other thing is, to help out someone like Jonathan, who's a local man, enthusiastic
0:17:54 > 0:18:00as you like, used to be the ranger here, and he's been frustrated by just a lack of funding...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04I mean, he can't get out and show people these trails.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07So, really, really enjoyed that, great way to spend
0:18:07 > 0:18:11my birthday, hammering in posts on the island of Barra.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27One of my ranger duties is to give wildlife talks around the islands,
0:18:27 > 0:18:33and they've been a great way to recruit people for the whale-watching project.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35I think talks like this are vital.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I think you can light the touchpaper and get people excited
0:18:38 > 0:18:41about the environment and pitching in and helping out,
0:18:41 > 0:18:46and already several people have come up tonight and said, "I'll give you a hand with the whale thing."
0:18:48 > 0:18:51OK, so thank you again, thank you very much for coming along.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56So many people have volunteered that Nicola Hodgson from
0:18:56 > 0:19:01the Whale And Dolphin Conservation Society has come back to run a training course.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The area off of Scotland is one of the richest areas when it comes to
0:19:04 > 0:19:08cetacean diversity, there are an amazing number of species around.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11And also you're seeing species here that you don't see elsewhere.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16There are some species of beaked whale that actually, to this day, nobody's actually seen alive,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19so the only reason that we know that that species exists is because it was taken from a stranded carcass,
0:19:19 > 0:19:25and they did DNA testing on it, and were able to find out it's something completely different.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29We don't truly understand why whales end up stranding on beaches, and there were no obvious clues
0:19:29 > 0:19:32as to what happened to the animal I've been investigating.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35But Nicola has news of what species it was.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38The identity of my mysterious whale.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Of your mysterious whale, yes, the sample you gave to us last time.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Well, we took that to be analysed and I can now come back and tell you that
0:19:47 > 0:19:51that was a Sowerby's beaked whale, which is fabulous.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56I mean, it's amazing to have that information and to have had the sample and to also now document...
0:19:56 > 0:20:01There's literally only... I can count on one hand the number of Sowerby's beaked whales that have stranded.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Really, really?- Beaked whales themselves, beaked whales are the
0:20:04 > 0:20:07one group of whales and dolphins that we know the least about.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11These guys are out in the deep ocean, they're deep divers, they're spending
0:20:11 > 0:20:17most of their life - 90, 95% of their life underwater and out at sea, away from anybody.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22You know, they're not coastal animals like your harbour porpoises or bottlenosed dolphins.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27And for that very reason, people just don't get to see them, we don't get to learn anything
0:20:27 > 0:20:29about them, we can't go out and study them, they're not...
0:20:29 > 0:20:35It's not like being able to stand like with these guys to train them to see what they can see from the shore.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38These are deep divers, you need to be out in the deep water.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's almost like the only time they enter our world is when they strand.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44When they strand. It's sad but true.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Sad but true. So talking about strandings...
0:20:46 > 0:20:50So this is all cetaceans, and you can see here,
0:20:50 > 0:20:56compared to some of the other places, you can see how many red dots around about the Western Isles.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And again you'll note too that most of them are on the west coast.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05This is an arrow here which shows rare species. You've got here on Harris, you had a killer whale.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06You've got a Cuvier's beaked whale...
0:21:06 > 0:21:11So we can now add in a Sowerby's here cos, as I say, these are the ones that are rare species,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14we don't get to see a lot of them, and it's incredibly important that we
0:21:14 > 0:21:18get to the carcass as soon as we can and get the information that we need.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28This is exactly the sort of community-based thing
0:21:28 > 0:21:32that I wanted to get going during my time in the Uists.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35It's using local people, and it's using their knowledge and
0:21:35 > 0:21:41their enthusiasm to create a bank of knowledge about the movement of animals off the coast here.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44So I'm really pleased with the way this has worked out.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49I think conservation effort must come from a local population.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51It's absolutely vital, that.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56And you've got a beautiful day here and you've got a bunch of people being set up and given the tools and
0:21:56 > 0:22:02the expertise to monitor their bit of coastline and monitor whale and dolphin populations. Just fantastic.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12With the money from the fundraising dinner safely banked away, I'm off to an early morning
0:22:12 > 0:22:17meeting of the ranger committee to discuss how we should spend it.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20The chairman is Peter Rintoul.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Peter Rintoul.- Potentially there's, there's two eight.- Two eight, yes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25How do you feel about that? Pretty good, you quite happy?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Yeah, good. I was kind of hoping for a little bit more.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- But you could actually achieve something with...- Definitely.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35That's the raw materials and buying raw materials, and I'm very happy.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Obviously the whole idea of me doing this job is to provide the labour,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41is to go out and actually get these things done.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Can we just move on to the project ideas then?
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The committee are particularly keen for me to start work on
0:22:47 > 0:22:49interpretation boards about the wildlife.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55Obviously that is very much the area of my strength, you know, that's what I do know about, and what I can
0:22:55 > 0:22:58put something together for you quite quickly on that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- Good.- Great. It sounds like a whole bunch of interpretation panels we're going to need here, and I'm sure
0:23:03 > 0:23:08if we get a kind of job lot and then it'd just be really nice to just sit there and just nail it.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- Get several designs at once.- Yeah.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- A lot to be going on with.- There certainly is, that's fantastic.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15I did, I did, I was
0:23:15 > 0:23:18feeling a bit rudderless.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Well, coordinates set.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24I'd better get down to some work.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I've been on my own up here for three months now.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And I quite like it.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38It's good to be on your own and I always think
0:23:38 > 0:23:43that unless you can be satisfied with your own company,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46you know, do you need props, do you need lots of people around you all the time and all that?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And if you do, that's not a good sign, I'd say.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58One of the snags with things like the interpretation boards.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02These are the different types of interpretation boards, they've got to be subtle,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06they've got to be in keeping with the landscape and you don't want to turn it into a theme park.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It's not a theme park, it's beautiful,
0:24:08 > 0:24:13wild, untouched group of islands in the North Atlantic.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16And also there's the design and the research and
0:24:16 > 0:24:18everything that goes into it, and that's what I'm doing now.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24A rocky shore is...
0:24:26 > 0:24:30..very much, it was my stamping ground, I did my apprenticeship
0:24:30 > 0:24:32in rocky shores
0:24:32 > 0:24:36when I was a kid, you know. And it's where it all started for me.
0:24:36 > 0:24:43So, er, I think it's something that I hope I can
0:24:43 > 0:24:47kind of communicate my passion for it.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49A, with these kind of interpretation boards,
0:24:49 > 0:24:59and B, with some leaflets or whatever, that'll tell people how to rock pool,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02you know, in a kind of environmentally friendly way, which is really, really important.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06The other thing I need to do is go out and get some photos
0:25:06 > 0:25:13in the rock pools and in the shallow waters of some of the animals I've identified.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17That'll be really nice to find in rock pools, you know, if
0:25:17 > 0:25:22you're a kid with a bucket, or even if you're a grown-up with a bucket.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46It's a rotten day, unfortunately, but I thought I'd come down here,
0:25:46 > 0:25:54just take some photos of kind of target species that the poster boys of the world of the rock pool.
0:25:54 > 0:26:01Everything that lives in here is either armoured, can move like lightning, disguised,
0:26:01 > 0:26:07venomous, so everything you see is a little miracle of evolution, it's a gladiator.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Turning over rocks is where you're going to find most things, particularly this time of day -
0:26:11 > 0:26:14very, very low tide, they're going to be hiding.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And the key with rock pooling is when you turn over a rock you do it really slowly and carefully,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21you don't want to crush something, you put it back exactly where you found it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Now that's fantastic.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33We've got a shore crab here, female shore crab
0:26:33 > 0:26:35with her eggs,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and she'll carry her eggs around with her
0:26:37 > 0:26:40for several weeks until they hatch.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44And this little animal here lays 180,000 eggs.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49She's going to protect her eggs, and the best way she can do that is by hanging on to them.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And you can see this vivid, vivid orange
0:26:53 > 0:27:00set of eggs underneath her carapace, and she's quite a big girl so she certainly can look after herself.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05Fantastic. What a great sight, so we'll get a photo of her as well.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10All right, all right.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12And something else they'll do to defend themselves, they'll just
0:27:12 > 0:27:15wedge themselves in, which is what this...
0:27:15 > 0:27:20They're like climbing crampons, the legs, so she's just using the points
0:27:20 > 0:27:25of her legs to wedge, she's really firmly wedged in there.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27That's the shot.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29CAMERA BEEPS
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Perfect. Go on then, off you go.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Good luck.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I've taken thousands of photos since I arrived on the islands,
0:27:39 > 0:27:45and they're brilliant for showing people what amazing wildlife they have right on their doorstep.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52This morning, I'm going back to school.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Just setting up the presentation.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I'm expecting about 50 kids today.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Amongst those kids there's going to be a marine biologist of the future,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15there's going to be a wildlife documentary maker, there's going to be a conservationist.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18And sometimes it's a talk like this that just sparks it for them.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20It's the moment that they think, "Yeah, I'd like to do that. I'm interested in that,"
0:28:20 > 0:28:26so I'm always really aware of that when I do these talks to try and sort of make them inspirational
0:28:26 > 0:28:33and interesting, and sort of fan the flames of enthusiasm.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Let's just do a little thing about the sort of size of sharks
0:28:35 > 0:28:39you may encounter in your life if you're very, very lucky.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42OK, shall we start off with the gentleman here, if you can just stand up for a sec.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45And if you can just lie on the floor there, that'd be great.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Most sharks around the world, the vast majority are about this size.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54It's going to take one look at you and it's going to disappear, it's going to be terrified.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56If I can borrow this gentleman here. That's fine.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02If you're incredibly lucky, that is a HUGE shark, eight feet, nine feet long.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Most great whites are about that long. OK, if I can borrow the gentleman there, the one who's
0:29:06 > 0:29:09glanced down, trying to avoid looking me in the eye! That's the one, yeah!
0:29:09 > 0:29:15If you want to just lie here, that's great. Now that is a HUGE shark.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20Things like a very big tiger shark, a very big great white.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23They're a very, very rare animal, you know, so unusual to encounter them.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26OK, gentleman there if you can just come out.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Now we're getting to the really big fellas, the ocean giants, basically.
0:29:30 > 0:29:36And, er, that's a basking shark, up to 35 feet long, 7 tonnes.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41Second largest fish in the sea, and you've got them sculling around off your beaches right now.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44And I need one more, gentleman just there.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46OK, if you can just lie there.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51This is the biggest fish in the sea, there we are, that's about the size of a whale shark.
0:29:51 > 0:29:57I really enjoy giving these talks in schools, but now it's my turn to be the pupil.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- Hello, Niall.- Hello there. - How are you?
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- I'm fine, thank you.- Good, good.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04You're smiling, which worries me!
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Good to see you. And today the plan is...?
0:30:06 > 0:30:09First of all we're going to look at these rams.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12There's some over there.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Cos this time of the year, we have to make sure that these boys are in working condition.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Yeah. And that's a sort of physical examination, I assume.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Right, where you get hold of them and...
0:30:21 > 0:30:25- Wrestle with them if you want. - Excellent! I can think of no finer way to spend a morning.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Niall McPherson has lived on Uist all his life,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33and teaches crofting at the school, as well as running his own croft and working as a stonemason.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36A typical variety of jobs for many of the islanders.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42First you're going to look at his feet, just checking that there's no abscesses.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45SHEEP BLEAT
0:30:45 > 0:30:47That's OK.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51The next bit we do, we do him standing up.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54This is when you get your hands on and you have to feel his testicles.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Right...
0:30:57 > 0:31:02- So why would you do that, why...? - Right, you're going to feel his testicles. You don't want to bring...
0:31:02 > 0:31:04- If they're very soft, they could be infertile.- Right.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10And then, at the bottom, there's a wee ball called the epididymis.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13We round it...harder,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16and you've got to feel that that's kind of...that they're balanced.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17Yeah. OK. So...
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Feels pretty good,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- the one at the bottom. - Yes, you can see the wee one.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- Splendid, yeah.- Right, who else is going to have a look?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Now, the obvious question is how many do you feel?
0:31:39 > 0:31:42- Two! - That is correct, that is correct!
0:31:42 > 0:31:46- That is a relief, that's a relief! - Seeing as we've got a new student,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- we'll ask him to catch the Suffolk ram and turn him over.- Oh, me?
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Oh, no problem! I can't think of a single thing that could possibly go wrong with this! Which one?
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Oh, the black one, that one. No sorry, it was obvious, wasn't it?
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Right. OK.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06God, they're strong!
0:32:09 > 0:32:10This time, big fella.
0:32:16 > 0:32:17God, they're strong.
0:32:22 > 0:32:23Come one.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30That is ridiculous.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39- Amazing. - They weigh 18, 20 odd stone,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43and under here they're relaxed.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Yeah, yeah, it's amazing, amazing.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49It's sort of a really weird scene...
0:32:49 > 0:32:53If he's not happy, he's struggling, and that's when you know you're wrong.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- It's usually the person that's wrong, not their animal.- Yeah. yeah.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58And it's not just livestock on the curriculum.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03The students have been doing crop trials under the supervision
0:33:03 > 0:33:08of Maria Scholten, who moved here permanently from Holland after spending four years researching
0:33:08 > 0:33:13the genetic diversity of local oats, rye and barley.
0:33:13 > 0:33:21So that's kind of, it's just separating the actual sort of stalks from the seed, as it were.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Yeah, a little bit more than that, cos it also
0:33:25 > 0:33:32separates the bigger seeds from the small seeds, the chaff, and some of the green seeds will be sifted out.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35These are different forms of oats, that have been planted all over
0:33:35 > 0:33:41the Machair and the idea is to see which grows well, and it's actually been done by the students here.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44And are there many of these on the island?
0:33:44 > 0:33:46There's a few around, there aren't that many, but it's
0:33:46 > 0:33:50a kind of a feature of crofting the people kind of share their stuff around, you know?
0:33:50 > 0:33:55I agree, yeah, yeah. And any sort of strong findings so far about...?
0:33:55 > 0:34:00Yeah, Shetland oat is earlier. And a little bit taller.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05But the Uist oats kept very close to the ground,
0:34:05 > 0:34:10and some of these particularly Canadian oats were growing up tall and, well, you know.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- Oh, with the wind. - It's an adaptation for the wind,
0:34:12 > 0:34:19and that's what special about what are called the land races, which are kind of indigenous varieties.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23They've evolved over time to be low and hardy, I imagine, yeah.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- That's exactly right. - Yeah. Much like the people.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Crofting is very much the way of life in the Outer Hebrides, and the
0:34:35 > 0:34:42traditional farming methods crofters use to work their land has preserved a fantastic range of wildlife.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44But in recent years there's been a problem.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48The greylag goose population has exploded,
0:34:48 > 0:34:53and they're devastating the oat crop, which is bad news for both the other wildlife and the crofters.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59David Mackay was born on the islands,
0:34:59 > 0:35:03and he works for Scottish Natural Heritage to control geese numbers.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- This is the Machair we're on now, isn't it?- Yep, that's right.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Just looks like a slightly sandy field.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Yeah, but it's the only area on the islands that can be cultivated, which means it's been cultivated
0:35:12 > 0:35:15for probably hundreds and hundreds of years.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Most of the crop that's been cut now, it goes into the bags for silage,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22but the crop that's left at the moment is going to be harvested for seed for next year.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27And it's so important to keep them, because as I was saying, these seeds are unique to the islands,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31and if they can't complete that harvest, then they'll have no seed for next year.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33- Yes, of course, of course. - So it's very important.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36And these little brief population explosions are therefore incredibly significant
0:35:36 > 0:35:40and need to be managed to keep it going in the long term.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42That's the thing, isn't it?
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Yeah, I mean, if the crop is destroyed for one or two years, then
0:35:44 > 0:35:46there's no seed and the whole system stops.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Various methods have been tried to scare off the geese,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53but David's going to show me the most extreme one tomorrow morning -
0:35:53 > 0:35:55tomorrow morning, very early!
0:35:57 > 0:36:00It's five in the morning.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08I'm off to shoot goose.
0:36:08 > 0:36:14I feel slightly uncomfortable with it, in that the fact that I'm the ranger here,
0:36:14 > 0:36:21but...shooting, fishing is a massive part of the local economy.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27It's quite key, this, keeping the population of these geese
0:36:27 > 0:36:33down because they have an absolutely devastating impact on the crops here.
0:36:33 > 0:36:41The idea, by the way, is we set out a bunch of decoys in the stubble, and the geese
0:36:41 > 0:36:47see the decoys flying overhead and they come in and we're sitting there waiting for them, basically.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49So off we go.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53There's no foxes or badgers.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58We're meeting up with gamekeeper Colin Newton and his gundog Jip.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03- I first met Colin when he took - me stalking, and we tramped for miles over the hills.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Today is about waiting for the birds to come to us.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14This replicates a flock on the ground, you see, some are feeding,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18and the ones at the edge with their heads up, they would be the look-out birds?
0:37:18 > 0:37:19- They would be the look-out birds. - Right, right.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22So suppose this didn't take place, the shooting didn't take place,
0:37:22 > 0:37:24what would happen, what would be the impact?
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Well, due to the part-time nature of crofting, the crofters can't protect
0:37:27 > 0:37:33their crops 24/7 and most of them don't have shooting rights, it belongs to the landowners.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35So this is a necessary part of the crop protection.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38If it wasn't there, crops would be destroyed.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Jip!
0:37:48 > 0:37:54Because the wind has sprung up, and when you get this wind the geese come in low,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58and you almost don't see them until they're right on you.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00You don't see them till the last second.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04And we've just had a few geese come in back round see the
0:38:04 > 0:38:09decoys, nearly land...but they've gone off, down that way.
0:38:09 > 0:38:15So it's all sort of quick reaction stuff, it's quite, it gets your heart pumping.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20You can hear them all around.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23This is the optimum time now,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25it's about 6.45pm,
0:38:25 > 0:38:30the light's just coming up, they'll start to see the decoys, they'll start coming. Yep.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Off down the other end. OK.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Go, go, go!
0:38:39 > 0:38:42GUNSHOTS
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Quite an interesting feeling,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49as the animals come in, you know, it's...
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Huge part of the life up here.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55There we are, there's the dog, he's moving in on the goose there.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03- Well... Come on, Jip, Jip. - Well done, Colin.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13GEESE HONK
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Some geese coming straight in.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19GUNSHOTS
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Jip, go on, go on. Good girl, get them all, good girl. Good girl.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Bring it in, bring. Here, Jip. Good girl, good girl. Leave.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Did you see, you just saw them come in, presumably?
0:39:37 > 0:39:39So that's two.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48It's freezing cold.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51I'm stiff and aching,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53and it's started to rain,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57and I keep missing any geese I shoot at.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00And I've been up since 4.30,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03the picture of misery.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Colin and the dog aren't talking to me any more.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Jip, the gundog keeps staring at me,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17shaking her head in disgust.
0:40:25 > 0:40:31After hours of freezing my chops off and being laughed at by Colin and his dog, it's time to head off -
0:40:31 > 0:40:34or at least to try.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36It's excruciating!
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I was thinking, as I was sitting there,
0:40:40 > 0:40:46for me as the wildlife ranger to be sitting with a loaded weapon about to gun down a goose,
0:40:46 > 0:40:51you know, with a chap from Scottish National Heritage sitting right beside me.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Again it's just to mention it's about balance, we do want a sustainable greylag population on the islands cos
0:40:55 > 0:41:00it's part of the native fauna of the island, but we also want
0:41:00 > 0:41:03the crofters to be able to continue their traditional management, so to do that
0:41:03 > 0:41:08we need to stop the damage that's occurring, so we're striking a balance again between the two.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12There's a lot of pressures on crofting at the moment of which geese are one,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16ageing workforce, changing machinery and ways of doing harvesting.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Cos I've sort of wrestled a little bit with my conscience, you know, a little bit.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23I was never keen on sport shooting either, really.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27It's not something I particularly enjoy, but this, isn't sport -
0:41:27 > 0:41:29it's part of the conservation effort, so that's OK, really.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Buy you a coffee, there we are.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I was just saying that for the camera, by the way!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Back home, there's the day's chores to be getting on with.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Hello, chooks.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Looking after the turkeys has been fun, it's been fairly easy,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02to be honest.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06If I had them any longer, I mean, they're only going to be around for another eight weeks
0:42:06 > 0:42:09because of Christmas...
0:42:09 > 0:42:12But if I had them any longer I'd have a bigger pen, I think.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15But they seem in pretty good nick,
0:42:15 > 0:42:20and they're quite... When I walk out of the cottage they always come to this end and come and say hello.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25And I'm also raising a very healthy population of rats here as well.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Right, here we go, the main event.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Hello, Smoky, you all right?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Hello, Streaky.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39Amazing speed, these guys are growing, just spectacular.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41And this is the reason.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45It's getting dark really early now,
0:42:45 > 0:42:50it'll be dark in... It's three o'clock now, it'll be dark in
0:42:50 > 0:42:55an hour and a half, so the feeds are obviously coming in...
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Time-wise, I have to do them a lot earlier every day.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06But they're still a very, very popular event. All right, chaps.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Look at that.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Great slabs of muscle.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15That's just a solid lump of muscle
0:43:15 > 0:43:19in the shoulders here, because the nose
0:43:19 > 0:43:23is just a digger, and obviously this is how these guys get their food.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25You know, pigs in the wild get their food, wild boar, things like that,
0:43:25 > 0:43:32peccaries, is they drive that nose in, it's just a lump of gristle, like the front of a digger.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36And these are the hydraulics, they just ram it through the soil.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39I'm very attached to the pigs.
0:43:39 > 0:43:44I've always liked pigs, last time I raised pigs, I enjoyed their company.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Yeah, it's going to be tough
0:43:46 > 0:43:49sending them off to
0:43:49 > 0:43:52the abattoir.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55I'm going to spare 'em, I think, and send Rubes off.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03Rubes goes in and plays with the pigs, and the three of them run round together and it's great,
0:44:03 > 0:44:04but the pigs are essentially piglets -
0:44:04 > 0:44:08they're large piglets, and piglets are used to suckling,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11and to go in for milk, obviously.
0:44:11 > 0:44:16And they see Rubes, and they, for some reason, associate him with Mum.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20And he just lay down a moment ago, and the piglets which, are
0:44:20 > 0:44:23as I said, are large now,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26immediately thought, "Ah, the restaurant's open!"
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and moved in and attempted to suckle.
0:44:30 > 0:44:38The problem is that Reuben is a boy dog, and the noise he made
0:44:38 > 0:44:42as those very sharp teeth connected somewhere where they shouldn't have
0:44:42 > 0:44:45connected was very similar to the noise I would make
0:44:45 > 0:44:47in similar circumstances, I think.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51And I was helpless with laughter,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54and Rubes is still in a bit of a mood with me.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59There he is, looking a bit...a bit stunned!
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Sorry about that, Rubes. I won't laugh again, it wasn't funny!
0:45:08 > 0:45:14It's beginning to get seriously cold at night and my supplies of peat for burning on the fire are running low.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So it's time to visit my peat cuttings.
0:45:17 > 0:45:23One of the things that struck me while I was cutting the peat was what amazingly hard graft it was,
0:45:23 > 0:45:29and I only did quarter of the amount that would normally be expected to do, and interestingly that road
0:45:29 > 0:45:36I've just come up is a monument to graft and toil and to misery, cos that's the Committee Road.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40And it was built during times of famine and hardship on the land
0:45:40 > 0:45:44to provide employment for local people, to provide a little bit of money for local people.
0:45:44 > 0:45:50So in a way, it's quite fitting that my peat lies next to a place that was the result
0:45:50 > 0:45:55of just how hard this landscape really is to carve a living out of.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Not looking good.
0:46:01 > 0:46:08It's been one of the wettest summers, on record, the worst August since 1986.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11And I cut my peat late as well. So if anything...
0:46:11 > 0:46:16It's supposed to get smaller, the blocks start off this big and are supposed to end up this big.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20I'm sure some of these have got slightly larger, they've absorbed water.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24So I think I have to leave it a little bit longer, some of the smaller chunks there are
0:46:24 > 0:46:28pretty good, but I think I have to leave this just a wee big longer.
0:46:30 > 0:46:38We tend to paint a really romantic picture, don't we, of living off the land, and the simple life and
0:46:38 > 0:46:44all that, and it's not...you know, we live in fabulous luxury, I think, nowadays.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46And I think things like this, it's a novelty for me at the moment,
0:46:46 > 0:46:50it's quite interesting but it would very quickly wear thin.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Like I say, we live in fabulous luxury these days
0:47:05 > 0:47:10but, hey, I'm saving my strength for a big day tomorrow.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25It's a beautiful, peaceful quiet morning,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29but 13 miles round the corner there are the Monach islands,
0:47:29 > 0:47:34and it's bedlam out there because 20,000 grey seals have come in.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41They've pupped, they're fighting, they're mating.
0:47:41 > 0:47:47It's one of the great wildlife spectacles of Europe, and something I've always wanted to see.
0:48:08 > 0:48:15You often find seal pups and young seals along the edge of the shore,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18and they're on their own and it doesn't mean Mum's abandoned them.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20I mean, in this case you can see Mum's just there,
0:48:20 > 0:48:23just keeping an eye on me, making sure I'm not getting too close.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29I'm determined not to use the word "cute" while I'm on these islands,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33but they are undeniably appealing.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39This guy's probably a couple of weeks old, you can see he's a little bit bigger,
0:48:39 > 0:48:44he's obviously dreaming about something as well - you can see he's kind of twitching.
0:48:44 > 0:48:50Although he can't have had a huge amount of experiences worth dreaming about, actually.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54This young animal's got a really tough year or so ahead of him.
0:48:54 > 0:49:00Generally about 40% of seal pups don't even make it off the beach.
0:49:00 > 0:49:08They get crushed by bulls, or, you know, they'll get hit against rocks or they'll starve or whatever.
0:49:09 > 0:49:15But if they can make it beyond that first year, their chances of survival increase dramatically.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19But up to that first year, two-thirds of them won't make it.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27People have lived on these islands before, but they're empty now.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31And it's one of the reasons the grey seals come here, of course,
0:49:31 > 0:49:36is it's a perfect remote location to have the pups.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39And you've got a perfect example of that here, there's one guy who farms sheep here,
0:49:39 > 0:49:45and this is one of his pens, and tucked in the pen there just in the corner is a one-day old pup.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47He's tiny.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50So we're going to have a look at him, we won't go too close. Let's go and have a little look at him.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56OK, so here we are, this is the placenta trail.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Obviously, this was as the fella over there was being born...
0:49:59 > 0:50:04The placenta's gone now, would have been eaten by gulls. And this guy,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07he's all a bit bewildered,
0:50:07 > 0:50:14but Mum will come and suckle him every sort of four or five hours, and her milk is 60% fat.
0:50:14 > 0:50:15It's like mayonnaise.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18And he'll gain a huge amount of weight very quickly.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Conversely, Mum will lose a huge amount of weight very quickly.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Mum will lose about four kilograms a day,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29just keeping him going and making him big and strong for about four weeks' time
0:50:29 > 0:50:33when she disappears off to sea and essentially abandons him.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36After that he'll have to fend for himself.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Unfortunately, his mum chose a really bad day to give birth
0:50:39 > 0:50:46in the sheep pens because it's also the day the crofter who grazes sheep here has come to round up the lambs.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50Donald McDonald has had grazing rights on the Monachs for the last 15 years, and every
0:50:50 > 0:50:56autumn the lambs are separated from the flock and taken off to market.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00He's helped by his brother, Alasdair, and nephew John Archie.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03And is this pretty much all of the sheep or...?
0:51:03 > 0:51:06At the centre, you've got about - how many at the centre?
0:51:06 > 0:51:12We've taken in 114 lambs already, and I don't know how many's left here.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15- So we'll take the remainder in.- So you'll be heading off this evening?
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Oh, yes, as soon as we get loaded.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Right, fantastic. We might be able to give you a hand.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23If you need a hand, don't hesitate to ask.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26I'm good at standing there waving my arms around.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29That's something. Grab all the lambs. Grab hold the lambs and put them in there.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Right, no problem.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Let's see how much I was listening during my crofting lesson.
0:51:40 > 0:51:46Niall had me wrestling an 18-stone ram the other day, so that was good practice.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54Interesting what you end up doing when you come out to take a few pictures of seals!
0:51:54 > 0:51:59For me, Donald typifies the kind of character I meet everywhere in the Outer Hebrides.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Aged 66, he suffered a heart attack two months ago,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06and yet here he is hard at work, claiming nothing's wrong with him.
0:52:06 > 0:52:12I guess it's the way of life for crofters - there's always something to be done and the spirit to do it.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16LAMBS BLEAT
0:52:21 > 0:52:28It's funny. Came out here to take a couple of rather beautiful photographs of grey seals pupping,
0:52:28 > 0:52:35and I end up wrestling nervous sheep into the back of a trailer with Donald barking instructions at me!
0:52:36 > 0:52:39You're a brave man.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Obviously, Donald needs really good weather to get
0:52:41 > 0:52:46the lambs off the island, and he's had to grab this chance before the winter storms make it impossible.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51I'm with you, Donald. I'm hot on your heels.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07The lambs will be sold on to farmers on the mainland for fattening over the winter.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39LAMBS BLEAT
0:53:45 > 0:53:47That's it, we're done, we got all the lambs on board,
0:53:47 > 0:53:53and I need to head off because time's moving on, I want to take some photographs of the seals.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56What a lovely, lovely way to spend a couple of hours, and
0:53:56 > 0:53:58I'm hoping that Donald was grateful for a bit of help.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01I just said cheerio to him up there, he's just putting the quad away.
0:54:01 > 0:54:02And he just went, "Haaa!"
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Just sort of made a noise at me.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06But I think it might have been thank you.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09But what a great, great thing. I'll remember this for a long time,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14you know, helping out an old crofter on the Monach Islands, stepping over
0:54:14 > 0:54:21seal pups whilst hoying lambs into a rowing boat for him to take back to the mainland.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Great. Good fun.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Anyway, let's go and get some photos.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34What you're looking at here
0:54:34 > 0:54:40is a huge percentage of the Eastern Atlantic grey seal population.
0:54:40 > 0:54:4620,000 years ago the ice came down and sort of split the grey seal population in two.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50And there's about 130,000 on this side of the Atlantic
0:54:50 > 0:54:54and there's about 160,000 on the other side, so it's about 300,000 in total.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59So it's a huge percentage of the population of this side of the world.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00SEAL ROARS
0:55:00 > 0:55:01All right...
0:55:38 > 0:55:42I'm just going to try and get down there, just little bit along the beach cos I think there's
0:55:42 > 0:55:48this great view there, of these sort of ranks of seals that have come in.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52Let's go and have a look, try and not tread on anything.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02This guy's really interesting because he's been around for
0:56:02 > 0:56:06a few weeks, cos you can see that he's just starting to lose the white fur and he's getting
0:56:06 > 0:56:12the grey of the grey seal, and this means that he's kind of starting to get ready to go to sea.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Couple of weeks, he'll probably be ready to go to sea,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19because the white fur doesn't really insulate in the water.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23This grey stuff does, and underneath that he's got a bit layer of blubber.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28So, the outside layer is like hard, bristly hairs.
0:56:28 > 0:56:33The inside layer is very, very soft, fine hairs and that holds air when he dives.
0:56:33 > 0:56:38So it almost looks like a wetsuit, almost creates a layer between him and the outside of the water.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40And then under that he's got blubber.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50You see a couple of bulls in the water there, scrapping for dominance.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55And it's really important, that, because whoever loses has to move away
0:56:55 > 0:56:59and doesn't get that bit of the beach.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02And they're ferocious, these punch-ups, think of the body weight going into that.
0:57:02 > 0:57:03hundreds and hundreds of kilograms.
0:57:03 > 0:57:10But they have very thick folds of skin and fat on their neck, which they'll bite.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12SEALS ROAR
0:57:12 > 0:57:15And most fights don't end in injury,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18you know, one of the males will move off very quickly.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21But sometimes you'll see them bleeding very dramatically from the neck,
0:57:21 > 0:57:26and that's actually just these folds of fat, skin, but it looks terrible.
0:57:27 > 0:57:28CAMERA CLICKS
0:57:29 > 0:57:37Let's have a little look round the corner and then we'll disappear, leave them, leave them alone.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41It's quite a primeval scene, really, cos it's all here.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45Life and death and fighting,
0:57:45 > 0:57:50and the smell - there's a really sort of heavy smell in the air.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53But you can see there's Uist in the distance.
0:57:53 > 0:57:58It's so close to man, there's a set of islands that, at least
0:57:58 > 0:58:02for a couple of months of the year, are given over entirely to the seal.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11Next time. Back into history, as I ride the Bonnie Prince Charlie Trail.
0:58:11 > 0:58:17And down on the shoreline I organise a beach clean-up.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19Half an hour's work from one tiny section
0:58:19 > 0:58:26of one beach in the Outer Hebrides, which is one little stretch of coastline round the British Isles.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29Just shocking, isn't it? Absolutely shocking.
0:58:29 > 0:58:32Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:32 > 0:58:36E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk