Page 22 - BBC Wildlife - August 2017 UK

OUTER HEBRIDES

THE ISLANDS OF THE OUTER

HEBRIDES LAY CLAIM TO

THE DENSEST POPULATION

OF OTTERS IN THE UK.

path due east, past a delectable loch where wheatears and
stonechats hover above the gorse. To my left moorland
pulls away as far as the eye can see, interrupted only by
peat cuttings and the hill of Ruabhal.
This hill inspired Benbecula’s Gaelic name, Beinn Na
Faoghla, which translates as ‘Mountain of the Fords’. At the
any times I’ve hoped to spot one particular Clockwise from mighty-mouse height of just 124m, it is worth climbing for
bird on the British mainland. I’ve above: the the stunning views it gives up and down the Outer Hebrides
grasslands of
plodded over summer moors and winter island chain, including of the North Harris Hills and, far to
North Uist around
saltmarshes to no avail. Now, as I park up the south, the island of Barra.
Balranald, Loch
at Creagorry petrol station on the island of Paible and Loch Both hen harriers and short-eared owls nest on Ruabhal’s
Benbecula, I finally see it. Flapping low over Sanndaraigh are flanks, and as I walk along the lochside a male harrier
roadside moorland, its grey-blue, dark- prime locations to emerges out of the middle distance. Its mate – female
hear corncrakes;
tipped wings are breathtaking. It’s a male hen harrier – and harriers are known as ring-tails – lifts up from the bracken
plenty of otters
a co-operative one, circling in an arc and staying within view patrol the quiet to catch prey dropped down to it. Meanwhile, binoculars
as I fill up the car. I’m holding a petrol-pump nozzle and coastlines; reveal the motionless bundle of feathers on the skyline
observing one of the country’s rarest birds of prey. Benbecula is the above the far side of the loch to be a golden eagle. This is
best place in
Scotland’s Outer Hebrides are just about the easiest proving to be an extraordinary day of wildlife-watching, but
the UK to spot
place in the UK to see a host of our rarest and most in truth it’s a fairly typical one for the Outer Hebrides.
hen harriers. n
sought-after wildlife. No need to spend hours in a hide or harriers
check websites and apps for alerts of sightings: you can WESTERN ISLES
take everything in as you go about your daily chores. The The 119 islands that comprise this archipelago, just 14
far-flung archipelago takes some getting to, even if you fly of which are inhabited, lie to the west of the Minch and
to the airports on Benbecula, Lewis or Barra. But that’s not the Sea of the Hebrides, which separate them from the
the environmentally conscious choice, and you would miss honeypot islands of the Inner Hebrides such as Skye and
great wildlife-watching opportunities from the ferry. And, Mull. There is a near-complete absence of mammalian
anyway, remoteness is part of the appeal. predators, though introduced hedgehogs, black rats and
After watching harriers I drive a few miles north into American mink have undeniably left their mark. The
the heart of Benbecula and turn right, following signs for a surrounding waters are rich in fish for seabirds, and the
refuse dump (an unpromising-sounding location, but bear unique coastal grassland called machair (pronounced
with me). From the civic amenity car park I follow a clear much-ur, with a Scottish ch as in loch) is humming with
22 BBC Wildlife August 2017