Kyle Rhea Narrows
The West Coast of Scotland has hundreds of islands… but there are only a few places like this, where you can almost step across from the mainland. It’s one of the oldest gateways to the Hebrides, the crossing, by ferry, from Glenelg to the Isle of Skye - the Kyle Rhea Narrows. It’s a short crossing, but there’s a strong tidal flow.
Seasoned ferry man, Donnie MacDonald, knows precisely how to use these currents to get across. And he’s not the only one to exploit this fast channel. The tide sweeps hundreds of mackerel to the surface every day… and the local animals know it.
A harbour seal is poised, one of more than 100, ready to take these rich pickings.
Donnie MacDonald
Donnie MacDonald “The channels narrow and the seals are working here all the time, and they’re pushing the fish up to the top.”
Gulls also wait in the wings. And something else is watching the gulls… white-tailed eagles.
Such is the draw of the Eagles that, instead of using the bridge to Skye, tourists are choosing to cross on this old ferry.
Donnie MacDonald “It keeps us busy all day. It’s good entertainment for us, as well. And the tourists just love him, completely love him.”
Donnie steers to give them a ringside view, and the eagle puts on a show. He’s realised he needn’t hunt for his own mackerel. As soon as a seal catches a fish, the gulls dive… and the eagle spots his chance.
Donnie MacDonald “He’s put on a good show today.”
The gull has the mackerel in its throat… But the eagle’s determined to win its prize. The largest predatory bird in Britain, living right alongside us, and benefiting us in unexpected ways. The income from the tourists is keeping this community ferry service alive.
This is the story of the people who live side-by-side with wild animals in the Hebrides.
From the air, many of these islands seem the very essence of wilderness. From the watery world of the Uists… to the rugged mountains of Harris and Jura. But this landscape’s been shaped and nurtured by people for millennia.
This is Islay, known as the Queen of the Hebrides. Mild and damp, it has some of the best farmland in the islands. Low lying fields and plenty of lush, green grass are perfect for livestock… making up the bulk of farmers’ livelihoods here. It’s also the destination for visitors from Greenland… Barnacle geese… arriving for the winter in their tens of thousands, after flying non-stop for 48 hours… eventually settling on the mud flats for a well-earned rest.
James How
James How manages a reserve and farm for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It’s his job to help look after this giant flock.
James How “Geese, a massive part of the island, there’s no getting away from that and I love them to bits, you know, I miss them when they’re not here, and I love them when they come back. I always think of them a bit like some of these great African migrations, actually. The geese are our big migration, this is the graziers that we get from the north. They’re not wildebeest, but they’re nearly there!”
James Brown
Once the geese have rested, they start to get hungry and they need to graze. Over 40,000 geese, heading to the farmers’ fields… including those belonging to beef farmer, James Brown.
James Brown “You can hear the geese just now. The geese are just arriving now, in their thousands. Every year there seems to be more.”
70% of Greenland’s barnacle geese arriving to feast on their favourite food… the rich grassland the farmers want for their sheep and cows. Ironically, artificial fertilisers, better grass seeds and larger fields - which have benefited the farmers - have also boosted the number of geese.
James Brown “They are big, strong, hungry birds, so they are eating a lot. They do a huge amount of damage… and over the years it’s got worse.”
20 geese can eat the same amount as a cow… in field, after field, after field.
James Brown “The geese are always going to be here and you’ve just got to live with them. I wouldn’t like to kill them all, I’m not that type. I like the geese, I love to hear them, but they do cost us a lot of money.”
As these important migrants were protected and the farmers were losing money, a compromise had to be struck. In the 1980s, the RSPB bought their Loch Gruinart reserve to take some pressure off the geese and the farms… And they employed people like James How, who’s both a farmer and a conservationist.
James How RSPB
James How “I went to work for the RSPB as a volunteer and I realised that, at the time, they didn’t have a lot of knowledge of agricultural systems, so I thought I’ll go away and I’ll come back to them when I know about agriculture in a much more defined manner.”
James learned how to manage the land to suit both the livestock and the geese.
James How “And, eventually, I did come back to them, after quite some years. Came up here for a three-week holiday, and I’ve been here now for 16 years, one way or another.”
The RSPB has found a way to protect the geese and the government now compensates farmers for their lost grazing too.
James Brown “Well, with the compensation, you know, it’s softened the blow quite a bit and you’ve just got to live with them.”
And on Islay these spectacular flocks are starting to earn their keep.
James Brown “They are bringing in a lot of tourists, which is not a bad thing. And they are here, so I might as well try and exploit them. They also taste okay! Ha, ha, ha, Hah!”
James How “I live right in the middle of one of the best geese areas, and the geese, all winter, are around. I can hear their chattering all day. And it just becomes part of your daily existence. Come the spring time the geese will leave, and the first thing you notice is how quiet it goes. You’ve got all the songbirds singing, but suddenly the goose chattering’s not there it’s almost like, you know, they’re friends - they’ve gone back away but they’ll come back, you know. ”
External Links
Kyle Rhea Marine Hide - Visit Scotland
This Kyle Rhea Marine hide is set in a spectacular location with fantastic views across the Kyle Rhea narrows to Glenelg and the Kintail mountains. The walk to the hide is a short forest path from the car park, which is accessible via a stunning drive along a single track road.
