Violent Spring Storm

Fairytale Reef

 

Hebrides: Islands on the Edge - Ewan McGregor

Just now, something strange is going on. The storms in winter mixed oxygen and nutrients throughout this water so, it’s perfect for tiny plants to grow; plankton. Too small to see, but ready to burst into life and become food for everything. All they need now is light. And then, towards the end of spring, giants will come.

The owl’s chicks have hatched. There are four and their mother thinks her mate should go hunting. But, he just stands there preening his feathers. In the Gaelic there’s a phrase for that; “beauty won’t boil be pot”.

He flies into the breeze, his wings soft-feathered and silent, listening for faint stirrings in the grass. Every day now, he must catch at least five voles for her and their growing chicks. Straight back to it, he seems to have got the point. It makes good sense to hunt as much as he possibly can, while the good weather lasts.

On Mull, the Eagles should also have chicks in their nest. But, it seems lifeless. There is a chick, two, they have twins. Newly hatched chicks can chill quickly but, so far they’ve been lucky, despite the annoyance of the midges. Their first days have been warm and comfortable. This larger one is a female. Her life won’t stay this easy for a long.

For the Eagles, the owls and be redstarts living here exposed on the edge of Europe with the whole ocean stretching beyond, what happens out there will determine their family’s future. And, thousands of miles away tropical heat is warming the ocean and a major storm is developing. But, there is no sign of it yet where the eagles’ nest.

It’s a courtship chase. They are harbour seals and unlike their grey seal cousins which breed in autumn, they give birth in late spring so any pup from this union won’t to be born until next year. Other females are pregnant with this year’s pups they are biding their time staying safely in the water and at last, it’s warming up. And with the warmth the sea blooms.

These spring flowers are not all they might seem. In just two places on the West Coast of Scotland there are reefs found almost nowhere else in the world.

Reefs like fairytale castles, built by worms. They extend their gills into the current, like nets as deadly as they are beautiful. The reef is home to many animals. But, there’s much more food in the faster current above the seabed. And, to reach it they must scale the castles’ turrets. Like this hermit crab or this delicate spider crab. It’s the solid anchorage and the shelter offered by these uniquely Scottish reefs that make them so full of life.

And now the young jellyfish are being swept down the sea loch and are fast approaching the reef. Any minute their journey might end. They are small enough to fall straight into the worms nest. The climbing crabs are heavy-footed and the worms gills are delicate. The worms have lightning reactions and for the jellyfish it’s just as well.

The young jellyfish are safe and now it’s time to take their chances in the open sea and its looking good. For weeks the weather has been sunny and clear and light has poured into the water. It’s set off an explosion of life in the plankton. And now, the puffins are coming home.

They haven’t set foot on land since last summer. In the Hebrides, it’s what you call a ceilidh. Only the island’s rabbits are’nt joining in. They’ve had their burrows to themselves all winter and for the next few months they won’t have a moment’s peace.

So far it’s been a good spring. But, in the Hebrides you must take nothing for granted. After a long calm spell the islanders say “a wave will rise on quiet water”. Soon, those puffins may be glad of their burrows. The weather forecast was right a serious spring storm is coming and on Mull it’s already threatening lives. But, it seems there’s worse to come. “This is a shipping forecast issued by the Met office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at 05.05 Tuesday, the 22nd of May. A deepening Atlantic low will move across north-west Scotland during Monday afternoon and bring gales or storm force winds over northern areas.”

This is no time to be at sea. “There are warnings of gales in Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle , Faroes in south-east Iceland.” It’s time to find shelter wherever you can. “The area forecasts for the next 24 hours. Rockall, Malin, Hebrides south-westerly increasing severe gale force 9 to violent storm 11”. It’s the worst storm in a generation to strike the inner Hebrides in the spring.

Violence, all the more shocking because it’s out of season and this storm is only the first in a string of others rolling over the Hebrides, full of rain. The coastal oak woods have suffered most of all. Many trees have lost their leaves to salt and wind burn.

And now the woods of silent. There are fewer caterpillars here for the birds but, in their nest the redstarts now have seven chicks and they’re in trouble. At any time the pine Marten could turn their nest hole into a death trap. It’ll be a race to get out and into the wood before they are discovered. The storm is threatening the young eagles too. When it rains this much the hunters suffer most and the chicks are hungry. It’s been raining for days and neither parent can hunt. But for the male owl it’s even worse, he can’t feed his family and his mate can’t even move without condemning their chicks to a wet, cold death. It’s a test of their resolve, how much longer can they go hungry. How much longer before he can hunt.

But, in the woods, the oak trees need the rain. Fresh water washing away the salt giving the trees the strength to grow new leaves and gradually, the woods are reborn.

Day after day of rain like this makes life harder for the pine marten too. But, fortunately for her this cottage belongs to an old friend. For years she’s put out food and when times are tough it really helps. Pine Martens are usually shy in daytime, but she’s really hungry. She’s gathering some of it to take with her. She must have a hungry youngster hidden away. And, at least for now, she’s overlooked the redstarts. But, soon she’ll be hunting further afield. They are only 10 days old and in a few more they’ll be ready to leave, but it might not be soon enough.

For the owls, though, the worst has already happened. Defeated by the relentless rain the male has gone and unable to protect the chicks and feed herself the female too has been forced to abandon them. In such a harsh spring even the most resilient cannot always survive and for the owl chicks it’s too late.

Against all the odds, the redstart have made it this far. Now it’s time to throw caution to the wind. The parents call and hold tempting insects in view of the chicks. Until now, this little hole has been their entire world. None of them has ever been outside, but someone has to go first and the food looks so tempting. A reward from dad for being the first and now the others can see it’s better out than in.