Natural World (1983) s24e02 Episode Script

My name is Gordon Buchanan.
I'm a wildlife cameraman.
And as a boy, the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland was my home.
Coming from such a rugged landscape, A passion for wild places and wildlife was completely natural.
Mull was a fantastic place to grow up, and I loved it.
But I left here at 17 to travel the world, Filming wild animals in exotic settings While I was away, Mull has become a wildlife mecca.
Fifteen years on, I now have a full year to get to know Mull and its wild creatures all over again.
I can't wait.
The west coast of Scotland, and particularly an island on the west coast of Scotland, has this cloak of romanticism about it I grew up here, and I felt, all through my childhood, that I was living in one of the most special places in the world.
You just walk through the streets and you see all the smoking chimneys And you know the people inside that have known you all your life.
And then you've got this most spectacular setting - The sea being right in front of you and its changing moods - And a huge sky with its changing moods.
And for me, it's just - this is the best place in the world.
And to be back here is just the most fantastic opportunity I've ever had.
Mull is roughly 20 miles by 30.
You're always aware of the sea around you, and the three main creatures I'm keen to film while I'm here are closely linked to the water.
There are 300 miles of coastline for the first - White-tailed sea eagles - to hunt on That's why they can thrive here.
Otters can be found all along these coasts.
So they're number two on my wish list And offshore is a horde of species I've never seen - Whales, dolphins, and basking sharks - So I'll be venturing out in search of them, too.
This is the place in the world that I know best, But I'm realizing how little I really know it.
It's late winter and I'm seeing places I've seen before, but I'm looking at them in a totally different way, and it's nothing but exciting.
Mull is best known for its eagles.
but it's the white-tailed sea eagle I want to find and film.
It wasn't here when I was boy.
They have an eight-foot wingspan and are even bigger than golden eagles Sea eagles were reintroduced to rum, but not too long after they were introduced, they came to Mull, and in many ways Mull has more to offer them.
They've got ample coastline to hunt on and ample forestry and native woodland to nest in, as well, so it's no wonder that Mull has become the number-one place to see sea eagles.
I really want to get to know this animal and see how it's taken to Mull like nowhere else in the British isles.
With wild animals, there's never a guarantee, but the otter is the closest thing to it I remember seeing them all over the place when I was a kid.
I think it's going to be great fun learning to follow them and film them - especially if I can find a family with young cubs.
For now, seeing the adults is terrific but I do get the feeling they're giving me the run-around.
This one obviously doesn't realize that I'm a local, too.
Otters couldn't be more at home than on the shores of Mull, And many people here just take them for granted.
But that's not true of the newcomer, the sea eagle.
Every Easter, the police and the RSPB and the local community launch Mull eagle watch.
It's an operation to protect the vulnerable sea eagle eggs for the 38 days they're incubated in the nest.
Over the years, the police and conservation groups have tried different methods to ensure the safety of the eggs.
Today, high-profile surveillance seems to be working.
They monitor the nest round the clock and keep track of all the cars coming on and off the island, As they have the details of many of the well-known egg thieves throughout the country.
I'm happy to do my bit, too, and will inform PC Finlay Christine of any suspicious vehicles.
I'm amazed at just what an effort everyone puts in.
Sea eagles are one of Mull's greatest assets.
You could say that Mull has a lot of weather, and one type of weather in particular - rainy, drizzly, driech, and damp.
The tropics seem very far away, indeed Even so, this weather does have its own charm.
However, it has caused a serious casualty.
Dave Sexton of the RSPB watches over every pair of eagles and knows them better than anyone He's called me to one of the two eagle nests I may be given a special license to film at - and it's not good news.
We've just had now 36 hours of continuous rain, and the bottom of the nest and all the lining, I think, has just probably got waterlogged and dropped out.
And it's likely, I think, that the eggs will have dropped out with it.
So it only will have happened last night, so I want to see if there's anything to pick out and anything to retrieve.
Everything about these birds is very sensitive, and although there's nine pairs nesting on Mull, or have nested on Mull, this year, out of the nine pairs, there's only four of them that appear to be nesting successfully For every pair that doesn't nest, it's a tragic thing for those birds, because it's another 12 months before they get another chance to do it, and there's nothing to say that, you know, that the same thing is not going to happen year after year.
Now I've got my license to film at the nest, It seems the best way with this pair is from a four-wheel drive.
It's just like the one the foresters have used for years on this track.
We are quite restricted to what we can film from this distance The flying in and flying out is great, And this is actually a very good place for it - It gives you a good overview of the whole area.
But for shots of the chicks, I can - you know, when they pop their heads up like they are at the moment, it's just the briefest glimpse that you get As they raise their heads above the nest So we're going to have to work out some way of getting closer to the nest and getting a better view of the chicks, and ideally before the chicks are too big It's a bit of a passing shower, and there's no one on the nest at the moment.
Oh, and here he comes.
Although the chicks can regulate their own body temperature to an extent, you know, it's easy with weather like this for them to get soaked and get a bit of a chill.
So, um Yeah, they've obviously realized that this rain isn't going to stop And the best place to be is on top of the chicks.
It appears to be just tucking them underneath itself - Very wise.
For me to move in and get closer to the nest, there's a slight risk that it's going to upset them.
So, just to eliminate that risk, If we do it on a day that's nice and sunny and warm, if, for whatever reason, the bird was to leave the nest, It's not going to leave the chicks exposed to any foul weather.
You just can't do anything on a day like this.
It's, um, you know, rubbish.
The light may not be good enough to film the eagles, But I'm beginning to appreciate Scotland's light and landscapes in a new way.
Wherever I look, there's a breathtaking view.
And here, if you wait five minutes, the weather will change anyway.
And some of Mull's creatures don't give a hoot what the weather's doing.
Weeks are passing, and the otters I'm after seem increasingly elusive, and I'm beginning to get a wee bit worried.
For guaranteed dependability, seals are Mull's most prominent mammals As a boy I spent countless days trying to get close to these intriguing fixtures - but never close enough.
I've always wanted to get into the water with them, but I honestly thought I'd get eaten So, 20 years on and slightly better informed, I have to satisfy my long-held curiosity I'm using very simple kit - mask, snorkel, and a camera in a waterproof bag.
It's surprisingly beautiful and calm under here, and the seals are clearly intrigued by my presence and not at all frightened.
Now my only grumble is that I didn't do it a bit sooner.
It's late Spring, and the seals are doing well - But it's still too early for me to go out to sea in search of other marine mammals.
The best time is much later, when the water is warmer.
But early may is a great time for sea eagle chicks.
I'm back at the eagles' nest, and as you see, it's a beautiful, sunny morning, very warm.
One of the parents is back on the nest, feeding the chicks.
Everything seems okay.
It's a great day for me to try and get closer to the nest.
The chicks must be sitting quite well down in the nest - I can't see them.
I don't know whether it's 'cause we've come down the road and we're that little bit lower.
Oh! These chicks are only two weeks old.
You know, they won't look like chicks for long.
As soon as the darker feathers start coming through, they suddenly take on a very different appearance and look much more like the adults.
Actually, a few people have said that sea eagles are very lazy birds.
I thought that was a bit of a cruel thing to say about them.
But over the last couple of weeks I've found out that they don't really tend to do anything unless they have to And I've been here every day for a week, just watching them, and they're completely happy to sit for five hours at a time, just roosting in the trees.
There's absolutely no telling When these adults are going to bring food in.
I'm just keeping my eye trained on the chicks, hoping that they're going to give me some indication, But it seems to be, every single bird that flies overhead, they'll look up, and it makes me think it's an adult coming in, but Oh! What is that? I thought it was a hare, but it's much bigger - I'm sure that's a lamb.
I can't tell if the eagle killed the lamb or found a dead one, but it's a good meal for the chicks Sea eagles have an incredibly varied diet.
They eat seabirds, rabbits, hares, fish, And carrion, like deer, dead sheep and lambs.
A few eagles will sometimes take live lambs, but fortunately, it's very rare.
With the eagles coming on nicely, I'm really keen to make a start on my next challenge by finding an otter family.
This is a place where I've seen otters regularly, And I think there's a very, very good chance there will be a family near here The seals are teasing me, for sure.
Although I enjoy seeing them, I'm now getting a bit concerned that I might never get to film my otters But I won't give up yet, and there's always something to film on this island.
This really is the last thing I expected to see when I came out this morning.
There's a school of, I think they're bottle-nosed dolphins on the other side of the loch, and they're just going bonkers.
Look at that! Oh, you beauty! Oh! Oh! It's typical - you come out looking for one thing, and you end up seeing something so much better.
If you do see dolphins close in to the shore like this, the chances are they will be bottle-nosed dolphins, because they're the only species around the west coast that stick along the coast.
And they may well have pinned a school of fish In against the shore there and they're just picking them off.
Seems to have died down a wee bit.
No, it hasn't.
Oh, this really is the magic of Mull - That you can just see something like this never seen this before, never.
Oh, god, look at that! Jumping clean out of the water.
Oh, that was a cracker! It's early June - suddenly everything is becoming more active.
The young eagles are growing up fast.
These chicks are at a very scruffy stage at the moment - lots of black feathers and little tufts of white down sticking up Ah - Ah, mum's back.
Having overcome all the problems to get into this perfect filming location and having spent a long time watching the birds do nothing, I'm starting to get some spectacular shots.
The chicks are almost fully grown, and even though I think they could tackle the food themselves now, they still rely on mum, who has to teach them to swallow those large, awkward bones.
It's July, and at last it feels like summer has arrived.
There's one visitor that usually makes its way from the southern waters off Cornwall to our northern shores at this time of year - the basking shark.
And I would love to film them.
The best chance of success is to be as unobtrusive as possible.
I've got a good idea that might just work.
I think he touched the underside of the kayak there.
There's four of them working this area, And that might sound as if it's going to be fairly straightforward, but trying to get in front of them, they turn so quickly.
Right, there's one coming straight towards me at the moment - Okay - five, four, three, two, one You don't get much closer to basking sharks than this.
Spectacular.
They're just enormous - huge.
Oh, oh, that one's turned.
Okay, please, please, please? Here we go.
Yeah.
Over the summer, the water warms up, and a plankton bloom spreads from south to north.
The sharks follow, browsing like cows on fresh grass.
It's been an eye-opener for me - first seals, then dolphins, Now sharks dwarfing my 17-foot kayak It more than makes up for those missing otters so far.
It's midsummer now, and across the island, the eagle team is setting off on a slightly unusual expedition.
It's their job to catch and tag all of the sea eagle young on Mull - not an easy job.
The huge chicks may look dangerous, but it's something a lot smaller the men really fear at this time of year - the dreaded Scottish midgies.
Seeing an eagle in a hold-all for the first time is fairly bizarre, but it's a safe ride to the ground.
Looking good.
Out of all the nests at the beginning of the season, only four pairs raised chicks, and of those, six have reached this stage - still a good year.
And our eagle chicks are next on the list We all have mixed feelings about having to handle these magnificent birds, but for now, it really is necessary.
Tagging will help keep track of them once they leave the nest, safeguarding the future of sea eagles on Mull and the west coast of Scotland So, bill depth 34.
7, Dave.
Yeah.
Okay, say bye-bye.
The first pair successfully raised chicks in 1985.
And these are their grandchildren.
The birds are just preening.
Amazing.
Sea eagles have made themselves at home, but they're not the only eagles on Mull Oh, you beauty! There's a golden eagle over there.
Oh, you beauty! I can't spend a whole year on Mull and not try and film them - Probably my favorite bird of all.
But it's not going to be easy.
They've always been much more secretive than the sea eagles.
Mull is, without a doubt, one of the best places in Europe for golden eagles.
And unlike the sea eagle, they look for remote, craggy outcrops to nest on.
When I was about 12, I climbed a cliff and peered over, and I saw my first golden eagle nest.
It was a wonderful moment.
I didn't know you needed a license to even go near them.
I am very, very lucky.
There's a very healthy, happy-looking chick on the nest.
I think they did have two, but one has died off - and that's not uncommon for golden eagles I don't think the adult bird saw me coming in, and apparently this pair haven't been successful in rearing a chick for over five years, But they've still got this one on the go, So if they can keep on bringing enough prey in, this is good news for this little golden eagle.
The golden eagle chick is a few weeks behind the sea eagles, which are getting nearer to being able to fly.
Having spent the last few months with these birds, it's only now that they're this size you can fully appreciate them.
It has to be any day now that these birds leave the nest.
For the last week they've been jumping up and down and flapping like mad, so it's just a case of waiting for them to take the final leap.
I would have thought the chances of me being here at the exact point that either of the chicks flew the nest would be very remote, but I've been proved wrong, because I've just seen the second chick leaving the nest.
So it's, um, kind of sad in a way - it's all finished at the nest.
Hopefully, the chicks are going to stick around this area, but for this precise location, it's all over.
When I grew up here, the island was a well-kept secret.
And over the last 15 years, that secret has got out.
Mull's become a very, very busy tourist destination.
Even over my lifetime, the local economy has changed.
Tobermory was built as a fishing port just over 200 years ago There's been a huge increase in wildlife watching.
Now there are more eco-tourism boats than fishing vessels.
I'm going to take advantage of my friend James's boat, because it's late august - the best time to go looking for whales To me, the sea's always symbolized escape and endless opportunity.
I'll have a chance to go out much farther than as a boy exploring in a rowing boat This is way off the beaten track for me - not my home turf.
It looks nice, though.
We're looking for big congregations of birds gathering on the surface to feed on the fish below.
They're called hurries.
Often the minke whales locate the schools of fish first, and then the birds join them, so they're doing a lot of the hard work for us, trying to find the fish, which hopefully are going to lead to the whales.
Hopefully, as we go further north, we're going to see much more of this.
Anyway, Lewis and Jams are convincing me that tomorrow's going to be the day for the whales.
I've yet to see.
Whale! 200 yards down to the right! Just beginning to to grow - there's a lot more birds coming towards it Beautiful.
Whoa! Cracker! Oh! Oh, behind us.
Oh! See it here? It's going right underneath us.
Wow! Right towards us.
It went right under this boat.
There it is, in the water there.
Look at that! Wowee! Right in front of the boat.
Incredible, really incredible.
Whoa, there it is, right there.
It's right underneath us here, folks, On the bow.
Cheeky old monster, look at that.
Oh, it's coming up.
Oh, wowee! There it is right there, folks.
Fantastic.
Where, where, where? Oh, wow, there it is, right in front.
Can you see it? Moving away from us.
You see it? There it is, right underneath us.
Oh, it's coming up! Oh, look at that! Wow! It looked right at you.
See how turned onto its belly? Where is it? Right under.
Minke whales under the boat - I never dreamed we would see whales that close.
This was new for me.
The seas around Mull are so exciting.
As well as dolphins, minke whales, and basking sharks, this year humpbacks and killer whales have been sighted.
And we had the most incredible weather - but this is the west coast of Scotland and I know that can't go on forever.
Gale force 8 expected later.
Hebrides gale force 8, veering westerly and increasing severe gale 9 I just love the rough weather.
But it makes me realize summer's over and 10 out of my 12 months have raced by I'm determined to use the remaining time, whatever the conditions, to find those otters.
And now that it's calming down, I think my chances are much better.
I can honestly say that this is one of the best encounters of this whole film.
Having spent most of the year complaining about not being able to find any otters, I've found a mother and two cubs, and very tolerant of me.
What's that over there? There's - a dog otter over there, big, much bigger otter.
It could well be the father of those two cubs.
And she's very wary - I don't know whether it's the dog otter that's upsetting her, but they're intimidated by something, but not me.
It's a mink - mink, mink.
There it is, on the rock, Just behind the rock.
That may well be what is upsetting the otters.
Certainly an adult otter has no fear of a mink, but one that's just reared very young cubs has everything to fear - a mink could very well get into a holt and kill very young otters.
So I suppose that fear must remain with adult otters.
That's incredible - a mink right beside an otter.
I was always told that otters kept mink, um, mink numbers down, but they seem to be both in this area, and the otters, the otters seem to be the ones that are scared of the mink.
It's all happening today.
That seal's heading over towards the otters on the rock.
I've never, ever seen them this close together before.
And the seal knows that the otters are there, and he's trying to get onto the rock.
What is going to happen now? Is he gonna go up? Go on - no, he's given up.
that is unreal - I've never seen them that close together before.
Oh, he's heading back, he's heading back.
Oh, here come the otters - jeez! What a brave mum! I've seen seals and otters in the same areas, And I often wondered what would happen if they came in contact with each other And I've just seen something that I would never have thought that I would have been able to see - the seal was trying to get up onto the otters' rock, and the mother otter scared it off.
Finding the otters yesterday and seeing so much was fantastic.
I can't resist one last look for them, Especially as my time on Mull has nearly come to an end.
It's just two weeks to Christmas, and then I'm migrating south again.
Brilliant! Almost in exactly the same spot.
Oh, yeah! Oh, lovely - Right against that lovely patch of sunlight.
I think that's the mother that's caught, she's caught a fish.
Now the mother and one of the cubs, they're out at sea, fishing, and this little fellow seems to have lost them.
Every time she's looking up to find her mum, her mum's kind of down, diving for fish It's completely - they're over there! No, not that way, not that way.
She's going in completely the wrong direction.
Ah, poor wee thing, crying away.
Very upset.
Oh, she's, now she's spotted them.
She's spotted them, she's heading back out towards them.
I think mother has noticed that one of her charges has gone missing.
Yeah, they're heading over, going to rescue her.
So, so nice.
It only takes a little bit of luck to turn everything round - because I was getting to the stage that I was kind of giving up on the otters.
So to get this in the final weeks of filming is just the best leaving present that I could ever, ever hope for.
Having spent this time on Mull, I have actually got to know a place which in many ways is very different from the island that I grew up on.
It has changed, but the real fundamental, Sort of important parts of Mull haven't changed, and I don't think they ever will.
And I think it's part of that magic, and I did hope that at the start of this year I'd be able to put my finger on what it is about Mull, what that special, magic something is.
I'm glad to say, after a year here, I still don't know what that magic something is, but it's magic.
This view here, overlooking Loch na Keal, with Ben More in the background, is, pretty much sums Mull up.
It's a wild, rugged landscape, but it provides a home for some of the most incredible animals in this part of the world, and I just hope that my time here has done the island and all of its inhabitants justice.
It's kind of sad in a way that for me to appreciate Mull fully, I've had to leave the island and spend a big part of my life away from it But Mull's still here.
It's always going to be here, and it's always going to be home.