Islay's Real Stars of Springwatch

The BBC Springwatch series enjoyed massive viewing figures nationwide as millions tuned in for their chough update on Islay or the barn owl saga of Heligan Gardens in Cornwall. It could be said the success of the program can also be measured by the response of visitors to the wild corners of Britain that have been ‘Springwatched’. It is certainly true that on Islay many tourists are making the trip on the back of seeing the island’s beauty on their television sets at home. Whilst a common question for RSPB staff often includes ‘where’s that beach Simon King was on with hares and the amazing sunsets?’ – which as it happens, turns out to be the picturesque Saligo beach on the west coast of the island. However, once the program ended and Simon and his band of cameramen left the island, what became of the golden eagle chick? How many hen harriers finally fledged from the nest? Moreover, did the single parent male chough manage to raise all of his hungry chicks? Visitors to the island are finding all the answers to these questions through the successful guided walks run by the RSPB from Loch Gruinart and the Oa reserves.

The BBC Satellite vans and crew at Saligo Bay

Nevertheless, for those of you who were wondering how the real stars of Springwatch got on this year, read on! Islay has continued to see the rare corncrake flourish since its low point of just four calling males, only a decade ago, to 73 recorded birds this year. The corncrake was imitated by Simon King with a credit card and comb and is notoriously hard to see. The increase in the number of birds is a direct result of the corncrake initiative, part-funded by SNH. With the initiative co-ordinated by RSPB Scotland, it has depended on careful work from the island’s farming and crofting community with designated corncrake areas and sensitive changes to harvesting silage. The hen harriers fledged three chicks from the Springwatch nest, and can now be seen hunting over Gruinart Flats. The single parent chough was a male bird on the Oa reserve that lost his partner in a clash with a peregrine falcon. The male still managed to fledge four chicks from the nest, and incredibly has raised three of those to independence which is quite a feat. Lastly, the golden eagle chick that was happily tucking into rabbits and even a stoat on screen finally spread its eight-foot wingspan, and fledged from the huge nest site. The eagles are also notoriously hard to spot, but this particular bird may be seen soaring over the hills behind Ardbeg and Lagavulin Distilleries. So, the wildlife on Islay that made the Springwatch series special continues to make the island an unique experience, and next time you see a hen harrier, or maybe a chough, you may well be looking at one of the real stars of Springwatch.

Simon King (left) and a member of the BBC Crew (right) in the editing suite in the back of a small van which was parked at Smaull Farm.

This story, written by Michael Coplestone, was published with kind permission from The Ileach - Community Newspaper of the year. Pictures courtesy of Mark Unsworth from Islay Studios