How could such tales fail to capture the imagination of an eight-year-old from deepest Essex? That’s how old I was when I first visited Rathlin on a family holiday. Little did I know when embarking upon that trip that I would stumble across a real-life animal that would rival any fairytale being.
As you approach Rathlin, the skeletons of abandoned stone buildings contrast with the inviting harbour of Church Bay, serving as a tangible reminder of the island’s centuries-old history. Neatly stacked drystone walls dissect the greenery and are adorned with a layer of scaly, yellow-green lichen – a sure sign of the clear air.
On this remote isle, where the population numbers just 150, wildlife is a wonderful source of entertainment. If you love nature, you’ll never be bored here. Open fields and wildflower meadows hum with insects and nod with delicate blooms; common and grey seals inquisitively pop up their wet, shiny heads offshore. Seabirds including common guillemots, kittiwakes and razorbills patrol the cliff stacks; Irish hares – dark-coloured descendants of the mountain hare – dance across the meadows.
この記事は BBC Wildlife の November 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は BBC Wildlife の November 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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