SCULLING his sea kayak in calm waters off the west coast of the High- lands, near Achiltibuie, Andrew Brownlow spotted a shoal of fish riffling the surface. Sea birds appeared as if from nowhere and began to swoop and feed. He paddled on slowly and watched the scene unfold, enjoying the spectacle as he scrutinised it with the professional eye of a veterinary specialist in the marine environment.
Suddenly, 30ft away, the ocean waters boiled up. The black fins of three orcas broke the surface and something delivered a hefty thump to the stern of the kayak. He turned to see a frightened young grey seal had hauled its 130lb weight onto the fragile deck. As Dr Brown- low strove to trim the craft under its unsteady cargo, it dawned on the seal that it had escaped one predator only to share a precarious perch with another. To the relief of both, the hitchhiker slid off, but stayed swimming alongside, maintaining eye contact as if to say: ‘I might have to do that again, if you don’t mind.’
It shouldn’t happen to a vet, as they say, but for Dr Brownlow, director of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS), which investigates the causes of death of the seals, porpoises, dolphins and whales cast up on our shores, this was a welcome, if dramatic encounter with a living specimen.
The current population dynamics of the UK’s two indigenous seal species are puzzling Dr Brownlow and his SMASS colleagues. Greyseal numbers are sitting at their highest-ever level in the geological history of the North Sea area. The shores of the UK, principally of northern Scotland, where greys have doubled since 1970 to 120,000, are home to more than one-third of the world’s grey-seal population. Meanwhile, UK harbour (or common) seals have declined by 50% since 2000 to 36,000.
この記事は Country Life UK の August 02, 2023 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
この記事は Country Life UK の August 02, 2023 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
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
