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.
Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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