Open Country

Wildlife Watching on Mull


Listen Later

The growth of wildlife documentaries and social media has boosted our interest in wildlife. Footage of whales, birds and mammals shot by keen nature lovers around the British Isles has alerted us to the presence of apex predators such as the Orca in the waters around northern Scotland. It's not surprising that people visit the island of Mull in the hope of spotting some of the abundant wildlife. Otters are especially popular at the moment. The creation of the Hebridean Whale Trail has also highlighted the presence of the different cetaceans in the sea around Mull and visitors can take boat tours or walks around the island in search of dolphins, porpoises, minke and humpback whales. If they're lucky they may spot the remaining two West Coast Orca - John Coe and Aquarius. But while nature tourism is welcomed, those who work in wildlife conservation on Mull are keen that visitors are respectful and responsible towards the creatures they've come to see.

Producer Maggie Ayre takes a walk from Tobermory on the Hebridean Whale Trail with Morven Summers and her colleague Sadie Gorvett to learn about the work they do in encouraging visitors to log their cetacean sightings on their app and take part in a Citizen Science survey of marine mammals. She meets Mull's Wildlife Warden Jan Dunlop on Calgary Bay to hear why Jan is concerned about the presence and proximity of too many people to the island's otter population and the impact that can have on the animals. All three advocate a kind of slow nature tourism that means appreciating the beauty of all the wildlife on the island as opposed to going with a checklist of creatures to spot.

Produced and presented by Maggie Ayre

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CountryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

83 ratings


More shows like Open Country

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,389 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,840 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,898 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

240 Listeners

Farming Today by BBC Radio 4

Farming Today

66 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

501 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,046 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

167 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

285 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

269 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,925 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,080 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

The Kitchen Cabinet by BBC Radio 4

The Kitchen Cabinet

124 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

260 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

109 Listeners

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast by National Trust

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

104 Listeners

Folk on Foot by Matthew Bannister

Folk on Foot

65 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

740 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,977 Listeners

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast by Immediate Media

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

306 Listeners

As the Season Turns by Ffern

As the Season Turns

208 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

270 Listeners

A Life More Wild by Canopy & Stars

A Life More Wild

19 Listeners