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Strath's new star is ready for her Attenborough close-up





A Badenoch lass is one of the stars in the new BBC David Attenborough wildlife series.

This female hen harrier and her mate feature in “Wild Isles” which started on Sunday evening.

Dave Pierce's stunning close up of the hen harrier which will feature in the third episode
Dave Pierce's stunning close up of the hen harrier which will feature in the third episode

Dave Pierce explained: “I photographed her in 2019 whilst her young were being fitted with rings.

“She’s nested successfully in same location every year since.

“When last year I was asked by the Wild Isles team to find a nest site suitable for filming they selected hers in preference to others I located.

“Hen harriers are a ground-nesting species and the brown plumage of the female helps to conceal her amongst heather during incubation and brooding.

“On the other hand the adult male has a light grey upper plumage contrasting strikingly with black primaries and is generally regarded as Britain’s most attractive bird of prey."

The photographer: Dave Pierce
The photographer: Dave Pierce

The harrier sequence was in no small part possible thanks to the progressive biodiversity of Aviemore-based Wildland Ltd., the Povlsen family's 200-year vision of landscape-scale conservation. Through their custodianship of three significant Scottish estates, they work "to let nature heal, grow and thrive."

The hen harrier sequence will be featured in episode three of the series, which is scheduled to be screened on Sunday, March 26 at 7pm.

In the major new landmark series, Sir David is celebrating the wonders of the ‘home’ islands, revealing the surprising and dramatic habitats that exist right on our doorstep, explaining: “It’s our home, as you’ve never seen it before.”

Filmed over the course of three years, the five-parter will investigate how woodland, grassland, freshwater and ocean habitats support wildlife of all kinds.

Using the very latest technology, each episode will capture dramatic and new behaviour across the British Isles, from battling butterflies to mighty killer whales on the hunt.

Sir David says in the promo for the series: “Nature in our islands will prove just as spectacular as anywhere else on the planet, but it is increasingly fragile.

“With intricately connected species relying on habitats, and one another, for survival, we ask what can be done to protect them and the delicate ecosystems that remain, and to make our wild isles even wilder for future generations.”


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