Hebrides – islands on the edge

New documentary to show majesty of Scotland.

At just two days old and virtually helpless, its fate will be decided in a matter of minutes.

Eyes wide with confusion and terror, the baby seal has no idea how to cope with the deadly high tides.

And, separated from its mum, it can find no protection from the waves crashing against unforgiving rocks.

The life and death drama has been captured in heart-rending close-up for a spectacular new BBC Scotland nature series.

Hebrides Islands on the Edge, a series of remarkable documentaries will be screened from early next month.

Battles between rutting stags, the plight of fledgling swallows and the feeding hunts of majestic eagles have also been filmed as never before.

The series is narrated by Ewan McGregor,with cameramen risking life and limb over two years of filming to record the stunning footage.

“Nothing like this has ever been done before,” said renowned filmmaker Nigel Pope.

“There has never been a British wildlife series like this.”

Over the past 20 years executive producer Nigel has travelled the globe for series like Big Cat Diaries as well as creating Springwatch.

“I’ve experienced the great African wildebeest migration, bears fighting in Alaska, gorillas in the central African jungle and been out with whales,” says Nigel. “But the wildlife spectacles in the Hebrides equal anything on the planet.”

The seal’s plight was caused by the massive tides that help form the brief but spectacularly lethal Corryvreckan whirlpool off Jura.

The amazing footage in the first programme was filmed during the few hours of the phenomenon in both 2011 and 2012.

But even with land-based and helicopter filming using the most high-tech cameras, it was still felt more close-up shots of the maelstrom were needed.

“We got a local cameraman, Mike Cuthbert, on a small boat with the only skipper who dared go near it,” said Nigel.

“Mike was lashed to the boat with webbing or else he would have been swept over and down into the whirlpool.

“It was right on the edge.”

The first programme also focuses on the swallow chicks that shelter in an Islay distillery, learning to fly in the nick of time to escape before the autumn storms arrive.

The battle for breeding supremacy between two stags was captured on the very last available filming day.

And an amazing “pass-the-parcel” food chain was also recorded.

Mackerel swept to the surface at Kylerhea Narrows, between the mainland and Skye, are plundered by seals.

But they have the fish snatched by gulls only for white-tailed eagles to swoop and snare an easy take-away meal.

The four-part series starts on BBC 1 Scotland at 9pm on May 6.

It will be available on BBC iPlayer before being screened nationally.