Springwatch roving team in Poltalloch

Imagine waking up every morning to the calls of several cuckoos as they compete for territories across the bracken-clad hillsides. Then imagine walking along a narrow track along the edge of a sea loch with yellowhammers singing from song perches, otters fishing for crabs and roe deer feeding on young shoots coated with morning dew. A dream? A step back in time? No, this is the Poltalloch Estate in mid-Argyll, the Springwatch roving team's base for 2014.



Most tourists to this area head for the Isle of Mull via the Oban ferries or head south for Campbeltown for the surfing and solitude, but they are all missing out on one of Scotland's best-kept secrets. During our short stay here, we have been filming white-tailed eagles, the barn doors of the avian world, the rare chequered skipper, a butterfly now confined to the mild, wet climate of the west coast of Scotland, and the famous Knapdale beavers. These, however, are only the stars of the show. The supporting cast of millions of brittle stars, cuckoos galore, red and roe deer and the loch side otters are just as impressive.

Oh, and I must mention that mythical beast that strikes fear into the hearts of the bravest of kilted men, a beast more infamous than the Loch Ness monster, the Scottish midge. Yes, there are millions of them and yes, they do get everywhere but these are the driving force of the natural economy of this area. Without them, the rivers would not be brimming with salmon and a sky lacking midges would be a sky devoid of bats, swifts and swallows. Best of all, however, is the fact that they are not overly keen on my Welsh blood, preferring instead to feast on the lily-white skins of my English companions!