To most of us, plants make up a familiar background decoration, albeit a beautiful one, but we don't really pay them that much attention, nor do we know much that about them. Join local naturalist Chris Sharpe for a year-round visit to this beautiful haven: A Natural World in miniature.
A small population established from escaped captive animals has readily made the curraghs wetlands their home and add to the rich tapestry of life on the island. Of all the wildlife you might encounter red necked wallabies are certainly the least expected. The strikingly marked chough is another denizen of the wilder fringes of Mann where it has thrived and flocks in greater numbers than just about anywhere else in the British Isles. In the spring and summer the craggy cliffs become temporary high-rise housing for numerous colonies of seabirds such as guillemots, razorbills and fulmars while the far-wandering Manx Shearwater makes use of abandoned burrows to raise their young. Across the open moorland you might glimpse a hen harrier glide gracefully in search of its prey or see hares resplendent in their white winter coats.
From the huge and majestic Basking Sharks that feed in the plankton rich waters every summer, to the tiny wrens nesting in the many stone walls that criss-cross the landscape, this small Island is a sanctuary for wildlife. The Isle of Man sits at the heart of the Irish Sea, easily overlooked but of great importance to the many species of birds, mammals and fish that call its hills, glens and seas home.
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