episode description
Adrift in the Pacific, the Chatham Islands are a refuge for castaway creatures that “fall off” New Zealand’s mainland. Blue cod and starfish battle for supremacy over the rich paua beds, while a thriving seal colony lures migrating great white sharks. Albatross and other nomadic seabirds visit the Chatham Islands to breed, exposing them to the islands’ most notorious resident – the brown skua. The size of eagles, skuas are ruthless hunters, but these avian overlords don’t have things all their own way. Their chicks can be a handful… and the neighbours are an even bigger headache! Against a background of rugged beauty, Our Big Blue Backyard: Chatham Islands reveals how powerful oceanic currents dictate life here, from bringing new colonists, and triggering a giant plankton bloom, to creating the weather itself!
