Browse content similar to 03/07/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Deep in the heart of the Cotswolds Hills, something is stirring. | 0:00:24 | 0:00:28 | |
These ancient meadows hide a secret. | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
It's hoped they'll soon be home to something very special indeed. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:40 | |
A wildlife wonder so rare and so fragile it's not been a feature | 0:00:40 | 0:00:45 | |
of this landscape for 50 years. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:47 | |
The Large Blue butterfly is an extraordinary creature | 0:00:47 | 0:00:51 | |
and reintroducing them is a very ambitious plan. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:53 | |
So much so, this site, for now, is top secret. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:57 | |
But it looks like the weather is on our side so fingers crossed | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
we should be in with the chance of seeing them almost as they emerge. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:03 | |
They actually hatch inside the earth because | 0:01:03 | 0:01:05 | |
they spend the first part of their life cycle | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
pretending to be red ants and I'll be finding out more | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
about their wonderful development with the help of some cake. | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
-Actually, I might just have a little bit. -No, don't. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:16 | |
Like many other parts of England and Wales, the Cotswolds suffered | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
from the extra ordinarily hot and dry spring that we had. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:24 | |
If with climate change that could be a possible sign of things to come, | 0:01:24 | 0:01:28 | |
what could the impacts be, from forest fires to the future of farming? | 0:01:28 | 0:01:33 | |
That's what I'll be investigating. And also on Countryfile tonight - | 0:01:33 | 0:01:37 | |
Adam's keeping a watchful eye on a hen who's taken some new arrivals under her wing. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:42 | |
Now, if I can pick her off without getting pecked, six little chicks, | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
including...a little duckling there. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:50 | |
You're going to be a mixed up kid, aren't you, having a chicken as a mother? | 0:01:50 | 0:01:53 | |
And Julia has a close encounter with one of our most elusive woodland creatures. | 0:01:56 | 0:02:02 | |
The nation will be looking at their television screens now | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
and I guarantee there will be a universal, "Aw". | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
Even by the standards of the Cotswolds, | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
these steep-sided valleys and sunlit slopes are something to marvel at. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:29 | |
It's beautiful. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:31 | |
I'd love to tell you where I am, but I can't. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
All I can say is we're a few miles from Stroud in Gloucestershire. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:38 | |
Because this lumpy, bumpy bit of landscape is top secret. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
And I mean top secret. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
And it's all because of this - the Large Blue butterfly, | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
one of the most endangered insects on Earth. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
Not seen around here for over 50 years, it's now the focus | 0:02:52 | 0:02:56 | |
of a massive effort to bring it back. | 0:02:56 | 0:02:59 | |
There's been several failed attempts at other sites in the Cotswolds. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:03 | |
Now, all rests on this one. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
Last summer, 200 Large Blue caterpillars were placed around this area and scientists | 0:03:06 | 0:03:12 | |
chose this site because it was the right habitat, plenty of sunshine and well away from prying eyes. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:18 | |
Well, almost! | 0:03:18 | 0:03:20 | |
'Patrick Barkham is a butterfly enthusiast and author. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:24 | |
'He's just one of a handful of people who know what's going on here.' | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
Patrick, how are you doing, all right? | 0:03:28 | 0:03:30 | |
-Yeah. -Good to see you. You're obviously very hopeful today that we'll clap eyes on these? | 0:03:30 | 0:03:35 | |
I wouldn't like to promise you a Large Blue because they've not been seen here for 50 years. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:39 | |
That sounds massive in itself. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:41 | |
But how big a deal is this whole project? | 0:03:41 | 0:03:43 | |
It's a major deal. It's not just the biggest conservation project, Butterfly Conservation Project, | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
it's really the biggest and most successful insect conservation project. Probably in the world. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:53 | |
Will we see them in the same area that the caterpillars were placed? | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
You can see them within a metre of where they spend the winter, | 0:03:56 | 0:04:00 | |
but they will be emerging and flying down the hill towards the bottom. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
That's where we will try and catch them. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
So, the key is just keep them peeled? | 0:04:06 | 0:04:08 | |
Sheltered spot, sunshine, looking good. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
OK, well, we won't know for sure if the project has been successful | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
until the Large Blues emerge and we are here as and when they do. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:19 | |
But there's one place where they've already been successfully reintroduced. | 0:04:20 | 0:04:24 | |
While I'm near Stroud in the Cotswolds, James has been to Collard Hill in Somerset to find out more. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:30 | |
Pioneering work has been done right here | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
to bring it back from extinction. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
It's taken more than a decade, but the Large Blue | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
has finally gained a foothold. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:44 | |
It's eggs from here in Somerset that are being used to reseed | 0:04:44 | 0:04:48 | |
the secret site in the Cotswolds where Matt's on standby. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:51 | |
If the scientists get it right there and another colony's established, | 0:04:51 | 0:04:55 | |
then the future for the whole species is as good as guaranteed. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
This little guy here is what all the fuss is about. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
None of this would have been possible without Professor Jeremy Thomas. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:09 | |
The Large Blue died out in Britain at the end of the 1970s, | 0:05:09 | 0:05:13 | |
but just a few years later, | 0:05:13 | 0:05:15 | |
Jeremy and his team began the work that would bring them back. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
They set about reseeding our grasslands with caterpillars | 0:05:18 | 0:05:22 | |
and it worked! Today, he's back to check on his little charges. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:27 | |
So, why had the Large Blue become extinct in the first place? | 0:05:28 | 0:05:30 | |
Well, it's really a victim of modern agriculture. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:33 | |
As farming has become more intensive | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
so the flatter lands have been ploughed and fertilised, | 0:05:36 | 0:05:40 | |
but so many of the old slopes that used to be grazed were abandoned, | 0:05:40 | 0:05:44 | |
the grass grew taller, there are a large number of creatures of which the Large Blue is a particularly | 0:05:44 | 0:05:50 | |
sensitive one, but like short, open, sparse conditions that lets the sun beat down and bake the ground. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:58 | |
Nowadays the National Trust, working with local farmers, are once again grazing these | 0:05:58 | 0:06:03 | |
slopes to recreate the conditions needed for the Large Blue to survive. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:08 | |
But that's not enough on its own. It took a helping hand from Jeremy to bring the butterfly back. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:14 | |
So, how do you go about reintroducing a whole species? | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
Well, it was no easy matter. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
We had to find a race of the butterfly that was suitable for the English climate and we eventually | 0:06:19 | 0:06:25 | |
located some in southern Sweden and so we had a hunting expedition, | 0:06:25 | 0:06:31 | |
you can't just get the adults of these butterflies | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
and release them in the countryside so we had to actually collect the eggs and | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
bring the little caterpillars over and then release the caterpillars, just sprinkle them over the sites. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:43 | |
Today, there are 1,000 Large Blues here, | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
descendants of those first caterpillars. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:49 | |
It's a good start, but it's just the first step. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
Right now is the perfect time to spot Large Blues. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
'They're only on the wing for a few weeks in June and July. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
'And bang on cue, Jeremy and I spot one.' | 0:07:00 | 0:07:03 | |
This is a very fresh female, almost certainly emerged today. | 0:07:03 | 0:07:07 | |
And as you can see she's sitting on the flower head of wild thyme, | 0:07:07 | 0:07:12 | |
which is where she will lay her eggs later on. | 0:07:12 | 0:07:14 | |
She'll only lay on the tight flower buds of wild thyme. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:18 | |
So, she'll drink nectar from this plant, this flower she's on here, | 0:07:18 | 0:07:23 | |
and that's the only food that the caterpillars will eat. | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
I imagine that's part of the reason why they were rare in the first place? | 0:07:27 | 0:07:31 | |
It's a really specific relationship. | 0:07:31 | 0:07:33 | |
They have a much more complicated life cycle later on which restricts them even further. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
Julia's going to be finding out even more about that remarkable life cycle in a little while. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:43 | |
But for me and Jeremy, all that's left to do is admire the fruits of his life's work. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
It must be so rewarding after so much work to be able | 0:07:48 | 0:07:51 | |
to see it so visually, walk through a field of them? | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
Yeah, I must say, I've been watching for a very long time, but I still | 0:07:54 | 0:07:58 | |
get a terrific kick every year when I see them coming out again. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:01 | |
The Large Blues in Somerset are doing OK, but if the species is to avoid becoming extinct again, | 0:08:01 | 0:08:08 | |
then colonies elsewhere in the country are vital. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
That's why this experiment further north is so important. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
We'll be finding out later if it's worked. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:17 | |
Here in the Cotswolds, they have experienced an exceptionally dry spring, and they're not alone. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:24 | |
Parts of the country are now officially facing drought conditions | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
and thanks to this dry weather, a spate of forest fires has broken out across England and Wales. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:34 | |
But are they a one-off or a taste of things to come? John's been investigating. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:39 | |
There are few things more damaging to nature than fire. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
It destroys plants and trees, wildlife and habitat. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:55 | |
In the last few months, its effect on the countryside has been disastrous. | 0:08:55 | 0:09:00 | |
In April this year, England and Wales had only one fifth of their average monthly rainfall. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:06 | |
As a result, vast areas of parched woodland burst into flames. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:10 | |
Forest fires broke out on a scale rarely seen before. | 0:09:10 | 0:09:14 | |
Wildfires are continuing to burn in parts of Scotland. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:17 | |
The smoke rising... | 0:09:17 | 0:09:19 | |
Dangerous work... | 0:09:19 | 0:09:21 | |
From the top of Scotland to the south of England, wildfires raged. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:25 | |
It took thousands of fire-fighters and millions of pounds to put them all out and it left a big question. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:32 | |
As the impact of climate change begins to be felt, will forest fires become | 0:09:32 | 0:09:37 | |
a more regular feature of extreme and volatile weather conditions? | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
And if so, what lessons can be learned by fire-fighters and foresters | 0:09:41 | 0:09:45 | |
in the aftermath of a huge outbreak like the one here at Swinley Forest? | 0:09:45 | 0:09:51 | |
This was the biggest fire in Berkshire's history. | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
Over nine days, 500 acres of woodland were engulfed in flames that leapt more than 60 ft into the sky. | 0:09:54 | 0:10:00 | |
It caused damage on a scale that no-one had seen before. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:05 | |
How much of the forest has been lost? | 0:10:05 | 0:10:07 | |
I think about 25% of our holding here | 0:10:07 | 0:10:11 | |
has been destroyed beyond recovery. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:15 | |
-How many trees is that? -It's at least 100,000 trees to replace here. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:20 | |
Across Britain, small forest fires aren't actually that unusual. | 0:10:21 | 0:10:25 | |
And with a little help, woodland usually bounces back. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
But recovering from a fire on this scale will take many years and lots of hard work. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:33 | |
We aim to have most of the plantations restocked probably by this time next year. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:39 | |
But then we'll have another five or 10 years of nurturing | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
those before they can be left to their own devices. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
It must have been a nightmare come true for you, Nick? | 0:10:45 | 0:10:48 | |
Absolutely, John, it was really devastating. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
It gave me a cold... | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
clammy hand on the pit of my stomach | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
and really did feel emotionally very, very difficult. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
It's quite an act of faith putting a tree in the ground and then spending five or 10 years ensuring they get | 0:11:01 | 0:11:08 | |
-the best start. You really put a lot of yourself into that. -To see it go up in flames? | 0:11:08 | 0:11:12 | |
To see it go up in flames there's an element of, you think, how can this ever recover? | 0:11:12 | 0:11:17 | |
But Nick believes things can be done to prevent wildfires like this in the future. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:23 | |
We will, I think, take some lessons from this. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:27 | |
We will look at how we can design the next phase here with | 0:11:27 | 0:11:33 | |
maybe greater robustness, greater flexibility in coping with fire. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:37 | |
Some cultural changes in how we manage the vegetation, there's a lot of fuel here | 0:11:37 | 0:11:42 | |
that's not necessarily part of the crop we're promoting, | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
but is a consequence of naturally seeding trees. | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
The sort of stuff that helps the forest fires spread? | 0:11:49 | 0:11:51 | |
That's right, and it adds fuel to it. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:53 | |
But managing woodland may not be enough and if a fire does break | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
out again, it will be up to the emergency services to tackle it. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:02 | |
400 fire-fighters from 13 counties battled to contain the flames | 0:12:02 | 0:12:06 | |
at Swinley Forest and for many from urban areas, it was a new experience. | 0:12:06 | 0:12:11 | |
Nick Oxborough was one of the senior officers involved. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
A fire on this scale, a huge challenge for your brigade? | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
Yes, this has been an exceptional fire. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:19 | |
We have had fires, large fires here over the last 10 to 15 years. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:23 | |
This was very exceptional. Where the timber, the trees, | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
were like this, densely packed, the fire just literally ripped through the whole thing. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:30 | |
It sounds like an express train coming at you if you're at the side | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
of a platform and a train goes through, it was just like that sound | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
as the fire ripped through. There's nothing you can do about that. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
Climate change experts say that we can expect more of this | 0:12:41 | 0:12:45 | |
kind of thing in the future as the country hots up. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
Are we going to be prepared for it? | 0:12:48 | 0:12:49 | |
From a fire service perspective, yes, we will be prepared for it. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:53 | |
We know that you cannot put that type of fire out | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
with, however much water you've got, you can't just squirt water on it, it will not work. | 0:12:55 | 0:13:00 | |
So it's about being slightly smarter, more proactive in our thinking and planning | 0:13:00 | 0:13:04 | |
and saying "If it burns through there, where will it stop? | 0:13:04 | 0:13:07 | |
"Where can we actually stand and tackle it?" | 0:13:07 | 0:13:09 | |
But how often will people like Nick need to put what they've learnt into practice? | 0:13:09 | 0:13:14 | |
It's virtually impossible to predict the weather and the effect climate change will have on it. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:20 | |
But as they've discovered at Swinley, certain risk factors should be possible to control. | 0:13:20 | 0:13:25 | |
Jonathan, you actually predict wildfires, don't you? | 0:13:25 | 0:13:27 | |
Did you predict this one? | 0:13:27 | 0:13:29 | |
This one's easy. Dry weather, lots of inflammable undergrowth and people, | 0:13:29 | 0:13:35 | |
particularly on that bank holiday, go out into the countryside, | 0:13:35 | 0:13:39 | |
light barbecues, throw away cigarettes. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
Arson, negligence, that's what causes them. | 0:13:42 | 0:13:46 | |
To further reduce risk, Jonathan would like to see | 0:13:46 | 0:13:48 | |
more landowners across the country actively protecting their woodland. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:53 | |
I think what we need to do now is to think much more | 0:13:53 | 0:13:55 | |
carefully about the way in which we manage the countryside and recognise that there is this risk of wildfire. | 0:13:55 | 0:14:02 | |
Remove a lot of the undergrowth from forests, things like that? | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
Well, it's very clear from countries like Spain that if you just abandon the countryside and scrub grows up, | 0:14:06 | 0:14:12 | |
you then have a terrible wildfire problem because the farmers have left for the cities. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:18 | |
And it's much the same in Britain. | 0:14:18 | 0:14:20 | |
If a dry spring causes devastating fires, what's going to happen if we get a very dry, hot summer? | 0:14:20 | 0:14:27 | |
We can't control the weather, but we can find more effective | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
ways of coping with the results of its extremes. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:33 | |
Drought is another consequence. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:35 | |
More about that in a few minutes. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:37 | |
Deep in the steep, green-sided valleys of the Cotswolds near Stroud is a magical place. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:50 | |
The Golden Valley. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:51 | |
It's all green, really, but what's a little poetic licence when you're surrounded by this? | 0:14:51 | 0:14:57 | |
It's called Golden because of the wealth of old wool merchants that lived here in medieval times, | 0:14:59 | 0:15:04 | |
when wool was making the Cotswolds rich. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
And threading its way through the Golden Valley is the Golden Valley Walk - | 0:15:06 | 0:15:11 | |
an easy five miles through some stunning country. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:15 | |
Undoubtedly pretty, but scratch the surface and this landscape can tell you plenty. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:20 | |
What do you reckon this is? Molehill? | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
Mm-mm. It's an ant hill. And what these mean is that this is ancient, unimproved pasture land. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:29 | |
Some of them have been here for decades. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
Better get off. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:35 | |
This is rough pasture, but that's not the reason it's left mostly ungrazed. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:43 | |
Limestone terrain like this doesn't hold water well, | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
and that's a problem if you've got thirsty animals. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
'So, here's the answer. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
'A dew pond. A traditional way of gathering the dew | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
'that rolls off the grass on summer mornings. It also catches rainwater. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:01 | |
'This is the first one built in the Cotswolds for over 100 years. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
'But the idea goes back thousands.' | 0:16:05 | 0:16:08 | |
-Hey up, Pete. -Hi, Julia. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
I've got to say, the dew pond is looking a little arid. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:14 | |
It is, just a bit, unfortunately, yes. | 0:16:14 | 0:16:16 | |
-It's a problem in the area, isn't it? -It's a big problem in the area. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:20 | |
The idea of a dew pond is to hold water for livestock and, unfortunately, | 0:16:20 | 0:16:23 | |
with such a dry spring it just hasn't managed to do that. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:27 | |
'Nevertheless, when the rain does come, it will hold water. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:30 | |
'To show me how it works, Pete's brought some stuff from his kitchen.' | 0:16:30 | 0:16:34 | |
If you can imagine that this is the dew pond, the hole that we dug here, | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
before everything else went in - the ingredients if you like. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:41 | |
-Then what we basically start doing is building up the layers. -Right. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:45 | |
'Clay goes in first to form a watertight lining. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:48 | |
'Then lime is added or, in this case, flour, to stop worms from chewing holes into the clay. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:56 | |
'Straw is next, which prevents everything underneath from drying out. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
'And then the process is repeated.' | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
And then, finally, we just need some stone to cap it off. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:07 | |
The idea of the final capping of stone was to prevent | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
the animals putting their hooves through the clay and actually, er, | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
-making a hole. -Or getting stuck? -Or even getting stuck, actually. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:17 | |
-That could've happened, couldn't it? -Yes. -And it should be watertight? | 0:17:17 | 0:17:22 | |
In theory, it should be watertight. | 0:17:22 | 0:17:24 | |
In theory? Shall we test it? | 0:17:24 | 0:17:26 | |
-Yes, let's. -OK. Right. | 0:17:26 | 0:17:29 | |
Here we go. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:33 | |
Let's have a little look. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
'The water is sitting on top of the mix, | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
'and the clay is stopping it from seeping to the bottom of the bowl.' | 0:17:46 | 0:17:50 | |
Looks to be holding. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:51 | |
By Jove... | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
I think you're right. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:56 | |
'The real thing is seven foot deep. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
'More than 30 tons of clay were used to build it | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
'and water or no water, I think it looks great.' | 0:18:03 | 0:18:08 | |
'From dew ponds and open pasture, the walk drops down to follow | 0:18:10 | 0:18:14 | |
'the route of the old Thames and Severn Canal. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
'It's long fallen into disuse and nature has taken over.' | 0:18:17 | 0:18:21 | |
-Hear that? -SILENCE | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
Neither do I. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:27 | |
Utter...peace | 0:18:27 | 0:18:31 | |
and quiet. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:33 | |
A little further on, you come to Siccaridge Wood - | 0:18:41 | 0:18:44 | |
a patch of ancient woodland that was traditionally coppiced | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
and which today is managed by one very special resident - the dormouse. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:53 | |
Nationally in decline but doing pretty well here. | 0:18:53 | 0:18:56 | |
Why is this woodland such an ideal habitat for them? | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
Dormice, when they come out of hibernation, | 0:19:00 | 0:19:04 | |
throughout the spring, summer and autumn they actually need | 0:19:04 | 0:19:07 | |
woodlands whereby they can access a range of foods. | 0:19:07 | 0:19:10 | |
And also, they need a good linkage of branches above | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
so they can actually move through the tree canopy. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
A coppiced woodland like this, where trees are cut on a regular basis, | 0:19:17 | 0:19:21 | |
there's good linkage so they can move around well, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
and the act of cutting the coppice means that different shrubs and plants will come up, | 0:19:23 | 0:19:28 | |
which gives them access to different foods throughout the year. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
-How long DO they sleep? Longer than me? -Probably, yeah. | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
They usually go down to hibernation about November, and they'll start to wake up again about March or April. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:39 | |
-That's what I call a good sleep! -Not bad, is it? -That's very good, yeah. | 0:19:39 | 0:19:43 | |
Are these pretty good conditions today to see a dormouse? | 0:19:45 | 0:19:50 | |
Well, they're not bad, but dormice are nocturnal. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
They'll have been out last night feeding, | 0:19:52 | 0:19:55 | |
which means they should be back in their nest boxes by today so hopefully we should see something. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
-Hello, Mick. -Oh, hello, how are you? | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
-Tell me you've got something in there. -I'm afraid not. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
Have we got an empty one? | 0:20:05 | 0:20:07 | |
That just wouldn't have been the way that it works generally for us, I must say. | 0:20:07 | 0:20:12 | |
'Mick's been monitoring the dormice in these woods for over 20 years. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:18 | |
'His work feeds into the National Dormice Survey - | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
'one of the longest-running mammal surveys in the world. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:25 | |
'Even with Mick on hand, we're having trouble spotting them today.' | 0:20:26 | 0:20:30 | |
SHE SIGHS | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
I want to see a dormouse. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:34 | |
I'm feeling lucky about this one. | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
Box 100. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:39 | |
-Yeah? No? Yes? -Yes. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
Probably cos it was a cold night last night. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
Just gone into a mini-hibernation. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
He might stay like that for the rest of the morning. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:51 | |
He'll have shut his body down - uses less energy - | 0:20:51 | 0:20:53 | |
but he'll wake up about lunchtime and be ready to go and feed again tonight. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:57 | |
'Mick and Ian are licensed handlers, | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
'which means it's OK for me to handle them under their supervision.' | 0:21:00 | 0:21:04 | |
What's our climate like generally for dormice? | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
Well, the winters are too warm and too wet. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
They're much happier where it's colder. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:13 | |
That's why this winter, being so cold, | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
has kept them in hibernation for longer, so they don't wake up early and use up their body reserves. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:22 | |
Because if they wake up and its mild, they come out and there's nothing for them to eat. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:27 | |
'Cute she is, but there's a serious side to this job. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:31 | |
'A good weight means she's come through the winter well and is in tip-top condition for breeding.' | 0:21:31 | 0:21:37 | |
-13½. -13 and a bit? Yeah, 13½. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
-13½ grams. -13½ grams?! | 0:21:40 | 0:21:44 | |
Roll him back into me there. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:47 | |
'Even with experienced handlers, it's important to keep the disturbance to a minimum. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
'But this little lady's perked up and doesn't seem so sleepy.' | 0:21:51 | 0:21:55 | |
She's a little bit more active now, | 0:21:55 | 0:21:57 | |
so let me turn her around so you can see her eyes. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:01 | |
The nation will be looking at their television screens now | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
and I guarantee there will be a universal "aww". | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
'All in all, the perfect end to a perfect walk.' | 0:22:12 | 0:22:17 | |
Later in the programme... | 0:22:19 | 0:22:20 | |
Adam's spoilt for choice when he goes shopping for some fancy fowl. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:25 | |
Chickens galore! | 0:22:25 | 0:22:27 | |
We'll have a sneak preview of the entries in our photographic competition. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
But will yours be among them? | 0:22:32 | 0:22:34 | |
And there's still time to enter so if you're hoping to take the perfect picture, | 0:22:34 | 0:22:38 | |
you'll need the Countryfile weather forecast for the week ahead. | 0:22:38 | 0:22:42 | |
Our unusually dry spring has caused its fair share of problems around here, and the rest of the country. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:53 | |
But if this weather pattern is here to stay, | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
is it time for our farmers to rethink what they grow? | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
John has been investigating. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
Wild fires are continuing to burn in parts of Scotland. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
JOHN: Earlier, I looked at how it our dry spring led to catastrophic forest fires, | 0:23:06 | 0:23:11 | |
and I found out what needs to be done to stop such damage happening again. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
But that wasn't the only weather problem. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:17 | |
Officially, in some areas, there's now a drought. | 0:23:17 | 0:23:20 | |
The longest dry spell for a century has created anxious times for farmers, | 0:23:22 | 0:23:26 | |
so what should they do? | 0:23:26 | 0:23:28 | |
Farming has always been a gamble with the weather, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:30 | |
but extreme conditions certainly raise the stakes. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
Some farmers in East Anglia are expecting their crops to be down by a fifth. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:38 | |
Many livestock and dairy farmers | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
started using their winter feed stocks in May. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
I'm meeting David Taylor, a farmer whose 700 acres of arable land | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
on the chalky South Downs certainly suffered. | 0:23:47 | 0:23:51 | |
What effect has the very dry spring had on your barley crop here? | 0:23:52 | 0:23:57 | |
It's had the effect of making the crop much thinner, | 0:23:57 | 0:24:00 | |
in as much as there are less stems per given area, | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
and that's caused by the fact that, when a seed is sown, | 0:24:03 | 0:24:08 | |
it throws up one stem, and subsequently other stems develop, | 0:24:08 | 0:24:12 | |
so that each seed produces a number of ears, such as these. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:16 | |
You can see that these ones here will never produce an ear. And in a better year, they would have done. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:21 | |
-Look how dry the roots are. -Very dry indeed. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:23 | |
So, unless there's a lot more rain before harvest time, how much do you think your crop will be down? | 0:24:23 | 0:24:28 | |
It's very difficult to tell. All sorts of figures are bandied about. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
Even in a good year, I don't know what sort of crop we'll get. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:35 | |
But I would say for certain we've lost 30% of our crop. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
To make matters worse, many farmers like David have contracts to honour. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:42 | |
If they've already agreed to sell a certain amount of their harvest and can't fulfil that, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:48 | |
they'll have to buy in the difference - | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
and with wheat prices hitting the roof, that's an even bigger blow. | 0:24:50 | 0:24:53 | |
You tend to go through periods of elation and depression in farming. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:58 | |
And if I had an inch of rain tonight, I'd probably feel far better than I do right now, | 0:24:58 | 0:25:03 | |
and that's the way farming is, I'm afraid. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:05 | |
We have to be pragmatic and philosophical about it, | 0:25:05 | 0:25:08 | |
and accept the one thing we can't do is affect what nature gives us. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:12 | |
There ARE farmers who welcome weather like we had in spring. | 0:25:12 | 0:25:16 | |
It means they can take on foreign competition earlier in the season. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:20 | |
This fruit farm belongs to a firm which, every year, grows 8,000 tonnes of strawberries, blackberries, | 0:25:20 | 0:25:27 | |
raspberries and blueberries in the south of England. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
And this year's dry conditions and sunny days have been ideal for all these soft fruits, | 0:25:30 | 0:25:36 | |
which were ready for market two weeks ahead of schedule. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
But it's not all down to sunshine. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
The farm uses half a million litres of water every day, so how does it manage this precious resource? | 0:25:42 | 0:25:49 | |
Your situation is very different from arable farmers, | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
who can't just water a field like that - you can control your water, can't you? | 0:25:52 | 0:25:56 | |
That's right. All our soft fruit, when it's grown out of the soil, | 0:25:56 | 0:26:00 | |
has a drip system so we can give the plants exactly what they need in terms of feed and water. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:05 | |
On this particular fruit farm, have you got reservoirs? | 0:26:05 | 0:26:08 | |
Yeah, we bought this farm in 1966 and since then, we've built four reservoirs, | 0:26:08 | 0:26:14 | |
and we think now we've got a fairly belt-and-braces approach to water security. | 0:26:14 | 0:26:19 | |
The Environment Agency is currently reviewing the amount of water available to farmers. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:25 | |
They'll be stopped from taking it from free sources if that's found to be unsustainable. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:29 | |
Harry manages his supplies carefully, | 0:26:29 | 0:26:32 | |
harvesting rainwater in reservoirs instead of just taking it from boreholes and rivers. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:38 | |
Do you think more farmers will be doing what you do, and have your own reservoir space? | 0:26:38 | 0:26:43 | |
Yeah, I think it's the only way forward. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:45 | |
I think winter extraction is going to become more and more necessary, | 0:26:45 | 0:26:49 | |
and being able to pump water out of rivers and streams in the summer | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
is going to be in decline, definitely. | 0:26:52 | 0:26:55 | |
In the UK, there's simply not enough water to go around. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:59 | |
Jenny Bashford is a water policy adviser, so how SHOULD we be conserving such a valuable resource? | 0:26:59 | 0:27:05 | |
If, as predicted, we're going to get longer periods of dry weather, | 0:27:05 | 0:27:09 | |
serious droughts, what can farmers - what can we ALL - do about it? | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
It's quite difficult to know what is going to happen - | 0:27:13 | 0:27:17 | |
whether we're going to have long periods of drought or get other extreme weather conditions. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:22 | |
I think we've got to learn to build the capacity to cope with those conditions, | 0:27:22 | 0:27:26 | |
not necessarily plan for one condition in particular. | 0:27:26 | 0:27:29 | |
-How do we cope? -There's a number of different ways. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
One is about building more on-farm winter storage reservoirs. | 0:27:32 | 0:27:36 | |
Ultimately, there will be some farmers that will want to make decisions | 0:27:36 | 0:27:39 | |
about whether they continue to grow the crops they do. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:42 | |
It could be that they're growing crops in the wrong place, so they need to think about moving. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:46 | |
They may well do. The circumstances are very particular to local circumstances. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:51 | |
This is not wall-to-wall sunshine - | 0:27:51 | 0:27:53 | |
there are pockets where people are receiving rain and it is enough, | 0:27:53 | 0:27:56 | |
-and other pockets that are very deprived. -Scotland's had a lot. -Absolutely. | 0:27:56 | 0:28:00 | |
Northern Ireland's had quite a lot. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:02 | |
But if we do get more drought than we've ever been used to, | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
that could change the whole face of British farming, couldn't it? | 0:28:05 | 0:28:09 | |
Farmers tend to work on the short term, which is about weather, and they'll react to the weather, | 0:28:09 | 0:28:14 | |
rather than long-term climate change, which would be viewed over a 50-60 year period. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
What's really concerning our farmers and members at the moment | 0:28:18 | 0:28:22 | |
is what is going to happen over the rest of this summer, going into autumn and winter. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:26 | |
If we get the same weather patterns as we appear to be getting for the moment for the rest of this summer, | 0:28:26 | 0:28:31 | |
we should be all right. | 0:28:31 | 0:28:33 | |
-It's a waiting game, but we should be all right. -Rain and shine? -Rain and shine. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:36 | |
But if we go into autumn being reasonably dry and have another dry winter, | 0:28:36 | 0:28:40 | |
making it the fourth on the trot of having a dry winter, | 0:28:40 | 0:28:44 | |
we could be looking at a very serious water-resource situation next spring. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:48 | |
Water is such a vital commodity that if we don't manage it more effectively, | 0:28:48 | 0:28:54 | |
crops will really suffer, increasing our reliance on imports. | 0:28:54 | 0:28:57 | |
The pressure is on for farmers to adapt - | 0:28:57 | 0:29:00 | |
pressure that'll only increase if we get more extreme, volatile weather in years to come. | 0:29:00 | 0:29:06 | |
We're in the Cotswolds, hoping to witness history - | 0:29:11 | 0:29:14 | |
the return of the large blue butterfly, | 0:29:14 | 0:29:17 | |
not seen at this secret site in 50 years. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:21 | |
But whether we do or not is due in no small part to these girls - Welsh Black cattle. | 0:29:21 | 0:29:26 | |
I'll tell you why soon, but first we've got to get them rounded up. | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
These Welsh Blacks are part of a special grazing programme | 0:29:31 | 0:29:35 | |
that's helping maintain all kinds of important habitat throughout the Cotswolds. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:40 | |
Go on, girls! Oh, look at that - bit of fresh grass. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:45 | |
They're owned by Natural England and managed by stockman Matt Stanway. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:50 | |
And why go for the Welsh Blacks? | 0:29:50 | 0:29:52 | |
They're a real tough, hardy breed. | 0:29:52 | 0:29:54 | |
We don't have any sheds, any buildings, | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
these girls stay outside all the way through the year. | 0:29:57 | 0:29:59 | |
And they don't only just survive on this rough grassland, | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
it looks quite rich here, but on the rough, | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
normal grassland, they actually really thrive on it, | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
so you can see how fat these ones are. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:10 | |
This girl here, she is 19, 20 next year. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
-Wow! -It shows what | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
a nice life they have, really, up on these hills. | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
This is like the retired herd, then? | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
They are, very much, like geriatric cows. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:24 | |
Right, the interesting news is that that's where they're meant to go... | 0:30:26 | 0:30:30 | |
And that's where they are. | 0:30:33 | 0:30:34 | |
'This is real fine dining to these ladies, | 0:30:34 | 0:30:38 | |
'but this pasture's not where they need to be. | 0:30:38 | 0:30:40 | |
'We let them have a quick munch and get them back on track with the help of a feed bucket.' | 0:30:40 | 0:30:44 | |
So what makes these Welsh Blacks | 0:30:44 | 0:30:47 | |
such good grazing partners for the Large Blue? | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
Well, we tend to graze for the Large Blue in the winter, | 0:30:50 | 0:30:55 | |
so we need cattle which can stand the cold temperatures of winter, | 0:30:55 | 0:30:59 | |
and those last cold winters have been particularly bad, haven't they? | 0:30:59 | 0:31:03 | |
'All through those harsh winters, these ladies were going about their | 0:31:03 | 0:31:06 | |
'business grazing for the Large Blue a few miles from here. | 0:31:06 | 0:31:11 | |
'It's the way they eat that makes them so good at their job.' | 0:31:11 | 0:31:15 | |
The cattle need to graze the turf to a very short length of height, so, | 0:31:15 | 0:31:19 | |
ideally for the Large Blue, we're talking less than two centimetres. | 0:31:19 | 0:31:25 | |
Normally you would assume that would be done by sheep, very short turf, | 0:31:25 | 0:31:29 | |
but cattle, in fact, can take it through to those low levels. | 0:31:29 | 0:31:32 | |
-JULIA: -And stay with Countryfile to discover if those Welsh Black cattle | 0:31:37 | 0:31:41 | |
have done their work when we go in search of the elusive Large Blue. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:46 | |
We've seen the small blue, the common blue, lots of blue butterflies, but no Large Blues. | 0:31:46 | 0:31:51 | |
Nothing so far, Mattias, not a sausage. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:55 | |
Definitely not a butterfly. | 0:31:55 | 0:31:57 | |
And for her wildlife watchers everywhere, we'll have the country forecast for the week ahead. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:03 | |
Now to the farm, where Adam's looking to add to his collection of rare-breed chickens. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:15 | |
One of his hens has been particularly busy. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
One of the great things about working with animals | 0:32:24 | 0:32:27 | |
is when there's new life. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:28 | |
I've just brought some food and water to this hen. | 0:32:28 | 0:32:32 | |
She's what is known as a broody. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:34 | |
A chicken will lay fertile eggs if they've got a cockerel with them, | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
and it isn't until they decide that | 0:32:37 | 0:32:39 | |
they want to hatch the eggs that they go broody, and they'll sit tight. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:42 | |
In fact, this hen decided to go broody, | 0:32:42 | 0:32:44 | |
didn't have any eggs under her. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
So I put some fertile eggs from other breeds | 0:32:46 | 0:32:48 | |
under her. Now, if I can pick her off without getting pecked... | 0:32:48 | 0:32:54 | |
Six little chicks of various different breeds, | 0:32:54 | 0:32:57 | |
including a little duckling there. | 0:32:57 | 0:33:00 | |
CHICKS CHEEP | 0:33:00 | 0:33:02 | |
They're so sweet, and you can see the differences | 0:33:02 | 0:33:05 | |
between the duckling and the chick. | 0:33:05 | 0:33:07 | |
The bill of the duck for filter feeding, | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
and the beak of the chick for pecking the grain. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
You're going to be a mixed-up kid, having a chicken as a mother. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:15 | |
It's fairly common, though, for a broody hen to hatch out whatever eggs | 0:33:15 | 0:33:20 | |
you put under her, guinea-fowl, pheasant eggs, chicks or ducklings, | 0:33:20 | 0:33:23 | |
but not that often they'll hatch out mixed species, so chickens and ducks | 0:33:23 | 0:33:28 | |
in the same hatch, but she's managed it very well. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:32 | |
I keep about half a dozen rare breeds of chickens, too. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
It's a passion that my dad had, and he started the collection and I just kept it going. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:40 | |
The chickens we've got on the farm include one of the oldest known breeds - the Light Sussex. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:47 | |
We have also got Buff Orpingtons from Kent. | 0:33:47 | 0:33:50 | |
And Pekin bantams, known for their feathery feet. | 0:33:51 | 0:33:55 | |
One of my favourite breeds is the Welsummer, which comes from Holland. | 0:33:58 | 0:34:03 | |
The thing I really like about these Welsummers are their eggs. | 0:34:03 | 0:34:08 | |
Take a look at these. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:10 | |
They're a lovely, rich, brown colour. | 0:34:10 | 0:34:14 | |
Six chickens, six eggs. And they're delicious to eat. | 0:34:14 | 0:34:18 | |
But these have got a cockerel with them, so I can incubate these to hatch out some chicks. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:22 | |
For some of the other breeds, I'm getting low on numbers and I need to get in | 0:34:22 | 0:34:25 | |
some fresh blood lines, so I'm off shopping to go to another breeder. | 0:34:25 | 0:34:29 | |
I am on my way to a smallholding near Pershore in Worcestershire, | 0:34:31 | 0:34:35 | |
where Sharon Gould breeds poultry. | 0:34:35 | 0:34:37 | |
Just a few months ago, Sharon was given planning permission to live on the land with her family. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:42 | |
I suppose, being on site, there's a bit of an advantage with lots of animals? | 0:34:43 | 0:34:47 | |
It's been so much easier to just be here, keep an eye on the stock, | 0:34:47 | 0:34:51 | |
I haven't got to keep chasing up and down the road wasting fuel and time. | 0:34:51 | 0:34:54 | |
How many different types of animals have you got? | 0:34:54 | 0:34:57 | |
There's about 15 different types altogether. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:01 | |
Ducks, geese, several breeds of chickens, goats, bees... | 0:35:01 | 0:35:05 | |
Goodness me! | 0:35:05 | 0:35:06 | |
And I suppose the dream would be to have a house, would it? | 0:35:06 | 0:35:10 | |
Yes, we want a Scandinavian build so that we've got | 0:35:10 | 0:35:13 | |
a nice wooden structure, in keeping with everything else that we do. | 0:35:13 | 0:35:17 | |
One of the more unusual animals Sharon keeps is the rhea, | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
a flightless bird from South America. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:24 | |
We have not got any rheas at home, what are they like? | 0:35:24 | 0:35:27 | |
They're fantastic, very friendly, lay beautiful big yellow eggs. | 0:35:27 | 0:35:32 | |
-Got a bit of a shock when one laid one on my lap the other day! -No! | 0:35:32 | 0:35:35 | |
Yeah, just wandered over, sat on me and laid this egg. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:39 | |
-Incredible! -Absolutely. | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
They're really lovely, but it's British breeds of poultry I'm after. | 0:35:41 | 0:35:45 | |
Yes. | 0:35:45 | 0:35:48 | |
So, I'm interested bend the Jubilee game. What's their history? | 0:35:48 | 0:35:52 | |
They come from Cornwall, they're Cornish game, that's their proper name. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:57 | |
I've had people come from Cornwall to get them and down from Scotland, because they're getting so rare. | 0:35:57 | 0:36:02 | |
-Amazing. And what are they worth? -The cock's about £50 apiece, and the hen's £35. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:07 | |
COCK CROWS LOUDLY | 0:36:07 | 0:36:10 | |
-A good pair of lungs. -Yeah! | 0:36:10 | 0:36:12 | |
'The Jubilee variety of these Cornish game aren't for sale, but there are others I'm interested in buying.' | 0:36:12 | 0:36:18 | |
Hey, guys. Yep, there's one. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:21 | |
And there's the other one. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:22 | |
Chickens galore! | 0:36:22 | 0:36:23 | |
'Amongst this group are a couple of hens from a different variety of the Cornish game family.' | 0:36:23 | 0:36:29 | |
So, the difference between these and Jubilee is what? | 0:36:29 | 0:36:33 | |
The Jubilees are just, | 0:36:33 | 0:36:35 | |
where these have got the dark brown, they're pale cream. | 0:36:35 | 0:36:40 | |
-So, this is just a darker version, really? -Darker version, yes. | 0:36:40 | 0:36:43 | |
They're very nice. There's some weight about them, isn't there? | 0:36:43 | 0:36:46 | |
Yeah. Incredible. | 0:36:46 | 0:36:48 | |
The breast on them... That's why they use them for the meat. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:50 | |
Yes. So, how old are these? | 0:36:50 | 0:36:53 | |
These are what you term point of lay. | 0:36:53 | 0:36:55 | |
She's just starting to lay her first eggs. | 0:36:55 | 0:36:58 | |
How do you know that? | 0:36:58 | 0:36:59 | |
-Pelvic bones, just in there. Can you feel them? -Oh, yeah. | 0:36:59 | 0:37:04 | |
-There's quite a gap there, you can get nearly three fingers in the gap. -Yeah. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:07 | |
-That just shows that they're just about to lay their first eggs. -OK. | 0:37:07 | 0:37:11 | |
You learn something every day. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:13 | |
I think these will do me well, thank you very much. I'll take these. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:17 | |
'With so many breeds of bird on site, Sharon has quite a collection of eggs | 0:37:17 | 0:37:21 | |
'and some are larger than others.' | 0:37:21 | 0:37:24 | |
Look at these! | 0:37:24 | 0:37:25 | |
-Can I pick one up? -You can, yes, they're quite heavy. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:29 | |
-They are heavy! So these are rhea eggs? -Yes. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
And how often does a rhea lay? | 0:37:32 | 0:37:34 | |
-They lay every other day. -Do they? -Very heavy, aren't they? | 0:37:34 | 0:37:37 | |
They are, very heavy, yes. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:38 | |
-About three-quarters of a kilo. -Can you have them fried? | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
You can, but it fills your frying-pan! | 0:37:41 | 0:37:43 | |
-Takes some frying. -It takes an hour and a quarter to boil one. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:49 | |
Does it? | 0:37:49 | 0:37:50 | |
'Sharon keeps chicken's eggs in here too, and hatches out 1,000 per year.' | 0:37:50 | 0:37:54 | |
Is this an important part of the business? | 0:37:54 | 0:37:57 | |
Yes, it is. We do some hatching. | 0:37:57 | 0:37:59 | |
I also sell fertilised eggs online, and we put them in the post. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:05 | |
And they don't get damaged in transit? | 0:38:05 | 0:38:07 | |
Sometimes they do, it all depends on whether Mr Postman's kind or not. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:12 | |
'As well as selling fertilised eggs, Sharon also has young chicks for sale. | 0:38:14 | 0:38:17 | |
'They're very cute, but I'm really looking for hens ready to lay their own eggs. | 0:38:17 | 0:38:22 | |
'In particular I'd like some different varieties of Pekin bantams.' | 0:38:22 | 0:38:25 | |
So, what colour do you call these ones? | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
These are silver partridge. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:30 | |
-OK. -There we go. | 0:38:30 | 0:38:32 | |
They're lovely, aren't they? How old are these ones, then? | 0:38:32 | 0:38:35 | |
They're just starting to lay, they're about 26 weeks. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:37 | |
Right. And it was particularly lavender ones I was after. | 0:38:37 | 0:38:41 | |
I've got one of those left down the bottom. | 0:38:41 | 0:38:43 | |
Let's see her, then. | 0:38:43 | 0:38:45 | |
Here she is. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:49 | |
She's lovely, isn't she? | 0:38:49 | 0:38:51 | |
-I think I'll take them all, if that's all right. -That's fine. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:55 | |
I'm terrible when I go shopping. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:57 | |
It's great to see Sharon making a success of her smallholding adventure. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:02 | |
It is dedicated people like her who help keep these breeds going. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:06 | |
Back at the farm, Sharon's chicken's are quickly settling in to their new home, | 0:39:10 | 0:39:14 | |
and I'm expecting some other new arrivals, too. | 0:39:14 | 0:39:17 | |
A couple of months ago, I bought some Golden Guernsey goats from Tim and Marion Collis. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:23 | |
-Hi, Adam. -How are you? Great to see you. | 0:39:23 | 0:39:25 | |
-And you again. -How was the journey? -Not too bad, actually. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:28 | |
'When I bought them, the goats were in kid and couldn't travel, so I couldn't take them home at the time. | 0:39:28 | 0:39:33 | |
'The kids are now a few weeks old and today they've made it to the farm.' | 0:39:33 | 0:39:37 | |
Let the kids out, shall I? | 0:39:37 | 0:39:40 | |
There we go. | 0:39:40 | 0:39:42 | |
'These are the last of Tim and Marion's golden Guernseys. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:46 | |
'After nearly 25 years of keeping goats, they've decided to retire.' | 0:39:46 | 0:39:50 | |
And this is the little male. | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
-That's right. -He's smart, isn't he? | 0:39:52 | 0:39:54 | |
Nice upright ears. Is he good enough to be a stud, Billy? | 0:39:54 | 0:39:57 | |
He's very well grown. I think he'll make a good breeding male for you. | 0:39:57 | 0:40:01 | |
How many weeks old now are they? | 0:40:01 | 0:40:03 | |
I think he's six weeks now, and so she's about five. | 0:40:03 | 0:40:06 | |
How does it feel now, then? | 0:40:06 | 0:40:08 | |
That's it for the goats for you. | 0:40:08 | 0:40:10 | |
-I'd rather not talk about it, really. -Really, is it hard? | 0:40:10 | 0:40:13 | |
-Very hard, yes. -Yes. | 0:40:13 | 0:40:15 | |
Yes, it will be strange for a while now, so it's a new stage in our lives, I suppose, really. | 0:40:15 | 0:40:20 | |
You won't have the tie of staying at home because of livestock. | 0:40:20 | 0:40:24 | |
No, apart from the dog and a few chickens! | 0:40:24 | 0:40:26 | |
Well, it's great to be building my herd back up to strength. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:29 | |
Yes, and it's nice to know they'll be helping to preserve the breed. | 0:40:29 | 0:40:32 | |
Well, a very big thank you to all those who sent in photos | 0:40:40 | 0:40:43 | |
for our Countryfile photographic competition. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:45 | |
The quality of the entries that's been sent in so far has been amazing, but if you haven't snapped | 0:40:45 | 0:40:50 | |
your winning shot yet or simply haven't sent it in to us, here's John with a reminder of what to do. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:56 | |
This year, we've really set you a challenge. | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 | |
There are 12 different classes for you to enter in our theme of Best In Show. | 0:40:58 | 0:41:04 | |
And here are just some of the entries that have come in so far. | 0:41:04 | 0:41:07 | |
Remember, the very best entries will make up the Countryfile calendar, | 0:41:42 | 0:41:45 | |
which we sell in aid of Children in Need. | 0:41:45 | 0:41:49 | |
The best photo in each class will be put to the viewers' vote - | 0:41:49 | 0:41:53 | |
the person who takes the winning photo | 0:41:53 | 0:41:54 | |
will be declared Best In Show and gets to choose | 0:41:54 | 0:41:57 | |
from a range of the latest photographic equipment to the value of £1,000. | 0:41:57 | 0:42:02 | |
Whoever takes the judges' favourite photo will get to choose equipment to the value of £500. | 0:42:02 | 0:42:09 | |
Our competition isn't open to professionals. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:11 | |
Your entries mustn't have been offered for sale or won other competitions. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:16 | |
That's because we want something original. | 0:42:16 | 0:42:20 | |
You can enter up to four photos, which must be taken in the UK. | 0:42:20 | 0:42:24 | |
Please write your name, address, and daytime and evening phone number | 0:42:24 | 0:42:29 | |
on the back of each photo with a note of which class | 0:42:29 | 0:42:32 | |
you want it to be judged in. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:34 | |
Each photo can only be entered in one class. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:37 | |
Then, all you have to do is send your entries to - | 0:42:39 | 0:42:42 | |
The full terms and conditions are on our website, | 0:42:50 | 0:42:52 | |
as well as details of the BBC's code of conduct for competitions. | 0:42:52 | 0:42:56 | |
Please write to us enclosing a stamped address envelope | 0:42:56 | 0:42:59 | |
if you want a copy of the rules. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:01 | |
The closing date isn't until Friday 12th August. | 0:43:01 | 0:43:06 | |
Sorry, but we can't return any entries. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:09 | |
I don't envy the judges this year. | 0:43:09 | 0:43:11 | |
It's going to be a tough competition. | 0:43:11 | 0:43:13 | |
We've set ourselves a pretty tough task here in the Cotswolds as well, | 0:43:13 | 0:43:17 | |
trying to track down the Large Blue butterfly. | 0:43:17 | 0:43:20 | |
It hasn't been seen in this spot in the Cotswolds for 50 years. | 0:43:20 | 0:43:25 | |
Earlier, Matt revealed ambitious plans to bring it back - several attempts have already failed. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:32 | |
We've seen how fussy these butterflies can be. | 0:43:32 | 0:43:35 | |
They need short grass and warm soils. But there's more. | 0:43:35 | 0:43:40 | |
They could be deep underneath me right now. | 0:43:40 | 0:43:43 | |
But what exactly are they doing? | 0:43:43 | 0:43:45 | |
Unusually for a butterfly, the Large Blue spends | 0:43:45 | 0:43:48 | |
almost all of its caterpillar life underground, masquerading as an ant. | 0:43:48 | 0:43:54 | |
Ecologist David Simcox is here to tell me more. | 0:43:54 | 0:43:59 | |
-Hello, David. -Hello. Hi! | 0:44:00 | 0:44:03 | |
Right, explain to me what's happening in the subterranean labyrinth down there. | 0:44:03 | 0:44:07 | |
Well, let's have a look at this. I'll try and explain. | 0:44:07 | 0:44:12 | |
There's a caterpillar. | 0:44:12 | 0:44:14 | |
So, just out in the open ground. | 0:44:14 | 0:44:15 | |
Sitting out in the open ground and waits for a passing ant to find it. | 0:44:15 | 0:44:20 | |
When it does, it produces a sugary solution from special glands on its back. | 0:44:20 | 0:44:24 | |
And, whilst the ant is feeding on the sugar, it's making | 0:44:24 | 0:44:29 | |
the ant believe this is one of its own babies | 0:44:29 | 0:44:31 | |
that somehow mysteriously got above ground. | 0:44:31 | 0:44:35 | |
So, the caterpillar's foxing the ant. | 0:44:35 | 0:44:37 | |
Absolutely! The ant then picks up the caterpillar, takes it below | 0:44:37 | 0:44:40 | |
ground and puts it where it thinks it belongs, | 0:44:40 | 0:44:43 | |
-which is in one of its brew chambers. -Playing very dirty. | 0:44:43 | 0:44:47 | |
Absolutely! The caterpillar then becomes a carnivore and starts eating the ant grubs. | 0:44:47 | 0:44:53 | |
-It spends ten months actually in the ants' nest. -Urgh! | 0:44:53 | 0:44:57 | |
It then turns into a chrysalis - still underground - | 0:44:57 | 0:45:01 | |
and after about ten days, the butterfly emerges. | 0:45:01 | 0:45:04 | |
Can't blow its wings up instantly like most butterflies do | 0:45:04 | 0:45:07 | |
because it's in an ants' nest | 0:45:07 | 0:45:09 | |
so it has to crawl through all these tiny chambers - | 0:45:09 | 0:45:12 | |
the labyrinth you described - out into the outside world. | 0:45:12 | 0:45:16 | |
Crawls up usually a grass stem and blows its wings up | 0:45:16 | 0:45:19 | |
and then flies off and looks for a mate. | 0:45:19 | 0:45:22 | |
-That is some process. -And that's the full circle. | 0:45:22 | 0:45:27 | |
And it's happening now, hopefully... | 0:45:27 | 0:45:29 | |
-Underneath our feet. -Underneath there. | 0:45:29 | 0:45:32 | |
But for that to be happening, conditions on the site have to be | 0:45:34 | 0:45:37 | |
just right for a very specific species of red ant. | 0:45:37 | 0:45:42 | |
Thermometer in - and the obvious question is why. | 0:45:42 | 0:45:45 | |
Why are you measuring the temperature of the earth? | 0:45:45 | 0:45:48 | |
The basis of the whole Large Blue story is ground temperature. | 0:45:48 | 0:45:52 | |
On a site like this, you've got five species of red ant. | 0:45:52 | 0:45:55 | |
Any of those five species will pick up a caterpillar and take it into its nest. | 0:45:55 | 0:46:01 | |
But four of them can detect it's an impostor and will kill it, | 0:46:01 | 0:46:05 | |
so there's only one species | 0:46:05 | 0:46:07 | |
that's called Myrmica sabuleti, which cannot detect it's an impostor | 0:46:07 | 0:46:12 | |
and that's how the Large Blue can survive in its nests. | 0:46:12 | 0:46:16 | |
Myrmica sabuleti needs it warm. | 0:46:16 | 0:46:19 | |
-So, there's one kind of red ant that will accept the caterpillars. -Yes. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:23 | |
-And it thrives in particular conditions and has to be a certain temperature. -That's correct. | 0:46:23 | 0:46:28 | |
Just ten extra centimetres in the height of the grass can make the ground cooler by five degrees. | 0:46:28 | 0:46:35 | |
That's why grazing animals like the Welsh Black cattle | 0:46:35 | 0:46:38 | |
Matt saw earlier are crucial to the survival of the Large Blue's food source. | 0:46:38 | 0:46:43 | |
What's the optimum temperature for the red ant? | 0:46:43 | 0:46:45 | |
Certainly, on a day like today, we'd be looking at anything over about 25 centigrade. | 0:46:45 | 0:46:50 | |
Well, I think we're in luck. All we need now are the right ants. | 0:46:50 | 0:46:53 | |
David has a curious way of baiting them - with cake. | 0:46:53 | 0:46:59 | |
Let's hope they're partial to trifle sponge. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:01 | |
After nearly 30 years pioneering the reintroduction of these butterflies, | 0:47:03 | 0:47:08 | |
when it comes to the ants, David's got his eye in. | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
Yeah, that's Myrmica sabuleti. | 0:47:11 | 0:47:13 | |
-That is the right one. -That is the right ant. | 0:47:13 | 0:47:15 | |
It's all about the first bend on their antennae. | 0:47:15 | 0:47:19 | |
A wasted life, really, isn't it? | 0:47:19 | 0:47:21 | |
This is good for us - the right ant - | 0:47:21 | 0:47:24 | |
wild thyme, | 0:47:24 | 0:47:26 | |
-Large Blue comes next. -Let's hope so. | 0:47:26 | 0:47:28 | |
Let's hope so. | 0:47:28 | 0:47:30 | |
Are the Large Blues going to hatch in the Cotswolds and, if they do, | 0:47:33 | 0:47:37 | |
who's going to see one first, Matt or me? | 0:47:37 | 0:47:40 | |
Find out after the Countryfile weather forecast. | 0:47:40 | 0:47:42 | |
. | 0:49:50 | 0:49:57 | |
We've been in the Southwest on the hunt for a very special butterfly - | 0:50:11 | 0:50:14 | |
the Large Blue. | 0:50:14 | 0:50:18 | |
They haven't been seen at this spot in the Cotswolds in over 50 years. | 0:50:19 | 0:50:24 | |
Several attempts to reintroduce them have failed, | 0:50:24 | 0:50:27 | |
but scientists are hopeful they've got it right this time. | 0:50:27 | 0:50:30 | |
The site is top secret, but we've got exclusive access, | 0:50:30 | 0:50:34 | |
and today is the day that the butterflies should start to emerge. But will they? | 0:50:34 | 0:50:39 | |
Tell me what you were doing this time last summer here, David? | 0:50:39 | 0:50:44 | |
Well, what we were doing - we were actually making an experimental introduction onto the site. | 0:50:44 | 0:50:50 | |
To do that, we collected eggs from Somerset | 0:50:50 | 0:50:54 | |
and reared the caterpillars for about three weeks in captivity. | 0:50:54 | 0:50:59 | |
Each day, at about four o'clock, you'd bring them down on the site | 0:50:59 | 0:51:03 | |
and then using a paintbrush, gently move them onto the ground. | 0:51:03 | 0:51:08 | |
-So, you're laying eggs, basically? -In effect, yes. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:11 | |
Painstaking work. | 0:51:11 | 0:51:13 | |
If successful, it'll mean the Large Blue has a better chance of avoiding extinction a second time. | 0:51:13 | 0:51:19 | |
They're doing well in Somerset, but a breeding colony here in | 0:51:19 | 0:51:22 | |
the Cotswolds vastly improves their chances - their future could depend on what's happening here. | 0:51:22 | 0:51:28 | |
Worst-case scenario, we don't see any today, which will be very sad, | 0:51:28 | 0:51:32 | |
but even worse would be if the experiment hasn't worked. Then what? | 0:51:32 | 0:51:37 | |
I'd be very disappointed. | 0:51:37 | 0:51:40 | |
But we could be in luck - conditions are good. | 0:51:42 | 0:51:44 | |
To give ourselves the best chance of seeing them, Matt and I have split up. | 0:51:44 | 0:51:48 | |
He's a few fields away with self-confessed butterfly geek and author Patrick Barkham. | 0:51:48 | 0:51:54 | |
Patrick's been fascinated with butterflies since he was a kid. | 0:51:56 | 0:52:00 | |
Yeah, he's the small one on the left. | 0:52:00 | 0:52:02 | |
When I was a boy in the 1980s, there were no Large Blues but there was a site called Site X, | 0:52:02 | 0:52:07 | |
where Jeremy Thomas and David Simcox were introducing the Large Blue for the first time. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:11 | |
My dad got hold of the location of Site X - we went along and we found the Large Blue. | 0:52:11 | 0:52:15 | |
You can imagine the thrill on this forbidden site - we were just skipping off the field with delight. | 0:52:15 | 0:52:20 | |
And then this figure strode across and said, "What are you doing here? | 0:52:20 | 0:52:24 | |
"This is private property." It turns out that was David Simcox. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:27 | |
We were like, "We're seeing the Large Blue." He was like, | 0:52:27 | 0:52:29 | |
"I don't know what you're seeing, but it's not the Large Blue." | 0:52:29 | 0:52:32 | |
We were told in no uncertain terms to go away. | 0:52:32 | 0:52:35 | |
Happily, I've met him under happier times now, so... | 0:52:35 | 0:52:39 | |
You can imagine the thrill for a small boy of Site X, | 0:52:39 | 0:52:42 | |
finding this extinct butterfly, a butterfly that doesn't even exist. | 0:52:42 | 0:52:46 | |
Fingers crossed, we'll get to see another Large Blue on the top-secret site. | 0:52:46 | 0:52:50 | |
You've got to be patient, haven't you? | 0:52:50 | 0:52:53 | |
-Very patient. -Patient and have a keen eye. | 0:52:53 | 0:52:57 | |
-Is that...? -A moth. | 0:52:57 | 0:53:00 | |
Yeah. | 0:53:00 | 0:53:01 | |
Come on, you blues. | 0:53:01 | 0:53:04 | |
This is looking pretty good. Sheltered. | 0:53:04 | 0:53:07 | |
Nice. Oh, here we go. | 0:53:07 | 0:53:09 | |
-Meadow Brown. -Meadow Brown. | 0:53:09 | 0:53:12 | |
We've got a Meadow Brown. Over. | 0:53:14 | 0:53:17 | |
Well at least you're seeing butterflies. Nothing here. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:20 | |
-Have you got something there, Patrick? -Yeah, we've got a Small Blue here. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:29 | |
The Large Blue doesn't look large, | 0:53:29 | 0:53:31 | |
but it's twice the size of one of these little ones. | 0:53:31 | 0:53:33 | |
So, this is our smallest butterfly. | 0:53:33 | 0:53:36 | |
OK, we've seen the Small Blue - the common blue. | 0:53:36 | 0:53:40 | |
Lots of blue butterflies, but no Large Blues. | 0:53:40 | 0:53:43 | |
Nothing so far, Mattias, not a sausage! | 0:53:43 | 0:53:47 | |
Definitely not a butterfly. | 0:53:47 | 0:53:49 | |
Well, there's loads of butterfly action around here, but no Large Blues. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:53 | |
It's a perfect day for it. I'm feeling optimistic. | 0:53:53 | 0:53:56 | |
You feeling up here? Left, right, straight up? | 0:53:56 | 0:53:58 | |
-I think up here. -OK. | 0:53:58 | 0:53:59 | |
OK, so we've seen Meadow Browns, Small Blues, even the odd moth out and about in daylight, | 0:54:05 | 0:54:12 | |
but still no sign of the butterfly we're all here to see. | 0:54:12 | 0:54:15 | |
And just when you're about to give up... | 0:54:15 | 0:54:19 | |
Look, there's one there. | 0:54:19 | 0:54:22 | |
-Where? -Can you see? Sitting in the bush. | 0:54:22 | 0:54:24 | |
Oh, yes. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | |
'Our search is over - they're here. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:31 | |
'Success!' | 0:54:31 | 0:54:33 | |
What a stunner! | 0:54:33 | 0:54:35 | |
How long have you waited for this? | 0:54:37 | 0:54:38 | |
Well... What to me is so pleasing is this is the first time | 0:54:38 | 0:54:43 | |
a Large Blue has been alive on this site for over 50 years. | 0:54:43 | 0:54:49 | |
Baker boy, we've got one. Come down the hill! | 0:54:49 | 0:54:52 | |
Juliet, you would not believe | 0:54:52 | 0:54:54 | |
how close Patrick and I are to a Large Blue right now. | 0:54:54 | 0:54:58 | |
It's unbelievable. | 0:54:58 | 0:54:59 | |
Fantastic! You've got one as well. Amazing! | 0:55:01 | 0:55:05 | |
The perfect one - basking. | 0:55:05 | 0:55:08 | |
It's closing its wings now. | 0:55:08 | 0:55:09 | |
Honestly, I'm like inches away. | 0:55:09 | 0:55:13 | |
'Ditto that. All right, come down when you're ready.' | 0:55:13 | 0:55:15 | |
So this butterfly didn't officially exist all through our childhood, | 0:55:17 | 0:55:20 | |
and this is the closest I've ever got to one in my life. | 0:55:20 | 0:55:23 | |
I can't tell you how thrilling that is. | 0:55:23 | 0:55:25 | |
It's wings are still soft. | 0:55:25 | 0:55:28 | |
This butterfly keeps its wings soft | 0:55:28 | 0:55:30 | |
so it can emerge from the nest underground - from the ants' nest. | 0:55:30 | 0:55:33 | |
This guy's wings are still soft and floppy | 0:55:33 | 0:55:36 | |
from that emergence because it's only just come out this morning. | 0:55:36 | 0:55:39 | |
-Where are we looking, where are we looking? -Right there, | 0:55:40 | 0:55:45 | |
-in the hazel bush. -Oh, yeah. | 0:55:45 | 0:55:48 | |
It's a good feeling, isn't it? | 0:55:48 | 0:55:50 | |
It must be a fantastic feeling for YOU. | 0:55:50 | 0:55:51 | |
It's a fantastic feeling, absolutely fantastic. | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
All of your hard work paid off. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:56 | |
Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. This time it has. | 0:55:56 | 0:56:01 | |
Patrick, as a self-confessed butterfly geek, | 0:56:01 | 0:56:03 | |
what's this moment like for you? | 0:56:03 | 0:56:05 | |
So exciting. It's the most exciting moment in contemporary British butterfly history. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:11 | |
This is the most exciting single insect | 0:56:11 | 0:56:13 | |
you could be seeing in Britain today. It's brilliant. | 0:56:13 | 0:56:16 | |
The Large Blue is back. Now it's down to them. | 0:56:19 | 0:56:23 | |
Hopefully they will breed, and next summer | 0:56:23 | 0:56:25 | |
they'll be thriving here without the help of the scientists. | 0:56:25 | 0:56:29 | |
But today's a day that will go down in Cotswolds history. | 0:56:29 | 0:56:32 | |
And we were part of it. | 0:56:32 | 0:56:36 | |
What a wonderful comeback for the Large Blue! | 0:56:38 | 0:56:41 | |
Such a privilege for us to be here. | 0:56:41 | 0:56:43 | |
Our first sighting in 50 years. Just incredible. | 0:56:43 | 0:56:46 | |
And she's sticking with us for the end of the programme. | 0:56:46 | 0:56:49 | |
That is it from the Cotswolds. | 0:56:49 | 0:56:50 | |
-Next week, John will be here with river deep and mountain high. -One of your favourite songs! | 0:56:50 | 0:56:55 | |
Yeah, he'll be looking back at some of our best river and mountain stories from the series. | 0:56:55 | 0:56:59 | |
But, for now, from the three of us, goodbye. | 0:56:59 | 0:57:01 | |
Bye-bye. | 0:57:01 | 0:57:03 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:57:15 | 0:57:20 | |
Email [email protected] | 0:57:20 | 0:57:25 |