Dyfrgwn Natur Gudd Cymru

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-I'm searching for

-unusual animals living in Wales.

-Some that have made their way

-back here after a long absence.

-Others that display

-unusual behaviour.

-And timid creatures

-that only venture out nocturnally.

-I've visited the Berwyn range

-since my childhood.

-I more or less grew up here.

-I've been making pilgrimages

-to these small pools...

-..for the past 25 years.

-During the middle of March

-each year...

-..toads emerge from the undergrowth

-and head for the water to lay eggs.

-What's interesting is that

-the otter knows that they're here.

-It appears from nowhere

-and feeds on them.

-I've regularly seen proof of this -

-toad remains here and there...

-..but I've never seen it happen.

-That's what

-I want to capture on film.

-It's the second week of March.

-It's been a harsh winter this year.

-The Berwyn's uplands near Bala...

-..are among

-the coldest places in Wales.

-This time of year usually signifies

-spring, but not this year.

-This is frozen toad spawn.

-It's going to be a difficult

-breeding season for frogs and toads.

-Otters are unlikely to show up

-until it gets warmer.

-I continue my search

-on lower ground in Merionethshire.

-Nick Young has seen otters eating

-toads in a quarry pool near Corris.

-But the weather

-is no better here either.

-Is this the spot?

-Is this the spot?

-

-Yes, this is it.

-This is the quarry pool.

-They tend to lay eggs...

-..in the far corner over there.

-I think I can see some spawn.

-It's probably frozen.

-It's probably frozen.

-

-Yes, it's frozen.

-Is this

-where you found the remains?

-Yes, there was spawn there as usual.

-I was taking my dog for a walk.

-I came across the remains

-of approximately 30 toads.

-It was an interesting sight.

-That surprises me because this is

-a quarry with a pool in the middle.

-How on earth did an otter find it?

-They know how to time it perfectly.

-I could return and find nothing

-but otters instinctively know.

-I often pass here and see nothing...

-..but on this particular morning

-I happened to be walking the dog.

-It looked as if

-they'd gone on a killing spree.

-But with a frozen pool,

-it'd be difficult...

-..to see

-any otters at all this year.

-Otters usually feed on eels,

-lobsters and fish.

-But this time of year in Wales,

-they eat toads.

-I've heard

-of another ideal spot for otter...

-..to the west of Corris,

-nearer the coast.

-The lake is above Llwyngwril.

-During the month of March,

-otters come here looking for toads.

-Some of the

-Snowdonia National Park wardens...

-..told me about this lake.

-There are obvious signs here.

-The stream

-flows into a larger river.

-I'm finding toad remains.

-These are the little black eggs...

-..that are usually encased in jelly.

-I've found them near the spot where

-the lake feeds into the stream.

-I'll check

-if there's more the other side.

-The pool looks promising.

-There's a good chance

-I'll see otter hunting.

-There are plenty of toad marks too.

-Look here.

-This is frogspawn.

-I wonder

-if there are toads here too?

-If there are, then their spawn

-is going to attract otters.

-I'll take a look around.

-We've hit the jackpot here.

-Take a look at this.

-These are the remains of a toad.

-Just the head and its front legs.

-The otter's eaten its hind legs.

-It's done that because there's a

-poisonous gland in the toad's body.

-Usually otters remove the skin

-and leave that bit behind.

-But in this case, it's eaten the

-back end and left the large gland.

-This is here too.

-It's dried out a little.

-This is a frog.

-There are

-fresh otter tracks here too.

-This is very fresh.

-It's otter droppings.

-Can you see these things in here?

-Each one of those

-is the bone of a toad.

-This is an ideal spot.

-It's the perfect location

-to set up hidden cameras...

-..and catch the otter hunting toads.

-As I'm looking at the peninsula

-which leads to the lake...

-..it strikes me how small it is.

-It's only around

-12-15 metres in length...

-..and 10-12 metres wide.

-But it obviously attracts otters.

-This place is teeming with toads.

-I'll set up the camera

-pointing downwards...

-..at this flat area here.

-If an otter makes its way down here,

-we should see it.

-The spawn is beneath me...

-..so if they catch anything,

-they should bring it up here to eat.

-I'm leaving a couple of cameras

-at the lake for a week...

-..to see what footage I get.

-The first creature

-in front of the camera is a raven.

-He's come to peck

-at the dead toad on the peninsula.

-Next is a newborn lamb

-and its mother.

-A badger is captured,

-searching for food at night.

-Apart from those few, there's

-no sign of any other creature.

-To make the task

-of finding otters even harder...

-..the wintry weather returned.

-This is very odd.

-If we filmed this programme 30 years

-ago, we'd be lucky to find an otter.

-But nowadays

-their numbers have increased.

-There are otters

-in every lake and river in Wales.

-It makes this work more difficult...

-..because you have to be

-here, there and everywhere.

-There's a team of us

-looking for signs, not just me.

-They've set up cameras too.

-I've come to

-the Newcastle Emlyn area...

-..where Osian, one of the team

-in the blue over there...

-..has seen otter tracks and set up

-cameras to try and film them.

-Hiya, Osh.

-Hiya, Osh.

-

-Hiya, Iol. How are things?

-Good, thanks.

-What do you have here?

-I've been speaking to people from

-the Wildlife Trust and the CCW...

-..who suggested I come

-to the Newcastle Emlyn area...

-..because there are

-several pools and lakes...

-..with definite signs

-of otter activity.

-So there are no toads here as yet?

-So there are no toads here as yet?

-

-They're starting to appear.

-Keith, a local farmer's son,

-said he's seen some activity.

-There are plenty of signs here.

-In this area, yes.

-I'm confident we'll see something.

-With the cameras in position,

-as night falls...

-..I get a favourable result.

-An otter

-steps in front of the camera.

-It's been caught

-on another camera too.

-It's busy searching for something.

-Toads, hopefully.

-It obviously likes the camera.

-But unfortunately by morning...

-..the lake has frozen over.

-This will have

-a profound effect on the toads.

-Breeding season

-will be very late this year.

-I will have to wait a while longer

-to see an otter eating a toad.

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-I'm searching

-for toad-eating otters.

-It's something that only happens

-in early spring in Wales.

-I've already seen toad spawn...

-..and captured an otter on film.

-But not together.

-I've come to the Llandeilo area.

-Local naturalist Dyfrig Jones...

-..brings me to a pool where

-both have been spotted recently.

-There are signs of both

-near the pool.

-There are bones there.

-There are bones there.

-

-These are perfect examples of bone.

-Are those the bones of a toad?

-Toads and frogs -

-a combination of both.

-This pool

-is teeming with both species.

-What I really want to film,

-and to see, if possible...

-..is an otter feeding on a toad.

-They've a special way

-of eating them.

-Yes, they have.

-They eat every bit of the frog.

-They literally eat the bone...

-..and you can hear them crunching it

-while it's in their mouth.

-They turn the toad on its back...

-..and with their claw...

-..the otters

-tear open the stomach...

-..and literally eat

-the toad's insides...

-..before

-turning the skin inside out.

-At this time of year, maybe earlier,

-depending on the weather...

-..you'll find the skin

-turned inside out.

-If you want to, you can

-turn it the right way around...

-..to see how it should look.

-It's all about timing too.

-You have to hit these pools

-at exactly the right time.

-How does the otter know that?

-I think an otter

-is one of those species...

-..that is more acutely aware

-of its habitat and surroundings...

-..than any other species.

-The male otter...

-..hunts a territory which

-covers more than 30 kilometres...

-..and is made up of rivers,

-lakes and streams.

-It knows when toads and frogs...

-..are going to be

-in certain pools or wetlands...

-..and that's

-where it goes to hunt...

-..and excludes every other area

-within its territory.

-In a short space of time too.

-Yes, and what's

-even more miraculous...

-..is that the female...

-..usually gives birth to her young

-during winter, in February...

-..to make the most of the frogs

-and toads as the main food supply.

-Look what I've found. This one's

-escaped the otter's clutches so far.

-It's nice, isn't it? Nice eyes.

-Yes.

-The weather is perfect, the toads

-are venturing to the water...

-..and all bodes well.

-I'm going to set up

-a few cameras around the pool.

-The toads are easy to spot

-in the water at night.

-Their eyes are white

-in infrared light.

-They disappear

-when a fox approaches the water.

-Foxes feed on toads.

-So do buzzards during the day.

-Herons too.

-And badgers.

-With so many animals

-hunting for toads...

-..the chances of catching

-an otter eating them is slim.

-But this one

-is competing for the prey.

-And she's not alone.

-She's brought her young along

-to feed in the pool.

-Like all young creatures,

-they're curious and playful...

-..and they've noticed the camera.

-Though the camera

-emits no sound or light...

-..they know there's

-a foreign object on the bank.

-If you look carefully

-in the middle of the picture...

-..you'll see a toad

-moving in the grass.

-With the otters far enough away, it

-ventures unnoticed into the water.

-This toad isn't so lucky.

-It's been eaten.

-The otters chew their food

-quickly and noisily.

-The toads are perfect prey

-when learning to hunt.

-They don't move very fast and

-they're easier to catch than fish.

-Most of the toads

-are caught in the water...

-..and the otters

-bring them to the bank to eat.

-You can hear the toad's

-bones breaking as the otter chews.

-The young have had enough to eat.

-They now want to play and fight.

-The otters return to the pool

-on alternate days...

-..around the same time,

-early evening.

-That's when the pool

-is awash with otters.

-This is the best chance I'll get...

-..of seeing them eat toads

-with my own eyes.

-The crew and I have set up cameras.

-We've two hide-outs up here.

-We'll hopefully

-film the animals from this...

-..and I'll be

-in the other over there.

-We also positioned

-infrared cameras here...

-..on the other side of the pool

-and one over there.

-They'll project light over the lake,

-and between everything...

-..we'll hopefully see the animals.

-Tonight could be very significant.

-It's just a matter

-of sitting and waiting now.

-More than likely

-they'll appear once it's dark.

-But you never know with otters.

-I've seen them in daylight.

-If they know there's food here...

-..and with plenty of toads

-in the water...

-..starting to make a noise...

-..that should attract them.

-It'd be great if they showed up

-relatively soon.

-I might be here all night.

-Our intention is to stay here

-until the otters show up.

-We might be here until morning.

-It's gone too dark

-for me to see outside now.

-I have to rely

-on this screen in front of me.

-But having waited all night...

-..there is no sign of an otter.

-One of the infrared lights...

-..has run out of charge.

-The other is about to run out too.

-I can't see much at the moment.

-I can see a patch to my left and

-another patch on the opposite side.

-The only option I have now...

-..is to wrap up for the night.

-If the otters are still here,

-I'll come back and try again.

-If they're not,

-I'll try another location...

-..where they're

-still eating toads and frogs.

-I'm very disappointed.

-There's nothing I can do about it.

-The pool was silent.

-I'd lost my chance of seeing them

-in the spring in Llandeilo.

-But there were still signs

-of otters and toads...

-..at the pool near Newcastle Emlyn.

-This is my last chance...

-..to see otters hunting toads

-from my hide-out.

-I've been sitting in the hide-out

-for three hours...

-..before it got dark.

-I can hear the birds singing.

-The blackbird and robin

-are chirping away.

-From what we've seen on the footage

-taken from the five cameras here...

-..the otters usually show up around

-ten o'clock, after it gets dark.

-But there's always a chance they'll

-make an appearance before dusk.

-It's a foggy night and the wet

-atmosphere has attracted birds.

-There are swallows

-feeding above the water.

-It's a lovely sight.

-A little grebe...

-..has also just landed on the water.

-This is a good sign.

-It doesn't know we're here.

-We're out of sight and silent.

-If the little grebe has shown up,

-hopefully the otter will too.

-Thank goodness

-for the swallows and grebe.

-It's difficult sitting in a hide-out

-when there's nothing to see.

-The swallow and grebe's displays

-entertain us until it gets dark.

-Later the hard work begins.

-The trouble...

-..with sitting in a hide-out

-for hours and hours and hours...

-..is that you start hearing things.

-I thought

-I'd heard something outside then.

-I can't see a thing, to be honest.

-I'm not sure whether or not

-it's me imagining things.

-It's very silent around the water.

-Unfortunately, the otters have

-decided not to make an appearance.

-It's hard to know if

-the infrared light was to blame...

-..or if they sensed our presence.

-Either way, they weren't

-venturing out this evening.

-I won't see an otter hunting toad

-this spring after all.

-It's too late

-to film the otter from now on...

-..but the hidden cameras

-have done their work.

-We've seen some wonderful footage.

-The truth of the matter...

-..is that it's very difficult

-seeing wildlife in action up close.

-The animals

-are either too unpredictable...

-..or too sensitive

-to any change in their habitat.

-But our hidden cameras have shown...

-..that small lakes are important

-for a variety of species in spring.

-We've also witnessed scenes

-we've never seen before.

-We've seen a mother

-teaching her young to hunt.

-The best thing of all was

-capturing the otters on camera...

-..catching toads and eating them.

-One young otter had plenty of

-confidence in front of the camera...

-..even in daylight.

-The toad-hunting season is over

-until next spring.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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