0:00:02 > 0:00:03My name's Steve Backshall!
0:00:06 > 0:00:07You can call me Steve.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I'm on a mission to find the Deadly 60...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14that's 60 deadly creatures...
0:00:14 > 0:00:17by travelling all over the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And you're coming with me, every step of the way.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Shark!
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Deadly 60 is not just about exotic animals
0:00:32 > 0:00:34from far-flung parts of the world.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We have plenty of exciting wildlife right here in the UK.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I'm here, Pembrokeshire, in Wales,
0:00:41 > 0:00:46to show you that Britain really does have lots of deadly animals.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10The next Deadly 60 animal we're looking for has been voted as
0:01:10 > 0:01:14the greatest wildlife spectacle of in the whole of the British Isles.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Unfortunately, to get anywhere near them,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21we've got to paddle through what is probably the fastest,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23the heaviest-flowing white water,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27and some of the nastiest sea you'll find anywhere.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31I think we're gonna get wet!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Oh, my life!
0:01:33 > 0:01:35All I can see ahead of me now
0:01:35 > 0:01:40is just a towering river of white caps running through the sea.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Who-hoa! Oh!
0:01:53 > 0:01:54Agh!
0:01:54 > 0:01:58All this white water is churning up nutrients below,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03which attracts the fish. And this in turn attracts the sea birds.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08And it's one sea bird in particular I'm after - the awesome gannet.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12If I can just get through this lot!
0:02:12 > 0:02:13Agh!
0:02:17 > 0:02:21It's becoming pretty obvious that I'm getting nowhere fast.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27I need the kayak to get close to the gannets.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31But to get through this white water, I'm gonna need a bigger boat.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38We're on our way to Grassholme Island,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42which is home to the third biggest colony of northern gannets
0:02:42 > 0:02:43in the British Isles.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46But before we get there, we get a little surprise.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Look at this!
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Look, over there!
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Right on the bow, Johnny!
0:02:55 > 0:02:58It's always a good day once you've seen a dolphin.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05But I haven't got time to stay and play with dolphins.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09We're approaching our destination. So it's back into the kayaks.
0:03:16 > 0:03:1811 miles out to sea...
0:03:18 > 0:03:21is Grassholm Island.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25From a distance, it just looks like an insignificant piece of rock,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28just dumped in the middle of the North Atlantic.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29But as you get up closer,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33the sky begins to fill with these white shapes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36And then when you see the island itself,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38it's just covered with birds.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39They're gannets.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I reckon just about our most majestic seabird.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46They really are such pretty birds.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The plumage is just perfect white,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52but the wing tips are jet black.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57They seem to be wearing black eyeliner around their eyes!
0:03:57 > 0:04:01And it kind of looks like they've dumped their head in a jar of honey.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04They're also a really big bird. The body can be a metre long.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The wingspan, about, well, just under two metres.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10So, almost as long as my paddle.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14But it's not their size, or how pretty they are,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16that's gonna get them on the Deadly 60.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18It's the way they hunt.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Gannets are nature's equivalent of a harpoon.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Gannets spot their prey from 30 metres up,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33lock on to it with their incredible vision,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and then fold their wings into a dive.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39They hit the water at speeds of over 60mph.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Gannets have air sacks around their heads and chest,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46that act like built-in air bags, cushioning the impact.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51So that's how the gannets do it.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55But what does it feel like to hit the water from that kind of height
0:04:55 > 0:04:56and at that kind of speed?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Well, I've come to this oil rig to find out.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01We're about 20 metres above the water,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03which is kind of average for a gannet's dive.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Erm, it does look kind of high, though.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10And if I don't get it just right, it's gonna really hurt.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Oh, dear.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Oh, my head!
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Er, I hit the water pretty good,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33but it feels like my brain's rattling around inside my skull.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37The gannet does that over and over and over again.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Honestly, it's an incredible achievement.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I think the gannet makes an Olympic high-diving champion
0:05:43 > 0:05:46look like a total sissy.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I've got water coming out of my nose!
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I know they look beautiful, but to a fish,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57they really are like some crazy masked ninja.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02And that's why gannets have got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Able to dive at over 60mph,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and plunge to depths of 20 metres or more,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10these are true fish-catching machines.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14And let's face it, more streamlined than I'll ever be.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Gannets are on the Deadly 60.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- D'you wanna pass me the camera, Mark?- Sure.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27'For my next deadly British encounter,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'I've invited my crew on a wild adventure.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32'And of course, they're right behind me.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I'll get myself over, guys.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Don't worry about me.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Will you stop filming me?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Make sure you step over this beautiful spider's web, Mark.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Don't walk straight through that with your clumsy hoofers.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Ever since I was a little kid, I've been obsessed with snakes.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And I spend a good part of my life travelling around the world,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59catching some of the most venomous ones.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Touch wood, I've never been bitten by handling one.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Although I did get hospitalised
0:07:04 > 0:07:08when I stood right on top of a venomous snake and got bitten.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10It wasn't a black mamba.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13It wasn't a king cobra.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And it wasn't a gaboon viper.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Although it was in the viper family.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23In fact, it was right here in the heaths of southern England.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26So I've come back here to try and find one.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I was in my local country park, out walking the dog.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And...throwing sticks for her.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38And all of a sudden, felt a really sharp pain in my ankle.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40And it turned out to be an adder.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It's had me incapacitated for the last four days,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46laid up in hospital for three of those.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48And now my leg's going purple.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50I was bitten here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Only one fang went in, I think, cos I could only see one spot of blood.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58And then immediately all of this area really swelled up,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00very, very large, very bloated.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03And the swelling spread all the way up my leg. It's pretty ugly.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I'll have more respect for them in the future, that's for sure.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10How are you feeling, Steve?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- Yeah, all right. - I think you're very brave.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Now, I'd be absolutely heartbroken
0:08:19 > 0:08:23if people were scared of snakes because of what happened to me.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Truth is, I must have stood right on top of that adder
0:08:26 > 0:08:27for it to have bitten me.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Actually, it's incredibly rare for people to even see them.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34As soon as anyone gets close, they just disappear off into the bushes,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and their camouflage is amazing.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39That's why they're gonna be very difficult to find.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57This is a perfect location to go looking for adders.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The Wildlife Trust has laid down these tin shelters.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06And there's plenty of thick undergrowth
0:09:06 > 0:09:09for them to skitter off into if there's any sign of danger.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11This is beautiful.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And there's also plenty of food around for them.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16This is a sand lizard.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22This really is a very special find. Ooh! Off he goes.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I think we'll let him disappear off into the heather now.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27We've got snakes to find.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Ooh!
0:09:30 > 0:09:34I've got two slow worms here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41Immediately, when you see that long, slender shape, you think, "Snake".
0:09:41 > 0:09:45But actually, this is one of our lizards.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47One way of actually telling them apart
0:09:47 > 0:09:51is that if you look them in the eyes for long enough,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54lizards have eyelids, and snakes don't.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58So theoretically, if you try and stare out our slowworm here,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00you should eventually get a blink.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Although I was yet to see an adder, under these pieces of tin,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I found a whole host of our other native reptiles.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Ooh! A bit firey!
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Now, this is probably Britain's least-known snake.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23It's a smooth snake.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27And the name comes from the exceptional, silky quality
0:10:27 > 0:10:29they have to their scales.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31There's no kind of ridging at all
0:10:31 > 0:10:33as you run your finger down them, like this.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37And his one, to begin with, looked like he wanted to try and bite me.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39But now, I think he's actually
0:10:39 > 0:10:41getting a bit more comfortable in my hands.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Absolutely gorgeous snake. But no venom whatsoever.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And not the snake we're looking for.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50So let's put it back.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Oh, my goodness! Come and have a look at this!
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Put this down...
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Nice and careful.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Now, this...is a grass snake.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Starting to go a little bit crazy at the moment.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08But it'll settle down in just a second.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12You can see, one of the first things a grass snake does when it's handled
0:11:12 > 0:11:15is squirt unpleasant, white goo out of its bottom,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18which smells like I can't even begin to describe.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Now, there's various ways of telling the three British snakes apart.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26The thing to look out for on the grass snake
0:11:26 > 0:11:28is the yellow collar behind the head,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31which will often have another black collar behind it.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33And then, if you look at the eyes,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35those are very different to the adder.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39They have a round pupil, as opposed to the slit-shaped one in the adder.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41This is our largest snake.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42In fact, grass snakes
0:11:42 > 0:11:45have been known to get to over a metre and a half in length.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47This one here is just a baby.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51But even so, for small frogs and toads,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53he is a slithering nightmare.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56So that's two snakes down, just one more to go.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59But that's the one we're looking for.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Stop. Stop, stop, stop.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Here's an adder.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14OK, let's try and get him out into the open.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17There.
0:12:17 > 0:12:24That...is Britain's only venomous snake - the adder.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Now, I have to say, this is absolutely not something
0:12:28 > 0:12:32that I would encourage people back home to do.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33The adder is a protected snake,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and we're only doing this because we're on Wildlife Trust land,
0:12:37 > 0:12:38and dealing with people
0:12:38 > 0:12:42who really know how this snake needs to be protected,
0:12:42 > 0:12:43and needs to be cared for.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Cos in all honesty...
0:12:46 > 0:12:49this snake is in far more danger from people...
0:12:49 > 0:12:52than we are from it. That said,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57the adder is an extraordinary predator.
0:12:57 > 0:13:03It has really quite toxic venom, for a snake of this size.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05It has a very, very fast strike.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And as you've seen from how difficult it has been
0:13:08 > 0:13:10for us to actually find one...
0:13:10 > 0:13:12AMAZING camouflage. Absolutely extraordinary.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15One part of the adder that does stand out,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and I'm not sure if Mark can get close enough to get a shot of this,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22is the eye. The eyeball is what lets you know
0:13:22 > 0:13:24that this really is a viper.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's bright red, with a slit-shaped pupil.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30I have to say, even a snake enthusiast like me
0:13:30 > 0:13:34looks at that and thinks that this snake does look a bit evil,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36when you get up close to it.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38And listen to that hiss.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41This is the threat that's used by pretty much all of the reptiles,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45from the crocodiles through the tiniest to the biggest of snakes.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47He's just forcing air out through his lungs,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51making a sound which you could never mistake from anything other
0:13:51 > 0:13:53than a way of telling you to go away.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57This is the first time I've caught an adder, despite having pretty much
0:13:57 > 0:13:59grown up surrounded by them on the Surrey Heaths.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03But this is the first opportunity I've had to be able to catch one.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07And I have to say, I will treasure this for ever.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09What a magnificent creature.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The adder is the only venomous snake in the British Isles.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Perfectly camouflaged,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19with a lightning strike,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22it makes it a truly awesome predator,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and worthy of a place on my list.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34Seems kind of crazy on a gorgeous, blue-sky, sunshiney day like today,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36to go inside looking for wild life.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40But the local Wildlife Trust have given us a tip-off
0:14:40 > 0:14:43that there's something very exciting living in their roof.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So, we're heading up there.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56That's "we", guys, you are coming with me.
0:14:56 > 0:14:57- Are you sure about this? - Come on.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- I'm all right down here.- Yeah, it's fine, it's nice down here.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20OK, So...this is a special camera
0:15:20 > 0:15:26which I can use to get close to the animals that are inside here.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32God, I don't want to go through the ceiling.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35You can see down here,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37loads of small droppings.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Some of these are probably from rodents, from rats and mice.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47But there's also some really spectacular animals...
0:15:47 > 0:15:51just up there.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54These are brown, long-eared bats.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Right now,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57they're just sleeping,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01which is why we have to keep so quiet and be so careful around them.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07The first thing that's immediately evident is the gigantic ears.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13And those are a great help for the bat when they're echo-locating.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18They can bounce a click off a tiny flying insect,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and the click will come back to them,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and be picked up by those huge ears.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30When you look closely at this bat, you can see it's shivering.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33During the daytime, and when they're hibernating,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37bats can almost completely shut down all of their body processes,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39and bring their body heat right down.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40And they'll use shivering
0:16:40 > 0:16:44to bring the body heat back up again before they become active.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Any second now, this bat's gonna wake up.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51There, look at that.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Isn't he gorgeous?
0:16:54 > 0:16:55Magnificent.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00Now, if we hang around here any longer, he's gonna wake up properly,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02and want to fly away. We don't wanna do that.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04They are great predators,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08but they're not the animal that I've come up here to find.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10That's further in, under the eaves.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Let's go and see.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21A quick escape isn't gonna be easy.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23I think I'm stuck!
0:17:23 > 0:17:27HE LAUGHS
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Sshh!
0:17:29 > 0:17:33God, it's like trying to go through a loft with a herd of wildebeest!
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Walking...along these beams...
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Right, they're just through here, in this corner here.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49So I figure if I go in, and you just put your head round the corner,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52then we've got to be really, really careful how we move,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55cos the last thing we want to do is to get these angry.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Because that would be very bad news up here.
0:18:01 > 0:18:08Just next to me here, this exquisite structure,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12which looks very much like a sort of partially-deflated beach ball,
0:18:12 > 0:18:17is actually the nest of our largest species of wasp.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19They're hornets.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23The reason that we're moving very slowly and trying to keep quiet
0:18:23 > 0:18:26is that these can actually be quite dangerous.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28They're very, very large.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I mean, from the tip of their abdomen,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33that is the back of their tail, to their head,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35can be as big as my thumb.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38They have an extremely painful sting.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And if they feel that their nest is being threatened,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43they won't hesitate to use it.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Right, let's see if I can get in close with this camera,
0:18:48 > 0:18:53and show you... some of those hornets.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I can hear them.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Oh, there's one there.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Look at that. They're huge.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09There, look. They're starting to come out.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13That nest is just made up of chewed-up paper pulp.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Listen to their feet, that scurrying noise!
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Lets me know that they are not happy.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31This incredible structure is started by the queen out of chewed-up wood.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Then the worker hornets carry on the building.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Each of these intricate hexagonal-shaped cells
0:19:37 > 0:19:41house eggs, laid by the queen, which hatch into grubs.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43One way they feed their young
0:19:43 > 0:19:47is by going on raids attacking unsuspecting honey bee hives,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50in order to get to the bees' protein-rich larvae.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56In order to do that, they have to kill off all the adult bees first.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00The hive could contain 30,000 adult bees.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03And the hornets will spend up to three hours systematically killing
0:20:03 > 0:20:07every one until they can get at the larvae themselves.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16While these insects would certainly hurt like billy-o
0:20:16 > 0:20:17if they were to sting me,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21it's to other insects that they're really deadly.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Hornets are amazing predators.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29They'll catch almost any small insect on the wing and devour it
0:20:29 > 0:20:31using their powerful mandibles.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34If it's large enough to need it,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38they'll paralyse it, using their sting.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40And if it hurts me,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44then any small insect is gonna be instantly paralysed.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Ooh! Oh, dear.
0:20:47 > 0:20:55Uh-oh. Right, now is when we have to bid our retreat.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Because once they're in the air like this, is when they're really angry.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And, er, if you get stung by one,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06they release a kind of pheromone, a chemical scent,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10which makes all the others attack.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12So now is the time to leave.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13I think it is time to leave.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15OK, it's going for your camera, Mark.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19I don't like it now. I might just... I can't turn the light off.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Oh, he's by me trouser leg!
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Well, we eventually got out of the loft,
0:21:23 > 0:21:28and all managed to avoid getting stung by these deadly dudes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Huge, fast, lethal mandibles,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and a formidable sting.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41The hornets have earned their place on my Deadly 60 list.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Next on my list
0:21:48 > 0:21:52is one of the amazing birds of prey we have here in the UK.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56And it hunts in the challenging environment of our woodlands.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05The master of this habitat is this winged wonder, the goshawk.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Goshawks typically breed and hunt in mature woodlands.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11And hunting in here is all about dodging obstacles
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and being able to ambush your prey.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- Because of that... - GOSHAWK CRIES OUT
0:22:15 > 0:22:19she has a very different design, and quite a loud voice, as you can hear!
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I'm not sure she'll let me show you this,
0:22:21 > 0:22:29but the wings - come on, sweetheart - are shorter, and more rounded.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34And she has this wonderful, fan-shaped tail.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36There you go.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40This works almost like a rudder, seeing her in amongst the trees.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44To show you just how awesome she can be, in full predatory mode,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48we're gonna have her hunt something a little bit bigger than normal. Me.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Goshawks are so super-fast,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55we've had to bring all kinds of bits of kit
0:22:55 > 0:22:57to try and film her in flight.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01We've even got people in the trees!
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Right... Now,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11I've got, erm, I've got the lure,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15a little bit of meat there, on my hand.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20And when Ellie is loosed,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24she's gonna try and find the path of least resistance to find me.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28This woodland could be hell for a bird of prey.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34It's just a tangle of beech, conifers and hazel.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37And all the trees are very tightly packed together.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41And for a bird as big as the goshawk, really,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45it's gonna have to dodge and weave in and out
0:23:45 > 0:23:48with incredible manoeuvrability.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I'm really quite a way away from her.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54But, erm, their eyesight is about eight times better than ours.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57So she should spot me with ease.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02OK, whenever you're ready...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Ugh! Crikey!
0:24:23 > 0:24:27The force of that, as she hits you!
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Imagine what it must be like if you were a rabbit!
0:24:29 > 0:24:33I didn't hear a sound!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It just belted me!
0:24:35 > 0:24:38OK, so now I've felt what it's like to be the prey,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41we actually have a remarkable bit of technology
0:24:41 > 0:24:44which can show us exactly what it's like to be the hunter.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48This harness here - please don't take my fingers off, Ellie,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50that would be such a bad day -
0:24:50 > 0:24:54attaches to a tiny little mini camera, which is gonna give us
0:24:54 > 0:24:58a goshawk's-eye view of flying through these trees.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Come on, shall we get you kitted up?
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Right, just about...there.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Now that my role as prey is over, it's time to check out
0:25:33 > 0:25:37exactly how Ellie hunts, in such thick woods.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Right, let's have a little look at our hero,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41or should I say heroine, in action.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Look at that!
0:25:47 > 0:25:49You can see the talons coming back open, spreading,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52with these razor-sharp ends to them.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Just imagine, if you were a bird or a rabbit,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and saw those coming at you like that,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00it would be the last thing you ever saw.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I mean, really, she's gone from about 30 miles an hour
0:26:04 > 0:26:07to a complete stop in the space of under a second.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The deceleration forces must be incredible,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12the G-forces, just unreal.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And she's doing that by throwing back her wings,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18spreading all of those flight feathers,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20and just stopping herself dead,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22just like a parachute on a drag racing car.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24But all of that force will have gone into the prey.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27All the force from the flight is just gonna hit the prey,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and really it's gonna be all over within seconds.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Oh, wow!
0:26:34 > 0:26:39That was... Hang on, I'm gonna watch that again.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It was all over... Even speeded down that amount,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45it's all over in a fraction of a second.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Effortlessly, she's folded her wings together so she can get through
0:26:49 > 0:26:52that narrow gap without actually losing any speed whatsoever.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56But she's going through a gap that's not much wider than her body,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58let alone her body with her spread wings.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03I think all of this technology that we've had to use to get any sense
0:27:03 > 0:27:06of what the goshawk's like at hunting really shows
0:27:06 > 0:27:07why she has to go on the Deadly 60.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10I mean, she thinks, acts, sees,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14in a whole different world of speed to us.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17And that's why you're going on the Deadly 60.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20You have no idea what that is, do you?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Amazing acceleration, speed and agility.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28This dodging and weaving aerial predator
0:27:28 > 0:27:31is any woodland animal's worst nightmare.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Goshawk has got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Coming up next time on the Deadly 60...
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Just turned into a robot spider.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Wonderful sight!
0:27:48 > 0:27:50That was too close!
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:55 > 0:27:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk