0:00:12 > 0:00:15We are an island nation,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19surrounded by seas and buffeted by winds.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24With weather and seasons like nowhere else on earth.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Unpredictable, always changing,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32defining the nature of our extraordinary land...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38..and giving us The Great British Year.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59The sun is out. The days are long.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Temperatures are rising.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12The fine weather has brought us out to the beach, into gardens
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and into the countryside.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19BIRDSONG
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Swallows have arrived.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The air is filled with the sound of buzzing bees.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Life seems carefree.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Soon the sun will reach its highest point in the year.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05It's a critical time when every living thing must make
0:02:05 > 0:02:08the most of the sunshine and gather its energy.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21Over the next three months,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25the countryside will be heading towards a glorious harvest.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But there are two sides to this season.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39If the wildlife doesn't get it right, making it through
0:02:39 > 0:02:43the dark months beyond will be a very tough challenge indeed.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49This is when their future will be decided.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53It's summertime.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12After the cold of the New Year,
0:03:12 > 0:03:17spring brought the promise of plenty and now summer must deliver.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29At an old aerodrome in Essex,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32this year's youngsters are growing up fast...
0:03:34 > 0:03:37..playing and learning to fend for themselves.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00This young red partridge bathes in the dust to rid itself of parasites.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Every playful jump strengthens muscles and improves agility.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20That's going to be important over the next few months...
0:04:22 > 0:04:24..because hunters have young, too.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Some are already watching from the tree above the aerodrome.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Young little owls.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Luckily for baby rabbits, they are barely bigger than a pint glass.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54They left the nest a few weeks ago
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and now they are the owl equivalent of teenagers.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But they can't rely on parents for hand-outs any more.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09They need to learn to hunt and now, while the going is good.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21They may look fierce
0:05:21 > 0:05:24but they will never be powerful enough to grab a rabbit.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37When fully grown, they might just bother the local vole population
0:05:37 > 0:05:41but for now, these youngsters have their sights on more modest targets.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Every success means getting stronger, fitter and faster.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Small steps maybe but each one improves their chances
0:06:17 > 0:06:19of long-term survival.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29At the height of spring, Britain's birds were singing
0:06:29 > 0:06:33their hearts out, trying to claim territory and woo a mate.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35BIRDS WARBLE
0:06:45 > 0:06:47But times have changed.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49All their energy must now be directed
0:06:49 > 0:06:51into caring for their young.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Slowly, almost unnoticed, the singers fall silent...
0:07:00 > 0:07:05..until the sound of spring is replaced by the sound of summer.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08INSECTS CHIRP
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The gentle murmur of buzzing insects.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21They have been steadily building in numbers for the last few months
0:07:21 > 0:07:26and now it's warmer, this is the time to take to the air.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Flying burns 200 times as much energy as resting...
0:07:42 > 0:07:46..so they need plenty of high-octane fuel - pollen and nectar.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Each flower head becomes a tiny fuel station
0:07:58 > 0:08:01where insects wait to fill up.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Hoverflies have extraordinary flexible wings,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21twisting through 45 degrees 300 times a second.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It gives them the agility to negotiate
0:08:25 > 0:08:28the tightly-packed hedgerows and gardens.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33But even they are outmanoeuvred by the biggest
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and fastest flying insect in our land.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Dragonflies.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53They are all fast, agile hunters with romantic
0:08:53 > 0:08:58names like damsels, chasers, skimmers, darters and hawkers.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05High summer is time to find a mate.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Ponds, lakes and rivers resound
0:09:17 > 0:09:19with the clashing wings of fighting males.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Male damselflies clasp their partners
0:09:29 > 0:09:32as they lay eggs to stop other males getting in on the act.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47Emperor dragonflies, the largest of all, wait in the margins.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The females then head to open water to lay eggs.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08Whilst she is focused on creating new life, her own life is in danger.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40A hobby.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45This is the emperor dragonfly's nemesis.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Hobbies are small falcons from Africa.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53After flying several thousand miles,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56they arrive at the height of the dragonfly season.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05The hunting technique depends on diving to build enough speed
0:11:05 > 0:11:08to intercept the flight path of the dragonfly.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17They snatch them out of the air with their talons...
0:11:30 > 0:11:33..devouring their victims while still on the wing.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40If a dragonfly is lucky enough to spot its attacker,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43it has a split second to take evasive action.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Even if it means ditching into the water.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06For these fast-flying insects,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10summer is a deadly mix of hunting or being hunted.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20BELL RINGS
0:12:20 > 0:12:22It's the 1st of July.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25At Hagley in Worcestershire, the field of play is being
0:12:25 > 0:12:30carefully prepared for that most eccentric of summer activities.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31SQUEAKING
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Passion to those that play it
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and utterly incomprehensible to most that don't.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Groundsmen around the country have their work cut out
0:13:09 > 0:13:12keeping the pitch as smooth as a billiard table.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Because now the grass is growing.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And it's not just the grass.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Across the land, every shrub, flower and tree
0:13:36 > 0:13:40is busy turning sunlight into luscious, luxuriant growth.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48In fact, plants grow ten times faster
0:13:48 > 0:13:50in July than they do in February.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12The greening of the land is mirrored in our seas.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Tiny marine plants bloom in such huge numbers
0:14:18 > 0:14:20that the effect can be seen from space.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27This in turn creates a blooming of animal plankton.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33The first harvest of the summer.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Visitors flock to our sunlit shallow waters, eager to share the feast.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Basking sharks.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49One of the largest fish in the world,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51they can reach 12 metres in length.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01They follow the daily vertical migration of plankton
0:15:01 > 0:15:03up and down in the water column.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08At this time of year,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11they are drawn up to the surface after their prey...
0:15:16 > 0:15:20..where we are sometimes lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30By the middle of July,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34a whole new cast of creatures has come to feast on our summer bounty.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52On the heathlands in Arne in south Dorset
0:15:52 > 0:15:57is one of the most unusual and best camouflaged birds in the world.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05A nightjar.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11By day it sits motionless and quiet.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Even if you stood next to one, you would have no idea it was there.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23But what it gets up to at night is the stuff of legend.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29The setting sun heralds a call that sounds barely natural.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32NIGHTJAR CHIRRS
0:16:42 > 0:16:45For centuries it inspired tales of the supernatural.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56In the past, seeing the culprit in the pitch black
0:16:56 > 0:16:59would have been impossible.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Now, using a newly designed thermal imaging camera,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06we are able to see the nightjar's nocturnal antics
0:17:06 > 0:17:08for the very first time.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14At dusk, the male stakes his claim to his patch of heathland
0:17:14 > 0:17:16by chirring...
0:17:20 > 0:17:24..at over 13 notes per second. NIGHTJAR CHIRRS
0:17:25 > 0:17:28He has timed his arrival from Africa
0:17:28 > 0:17:33to coincide perfectly with the summer boom in flying insects.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The heather is alive with beetles and moths.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42This is the first time we've been able to watch them
0:17:42 > 0:17:45hunting in the pitch dark, ambushing their prey.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53With plenty of food and his own territory,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56now all he needs is to attract a mate.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01The courtship goes off with a bang. Literally.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03HE CHIRRS AND CLICKS
0:18:08 > 0:18:12As the male flies, he repeatedly cracks his wings together.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14CLICKING
0:18:19 > 0:18:22If the female is interested, she joins him in flight over the heath.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28After travelling thousands of miles to this small patch of Dorset,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31these two nightjars have found each other.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40CLICKING AND CHURRING
0:18:43 > 0:18:45The male will find a nesting site,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48usually a patch of ground hidden in the heather.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58There they will take turns between feeding and incubating their eggs.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Midsummer nights are prime hunting time
0:19:21 > 0:19:23for Britain's best-loved mammal.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25SNIFFING
0:19:32 > 0:19:35A hedgehog's spines may protect it from enemies
0:19:35 > 0:19:38but they aren't so good at protecting it from the cold.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46That's why they like a balmy night to visit a garden full of worms.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56But when he catches a whiff of something on the breeze...
0:19:57 > 0:20:02..a female on heat, all thoughts of food are now gone.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16He just can't help himself.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21There's not much point looking for her.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23His eyesight is hopeless.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30He will have to sniff her out instead.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Success. There she is.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48SNIFFING
0:20:52 > 0:20:55But his challenges are only beginning.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Female hedgehogs don't give up their virtue easily.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Other males are likely to be hot on her trail, too.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06So he is going to have to work hard and fast.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08SNIFFING
0:21:21 > 0:21:25The male seems to be going quite literally round in circles.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28But that's all part of the ritual.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32She will give him a cold and very prickly shoulder to test him out.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The more persistent he is, the tougher
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and therefore better a partner he is likely to be.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Alas, it looks like tonight is not his lucky night.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09If and when he does get lucky, we will certainly hear about it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12GRUNTING
0:22:27 > 0:22:29For most of us,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33the trials of our British wildlife pass us by unnoticed.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43For us, summer is playtime.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Right now is the best chance for a good spell of fair weather.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It's the time we hold fetes,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56fairs and festivals up and down the country.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Most of us have our fingers crossed that the fine weather will last.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12..Northern Ireland definitely getting the best of the day's sunshine.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Highs of 22, lows of 19. So make sure...
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Sunshine will break through and we will see some sunny spells.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20All parts of the UK...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The weather forecast becomes a national obsession...
0:23:24 > 0:23:28..because so much of what we do in the summer depends on good weather.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42One thing you can't do in bad weather is fly a balloon...
0:23:43 > 0:23:46..as the hundreds of pilots at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta
0:23:46 > 0:23:48know only too well.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59On the same day, under a footpath on the other side of the city,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02a colony of ants has also been waiting for the right weather.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14They are about to mate and they are going to do it in the air.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18This is flying ant day.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Ants all over the city have forecast this moment.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It is the only time they will ever fly.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The latest study shows that the ants prefer to fly
0:24:45 > 0:24:48between 4pm and 6pm in the afternoon.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The balloonist needs a gentle breeze and cool temperatures.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Taking off en masse is simply good fun.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10For the ants, mass ascent is important
0:25:10 > 0:25:13to overwhelm insect-eating birds in the sky above.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24No matter what the forecast is for the August bank holiday,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28it seems everyone hits the roads and heads for the coast.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Unfortunately, the warmest time of our year can also be the wettest.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56The key ingredients for a storm are moisture and warm air.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01In summer, on a little island surrounded by sea, we have both.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15THUNDERCLAP
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Whilst we struggle to keep smiling, stuck on a wet motorway...
0:26:38 > 0:26:41..a hungry army is mobilising.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51# The weather is frightening
0:26:51 > 0:26:53# The thunder and lightning
0:26:53 > 0:26:55# Seem to be having their way
0:26:57 > 0:26:59# But as far as I'm concerned
0:26:59 > 0:27:02# It's a lovely day... #
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Snails hate a dry summer.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11When it rains though, gardeners beware.
0:27:13 > 0:27:19# As far as I'm concerned it's a lovely day
0:27:19 > 0:27:23# And everything's OK
0:27:26 > 0:27:30# Isn't this a lovely day to be caught in the rain? #
0:27:33 > 0:27:36The tidy gardener suffers more than the messy one.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42With no dead or decaying leaves lying around,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45the snails head for our vegetables instead.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00# I can see the sun up high
0:28:00 > 0:28:02# Though we're caught in the storm
0:28:05 > 0:28:10# I can see where you and I could be cosy and warm
0:28:12 > 0:28:14# Let the rain pitter-patter
0:28:14 > 0:28:17# Well it really doesn't matter
0:28:17 > 0:28:19# If the skies are grey
0:28:21 > 0:28:25# As long as I can be with you it's a lovely day. #
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Summer rain is just what the snails need.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44But then they have their own house to shelter in when it gets too much.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53For many other small animals, rain can be devastating.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07One of Britain's strangest
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and most deadly hunters never comes out in the rain.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16We will only spot it when the sun is shining,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20always laying its ambush on the warmer south side of the pond.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Raft spiders - Europe's biggest.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41She doesn't spin a web but uses the surface tension
0:29:41 > 0:29:44of the water as both trap and trigger to catch her food.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50With her front legs resting on the surface
0:29:50 > 0:29:53and her back legs on the reeds, she waits.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58She senses every ripple and can tell
0:29:58 > 0:30:02when it is being created by a raindrop or by an insect prey.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Pond-skaters are even faster than she is.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38But with the glut of summer insects, her chance is sure to come.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46A fly crash-lands and is held fast by the water's surface film.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57By detecting the direction of the ripples
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and the intervals between them,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02the spider can pinpoint its exact position.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30If there is ever a summer heat wave,
0:31:30 > 0:31:32we can cool off
0:31:32 > 0:31:35with a paddle or a quick dip.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40# We'll sing in the sunshine Sing in the sunshine
0:31:40 > 0:31:44# We'll laugh every day Laugh every day
0:31:44 > 0:31:46# We'll sing in the sunshine... #
0:31:46 > 0:31:49For our wildlife, it isn't always that easy.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55# Sing in the sunshine. #
0:31:57 > 0:32:00On this heathland, there are millions of wood ants.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06In late summer, each colony has countless young to feed
0:32:06 > 0:32:08so hunting parties scour the ground for prey
0:32:08 > 0:32:10or carrion to bring back to the nest.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23They deliberately construct their nest in the open to catch the sun.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28But today is the hottest day of the year.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33As the sun climbs,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35the temperatures in the nest begin to rise, too.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38It becomes dangerously hot.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45But the ants have a solution.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52They open up ventilation holes in the surface of the nest,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54allowing cool air in and warm air out.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25The sun's effects are also felt at sea, even on the sea floor.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31In the shallow water off Cornwall, there is a secret world.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Beds of hard, pink algae called maerle bask in the sun.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Living amongst the maerle is a sea urchin
0:33:47 > 0:33:51with exactly the same problem as a fair-skinned sunbather.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54It needs protection from the sun's rays.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07So it covers-up.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13It uses its sticky feet to pick up small pieces of the maerle
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and carefully covers itself.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Within an hour or so,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32it has constructed its very own bright pink sunscreen.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43By mid-August, the countryside is starting to look a bit weary.
0:34:43 > 0:34:49Most flowers have gone over and the vivid greens are starting to fade.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52But there is time for one last burst of colour.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Heathlands are transformed
0:35:00 > 0:35:04as every heather plant produces thousands of individual flowers...
0:35:09 > 0:35:12..that combined, smother the moors with pink and purple.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33The heather is the last plant to flower.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39As the sun's power fades,
0:35:39 > 0:35:45most of Britain's wild plants have started to ripen and set seed.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58The world is turning from green to yellow.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Now it's our chance to harvest the sun.
0:36:32 > 0:36:37The window of opportunity can be brief. Farmers must act quickly.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54The patchwork quilt of our countryside changes
0:36:54 > 0:36:57as farmers race against the elements.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Long experience of so many fickle British summers has taught them
0:37:13 > 0:37:15to make hay while the sun shines...
0:37:17 > 0:37:20..even if that means working through the night.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56In the hedges surrounding the harvested fields,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00the wild harvest is underway.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04As summer starts to fade, plants divert as much energy as possible
0:38:04 > 0:38:07into dispersing their seeds before the spring.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20They can't move so they get help from creatures that can.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24They encase their seeds in something that is tasty and easy to see.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29They've timed this incentive perfectly,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31attracting birds looking to feed up for the lean months ahead.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Close to the city of Nottingham
0:38:51 > 0:38:56is a river bank lined with bushes of blackberry and elderberry.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59The fruit are ripe...
0:38:59 > 0:39:02but not all will end up attracting a hungry bird.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Gudgeon, roach and perch completely ignore them...
0:39:22 > 0:39:25..but one fish takes notice.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Chub.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33They will eat just about anything they can get in their mouths.
0:39:37 > 0:39:43It's thanks to these plump, unfussy fish that the word "chubby"
0:39:43 > 0:39:47has been used in this country for around 500 years.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50The chub may not disperse the seeds
0:39:50 > 0:39:53but we can't blame them for eating the fruit.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Above the surface, many of us are doing exactly the same thing.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Blackberry picking marks the end of summer.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Pick enough and you can fill the freezer with enough pies,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18puddings and preserves to last a winter.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22If the kids can wait that long.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28The last harvest of the British summer
0:40:28 > 0:40:31is for some the most anticipated.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40The tranquillity of this Hereford orchard
0:40:40 > 0:40:44is about to be shaken to its very core.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46ENGINE NOISE AND LOUD RUSTLING
0:41:00 > 0:41:04It's not a very subtle way of picking apples and pears
0:41:04 > 0:41:06but it does the trick.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08And fast.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Some may be bruised but that's fine.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17They aren't for eating.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27They are destined to make a drink that is celebrated in many parts.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38A drink that we make 600 million litres of every year
0:41:38 > 0:41:40and drink more of than any other country.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Cider.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Summer is waning,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21heralded by a new natural wonder
0:42:21 > 0:42:24as early morning dew collects on spiders' silken webs.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37The most obvious webs are built by orb-weavers
0:42:37 > 0:42:40as they feast on the last of the summer insect boom.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47This is a pretty good time to be a spider.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00But it's the spiders we don't notice that are about
0:43:00 > 0:43:03to leave their spectacular mark on the British summer.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09An acre of meadow may be home to two million tiny money spiders.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Before they mate, most begin to climb as high as they can.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31With so many brothers and sisters nearby,
0:43:31 > 0:43:35the best chance to avoid inbreeding is to put as much distance
0:43:35 > 0:43:38as possible between themselves and their siblings.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Once at the top, they anchor themselves with a safety line.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Then they spin a second line that streams into the air.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19If conditions are right, the second ballooning line
0:44:19 > 0:44:23catches the wind and they lift off in countless numbers.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Once they cut themselves free of their safety lines...
0:44:42 > 0:44:44..all that is left is gossamer.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55A late summer spectacle that captures the golden light
0:44:55 > 0:44:57and captures the imagination.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31It's September. Boom time is over.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34The rush to feed, to grow, has come to an end.
0:45:47 > 0:45:52Everyone has their own idea of what signals the end of summer
0:45:52 > 0:45:56but few things symbolise it better than the swallows leaving.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12They are just one of many visitors that have
0:46:12 > 0:46:15shared our spectacular summer bounty.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Their chicks have been fattened on the glut of insects...
0:46:41 > 0:46:45..and on warm summer evenings, they've quenched their thirst
0:46:45 > 0:46:47and washed in our cool, clear rivers.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01This is a visitor that, like the hobby and the nightjar,
0:47:01 > 0:47:03has flown thousands of miles,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06risking its life to be a part of the British summer.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20But as the summer sun fades, they know that it is time to go.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44As they leave, there is a gentle shift in the country.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54For the animals left behind, there may be less competition
0:47:54 > 0:47:57but tough times lie ahead.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04Nature needs to get ready.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Autumn is coming.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Wildlife film-making needs technical knowledge,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55years of experience, a lot of specialist equipment,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58patience and of course, a bit of luck.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14In any wildlife series, it's the animals that are the stars.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17But The Great British Year had an extra challenge -
0:49:17 > 0:49:20to evoke the dynamic nature of the British landscape.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30This is where time-lapse photography comes into its own -
0:49:30 > 0:49:34using digital stills cameras that record image after image
0:49:34 > 0:49:37that are then stitched together to provide a unique perspective
0:49:37 > 0:49:39of the passage of time.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49The crew wanted to showcase the most dramatic seasonal changes
0:49:49 > 0:49:52and the most spectacular weather not just in one location
0:49:52 > 0:49:55but across the whole country.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58The problem is we simply couldn't be everywhere at once.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02To our surprise,
0:50:02 > 0:50:05scattered across Britain were dozens of talented enthusiasts,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09already filming time-lapses off their own bat.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10Lots of them.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Social media really revolutionised this for us,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18because we could find this network of people in the first place.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21When we found them, we could contact them,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23we could find out what they're doing on a daily basis,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25we can look at clips of what they're shooting,
0:50:25 > 0:50:30enabling us to keep in contact with this huge network of people.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32As word spread online, the network grew,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and more and more clips started coming in.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41These guys are filming on their local patch -
0:50:41 > 0:50:44they know it, they know the best areas to film,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46they know where to get the best of the light.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48It's their kit, so they're used to it.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50There's a lot of trial and error,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52but the results have been astonishing.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Stills photographer Tom Walker had barely filmed time-lapses
0:51:00 > 0:51:01before the project started.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04But he quickly became something of an expert
0:51:04 > 0:51:06at capturing the worst of the British weather.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I've been a bit of a storm chaser, over the past few months.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12If you're watching a storm happening,
0:51:12 > 0:51:14then you've missed it, cos it happens so fast
0:51:14 > 0:51:16and it comes over so quick.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17You've got to read the landscape,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20read where the sky is going to end up, get to the place,
0:51:20 > 0:51:24frame it up, and hope it comes - if it comes, you've got it.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Meanwhile, another cameraman was busy
0:51:29 > 0:51:31tackling the unpredictable harvest.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35I really like doing the human-related stuff.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36When I was doing the harvest,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39you can see it happening in front of you.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41And my mum will laugh at this,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45but it's a bit like hoovering - not that I do that much of it.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47When you Hoover a really dirty carpet
0:51:47 > 0:51:48and you leave a white line in it,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51it's kind of, like, a sense of achievement.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56You've got a field that starts off with chest-high corn or something,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59and then it all completely disappears by the end of it.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09The night harvest stuff was quite tricky -
0:52:09 > 0:52:11there's only so many fields they needed to harvest,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13and if the weather's good,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15they try and do as much as possible during the day.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17So I had to really nail that.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20I think it worked, in the end - or I hope it worked.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Up to now, we'd been using social media
0:52:34 > 0:52:36to mobilise the time-lapse teams.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39But as word of the project spread,
0:52:39 > 0:52:43the wildlife-watching public also got involved.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46It sort of grew exponentially, it just went "boom!"
0:52:46 > 0:52:47At one point,
0:52:47 > 0:52:51it felt like every British natural history enthusiast in the country
0:52:51 > 0:52:53was part of our team and helping us out.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55We had thousands of people,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58and they are amateurs, they're experts,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01they're bird watchers, they're artists,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03some of them are scientists, photographers,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05stills photographers...
0:53:05 > 0:53:07And it's this huge network of people with their eyes on the ground
0:53:07 > 0:53:09and they know what's going on.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Stories started coming in that the team hadn't even considered,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24critically tipping us off about where and when.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29For one episode, it was the moulting seals in Cornwall,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31and later in the year,
0:53:31 > 0:53:33kites following the ploughs in Oxfordshire.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49Jack Perks got in touch
0:53:49 > 0:53:52about his own personal wildlife passion.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54I describe myself really as a fish twitcher.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Certain fish species will excite me a little bit too much.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02I mean, I can start to ID them just by looking at their backs -
0:54:02 > 0:54:04you get a lot of similar species,
0:54:04 > 0:54:06and as long as I get a fairly good look,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08I can pretty much pinpoint it
0:54:08 > 0:54:11out of the 45 freshwater fish that we have in the UK.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14His knowledge of local rivers
0:54:14 > 0:54:17led us to one of the stranger stories in the series -
0:54:17 > 0:54:20fish gorging on late summer berries.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23It's kind of something a lot of fishermen know that,
0:54:23 > 0:54:26in autumn, a lot of fish will wait under the bushes
0:54:26 > 0:54:28for elderberries and blackberries to fall into the water,
0:54:28 > 0:54:31and these fish will take them.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35I thought, "OK, this could make a nice piece for a seasonal series."
0:54:42 > 0:54:44On the back of some early successes,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47the team were ready to attempt the most complex shots,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49filmed by a small group of specialists
0:54:49 > 0:54:53who take time-lapse photography to the highest level.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55The favourite shots I like to do
0:54:55 > 0:54:58are shots that haven't been done before -
0:54:58 > 0:55:00sort of, brand-new ground,
0:55:00 > 0:55:03and see what I can do with the camera.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Chad's challenge was to evoke the dramatic beauty
0:55:09 > 0:55:14of an ancient oak tree as it changed throughout the year.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15To achieve this,
0:55:15 > 0:55:17he would need to visit the tree on several occasions,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20each time ensuring the camera's movement
0:55:20 > 0:55:21was repeated precisely.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25We couldn't resist filming the whole operation.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27In time-lapse, of course.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29What you have here, basically,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32is a crane, time-lapsing the oak tree.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34We have a track,
0:55:34 > 0:55:37time-lapsing us time-lapsing the oak tree.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40And just for fun, we have here another track,
0:55:40 > 0:55:42time-lapsing the time-lapse
0:55:42 > 0:55:44which is time-lapsing us time-lapsing the oak tree,
0:55:44 > 0:55:45if that makes sense!
0:55:59 > 0:56:03Time-lapse revealed a side of Britain that we rarely see.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31What none of the team expected to see
0:56:31 > 0:56:34was a phenomenon usually found in the high Arctic.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40My name's Barry Stewart.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45I'm a joiner to trade, but my passion is really time-lapse photography.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52I usually come here to take some star time-lapses -
0:56:52 > 0:56:55it's a lovely building to have as a foreground.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58So one particular night, I came out. It was a lovely, clear, starry night.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01On the way down, I could see some faint lights in the sky.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03I wasn't sure what it was at first.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05I just set my camera up and took a random exposure
0:57:05 > 0:57:07and it came out bright green.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11So I thought, "Amazing! This is an unpredicted aurora."
0:57:12 > 0:57:15And then, all of a sudden, it was like an explosion of colour.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17The aurora was just dancing, really high overhead,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20and like electric currents and pulses.
0:57:20 > 0:57:21It was just fantastic to see.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24It's one of the best time-lapses I've took.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27And you do get really good auroras here.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30You don't have to go to Norway, you can just come to Wick.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41Whether it was time-lapse photographers
0:57:41 > 0:57:43or naturalists on the internet,
0:57:43 > 0:57:45the Great British public were essential
0:57:45 > 0:57:48to the making of The Great British Year.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01To get a free copy of this poster about British seasons,
0:58:01 > 0:58:05call 0845 271 0017.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09Or go to bbc.co.uk/greatbritishyear.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Follow the links to the Open University
0:58:11 > 0:58:14and take part in our seasonal wildlife census.
0:58:37 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd