:00:00. > :00:08.We've survived Hallowe'en and we're back!
:00:09. > :00:11.The nights are drawing in, so we've donned our wellies
:00:12. > :00:31.And one of the season's greatest migrations is happening here now.
:00:32. > :00:52.That can mean only one thing. It's time for Autumnwatch.
:00:53. > :01:00.Yes, hello and welcome to Autumnwatch 2015. Coming to you from
:01:01. > :01:03.the wonderful Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve up here at
:01:04. > :01:08.Caerlaverock. I'm going stick my neck out and say that this is going
:01:09. > :01:12.to be a fantastic series. I'm confident, because I already know
:01:13. > :01:16.we've got some great new science to show you, badgers and red deer, and
:01:17. > :01:22.later in the series we are going to show you, for your eyes only, the
:01:23. > :01:25.world's finest bird. Not the finest species but the finest individual
:01:26. > :01:29.bird, so put the plastic sheets over the sofa and get your rubber
:01:30. > :01:33.underpants out, because it is so good it will produce unusual
:01:34. > :01:40.reactions in the keen birders. Oh yes! But where is WWT Caerlaverock?
:01:41. > :01:47.There's the UK on the edge of Western Europe. Zoom in to
:01:48. > :01:55.south-western Scotland. Carlisle in England, and we were on the Solway
:01:56. > :01:59.Firth. We'll be exploring all the wildlife around Caerlaverock over
:02:00. > :02:03.the next four nights. We've been keeping an eye on how autumn has
:02:04. > :02:08.been unfolding throughout the rest of the UK. We are going to bring you
:02:09. > :02:28.plenty of autumn colour, drama and spectacle.
:02:29. > :03:03.Wow, it's coming over me. I love the idea of them calve arting on the
:03:04. > :03:09.lawn. Jolly exciting this, beats Strictly. I will tell you, Chris, I
:03:10. > :03:15.would watch. I will definitely be hanging around for the next four
:03:16. > :03:19.days. Our mission is to put our biological fingers firmly on the
:03:20. > :03:23.pulse of this autumn. This one will be different from all of the others.
:03:24. > :03:28.We want to study how it's having an influence on our wildlife right now.
:03:29. > :03:33.So let's start with today. Today was not such a good day for some of you.
:03:34. > :03:41.Commiserations for all of those who missed your flights. But a Quantum
:03:42. > :03:45.of Solace descended on Caerlaverock, a mist which didn't impinge too much
:03:46. > :03:52.on the birds who live here. But if you were out with your camera and
:03:53. > :03:58.sought some of, that we would love to see your photos. Send them to our
:03:59. > :04:01.Facebook site, via Twitter or our website. We very much welcome your
:04:02. > :04:06.engagement through social media. I definitely want to see some of the
:04:07. > :04:09.autumn colour, because it really has been stunning in some parts of the
:04:10. > :04:15.country, so get those photos into us. We've got live cameras around
:04:16. > :04:20.the reserve. This is a they weral camera on what we are calling the
:04:21. > :04:21.Folly Pond. This is what we would expect to see
:04:22. > :04:24.Folly Pond. This is what we would expect to see on that pond ould
:04:25. > :04:27.expect to see on that pond At this time of night - roosting geese,
:04:28. > :04:34.ducks and swans. They are certainly not sleeping. It will be interesting
:04:35. > :04:42.to see what else we get on that pond, as there've been foxes, deer.
:04:43. > :04:47.I hope to find a snoozing goose. We have two rodent cameras this time
:04:48. > :04:52.round. This one is inside our studio barn. We are hoping that maybe a
:04:53. > :04:55.couple of rodent might want to cosy up with us while we are doing the
:04:56. > :05:01.live show and take a peek. Nothing on there at the moment, but let's
:05:02. > :05:06.see what else we've got on our other live rodent cam. This is down a path
:05:07. > :05:11.and into a hedge. Nothing there right now... You've got a slug.
:05:12. > :05:16.Shall we get excited about a slug? Not yet. I think we can aim higher
:05:17. > :05:22.at this point in time. Perhaps the end of the series. We have had some
:05:23. > :05:27.action on that camera. This sweet little bank vole, rather adorable.
:05:28. > :05:31.Unless you are a very discerning vole spotter it is difficult to tell
:05:32. > :05:39.the difference between a bank or a field vole. Much bigger ears? Much
:05:40. > :05:43.bigger but not as big as a mouse. Field vole nestle inside the fur and
:05:44. > :05:49.the patina on that fur says that it is a bank vole, to the connoisseur.
:05:50. > :05:54.But with the best will in the world we haven't come all of this way to
:05:55. > :05:56.Caerlaverock to see bank voles. No, this place is packed with brilliant
:05:57. > :05:59.wildlife. This autumn, we've come to
:06:00. > :06:02.the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Caerlaverock Wetland Centre,
:06:03. > :06:09.on the wild North Solway coast. There are few places like this
:06:10. > :06:13.in Scotland. A sweeping landscape of mudflats,
:06:14. > :06:17.sandbanks and salt marsh that extends
:06:18. > :06:20.beyond the reserve itself into the At this time of year, the skies are
:06:21. > :06:31.alive with hundreds of thousands Barnacle geese and whooper swans,
:06:32. > :06:45.just two of the many charismatic Farming and conservation work
:06:46. > :06:49.hand-in-hand to provide a truly unique habitat for
:06:50. > :06:51.the many species that live here. It's the best place to witness
:06:52. > :07:19.autumn's migration spectacle. It really is a fantastic place for
:07:20. > :07:22.wildlife. It is one of the largest undisturbed estuaries in Europe,
:07:23. > :07:26.which is why it is so great for migrating birds. Here at
:07:27. > :07:30.Caerlaverock it's the perfect place to watch that migration unfold. But
:07:31. > :07:34.Caerlaverock isn't just a reserve, it's a working farm. In fact it is
:07:35. > :07:39.farmed for the benefit of wildlife, so they have barns and tractors and
:07:40. > :07:45.bales of hay. We've taken over this barn, got rid of the tractors and
:07:46. > :07:52.made it look rather cosy for us for the week. Don't eat all of the nuts
:07:53. > :07:55.at once. I will try not to. Here is the Solway Firth at the bottom. This
:07:56. > :07:58.is Scotland, south-western Scotland, and here's that bit of England you
:07:59. > :08:02.can see. That means Carlisle is down here. But the bit we are really
:08:03. > :08:08.interested this is this coastal strip that runs all the way round
:08:09. > :08:14.here. This is the Caerlaverock national nature reserve. 25% of the
:08:15. > :08:18.UK's salt marsh is here and it supports an astonishing number of
:08:19. > :08:26.wildlife. In the winter 140,000 birds come here and of those several
:08:27. > :08:31.are of international importance, the knot, the pintail and the oyster
:08:32. > :08:34.catches. Today I saw ducks, Goldeneye here, but we are also
:08:35. > :08:40.interested in the particular reserve that we are on. Here's Caerlaverock
:08:41. > :08:46.reserve. As Michaela said, it is laid out like a farm. In fact it is
:08:47. > :08:49.is very much about farming for the birds. This is the studio where we
:08:50. > :08:54.are here. Here's the visitor centre. You can see around here there are
:08:55. > :08:59.lots of other ponds. These are great for attracting birds not only in the
:09:00. > :09:06.day but at night. There's one pond which is only about 30-40 metres the
:09:07. > :09:12.other side of this barn and that's the Folly Pond. Let's take a look at
:09:13. > :09:24.what we've got on that Folly Pond now. These are whooper swans,
:09:25. > :09:29.resting on the pond at night, safe from predators. These are fantastic
:09:30. > :09:34.birds, so elegant, Michaela. I thought I would like a whooper swan.
:09:35. > :09:39.I don't like birds with complicated bits on. We are going to be
:09:40. > :09:43.concentrating on whoopers. There are three different species of swan you
:09:44. > :09:45.commonly here are three different species of swan you commonly find in
:09:46. > :09:52.the UK - whoopers, Bewicks and mutes. Here at Caerlaverock they get
:09:53. > :09:56.mutes and whoopers. Look at this. You can see that the orange beaked
:09:57. > :09:59.one on the left is the mute swan, the resident one. The whooper is the
:10:00. > :10:04.one with the yellow beak. That's the one we are going to be focusing on,
:10:05. > :10:09.as those have just arrived from Iceland. They've flown 800 miles.
:10:10. > :10:16.They are the largest flying bird in the world. They've just recently
:10:17. > :10:22.arrived. You can see the cygnets behind, the grey birds. A couple of
:10:23. > :10:27.years before they get their adult plumage. They are a bit delayed this
:10:28. > :10:30.their rival arrival this year. Ayed this their rival arrival
:10:31. > :10:36.their rival arrival this year. Ayed this their rival ayed
:10:37. > :10:40.arrival this year. Some of them come here, some of them stay and others
:10:41. > :10:43.move on. We'll be learning a lot about them over the next four
:10:44. > :10:49.nights. And hopefully more might turn up as well, which will be
:10:50. > :10:54.great. Highly likely. What about Martin? Where is he? We are at the
:10:55. > :10:58.Caerlaverock reserve. He's our Action Man, the guy who is always
:10:59. > :11:06.out there, down cliff, up the tree, in the mud, in the river. Tonight
:11:07. > :11:10.we've sent him to Dumfries, about 10 miles, 16 kilometres for those of
:11:11. > :11:16.you at the kilometre stage of life. Martin is by the weir. How are you
:11:17. > :11:21.up there? Yes, I'm here right in the heart of Dumfries. It is rather
:11:22. > :11:26.beautiful, misty and foggy. I'm here by the weir, which is such a feature
:11:27. > :11:32.of the middle of the city. They've built this weir in 1705 because the
:11:33. > :11:37.river was eating away at the banks. In fact the weir is a fantastic
:11:38. > :11:44.place to come during the day to watch wildlife. All sorts of
:11:45. > :11:53.creatures come here. They are attracted by the fish, the lampreys,
:11:54. > :11:59.the eels in the water. Herons come along, and more exotic birds. I saw
:12:00. > :12:04.20 goose anders and a dipper. Cormorants too. They come and they
:12:05. > :12:10.are brilliant at taking advantage of any food source. And this, the grey
:12:11. > :12:14.wagtail, one of the loveliest neatest little birds, always found
:12:15. > :12:19.we water. That's all going on above the water. But what's really
:12:20. > :12:25.fascinating is what's happening underneath, because this river is
:12:26. > :12:30.teeming with salmon. Why are the salmon here? They've come from as
:12:31. > :12:35.far away as Norway into this river, because they want to breed. They are
:12:36. > :12:38.making their way upstream to find their breeding places. What's
:12:39. > :12:45.incredible smell the scent of this river. The ioly and the geography
:12:46. > :12:51.campaign so that hundreds of miles out to sea they can find this river.
:12:52. > :12:54.We've been trying to find them on the water, using this amazing
:12:55. > :13:00.device. It is called a fish finder and it is a little sonar device. It
:13:01. > :13:05.sends a signal from the water back to a tablet. Let's bung it out. Give
:13:06. > :13:11.you an idea what we've been doing. Excellent. And that will now start
:13:12. > :13:21.to send a signal back to the tablet here. That's the bottom of the River
:13:22. > :13:26.Nith. If you see what we've recorded before, look along the top there. It
:13:27. > :13:32.is a bit confusing, because you can see the bottom and there is a fish.
:13:33. > :13:37.That's a salmon. So it's full of them. In fact there are deep ponds
:13:38. > :13:41.all the way down here. What's really intriguing is the salmon often wait
:13:42. > :13:47.here this Dumfries for maybe 12 hours at a time before they move on
:13:48. > :13:52.upstream. Why on earth do they do that? Fascinating bit of science.
:13:53. > :13:56.The salmon have come from saltwater into fresh water. Very few animals
:13:57. > :14:03.can live in both salt and fresh water. She have to completely change
:14:04. > :14:08.their Oz Mo regulation. That means the fluid composition of their body.
:14:09. > :14:12.When they are in saltwater, what happens is that the fluid of their
:14:13. > :14:16.body is going out all the time. They have to drink and drink and drink.
:14:17. > :14:20.The will drink litres of water while they are in saltwater. When they are
:14:21. > :14:26.in fresh water it is completely the other way round. What happens is
:14:27. > :14:31.that water goes into their bodies, difficult fuses into their bodies.
:14:32. > :14:40.Cult fuses into their bodies. -- diffuses into their bodies. Their
:14:41. > :14:45.bodies have to create dilute urine. After they've osmo regulated they
:14:46. > :14:50.will go over the weir and punch their way 20 miles upstream to the
:14:51. > :14:58.tiny little tributaries where they want a spawn.
:14:59. > :15:05.It is incredibly difficult to see the salmon up there, and I didn't
:15:06. > :15:14.think we would be able to do it, until I met Jim Henderson from the
:15:15. > :15:29.Nith district fisheries board. Could he deliver?
:15:30. > :15:37.This couldn't be more dramatic. Right in front of us, a salmon.
:15:38. > :15:41.Absolutely. It's coming to the time of year when this tributary will
:15:42. > :15:45.have salmon running up it and spawning every night when the
:15:46. > :15:55.conditions are right. That salmon there is probably about 6lbs in
:15:56. > :16:01.weight. That Fischer select did this part of the river where it will make
:16:02. > :16:05.its nest, it is read and it is excavating the gravel, where she
:16:06. > :16:10.will eventually lay her eggs. When we see fish roe, you would imagine
:16:11. > :16:16.in this power of water, they would be washed away as soon as she lays
:16:17. > :16:21.them. The eggs are sticky and they fall down into the hole and stick to
:16:22. > :16:27.the substrate. She looks a little battered. What is that about? That
:16:28. > :16:45.is where she has jumped a series of barriers and falls to get here, that
:16:46. > :16:49.bomb and allows -- she is knocked and the mucus layer comes off her
:16:50. > :16:52.skin. Will she make it back to see? Yes, there is every chance that she
:16:53. > :16:56.will make it down to the sea and come back to spawn again. What an
:16:57. > :17:13.amazing story. Amazing. I had never seen that
:17:14. > :17:18.before. We missed the last act in the drama, which is when the hen
:17:19. > :17:24.fish actually lays her eggs. It is fascinating. This is what happens.
:17:25. > :17:35.When she has finished making that whole, there she is, the clock fish,
:17:36. > :17:41.he courts her, and look at his face. He goes in beside her, she lays the
:17:42. > :17:47.eggs, and that is him producing milk sperm and fertilising the egg is.
:17:48. > :17:52.She kicks up gravel which the current carries back and buries the
:17:53. > :17:57.eggs. Then those eggs stay underneath the gravel and they will
:17:58. > :18:02.hatch out. We have had a question from Finley Thompson, aged nine. He
:18:03. > :18:06.said, what happens when they have finished lame BA? Do they hang
:18:07. > :18:12.around? Good question. The female will turn around and go straight
:18:13. > :18:21.back over that we're and head back out to sea, and to Norway. The males
:18:22. > :18:25.stay for a lot longer, they want to fertilise the eggs of two or three
:18:26. > :18:32.different fish, and they generally will die in the river.
:18:33. > :18:38.Have a look at this. This is a fantastic science. This tiny little
:18:39. > :18:44.thing is a scale from one of the fish, Jim gave us that. You wouldn't
:18:45. > :18:48.think a scale could tell you much about a salmon, but you would be
:18:49. > :18:54.completely wrong. When you blow it up, does this remind you a bit of
:18:55. > :19:03.tree rings? You would be right? Each ring, it is not one year per ring,
:19:04. > :19:15.there are clump. We sent this scale to our friend James... Let me get it
:19:16. > :19:22.right... We sent it, anyway, and this is what he worked out. Out at
:19:23. > :19:31.sea, it probably spent two years in the river. And then as you go up
:19:32. > :19:36.there, that is the sea phase. She has grown a lot there. We know from
:19:37. > :19:42.this scale that the fish is three years old. The erosion around the
:19:43. > :19:47.edge here, that tells you the fish has been in the river a long time.
:19:48. > :19:52.And finally, he told us that she hasn't spawned yet. All of that
:19:53. > :19:56.information from one tiny little scale. I love science! Back to
:19:57. > :20:05.Chris. That is amazing that you can tell
:20:06. > :20:11.that much from one scale. And what I like about that we're, I bet you
:20:12. > :20:14.that every day people walk, cycle, drive past and never look down to
:20:15. > :20:22.see how much life is there. Later in the series we will go back to the
:20:23. > :20:32.weir in daylight, and there is some spectacular wildlife there.
:20:33. > :20:36.One bird is absolute elite synonymous with Caerlaverock. They
:20:37. > :20:38.are Black and Whites and noisy but they are fabulous.
:20:39. > :20:43.Weighing 1.7 kilograms, with a wingspan of 140 centimetres,
:20:44. > :20:50.They breed in the Arctic Circle, where they will defend
:20:51. > :20:58.In just 45 days, these chicks will be ready to fly 2000 miles
:20:59. > :21:14.They can cruise at 74 miles an hour, through some of the worst weather.
:21:15. > :21:17.But their wings are protected by hydrophobic oils, and the black
:21:18. > :21:20.feathers are filled with melanin for extra strength and resistance.
:21:21. > :21:23.They may lose up to a fifth of their body weight, but they can do the
:21:24. > :21:43.It is an amazing bird, and the story of it here at Caerlaverock is also
:21:44. > :21:47.an incredible one because it is a really successful conservation
:21:48. > :21:53.story. The entire Svalbard and population of barnacle geese spend
:21:54. > :21:59.the winter here in Caerlaverock, which makes it extremely important.
:22:00. > :22:04.But in the 1940s, the numbers of barnacle geese arriving here dropped
:22:05. > :22:10.dramatically. In 1948, just 300 individuals were counted. So, Sir
:22:11. > :22:15.Peter Scott, the founder of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, decided
:22:16. > :22:18.to make Caerlaverock into a reserve and manage the surrounding farmland
:22:19. > :22:25.area to make it the perfect habitat for these overwinter geese. And lots
:22:26. > :22:31.of other animals and birds as well. And it has been a fun nominal
:22:32. > :22:44.success story. From 319 48, they have recently had a record number
:22:45. > :22:53.here, 41,654. There was one in my caravan! It age or my sweet! Was it
:22:54. > :22:57.trying to keep warm? We are not doing a very good job of staying
:22:58. > :23:04.warm in my caravan stop had a Lake Annecy? They are very skilful, and
:23:05. > :23:18.they are surprisingly accurate when they are counting. Autumnwatch, an
:23:19. > :23:25.essential ingredient is a rut. Three years, we have gone up to Rum in the
:23:26. > :23:30.Hebrides for a bit of rutting action. So we have gone on a special
:23:31. > :23:33.mission to actually uncover something new. Only one man was fit
:23:34. > :23:39.for the job, Martin! Rugged Rum on the West Coast
:23:40. > :23:41.of Scotland. Just eight miles across,
:23:42. > :23:43.it's the wettest island Now,
:23:44. > :23:50.this wild island is the best place And in fact they've been researching
:23:51. > :24:00.them here for over 60 years. But despite that, there's still
:24:01. > :24:09.a yawning gap in their knowledge. A mystery. My mission is to
:24:10. > :24:12.come here and solve that mystery. Now,
:24:13. > :24:14.I've been here a few times before, but I don't think anyone knows these
:24:15. > :24:22.dear quite so well as Ali Morris. So, you're studying them with
:24:23. > :24:24.the other researchers pretty much Well,
:24:25. > :24:30.that's the million-dollar question. I mean, I have theories about what I
:24:31. > :24:39.think might happen at night, ranging from absolutely nothing to
:24:40. > :24:44.it could be like pandemonium. So how
:24:45. > :24:52.on earth am I going to discover what Now, I'm going to be here all night,
:24:53. > :25:04.but I won't be sleeping. Up there is
:25:05. > :25:10.a thermal imaging camera. It's a wide-angle one
:25:11. > :25:12.which will look all the way across the greens here and try to
:25:13. > :25:16.find out exactly what's going on. For a close-up look, I've got this,
:25:17. > :25:18.which is So with all this technology,
:25:19. > :25:26.I should be able to find out what's So long as it works,
:25:27. > :25:34.and so long as I stay awake. My main focus tonight is going to be
:25:35. > :25:37.the dominant stag currently holding On the green with him are a group of
:25:38. > :25:55.hinds, female red deer, his harem. His job is to try to defend
:25:56. > :26:00.his hinds against all comers. There are stags roaring
:26:01. > :26:04.on the hilltops all around, and they will fight, sometimes to
:26:05. > :26:13.the death, for the right to be here Ever alert,
:26:14. > :26:16.he rarely has a moment to rest. Well, that's exactly what I'm
:26:17. > :26:40.hoping to find out. It's all good stuff. Only he would
:26:41. > :26:45.camp on top of the car. I think that looks quite cool. Is that not your
:26:46. > :26:48.cup of tea? It is not my bag, camping on top of cars. I can think
:26:49. > :26:54.of more comfortable ways to watch the annals. It is not just Martin
:26:55. > :26:57.trying to film the deer at night, we have been out and about on the
:26:58. > :27:03.reserve filming on our thermal camera. Let's take a look at what
:27:04. > :27:15.the cameramen have got. This is a rodeo outside the Peter Scott Hyde.
:27:16. > :27:30.And swans and geese. Rabbit doing what they do best. And water rail,
:27:31. > :27:33.very difficult you can see it is a water rail because of the long legs.
:27:34. > :27:42.And that is very hard on thermal camera to see those birds in the
:27:43. > :27:52.Cherry. Judging by their poo, they are more hen! And we have also had
:27:53. > :28:02.lots of foxy action. Is this a young fox? Nice thick brush, I think that
:28:03. > :28:08.is an adult. It is obviously eating something, and I wondered whether it
:28:09. > :28:12.could be slugs. More likely worms, they do eat them. It scared the
:28:13. > :28:19.living daylights out of that Rabbit! It scuttled off to die
:28:20. > :28:27.another Day. They are thermal cameras, so although we can see it,
:28:28. > :28:34.it is pitch black out there. We do get a false perspective on those
:28:35. > :28:41.cameras. And I think we have a badger on one of our live cameras.
:28:42. > :28:46.We are being told it is. I am just going to go in. There is a rabbit on
:28:47. > :28:52.top of the bank to the left, but that animal where I think is a
:28:53. > :28:55.badger. We will be keeping an eye on it, and if it comes closer to the
:28:56. > :29:05.camera, we will go straight through it. Foxes urbanised themselves in
:29:06. > :29:09.the UK in the 1930s. Initially in the south of England, but these days
:29:10. > :29:15.we get urban foxes as far north as Newcastle. But what about the
:29:16. > :29:20.badger? They started much later. They were first seen in cities in
:29:21. > :29:24.the 1960s, but up take was slow. So we need to know a little more about
:29:25. > :29:30.our urban badgers, as they have increased. So I went down to
:29:31. > :29:32.Brighton to see how some new sciences revealing exciting things
:29:33. > :29:40.about the way they live alongside us in our cities.
:29:41. > :29:50.This is Brighton, and ten years ago a study of urban badgers here showed
:29:51. > :29:53.there were as many as 30 animals were square kilometre. That's one of
:29:54. > :29:57.the largest densities of urban badgers anywhere in Europe. So we
:29:58. > :30:03.though that they do live here, but now what we want to know is how they
:30:04. > :30:09.live here. Yes, we know a lot about the lives of rural badgers but very
:30:10. > :30:16.little about their townie cousins. Dr Dawn Scott at the University of
:30:17. > :30:20.Britain wants to rectify that, so she has collared seven badgers
:30:21. > :30:25.across various setts in the city. One of these is in the cemetery.
:30:26. > :30:32.That's where we've headed first We are in a main sett here. And it is
:30:33. > :30:37.right amongst the stones. This one is 1872. I wouldn't be surprised if
:30:38. > :30:42.they were digging out a few bonus from time to time. They can
:30:43. > :30:48.occasionally dig out skulls. Part and parcel of the process of
:30:49. > :30:52.recycling I suppose. Who lives here? We've got Cherry, an adult female,
:30:53. > :30:57.and five other adults. In a main sett we can have up to 30, but in
:30:58. > :31:02.urban environments we are finding a smaller clan size. An average of
:31:03. > :31:06.five or six. But if it weren't for the stones we could be in the
:31:07. > :31:14.countryside. We could be in any woodland. Cherry's collar has been
:31:15. > :31:18.trans-Mitting data for four weeks, allowing Dawn to track her every
:31:19. > :31:25.move. Now for the exciting bit. The data. What have we got here is this
:31:26. > :31:30.this is Cherry. You can see she's staying inside the cemetery and not
:31:31. > :31:34.going outside. It is 200 by 100m. A very small area isn't it? It's tiny.
:31:35. > :31:43.When I think back to the study I was doing in the 1980s of rural badgers
:31:44. > :31:47.I remember 1.5, 1.6, one of them 1.83 square kilometres, so this is a
:31:48. > :31:52.tiny area by comparison. Yes. Who else do you have data for? This is
:31:53. > :31:57.Lottie, and he's in an allotment. You can see from this data she's not
:31:58. > :32:02.really going outside of that allotment and she is using the
:32:03. > :32:06.gardens that back on, 25 gardens and an allotment, and that's supporting
:32:07. > :32:12.her and her sett. She doesn't like to cross the roads? No, tinge roads
:32:13. > :32:16.are quite strong barriers for badgers. You rarely see them on the
:32:17. > :32:21.streets. They are restricted to these tiny green spaces. Does that
:32:22. > :32:25.mean that in urban situations they are not rubbing up against one
:32:26. > :32:32.another, one group not against another? You don't have a patchwork
:32:33. > :32:36.or jigsaw of badger setts against each other so. They don't need to be
:32:37. > :32:42.territorial, so you don't see them doing the same behaviour as rural
:32:43. > :32:46.badgers. Given that urban badgers have tiny home ranges, how are they
:32:47. > :32:52.finding enough food to survive? To answer this question we've headed to
:32:53. > :32:59.the other side of town to visit an established sett at the bottom of a
:33:00. > :33:02.suburban garden. It is home to Plum, another of Dawn's collared badgers,
:33:03. > :33:08.and she has struck lucky in her choice of urban home. There's a
:33:09. > :33:14.pond, fruit trees, a veg patch and free handouts from the owners. We've
:33:15. > :33:31.rigged the garden and I'm hoping we can meet her. There's one there.
:33:32. > :33:37.There's two of them there. Yes. That's definitely Plum with the
:33:38. > :33:42.collar. In this sett there's two adult females and at least three
:33:43. > :33:48.cubs. She's about six or seven years old. Is she?! She looks in really
:33:49. > :33:58.good condition. She is. She's a big badger. She's about 13 kilo Grands
:33:59. > :34:03.Prix. Wow! She is about 13 kgs. Wow! That's heavy for a badger. It is all
:34:04. > :34:07.those jam sandwiches. We need a badger gym. And this time of year is
:34:08. > :34:19.their maximum weight, as they have to put on loads of weight to survive
:34:20. > :34:23.the winter. They go into a a slight torpid state before the winter.
:34:24. > :34:27.Compared to the rural ones it will be warmer in here in the winter
:34:28. > :34:32.won't it, so not as harsh, and we are on the South Coast, we rarely
:34:33. > :34:36.get snow or heavy frosts here. And the food resources will be here.
:34:37. > :34:44.Yes, the jam sandwiches keep going all the way through Christmas. She's
:34:45. > :34:52.a lovely looking animal though. It is not every day you get close to
:34:53. > :34:56.Britain's large's predator. Despite the fact that they are obviously
:34:57. > :35:02.used to human smells and all the noise, they are still quite cautious
:35:03. > :35:08.aren't they? Yes, andshire shyer than foxes. That's why it is so
:35:09. > :35:15.special to see them in your garden. Britain's large's can roar but it is
:35:16. > :35:24.a very shy, timid creature. I wish it was my garden. It would be
:35:25. > :35:35.fantastic. Imagine the cubs. Calve arting on the lawn. -- quotering on
:35:36. > :35:41.the lawn. -- cavorting on my lawn. Truly surprising. I've been looking
:35:42. > :35:46.at badgers from the age of 8. 8. If had asked me how much area they need
:35:47. > :35:49.in the city, I would have said it is more than that. This is the garden
:35:50. > :35:54.area where she is normally hanging out. That's where we were, about
:35:55. > :35:59.there. She has one other little area she goes to. This is a playing field
:36:00. > :36:05.on this side. We are looking at an area here of a maximum of 200 metres
:36:06. > :36:09.by about 100m. And last year she even managed to rear three cubs,
:36:10. > :36:14.getting all of her resource there is this area. But how about the foxes
:36:15. > :36:20.in Brighton? We looked at them a couple of years ago. Dawn Scott was
:36:21. > :36:24.studying them. Here is the data from one of those fox territories, in a
:36:25. > :36:28.similar part of Brighton. Look at how much larger the area is fox uses
:36:29. > :36:34.and the way that it spreads itself out. It has several hot spots that
:36:35. > :36:40.it visits over here and down here. When we looked at these animals we
:36:41. > :36:44.figured out these were places where people were deliberately putting
:36:45. > :36:48.food out for those foxes. So the foxes will journey from one part of
:36:49. > :36:54.their range frequently to another in order to get that food. But how and
:36:55. > :36:58.why do they do that? The urban fox lives in a very different way.
:36:59. > :37:04.Firstly it is much better on the roads. Of course, some of them get
:37:05. > :37:10.run over, but a lot more badgers do. Then it is good at scavenging the
:37:11. > :37:14.bins. It goes out on to the road, but there is another trick up its
:37:15. > :37:19.sleeve, its agility. When we were watching the foxes in Brighton we
:37:20. > :37:24.saw them jumping over walls, once even jumping on to the wall of a
:37:25. > :37:27.garage. They can spread themselves over this much larger resource
:37:28. > :37:32.because they are physically able. The badger, not being so agile, has
:37:33. > :37:37.to restrict itself. But it is still a remarkable thing that they can use
:37:38. > :37:41.such small areas. And it is also fantastic as towns and cities are
:37:42. > :37:47.expanding that they can adapt to survive in an urban area. Technical
:37:48. > :37:52.data is important but it is also really important to get a complete
:37:53. > :37:59.picture that we get regular sightings of badgers in urban areas.
:38:00. > :38:04.Last sum we asked tow let us know if you saw any badgers in your towns
:38:05. > :38:11.and cities. Many of you replied, thank you. Dawn used that data as
:38:12. > :38:16.well as data from the RSPB for a new distribution match. M the RSPB for a
:38:17. > :38:21.new distribution match. -- map. The black ones are the new areas that
:38:22. > :38:25.urban badgers have been seen. There are new ones in Glasgow, East Anglia
:38:26. > :38:31.and Cornwall and Devon. But there are still lots of urban areas where
:38:32. > :38:35.they haven't been spotted. Leicester, Nottingham, Hull.
:38:36. > :38:39.Northern Ireland. It is just that they have not been reported are.
:38:40. > :38:45.Please, if you do spot any badgers in your towns and cities, let us
:38:46. > :38:48.know about it and if you are ur towns and cities, let us know about
:38:49. > :38:56.it and if you are using Twitter, use the # #settsinthecity.
:38:57. > :39:07.-- #settsinthecity. Here there is no woodland, and not much high ground,
:39:08. > :39:12.but we do have badgers here. Like the geese they like this pasture, so
:39:13. > :39:16.if there is an opportunity to live here they'll take it. We've got a
:39:17. > :39:20.couple of cameras to see if we can capture some badger action. This is
:39:21. > :39:24.on the side of the Folly Pond. You may think, why on earth would a
:39:25. > :39:29.badger like to come there? Every evening they throw grain out to feed
:39:30. > :39:33.swans. Some is spilled and the badgers come in to hoover up that
:39:34. > :39:42.grain. Another camera is on a trail leading from one of the setts. The
:39:43. > :39:48.ground is waterlogs so the setts are in the banks to prevent flooding. No
:39:49. > :39:53.activity live but we've seen some badger activity. This is an animal
:39:54. > :39:58.alongside the Folly Pond, it has probably come on the off-chance of
:39:59. > :40:05.grain. But it is after a far more typical prey. It spots something
:40:06. > :40:11.with its muddy nose, pulls it out and slurps it up. It is an
:40:12. > :40:15.earthworm. For a long time, I, we, thought that badgers were earthworm
:40:16. > :40:20.specialist feeders but that's largely been disproved. Dawn put me
:40:21. > :40:24.straight about that an Springwatch. Look how effective they are. This
:40:25. > :40:29.animal caught four worms they quickly. What I like is the way it
:40:30. > :40:33.gets theled with worm out of the ground without breaking it. I know
:40:34. > :40:38.you probably try to pull worms out of the ground... No. When you were a
:40:39. > :40:44.kid, and you were probably pulling a bit too hard and they break in two.
:40:45. > :40:49.The badger gets hold of the worm and waits for the worm to contract and
:40:50. > :40:55.loosen. Only then does it pull and gets the whole worm, which it sucks
:40:56. > :41:03.up into its mouth. It looks like a child sucking in spaghetti. Badgers,
:41:04. > :41:07.black and white animallings, nocturnal, black and white,
:41:08. > :41:13.difficult to firm. Barnacle geese, you would have thought they would
:41:14. > :41:17.be's especially when they are going from their roosting ground to their
:41:18. > :41:22.feeding ground. The other morning we got up at the crack of down to see
:41:23. > :41:35.if we could enjoy this fantastical barn cal geese spectacle.
:41:36. > :41:42.Martin and I have chosen to come to the edge of the mudflats and this is
:41:43. > :41:47.where lots of them have roosted overnight. We are hoping that we
:41:48. > :41:53.will see the spectacle of them all taking off and we'll be immersed in
:41:54. > :42:05.it when the sun rises. That's the plan anyway.
:42:06. > :42:13.The best thing about being up here is the view. Michaela and Martin are
:42:14. > :42:20.somewhere out there in the dinge. They are so far away in the clammy,
:42:21. > :42:25.damp cold that I can't see them. But I'm rather happy to be up here in
:42:26. > :42:29.the shelter of the dry tower, equipped with hot beverage and the
:42:30. > :42:34.potential of biscuits any minute now. I've always said they should be
:42:35. > :42:38.out in the dinge. What could be better Michaela than been out in it.
:42:39. > :42:44.You don't want to be stuck in a box like Chris. You want a box like
:42:45. > :42:49.Chris. You want to with here -- you want to be here smelling it, having
:42:50. > :42:58.them poo on you. I don't know about that bit! I was getting too
:42:59. > :43:07.romantic. Oh, dear, it's raining. Oh, no, it's raining. Pretend it is
:43:08. > :43:11.not happening, Michaela. It is not really raining. Oh, the geese are
:43:12. > :43:18.getting fidgety. Fidgety geese out there. I'm sure that's not a precise
:43:19. > :43:23.ornithological term, the fidgety geese. It is quite splendid up here
:43:24. > :43:28.and although I've been disparaging about the weather you do get a real
:43:29. > :43:34.sense of place, that flat expanse of the Solway Firth which is such an
:43:35. > :43:39.important habitat. Martin, do you think maybe we chose the wrong
:43:40. > :43:45.place? Maybe we should have been in the dry, because it is raining now.
:43:46. > :43:49.Chris to Michaela, come in. Talk of the devil! Chris, it's glorious out
:43:50. > :43:55.here. I don't know what you are doing in that tower being nice and
:43:56. > :44:00.dry, because it is lovely out here. No idea, it is not that comfortable
:44:01. > :44:07.up here either actually. Hold on just a sec. Two sugars, thanks. It
:44:08. > :44:12.is raining here, so what we would really appreciate is if you could
:44:13. > :44:30.send someone down with five muffins, thank you.
:44:31. > :44:36.It is weird, because they are out there, but it is nine o'clock now. I
:44:37. > :44:42.wonder if they are going to stay out there all day. I am a bit distracted
:44:43. > :44:50.was about 10,000 of them are taking off! All of those Barneys have taken
:44:51. > :44:56.off in one go, and we have a large number of geese in the air, heading
:44:57. > :45:05.this way. Is just an amazing sound, thousands of an call geese. But the
:45:06. > :45:17.extraordinary sound is that rumble when they alter -- all start taking
:45:18. > :45:23.off. This is what we come here for. It really is a kaleidoscope of
:45:24. > :45:30.words. You can definitely hear them. They are about 200 metres in
:45:31. > :45:43.front of me. I can't see the whites of their
:45:44. > :45:51.armies, but I can see them as individuals rather than a flock.
:45:52. > :45:58.That was great. It is a bit like the torturers and the hare. Martin and
:45:59. > :46:05.Michaela were out there thinking it was all going their own way, soaking
:46:06. > :46:11.wet, they didn't get their muffins. I just completely forgot. But then
:46:12. > :46:17.in the end, that was a good number of geese that came over. Must have
:46:18. > :46:24.been at least 2000. Truly spectacular. That is why we have
:46:25. > :46:36.come here. I'm still waiting for that muffin! Have you got it? And
:46:37. > :46:39.empty wrapper! I was going to say that there weren't any, but
:46:40. > :46:47.obviously there were! I gave them to the camera guys. It was an amazing
:46:48. > :46:54.spectacle. I know we were not that close, Martin and dive. And it is a
:46:55. > :47:01.real privilege to have the entire population here, but with privilege
:47:02. > :47:03.comes responsibility, and there is no room for complacency. There is
:47:04. > :47:10.never run for complacency in conservation. All those geese come
:47:11. > :47:15.to this one spot, exactly here, every year. Another migrant bird
:47:16. > :47:23.visits the UK every winter and has a different strategy. This is the
:47:24. > :47:32.Redwing, and they come to western Scotland, from Iceland. So the
:47:33. > :47:39.discerning birders among you will know that this is the slightly
:47:40. > :47:42.darker bird. About 650,000 visit, others from Scandinavia, but the
:47:43. > :47:48.interesting thing is that whilst they might come here this winter,
:47:49. > :47:52.and they may go on to France, Spain or even Portugal, next winter, the
:47:53. > :48:00.very same bird may go to Italy or Greece. So they are like explorers?
:48:01. > :48:05.Throughout their lives, they don't seem to keep coming back to the same
:48:06. > :48:08.place in the winter. Most birds do. It makes sense, once they have found
:48:09. > :48:17.a secure place with plenty of food, they come back, but the redwing is a
:48:18. > :48:21.rover throughout its life. You might not see redwings, but you might hear
:48:22. > :48:27.them, particularly at night when they migrate in big numbers. Listen
:48:28. > :48:40.out to a very high pitched sound, it is this noise.
:48:41. > :48:49.TWEETING. Even in the middle of the city, you
:48:50. > :48:55.can hear them. Chips! From the China Garden in Dumfries. Other chip shops
:48:56. > :49:00.are available. And I have to tell you, driving back, we chased a
:49:01. > :49:09.badger - carefully - all the way down the road. I thought it was good
:49:10. > :49:14.to come writing. Redwings field fares. You have been sending us some
:49:15. > :49:24.fabulous pictures of them that you have taken. They come from Finland
:49:25. > :49:36.and Russia, even. They will be feeding on berries. Thank you for
:49:37. > :49:41.these beautiful pictures. A all bigger bird than the redwing.
:49:42. > :49:46.Natures Callander wants to know when and where you have seen them. Or
:49:47. > :49:57.even if you hear them. All of the details are on the website. It is
:49:58. > :50:03.also the place to go for Autumnwatch extra, because it is not just the
:50:04. > :50:09.hour that we are on, it is an all-day, and peak times to watch are
:50:10. > :50:12.eight o'clock, one o'clock, four o'clock where you can join the team.
:50:13. > :50:13.That is online and o'clock where you can join the team.
:50:14. > :50:20.That is online and on the red button. Can I apologise to James
:50:21. > :50:25.Hunt who analysed the fish scale. From the Tweed foundation. I didn't
:50:26. > :50:40.say his name properly. It is now time to head north and west to the
:50:41. > :50:47.tiny island of Rum for the second installation of my night.
:50:48. > :50:49.As the light fades, my stakeout begins.
:50:50. > :50:54.Because Smooth is right there in front of me.
:50:55. > :50:57.I think the darkness has made him bold.
:50:58. > :51:05.Yes, I know, I don't want any of your hinds.
:51:06. > :51:10.On the thermal camera, you can't see his antlers at all.
:51:11. > :51:14.You can when he's very close, like this, but as soon as he goes a
:51:15. > :51:18.few more metres away, it's only his behaviour that shows you that he's
:51:19. > :51:27.the stag, because he is bellowing and roaring and chivvying the hinds.
:51:28. > :51:30.So far at least, there has been no let-up in the action.
:51:31. > :51:35.When a hind comes into oestrus, she may only be receptive to
:51:36. > :51:39.the stag for six hours or less, so darkness doesn't seem to offer
:51:40. > :51:53.The weather is not being kind to them, either.
:51:54. > :52:06.What I've just seen is hinds and calves leaving the greens,
:52:07. > :52:24.There's only one thing that's going on.
:52:25. > :52:29.My contact lenses are getting glued to my eyes.
:52:30. > :52:31.The rain has dampened everyone's spirits,
:52:32. > :52:41.but it's a welcome opportunity for me to test out the rooftop tent.
:52:42. > :52:54.There are two stags, it's not just Smooth, right outside the car.
:52:55. > :53:07.I would like to try and go down, but that would probably be unwise,
:53:08. > :53:27.Eventually, at five o'clock, I managed to descend safely, and
:53:28. > :53:37.If I had to guess, I would say that Smooth has been displaced.
:53:38. > :53:43.You can tell by the shape of his antlers.
:53:44. > :53:51.Although I heard lots and lots of roaring at half past three,
:53:52. > :53:55.I think I would have heard the clash of antlers.
:53:56. > :54:00.Is it because it's so dangerous for the stags to fight
:54:01. > :54:03.in the dark that they will sort it out by just roaring alone?
:54:04. > :54:27.You blew it! You said you were going to stay up all night. I was asleep
:54:28. > :54:31.from probably 20 minutes. You missed all the action! Unfortunately,
:54:32. > :54:39.during that 20 minutes, it all happened. It is getting harder to
:54:40. > :54:42.stay up now you're not 25. But tomorrow night, it really kicks
:54:43. > :54:49.off, and we find some amazing science, and I stay awake! Are you
:54:50. > :54:53.sure about that! It has been a great Autumnwatch so far, but autumn
:54:54. > :54:58.itself has been undramatic, it has been mild and foggy, almost like
:54:59. > :55:03.spring, 22 Celsius in West Wales yesterday. What on earth is going
:55:04. > :55:10.on? One man can tell us, Nick Miller the BBC Weather Centre.
:55:11. > :55:17.22 in Wales again today, we are breaking records. It is autumn, but
:55:18. > :55:20.not as we know it. And it has also delivered something that we didn't
:55:21. > :55:26.see much of in summer, high-pressure, giving us settled
:55:27. > :55:30.weather. It started cooler in September, but warmed up in October
:55:31. > :55:35.and November has started very warm for some. All of this is a recipe
:55:36. > :55:42.for spectacular autumn colour, and with a lack of stormy weather, a lot
:55:43. > :55:47.of foliage is still in place. Look at the extent of the mild air right
:55:48. > :55:53.across Europe into Scandinavia and Iceland, too. Let's hope those who
:55:54. > :56:02.bus ones are going to come our way. --
:56:03. > :56:12.we have to go a long way north to find the cold air, and the birds are
:56:13. > :56:15.enjoying easy travelling. But the wind will pick up later in the week
:56:16. > :56:21.and the rain will come in with a low pressure, so things will get more
:56:22. > :56:26.challenging for them. I am not offering Caerlaverock much in the
:56:27. > :56:30.way of sunshine, I'm afraid. But the mild damp weather, the bugs and
:56:31. > :56:38.insects like it, and I photographed this today. Cobweb weighed down the
:56:39. > :56:45.condensed water. Autumn beauty is everywhere. It is a spectacular time
:56:46. > :56:55.of year. Hanne marks out of ten would you give that photo? I like
:56:56. > :57:01.it! I will give it 3.6 out of ten. Praise! That is-Chris. I don't like
:57:02. > :57:15.the thought of rain on Wednesday and Thursday. We have been out all
:57:16. > :57:23.around Caerlaverock. Look at this little grebe. What is in its mouth?
:57:24. > :57:34.It is a stickleback! We made them look really big on Springwatch, but
:57:35. > :57:38.they are tiny. Saltwater sticklebacks can live for more than
:57:39. > :57:45.one year. That is why we can still see them. We have nearly come to the
:57:46. > :57:51.end of Autumnwatch. We hope you will stay with us, join us for Unsprung,
:57:52. > :57:56.we have some super guests, the centre manager here at
:57:57. > :58:06.Caerlaverock, and we are very pleased to welcome environmental
:58:07. > :58:16.journalist George Moncur -- Monbiot as well. Tomorrow, the action up on
:58:17. > :58:24.Rum really kicks off. There will be fighting. And I go out looking for
:58:25. > :58:30.geese using a tractor. It almost ends in tears. And we have some
:58:31. > :58:31.great underwater footage as well. We will see you tomorrow at eight
:58:32. > :59:05.o'clock. Goodbye. I wanted to spend the rest of my
:59:06. > :59:10.life with him.