:00:09. > :00:15.It has been foggy, Bobby and study here today but we still have a
:00:16. > :00:20.programme that is captivating and entertaining. We have superstars
:00:21. > :00:36.arriving, incredible fight scenes, very dramatic, and exciting news
:00:37. > :01:01.about about a fantastic carnival. Welcome to Autumnwatch.
:01:02. > :01:10.Hello and welcome to Autumnwatch 2015. It is our second programme of
:01:11. > :01:15.the series, looking from the wonderful Wildfowl and Wetlands
:01:16. > :01:19.Trust reserve in Scotland. Yesterday we started with a great programme
:01:20. > :01:24.but we have another great one tonight and the rest of the series
:01:25. > :01:31.is pretty hot too. We have plenty of information, and coming later in the
:01:32. > :01:39.week, the world's finest bird. Not an individual, in fact yes... The
:01:40. > :01:46.individual bird. You saw it, Martin. I'm still quivering, I'm moist, it
:01:47. > :01:52.was so exciting. It is licensed to kill. You two are couple of teasers.
:01:53. > :01:56.Last night I was right in the middle of Dumfries, by Bill Weir in the
:01:57. > :02:03.middle of town, and when I left and I rushed back, we left the cameraman
:02:04. > :02:11.there to try to film with a thermal camera to see if there was any
:02:12. > :02:21.wildlife and so there was. That was a bat hunting over the water. It has
:02:22. > :02:25.been so mild that bats are not hibernating yet. You never know what
:02:26. > :02:31.you will get with a thermal camera but there was a bigger surprise to
:02:32. > :02:36.come, and not. When the water first comes up on its back, it is white
:02:37. > :02:46.and cold, then it warms up. There were two otters frolicking around
:02:47. > :02:51.right in the middle of dumb freeze. Look at that as it slinks out, a
:02:52. > :03:08.lovely view of the face. She leaves a little message behind, she does a
:03:09. > :03:14.poo. People are saying -- seeing them in the middle of town is now.
:03:15. > :03:21.We can go live to the thermal camera because we have a fox. Look at
:03:22. > :03:26.that! This is on the salt marsh not too far from where we are now. I
:03:27. > :03:31.wouldn't mind betting that they go out there patrolling every night. We
:03:32. > :03:37.have around 40,000 geese in the region, around 12,000 on the
:03:38. > :03:41.reserve. Amongst them there will be natural mortality so the foxes will
:03:42. > :03:46.probably go and search where they have been feeding all day just to
:03:47. > :03:52.see if there was a dead one left over that they can scavenge. We saw
:03:53. > :03:59.a fox yesterday, but this one doesn't look as small as that one.
:04:00. > :04:03.It looks like an adult. Difficult to say. Foxes do keep exclusive ranges
:04:04. > :04:07.but within that range we have a number of foxes, so you could have
:04:08. > :04:12.up to seven animals maximum that will be operating in this area.
:04:13. > :04:19.Great to see that live at the start of the show. This morning we didn't
:04:20. > :04:26.see very much because it was rather misty and foggy. As you will know if
:04:27. > :04:31.you were watching Autumnwatch Extra on the red button. Eventually
:04:32. > :04:35.through that fog we saw honking barnacle geese and that is what we
:04:36. > :04:42.have come here for. This year they have record numbers in Caerlaverock
:04:43. > :04:48.and the surrounding areas, 14,000 of them and more arriving from Norway.
:04:49. > :04:54.It is the sound of them as well as the sight and we are hearing them
:04:55. > :04:59.all the time. Where are we in fact? We are based in the heart of the WW
:05:00. > :05:06.teak Caerlaverock reserve on the edge of the Solway Firth. Dramatic
:05:07. > :05:12.landscape of salt marshes and it is the perfect place for the barnacle
:05:13. > :05:18.geese overwinter as well as other migrating birds as well. It is the
:05:19. > :05:21.perfect place, but it is part of a bigger perfect place. This reserve
:05:22. > :05:27.extends further than the boundaries of the reserve we are on here.
:05:28. > :05:31.Scottish National Heritage and RSPB also her parts of that reserve and
:05:32. > :05:38.they are doing a great job of preserving this area. Can you hear
:05:39. > :05:43.them above us? There was a lot more to come tonight but first it is time
:05:44. > :05:52.to meet one of Caerlaverock's other star species. Meet the whooper
:05:53. > :05:57.swans. With a wingspan of nearly 2.5 metres and weighing up to 11
:05:58. > :06:07.kilograms, this is one of the largest flying birds in the world.
:06:08. > :06:15.It gets its name from its whooping call which is the loudest of any
:06:16. > :06:19.bird. The birds start in Iceland, but as the temperatures plummet the
:06:20. > :06:30.birds embark on an epic migration to the British Isles. They can fly as
:06:31. > :06:40.high as 8000 metres at speeds of up to 55 miles an hour. En route, they
:06:41. > :06:45.endured temperatures as low as minus macro 40 Celsius and they can cover
:06:46. > :06:59.the entire 620 miles migration in just 12 hours. It is a journey they
:07:00. > :07:02.have been making for 800,000 years and there unmistakable call is a
:07:03. > :07:12.sure sign that autumn is well and truly here. What a beautiful and
:07:13. > :07:15.elegant bird, and they arrive here in Caerlaverock in October although
:07:16. > :07:21.this year they have been slightly delayed because they had a slightly
:07:22. > :07:25.later breeding season in Iceland. The first family arrived in 17th of
:07:26. > :07:31.October, more have arrived since then. This morning they counted 44
:07:32. > :07:37.on the pond, though that number could swell to 250. When they
:07:38. > :07:44.arrive, they arrive on the pond over there and at night you can hear them
:07:45. > :07:48.whooping. You can certainly see them in the day. A couple of days ago I
:07:49. > :07:56.took the opportunity to go out with one of the wardens here to greet
:07:57. > :07:59.some of the new arrivals. Four weeks ago the first whooper swans arrived
:08:00. > :08:05.at Caerlaverock after an arduous journey from Iceland. After one of
:08:06. > :08:11.the longest sea crossings made by any swan species, they reinforced
:08:12. > :08:18.their pair bonds with a courtship ritual. Several hundred more are
:08:19. > :08:24.expected to arrive over the next few weeks, and when they do they are in
:08:25. > :08:28.for a big welcome. The swans here at Caerlaverock are fed three times a
:08:29. > :08:33.day and I've been given the job of doing the morning feed today.
:08:34. > :08:39.Morning, Joe! We are going to fill this up a little bit more, aren't
:08:40. > :08:45.we? Yes, we are topping it up with some barley. We are mostly feeding
:08:46. > :08:51.the whooper swans so it's important you go out by yourself so we don't
:08:52. > :08:57.disturb them too much. They are completely wild birds that we have
:08:58. > :09:01.here. Feeding the whoopers gives us the best opportunity to get up close
:09:02. > :09:07.to these truly magnificent birds, and all from the comfort of the
:09:08. > :09:10.Saint Peter Scott Observatory. It is when the swans are docking in that
:09:11. > :09:22.we get a chance to study our wild ups of it -- wild visitors. We want
:09:23. > :09:28.to get them in close so that we can get a good look at them and read the
:09:29. > :09:34.rings we have got on their legs so we can tell them apart individually.
:09:35. > :09:39.It is not just the ring, is it, they have individual markings on their
:09:40. > :09:44.beaks. There are subtle differences, but it is unique to every individual
:09:45. > :09:49.swan. It is a bit like our fingerprints. You can see the
:09:50. > :09:56.difference when it is close up like this. This one has freckles there.
:09:57. > :10:01.Yes, there are subtle differences and with practice you get to spot
:10:02. > :10:06.them. This is great, kids must love this because you can port in the
:10:07. > :10:13.number of the swan you see. Let's see if we can find one out there.
:10:14. > :10:32.They are reaching to the bottom of the pond to get the grain. Can you
:10:33. > :10:43.read it? There is a yellow Z5N. If you hit go... That is great. This is
:10:44. > :10:50.a female, age five. It will even say if they have got a mate. They are
:10:51. > :10:57.pair and generally they will mate for life. This one is called Ali.
:10:58. > :11:03.Are they all named? No, this is a new scheme where people can name the
:11:04. > :11:08.whooper swans that come here. Really? Getting so close to these
:11:09. > :11:14.wild swans is a real treat and offers a great insight into their
:11:15. > :11:25.biology by allowing us to get to know them as individuals. I love the
:11:26. > :11:29.fact you can name a swan and anyone can do it, you can just go online
:11:30. > :11:39.and name them at Caerlaverock, but we are going to name this one
:11:40. > :11:46.tonight. It is a male, he did have a partner but now he is single. At the
:11:47. > :11:53.moment he is called ZFS but we are going to name them. I would call him
:11:54. > :11:59.other because he is a super whooper. I would call him cattle face. The
:12:00. > :12:13.beak always reminds me of a cattle sprout. -- kettle face. By the end
:12:14. > :12:17.of the show we will name that swan and it will be one of the names you
:12:18. > :12:23.have suggested. Let's have a look and see if we can see this one is
:12:24. > :12:36.live on the pond at the moment. They have their backs to us. They are
:12:37. > :12:42.whoopers. 34 they counted today. They are staying overnight because
:12:43. > :12:47.of that Fox. That's why they roost on the water. Normally they come
:12:48. > :12:51.back because they are fed during the daytime to boost their energy during
:12:52. > :12:56.the migration, but at this time of night they are secure so they will
:12:57. > :13:01.stay all night. They don't seem to sleep, which is bizarre. They are
:13:02. > :13:08.active all day long. They never seem to fully settle down. They are
:13:09. > :13:16.clearly eating. Look at that one, it is having a right go! What is it
:13:17. > :13:22.doing? Remember, it is dark, pitch black. They are incredible birds.
:13:23. > :13:27.That migration from Iceland to hear is amazing. We have had a question
:13:28. > :13:32.on Twitter from Barbara Harrison who wants to know how swans get to
:13:33. > :13:36.Caerlaverock every year. It is not an easy question to answer because
:13:37. > :13:42.migration is not yet something we fully understand. Debate rages as to
:13:43. > :13:46.whether birds hatch from the age with an innate sense of direction.
:13:47. > :14:00.Some say no but then that makes it difficult to explain species such as
:14:01. > :14:05.osprey. Species such as this one and larger animals like cranes, we know
:14:06. > :14:10.they follow the adults. They are learning en route, they learn and
:14:11. > :14:13.landmarks. We know that because there is less deviation in young
:14:14. > :14:18.birds if they are associated with adult birds so learning landscape is
:14:19. > :14:23.part of it. Those swans are arriving here across the sea, there is not
:14:24. > :14:29.much landscape to learn between here and Iceland so how do they do it? We
:14:30. > :14:33.think they might be able to use the stars, the moon and the sun. We know
:14:34. > :14:40.that if swans cannot see the horizon, they will sit down on the
:14:41. > :14:46.water. It is likely also that they are able to detect the Earth's
:14:47. > :14:51.magnetism. It is happening in other birds too, even robins have the
:14:52. > :14:56.ability to detect the magnetic field of the Earth. Recent research shows
:14:57. > :15:01.they can detect that in the absence of any other cues. How do they do
:15:02. > :15:07.it? There is the mineral theory, because there is a substance which
:15:08. > :15:13.animals have a lot of in their brains, animals which migrate a lot.
:15:14. > :15:18.There is also another substance called cryptochrome which occurs in
:15:19. > :15:22.the eyes of migratory birds and we think now that migratory birds such
:15:23. > :15:27.as this one, even the robin, have the ability to see the Earth's
:15:28. > :15:29.magnetic field. Let's imagine it through the eyes of this swan flying
:15:30. > :15:38.over here. It can see that mag yettic field
:15:39. > :15:43.changing and this gives it the ability of it a precise sense of
:15:44. > :15:48.direction. -- magnetic. We don't know exactly how we see that,
:15:49. > :15:52.perhaps we never will. But it is a remarkable thing. The ability to see
:15:53. > :15:57.magnetism in the environment. Now that's all very exciting stuff. The
:15:58. > :16:00.bad news is that we are generating so much electromagnetic power out
:16:01. > :16:03.there in the environment at the moment we may be confusing some of
:16:04. > :16:08.the migrants. As you saw there, for the time being, the good news is the
:16:09. > :16:12.swans can still find their way here. I guess only time will tell. It's a
:16:13. > :16:15.fascinating subject. We are learning things about it all the time. If you
:16:16. > :16:20.are watching last night you will know we sent Martin to the Isle of
:16:21. > :16:24.Rum on a mission to find out what rutting deers do after dark. He had
:16:25. > :16:28.quite a dramatic first night although he did fall asleep! What
:16:29. > :16:33.happened the next day was truly astonishing. There were incredible
:16:34. > :16:36.fight scenes. In fact, Ali, who has been working with the deer on Rum
:16:37. > :16:49.for years, says it's the most dramatic day she has ever seen.
:16:50. > :16:58.This is Smooth. Last night he lost control of his harem. Sargasso is
:16:59. > :17:03.now the dominant stag. He will have access to any hind that
:17:04. > :17:11.comes in, but only for as long as he can retain his possession.
:17:12. > :17:15.This is an enemy. A stag in his prime.
:17:16. > :17:24.He's never had a harem of his own but he is about to make a challenge.
:17:25. > :17:32.It starts with a ritual known as a parallel walk where the stags size
:17:33. > :17:40.each other up. 75% of fights are settled like this,
:17:41. > :17:45.but not this time. It's the darker muddier stag. Each
:17:46. > :17:49.of these animals can weigh well over 100 kilogrammes.
:17:50. > :17:52.All of that force is being directed through the antlers and it's
:17:53. > :17:55.essential they lock together properly. If they don't lock, they
:17:56. > :17:58.could easily stab each other to death.
:17:59. > :18:10.Did you see that? Let's rewind. Look at Sargasso's antler. It
:18:11. > :18:12.snapped clean off. Now, surely, that's the end of the
:18:13. > :18:22.battle? But no!
:18:23. > :18:27.He is heaving just as hard as ever. This looks incredibly dangerous.
:18:28. > :18:37.And yet the fight continues for five minutes.
:18:38. > :18:42.Eventually, it is Sargasso who bows out.
:18:43. > :18:43.An enemy 04 has overthrown Sargasso but both these stags have paid a
:18:44. > :19:05.heavy price. But waiting in the wings is Smooth.
:19:06. > :19:10.Just two minutes after the epic victory, Smooth comes hurtling in to
:19:11. > :19:15.challenge. 80% of next year's calves will be
:19:16. > :19:23.fathered by fewer than 20% of the stags so these fights are crucially
:19:24. > :19:35.important. Smooth has done it. Victorious at
:19:36. > :19:41.last. But again he can't rest on his laurels.
:19:42. > :19:48.Now, incredibly, Sargasso, despite having only one antler, still
:19:49. > :19:49.fancies his chances. Remember, he has already beaten Smooth in a
:19:50. > :20:07.fight. He's got Smooth on his back. He
:20:08. > :20:14.could fill him. He is up again. But surely that has
:20:15. > :20:24.shaken Smooth. And, yes, Smooth backs off,
:20:25. > :20:37.overthrown again. Sargasso, with one antler is top
:20:38. > :20:51.stag again. But for how long? Yet again Enemy is back.
:20:52. > :21:05.An antler point to close to the eye finally sends Sargasso away. His rut
:21:06. > :21:10.this year is surely over. Enemy may have won some battles, but not the
:21:11. > :21:17.war. Despite everything the hinds have chosen Smooth. Although he was
:21:18. > :21:26.beaten twice in battle today, it's Smooth who gets the ultimate prize.
:21:27. > :21:33.What a fight! It was fantastic. Just neverending. One down and the other
:21:34. > :21:40.one stormed in taking advantage of the weakness. All's fair in love and
:21:41. > :21:47.war as the Bard said. Are you warm enough by the way! You will start an
:21:48. > :21:53.inferno here. Shall we have another look at when that antler came off.
:21:54. > :22:06.It was an incredible moment. It happened over three frames. But
:22:07. > :22:13.there is poor Sargasso Antlerless. He is not going to mate with
:22:14. > :22:18.anything. I watched Ali go in bravely on to that green and pick up
:22:19. > :22:24.this, Chris. The actual antler that flew off. Look at that. You can see,
:22:25. > :22:28.they drill little holes in there to take DNA samples and have given it
:22:29. > :22:32.to us. Look at the way it's broken off. It's torn, rather than
:22:33. > :22:36.shattered. It has. That's interesting.
:22:37. > :22:44.This is, may I take it? Please do, Chris. This is bone. It's not horn
:22:45. > :22:47.at all. Horn is like hair, a fingernail, sheath, that's overburn.
:22:48. > :22:51.Antlres are bone but it's different from say the leg bone. I have a
:22:52. > :22:54.piece of leg bone here. You can see that even on the surface it's very
:22:55. > :22:58.different. You see. Different types of bone,
:22:59. > :23:03.Martin. This one is dry. Remember, it's dead. Didn't hurt when it came
:23:04. > :23:12.off. No, no nerves. This is living bone. Inside the body, fully
:23:13. > :23:17.vascularised. The property I can illustrate. I am looking forward. Is
:23:18. > :23:24.this what the jacket is about? Shall I wear safety glasses like you?
:23:25. > :23:29.Better put them on. We have an antler here mounted. Brace the end
:23:30. > :23:36.of the table. I will demonstrate to you, this is all to do with
:23:37. > :23:40.elasticity. The bone is altogether more flexible and more elastic. You
:23:41. > :23:46.can see it bending there. It's bending a bit here, Chris. But
:23:47. > :23:50.only a little bit. You can see this is very definitely flexing. That's
:23:51. > :23:57.because this type of bone is designed to flex upon impact.
:23:58. > :24:01.When the times of the other antler lock here and they're crashing into
:24:02. > :24:06.one another it looks flex otherwise it would shatter.
:24:07. > :24:09.You see the leg bone over here, this one, is very different in terms of
:24:10. > :24:14.its structure. It's highly mineralised. There are lots more
:24:15. > :24:20.minerals in here. This makes it altogether more brittle. If the deer
:24:21. > :24:27.were using bone like this in the antler it would shatter. I can show
:24:28. > :24:29.you a demonstration. I have two pieces of chocolate here,
:24:30. > :24:33.confectionary. One I have effectively mineralised, if you
:24:34. > :24:38.like. It's been in the freezer, it's rock solid and hard like this type
:24:39. > :24:44.of internal bone. This one out here has not been mineralised and is to
:24:45. > :24:49.represent the flexible antler. Imagine this is an antler crashing
:24:50. > :24:56.into another one. It worked! It shatters. That's exactly what
:24:57. > :25:03.would happen if the antler was like leg bone. This one, which is softer
:25:04. > :25:08.and more flexible, more pliable. What happens when this meets another
:25:09. > :25:14.antler. It's broken but it's broken in a tear like that.
:25:15. > :25:19.You see, it's softer. That explains the way your antler gave way. That's
:25:20. > :25:23.the difference between these two sorts of bones. I think, Chris,
:25:24. > :25:28.if... As you say, they're meant to engage like that. What happened in
:25:29. > :25:34.this case they went sideways. The whole 100 kilogrammes of the other
:25:35. > :25:39.stag ripped the antler side. Flexed it too far. You are off on your
:25:40. > :25:42.tractor. Drivers always have one of these in the pockets. I am wearing
:25:43. > :25:47.the gloves because I didn't want to touch the chocolate. I am not
:25:48. > :25:53.worried about the bone. I don't like sticky chocolate on my hands. That
:25:54. > :26:02.was good. It was very good! It actually shattered! Tomorrow
:26:03. > :26:05.night I will continue with my nocturrnal investigation of the
:26:06. > :26:11.deer. The first night unfortunately I fell asleep. We find some amazing
:26:12. > :26:16.scientific results. Now I am going off on my travels because I am now
:26:17. > :26:20.on another nocturnal mission. I will see you later.
:26:21. > :26:25.I am not sure what's more scary, Chris in a white coat with a frozen
:26:26. > :26:30.chocolate bar or Martin trying to reverse the tractor. Both are quite
:26:31. > :26:34.loud cruise. I think the thing that's been noteworthy about this
:26:35. > :26:37.autumn has been the spectacular autumn colours. We asked you
:26:38. > :26:39.yesterday to send in your photographs from around the country.
:26:40. > :26:44.Lots of you did, thank you very much for that. Let's look at a couple of
:26:45. > :26:47.them now. This is the first picture. It's
:26:48. > :26:52.Jason Bowler and that's from Derbyshire. Absolutely beautiful.
:26:53. > :26:57.They're so rich this year. This one is from Martin in Durham.
:26:58. > :27:08.Look at the gorgeous red colours. This one is from glieshs and from
:27:09. > :27:13.Andy Cosway. The reason we are glet -- Gloucestershire. -- you can still
:27:14. > :27:17.get out and enjoy that spectacle. I just love that richness, the red,
:27:18. > :27:21.the orange and yellow. Take some photographs of it and keep sending
:27:22. > :27:25.them in because we love getting them. I can hear the tractor! He is
:27:26. > :27:30.obviously safe. He has managed to reverse it out of the farm! Let's
:27:31. > :27:35.move on. In fact, let's pause a minute and just rewind from autumn
:27:36. > :27:39.to spring and on Springwatch we feature lots of nesting birds. In
:27:40. > :27:47.particular, we featured a pair of nesting swifts that were nesting in
:27:48. > :27:50.a nest box in Bristol. If you were watching Springwatch, you might have
:27:51. > :27:55.seen this. The pair were on eggs and an intruder came in. A fight started
:27:56. > :27:59.and went on for 17 minutes. One of the resident pair protects the eggs
:28:00. > :28:05.and the other one continues the fight.
:28:06. > :28:09.Fortunately, it managed to push that intruder out.
:28:10. > :28:16.So, what happened after Springwatch? Let me tell you the drama didn't
:28:17. > :28:25.stop there. When we left them in mid-June our
:28:26. > :28:30.pair of swifts had three eggs. And were taking turns to incubate them.
:28:31. > :28:40.Springwatch may have ended but home owner and swift fanatic Mark kept
:28:41. > :28:47.his eyes glued to the nest. After 20 days, the first two eggs hatched.
:28:48. > :28:53.But it took another five days for the third chick to emerge.
:28:54. > :28:58.Much smaller than its siblings, it struggled to get its share of food.
:28:59. > :29:06.Starvation was a very real possibility. A cold, wet summer only
:29:07. > :29:09.made the situation worse. Things weren't looking good for our
:29:10. > :29:15.brood. But swifts have an extraordinary
:29:16. > :29:23.trick up their sleeves. The chicks can enter a state of tarpa, dropping
:29:24. > :29:28.their metabolic rate allowing them to survive for up to ten days
:29:29. > :29:33.without food. And their parents pushed on through the bad
:29:34. > :29:39.conditions, often catching several thousand insects a day. Enough to
:29:40. > :29:45.feed all three chicks. After three weeks, the youngest
:29:46. > :29:51.chick had caught up. Our swiftlet's were soon indistinguishable from the
:29:52. > :30:10.adults. By early August they were ready to fledge.
:30:11. > :30:19.I get such a highly watching these birds fly round the house. They put
:30:20. > :30:24.on a display like mini Red Arrows. This summer's success brought Mark
:30:25. > :30:31.huge pleasure. It was the culmination of work he had begun in
:30:32. > :30:38.2010. I started on the long process of building nest boxes. My first
:30:39. > :30:45.designs were fairly rudimentary and hopeless, to be honest, and didn't
:30:46. > :30:49.attract anything. Undeterred, Mark studied the swifts. Through hours of
:30:50. > :30:56.observation and near obsessive note taking, he aimed to get inside their
:30:57. > :31:03.minds. He honed his design and gradually his diligence paid off. At
:31:04. > :31:10.the moment I'm on 16 nest boxes of which seven are occupied. The next
:31:11. > :31:16.step was to fit his deluxe boxes with cameras. They revealed a rather
:31:17. > :31:22.surprising side to these aerial acrobats. When they land, they are
:31:23. > :31:28.hopeless. They wobble around and can barely walk. Masters of the sky and
:31:29. > :31:33.clowns of walking. Swifts pair for life and when they have found their
:31:34. > :31:38.dream nest box they come back to it year after year. When they come back
:31:39. > :31:42.into the box for the very first time, the fact they have been flying
:31:43. > :31:51.for nine months continuously, they fly straight in and go to sleep.
:31:52. > :32:01.They might spend 12 hours coupled in the nest yawning and sleeping. I
:32:02. > :32:06.love it as they turn into this sleek flying machine but I also know that
:32:07. > :32:12.when they look like swiftlets they haven't got wrong with me and they
:32:13. > :32:19.will be going to Africa again. I start to miss them almost
:32:20. > :32:23.immediately. I think that's why I fill my winter is building new boxes
:32:24. > :32:28.because I need something to remind me of them so I start to build boxes
:32:29. > :32:39.for the next year. It keeps me thinking about them.
:32:40. > :32:44.What a great bloke. I know, an enthusiast, it's great. He is
:32:45. > :32:48.passionate and has done something positive to help which is brilliant
:32:49. > :32:53.because they certainly need help, their numbers have dropped 42% in
:32:54. > :32:56.the last 20 years, mainly because of the loss of nesting sites because of
:32:57. > :33:03.modern buildings but there is something we can all do to help. You
:33:04. > :33:12.can make or get one of these nesting boxes, details of this is on our
:33:13. > :33:17.website. A new development is making these special boxes, Barratt homes
:33:18. > :33:23.and Whitbread Premier Inns, and they are making a difference. Look at
:33:24. > :33:29.that, proof. Hats off to the developers doing this, I hope others
:33:30. > :33:35.follow their lead. Orton wouldn't be Autumnwatch without Starling
:33:36. > :33:42.murmuration 's. We like to take a look at these every year. This was
:33:43. > :33:47.owned a couple of years ago by Paul Bunyard at Gretna Green and what a
:33:48. > :33:53.spectacle they provide. Look at the changing patterns it is making. It
:33:54. > :33:57.is stunning and I enjoy them on the aesthetic level alone but I cannot
:33:58. > :34:09.help looking at this and thinking why and how? Why do they do it?
:34:10. > :34:16.Safety in numbers is almost certainly right because predators go
:34:17. > :34:20.to these roosting sites, and we know that because last year we launched a
:34:21. > :34:23.survey on behalf of the Royal Society of the biology and
:34:24. > :34:32.University of Gloucester and they were asking us to ask you to report
:34:33. > :34:37.sightings of murmurations. Many of you kindly did and here is a
:34:38. > :34:41.geographical map of the murmurations. What a coverage! I
:34:42. > :34:59.would never have thought there were that many going on in the UK. Dr
:35:00. > :35:05.Anne Goodenough, Holly good head... Who is that? The lady in the Bond
:35:06. > :35:10.film! Sorry, Dr Anne Goodenough wants more information. She would
:35:11. > :35:14.like you to go back to the murmurations and look for the
:35:15. > :35:22.presence of predators. See how they modify the behaviour of the birds.
:35:23. > :35:27.One thing she would like us to stress is if you don't see any
:35:28. > :35:33.predators, please send your results in. Negative data is always as
:35:34. > :35:38.important as positive data so go to our website. Re-contribute as we
:35:39. > :35:43.launched the scheme for the second year. Starlings are very much in
:35:44. > :35:48.decline like swifts and we could conserve them better in the future.
:35:49. > :35:52.That amazing one we showed at Gretna Green hasn't happened this year, I
:35:53. > :36:01.was hoping to elope with you to Gretna Green... It would have been a
:36:02. > :36:06.shotgun wedding! Thanks very much. Where is Martin, by the way? Last
:36:07. > :36:12.seen reversing out of here in a tractor. What could possibly go
:36:13. > :36:17.wrong! I'm heading for one of the most important parts of Caerlaverock
:36:18. > :36:23.here, and that's the fields. During the day they are full of ligase, now
:36:24. > :36:27.at night they are out and about on the salt flats. It is OK for me to
:36:28. > :36:33.come here. If you want to see those birds during the day it is good to
:36:34. > :36:37.use a tractor. They are so used to the coming and going of the
:36:38. > :36:44.tractors, they are very relaxed and that's what I did a couple of days
:36:45. > :36:50.ago. I haven't ridden a tractor for quite a few years but this is my
:36:51. > :36:53.secret weapon. Because the geese, the barnacle geese here, they are
:36:54. > :37:00.very used to tractors around the farm. The grass here, all of this
:37:01. > :37:06.area has been farmed specifically to make it lovely, irresistible for the
:37:07. > :37:13.barnacle geese. I can see them over there now. There is a soggy part
:37:14. > :37:33.here, I will try to get through this. I have managed to get stuck.
:37:34. > :37:38.Phew! Let's try and get back onto the geese watch. They are being
:37:39. > :37:47.remarkably relaxed about it all. There is geese everywhere here. It
:37:48. > :37:55.is a fantastic feeling. I'm just going to stop it now. Just what I
:37:56. > :38:03.hoped to see, the geese are in front of me, their heads are down and they
:38:04. > :38:09.are feeding. Hard to believe. In 1948 there were 300 only, and now
:38:10. > :38:21.this year, a record-breaking year, with 41,000 barnacle geese. That's a
:38:22. > :38:26.great site. -- sight. They are all munching away. I think I'm going to
:38:27. > :38:35.leave them now. Let them have a good meal after they're basically
:38:36. > :38:49.incredible journey. Brilliant. They are all taking off! Wow! Coming over
:38:50. > :38:54.me! Brilliant. Now they are going to the mudflats, that's where they are
:38:55. > :39:16.heading for. Beautiful. It is a strangely moving experience.
:39:17. > :39:23.Here is what sounds like an obvious question, why do the geese leave
:39:24. > :39:26.Svalbard at all? It gets bitterly cold up there, it will freeze over,
:39:27. > :39:32.they will have nothing to eat and there is the problem of polar bears.
:39:33. > :39:36.But there is something else, an interesting question from Beverley
:39:37. > :39:44.on Twitter, she said, what are the geese feeding on here? That answers
:39:45. > :39:53.the question, why do the geese come here. It is all about this stuff,
:39:54. > :39:58.grass. This grass is perfect for the barnacle geese. They are kind of
:39:59. > :40:05.living lawn mower, they feed flat out. They never stop. They are
:40:06. > :40:11.constantly feeding. In fact, they can pack three times a second when
:40:12. > :40:17.they are feeding, and pick up about a centimetre of grass every time,
:40:18. > :40:24.and they will pick up maybe 200 pieces of grass every minute. Look
:40:25. > :40:31.at them go. It's amazing they don't get a stiff neck but that's what
:40:32. > :40:40.they are here for. In about one minute, that's what the barnacle
:40:41. > :40:44.goose will pick up. It's not very nutritious, probably equivalent to
:40:45. > :40:53.that much chocolate, so they've got to eat an enormous amount. They will
:40:54. > :41:00.actually eat in a day that much grass. That is how much one of the
:41:01. > :41:05.barnacle geese will eat in one day, an astonishing amount. The secret of
:41:06. > :41:16.the success is maintaining that. They have got to eat a vast amount,
:41:17. > :41:22.and they poo are great deal. They only managed to get about 30% of the
:41:23. > :41:28.goodness out of the grass, 70% of it comes straight out again. When they
:41:29. > :41:37.are feeding, they will poo about once every three minutes. They will
:41:38. > :41:46.poo about 160 times a day, they have very busy bottoms! What happens to
:41:47. > :41:52.keep the grass so perfect for the geese is that the staff maintain it
:41:53. > :41:58.all the time. This is a sward stick, and they go all over the
:41:59. > :42:07.place. It has got to be exactly the right length. This is how it works,
:42:08. > :42:13.you drop it like that and this is perfect, they want the grass between
:42:14. > :42:18.10 and 15 centimetres and that is precisely what the geese need. They
:42:19. > :42:23.will make sure they have grass that is exactly the right amount for the
:42:24. > :42:29.geese. It sounds like a joke but this is the secret of success at the
:42:30. > :42:36.conservation right here. Back to the studio. It's so funny that he got
:42:37. > :42:40.stuck in the mud! We know that the geese are stocking up on grass and a
:42:41. > :42:45.lot of birds at this time of year need to feed up for the winter,
:42:46. > :42:50.garden birds on seeds, but we were interested to know what seeds they
:42:51. > :42:56.prefer in the autumn so we set up a pie chart. I went out this morning
:42:57. > :43:01.to put a variety of seeds in here because we want to know if the birds
:43:02. > :43:09.are optimally foraging, making the exact right choice of seed when they
:43:10. > :43:14.are giving -- given it. You can see in one of the compartment I put
:43:15. > :43:19.sunflower seeds, they have husks which means you have got to take
:43:20. > :43:24.them off before you get to the seed inside which takes energy and time.
:43:25. > :43:29.We wanted to see which birds come to the table and how they handle the
:43:30. > :43:33.food. We want to see a lot of greenfinches, their favourite
:43:34. > :43:39.weather sunflower seeds, they weren't going for the corn and the
:43:40. > :43:45.oats. They are such bullies as well, kicking the other birds off.
:43:46. > :43:48.But all these birds have the spectre of starvation hanging over them
:43:49. > :43:52.throughout the course of the winter, and it is essential they make
:43:53. > :43:57.exactly the right choices. In the next few days we will be bringing
:43:58. > :44:04.you the results of our pie diagram, it is a pie chart, a living pie
:44:05. > :44:09.chart. It is time now for a really exciting wildlife news story and it
:44:10. > :44:14.is a very positive one about pine martens. Pine martens are doing well
:44:15. > :44:19.in Scotland but about 100 years ago they were practically wiped out in
:44:20. > :44:25.England and Wales by gamekeepers and the removal of mature woodland.
:44:26. > :44:30.Populations in the south got as low as 40, experts considered it doomed
:44:31. > :44:38.to local extinction. Now for the positive news, the Vincent Wildlife
:44:39. > :44:43.Trust have reintroduced pine martens back into Wales, it is very
:44:44. > :44:48.exciting. Iolo Williams went along with the team on one of their
:44:49. > :44:54.releases. 5am at a secret location in Wales.
:44:55. > :45:01.Dr Jenny from the Vincent Wildlife Trust has driven through the night
:45:02. > :45:09.with a precious cargo. Hello, Jenny. Hello, hi. Nice to see you. Well
:45:10. > :45:13.done. How far have you come? All the way from the north Islands. What
:45:14. > :45:20.have we got in here? We have a male and female. Young adults. Go on
:45:21. > :45:25.then. Come on, can I have a quick look? Yeah.
:45:26. > :45:32.This is the young male. Oh, look at that. Has a radio collar on already.
:45:33. > :45:37.This is a first for me, the pine marten in Wales. It's something I
:45:38. > :45:42.have always, always wanted to see. At last, I am living the dream now.
:45:43. > :45:47.Come on. I just can't tell you what this
:45:48. > :45:51.means to me. Every time there was a so-called sighting of a pine marten
:45:52. > :45:56.in Wales, in North Wales usually, I would often go up and walk and walk
:45:57. > :46:01.and walk in the hope that one day I would come across one. I never, ever
:46:02. > :46:04.did. To see pine martens coming back to Wales is just... Absolutely
:46:05. > :46:09.brilliant. OK. These two, along with 18 others,
:46:10. > :46:20.are playing a critical role in the pine martens return.
:46:21. > :46:25.Off he goes. It's actually quite emotional, I
:46:26. > :46:31.have to say. The first part of their release is
:46:32. > :46:39.to get them acloom mattised in their specially built enclosured. --
:46:40. > :46:43.acclimatiseD. They're monitored closely by remote cameras. Once
:46:44. > :46:49.they're ready and have been given a clean bill of health the door to the
:46:50. > :46:54.enclosures are opened. Eight of the martens have now been
:46:55. > :47:04.fully released. But what are their chances in the new home?
:47:05. > :47:11.Dave is the Srint sent Wildlife Trust's officer and will be
:47:12. > :47:14.following their fortunes as closely as he can. Tonight he is on the
:47:15. > :47:20.trail of pine marten number two released a week ago. -- Vincent. You
:47:21. > :47:26.hear that? Yeah, yeah. It's just over the other side of the river.
:47:27. > :47:30.Can you tell how far away? The bleeps are weak and coming in strong
:47:31. > :47:34.and weak. She's moving. I suspect she's probably moving away from us.
:47:35. > :47:39.But she's active by day, as well. Yeah, we are coming to dusk now so
:47:40. > :47:46.they start waking up and going on the first forays of the night. Any
:47:47. > :47:50.chance we can get nearer? We will. Now we will go closer, and try and
:47:51. > :47:55.get an accurate bearing on her position. In their search for the
:47:56. > :47:59.perfect release sight, the Trust conducted a two-year feasibility
:48:00. > :48:05.study. Number two has moved into a valley with everything a pine marten
:48:06. > :48:12.could need. What kind of thing were you looking for? What habitat? It's
:48:13. > :48:19.this kind of stuff. We are looking for diversity of plants, so you can
:48:20. > :48:23.see here that we have Heather, and some of the bilberry still has
:48:24. > :48:27.berries at this time of year, this is easy food for them. They'll be
:48:28. > :48:34.getting berries off these bushes and piling on the calories before
:48:35. > :48:41.winter. They're looking for fruits and berries, mice, voles? Just
:48:42. > :48:47.everything and anything. They'll just be opportunistic coming across
:48:48. > :48:53.food and feeding on it. So far, David has found just one scat with
:48:54. > :48:56.berries. As predators these pine martens will play a key role in this
:48:57. > :49:00.forest environment. Pine martens are surprisingly quick across the ground
:49:01. > :49:06.and even with a radio collar, number two has given us the slip.
:49:07. > :49:12.We lost the signal completely down the bottom. So we have come all the
:49:13. > :49:15.way up to the top of the ridge. She's probably moved up this way. We
:49:16. > :49:18.hope we will see what Dave has picked up. See if he has found
:49:19. > :49:25.anything. There she is. Yeah. There she is.
:49:26. > :49:29.She's where? Yeah, looks like you see you have these gullies that run
:49:30. > :49:32.down to the valley and she uses those to travel upwards. You have
:49:33. > :49:38.been radio tracking for several weeks now. Are they coming back or
:49:39. > :49:43.just dispersing? They're coming back. There is an initial period
:49:44. > :49:48.where is rapid movement and then they track back until they find the
:49:49. > :49:52.next pine marten and they set up territory and carve out boundaries.
:49:53. > :49:56.It's amazing. They're back here and there is one here in front of us.
:49:57. > :50:01.Well, no sighting of number two today. But just to know that these
:50:02. > :50:06.creatures are back out there represents a turning point in our
:50:07. > :50:11.conservation history. I can't tell you how exciting it is for me to
:50:12. > :50:17.stand here knowing that somewhere down below me is a wild pine marten
:50:18. > :50:23.in Mid Wales. Having watched wildlife for more than 50 years, and
:50:24. > :50:28.most of it I have seen decline and disappear, and it's so heartening to
:50:29. > :50:31.see a project that's finally putting something back. Wouldn't it be
:50:32. > :50:37.brilliant if this was just the beginning?
:50:38. > :50:43.Wouldn't it be brilliant if that was just the beginning. The latest news
:50:44. > :50:48.is that all those 14 released are doing really well. It's an exciting
:50:49. > :50:53.project. It is. Pine martens in the news but badgers too are in the
:50:54. > :50:57.news. In September the pilot badger cull went into a third year.
:50:58. > :51:01.Argument continues to rage over whether it's working with the NFU,
:51:02. > :51:06.the farmers union, saying it has hit this year's targets and it's having
:51:07. > :51:10.an effect on bovineTB. The Government is still planning to roll
:51:11. > :51:16.out the cull in new areas next year as part of a four-year plan.
:51:17. > :51:19.Professor Lord Cribbs President of the science association and
:51:20. > :51:24.Government's independent author of the original culling trial has said
:51:25. > :51:30.that the NFU is giving farmers false hope by saying the present cull is
:51:31. > :51:37.working. He cited the data published by the animal and plant agency which
:51:38. > :51:39.showed that there was, I am quoting, no statistically significant
:51:40. > :51:44.association between intervention, that's the cull, and cattle bovineTB
:51:45. > :51:49.incidents in the first year of the follow-up. The arguments continue,
:51:50. > :51:53.as does the killing. We will keep you updated on the situation.
:51:54. > :52:01.Martin, have you ever been on a night dive? No. You see spectacular
:52:02. > :52:09.stuff. It's amazing. Sue Daly, a camerawoman is going to show us an
:52:10. > :52:15.autumnal night dive off the island of Sark.
:52:16. > :52:18.I live on Sark, which is the smallest
:52:19. > :52:26.I am a photographer, and camerawoman and I specialise
:52:27. > :52:36.I can get miserable at the thought the summer is ending
:52:37. > :52:39.but the night-time in the autumn is so good that it's
:52:40. > :52:44.Autumn is a great time for night diving, the sea's at its mildest,
:52:45. > :52:46.it's starting to get dark much, much earlier and there's plenty
:52:47. > :53:00.You might think it's difficult to tell the seasons under water but you
:53:01. > :53:04.The seaweeds are a bit tatty, like the leaves
:53:05. > :53:15.Most importantly, just the abundance of marine life
:53:16. > :53:18.that you see, there are things that have hatched in the spring that have
:53:19. > :53:34.Beyond my torch beam, it's absolutely pitch black but within
:53:35. > :53:40.that beam it's like the light on a stage and the colours seem even more
:53:41. > :53:47.The first creatures I normally encounter are lobsters.
:53:48. > :53:49.In the daytime, you may get a little glimpse of them
:53:50. > :53:57.But at night they're marching across the seabed looking for food.
:53:58. > :54:03.They don't seem at all bothered by my presence.
:54:04. > :54:09.It's as if nothing would stop them on their little journeys out
:54:10. > :54:21.It doesn't look like any other fish I know.
:54:22. > :54:27.It's a flat fish but it swims upright in the water
:54:28. > :54:30.and directly head-on or tail-on they're just a very long thin line.
:54:31. > :54:36.At night-time they waft in from the darkness, almost like beautiful
:54:37. > :54:48.Beautiful circular pattern on its side, almost punky fringe
:54:49. > :55:02.The most exciting things I see on a night dive are the cuttlefish.
:55:03. > :55:04.They're very intelligent animals and you just never know what
:55:05. > :55:17.They're stealth hunters and they're very, very fast.
:55:18. > :55:21.They've got two specially adapted tentacles that shoot out
:55:22. > :55:26.I have seen them eating prey almost the same size as themselves.
:55:27. > :55:28.I am glad they don't get any larger actually,
:55:29. > :55:36.They've got these strange eyes with a W-shaped pupil.
:55:37. > :55:45.Might be my imagination being down there in the dark, but they're
:55:46. > :55:49.There's a sense that you've encountered
:55:50. > :55:57.something intelligent and also magical and other worldly, as well.
:55:58. > :56:04.It's always thrilling seeing the cuttlefish.
:56:05. > :56:07.The thing I love about diving is the feeling of going
:56:08. > :56:22.I'm still, even after all of these years,
:56:23. > :56:25.seeing things I have seen before, behaviour I have never seen before.
:56:26. > :56:28.Night diving in the autumn extends my diving season
:56:29. > :56:55.I want to go on a night dive. That was fabulous. It's magical. That
:56:56. > :57:02.John Dory. What a great name. Talking of great names we asked you
:57:03. > :57:13.to name the swan that is now... At the moment it's ZFS. These are the
:57:14. > :57:24.names you have given us. Bradley Whooper. Swan Connery. Frodo
:57:25. > :57:32.because it makes a long journey. The most popular one was Obi Swan.
:57:33. > :57:41.Fantastic. Very happy when the film opens. That's all we have time for.
:57:42. > :57:51.Do press your red button for Unsprung. We have our guests Matt
:57:52. > :57:56.Brash and Tom Burditt and British Sea Power. What have we got
:57:57. > :58:03.tomorrow? Well, we will be testing the food preferences of urban and
:58:04. > :58:09.rural badgers. We have the astonishing tale of the Sexton
:58:10. > :58:12.beetle, the burying beetle. Martin tries to stay awake for the ruting
:58:13. > :58:18.deer mission on Rum. That's tomorrow. Don't forget the cameras
:58:19. > :58:23.are live from 7.00am with peak times at 8.00, 1.00 and 4.00. We will be
:58:24. > :58:30.back tomorrow at 8.00pm. With masses of wildlife. We look forward to
:58:31. > :58:37.seeing you then. From us, the geese, the swans and everything here at
:58:38. > :59:01.Caerlaverock, see you then. Bye. MUSIC: Boombastic
:59:02. > :59:03.by Shaggy