:00:10. > :00:19.Well, the leaves may be falling. But migration is in full swing.
:00:20. > :00:52.
:00:52. > :00:58.And we're here to meet it. Het on, Hello, welcome to Autumnwatch live,
:00:58. > :01:01.coming to you from the wonderful Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre
:01:01. > :01:05.here at Slimbridge. What a place, a perfect place for us to spend our
:01:05. > :01:10.last four weeks. It is a migration hot spot. I have to say it is
:01:10. > :01:14.already packed with birds. A centre of conservation excellence, lots of
:01:14. > :01:18.research is done here, lots of management, that make this is place
:01:18. > :01:21.really attractive to lots of our winter visitors. For the next four
:01:21. > :01:25.weeks I'm sure we're in for a treat here at Slimbridge. Our guest
:01:25. > :01:31.presenter tonight is one of our own, Richard Taylor-Jones, he has been
:01:31. > :01:36.out and about on the trail of the great seal mystery.
:01:36. > :01:41.And the weekend, we had to get up extremely early, but, hey, it was
:01:41. > :01:45.worth it, because we saw a true autumn spectacle.
:01:45. > :01:51.You know our remit, it is to bring you the very best of British
:01:51. > :01:54.wildlife, and the full flavour of a British autumn. So each week we go
:01:54. > :01:58.to a different location to sample that flavour. This week we headed
:01:58. > :02:08.to the north and west, one of the southern Hebrides, another
:02:08. > :02:11.
:02:11. > :02:18.migration hot spot, the wonderful Welcome to the Queen of the
:02:18. > :02:22.Hebrides, better known as Islay. It may be a fairly small island, but
:02:22. > :02:30.it is packed with wildlife, and this is a spectacular time of the
:02:30. > :02:37.year to see it. It is such a diversity of habitat,
:02:37. > :02:45.and it is easy to think of it island as one giant bird table. But
:02:45. > :02:50.these cragy cliffs are home to a special clan of aerial hunters.
:02:50. > :02:53.Whilst these fertile grasslands attract thousands and thousands of
:02:53. > :03:03.migrating geese. It is a fantastic autumn spectacle, and we're going
:03:03. > :03:04.
:03:04. > :03:10.to be right in the heart of it. But Islay isn't only famed for its
:03:10. > :03:17.wildlife, there are one twor distilleries here too. - or two
:03:17. > :03:24.distilleries here. Eight actually. It will be a long day, cheers!
:03:24. > :03:28.Tempts as it was to stay in that distillry, how could we stay there
:03:28. > :03:33.drinking whiskey when there were thousands of barnacle geese here.
:03:33. > :03:37.It has been the best year ever in Islay. They have had a bumper
:03:37. > :03:41.44,000 grease have concerned turned up. They have come from greenland,
:03:41. > :03:45.and travelled 900 miles and to feed and restore their condition before
:03:45. > :03:48.the winter. It was amazing to see them. Stunning animal, really
:03:48. > :03:52.striking their black and white plumage. They are distinct among
:03:52. > :03:57.the geese, they are the noisiest, listen, it is noise, noise, noise,
:03:57. > :04:01.when you are out with these birds. They arrive in family parties. You
:04:01. > :04:05.can just about tell the youngsters, they have a slightly different head
:04:05. > :04:09.pattern, the black from their way goes straight into the beak. They
:04:09. > :04:14.come as family parties, because the young have to follow the add dulls,
:04:14. > :04:18.if they didn't, - adults, they if they didn't they would get lost.
:04:18. > :04:21.They are programmed to go and in what direction, but after that they
:04:21. > :04:26.get lost. They will stay with them until they get back to Iceland in
:04:26. > :04:29.the spring. When you see them in the little scales flying, that is
:04:29. > :04:33.the families. If they didn't have the parents they would keep going.
:04:33. > :04:37.They would get lost, it is important they stick together at
:04:37. > :04:41.this time. They stick to the out together through the fields, they
:04:41. > :04:44.are grazing here. This is a species that eats grass shoots. In the
:04:44. > :04:48.evening they have to move away to find somewhere secure to roost.
:04:48. > :04:51.This is important for all sorts of birds, of course. Roosting is all
:04:51. > :04:57.about security, and social facilitation, commune Kateing in
:04:57. > :05:02.the flock. These birds move out to the mudflats, they are safe from
:05:02. > :05:07.predators there. They might find fresh part water or a mash to go,
:05:07. > :05:11.to be undisturbed. By nightime they have found a secure spot. If you
:05:11. > :05:14.want to get close to them, you have to get up early, you have to sneak
:05:14. > :05:22.into the spot while they can't see you. You have to do it in the dark
:05:22. > :05:27.and it means being a bit of a creep. It was an early 5.00am start to get
:05:27. > :05:35.into position before dawn. You can really hear that noise. It is going
:05:35. > :05:40.to get louder. Let's stop here. This is a brilliant spot.
:05:40. > :05:50.Then we just had to wait for the sun to rise and the spectacle to
:05:50. > :05:50.
:05:50. > :05:56.begin. There is a whole mass. Look at that. Wow. Look at that lot
:05:56. > :06:06.there. Oh wow. That is what you call a spectacle, here they come,
:06:06. > :06:08.
:06:08. > :06:13.look, look: That is beautiful. We decided to get even closer.
:06:13. > :06:23.Let's hide behind here, they are really close, look.
:06:23. > :06:25.
:06:25. > :06:35.Look at that. Our timing was perfect. The other
:06:35. > :06:35.
:06:35. > :07:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 49 seconds
:07:24. > :07:30.If we were over there, they would be darkening that part of the skie.
:07:30. > :07:35.That is fantastic, isn't it? We have now get geese stretching
:07:35. > :07:45.all the way across there. Where are they all going? To find a field
:07:45. > :07:59.
:07:59. > :08:04.somewhere to spend the day, grazing. That was spectacular, wasn't it?
:08:05. > :08:13.That was definitely worth the early alarm call. Superb, absolutely
:08:13. > :08:17.superb. I'm so jealous. I have to saying,
:08:17. > :08:22.it was a great experience, really exciting, not only to see them but
:08:22. > :08:26.to hear them. That is it, the sound, I have been to Islay but always
:08:26. > :08:30.missed t you swaned in and got the whole lot. You have to go at the
:08:30. > :08:37.right time of year. You might want to see goose spectacle, you don't
:08:37. > :08:41.have to go to Isla, there are - Islay, you can go to many places to
:08:41. > :08:45.goose watch. Go to the website, and there is a guide there to where you
:08:45. > :08:49.can go goose watching. And, by the way, if you have any questions, get
:08:49. > :08:52.them in right now, and we will do our utmost to try to answer them
:08:52. > :08:56.live during the programme, some of them any way. One of the
:08:56. > :09:00.interesting things about Islay, is there are very uground predator,
:09:00. > :09:10.they don't have badgers and fox, which is why it is a haven for
:09:10. > :09:40.
:09:40. > :09:45.birds. But they do have some You were in your element, weren't
:09:45. > :09:51.you? Coincident be dragged away. I couldn't be dragged away. I have to
:09:51. > :09:56.say our cameramen, Lindsay and Mark, the wildlife cameramen, they didn't
:09:56. > :10:01.pull a white rabbit out of the hat, they did some magic, they did this.
:10:01. > :10:09.Let's start off with a creature born to kill, the sparrowhawk, here
:10:09. > :10:13.are two females josling in the air. What are they doing? I think it is
:10:13. > :10:18.territorial, there are 5 pairs and a distinct lack of trees, they will
:10:18. > :10:21.- 25 payers, and there is a distinct lack of tree, they may set
:10:21. > :10:28.up nests around Christmas time. Perhaps they are feeding and having
:10:28. > :10:33.a little jostle, they are not being too agrossive. As this one comes
:10:33. > :10:42.down, the bird beneath it flips on its back, you can see its legs out,
:10:42. > :10:46.it demonstrates their extraordinary aerial agility, what they would
:10:46. > :10:51.display when preying on one another. They don't want to fight as they
:10:51. > :10:55.are too well armed, it is symbolism. Have you seen that before?
:10:55. > :11:00.Sparrowhawks typically do the display abovewood land, if you are
:11:00. > :11:03.in the trees you can't see it. On Islay, where there are so few trees,
:11:03. > :11:08.we could see them doing all the stuff in the sky, that is unique.
:11:08. > :11:12.If you want to watch them, March and April is the best time. Get a
:11:12. > :11:16.advantage point above would theland and you will see the skydiving.
:11:16. > :11:20.go to Islay. One of the birds I was excited to see apart from the
:11:20. > :11:27.barnacle geese, is the golden eagle. They have been persecuted over the
:11:27. > :11:32.years, they are doing well in Islay, there are nine pairs. It is such a
:11:32. > :11:36.spectacular bird to see in the sky? This is a young bird, getting
:11:36. > :11:41.harassed by the crows, a crow you get in the north. I can't help
:11:41. > :11:46.feeling sorry for them, they are constantly being mobbed? If they
:11:47. > :11:51.get fed up I have seen them flip over, grab the crow and kill it and
:11:51. > :11:56.drop it. You are talking about a top predator there. Talking of top
:11:56. > :12:03.predators, we have top shots of one of them. The hooded crows had homed
:12:03. > :12:07.in and giving the site away. Aside from mobbing the eagles, the other
:12:07. > :12:11.thing they do is hang around waiting for scraps. This one is
:12:11. > :12:15.patiently waiting, because just to its left is this golden eagle. It
:12:15. > :12:21.is eating, what we think is a rabbit, it could be hair, we can't
:12:21. > :12:27.really see there. You can - hear, we can't really see there, it is
:12:27. > :12:35.definitely a mammal. Look at the golden sheen on its naip. You can
:12:35. > :12:40.see why it is called the golden eagle. The cameraman wasn't in a
:12:40. > :12:50.hide was he? They were on the hill. Look it looks almost straight down
:12:50. > :12:53.
:12:53. > :12:57.the camera. That is the look, fantastic. When the eagle leaves,
:12:57. > :13:00.the hooded crows in attendance, it is safe enough for them to move n
:13:00. > :13:03.and they pick over the remains of the kill. There might be a few
:13:03. > :13:08.scraps of skin and bone left for them. That is really, really good
:13:08. > :13:13.stuff to get on camera, isn't it. Fantastic, really. And eagles doing
:13:13. > :13:17.very well there, not persecuted, which is good to see. It is a top
:13:17. > :13:22.spot for raptors, we have more of that coming later.
:13:22. > :13:26.Wonderful shots. Changing gear. 40%, around 40% of
:13:26. > :13:29.the entire world population of grey seals is around the shores, are
:13:29. > :13:35.around the shores of the UK. Most of the sites where you find grey
:13:35. > :13:39.seals and common seals, are very well known. Or so we thought.
:13:39. > :13:45.Richard Taylor-Jones, our guest present e set out on a mission to
:13:45. > :13:50.solve a mystery, presenter, set out own a mission to solve a mystery,
:13:50. > :13:54.almost in his back yard. The Kent coast where I live is a bruised and
:13:54. > :13:59.battered affair. Humans have concreted over vast swathes of it.
:13:59. > :14:04.And busy ferry routes plough the turbulent seas. It is not a place
:14:04. > :14:08.you expect to find our largest and most charasmatic group of mammals.
:14:08. > :14:12.To my surprise, this summer, I found a common seal pup washed up
:14:12. > :14:17.outside my house. I certainly don't remember seals here during those
:14:17. > :14:21.endless childhood days I spent on the beach. So could they really be
:14:21. > :14:31.living and breathing somewhere around this coast? This is my
:14:31. > :14:34.
:14:34. > :14:39.mission to track down the secret seals of the south-east. I'm
:14:39. > :14:45.travelling out to one of the most dangerous ship wrecked sites on the
:14:45. > :14:49.British coast, the treacherous Goodwin Sands. We are heading over
:14:49. > :14:55.the English Channel, I'm filled with the mix of excitement and fear.
:14:55. > :14:59.Over 1,000 ships and even more lives have been lost on the
:14:59. > :15:04.Goodwins. Offshore sand banks stretching 12 miles down the
:15:04. > :15:09.straits of Dover. They are dangerous place to visit,
:15:09. > :15:14.but potentially an ideal home for seals. Could I really find them
:15:14. > :15:18.living in this busy shipping lane. I have just marooned myself on a
:15:18. > :15:22.tidal sand bank in the middle of the English Channel. There goes my
:15:22. > :15:28.lift, I have got two hours to try to find the seals here. The
:15:28. > :15:34.pressure is on, because as the tide comes in, this desolate desert
:15:34. > :15:38.island turns to quick sand, eventually being engulfed by the
:15:38. > :15:48.sea, if we stay here we drown. I have found the first seal, they are
:15:48. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :15:57.just out here in the surf. They spotted us first. Look so
:15:57. > :16:01.inquisitive. They are so inquisitive, no wonder, human
:16:01. > :16:08.beings don't come out here. There is no doubt about it, these are
:16:08. > :16:12.grey seals. It is very obvious because they have parallel nostrils
:16:12. > :16:19.running down their nose. Common seals it is much more of a V,
:16:19. > :16:25.almost a heart-shape. It is an absolute dead givaway. This colony
:16:25. > :16:31.here is a group of greys. It looks like a group of males, with their
:16:31. > :16:35.long, wide noses, along with dainter looking females, just as
:16:35. > :16:40.you might expect in the autumn, their breeding season. Something
:16:40. > :16:43.doesn't add up. These seals can't breed here, this is a tidal sand
:16:44. > :16:46.bank, every few hours it is covered in water, and grey seal pup, if
:16:46. > :16:50.they were born here, they can't look after themselves in the water
:16:51. > :17:00.for at least three weeks, they would be just washed away. So what
:17:01. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:09.on earth are they doing here. This is one of the few local people
:17:09. > :17:13.looking at the animals, I hope he can help in the mystery? I think
:17:13. > :17:17.these are non-breeding populations, they are trying out their
:17:17. > :17:21.interactions until they get to the breeding stage. Give them a couple
:17:21. > :17:26.of years and then they will be off for the breeding stations. This is
:17:26. > :17:30.like a grey seal youth club. think that's right. If it is
:17:30. > :17:34.juveniles here, why? Why are they coming here to the middle of the
:17:34. > :17:41.English Channel, we have massive great big container ships passing
:17:41. > :17:46.through, an urbanised coastline, why the Goodwin Sands? Good fish
:17:46. > :17:52.stock, no disturbance and quiet spots. I see over here we have a
:17:52. > :18:01.cracking big male? Fantastic, that is a fully mature male. While he's
:18:02. > :18:06.not gone up to the farms, why he has not gone to Norfolk to breed I
:18:06. > :18:12.don't know. They take years off do they? Yes, fantastic male. I was
:18:12. > :18:15.expect to go see common seals out here, I haven't seen any? Common
:18:15. > :18:19.seals have never been common here. It might be partly to do with the
:18:19. > :18:24.conditions they face here, a bit rougher and more unpredictable.
:18:24. > :18:34.greys are a bigger, bulker, stronger seal? It could be one of
:18:34. > :18:37.
:18:37. > :18:42.the factors. It looks like the tide is coming in!
:18:42. > :18:46.It doesn't answer the question of why the common seal pup I found
:18:46. > :18:55.came from. However, I have just had a tip-off about more seals on the
:18:55. > :18:59.mainland. So that's where I'm headed next.
:18:59. > :19:06.I thought it was apocalypse seals, I love the smell of seals in the
:19:06. > :19:10.morning. He only needed a stetson and boots, and he would have been
:19:10. > :19:14.Robert Duval. That is an extraordinary place. They sound a
:19:14. > :19:19.Second World War aircraft that crashed there. They are trying to
:19:19. > :19:24.get it out of the sand. Can I say how much I'm enjoying standing here
:19:24. > :19:34.at Slimbridge, surrounded by the gorgeous swan, that look absolutely
:19:34. > :19:34.
:19:34. > :19:38.stunning, lit by our lights. When they were in Westenboroug h we were
:19:38. > :19:42.listening out for owls, but here we have geese and swans. I have been
:19:42. > :19:48.coming here since I was a kid, I have had great moments here, it is
:19:48. > :19:56.a super spot. Good place to get a view of it is where Martin has
:19:56. > :20:01.scooted off to, he's up in the tower? I have just jogged
:20:01. > :20:06.gracefully up the 70 steps that lead to the stop here, this viewing
:20:06. > :20:09.tower. From here, the main viewing tower, you can see out over the
:20:09. > :20:14.whole 325 hectares that make up the reserve.
:20:14. > :20:24.Earlier this week, on Monday, I came here to find out a little bit
:20:24. > :20:28.
:20:28. > :20:31.more about Slimbridge and the man who started all this.
:20:31. > :20:35.Right now, birds are arriving here from all over Europe, some as far
:20:35. > :20:41.away as Russia. They will have travelled, a few of them, thousands
:20:41. > :20:47.of miles to get here. Eventually around 35,000 wildfowl will turn up
:20:47. > :20:56.here in Slimbridge. All of this is down to the ideas and inspiration
:20:56. > :21:00.of one man. Naturalist and painter, Sir Peter Scott, founded Slimbridge
:21:00. > :21:03.in 1946, to create a protective reserve for the flocks of wildfowl
:21:03. > :21:07.that arrive each winter. I have been lucky enough to be allowed
:21:07. > :21:11.into the study and studio of this remarkable man. It is full of
:21:11. > :21:14.memories, mementos of what an extraordinary man he was.
:21:14. > :21:21.But there is something I particularly want to have a look at,
:21:21. > :21:26.it's over here. Back in 1964, Peter Scott started
:21:26. > :21:32.to study the migratery swans, the Buick swans that come here every
:21:32. > :21:36.year, with his artist's eye, he noticed something nobody else had
:21:36. > :21:43.seen. You can see it here in the book. These are the actual
:21:43. > :21:47.paintings Peter Scott made. Look at the beaks, he noticed that in Buick
:21:47. > :21:50.swans, the beak pattern was unique to each individual, the pattern of
:21:50. > :21:56.the black and yellow. By recognising that and drawing the
:21:56. > :22:02.paintings, they go on and on, he could follow the individual life
:22:02. > :22:06.histories of each bird. Three Buick swans have just arrived at slim
:22:06. > :22:10.bridge, after breeding in Arctic Russia this summer, they have made
:22:10. > :22:15.the journey of around 2,000 miles, to spend the winter here. I met up
:22:15. > :22:19.with Dave Painter, reserve manager, to find out more about their story.
:22:19. > :22:25.Do you know these three individuals? We do now, but one of
:22:25. > :22:30.them we know particularly well. It is a bird called Dario, who if we
:22:30. > :22:36.had to place a bet on who would arrive first, it would be this swan.
:22:36. > :22:41.How long has Dario been coming to Slimbridge? He was first seen here
:22:41. > :22:46.in 1999, as a cignit with his family. I believe they formally,
:22:46. > :22:53.they often travel as a pair, as a couple, has he got his mate here as
:22:54. > :22:58.well? We don't know, Dario has had a bit of a checkered history with
:22:58. > :23:01.his mates, he has two in the time we have known him, but not one in
:23:01. > :23:05.the last two winters. We are watching what is going on at the
:23:06. > :23:10.moment, we hope there might be a new mate here for Dario. His last
:23:10. > :23:17.mate died, so the researchers at Slimbridge are hoping this swan,
:23:18. > :23:25.name Bridges, could go on to become Dario's new mate. We have Dario and
:23:25. > :23:29.Bridges, it sounds like Strictly. Do they look exhausted when they
:23:29. > :23:35.come? We see a lot of sleepy behaviour after the migration.
:23:35. > :23:40.far we have three here. How many would you expect to arrive
:23:40. > :23:43.throughout the whole season? Last year, for example, was well over
:23:43. > :23:47.300, we are hoping that kind of number will come through again. We
:23:47. > :23:51.know one of the big triggers for the timing of all sorts of bird
:23:51. > :23:55.behaviour is day length. So we have reached that period, the day length
:23:55. > :24:05.is right, birds want to migrate now, we are waiting for the weather to
:24:05. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:12.be good enough to allow them to do This will do me good. How many
:24:12. > :24:18.steps to the tower? 70, I counted them. That is an exaggeration?
:24:18. > :24:21.was, I counted them. Why does Dario always arrive first? That is an
:24:21. > :24:26.interesting question. Four times in the last six years he has been the
:24:26. > :24:30.first one to arrive. And although they are creatures of habit, they
:24:30. > :24:34.do turn up, they tend to turn up at the same time during the migration.
:24:34. > :24:37.He hasn't got a family, has he. So he doesn't have to stop along the
:24:37. > :24:45.way and show his offspring the best places to feed and what the route
:24:45. > :24:49.is. He doesn't have to look at the toy shop, buy the ice-cream, all
:24:49. > :24:54.that stuff! But Chris, we only have three here now, where are they?
:24:54. > :24:58.is so mild where they are, it is not push them across here. Some of
:24:58. > :25:02.the Buicks, we do expect to have up to 400 year when they all arrive.
:25:02. > :25:07.They have got as far as the north of the Netherlands, but the bulk of
:25:07. > :25:11.them at the moment are still? Latvia, we are waiting for some
:25:11. > :25:14.really cold weather over there, that will snow cover the ground or
:25:14. > :25:17.freeze it and that will push them on. They will arrive here in the
:25:17. > :25:21.next four week, and we will be covering T at the moment we have
:25:21. > :25:26.just got the three. We have, but we have loads and loads of other
:25:26. > :25:30.wildfowl here as well, haven't we. We have my absolute favourite, the
:25:30. > :25:36.pintail. Have a look at the pintail. Look at the elagance, the way it is
:25:36. > :25:45.dressed, the neatness of it. I believe, Chris, it is the most
:25:45. > :25:50.common wildfowl, the most common duck. Widespread. Here is a bird I
:25:50. > :25:54.took very much for granted, a pochard, I see them out all the
:25:54. > :26:01.time, some of these may have migrated further than the swans,
:26:01. > :26:11.4,000 miles. 4,000 incredible miles to get here to Slimbridge. New
:26:11. > :26:14.respect for the pochard. 450,000 get here eventually, and 1.25
:26:14. > :26:20.million on the Black Sea. Let me take you up with your love for the
:26:20. > :26:25.pintail. They are elegant, but not a harm Quin duck? They are a lot
:26:25. > :26:29.more attractive. Let's be honest. He's so messed up this guy! When we
:26:29. > :26:35.were out on Islay, we saw some other swans, not Buicks, but
:26:35. > :26:39.hoopers. Rather interestingly, we saw some on the flashes there, on
:26:39. > :26:44.the fresh water, we also spotted this group supplying out to sea,
:26:44. > :26:48.rough sea it was too. I love this, look how they go straight down into
:26:48. > :26:52.the trough, and then they reappear again. You might wonder, if they
:26:52. > :26:56.have come all the way from iceland and settled themselves in Islay,
:26:56. > :27:02.what were they doing heading out to sea, they were heading westwards,
:27:02. > :27:10.likely to Northern Ireland. A good number of these animals winter at
:27:10. > :27:20.Loch Neg ah there, it is one of their top - Negg h bs there, it is
:27:20. > :27:23.
:27:23. > :27:29.one - Neag h, it is one of their top spots there.
:27:29. > :27:35.What makes Islay such a good spot for the word? A lot of hard work
:27:35. > :27:43.goes into it. Michael la met up with some people to find out what
:27:43. > :27:48.makes Islay such a wonderful place for sorts of birds.
:27:48. > :27:53.One of the reasons Islay has such a large variety of visiting birds is
:27:53. > :27:57.the rich density of habitats. I met up with James how we will from the
:27:57. > :28:03.RSPB, to find out how their land management contributes to the large
:28:03. > :28:07.numbers of birds here. On the reserve the RSPB manages it,
:28:07. > :28:11.how does it manage it and how does it benefit different birds? Down
:28:11. > :28:15.the bottom you have the mudflats, great for the geese, somewhere to
:28:15. > :28:23.roost for them, they feel protected. That is not managed, that is
:28:23. > :28:33.natural? It is managed in way, the salt marshes graze by sheep to keep
:28:33. > :28:34.
:28:34. > :28:38.the vegetation short which is what the geez like. So a lot of it is
:28:39. > :28:42.tweaking. We recede the grassland every year, the better the grass
:28:42. > :28:46.the better the geese like T those fields are important in the summer,
:28:46. > :28:51.we let them grow and get a grass silage crop off for the cattle. We
:28:51. > :28:58.cut it late, because the corn crakes will be there, and they will
:28:58. > :29:03.get the breeds off before we cut it in August. It is not just the RSPB
:29:03. > :29:09.reserve that attracts wildlife to the island, industry plays very
:29:09. > :29:13.much a role? The reason why it is farmed is the link between the
:29:13. > :29:20.distilleries and the agricultural community. The distilleries need
:29:20. > :29:24.barley, which is great, the distilleries use the barley to make
:29:24. > :29:29.the whiskey, the by-product is called draft, and that is fed to
:29:29. > :29:33.the cattle as cheap feed that mixes terribly well with grass silage.
:29:33. > :29:37.Listen to that, they are right behind us. Coming up towards us.
:29:37. > :29:41.doesn't stop, does it. I really like the geese. The chattering.
:29:41. > :29:44.When they leave the island actually goes quite quiet. You walk out the
:29:44. > :29:48.door and the first thing you realise is they have gone, because
:29:48. > :29:52.the noise. Not because you can't see them. Obviously when the geese
:29:52. > :29:56.leave the wetland areas down there, the grass is very, very short, that
:29:56. > :29:59.is what the breeding waders are looking for, it is all linked
:29:59. > :30:06.together. I have to say, whatever you are doing, management wise, you
:30:06. > :30:12.are doing it right. Let's hope so. So farming and wildlife on Islay,
:30:12. > :30:15.at least, works well together. Fatastically well. Win heard there
:30:15. > :30:19.were 44,000 barnacle geese turning up, I thought maybe the farmers
:30:19. > :30:24.would be very concerned about it, but they usually manage to get the
:30:24. > :30:29.barley harvest in before the geese arrive. It works very well With the
:30:29. > :30:34.grazing and growing of barley with the early harvest it works well, if
:30:34. > :30:37.they were working winter week and the 40,000 geese would come in, the
:30:37. > :30:42.farmers wouldn't be happy because they would damage the crop. It is
:30:42. > :30:49.not just the geese, it is the waders and raptors. It is a whole
:30:49. > :30:56.circle of life. It is. Wildlife and whiskey. It is birds and booze,
:30:56. > :31:00.nothing better! But Martin, does whiskey help you have a wildlife?
:31:00. > :31:05.don't actually like whizz kee, it is too strong, I can't take it.
:31:06. > :31:09.Any way, Richard Taylor-Jones, our guest presenter, had one surprise
:31:09. > :31:13.already, where he found a colony of grey seals where they didn't ought
:31:13. > :31:16.to be, nobody knew they were there. But there were more surprises in
:31:16. > :31:23.store. I'm on a mission to uncover the
:31:23. > :31:27.life of seals on the Kent coast. I particularly want to find out where
:31:27. > :31:31.a young seal pup, washed up outside my house, may have come from.
:31:31. > :31:36.Scientists have no record of a breeding colony of seals along the
:31:36. > :31:44.mainland here. But a brand new seal safari business, based in the port
:31:44. > :31:50.of Dover, thinks there is one. I'm joining members of the public,
:31:50. > :31:54.not to see grey seals, but to find our only other UK species.
:31:54. > :32:04.We have got common seals, about six miles down the coast, that is where
:32:04. > :32:06.
:32:06. > :32:10.we are headed today. I know the bay we are being taken
:32:10. > :32:16.to very well, I used to spend hours building sandcastles on the beach
:32:16. > :32:21.here years ago. To find common seals here is just astonishing.
:32:21. > :32:26.With the boat keeping its distance, they are clearly relaxed in our
:32:26. > :32:30.presence. What an incredible sight. Just underneath the power station
:32:30. > :32:34.towers here, fantastic, look at this. I'm not the only one
:32:34. > :32:38.impressed. I didn't really think we'd see any. To come round that
:32:38. > :32:44.corner and just see them was really amazing. We have lived round here
:32:44. > :32:49.in Kent all our lives. We didn't know. To see something like this is
:32:49. > :32:53.quite amazing. I have been speaking to researchers up in Scotland, who
:32:53. > :32:59.are trying to co-ordinate all the data on seals around Britain. They
:32:59. > :33:09.had no idea that this colony existed. Really. None at all.
:33:09. > :33:11.
:33:11. > :33:17.best kept secret. Skipper, James Salmon, thinks the
:33:17. > :33:24.reason skiens haven't noticed the colony is simple, he's sure it
:33:24. > :33:27.hasn't been there that long. I have been seeing them seven or eight
:33:27. > :33:32.years, I remember coming originally there were only three or four down
:33:32. > :33:36.here, gradually the numbers have increased, this year we saw 84 back
:33:36. > :33:41.in August time. 4 of them. I have never seen that amount here before.
:33:41. > :33:45.It is fantastic to see the numbers increasing. The grey seals like it
:33:45. > :33:53.more rough and ready out by the sands, but this is nice and
:33:53. > :34:00.peaceful for them, they have found this spot now. Is that a seal right
:34:00. > :34:03.by the boat. A seal is coming right up to the boat, very inquisitive.
:34:03. > :34:06.That inquisitive nature is very important when living in a murky
:34:06. > :34:12.environment like this, seeing fish is not going to be an easy thing to
:34:12. > :34:17.do. They will have to be down in these murky waters, using those
:34:17. > :34:20.whiskers, that are very sensitive, to hunt out their prey, prodding
:34:20. > :34:25.and probing everything and being inquisitive.
:34:25. > :34:28.The common seals are clearly doing well here, so well that I suspect
:34:29. > :34:35.it could be somewhere they are happy to give birth.
:34:35. > :34:40.We saw one pup here in July time, which was very rare to see.
:34:40. > :34:44.Generally they reckon the breeding grounds are elsewhere. So, there
:34:44. > :34:48.may not be many pups being born here, but this colony is only a few
:34:48. > :34:54.miles from my house, and from what James tells me, I think it is just
:34:54. > :34:59.possible that this is where the seal pup, I found, came from. I
:34:59. > :35:02.won't be seeing any more pups today, as common seals breed in the summer.
:35:02. > :35:12.Autumn is simply a moment for the seals to kick back and have some
:35:12. > :35:19.
:35:19. > :35:22.Popping up out of the water, going bonkers.
:35:22. > :35:27.I suspect that it could just be a bit of horse play, he might
:35:27. > :35:31.literally be playing around. Perhaps showing off to some of the
:35:31. > :35:38.other males, it could all be to do with dominance and getting place in
:35:38. > :35:43.the hierarchy. It is great to watch. I just can't believe I'm seeing
:35:43. > :35:46.this, in front of an airport, a power station and a busy main road.
:35:46. > :35:51.A fleeting moment from so many people's busy lives. These seals
:35:51. > :35:56.are simply enchanting. And, as the trip comes to answered, it seems
:35:56. > :36:00.all of us on board have been swept up in their hypnotic charm. This is
:36:00. > :36:04.the first time I have seen them, and there is something miskal about
:36:04. > :36:08.them, there is - mystical about them, they are so calm. Everyone
:36:08. > :36:18.should come and do this, it is just once, it would be nice just to come
:36:18. > :36:21.
:36:21. > :36:26.and see this. Seals, I think they bring out the spiritual side in
:36:26. > :36:33.everyone. Do you feel spiritual when you see seals? Oh my goodness.
:36:33. > :36:36.I think that's a no. If you want to know what where to watch seals,
:36:36. > :36:40.there are many places around that there are many places around that
:36:40. > :36:45.you can do that. Go to the website, and there is a great guide to seal
:36:45. > :36:53.watching on the website. We are migrating now, inside. We are
:36:53. > :36:59.leaving Swan Lake and jette into the new studio. Same old chairs.
:36:59. > :37:08.will wipe my feet, nobody else Z I think it is looking very kosy.
:37:08. > :37:13.It is all here. A live question, Lorraine on the
:37:13. > :37:17.blog says do Kingfishers migrate, an interesting question? They
:37:17. > :37:22.certainly intertrain steerm movements, if we get cold weather,
:37:22. > :37:27.they are fresh water birds and if it gets cold they move to the coast.
:37:27. > :37:37.If it gets cold in the north they migrate to the coast. They suffer a
:37:37. > :37:40.
:37:40. > :37:44.lot if it they migrate. The term LBJ, "little brown job", is fairly
:37:44. > :37:54.derogatry one when applied to birds. A lot of people use it for birds,
:37:54. > :38:07.
:38:07. > :38:13.but it is a shame, a lot of little brown jobs are my favourites.
:38:13. > :38:19.These are special little birds, these are twite, they are closely
:38:19. > :38:27.related and similar to linnets, they are a fich, they have that
:38:27. > :38:32.fich bill, they are much warmer in terms of the colouring the RSPB
:38:32. > :38:36.have planted this fabulous field. It has radish, kale, mustard, they
:38:36. > :38:41.have left it to go to seed, to cater for these birds in the winter
:38:41. > :38:46.time. It is certainly working, there is a fantastic flock of them
:38:46. > :38:51.here. They frequently fly out on to this track, they will all gather
:38:51. > :38:54.down here, they seem to keep going back to the same spot, they have
:38:54. > :38:58.found some grit of exactly the right size and texture. This is
:38:58. > :39:02.what it is about, they will pick up very small pieces of this. It
:39:02. > :39:08.passes into their stomach, they eat the seeds, the stomach moves it
:39:08. > :39:11.around, it helps grind the seeds up, which speeds the process of
:39:11. > :39:21.digestion. This passes through the bird, so they are constantly having
:39:21. > :39:48.
:39:48. > :39:53.Look at this hen Harrier coming over here, look at that.
:39:53. > :40:00.They are finding refuge in the tree. What a view, who an absolutely
:40:00. > :40:08.stunning view. It is a female, or a young bird, look at that. It is
:40:08. > :40:14.just hoping to flush one loitering twite, out of the field. It will
:40:14. > :40:24.snatch it. It is doing what they do, quarter back wards and forwards.
:40:24. > :40:26.
:40:26. > :40:30.Very much like a barn owl. That is because harriers use their ears as
:40:30. > :40:35.well as their eyes for hunting. It is listening. This bird is so close,
:40:35. > :40:39.look at that. Of course, these raptors couldn't
:40:39. > :40:42.prosper here unless there was a healthy population of the smaller
:40:42. > :40:52.birds. This is what conservation is all about, it is starting,
:40:52. > :40:52.
:40:52. > :40:58.literally, from the ground upwards. Listen to that. I have seen twite,
:40:58. > :41:04.but I have never heard them producing that flock call. It has
:41:04. > :41:11.been a great day for flocks, not just flocks of geese, but flocks of
:41:11. > :41:16.twite. Look at this, big smile! Chris is also very happy, because I
:41:17. > :41:19.have just made a howling error, live on British television. I said
:41:19. > :41:24.that Kingfishers migrate to Shetland, that would surprise
:41:24. > :41:28.people there, I meant the silly Isles.
:41:28. > :41:32.Serious moment, I have to give a public service announcement, if you
:41:32. > :41:38.are watching your screen now with a keen ornithologyist, you might want
:41:38. > :41:43.to shackle them. We are about to see some images that could easily
:41:43. > :41:48.lead to an excess of leg rubbing, if this happens, sometimes you can
:41:48. > :41:54.get so carried away you can rub someone else's leg, this could lead
:41:54. > :41:59.to unforeseen circumstances. Are they shackled, I give you the male
:41:59. > :42:02.hen harrier. You can't contain yourself. It is a
:42:02. > :42:10.beautiful bird, what is interesting is it is very different from the
:42:10. > :42:14.female. The male on the right is very
:42:14. > :42:19.sexually diamore moveric, they are the same size but distinct in
:42:19. > :42:23.colouring. As it turns and flies underneath it is paler, a black
:42:23. > :42:30.line that runs around the edge of its second rees, the black
:42:30. > :42:37.primaries and pale grey make it distinctive from the female. Islay
:42:37. > :42:46.has 40 pairs of hen harrier, they are persecuted elsewhere. Really
:42:46. > :42:51.drug struggling in England. You didn't know where to put your
:42:51. > :42:59.binoculars there. Scourging thighs, I went through three pairs of
:42:59. > :43:07.trousers! Remember the Twite tree, there are no twite in it, but
:43:07. > :43:12.something else exciting. We can watch that again if you like.
:43:12. > :43:21.is not my twite tree, clearly not. Let's have a look. Here it is. You
:43:21. > :43:25.see, no twite, but what is there. little bird has sneaked in here,
:43:25. > :43:30.the smallest British falcon, the female Merlin, a dashing little
:43:30. > :43:38.bird. It is having a sniff around for the twite in the tree. They are
:43:38. > :43:42.not in that tree, they have gone off to the bottom. That is what the
:43:42. > :43:46.Merlin does, this bird is all about speed. Watch it hunting, it
:43:46. > :43:51.absolutely rockets in. What it hopes to do, as soon as it hops off
:43:51. > :43:55.the tree, having spyed the twite at the bottom there, it comes in low
:43:55. > :44:01.across the top of the grass and swoops straight into the middle of
:44:01. > :44:06.that flock of twite. It then rises up, hoping to catch one, it has
:44:06. > :44:10.missed one, but it has one other strategy, it gets underneath one of
:44:10. > :44:14.the small birds, it drives it up and up in the air, they both circle
:44:14. > :44:19.round and round often to a get high. About 300ms, finally the little
:44:19. > :44:23.bird is so in fear of a shadow to fall, that is it starts to dive
:44:23. > :44:29.down and then the Merlin puts in repeated stoops at the small
:44:29. > :44:34.birbgsd you can just see it there. It is amazing. It is called ringing.
:44:34. > :44:38.That is what they do, they ring them right up and put repeated
:44:38. > :44:42.stoops in. I have actually seen that myself, I was on Exmoor
:44:42. > :44:46.cycling, I suddenly saw the Merlin coming in chasing a skylark, they
:44:46. > :44:50.were dipping up and down, the sad thing about it was the skylark was
:44:50. > :44:53.singing loudly the whole time that this was going on. I wonder whether
:44:53. > :44:59.that was the skylark saying I'm still strong, I can still get out
:44:59. > :45:05.of your way. It was a bit distressing. Going out with a blaze
:45:05. > :45:12.of glory. I had the best view of a Merlin ringing flight, right here
:45:12. > :45:18.in Slimbridge, in the fields behind the centre, he did a serious of
:45:18. > :45:24.stpe stew pendous stoops and the chaffinch got into a hawthorn bush
:45:24. > :45:32.and we never saw it again, we hope it got away. How often are they
:45:32. > :45:34.successful? Not too successful because there is no twite but not
:45:34. > :45:38.too unsuccessful because it would starve. It is one in five, we
:45:38. > :45:43.didn't see t but had we hung around we would have done. A quick
:45:43. > :45:48.question, Sam from Facebook, what is the largest and smallest
:45:48. > :45:56.migrating bird? The smallest, a fire crest, they are tiny, weigh
:45:57. > :46:06.the same as a 5p piece, the biggest ones the Hooper swans, I would
:46:07. > :46:09.
:46:09. > :46:14.imagine the swan would be heaviest. You may remember the Osprey, the
:46:14. > :46:17.three we had met hatching out from the egg in Springwatch. Let's
:46:17. > :46:23.remind ourselves about their story so far.
:46:23. > :46:27.This spring, with the help of Montgomery Wildlife Trust, we
:46:27. > :46:32.followed three Osprey chicks as they grew up in west Wales, before
:46:32. > :46:38.setting off on the long migration. Last week we found out all three of
:46:38. > :46:42.our young Ospreys, had made it safely through Europe. And into
:46:42. > :46:47.North Africa. But ahead of them lay the biggest challenge of their
:46:47. > :46:52.lives, crossing The Sahara desert. Deserts are extremely hot during
:46:52. > :46:57.the day, and bitterly cold at night. Not exactly the place for a fish-
:46:57. > :47:06.eating bird of prey. And worst of all, they are bone dry, there is
:47:06. > :47:10.nowhere to stop and fish for the entire 900-mile crossing. So, what
:47:11. > :47:19.happened next? We left all three birds poised at the northern post
:47:19. > :47:25.tip of Africa. Right away Einon went down, skirting the edge Sahara,
:47:25. > :47:29.Dula went the same way, but Leri the little female covered the whole
:47:29. > :47:37.there, may have exhausted herself a bit. All three ended up in Senegal.
:47:37. > :47:40.We are very worried about Leri, we are getting strange bleeps from her
:47:40. > :47:45.transmitter, it is not doing what it should be doing. So we're
:47:46. > :47:52.concerned about her. Wouldn't it be wonder ffl we could some how go out
:47:52. > :47:57.there and - if we could some how go out there and try to find out what
:47:57. > :48:05.our Ospreys are up to. We are going to, tomorrow, Royden nis, our
:48:05. > :48:10.Osprey expert will - Roy den sis, our Osprey expert, he's going out
:48:10. > :48:20.to find the Ospreys, he will report back later on in Autumnwatch. Roy,
:48:20. > :48:21.
:48:21. > :48:24.good look. What are we doing next? Seals. Seals, it's time for the
:48:24. > :48:34.last report from Richard Taylor- Jones, our guest reporter, what
:48:34. > :48:35.
:48:35. > :48:39.will he find out about the mystery seals next. This RSPCA centre here
:48:39. > :48:43.Hastings, is usually home to hedgehogs and birds. But, in the
:48:43. > :48:48.last few years, they have started to receive some very different
:48:48. > :48:52.patients. Seal pups. Including the one I found. Which had to be
:48:52. > :48:56.rescued, having been abandoned. Although, sadly, she didn't make it
:48:56. > :49:01.back to health, the majority do. I wonder what these new arrivals say
:49:02. > :49:04.about the population of these animals in the south-east. Good
:49:04. > :49:14.morning. Wildlife manager, Richard Thomson, is on hand to show me
:49:14. > :49:17.around. They are just gorgeous.
:49:17. > :49:22.rehydrate them, and then they get a fish soup. Once they have
:49:22. > :49:28.progressed from fish soup, they get small fish and bigger and bigger
:49:28. > :49:35.and bigger. We have herring today. Am I allowed to give him a fish,
:49:35. > :49:39.has he had enough for the day. might do. How much fish a day will
:49:39. > :49:43.they eat at this stage? Between two and three kilos. They are putting
:49:43. > :49:48.on weight, once they get to the target weight, that does drop off.
:49:48. > :49:52.We just throw the fish in and walk out. There is very little contact.
:49:52. > :49:56.Is that a gentle hint we need to get out? It is, yes.
:49:56. > :50:01.Once the pups are up to weight, they are moved to a bigger, deeper
:50:01. > :50:07.pool. Where they have space to swim and gain strength.
:50:07. > :50:10.He has just put seal snot all over my lens. Not much work is being
:50:11. > :50:15.done on seal numbers across Kent. I wonder if these pups can shed any
:50:15. > :50:19.light on how healthy the population is. Has there, to your mind, been
:50:19. > :50:24.an increase in the number of seals on the Kent coast, going on the
:50:24. > :50:31.pups that are coming? We have seen an increase in the number of seal
:50:31. > :50:34.up pups entering this senter from the Kent coast in the last number
:50:34. > :50:37.of years. That must indicate the population is growing? It is hard
:50:37. > :50:40.to say, whether the population is sicker than normal, that is the
:50:40. > :50:43.reason we are getting more of them, or they are finding it more
:50:43. > :50:48.difficult to find places to breed, so they are breeding on the
:50:48. > :50:53.outsides of the colonies, perhaps they are being driven away, young
:50:53. > :50:57.parents. It is difficult to know why these animals come into our
:50:57. > :51:03.care. Whatever the reason, the pups end up here, it is certainly time
:51:03. > :51:09.for this young male to be released. He came in on the 31st July, with
:51:09. > :51:19.an infected eye and split lip. After two-and-a-half months of care
:51:19. > :51:24.
:51:24. > :51:33.and attention, he's ready to go. Look at that fella. There you go,
:51:33. > :51:42.home. You This seal is desperate to be
:51:42. > :51:50.released and I can't open the door. There we go, fantastic. Off you go
:51:50. > :51:56.fella. All the pups need to be release
:51:56. > :51:59.during the autumn, before winter set - released during the autumn,
:51:59. > :52:02.before winter, this pup is the second to go this year. There are
:52:02. > :52:07.three more to follow. How did that make you feel? Really good, really
:52:07. > :52:13.good to see them go. He will surf out there now. This is a great day
:52:13. > :52:17.for him. So really pleased. He's heading out into one of the
:52:17. > :52:20.busiest shipping lanes in the world. He has to live along one of the
:52:20. > :52:24.most urbanised coastlines in Britain, what do you think his
:52:24. > :52:28.chances are? We know from evidence that with the tag that is we put on
:52:28. > :52:33.the animals, and also some work has been done with putting satellite
:52:33. > :52:37.tags on seals, that have been released from a rehabilitation
:52:37. > :52:41.centre, they do really well. There isn't a great deal of difference
:52:41. > :52:45.between them and their rival counterparts, we know survival is
:52:45. > :52:49.good. Your work here works, it is worth putting the time and effort
:52:49. > :52:54.putting the guys back to sea. Definitely. This is where they want
:52:54. > :53:00.to be? Definitely. He's surfing in the waves there. Goodbye seal and
:53:00. > :53:04.good luck. My journey for Autumnwatch started with an
:53:04. > :53:09.abandoned seal pup. Although she never made it back to the wild. I
:53:09. > :53:13.have now learned so much about the seals of the south-east. And
:53:13. > :53:18.watching this young male bravely head out into the English Channel,
:53:18. > :53:24.gives me a sense that they might just have a very positive future
:53:24. > :53:28.here. Richard has written a blog about
:53:28. > :53:35.his adventures and the seals, that is on our website. In fact, he will
:53:35. > :53:39.be joining us later on in Un sprung. Can I say we have been incredibly
:53:39. > :53:43.lucky for the live show, this is the fourth week and it hasn't
:53:43. > :53:47.rained, the fifth week, it has been raining all day here at Slimbridge.
:53:47. > :53:51.So much so that my feet are still wet, are they going to stay wet
:53:52. > :53:55.this weekend? Don't ask me, let's ask the professional, John Hammond,
:53:55. > :54:00.ask the professional, John Hammond, will it rain all weekend?
:54:00. > :54:04.No it is not, the good news for you and for most of us, it's going to
:54:04. > :54:08.be a nice weekend. Lots of sunshine, it should encourage you to get out
:54:08. > :54:11.in the countryside. Some exception, as we will see here. There is one
:54:11. > :54:15.blob of blue, wet weather across northern England, that should
:54:16. > :54:20.largely clear out of the way. For most of us it will be a dry night.
:54:20. > :54:23.Fog forming, humid air, southern parts of the UK not cold. Maybe a
:54:23. > :54:30.touch of frost across Scotland and Northern Ireland. We lose that blob
:54:30. > :54:34.of blue and gain another. It will turn damp across eastern England.
:54:34. > :54:38.Most of us settling into a fine day. Beautiful across Scotland, Northern
:54:38. > :54:41.Ireland, more north western parts of England and Wales, that probably
:54:41. > :54:48.does include Slimbridge, not as mild as it has been, temperatures
:54:48. > :54:52.pretty good for the time of year. After the fireworks parties and
:54:52. > :54:55.bonfires, things settled and sunshine. Best of that across the
:54:55. > :55:00.more north western parts of the country. A bit drab across England.
:55:00. > :55:04.With the feed off the North Sea we will get a lot of moisture and
:55:04. > :55:07.cloud. Disappointing across this parts of the world.
:55:07. > :55:11.Southerly winds, we are going into a different regime, north-eastly
:55:11. > :55:16.wind, we will talk about it in the moment.
:55:16. > :55:21.All the mild weather, I'm not happy, it is causing a real hiatus in the
:55:22. > :55:29.my grai, we need some good cold, windy weather, coming from the east,
:55:29. > :55:33.are we going to get it? I don't think we are going to get it, for
:55:33. > :55:38.those birds stuck out there in Moscow, it has been mild, seven
:55:38. > :55:41.degrees in Moscow, we got a big change in the weather, the general
:55:41. > :55:45.circulation pattern is having a substantial change. We will see a
:55:45. > :55:49.plunge of blue. That is properly cold air coming from the Arctic to
:55:49. > :55:53.affect much of Eastern Europe, with temperatures sub zero in Moscow I
:55:53. > :55:58.think the birds there will get cold feet for sure, and be more
:55:58. > :56:02.encouraged to fly westwards. The other factor in the equation, ace
:56:02. > :56:07.mentioned, up until now we had southerly winds, hence the warmth,
:56:07. > :56:13.come the weekend and the early parts of next week, easterly winds.
:56:13. > :56:18.I'm no ornithologyist, I would imagine birds across the continent
:56:18. > :56:23.and Scandinavia will be encouraged to fly in our direction.
:56:23. > :56:26.I think what we will do, we will have to wait here, these swans over
:56:26. > :56:30.in Latvia at the moment, not so much waking for the blackout but
:56:30. > :56:34.the whiteout. If it does move in, we might see some of these Buicks
:56:34. > :56:39.towards the end of the week joining those already there at Slimbridge.
:56:39. > :56:43.In the meantime, with those east lease, we might get the wood
:56:43. > :56:51.pigeons, they are a migrant bird, they used to come in vast numbers,
:56:51. > :56:55.not so much now with the weather. Maybe starllings, you might get
:56:55. > :57:00.those. One wax wing in Orkney, no Woodcock yet, if you are into
:57:00. > :57:05.rareties, the east lease are always a bonus. We have had an eastern
:57:05. > :57:10.crowned warbler, it should be in south-east Asia. If you are a
:57:10. > :57:14.twitcher you might be happy this weekend.
:57:14. > :57:24.We have a picture haven't we? at this, this was taken by Ian
:57:24. > :57:25.
:57:26. > :57:31.Watson, in Cumbria, one of four that he saw. And what this is a
:57:31. > :57:35.lukistic wild geese. Does that mean pale, lukistic? I can't get into
:57:35. > :57:39.that, we only have a minute left. Next week we have another top show
:57:39. > :57:44.for you, we are off to investigate how seabirds are affected by
:57:44. > :57:48.plastic in the environment. We join a team from the RSPB to see just
:57:48. > :57:53.how negative this litter problem can be.
:57:53. > :58:01.I'm going to be catching up with our family of foxes down in Pitsy,
:58:01. > :58:06.and things are getting messy. special guest next week is Yolo, he
:58:06. > :58:14.will look for these fin whales, the second-biggest whale, off the Irish
:58:14. > :58:16.coast. He will be joining us in the Send in any questions you have got,
:58:16. > :58:21.keep uploading your pictures on to flickr. If you have any movies of