0:00:03 > 0:00:05Britain's wildlife needs your help.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Many of our favourite wild creatures are under threat.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11From persecution.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13From pollution.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14And alien predators.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Others are losing their homes.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Suffering from injury or disease.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Or just struggling to survive in the modern world.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Some could be extinct within our lifetime if we don't act now.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34There's nothing in the sky or even in the trees there, is there?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37But you can help bring them back from the brink.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Together we can fight their enemies.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Restore the places where they live.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And stop their decline in its tracks.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Release.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Whoa! Whoa!
0:00:51 > 0:00:53So join our campaign.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55To save our wonderful wildlife.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57For us all to enjoy.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59- Oh, look. - SHE LAUGHS
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Ah. Hello to you!
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I mean, how can you not just fall in love with that?
0:01:21 > 0:01:25The British countryside matters to us all,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28whether we live here or just visit.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It's a place that we all cherish and value.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Our countryside has a truly special place in our hearts,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39history and culture.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43No other habitat evokes a more romantic image
0:01:43 > 0:01:48than the rolling hills and dales that make up our rural landscape.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But the countryside isn't simply a place for us to enjoy.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Three quarters of all the land in Britain is farmland, where crops are
0:02:02 > 0:02:07grown and livestock is raised to feed more than 60 million people.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Because farmland covers so much of Britain,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17it is by far our most important habitat.
0:02:17 > 0:02:23This patchwork of fields and meadows, hedgerows and pastures
0:02:23 > 0:02:27has long been home to some of our best-known and best-loved wildlife.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35For centuries, skylarks have sung in clear blue skies
0:02:35 > 0:02:38as hares box in the fields below.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Bumblebees buzz from flower to flower,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44as butterflies flit across meadows.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47While harvest mice and voles shield themselves
0:02:47 > 0:02:49from dangers lurking above.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54But maybe not for much longer.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58For all is not well in the heart of the British countryside.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02For the past few decades, industrial-style farming has turned
0:03:02 > 0:03:04much of our land into a food factory,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07leaving very little room for wildlife.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Today, populations of many of our best-loved farmland animals
0:03:12 > 0:03:14are in jeopardy.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16If we don't act now and help reverse this decline,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20we risk losing some of our most precious wild creatures.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26But our team of wildlife experts is determined not to let this happen.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35Adam Henson reveals why our fastest mammal is losing a race to survive.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38We need to unite together to help to protect it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Michaela Strachan champions a gothic creature at death's door.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It is absolutely adorable.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And Mike Dilger wants you to start
0:03:49 > 0:03:52a wildlife revolution in your own garden.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Look at that. We actually caught a...
0:03:55 > 0:03:57SCREAMS AND LAUGHTER
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I was born and brought up in the countryside.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10There was a dairy farm at the top of the lane where we lived,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13and cows in the fields all around us.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18So when I come to a place like this, it feels like coming home.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22And if you take a closer look,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26our countryside also has an incredibly important story to tell.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33Around 5,000 years ago, our prehistoric ancestors
0:04:33 > 0:04:37first began to farm this green and pleasant land.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43But before they could begin to grow crops or raise animals,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46they had to chop down the trees that would have covered these hills.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53To help them, they used this stone. If you come and see this.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56These grooves were made by some of the first farmers who used them
0:04:56 > 0:05:01to sharpen their axes, ready for a hard day's work.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Clearing the trees was just the beginning.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Over the following centuries, these early farmers created
0:05:09 > 0:05:13fresh, new places for wildlife to find a home.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18Hedgerows and meadows. Rough grassland and chalky hillsides.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Gradually our wildlife adapted to the opportunities
0:05:23 > 0:05:27offered by these new habitats and the British countryside was born.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32One of our most iconic farmland animals
0:05:32 > 0:05:36fared exceptionally well from this open landscape.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39But in recent years, its fortunes have changed for the worse,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43as Adam Henson discovered hot on its tail in East Anglia.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48SIREN WAILS
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I'm in the heart of Lincolnshire with a Wildlife Crime Unit
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and the police officers here have got the difficult task of protecting
0:05:58 > 0:06:00our wildlife from abuse.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And there's one animal that needs extra special attention,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and we need to unite together to help to protect it.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15If you look closely in the fields of Britain,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18you might just be lucky enough to come across
0:06:18 > 0:06:20the UK's fastest land mammal.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Blink and you might miss it.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31The brown hare.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Partly due to the growth of intensive farming
0:06:38 > 0:06:42destroying its habitat, the hare has all but disappeared
0:06:42 > 0:06:45in huge swathes of the British countryside.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Famous for its springtime boxing,
0:06:47 > 0:06:52black-tipped ears and powerful hind legs,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55it can run almost twice as fast as Usain Bolt.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01But reaching speeds of 45mph has unwittingly placed this
0:07:01 > 0:07:06threatened creature at the centre of a highly controversial blood sport.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Hare coursing.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10DOG BARKS
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Releasing dogs to chase down hares was made illegal in 2004.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21PC Nick Willey and his team are fighting to stop this crime.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24We've been called by farmer Patrick Tomlinson
0:07:24 > 0:07:27to the site of a recent incident on his land.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Paddy, is this sort of the area where the hare coursers were?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33It says the incident was sort of at the back of the farm,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- Tunbridge Lane. - Yeah, we had hare coursers here.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39It's quite a popular event really at weekends.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- Is it for food or for gambling? - It's a big gambling thing, really.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44It tests the agility of the dog.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46There's a lot of money involved in it.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49And for you as a farmer, do you see the hare as a pest?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Are there enough to cause a problem?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54No, not, not...there's not enough to cause a problem.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56They're, you know, they're quite nice to see.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Nick shows me some video footage.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Some are lucky enough to get away
0:08:02 > 0:08:06but then may die from the trauma that they've been through.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08And those that are caught are killed by the dogs.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Yeah, once that dog's got it, it will rip it, you know, to kill it.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15So how can the general public help the police force?
0:08:15 > 0:08:19It's just, if people don't ring in and report these incidents,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23then we, you know, we don't know that it's happening.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Nick and his team continue to battle against illegal hare coursing
0:08:27 > 0:08:32but this isn't the only way the hare population is being threatened.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Rabbits live in burrows in banks or in amongst the woods
0:08:36 > 0:08:38but this is the hare's home -
0:08:38 > 0:08:41wide open spaces in fields like this.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45And this is where the hare will lie. This is almost its bed.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's a scrape or a form and the hare will go in this way,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51dig the soil out and look out across the open country,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55ready to spring away if it gets threatened by anything.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The greatest threat to the humble hare has been the loss of habitat.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03With the intensification of agriculture
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and use of large machinery,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09the hare has been squeezed out and declined in numbers.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Many farmers across the country will see hares as a pest because
0:09:13 > 0:09:17they eat their crops and it's legal to shoot hares all year round.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21And on some farms, they still have organised hare shoots.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Because hares can be shot throughout the year,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27there's no protection for them during their spring breeding season.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29When their parents are shot,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32baby hares may be left orphaned and helpless.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38But thanks to the work of volunteers like Susan Sroka,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42who's been saving and hand-rearing leverets for almost 20 years,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45some of them have a chance to survive.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46How old is this one?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Nearly five weeks old now.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53An expert from the Hare Preservation Trust, she's successfully
0:09:53 > 0:09:58cared for and released nearly 50 leverets back into the wild.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00How difficult is it to rear a leveret?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It's the first few days that are the most difficult.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06It's getting them to suckle off...
0:10:06 > 0:10:10whether it be a bottle or a teat on a syringe.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13There we go. Job done. Amazing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16So what would be your advice to people who stumble across hares
0:10:16 > 0:10:18when they're out walking?
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Initially, totally leave them alone. Because once you've picked them up,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24you'll get the human scent onto them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Mum might not come back.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28But however, if you see obvious injuries,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31then they would have to make the decision to leave it and let nature
0:10:31 > 0:10:35take its course or take it in and try and find some help.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42It was really great seeing Susan's passion for the little leverets
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and helping to rehabilitate it and get it
0:10:44 > 0:10:49back out into the wild. And it's not something that all of us can do.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But we can do our bit to help recreate habitat and look carefully
0:10:53 > 0:10:57at the close shooting season and try and help boost the hare numbers.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I'm travelling to Norfolk, where I've heard hares and their young
0:11:02 > 0:11:06are being given every chance to survive in their natural habitat.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13This tussocky grass is absolutely perfect for leverets to hide in,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and this sort of habitat
0:11:15 > 0:11:18is really missing on the big arable farms across the country.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22And in hiding in here, they're hidden away from the raptors,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25the buzzards, the foxes and all sorts of other creatures
0:11:25 > 0:11:28that try and eat them.
0:11:28 > 0:11:35And the man who's providing this safe haven - farmer Chris Skinner.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- Morning, Chris.- Hello. - Hi, I'm Adam.- Nice to meet you.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Yeah, and you.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Chris is taking part in a special government scheme,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46receiving a grant to put part of his valuable farming land
0:11:46 > 0:11:50back into its natural state to encourage wildlife.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Especially the hare.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57If you just stop. I've just seen something.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Ah, Adam.- Just here.- Just here.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- That's incredible.- Look at him there.- And there he goes.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- There he goes.- Wow.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09As a young farmer, Chris used to shoot hares but now he works to
0:12:09 > 0:12:14save them, and he still has his old ways of attracting their attention.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I'll see if I can stop him.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18HE MAKES HARE CALL
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- There he goes. That's a jack hare. - You must love it.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Oh, it's the best thing I've ever done in agriculture.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- This has really brought the fun back into farming for me.- Lovely.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35It's a real treat coming here and seeing
0:12:35 > 0:12:37so many running around on your farm.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Oh, they're so eccentric. I think that's why I like them.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I'd actually like to be like that.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Because of this scheme that I've done,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51we've replanted all the hedge that I took out and more besides.
0:12:51 > 0:12:5627,300 hedging plants have gone in on the farm.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00And these newly-planted hedges with the un-mown margin around them,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02as you can see, it's perfect.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05They can get in under there and they're just invisible.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07That's what's making the difference here.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Having the leverets survive through the spring. That vulnerable period.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Do you think they can be considered as a pest?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Absolutely not. Certainly, shooting is now a very questionable way.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23They don't need controlling.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26We're doing so much else to make their lives difficult.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Reversing the decline in wildlife is a real marker of how we could
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and should look after our environment.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Because of Chris's hard work,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40the population on his farm is thriving once more.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48It really is such a treat to sit here and watch them coming so close.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Over time, our ancestors became more and more skilled at farming the land,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09using tried and tested methods
0:14:09 > 0:14:13that worked in harmony with the landscape and its wildlife.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17These are traditional horse-drawn tools that would have been
0:14:17 > 0:14:20used for centuries in farming.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23But then, at the outbreak of the Second World War, it all changed.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32When war broke out in 1939, Britain had a stark choice.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Become self sufficient in food or face starvation.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Ancient meadows and grasslands that had evolved over centuries
0:14:44 > 0:14:47were ploughed up and planted with crops.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50The decline of our farmland wildlife had begun.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Over time, old methods for working the land were swept aside
0:15:00 > 0:15:03in favour of more efficient huge machines.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07The bigger the machine, the more land used for farming
0:15:07 > 0:15:11and so the destruction of precious wildlife habitats continued.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Since 1945, we've lost 300,000 miles of hedgerows.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25That's more than the distance from the Earth to the moon.
0:15:27 > 0:15:3298% of traditional wild flower meadows have simply disappeared
0:15:32 > 0:15:36and one million farm ponds have been lost for ever.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43And if this wasn't enough, nature is also under chemical attack.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Today's demand for low cost food means farmers need to maximise
0:15:49 > 0:15:52every square metre of land available to them.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59That means using herbicides and insecticides which do their job
0:15:59 > 0:16:05but, in the process, annihilate all other wild plants and insects.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Even the beneficial ones.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14In the years after the Second World War, agricultural chemicals
0:16:14 > 0:16:18were widely used to control pests and increase crop production,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22but they had a devastating effect on much of our countryside wildlife.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Farmland birds have been hit particularly hard -
0:16:28 > 0:16:32within a single human lifetime, we've lost more than
0:16:32 > 0:16:37two million pairs of skylarks, a million pairs of lapwings
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and 90% of our grey partridges.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46It's easy to point the finger of blame at farmers for all this
0:16:46 > 0:16:50but the truth is that we are all part of the problem.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53We've demanded cheaper and cheaper food
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and so the farmers have just provided it.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00So when it came to a battle between cheap food and wildlife,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03wildlife was always going to be the loser.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Pesticides continue to cause problems for many of our farmland creatures,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14including a nocturnal species you might not expect.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17As Michaela Strachan discovered in the wilds of Devon.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Bats have a pretty tough time in Britain.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35They don't always get a great PR, but look at this little one.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41It is absolutely adorable and they really are fascinating creatures.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44But, you know, Britain's bats are in big trouble.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51One in three of Britain's native mammals, 18 species, are bats.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Of all these, the most at risk is the greater horseshoe bat.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Named for its distinctive-shaped nose.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It's declined by a shocking 90% in the past century
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and there are now only 20 breeding colonies left in England.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13I've come to Devon,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17one of the few remaining strongholds for this incredible flying mammal.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21With rolling hills that provide the perfect landscape for dairy farms,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24it's remained a haven for the horseshoe bats.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Now one thing that's really important for bats is,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30believe it or not, this. A cowpat.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Now this one has lots of insects on it.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And horseshoe bats in particular are rather partial to dung beetles
0:18:37 > 0:18:39that make their homes in cowpats.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43However, these days, lots of farmers use a chemical to
0:18:43 > 0:18:48de-worm their cows that's so toxic that nothing survives in the cowpat.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50However, this is an organic farmer.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55And as you can see, this cowpat is thriving. So I'm sure that once
0:18:55 > 0:18:58the sun goes down this will provide a nice bat takeaway.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Greater horseshoe bats hibernate for up to six months of the year
0:19:04 > 0:19:09and this bat-friendly county has an abundance of winter retreats
0:19:09 > 0:19:11to give them protection from predators.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19One such hideaway is run by the Vincent Wildlife Trust.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26This cave is a really important roost site for greater horseshoe bats.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29In fact, it's home to the largest colony of them
0:19:29 > 0:19:31in the west of Europe.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Come spring, they migrate all the way over to these barns
0:19:34 > 0:19:37and this is where they have their summer roosts.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39At the moment, there'll be lots of females
0:19:39 > 0:19:43all huddled together in there, sharing warmth.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Because this is where they have their babies.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Once night falls and the bats get ready to forage for food,
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Colin Morris can count them
0:19:55 > 0:19:58to monitor this vital colony's progress.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Tonight, he's letting me join his team.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05As the bats are so sensitive to light,
0:20:05 > 0:20:06we have to film using infrared cameras.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- (SOFTLY) Hi, Michaela.- How are you? - I'm fine. You?
0:20:09 > 0:20:10Yeah, I'm good. Have you seen any yet?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Yeah, they've started coming from the cave over there
0:20:13 > 0:20:15and going to the small barn over here.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18(Look, look, look. There's quite a few.)
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- We just had one above our head. - Yes, it's a good sign.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I can hear it sort of doing their calling.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Yes, that's because we've got an ultrasonic bat detector
0:20:25 > 0:20:27which is picking up their ultrasounds
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and converting it into a sound that we can hear.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Colin, this is obviously a very important site
0:20:33 > 0:20:34but how many is there?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Well, at the peak of the summer,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39the adults number between 1,500 and 1,800 animals.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- That is a big colony, isn't it? - Very, very impressive.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Colin and his team come out here twice a year to check the numbers.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And anybody can help with that, can't they?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52They can give information to the bat monitoring programme.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Yes, they can.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It's great to see volunteers helping Colin out and it's something
0:20:57 > 0:21:02we could all get involved in to help save these incredible animals.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Well, I've enjoyed my night out, have you?
0:21:04 > 0:21:05I had a fantastic night.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08We had about 400 coming out and about 60 going in
0:21:08 > 0:21:10but there was so much traffic in and out.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14It was incredible. I'm very happy. It's been a good night.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Just down the road at Beer Caves,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22scientist Fiona Matthews is trying to find out more
0:21:22 > 0:21:27about the greater horseshoe bat's life cycle to help protect them.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31She does so by catching and tagging them.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Hi, Fiona. It looks like you're busy.- Hi. Yeah.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- These are the nets that you do the survey in?- That's right.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39They're going to fly against these strings
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and slither down into the collecting bag.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Do they get stressed out by that?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Well, actually, they're remarkably calm about it.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- Are they? - Because they don't get tangled up.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51They'll end up walking up here and roosting in a little line
0:21:51 > 0:21:56across the top and just go, yeah, sometimes even go back asleep.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Bats are at their most active once twilight approaches,
0:21:59 > 0:22:05using their amazing navigational skills to hunt for flying insects.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08It's not long before the bats are woken from their slumber
0:22:08 > 0:22:14and fall into our harmless traps. Well, some of them.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- Oh.- What have we got? - A nice big greater horseshoe.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- Oh, he is active that one, isn't he? - A little horseshoe.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28What I need to do, first of all, is put a ring on him.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Fiona, now they have high protection status,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- has that made a difference already? - Yes, yes.- Has that helped them?- Yes.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37We've put radio tags on the bats coming out of these caves
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and established where the commuting routes are so we can say for sure
0:22:41 > 0:22:45we know the bats are coming here and if we can adopt some additional
0:22:45 > 0:22:50measures on those farms, that just makes the bats' lives a bit easier.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54With information gathered from tagging and tracking, Fiona can
0:22:54 > 0:22:58provide evidence of the bats' flight paths and encourage farmers to get
0:22:58 > 0:23:02involved in schemes to maintain bat-friendly habitats
0:23:02 > 0:23:03such as hedgerows.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10With thorough research and simple conservation methods,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14we really can save these incredible creatures from extinction.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18But what should you do if you find a sick or injured bat?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Well, you make a call to the bat lady.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Lizzie Platt set up a bat hospital in her family home seven years ago.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31So, Lizzie, these are the bat cages for the injured bats.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It's not what the average person has in their garage, is it?
0:23:34 > 0:23:38No, not really. No, this is a lovely site for injured bats.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41They can just get used to moving around a little bit.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42A bit of physio for them, really.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- Can we have a look at some? - Yeah, sure.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- Which ones are in here? - We've got long-eared bats in here.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Oh, look at them.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52These are very sleepy, cold bats at the moment
0:23:52 > 0:23:54so I'm going to just wrap a blanket round them.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Oh, fantastic. How many are there, three?- Four.- Four.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- THEY LAUGH - It's like a ball of bats.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- We've had one fly papered. One has really large...- Fly papered?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Yes, we get a lot of bats in that have been caught on fly paper.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08They go, attracted to the bugs.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And what should people do if they find an injured or sick bat?
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Use a gloved hand or a tea towel and gather it up
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and put it in something like a shoe box.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21So it's got something to hang and a little milk bottle top full of water
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and the sooner we get them, the sooner we can treat them.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25So what type of bat is in here?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28This is Brian. He usually lives upstairs.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Brian is a Bechstein's bat,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and he's one of the rarest bats in the country.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Yes, he was born last year.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39- A tree branch had fallen on his bat box.- Oh, look at him.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42And he had...oh, he was starving to death
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and he had several breaks and a lot of muscle damage.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Hello, Brian.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50MICHAELA LAUGHS
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Lizzie, can I hold this one?- Yes.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55They just seem so delicate, don't they?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I can see why you've fallen in love with them.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59You can't help it, can you?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05You know, 20 years ago, the greater horseshoe bat's cousin -
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the greater mouse-eared bat - became extinct in the UK.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13It would be an absolute tragedy if another species became extinct.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15And when you look at them like this, you just think
0:25:15 > 0:25:18how can we possibly let that happen?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35This is one of those classic scenes that spring to my mind
0:25:35 > 0:25:38when I think about the British countryside.
0:25:38 > 0:25:45A summer meadow humming with insects. Just listen to those birds.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47BIRDS TWEET
0:25:49 > 0:25:54But believe it or not, this is all part of a working farm
0:25:54 > 0:25:57here on the border between Wiltshire and Hampshire.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03This place is amazing. It's alive with important animals.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07There are butterflies dancing all around me.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10There are plants covered with bees. Bumblebees and solitary bees.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And they're all performing this incredibly important job of
0:26:13 > 0:26:16pollinating the plants, allowing them to reproduce
0:26:16 > 0:26:18so that they can grow again.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23If you look at these, they're absolutely covered in aphids.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26That sounds bad, but they're food for ladybirds
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and other predatory flying insects.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Which are food for all these birds around me.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It's the sort of place our grandparents
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and great-grandparents would have known and cherished.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45Cholderton Estate is run by father and son Henry and Rory Edmunds.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49They farm organically, which helps wildlife thrive on their land.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And you don't do anything to this? You just simply grow it?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Yeah, this is literally just stuck in the ground in the autumn
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and then we just leave it.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00As you can see, like, we're struggling through the bushes
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- because there's no tram lines. - It's amazing.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The farm dates back 130 years,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09when it was started by Rory's great-great-grandfather.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14What are your childhood memories of wildlife on the farm when you were growing up?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I don't remember there being anywhere near as much
0:27:17 > 0:27:19wildlife as there is today.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I mean, you used to see a few deer, a few hares, a few lapwings.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26And then for years, you know, we lost them and we wouldn't see any.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Now the place is lifting with hares. You can go into any field
0:27:29 > 0:27:33and you'll see a multitude of hares and they're beautiful.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36A lot of corn buntings in sort of various parts of the farm.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38A lot more lapwings.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41A lot of songbirds. A lot of yellowhammers.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44How does organic make a difference for wildlife?
0:27:44 > 0:27:46A lot of these chicks are all dependant on insects
0:27:46 > 0:27:50so where you're spraying insecticides on these crops,
0:27:50 > 0:27:55there are obviously zero insects, so the chicks basically just starve.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01As well as not using pesticides, Rory and his father have followed
0:28:01 > 0:28:05a traditional approach, which also benefits the farm's wildlife.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Well, we have mixed farming so we've got lots of animals.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11We've got sheep, cows, horses
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and I think that in itself encourages a lot of wildlife.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Everything's being grazed, you know, at certain times of the year.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20The right times for various insects
0:28:20 > 0:28:23so all the birds have got stuff to come and eat in the winter.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25For instance, with the lapwings,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28we fence off where we know they're going to nest.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31We cultivate it, put an electric fence round it and then,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34when they hatch off, the adults take their chicks into
0:28:34 > 0:28:36a field next door where we've got sheep.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And we put the sheep there because that provides the ideal habitat
0:28:39 > 0:28:41for lapwing chicks to grow up in.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43It sounds like quite a lot of work,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46all of the extra measures that you take to support wildlife here.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- Is it worth it? - Yeah, it's definitely worth it.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52I think farming without wildlife would be boring.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I think seeing the lapwings out and amongst the sheep is amazing.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58It's a real sort of old-fashioned farming sight.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01You probably wouldn't see it anywhere else around here.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Having spent some time here, I am genuinely blown away by the amount
0:29:08 > 0:29:10of wildlife that there is.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13And I know that not all farms can be organic -
0:29:13 > 0:29:17the nation couldn't simply produce enough food that way -
0:29:17 > 0:29:20but it does give us some vital lessons in how to farm
0:29:20 > 0:29:23in a wildlife-friendly way.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28And you don't have to be a farmer to help protect Britain's
0:29:28 > 0:29:32threatened wild creatures. We can all play our part.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37Wildlife gardener Mike Dilger as lots of useful advice
0:29:37 > 0:29:42about how to make the wild species in your garden well-fed and happy.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55My aim is to make my own back garden as wildlife-friendly as possible.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And I want to inspire you to do the same.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06When it comes to providing food for wildlife,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09the obvious choice is putting out bird food.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11In a recent survey,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14two out of every three households fed their garden birds.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20'And why fill up the feeders yourself...'
0:30:20 > 0:30:21Hi, guys.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25'..when there's an army of budding wildlife gardeners eager to help?'
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Who feeds the birds in their garden?
0:30:28 > 0:30:31I'm glad to see lots of hands.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33To attract as many different types as possible,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37what I do is put lots of different types of food in the garden.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41This is called niger, goldfinch love eating this food.
0:30:42 > 0:30:47You need a specially designed feeder for these small, oil-rich seeds.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53But for the conventional feeders, it's hard to beat sunflower seeds.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Does anybody know what birds eat these?
0:30:59 > 0:31:00Blue tits?
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Boom. Perfect answer. Well done.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06So it's mostly blue tits and great tits.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Fat blocks are a favourite for many birds
0:31:09 > 0:31:12including starlings, sparrows and robins.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14The fat gives them an energy boost
0:31:14 > 0:31:17to get through the cold winter nights.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19All these different foods will entice
0:31:19 > 0:31:22a whole variety of birds into your garden.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26The next trick is keeping other creatures away.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29There's an animal I don't want to eat all the seed.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30I'm thinking about an animal
0:31:30 > 0:31:34with a long tail that's grey that lives in the trees.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Yes.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- Is it a squirrel?- Grey squirrel.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41They love munching through all my peanuts
0:31:41 > 0:31:44but I have a trick that keeps them away.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- Does anyone know what this spice is? - Yes.- What is it?
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Chilli.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52Chilli powder. Absolutely. Any idea why, Sunny?
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Because the squirrels like those types of nuts
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- and they don't like that. - That's right.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Birds don't mind chilli powder on their nuts and squirrels hate it.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03That is ten out of ten. Very good.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Fantastic. There we have an anti-squirrel food.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11That is perfect chilli-coated peanuts. There you go.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Providing food for wildlife also means creating areas where
0:32:17 > 0:32:19animals can naturally find something to eat.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26I'm sure it's not just birds dining out
0:32:26 > 0:32:30in the wilder areas of my garden.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33So I set some traps to find out.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38Can everyone see what's inside? They're little tiny mice.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42I'm going to squeeze this and let the mice out into the bag.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44There we go.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46CHILDREN LAUGH
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Isn't that brilliant?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Our native wood mice are not that easy to see
0:32:51 > 0:32:55as they're mostly nocturnal and hide away deep in the undergrowth.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Does anyone know what wood mice eat?
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Wood?
0:32:59 > 0:33:01No, they live in a wood.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05They eat things like fruit and seeds and nuts.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Wood mice are affected by pesticides on farmland,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12so poison-free gardens provide them with a safe home.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16They can also breed incredibly quickly.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21In summer, there can be well over 30 million wood mice in the UK.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25There's the first mouse coming out. There he goes.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28That's great news for many farmland birds like kestrels
0:33:28 > 0:33:31and owls that rely on them for food.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36We caught one more thing in the traps last night.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38There we go. Look at that.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42I cannot believe that we actually caught a f... Oh!
0:33:42 > 0:33:44SQUEALING AND LAUGHTER
0:33:46 > 0:33:52I can't believe we actually caught a frog in the trap.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Right, because he's jumping like a little Mexican jumping bean,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58I'm going to put him into this bucket.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Because I've got a meadow with lots of nice long grass,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07that is a home to lots of insects
0:34:07 > 0:34:10and of course insects are food for the frogs.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14If you can, leave your grass to grow long.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Even if it's just a small area
0:34:17 > 0:34:22as that will attract tiny insects for the frogs.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25There we go. Fantastic. Well done, guys.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28My wildlife garden is now a couple of years old
0:34:28 > 0:34:32and provides some of the food that's missing from the wild.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37But over in Essex, there's a more mature garden that does it in style.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Wendy Schmidt lives on the edge of arable farmland.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53The vast open fields provide little sustenance
0:34:53 > 0:34:56so the animals are flocking to her garden.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59A real five-star restaurant for wildlife.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Wendy, I have to say, I am a keen wildlife gardener
0:35:03 > 0:35:06but you, madam, have taken it to a different level.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09- This is amazing! - Oh, we're very fortunate.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12When we first came to look at it, it was just grass.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Apart from the mature trees down the side, there wasn't a flower, a shrub
0:35:16 > 0:35:18or anything and suddenly I thought,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22I can achieve a lifetime's ambition. Have my own nature reserve.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24We've got the pond. We've got the meadows.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27We've got areas with shrubs. A little bit of woodland.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29You've packed in all these habitats.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32The prime thing was, everything must have beautiful blossom
0:35:32 > 0:35:36that is useful for the insects and the majority of them
0:35:36 > 0:35:38must have fruits afterwards for the birds.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Food for wildlife all year round.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49The burst of insect life in spring will flock to early flowering plants
0:35:49 > 0:35:55like primroses, and one of the best early nectar providers is lungwort.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Absolute magnet for the bees and flies.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01And it is very pretty for us to look at as well.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Look at that lovely bee fly there. Isn't that gorgeous?
0:36:05 > 0:36:08There's lots of news in the press these days about butterflies
0:36:08 > 0:36:10and bumblebees disappearing from farmland.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- Gardens, in many ways, are the answer.- Oh, absolutely.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17If we all do our little bit, it can help these poor creatures.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20And as we know, bees are so important for pollinating the crops and
0:36:20 > 0:36:24if you have them in your garden, then it just helps that little bit extra.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Spring and summer of course is a time of plenty for wildlife
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and they can find food easily but it's also really important
0:36:36 > 0:36:38to remember autumn and that animals need feeding too.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42Absolutely. I mean, the insects have got to build up their strength
0:36:42 > 0:36:43to see them through the winter.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47A great plant for food during the colder months is ivy.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Its flowers appear after our summer blooms are over
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and it produces its berries in winter
0:36:53 > 0:36:55when the birds need them the most.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58In terms of its wildlife value, what would you give this plant?
0:36:58 > 0:37:01A ten out of ten, because it's the only thing that does this
0:37:01 > 0:37:03at the time when no-one else is there.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12As Wendy's year-round wildlife diner has taken shape,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15the animals have arrived in force.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20As well as the insects, she attracts declining farmland birds such
0:37:20 > 0:37:24as yellowhammers. And then at night, the foxes and badgers turn up.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Once they find there's a reliable food source here, then they come
0:37:28 > 0:37:32and somehow they tell their friends, and more and more come.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35And, well, it's our pleasure to be host to them.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39There's a real shortage of natural food
0:37:39 > 0:37:42in many parts of our farmed countryside,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46but we can all help keep our wildlife well fed all year round.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48With a bit of careful thought and planning,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52you too could make your garden much more nature-friendly
0:37:52 > 0:37:53throughout the seasons.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56If you plant flowers, that'll create a massive
0:37:56 > 0:37:59nectar and pollen hit in spring and summer.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03And then in the autumn and winter, shrubs and lovely trees like this
0:38:03 > 0:38:06provide nuts and berries for all manner of animals.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09And with a bit of supplementary feeding in the winter,
0:38:09 > 0:38:14you can make your garden wildlife-friendly 365 days a year.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23If you want to transform your garden into a top restaurant
0:38:23 > 0:38:27for wildlife, Mike has more helpful hints and tips on our website
0:38:27 > 0:38:31along with advice on what you can do to help save Britain's
0:38:31 > 0:38:33threatened farmland creatures.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Still to come on Britain's Big Wildlife Revival,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42vet and naturalist Steve Leonard champions a magical bird
0:38:42 > 0:38:45in need of our help to prevent it vanishing for good.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Ah. Hello to you.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50And I witness a jewel of the insect world...
0:38:50 > 0:38:52There's one over here.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55..which has been brought back from the dead.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58That really is very gorgeous.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11If we're going to reverse the decline of our farmland wildlife,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15we can't just rely on the efforts of individual farmers.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19We have to start thinking on a much bigger scale.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Here in Wiltshire, on the rolling Marlborough Downs,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28a quiet revolution is under way.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32When I get to the top of this hill, I can see how the farmers here
0:39:32 > 0:39:35are working together to make it happen.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41Last year, more than 40 farmers in this area joined forces
0:39:41 > 0:39:45to become one of the government's new Nature Improvement Areas.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49They're restoring and creating wildlife habitat in an area
0:39:49 > 0:39:51covering almost 40 square miles
0:39:51 > 0:39:55so that nature can flourish across the whole landscape.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00One of the farmers involved in the scheme is David White,
0:40:00 > 0:40:04whose family have farmed here for five generations.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07David is passionate about wildlife and a keen photographer
0:40:07 > 0:40:11of the many birds and mammals that live on his land.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14You know when you hear that lovely skylark singing up there,
0:40:14 > 0:40:16it's absolutely amazing, isn't it?
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Just one little skylark like that can make all that noise.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22To have lovely birds about the place like short-eared owls,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26or hen harriers passing through, or stone curlews, or lapwings,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29or corn buntings, tree sparrows,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31all the sort of things that we have here, is a joy.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Not only to see but also if one's got the chance to go
0:40:34 > 0:40:38and take a nice photograph. That is the icing on the cake, really.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42But unlike in his ancestors' day, David believes that he
0:40:42 > 0:40:46and his neighbours have no option but to farm their land intensively.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Could you simply go back to your great-grandfather's ways of farming
0:40:50 > 0:40:52in order to help wildlife?
0:40:52 > 0:40:56Well, from a wildlife point of view, that would be lovely, wouldn't it?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59The trouble is, we live in a hungry world
0:40:59 > 0:41:02and so we have to farm in an intensive way.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Despite the pressure to produce food,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10David is still able to give over a significant proportion of his land
0:41:10 > 0:41:14to wildlife, thanks to funding from the Nature Improvement Area.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16We have about 125 acres that we actually devote
0:41:16 > 0:41:21entirely to wildlife. We also have a wetland grass meadow
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and we put up 50 nest boxes this last year for tree sparrows.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29We put up 12 barn owl boxes, and it works really, really well.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Other farmers in the scheme are also helping to transform
0:41:36 > 0:41:40this whole landscape into a wildlife-friendly zone.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Replanting hedgerows, digging ponds and linking up patches of habitat
0:41:44 > 0:41:49to create corridors along which wild creatures can travel.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54This farmer is planting a wild flower seed mix in this wide strip
0:41:54 > 0:41:56right next to the crops
0:41:56 > 0:41:59so that in a few weeks' time it will be a blaze of different colours.
0:42:03 > 0:42:10Wild flower strips grow up into this. A huge variety of plants.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Many of which come into bloom at different times of the year
0:42:12 > 0:42:15to extend the season for pollinating insects.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20It is plenty thick enough to provide cover for birds,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22and it looks amazing.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27There we go.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29And it's not just arable farmers who are involved.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- He's grumpy. - Does he give you a hard time?
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Katie Guest is a dairy farmer
0:42:37 > 0:42:41and one of the new generation who have embraced this pioneering scheme.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43What do you do to manage for wildlife?
0:42:43 > 0:42:46We're looking to do some grassland work up on the downs.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49We also have some grass margins on the fields.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51We're also going to be feeding the birds
0:42:51 > 0:42:53a little bit more during the winter.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- What do you get here?- We get all sorts. We get deer here.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59And this morning, when I was out moving the electric fence,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I saw a fox and its cub out in the field.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04We have tree sparrows, wagtails, all sorts.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Wow. It costs to manage for wildlife, so why bother doing it?
0:43:08 > 0:43:11I think it's really important because it's like a big jigsaw puzzle.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14And everything forms a place within the system.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16And if you lose a place within that puzzle,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18you've lost a piece of the wildlife for ever.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20It's the time and energy and effort that you put into it
0:43:20 > 0:43:23but you also get out of it the same amount of joy from seeing it
0:43:23 > 0:43:24and seeing the wildlife.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29Katie's family have farmed here for over 150 years
0:43:29 > 0:43:33but, until recently, her daily commute was down city streets
0:43:33 > 0:43:36rather than amongst these rolling green pastures.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40After being in an office and just seeing breeze block walls
0:43:40 > 0:43:42and that's my office view, to come back to this
0:43:42 > 0:43:46and for this to be my office view was a real big drive for it.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Do you see that you will always be doing it?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Yes, definitely. I think you'd get very insular
0:43:51 > 0:43:54if you just looked at your cows all day. And it's those extra things
0:43:54 > 0:43:57that you see that really make your days very special.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08By thinking big and doing the work on a grand scale, the farmers
0:44:08 > 0:44:12here on the Marlborough Downs have found a balance between agriculture
0:44:12 > 0:44:16and wildlife and they're making a real difference.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22Elsewhere in Britain, local communities are also coming together
0:44:22 > 0:44:24to save our farmland creatures,
0:44:24 > 0:44:27including one of our best-loved countryside birds.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32As TV vet and wildlife enthusiast Steve Leonard has been finding out.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Many people dream of moving out of town.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44Far from the madding crowd. An outing to our beautiful countryside.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46To get closer to nature.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50And what could be better than this?
0:44:50 > 0:44:55A lovely old farm building that has been converted into a luxury home.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Unfortunately, our passion for renovation
0:44:57 > 0:45:02has resulted in one of our most beautiful birds losing its home.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08The barn owl, with a major decline in the last 80 years,
0:45:08 > 0:45:13over half of all breeding barn owls have disappeared from Britain.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25These beautiful creatures have eyes twice as light-sensitive as humans
0:45:25 > 0:45:30and can eat over 1,000 small mammals a year.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33But they're struggling to survive because their natural habitat
0:45:33 > 0:45:35is being destroyed.
0:45:37 > 0:45:42Like most of our farmland species, the barn owl has taken a real hit
0:45:42 > 0:45:45when it comes to change of land use.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49Modern farming has massively reduced the wild, untamed areas,
0:45:49 > 0:45:53and this has really limited opportunities for hunting.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59They feed on voles, shrews and mice
0:45:59 > 0:46:01and if their prey has nowhere to live,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03they have nothing to eat.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09There are areas of wild habitat left, unkempt areas like this
0:46:09 > 0:46:14where small mammals live and thrive, but for barn owls,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16they can be deadly.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20It's a big problem for young owls
0:46:20 > 0:46:24when they leave the safety of their nest for the first time.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Many die in collisions with cars.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33The problem is that the way that barn owls hunt,
0:46:33 > 0:46:39swooping low over hedgerows, they drift out onto the tarmac
0:46:39 > 0:46:43and because it's dark at night they'll get hit by a car.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Over 5,000 of these beautiful birds
0:46:54 > 0:46:57are killed on Britain's roads every year.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00The Raptor Foundation rescue centre in Cambridgeshire
0:47:00 > 0:47:03provides a much needed lifeline for these casualties,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06and for sick and injured owls from around the world.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Simon Dudhill is the man in charge of their recuperation,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16rehabilitation, and hopeful return to the wild.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20One of his recent patients, an owl that dislocated its wing
0:47:20 > 0:47:22when it was hit by a car,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26has had successful surgery and is well on the way to recovery.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Right, so this is the one with the elbow injury, isn't it?
0:47:30 > 0:47:31It is.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Oh, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. You haven't named this one then?
0:47:35 > 0:47:38No. We don't name them. It gets too personal if we name them.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42- Yeah. No, I can understand that. - Most birds with any fracture,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45the healing process starts almost immediately, as you know.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49And unless you can get them to a vet virtually straightaway,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52if the bones are, have become displaced in the fracture,
0:47:52 > 0:47:54they will heal out of line.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56And the bird then will probably not have the ability to fly.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59What sort of advice would you give to somebody about maybe
0:47:59 > 0:48:01trying to pick up an injured owl?
0:48:01 > 0:48:04If you can go up to a bird of prey and literally put a towel round it
0:48:04 > 0:48:07and pick it up, then you know there's something wrong with it.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09If you're not able to get it to the vet straightaway,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12then what we recommend is that if you've got to keep it overnight,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16put it somewhere warm, somewhere dark. Don't try and feed it.
0:48:16 > 0:48:17It doesn't need water.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20And then get it to a vet as soon as possible the following day.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24A lot of them are so severe that we're not able to do anything
0:48:24 > 0:48:27with them but others, they are repairable, like this one.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Come on, poppet. Come on.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33Oh, look at that. Obviously that elbow's working well.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36It is. Considering it's only three weeks or so since she was
0:48:36 > 0:48:39brought into the vet and a couple of weeks since she's had
0:48:39 > 0:48:42all of her restrainers taken off, she is healing very, very well.
0:48:42 > 0:48:43Great.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55- HE GASPS - Hello to you! Aren't you gorgeous?
0:48:55 > 0:48:57- Oh, and here's your mate. - HE CHUCKLES
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Two for the price of one, that's fantastic.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Hey up! I know, there's no need to fight. Very good.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08Like all owls, they've got this very unique look about them.
0:49:08 > 0:49:13This face. This feather pattern. If you put your hand behind your ear,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16you'll be able to hear a lot more, and effectively,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19that's what the shape around the eyes does.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Because although they've got big beautiful eyes,
0:49:22 > 0:49:26they really, really focus on sound for hunting.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28And if you look at the feathered back edge,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31this sort of frayed edge to the feathers, this enables them
0:49:31 > 0:49:34to fly very, very quietly.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36So, although they're not particularly fast,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38they make no rustling sound at all.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40I didn't hear them leave at all there.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Think about when a pigeon takes off and that
0:49:43 > 0:49:45clack, clack, clack of its wings.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46HE CHUCKLES
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Such a rare treat. This is spectacular.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55It would be a tragedy
0:49:55 > 0:49:59if these stunning creatures disappeared from our countryside.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02To help them, we need to change the way we farm,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06create more hedgerows and rough grassland, and grow trees
0:50:06 > 0:50:11along our roadsides to discourage them from hunting near busy traffic.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13But in the short term,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17we urgently need to provide them with somewhere to make their nests.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21And one man who's done just that is Steve Piotrowski.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24He runs the Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28A scheme to put a barn owl box in every village in the county.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30- Hi, Steve.- Pleased to meet you.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34- Er, it's not what I expected. - It's big.- It is. It's huge.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37There's a little shelf here for the barn owl to land on,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40and then it's going to hop in, and there's a shelf inside.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43Now that, we call a baffle, which is very important
0:50:43 > 0:50:46because that then stops too much light going in the box.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49This doesn't mimic a barn as such?
0:50:49 > 0:50:53No. 70% of barn owls, in Suffolk anyway, breed in hollow trees.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56So in a way, that's mimicking a hollow tree.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57When did you set up the project?
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Well, we started the project in 2006.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03We said, look, we're going to put 90 boxes up in five years.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06And now we've got 1,600.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09And a third of those boxes are occupied by barn owls.
0:51:09 > 0:51:14It goes to show that there was a real need for this sort of housing.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Steve's taking me to see some of the boxes being used.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22He's getting great support across the whole county.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Not least from farmers who are keen to encourage owls
0:51:26 > 0:51:29to nest on their land as they kill unwanted pests.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32Gill Harper has been helping out the barn owl population
0:51:32 > 0:51:37in this area for years, and has several nest boxes on her land.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Well, I can see you like your animals.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42- You're absolutely surrounded here. - I'm afraid so. THEY LAUGH
0:51:42 > 0:51:44What is it about the barn owls that really...?
0:51:44 > 0:51:46I just find them magical.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Once you've got a box on your property, I suppose then you get...?
0:51:49 > 0:51:52Almost instantly they take it, and then sort of follow it through.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56Then waiting to see if you're going to get babies, and hoping.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59And then seeing the babies out as well.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01It is very rewarding. It's lovely.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05The good news, similar schemes are running
0:52:05 > 0:52:07elsewhere in Britain too.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12There are now 25,000 barn owl boxes nationwide.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Which is more than enough for every surviving pair
0:52:15 > 0:52:17to nest and raise their chicks.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20- There's eggs. - He's in there with the eggs, yeah.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Six eggs. That's a good haul. Were you expecting that?
0:52:23 > 0:52:26No. Never had more than three at a time.
0:52:26 > 0:52:27- Oh, OK.- That's really good.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34It's great to see just how enthusiastically people have
0:52:34 > 0:52:37got behind this project and made it a real success.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41And the beauty of it really is its simplicity.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45By taking away the barn owls homes, we really did put them in jeopardy.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48But by giving them new places to live, we've hopefully ensured that
0:52:48 > 0:52:52that vision of a barn owl swooping low over a hedgerow
0:52:52 > 0:52:55is something that we can all enjoy well into the future.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Of all our farmland wildlife, there's one particular group
0:53:06 > 0:53:10that has suffered more than most in the past few years.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15Wet summers, cold springs and the problems of intensive farming
0:53:15 > 0:53:18and pesticides has meant that there are now fewer
0:53:18 > 0:53:23butterflies on the wing in Britain than on any time since our
0:53:23 > 0:53:28ancestors first started farming this land more than 5,000 years ago.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39Amazingly, one farmland butterfly is bucking this trend.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44A real jewel of an insect. The large blue.
0:53:48 > 0:53:54Today, they're thriving here, but this wasn't always a success story.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Just over 30 years ago,
0:53:56 > 0:54:00this beautiful butterfly completely vanished from our shores.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08But now this exquisite insect is back, and I've come to this
0:54:08 > 0:54:12stunning hillside in Somerset to see if I can find one.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Fortunately, I have some help.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20These are exactly the conditions that you see a large blue.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21Oh, good.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25David Simcox is a scientist who has played a pivotal role
0:54:25 > 0:54:28in the partnership to return this precious butterfly
0:54:28 > 0:54:30back to the British countryside.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35So we're just looking for something blue. There's one over here.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36There.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Oh. You've got it. You've got it. You've got it.
0:54:40 > 0:54:41That really is very gorgeous.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44It seems hilarious that it's called a large blue and it's not that big.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46It's not that big. It's not that big.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It depends what you're comparing it to.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I mean, it's the largest of the blue butterflies
0:54:51 > 0:54:52that occur in this country.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Oh, wow. Why is it that you love them so much?
0:54:55 > 0:54:59It just makes my heart flutter when I see them, you know.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04I find it quite difficult to explain why. But it does.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Tell me about their life cycle.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08This is a very, very fresh female
0:55:08 > 0:55:11that has just come out in the last half-hour or so.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14It will be hoping to find a male within the next few minutes.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17After they've paired, she will start to lay eggs
0:55:17 > 0:55:19on the tight buds of wild thyme.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25The caterpillar emits a substance which fools a species of red ant
0:55:25 > 0:55:28into thinking it's one of their young.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31The ants then carry the caterpillar down into their nest
0:55:31 > 0:55:33and look after it.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37It returns the favour by eating the ants' grubs.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42Eventually, it turns into a pupa and finally, almost a year after it
0:55:42 > 0:55:48went underground, it emerges in its full glory as an adult butterfly.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51Like this one has this morning looking for a mate.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53- That is... - So it is a bizarre life.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Extraordinary. It really is.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02The large blue disappeared from Britain in 1979
0:56:02 > 0:56:05because of habitat loss from intensive farming.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11But following pioneering science and conservation work,
0:56:11 > 0:56:15it was successfully reintroduced back into south west England,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19and now it's doing rather well.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Why should people care about the large blue?
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Why should people even care about butterflies?
0:56:26 > 0:56:28I think they lift people's spirits.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31To conserve them is really, really difficult.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33I mean, if we could conserve the large blue,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35really everything should be possible to conserve.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37We are incredibly lucky that it's sat here this long.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39People don't get this, do they?
0:56:39 > 0:56:42No, no, we're very fortunate that it's been quite cool
0:56:42 > 0:56:45and now it's just warming up and that's why.
0:56:45 > 0:56:46Oh. Off it goes.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55The return of the large blue is one of the few success stories
0:56:55 > 0:56:59in our farmed countryside, which makes it all the more remarkable.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04It gives us hope, even when so many farmland creatures face oblivion,
0:57:04 > 0:57:08that at the 11th hour, we might just be able to bring them back.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17All over Britain, people who care about our countryside
0:57:17 > 0:57:20are working towards a common goal.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24To balance the needs of farmers with those of wildlife.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27It won't be easy to make this work
0:57:27 > 0:57:30across the whole of the British countryside,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36Of course farmers have to produce food for us to eat,
0:57:36 > 0:57:40but we must also make room for nature.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44We simply cannot get away with losing animals like the barn owl,
0:57:44 > 0:57:49the brown hare and these magical farmland butterflies.
0:57:49 > 0:57:54It would be humiliating to explain to the next generation
0:57:54 > 0:57:57why they went extinct in our lifetime.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01So let's celebrate what we have already achieved and make a pledge
0:58:01 > 0:58:05to continue to save Britain's threatened wild creatures
0:58:05 > 0:58:08and the wonderful places where they live.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Next time on Britain's Big Wildlife Revival,
0:58:13 > 0:58:17I reveal the rebirth of Britain's wetlands.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19It's just so peaceful.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22Mike Dilger shows you how to witness the miracle of life
0:58:22 > 0:58:24in your own garden.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27- This has hatched out this morning. - Oh.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32And our team of experts champion three wetland species
0:58:32 > 0:58:35in danger of slipping away for ever.
0:58:35 > 0:58:36You handsome boy.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd