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Springtime, when the days lengthen and signs of change are everywhere. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:10 | |
There's not a corner of the British Isles that doesn't | 0:00:13 | 0:00:15 | |
warm to the arrival of spring. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:17 | |
It's our most extraordinary season for one big reason, it's a | 0:00:17 | 0:00:22 | |
time of astonishing growth and regeneration. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
From pond life to bird life, from the scent of fresh blossom, | 0:00:25 | 0:00:30 | |
to your smallest mammals reawakening after months of hibernation. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
We'll be bringing you the most remarkable stories of this | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
wonderful time of year. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:41 | |
Tales of survival, endurance and occasional indulgence. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:47 | |
Join us for this special week of programmes as we celebrate | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
the secrets of spring here on Countryfile Diaries. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:54 | |
Nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles from the coast | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
and springtime is one of the best times to visit our estuaries | 0:01:13 | 0:01:18 | |
and coastal areas as they come alive as havens for wildlife. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:22 | |
So, where better to base ourselves to take it all in than | 0:01:23 | 0:01:26 | |
one of our most beautiful national parks on the south coast of England? | 0:01:26 | 0:01:30 | |
The New Forest in Hampshire covers more than 200 square | 0:01:32 | 0:01:35 | |
miles which is quite a small area in the great scheme of things | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
but it's got an incredible range of habitats. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
From woodland down to the coastline there's a profusion | 0:01:41 | 0:01:45 | |
of flourishing ecosystems which burst into life when it's spring. | 0:01:45 | 0:01:50 | |
But the New Forest isn't alone in feeling the effects of the season. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:56 | |
I'll be joined by the Diaries team who have been scouring | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
the British Isles for signposts of spring. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
Keeley's out in Hampshire learning how to help toads | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
with the Green Cross Code. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
Come on, you. Stop dawdling. That's right, that's the way. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
Smallholder Paul is giving his Victorian drainage pond | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
a wildlife makeover. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
I'd be worried by all that duckweed you've got there. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
While Margherita reports on the £1 million a day cost | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
of the floods to the people of Cumbria. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:27 | |
-You didn't think of giving up? -No, never. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:02:30 | 0:02:31 | |
But first, as our native flowers burst back into life it's | 0:02:34 | 0:02:38 | |
hard to beat the beauty of springtime. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:41 | |
It's one of the glories of the British Isles | 0:02:41 | 0:02:43 | |
but not every sign of new life is welcome. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
Down in the dells of Devon, Jules is on the trail of an interloper. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
Britain is under attack. | 0:02:58 | 0:02:59 | |
A silent invasion is taking over our ponds and streams. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
And this is the enemy. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
The very pretty, very deadly, | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
and, frankly, very smelly American skunk cabbage. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:21 | |
When it comes to looks this plant is certainly deceiving. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:25 | |
It is, after all, very popular in many gardens across the UK | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
but it has now become so prolific in certain parts of our countryside | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
it is choking our waterways, leaving little room for our native wildlife. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:37 | |
The American skunk cabbage was introduced | 0:03:41 | 0:03:43 | |
here in 1901 as an ornamental plant for garden ponds. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
But sightings of the skunk cabbage in the wild have | 0:03:50 | 0:03:53 | |
increased by 84% in 15 years. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
It's now spread across the UK, dominating | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
waterways from the River Tweed in Scotland to the Lake District. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:04 | |
It's even found on Pen-y-Pass in Snowdonia. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
If left to its own devices skunk cabbage could wipe out | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
the native flora around it. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
But now it's in Devon and this army of volunteers are fighting back, | 0:04:18 | 0:04:23 | |
working hard determined to eradicate it from the streams on Dartmoor. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:28 | |
The battle is on to remove it before spring turns to summer and | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
the flower goes to seed, fuelling the spread of this noxious plant. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:39 | |
Community ecologist Chrissy Mason is leading the charge. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
-Hi, Chrissie. -Hi, Jules. -Look at this lot. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:48 | |
It's a real hive of activity. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:50 | |
A race against time to get these out before they seed. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:54 | |
Absolutely, which is why we're here this time of year when the | 0:04:54 | 0:04:57 | |
plants are relatively small because they are going to get a lot bigger. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:02 | |
But I tell you what, you get a real sense of the smell | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
when you're really in amongst them like this in numbers. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
That's why it's called skunk cabbage. It's because of the smell. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
It's real, real strong garlic, onion-y smell. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:13 | |
How big would the plant get when it's fully matured? | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
You are looking at the leaves being about a metre tall. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
-A metre? -So, it does get large. | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
The problem is when it grows in dense stands, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
it shades everything else out. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:27 | |
So, it just takes over at the cost of our native fauna and flora? | 0:05:27 | 0:05:32 | |
That's right. It outcompetes the native flora. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:34 | |
Let's see if we can get this one out. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:36 | |
-Gosh, it really is in there, isn't it? -It really is embedded. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
It doesn't want to go. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
Come on. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
-We've lost it. -That's not what you want, is it? | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
That's not what we want, no. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:49 | |
-This is what we're aiming for. -Spot the difference. -Spot the difference. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:53 | |
What I now have to do is make sure I dig all of that root system out | 0:05:53 | 0:05:58 | |
and that nothing's left behind. | 0:05:58 | 0:05:59 | |
Any small bits of root, | 0:05:59 | 0:06:01 | |
any small bits of rhizome that float downstream, | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
it can be again be the source of another infestation further down. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:08 | |
Where did the outbreak come from? | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
If we follow the trail back upstream, | 0:06:13 | 0:06:15 | |
the answer may come from the man who owns this lovely spot. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:19 | |
Heathercombe Estate is a beautiful Victorian ornamental garden. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:26 | |
But, recently, skunk cabbage has run riot. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
The estate's owner is John Pike. | 0:06:30 | 0:06:32 | |
John, dare I ask, are you, at least, in part | 0:06:34 | 0:06:37 | |
responsible for the skunk cabbage being in this pretty area? | 0:06:37 | 0:06:42 | |
We are to some extent, yes. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:44 | |
My father planted the first skunk cabbages here probably | 0:06:44 | 0:06:48 | |
back in the 1980s. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:49 | |
Probably only one or two and for a long time they were fine | 0:06:49 | 0:06:53 | |
and didn't spread. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:54 | |
The last few years things have changed as far as they started | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
to spread rapidly so we realise now we must address the problem | 0:06:57 | 0:07:01 | |
and, I'm afraid, get rid of them all because they're too invasive. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:05 | |
I notice there are two distinct different varieties here. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:08 | |
You have both the Asian variety which has the white spathe | 0:07:08 | 0:07:12 | |
and also we have the American species with the yellow spathe. | 0:07:12 | 0:07:16 | |
And it's the American yellow ones that spread like mad. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:20 | |
Are you going to remove both varieties though? | 0:07:20 | 0:07:22 | |
No, I think we'll keep the Asian variety because the Asian | 0:07:22 | 0:07:25 | |
variety has not spread but we shall eliminate the American ones. | 0:07:25 | 0:07:29 | |
Easier said than done. They're not easy to get rid of, are they? | 0:07:29 | 0:07:32 | |
They're not easy. Digging them out is a big job. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
It's going to take a lot of hard graft to reclaim our waterways. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:41 | |
Skunk cabbage has become such a threat the EU is now | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
clamping down on it. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:46 | |
From the 1st of January this year new regulations were introduced | 0:07:48 | 0:07:52 | |
to prevent this non-native species wreaking havoc in the countryside. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
The plant that I've had real problems with in the past is | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
Japanese knotweed. Is this the new knotweed? | 0:07:59 | 0:08:02 | |
At the moment, no. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:06 | |
It's not as widespread as Japanese knotweed, but that is the worry. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:10 | |
Unless the actual problem is nipped in the bud, | 0:08:10 | 0:08:13 | |
we could be losing control. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:15 | |
For anyone who's got one at home, should they be worried about it? | 0:08:15 | 0:08:19 | |
People do grow it in their gardens. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
At the moment, we're not asking people to get rid of the plant. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:25 | |
What we're saying is think of the plant as a pet. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:29 | |
So, be a responsible plant owner. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:31 | |
We're asking people to be plant-wise. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
If you have it in your garden what we're asking people to do is | 0:08:33 | 0:08:36 | |
actually remove the seed head. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:38 | |
Don't, whatever you do, put it in your compost or your green bin. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:41 | |
-Don't spread it, yeah. -Absolutely. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:43 | |
What you need to do is put the seed head into a plastic bag, | 0:08:43 | 0:08:45 | |
allow it to rot right down and then it goes in the bin. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
Cos we don't want it spreading out into the open country. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
-All right, then, we better keep going. -Thank you. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
-Should we give that one a go? -Yep, we'll give that one a go. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
And if you do spot any signs of skunk cabbage | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
across the countryside you can report it to the Environment Agency. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
Keeping your eyes peeled when you're out | 0:09:09 | 0:09:11 | |
and about in the country can pay off in other ways. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
Hundreds of thousands of wild birds | 0:09:15 | 0:09:17 | |
and animals are killed or injured on Britain's roads every year. | 0:09:17 | 0:09:21 | |
Keeley now reports on the battle to keep one | 0:09:23 | 0:09:25 | |
creature in particular safe from oncoming traffic. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:28 | |
These huge lakes on the edge of the New Forest are expecting | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
spring arrivals, and lots of them. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
These creatures are waiting for that opportune moment to breed. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:44 | |
And luckily for these nocturnal migraters, | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
a helping hand is on its way. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:50 | |
Come nightfall and Teresa Baker | 0:09:52 | 0:09:54 | |
is keeping a close eye on the air temperature. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
Monitoring moisture levels all from her home on the edge of the forest. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
Perfect conditions would be six degrees and above, damp and raining. | 0:10:04 | 0:10:07 | |
I check all the time, ten times, even more sometimes. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:11 | |
All winter she's waited for this moment, | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
because timing is everything. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
For Theresa, springtime means "toad time". | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
It's estimated that more than 20 tonnes of toads are killed | 0:10:24 | 0:10:28 | |
every year on the UK's roads during their spring migration. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:32 | |
So, tonight, I volunteered to help Theresa on one of her toad patrols | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
to find out why the common toad needs our help. | 0:10:35 | 0:10:39 | |
Theresa's toad patrol are ready for action during this annual migration. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:45 | |
It's their job to help the toads cross the road. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:47 | |
And that means a lot of late nights at this time of year | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
because it's under the cover of darkness that these | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
amphibians start their journey. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
-Are we just looking for any little bumps in the road? -Yes. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
Theresa and her team work in shifts to patrol the road in their cars. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
Is that one? | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
They look very similar to leaves, that's the problem we've got here. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
That's the problem. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:12 | |
'With the help of the full beams, when a toad is spotted, | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
'they get out and safely move it to the other side.' | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
-That could be one. -Oh, no. Another leaf. It's a leaf. -Are you sure? | 0:11:17 | 0:11:22 | |
I'm sure, yes. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:23 | |
-There's a toad. -Oh, yeah. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:27 | |
Right. Here we go. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
-So, carefully scoop up, do we? -Yes, just pick it up very gently. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
Hello. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:40 | |
-OK. -Just cover her face so that nothing hurts her face. | 0:11:40 | 0:11:43 | |
-OK, she's not camera-shy, is she? -No, she's not. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
Come on, then. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:47 | |
Right, this is my first toad rescue. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:51 | |
Come on, then. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:52 | |
Teresa, it's cold, it's wet. | 0:11:55 | 0:11:57 | |
Some people would call you crazy for doing this. | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
I think you probably have to be a little bit crazy | 0:11:59 | 0:12:02 | |
to come out on a night like this, | 0:12:02 | 0:12:03 | |
but it is worthwhile when you find them and you save them. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
So, why are the toads crossing on this particular stretch? | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
Well, they are crossing the road to get to the Blashford Lakes to spawn | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
and then after they've spawned, they'll go back again. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:13 | |
And they've got a fair old journey to make, haven't they? | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
Yes, apparently a toad will go 3km, | 0:12:16 | 0:12:18 | |
4km, to get back to the lake where they were spawned. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
The common toad spends ten months of the year on dry land hibernating. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:27 | |
Waking up in spring when the weather warms, | 0:12:27 | 0:12:30 | |
they'll crawl vast distances to reach their spawning ground. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
They may not have eaten for six months, | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
but there's no time for stopping. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:38 | |
These toads are on a mission. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:40 | |
They know from memory where they started their life | 0:12:40 | 0:12:42 | |
and retrace their steps by smelling the air for direction. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
Come on, you, stop dawdling. That's right. That's the way. Come on. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
'Usually the males start their journey a few weeks ahead | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
'of the females with time to stake out a spot, | 0:12:54 | 0:12:57 | |
'only this year, | 0:12:57 | 0:12:58 | |
'the mild winter tricked the males into crossing months in advance. | 0:12:58 | 0:13:02 | |
'By late April, they're still waiting for the females to arrive... | 0:13:02 | 0:13:07 | |
'fashionably late, as always.' | 0:13:07 | 0:13:08 | |
Will that have an effect on numbers, do you think, if the male toads | 0:13:08 | 0:13:12 | |
have been waiting quite a long time for the females to join them? | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
No, I think they just wait patiently. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
I don't think that worries them at all. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:19 | |
The night is not over for you yet, young lady. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:26 | |
Some very handsome toads over there, I hear. Come on. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:29 | |
Let's get you on your way. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:31 | |
'So far this year, Teresa and her team have saved nearly 400 toads.' | 0:13:31 | 0:13:35 | |
Excuse me. Do you not know your Highway TOAD?! | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
They are such endearing little creatures, aren't they? | 0:13:43 | 0:13:46 | |
-It's just lovely. -Why is this so important? | 0:13:46 | 0:13:50 | |
You turn out on horrid nights. Why? | 0:13:50 | 0:13:52 | |
Really because it seems such a shame for these creatures | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
to be killed unnecessarily. They play a big part in the ecosystem. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
Once you start picking them up and you see how sweet they are, | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
you can't help but love them. They are lovely little creatures. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:05 | |
They don't do any harm, they only do good, | 0:14:05 | 0:14:07 | |
so, yeah, I really enjoy doing it. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:09 | |
Good luck. There she goes. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:14 | |
It's thanks to the help of Teresa and 1,600 fellow volunteers | 0:14:16 | 0:14:21 | |
all around Britain that the common toad can continue to thrive. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:25 | |
Further north in the UK in Cumbria, | 0:14:35 | 0:14:37 | |
spring really couldn't have come too soon this year. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
Last December, Storm Desmond wreaked havoc there, | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
causing more than £500 millions' worth of damage | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
right across the county. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:48 | |
Margherita now reports on a community that won't give in. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
The Lake District - a watery landscape of countless lakes | 0:14:58 | 0:15:02 | |
and tarns and home to England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:06 | |
Breathtaking vistas that bring in more than £1 billion | 0:15:08 | 0:15:12 | |
to the rural economy each year, | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
thanks to tourists who come here from around the world. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
If you're a newbie to the lakes | 0:15:19 | 0:15:20 | |
and you want to tackle a fell, | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
then this one, Catbells, is the one you're after. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
The paths are really good for walkers, both young and old, | 0:15:25 | 0:15:30 | |
and for those of us who haven't been to the gym in a while. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:34 | |
Even on a grey spring day, the scenery is inspiring. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:43 | |
How incredible is that view? That is well worth the hike. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:49 | |
Around 16 million people visit the Lake District each year, | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
but today it's unseasonably quiet. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:59 | |
The hikers have been late this year. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
Last December, | 0:16:06 | 0:16:07 | |
the UK was swamped by some of the worst flooding in decades. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:11 | |
Cumbria was hit hard. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:12 | |
The deluge of rain, 34 centimetres or 14 inches, | 0:16:16 | 0:16:20 | |
in 24 hours flooded large swathes of town and countryside. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:25 | |
Few could get in or out of the lakes | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
and tourists stayed away at an estimated cost of £1 million a day | 0:16:28 | 0:16:33 | |
to the local economy this spring. | 0:16:33 | 0:16:35 | |
Catbells, one of the most popular fell walks, suffered a series | 0:16:38 | 0:16:42 | |
of catastrophic landslides, making pathways impassable for walkers. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:47 | |
'Now, the challenge is how to bring this part of the lakes back | 0:16:48 | 0:16:52 | |
'to its sparkling best before the tourists arrive this summer?' | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
-Hi, Jessie. -Hello, hello. -Oh, it's busy here. -Yeah. | 0:16:56 | 0:17:02 | |
'The answer - grit, determination and muscle power.' | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
Why does it need to get done now? | 0:17:08 | 0:17:09 | |
Why is it so important to get it done in the spring? | 0:17:09 | 0:17:11 | |
The reason we want to do it now is because we want our paths | 0:17:11 | 0:17:14 | |
to be as good as they can be | 0:17:14 | 0:17:15 | |
for when people come up and walk the fells in the summer. | 0:17:15 | 0:17:18 | |
If we don't do something about it now, | 0:17:18 | 0:17:19 | |
we'll just have a constant stream of damage that needs repairing. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
-And you've got a lot of people helping. -Yeah. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:26 | |
How much work needs to be done? | 0:17:26 | 0:17:28 | |
How much gravel are we talking about moving in here? | 0:17:28 | 0:17:31 | |
We've ordered 950 tonnes of gravel for this path, | 0:17:31 | 0:17:35 | |
so, I mean, it's a long, long path, | 0:17:35 | 0:17:36 | |
so it's going to take quite a few months of work | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
to get this up to the standard we need it to be. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
-Do you need a hand? -Yes, absolutely. -Get cracking. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
And how many hours have you already put in to working up here | 0:17:46 | 0:17:49 | |
-just to get to this kind of level? -Three days, just on this section. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
-A few hundred yards? -Yeah. -And how many more have we got to go? | 0:17:53 | 0:17:58 | |
Well, it's another 4km to Grange, isn't it? | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
Oh, I see, right. | 0:18:01 | 0:18:02 | |
That'll keep me busy for a bit, won't it? | 0:18:05 | 0:18:07 | |
It wasn't just pathways damaged by the floods. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:16 | |
Farmers lost land and livestock. | 0:18:16 | 0:18:19 | |
Altogether, we had 41 sheep missing. | 0:18:19 | 0:18:23 | |
They'll have gone down the river, | 0:18:23 | 0:18:25 | |
there's nowhere else for them to have gone. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
It's thought that 2,000 sheep | 0:18:31 | 0:18:33 | |
and 100 cattle were lost to the raging rivers. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
Sarah and Graham Chaplin-Brice's farm was cut off by the floods. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
Their link to the outside world, the bridge, | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
buckled and the road across it was swept away. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:49 | |
The damage has been extreme. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:53 | |
We have seen these events over the years, | 0:18:53 | 0:18:55 | |
but we've never had to rebuild a bridge before. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
The water was right up to the deck. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:00 | |
In fact, it was about a foot and a half above the deck of the bridge. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
People from the footpath cannot get access through to us. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:07 | |
It's also the access for bringing in animal feed. | 0:19:07 | 0:19:10 | |
It makes life really difficult. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
It's not just the bridge that they're rebuilding. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
They're resurrecting their livelihood, too. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:20 | |
The arrival of spring heralds new hope in the form of new life. | 0:19:20 | 0:19:24 | |
It's lambing time on the farm. | 0:19:24 | 0:19:27 | |
-Can I give you a hand, Sarah? -Yes, please. -OK. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
This must give you hope, | 0:19:31 | 0:19:33 | |
-seeing these beautiful little lambs arriving? -Yes. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:36 | |
-Especially after the floods. -It's wonderful, it really, really is... | 0:19:36 | 0:19:39 | |
-Wow. -..because it's been a hard winter and now look what we've got - | 0:19:39 | 0:19:43 | |
beautiful, beautiful babies. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:46 | |
Every farm down the valley has suffered some damage, | 0:19:47 | 0:19:51 | |
in some form or other. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:53 | |
Miles of fencing gone, stone walls that have been stood | 0:19:53 | 0:19:57 | |
for hundreds of years just gone, just demolished. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:00 | |
-But you didn't think of giving up? -No, never. | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
Cumbrian folk are a resilient bunch. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
During the flood, the fences that bordered their land were levelled, | 0:20:08 | 0:20:12 | |
scattering their sheep far and wide. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
Sarah's local community was on hand to help out. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
We put a plea out on social media | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
and we had 40 volunteers come from all over the place and we cleared it | 0:20:21 | 0:20:26 | |
all up and as a result of it, we've got two stock-proof fields now. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:31 | |
Things are getting back to normal, aren't they? | 0:20:31 | 0:20:34 | |
Oh, I think so. I think so, yes. | 0:20:34 | 0:20:37 | |
The Cumbrian community has rallied round. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
Paths have been restored and roads reopened. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
There are signs that visitors are returning. | 0:20:47 | 0:20:51 | |
B&B owner Martin Lancaster believes the local tourist industry | 0:20:51 | 0:20:55 | |
will bounce back. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:57 | |
-How are things looking? -The weather's improving. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
The flowers are out, the daffodils look wonderful. | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
You can hear birds everywhere. The footpaths are open. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
Yeah, there's a real positive vibe going on. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:07 | |
I think many of the businesses in town, people I talk to, | 0:21:07 | 0:21:10 | |
they're very confident that we're going to have a good season. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:13 | |
For these communities, it's been a long five months, | 0:21:13 | 0:21:18 | |
not just rebuilding homes and businesses, | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
but also their self-belief. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:23 | |
It's great to see how the people of Cumbria have pulled together | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
to overcome the flooding | 0:21:27 | 0:21:28 | |
and I, for one, can't wait to get back out on the mountains this year. | 0:21:28 | 0:21:32 | |
The stormy weather that batters the UK every year | 0:21:40 | 0:21:43 | |
doesn't just affect communities. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:45 | |
It also hits local wildlife. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:47 | |
Among the victims are ground-nesting sea birds like the little tern, | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
as Jules now reports. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:54 | |
This spring, Storm Katie hammered the Hampshire coastline, | 0:21:56 | 0:22:00 | |
not only did it damage many sea defences, | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
but it also started to erode a shingle ridge | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
that the little terns had been nesting on. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:07 | |
Now, the race is on to repair the damage | 0:22:09 | 0:22:11 | |
because the little tern is already making its way | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
back from Africa to breed and nest this spring. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
It's thought that fewer than 2,000 pairs of little terns | 0:22:19 | 0:22:23 | |
now nest in the UK, so Storm Katie couldn't have come at a worse time. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:28 | |
Hi, Bob. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:31 | |
Very nice to see you, sir. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:33 | |
The man responsible for managing both the inland | 0:22:33 | 0:22:36 | |
and offshore breeding sites is reserve manager Bob Chapman. | 0:22:36 | 0:22:40 | |
Now, Bob, I'm surprised at the numbers of terns now in the UK - | 0:22:43 | 0:22:47 | |
just 2,000 breeding pairs. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
What's happened to reduce numbers so dramatically? | 0:22:49 | 0:22:52 | |
Well, all the terns are suffering from squeeze, essentially. | 0:22:52 | 0:22:55 | |
The sea level's rising, | 0:22:55 | 0:22:56 | |
so it's reducing the amount of habitat they've got, | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
and competition with gulls and other terns, just other birds - | 0:22:58 | 0:23:01 | |
everything's getting pushed together. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:03 | |
They're the smallest, so they get squeezed out. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:05 | |
So, how bleak is the future for the little tern? | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
Well, it's not great, to be honest. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:10 | |
Ideally, they would probably nest on sandy beaches, | 0:23:10 | 0:23:14 | |
and fine shingle beaches. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:16 | |
The trouble is, WE love those, so most of the best beaches | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
that they like to nest on are covered in people, essentially. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:24 | |
-Yeah. -So, they're pushed out onto these little shingle ridges | 0:23:24 | 0:23:28 | |
and this kind of thing - the kind of places they can't get to. | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
This breakwater, built to defend the harbour, | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
is the perfect sanctuary for tiny sea birds like the little tern, | 0:23:33 | 0:23:37 | |
away from both humans and predators. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:40 | |
We're heading out to assess the damage that Storm Katie has caused. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:44 | |
I mean, where would the shingle ideally be? | 0:23:44 | 0:23:46 | |
Presumably up to my boots, would it? | 0:23:46 | 0:23:47 | |
Er, sort of...yeah, around the level... | 0:23:47 | 0:23:49 | |
-These rocks were just sticking up out of the top of it. -Yeah. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
-We had shingle all through here... -Yeah. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
..and Katie has not done us any favours. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:56 | |
So, this is all Storm Katie? | 0:23:56 | 0:23:58 | |
-Yep. -Just a couple of days. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
It was all here, end of February, early March, it was all still here. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
-Yeah. -Survived the winter. | 0:24:03 | 0:24:04 | |
So, we all thought, "Great," you know? "We're on for the spring," | 0:24:04 | 0:24:07 | |
and then Easter comes, and all the shingle goes. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:11 | |
It's going to take time to fully restore this valuable nesting site, | 0:24:13 | 0:24:17 | |
but with the gravel we've brought today - | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
well, at least we can make a start. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
I mean, I suppose, Bob, that if you can prove the principle, | 0:24:23 | 0:24:29 | |
this might act as a model for the future, will it? | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
Yeah, well, that's really the idea. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
We know there's going to be more of these built, | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
and we could potentially have all of this, the whole length, | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
with a shingle top - | 0:24:39 | 0:24:40 | |
and then you're talking serious areas of habitat, | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
and we could really start redressing the loss of habitat | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
out on the salt marshes. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:47 | |
So, we just need some terns to decide that this could be for them. | 0:24:47 | 0:24:52 | |
Yeah, I mean, I have no doubt, in principle, | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
that if we could make a shingle ridge here, | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
sooner or later, terns would nest on it. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:00 | |
And, to that end, Bob has a secret weapon to further entice the birds. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:05 | |
Well, there's one last trick we can try, | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
which is to deploy some decoy terns. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
Ha! I never thought I'd see a little tern today, but there you are! | 0:25:10 | 0:25:14 | |
Yeah, well, it's...it's worth a try! | 0:25:14 | 0:25:17 | |
How easily fooled are they? | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
It not so much fools them, | 0:25:19 | 0:25:20 | |
but it encourages them to come over and take a look, | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
investigate the site - which is what we want them to do first. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
These are great! Where did you get these from? | 0:25:25 | 0:25:27 | |
-I made them, actually. -They're fabulous. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:28 | |
So, you were, basically, through the winter months, | 0:25:28 | 0:25:31 | |
-making hundreds of little terns? -Oh, no, not hundreds - | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
it turns out you don't actually need very many, | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
just a few, strategically placed. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
It pays to face them into the wind, cos that's how they naturally sit. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
-OK. -Prevailing wind... -That way. -That way. -Right, then. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:44 | |
So, there you are, sunshine. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:46 | |
-HE CHUCKLES -Brilliant. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:52 | |
-Well, the job is done. -See what happens. | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
There's a lot more work to do to repair the storm damage, | 0:25:56 | 0:26:00 | |
but, with a little help from Bob and his home-made decoys, | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
this breakwater ridge could soon turn the tide | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
and save one of our smallest sea birds. | 0:26:06 | 0:26:08 | |
Another species under threat has caught Ellie's attention. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:20 | |
It lurks beneath the waters of Gloucestershire, | 0:26:20 | 0:26:22 | |
and the battle is on to save it from extinction. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
Shadowy figures at the water's edge, with what look like huge sieves. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:38 | |
Elvermen, | 0:26:40 | 0:26:41 | |
netting one of the oldest species on earth - | 0:26:41 | 0:26:45 | |
elvers, or baby eels. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:47 | |
It's the height of the elvering season. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:51 | |
Eel larvae drift 3,000 miles from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda | 0:26:51 | 0:26:56 | |
to grow up in these waters - | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
but the eel is critically endangered. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:01 | |
Only 1% survive the long journey, | 0:27:01 | 0:27:03 | |
and for that minority, the rivers ahead are fraught with challenges. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:07 | |
They might make it from the sea to the river, but... | 0:27:07 | 0:27:11 | |
they're then faced with physical barriers | 0:27:11 | 0:27:13 | |
across the river from flood and tidal defences, | 0:27:13 | 0:27:17 | |
which prevents them reaching their nursery habitats, | 0:27:17 | 0:27:19 | |
where they need to go to grow and develop | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
into the next stage of their lives. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
Here on the River Severn, they're getting a helping hand. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
Elvermen, the fisheries and conservationists | 0:27:32 | 0:27:35 | |
are all working together to net them safely | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
and carry them over man-made obstacles. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
Bill Burley from the Environment Agency patrols the river bank | 0:27:42 | 0:27:45 | |
to make sure everything's above board, | 0:27:45 | 0:27:47 | |
to keep both the elvers and elvering alive. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:50 | |
Tell me about the nets. They're quite traditional, aren't they? | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
They are traditional. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:54 | |
They're called dip nets, elver dip nets, or box nets. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
They're made of an aluminium frame nowadays, | 0:27:57 | 0:27:59 | |
but years ago they'd have been made of timber, wicker. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
In those days, they were catching them for food. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
-Yeah. -Nowadays they're going for restocking, | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
and we need them alive and in top condition. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:09 | |
The River Severn's becoming the model for Europe | 0:28:09 | 0:28:12 | |
on how to catch elvers in this condition, | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
and the elvers from the Severn will all go for restocking - | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
some will go to fish farms, | 0:28:17 | 0:28:19 | |
most will go either into the UK or the rest of Europe. | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
They've got to be absolutely pristine elvers for that. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
So, is there a nice high tide tonight - | 0:28:24 | 0:28:26 | |
will we get many people out? | 0:28:26 | 0:28:28 | |
Oh, it's going to be a good tide tonight. | 0:28:28 | 0:28:29 | |
Good - I'm excited to be out! | 0:28:29 | 0:28:31 | |
It's the first time for me - I'm a local girl, but I've never seen it. | 0:28:31 | 0:28:34 | |
It's amazing, it's like a secret world | 0:28:37 | 0:28:40 | |
underneath these road bridges - | 0:28:40 | 0:28:41 | |
people drive past, they've got no idea that all this is going on. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:45 | |
The elvers linger on the riverbed, | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
and, under the cloak of darkness, | 0:28:49 | 0:28:51 | |
ride the high tide to make a move upriver. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:55 | |
After a night's netting, the elvers are then sold to Peter Wood | 0:28:59 | 0:29:03 | |
at the local eel station. | 0:29:03 | 0:29:05 | |
Wow! So small - and yet they've come so far. | 0:29:07 | 0:29:11 | |
In terms of their size to our size, | 0:29:11 | 0:29:14 | |
it's really like us trying to walk to the moon. | 0:29:14 | 0:29:17 | |
It's a very, very long way. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
40% of Peter's eels are sold on for aquaculture - | 0:29:20 | 0:29:24 | |
but the rest go into restocking rivers all over Europe, | 0:29:24 | 0:29:27 | |
and he provides many free of charge to help restock local rivers. | 0:29:27 | 0:29:32 | |
Am I right in thinking you're happy to give me a few | 0:29:32 | 0:29:34 | |
to put back in some rivers? | 0:29:34 | 0:29:35 | |
We'll take some out of the tank, | 0:29:35 | 0:29:37 | |
and you'd better guess how many we've got - | 0:29:37 | 0:29:38 | |
and then we'll put them through the counter and see if you're right. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:41 | |
Like a country fair! | 0:29:41 | 0:29:42 | |
-Like a country fair, yes, yes. -I like the sound of that. | 0:29:42 | 0:29:45 | |
They're slippery customers, | 0:29:45 | 0:29:47 | |
but in the true spirit of Peter's game... | 0:29:47 | 0:29:49 | |
I'm going to guess at...800. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:52 | |
I'm going to guess at...1,800. | 0:29:52 | 0:29:55 | |
Oh, wow, so I'd be way off the mark! | 0:29:55 | 0:29:57 | |
-Right... -We'll see. -Let the computer decide. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
-Like this OK? -Yes, that's fine. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:02 | |
This miraculous machine counts the eels | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
as they squirm their way past the camera. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:07 | |
So, we're at 49 already. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:09 | |
Look at this spaghetti! | 0:30:10 | 0:30:13 | |
Glass eels going in. | 0:30:13 | 0:30:14 | |
You were wrong, too, Peter - we're over 2,000 now. | 0:30:14 | 0:30:17 | |
Wrong, too, yes - undersold, I'm afraid. | 0:30:17 | 0:30:19 | |
This is a good game! | 0:30:19 | 0:30:21 | |
OK, so I was way out - but before I release these youngsters, | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
I'm taking a look at the work of the Sustainable Eel Group. | 0:30:25 | 0:30:29 | |
With efforts from the eel station and the Environment Agency, | 0:30:29 | 0:30:32 | |
the group has built 600 eel passes | 0:30:32 | 0:30:34 | |
that help them swim freely upstream and over any man-made barriers. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:39 | |
Andrew Kerr is the chairman. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:42 | |
Well, what you've got here is a stainless steel tray, | 0:30:42 | 0:30:46 | |
and in the main channel you've got lots and lots of baffles, | 0:30:46 | 0:30:52 | |
and these create the effect of a slow current and a fast current - | 0:30:52 | 0:30:58 | |
and then here, on the right-hand side, | 0:30:58 | 0:31:00 | |
you have got two sets of ceramic tiles in a vertical channel. | 0:31:00 | 0:31:05 | |
So, the river can go up and the river can go down - | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
the studs act as a lever for the eels to crawl through | 0:31:08 | 0:31:12 | |
as they head upriver. | 0:31:12 | 0:31:15 | |
We're putting our young eels back upstream of any man-made barriers, | 0:31:19 | 0:31:23 | |
to give them a fighting chance. | 0:31:23 | 0:31:25 | |
-Is this a good spot? -This is ideal, yeah. | 0:31:25 | 0:31:27 | |
-Absolutely. -What makes it so good? | 0:31:27 | 0:31:29 | |
Well, this is the perfect habitat - we call it nursery habitat, | 0:31:29 | 0:31:34 | |
because when they're in the river, there's a shortage of food. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:38 | |
Here, it's full of little insects | 0:31:38 | 0:31:41 | |
and all the other detritus that they want to eat. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:44 | |
The chances of surviving here are so much greater | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
than only a few hundred yards into the River Severn. | 0:31:47 | 0:31:50 | |
-Ooh, looking super ready to go. -And take that... | 0:31:50 | 0:31:54 | |
-Some going already. -Yep. | 0:31:54 | 0:31:55 | |
Right, are we ready for this? | 0:31:55 | 0:31:58 | |
Off you go. | 0:31:58 | 0:31:59 | |
Brilliant. | 0:31:59 | 0:32:01 | |
Look at them go. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:02 | |
All these years of living in Gloucestershire, | 0:32:03 | 0:32:05 | |
I'm so happy to have finally seen this centuries-old spectacle, | 0:32:05 | 0:32:09 | |
and how today it's offering these extraordinary animals a future. | 0:32:09 | 0:32:13 | |
It's not just the changes in the ecology of our rivers | 0:32:18 | 0:32:21 | |
that's proving a challenge for wildlife. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:24 | |
The loss of pond habitats has meant that once-common species | 0:32:24 | 0:32:27 | |
have become a rarity. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:29 | |
So, Paul has decided to do his bit | 0:32:29 | 0:32:32 | |
by turning a garden pond into a wildlife haven. | 0:32:32 | 0:32:35 | |
PAUL: This spring, I'm injecting new life into my Wiltshire smallholding. | 0:32:41 | 0:32:45 | |
I'm learning how to get the best from my land - | 0:32:47 | 0:32:50 | |
to provide for the family, | 0:32:50 | 0:32:51 | |
but also to be a haven for wildlife. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:54 | |
With our new bees busy building their hive, | 0:32:55 | 0:32:58 | |
it's reminded me of another bug haven in our garden. | 0:32:58 | 0:33:01 | |
This is our Victorian drainage pond - now, every spring, | 0:33:04 | 0:33:08 | |
we get a whole host of wildlife emerging from its murky waters. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:12 | |
We get damselflies and dragonflies, which flutter all around the garden, | 0:33:12 | 0:33:16 | |
much to the delight of Woof and the kids. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:19 | |
It's got potential, but it...it just looks a mess. | 0:33:19 | 0:33:22 | |
Garden ponds in Britain support two thirds of our freshwater species, | 0:33:23 | 0:33:27 | |
and yet, 50% of these amazing habitats have been lost | 0:33:27 | 0:33:32 | |
since the 20th century. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:34 | |
Mine is overgrown, overshadowed and in desperate need of some TLC. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:39 | |
So, to help me give my pond a makeover | 0:33:39 | 0:33:41 | |
and provide some top tips on maintaining a healthy pond, | 0:33:41 | 0:33:45 | |
I've called in Jeremy Biggs from the Freshwater Habitats Trust. | 0:33:45 | 0:33:50 | |
I'd be worried by all that duckweed you've got there. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:52 | |
I think there's probably a lot of organic material | 0:33:52 | 0:33:55 | |
built-up in the pond here. Often, when there's lots of duckweed, | 0:33:55 | 0:33:57 | |
it's a sign there's too many nutrients in the pond, | 0:33:57 | 0:34:00 | |
which is really a form of pollution | 0:34:00 | 0:34:02 | |
and getting those nutrients down as low as we can | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
-is really crucial for pond life. -Right, let's test the water now. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
-Come on, then, there's a shallow bit down here. -OK. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:10 | |
I'm just going to get a bit of water | 0:34:15 | 0:34:16 | |
in this pot first of all. There we are. | 0:34:16 | 0:34:18 | |
Now we can use the test kit for pollutants that we're worried about. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:21 | |
OK. And this should change colour, should it? | 0:34:21 | 0:34:24 | |
Well, if there's any pollution here, it'll change colour. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:26 | |
And anyone can get these kits and test their own ponds? | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
-They can, yeah. -The good news is that's perfectly clear! | 0:34:29 | 0:34:33 | |
The phosphate is really low. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:34 | |
It's right down at the natural levels that we should see | 0:34:34 | 0:34:37 | |
in waters not polluted by anything. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:39 | |
With all this organic matter in the pond, I'm a bit surprised by that. | 0:34:39 | 0:34:42 | |
I would've thought there might be more. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:44 | |
So, appearances can be deceiving. | 0:34:44 | 0:34:47 | |
Despite Jeremy's fears about my prolific duckweed, | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
it seems there might be hope for my pond yet. | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
What we need to do next is have a look at what's living in the pond. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:56 | |
-Oh, well, I've just the perfect person for that. -Excellent. | 0:34:56 | 0:34:59 | |
And here he is. Jeremy, this is my son, Dylan, | 0:35:03 | 0:35:05 | |
who is our resident bug expert. I know you're our expert today, | 0:35:05 | 0:35:08 | |
but he loves anything to do with wildlife, don't you, Dylan? | 0:35:08 | 0:35:11 | |
When children and water are close together, | 0:35:11 | 0:35:13 | |
safety has to be paramount, | 0:35:13 | 0:35:15 | |
so I always keep a close eye on Dylan when he's near the pond. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:19 | |
-What do you think of these, Dylan? -They look...really stupid. | 0:35:19 | 0:35:23 | |
They do, don't they? A bit ridiculous, but, | 0:35:23 | 0:35:25 | |
I'll tell you what, they'll keep us dry. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:28 | |
This is the fun bit. | 0:35:28 | 0:35:29 | |
Time to work out what lurks beneath the duckweed | 0:35:29 | 0:35:32 | |
in our 100-year-old pond. | 0:35:32 | 0:35:34 | |
Most animals are where there are plants growing in the water. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:39 | |
Go on, Dylan, you have a go through there. | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
-Ooh, look what I found. -What have you got? Oh, wow! Look at that. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:48 | |
We've found a newt. Grab the tray. | 0:35:48 | 0:35:50 | |
There's a smooth newt, Dylan, look. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
So, this is a female smooth newt. | 0:35:57 | 0:35:58 | |
You can tell because she's pretty plain on the top and if we very | 0:35:58 | 0:36:02 | |
gently turn her over, we'll see she's orange and spotty underneath. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:07 | |
-She's beautiful. -Yes, it's an amazing little creature. | 0:36:07 | 0:36:11 | |
Let's see what animals we've got. | 0:36:11 | 0:36:13 | |
This is the common water slater, or water louse. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:15 | |
-Will the newts be feeding off them? -They could eat those, yes. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
Anything smaller than them, they'll eat. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:20 | |
And the other creatures that are very common here are these | 0:36:20 | 0:36:23 | |
-freshwater shrimps. -Oh, I see them! -Yeah! -Oh, look at those, Dylan. | 0:36:23 | 0:36:27 | |
-I know! -People might've heard of killer shrimps. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
These are just ordinary, nice shrimps. | 0:36:30 | 0:36:32 | |
They're not native to this country, but they're not doing any harm. | 0:36:32 | 0:36:35 | |
And the other animal that there's quite a lot of in here | 0:36:35 | 0:36:38 | |
is this water snail. This is called the wandering snail. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:41 | |
-Do you know, I'm so surprised there's so much wildlife. -Yeah. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:45 | |
Now we know who lives here, it's time to add some big rotting logs | 0:36:48 | 0:36:52 | |
and leafy pond plants to improve their habitat. | 0:36:52 | 0:36:56 | |
Go on, put that one in. | 0:36:56 | 0:36:57 | |
And, as it's spring, | 0:36:57 | 0:36:58 | |
it'll provide somewhere for our newts to lay their eggs. | 0:36:58 | 0:37:02 | |
It's looking really good already. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:06 | |
And hopefully all these plants will spread out | 0:37:06 | 0:37:08 | |
from where we've been planting them now. | 0:37:08 | 0:37:11 | |
And join that shelf coming along there, around here. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:15 | |
These different types of pond plant | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
can provide an excellent varied habitat to attract newts. | 0:37:17 | 0:37:20 | |
They'll also absorb some the nutrients and lock them away, | 0:37:20 | 0:37:24 | |
to keep the water clean. | 0:37:24 | 0:37:26 | |
That's the plants sorted. | 0:37:26 | 0:37:28 | |
Next, I need to do something about our overgrown trees. | 0:37:28 | 0:37:32 | |
More light on the pond will warm the water | 0:37:34 | 0:37:36 | |
and help our new plants take root. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:39 | |
Dylan has been sent on a mission of his own, | 0:37:41 | 0:37:43 | |
to create a safe haven for our newts while they're out of the water. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:48 | |
-Dylan, have you made use of all those little offcuts? -Yeah. | 0:37:52 | 0:37:55 | |
That is fantastic, isn't it? Look at that! It's brilliant. | 0:37:55 | 0:38:00 | |
That's absolutely brilliant. | 0:38:00 | 0:38:01 | |
You've got bits of old slate and rock and pipe and dead wood. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:05 | |
Lots of bugs in there. You know what you call this, don't you? | 0:38:05 | 0:38:08 | |
-Hibernacula. -Hibernacula. In other words, it's a newt hotel! | 0:38:08 | 0:38:11 | |
There's lot of nooks and crannies, look, where the newts can hide | 0:38:11 | 0:38:15 | |
-from hedgehogs and the cats. -Yeah. -Other predators. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:19 | |
-Well, we've got some clearing up to do now. -Yeah. -Come on, then. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:23 | |
With our overgrown trees stripped away, sunlight now streams down | 0:38:25 | 0:38:30 | |
on to our old pond for the first time in nearly 30 years, | 0:38:30 | 0:38:34 | |
allowing our new aquatic plants to stretch out their roots. | 0:38:34 | 0:38:38 | |
Who knows what else we might attract to our pond this spring? | 0:38:38 | 0:38:42 | |
-It looks a lot different, especially with the tree down. -Yeah. | 0:38:42 | 0:38:45 | |
The good news is our pond wasn't as bad as we thought it was. | 0:38:45 | 0:38:49 | |
It can only get better, so we can attract even more wildlife | 0:38:49 | 0:38:52 | |
-with this habitat we've just planted up. -Yeah. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:55 | |
-So it's a pond to be proud of, don't you think? -Yeah. -High five. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:58 | |
One of the biggest money-spinners in the rural economy is angling. | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
It generates upwards of £3 billion every year in the UK. | 0:39:12 | 0:39:18 | |
In Scotland, one of the big magnets is the River Tweed. | 0:39:18 | 0:39:21 | |
Spring brings the mayfly, the mayfly bring the trout | 0:39:21 | 0:39:25 | |
and the trout bring the fishermen. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:28 | |
The Tweed is one of Britain's great rivers. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:41 | |
For centuries, man has fished these waters for salmon and trout. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:46 | |
It's a place where fly-fishing takes on an almost artistic form. | 0:39:46 | 0:39:50 | |
See a fish jump out that time? | 0:39:52 | 0:39:53 | |
The spring awakening attracts fishermen like Kenny Galt, | 0:39:57 | 0:40:00 | |
keen to take advantage of a spring miracle, | 0:40:00 | 0:40:03 | |
where tiny creatures emerge from the depths. | 0:40:03 | 0:40:06 | |
I went fishing today to take advantage of the March Brown hatch. | 0:40:08 | 0:40:11 | |
The March Brown's a mayfly that we have in many Scottish rivers | 0:40:11 | 0:40:14 | |
and it's the time of year | 0:40:14 | 0:40:15 | |
when it changes from the juvenile form to the adult | 0:40:15 | 0:40:17 | |
and when it does that, it comes to the surface of the water, | 0:40:17 | 0:40:20 | |
changes into the adult, which flies off. | 0:40:20 | 0:40:22 | |
And when that happens, quite often trout will come up and feed on them. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
And, as such, you can imitate the adult March Brown | 0:40:26 | 0:40:28 | |
and catch lots of trout. | 0:40:28 | 0:40:30 | |
Timing is everything for the mayfly hatch. | 0:40:31 | 0:40:34 | |
The temperature has to be just right. The light has to be perfect. | 0:40:34 | 0:40:39 | |
Only then will the March Browns rise and take flight. | 0:40:39 | 0:40:43 | |
It's now just approaching 1pm and the March Brown hatches generally | 0:40:45 | 0:40:49 | |
occur around lunchtime, generally starting about 1pm. | 0:40:49 | 0:40:52 | |
Just how long the hatch will last varies from day to day, but for the | 0:40:52 | 0:40:55 | |
most part you can almost set your watch by the timing of the hatches. | 0:40:55 | 0:40:59 | |
Mayflies are one of the most primitive life forms on the planet. | 0:41:00 | 0:41:05 | |
Underwater, the March Browns live amongst the rocks | 0:41:05 | 0:41:08 | |
for up to a year, avoiding predators with stealth and camouflage. | 0:41:08 | 0:41:12 | |
Their feather-like gills extract oxygen from the fast-flowing water. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:18 | |
The mayfly, as adults, only live for a few days, | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
maybe a week or so at most. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:28 | |
Their sole purpose as the adult is to reproduce, | 0:41:28 | 0:41:30 | |
so they don't even have mouths for feeding. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:32 | |
They just emerge out the water, reproduce, | 0:41:32 | 0:41:34 | |
go back to lay their eggs and then die. | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
The art of the angler is to wait for the perfect moment. | 0:41:37 | 0:41:41 | |
Until, at last, the hatch begins. | 0:41:45 | 0:41:48 | |
The river becomes a frenzy of activity, above and below the water. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:57 | |
You can see the gulls are flopping down, | 0:42:00 | 0:42:02 | |
swooping down and taking the March Browns off the surface of the water. | 0:42:02 | 0:42:05 | |
The hatch is carefully choreographed. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
Millions of March Browns will emerge during the early spring, | 0:42:08 | 0:42:12 | |
ensuring that enough insects survive the waiting predators. | 0:42:12 | 0:42:17 | |
On the river banks, the newly emerged adults | 0:42:17 | 0:42:19 | |
dry off in the spring sunshine. | 0:42:19 | 0:42:21 | |
Mottled wings feel the air for the first time | 0:42:21 | 0:42:25 | |
and the three nymph tails are now down to just two. | 0:42:25 | 0:42:28 | |
The trout also start to feed on the plentiful supplies | 0:42:28 | 0:42:32 | |
and finally Kenny is rewarded for his patience. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:36 | |
Got it. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:38 | |
What we do now is we just wet our hands | 0:42:44 | 0:42:46 | |
and quickly get the hook out of the fish's mouth. | 0:42:46 | 0:42:48 | |
We wet our hands so as not to burn the flesh of the fish. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:51 | |
The hook's barbless, so it just slips out. | 0:42:53 | 0:42:55 | |
Before putting him back, just for our records, | 0:42:55 | 0:42:58 | |
we'll record the length of the fish. | 0:42:58 | 0:43:00 | |
This trout is, to the fork of the tail, 31.5 centimetres. | 0:43:01 | 0:43:06 | |
That's not bad. It's quite slim, this one. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:08 | |
It's only started feeding after the winter. | 0:43:08 | 0:43:10 | |
Most anglers release their trout nowadays, | 0:43:10 | 0:43:12 | |
so they can go on and reproduce, and it's good to see a trout like that | 0:43:12 | 0:43:15 | |
cos it really is a good indicator of a clean, healthy river full of food | 0:43:15 | 0:43:18 | |
and the Tweed has lots of trout like that in it. | 0:43:18 | 0:43:20 | |
Just cradle the fish at first, to make sure it's OK... | 0:43:20 | 0:43:24 | |
and then, once it's ready, once it's breathing and strong, off it goes. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:28 | |
Just as quickly as it started, the hatching stops. | 0:43:28 | 0:43:32 | |
A mini miracle, missed by most but, for the lucky few, | 0:43:32 | 0:43:36 | |
one of spring's defining moments. | 0:43:36 | 0:43:38 | |
And I'm afraid that's all we've got time for today, | 0:43:47 | 0:43:49 | |
but please do try to join us | 0:43:49 | 0:43:51 | |
again tomorrow for our final edition of Countryfile Spring Diaries. | 0:43:51 | 0:43:56 | |
We'll be giving you a how-to | 0:43:56 | 0:43:57 | |
on planting a low-allergen garden for hay-fever sufferers. | 0:43:57 | 0:44:01 | |
Quite excited about planting some different things | 0:44:01 | 0:44:03 | |
and maybe not having so many allergic reactions | 0:44:03 | 0:44:06 | |
when I'm doing it! | 0:44:06 | 0:44:07 | |
And Margarita finds out | 0:44:07 | 0:44:09 | |
all you need to know about the epitome of spring, eggs. | 0:44:09 | 0:44:12 | |
Every guillemot egg is unique. | 0:44:12 | 0:44:14 | |
So, it's like a fingerprint on the egg, that they recognise? | 0:44:14 | 0:44:17 | |
That's a perfect description, yeah. | 0:44:17 | 0:44:19 | |
So, goodbye for now and hope to see you again tomorrow. | 0:44:19 | 0:44:23 |