Episode 11 Hugh's Wild West


Episode 11

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For me, watching wildlife is one of life's greatest pleasures.

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And my favourite place to do it

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is right here in my beloved West Country.

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'This captivating corner of the British Isles...'

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There's six right underneath us.

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'..has a cast of creatures that's as awe-inspiring,

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'extraordinary and magical as any.'

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Oh, come on, no way! LAUGHTER

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'I'm hoping to get as close as I can to as many as I can...'

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Right, I'm ready. This is great. This is measuring an eel.

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Whoa, oh, oh! Ants!

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Oh! Oh! They've gone inside!

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'..with the help of a band of dedicated nature lovers.'

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Some of the patterns on the feathers, they're beautiful.

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-Good spot. Look, look, look! Wonderful!

-That's so cool.

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There's one in my hair now, Poppy.

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'I'll share the thrill of the chase...'

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-Did you hear them?

-I heard something.

-Yeah. They're in there.

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Yes.

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'..the sheer joy of the encounter...'

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-She's so golden!

-She's fast asleep.

-OK. Sh.

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That's amazing.

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'..and I'll pitch in to help these local heroes

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'safeguard the future of our precious animals.'

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Bye-bye. There she goes.

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Whoa! I can't believe that I've been living in the West Country

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for so many years, and I've never done this before.

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'This will be a year-round adventure...'

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Straight ahead.

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..as we explore the natural wonders of the UK's very own Wild West.

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I'm back in the Somerset Levels.

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These lush pastoral lowlands have been shaped in large part by man's

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ongoing efforts to control and contain its water.

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The labyrinth of water courses that crisscross the rich farmland provide

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precious habitats above and below the surface.

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For millennia, the animals that inhabit these marshes,

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ancient hedgerows and meadows have been cheek by jowl with the people

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who live and work here.

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This is a fascinating,

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diverse landscape which presents

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a mixture of opportunities and challenges

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for all kinds of creatures.

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So I'm really looking forward to working with some people who are

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finding ways to tip the balance in favour of the wildlife,

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giving something back to the fantastic creatures

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that make living here so special.

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The Somerset Levels is a flat,

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coastal plain that stretches from the tidal Bristol Channel.

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It's contained by the Mendips to the north and the Quantocks,

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near Taunton, to the south.

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The River Parrett flows out to sea near Steart,

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where my journey starts.

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Thousands of years ago,

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much of this corner of the south-west was under the sea.

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It was first drained for farming in the Dark Ages.

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And since then, a network of ditches and drains has helped prevent

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its precious fields and pasture from flooding.

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But now, in one small part of the Levels,

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the sea is being allowed to wash over the land once again.

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We hear so much about the depletion of our natural habitat,

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but this has been a story of creation,

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and it's really remarkable.

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Go back just a few years ago

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and this incredible salt marsh wasn't even here.

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This was just farmland.

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We're used to thinking of flooding as a destructive force

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to be prevented at all costs.

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But here at Steart Marshes, the tide has been encouraged to roll in again

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over the farmland.

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The result is the regeneration of a valuable habitat that our native

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wildlife has been losing at an alarming rate - salt marsh.

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Coastal mudflats and salt marshes

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are feeding grounds for waders and wildfowl,

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and much-needed nurseries for a variety of fish,

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which in turn are food for otters, egrets and many more.

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And these wild stretches where the land meets the sea

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are becoming scarce.

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But a few years ago, work began

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on a super-sized piece of forward thinking -

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removal of the old sea defences

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to create a well-managed wetland reserve.

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As the land floods, it gradually turns back to salt marsh,

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inviting in the distinctive mix of species

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that depend on these important wetlands.

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Joe Cockram from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has invited me

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to join him, as he checks to see how the new residents are settling in.

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There's a line of mud over there with maybe some dunlin.

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Yep, those are dunlin. They pack in quite close together.

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They go for safety in numbers.

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They're very vulnerable to peregrines, hobbies, birds of prey

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like that. So the more of them that get in closer together,

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the more pairs of eyes there are looking for a threat.

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-Yep, just taking off now.

-Straight in front of us, going left to right

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now. Amazing. They really catch the light, don't they?

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They really do, yeah. Very white on the undersides, quite dark on the

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top, so, as they turn, yeah, they flicker, they flicker and shimmer.

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Joe is monitoring the species

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and numbers of birds colonising the site.

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These new arrivals are the ultimate proof of concept.

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The winter is the busiest time.

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The mud is full of invertebrates

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and various things that waders and ducks are eating.

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The waders, they nest in massive numbers,

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really far north in the Arctic Circle.

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Obviously that's a pretty awful place to be in the winter.

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It's going to freeze up.

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That's not much good for a water bird, so they all come south.

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This Somerset coast, and most of the coasts around the UK, indeed,

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is a really good spot for wintering birds.

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Is that a great white egret?

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-I think that's a little egret, that one.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

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Over time, they're establishing this as a proper feeding ground,

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-and they're really getting properly stuck in.

-Yeah.

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So this started off as farmland, then we let the tide in.

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That first year, all the underlying soil and sediment was dead.

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Now that it's getting flooded regularly by the tide,

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we get silt that gets brought in. That provides a home for these

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invertebrates, for ragworms and things like that.

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So from the, sort of, freshwater invertebrates

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to the marine, saltwater-friendly invertebrates obviously takes time?

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It takes time. What we're trying to work out is how much time.

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Nothing quite like this has been done before.

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So, in more than one sense,

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the wildlife here is breaking new ground.

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And the signs are good.

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Three years in, around 25,000 birds wintered here.

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But the wildlife doesn't have the place all to itself.

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Agricultural land is being reclaimed by nature.

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Absolutely. We can see distantly some cattle out on the salt marsh,

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so these are longhorn cattle,

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and they're being farmed for salt marsh beef.

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They help to create a nice mosaic of habitat in the salt marsh plants.

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So having the cattle out here helps us create a very rich,

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diverse habitat for wildlife, but also we're still producing food.

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I'm impressed. It's heartening to see farming and wildlife working

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here to their mutual benefit.

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But maintaining this delicate balance between land and sea

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along the 3km of tidal coast can't be easy.

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To find out how it's done, I'm meeting Alys Laver.

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She's been here from day one,

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overseeing the transformation from farmers' fields to a wildlife Eden,

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through careful management of the ever-changing water levels.

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And the key to it all is what I'm carrying on my shoulder.

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So what you're going to do, with opening the pen stock, means that we

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can drain this whole area to then get fresh tidal water in.

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A network of sluices and carefully engineered channels control the flow

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of seawater from the rising tide into the marsh.

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-That's it?

-I think it should be left. It should be left, I think.

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It just takes a long time.

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-After which it will just stop, will it?

-Yeah.

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-Then we'll know it's at maximum.

-That's right.

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What we'll find, as well, as you draw the water levels down,

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more mud will be exposed,

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and so we'll get more birds and things feeding on that mud.

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Over several years, the daily dose of seawater has created a salty,

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silty soup, rich in invertebrate life.

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It's a great source of food for all kinds of waterfowl,

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waders and gulls.

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We talk about the sea as a sort of force that can never be reckoned

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with, can never be mastered, but actually you're playing around with

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-sea levels here.

-Yeah, that's right. We must be nearly there.

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-I've been going for nearly ten minutes.

-It's not...

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-Oh, that's it!

-It's stopped?

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

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-That's completely open now.

-Fully open. And we look over here now.

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The level on this side has come up by about three feet already.

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-Yeah.

-A massive upwelling there. Sort of like a boiling pot.

-Yeah.

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All around us, the proof of how well the system is working can be seen...

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-and heard. What's that bird there?

-Oh, yeah. That's an avocet.

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That is an avocet, is it?

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-So, they like this habitat?

-Yeah, very much so. This year,

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we've had seven breeding pairs, compared to one pair last year.

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-Seven here, right here in this area?

-Yeah. Yeah, yeah, which has been 15

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juveniles have fledged, so it's been massively successful.

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There are only 1,500 breeding pairs of avocets

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recorded in the whole of the UK,

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so their arrival on this brand-new salt marsh is excellent news.

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And that's not all...

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-A bit of marsh samphire.

-Yeah.

-Is there lots of that here?

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Do you know what? This is really exciting. This is the first time

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I've seen samphire in this part of the reserve.

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-Oh, really?

-Yeah. Because where we've got an open breach

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the seeds are able to come in a lot quicker.

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Because we've got structures here,

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it's been a lot slower to colonise, and so this is great news.

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-Another new arrival.

-Another new arrival, yeah.

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And I can just about resist the temptation to pick and eat it.

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Very much appreciated.

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And I'll leave it to become an improving habitat.

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-LAUGHTER

-That's really cool.

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-Excellent.

-It's not often that you get a chance to see brand-new spaces

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for wildlife forming right before your eyes.

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And I'm already looking forward to coming back to this muddy paradise

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to delve beneath the surface.

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Here in the western marshes,

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the story is one of exciting new arrivals.

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But all across the Levels,

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ancient woodland and pasture has long been a stronghold

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for some more familiar faces.

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About half of the UK's badgers live here in the West Country,

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and like badgers anywhere, occasionally they run into trouble.

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Secret World Wildlife Rescue has been helping to rehabilitate

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orphaned, sick or injured animals for the past 20 years.

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The charity's founder, Pauline Kidner, is busier than ever.

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We now deal with just over 5,000 animals every year, so it has grown.

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Everything has a season, so, January, February, March,

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we're going to have fox cubs, we're going to have badger cubs.

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As soon as the first blackbird comes in, it's, "Oh, my God,

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"we've started the bird season." And then as soon as we get to June,

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the first herring gull comes in and you know that's going to start.

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Round about now, it's baby bats and it's fawns

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and those sorts of things.

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So, there's seasons all the way through.

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That's what makes it so interesting is that it's so varied.

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Pauline's dedication to Somerset's ailing animals sometimes stretches

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to giving her patients a temporary home in her own house.

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Meet Bumblebee and Nat.

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Bumblebee, which is the bigger badger,

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she was found in Glastonbury,

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and she was wandering around the high street,

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just up and down the road, when a member of the public found her.

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And Nat was found at a country park,

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just out, away from the sett.

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Both cubs are around 12 weeks old.

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It's not clear how they became separated from their families,

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but for now, this is the best place for them.

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They're in the expert care of Josie Nott.

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Nat is a little bit smaller than what he should be at his age,

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so we have them up in Pauline's cubbyhole,

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so that she can keep a close eye on him and we can monitor his growth.

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We've never had one in that's been as small as Nat

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at the age that he is. He is pretty adorable,

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but we have to remember that our aim is to get them back into the wild.

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Wild badger cubs live most of the day underground in a warm sett,

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so Pauline's cosy kitchen is a pretty good option

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for these vulnerable youngsters.

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For Bumblebee and Nat,

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this is just the first step on the long road to rerelease.

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When a badger first comes in,

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we obviously treat it for any wounds that it has,

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and treat it for anything that it needs.

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We will then have them TB-tested when they're around eight weeks old,

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and if that comes back as a negative, they would then be mixed

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with other badgers that we have on the site here

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to make a family group,

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and each badger has a different individual smell.

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And then, when they've scented each other,

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that creates an individual family smell.

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Even after a month away from their natural home,

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there are promising signs

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that Bumblebee and Nat are still all badger.

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And even at this age, whilst they're out and about playing,

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they're climbing, they're digging, they'll grab items

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and pull them behind them, which is how they would

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collect bedding in the wild and drag it back to their setts.

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We see a lot of natural behaviour, which is really encouraging.

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Playing is vital for the cubs to develop the life skills they'll need

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for survival. And, of course,

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it's what makes them irresistible to camera crews.

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LAUGHTER

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Two months later, the young badger cubs have been moved

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to an outside pen to mingle with other badgers,

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away from human company.

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But even more advanced in this delicate and painstaking process of

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rehabilitation, and almost ready for rerelease into the wild,

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is one very special otter.

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His name is Drift.

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Across Somerset, otter numbers are steadily rising,

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helped by the warm weather here and an abundance of waterways for them

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to fish in. But if a young otter is separated from its mother,

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it won't survive long.

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Drift was found in Somerset and he was found at the back of a hotel.

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He was just sat there, squeaking away - very sad and lonely.

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Luckily, young Drift was brought here to Secret World

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for some expert care.

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He was a cub of just five weeks old.

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We've had Drift for over a year.

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His rehab's been really good.

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In her role as surrogate mum to the young otter, Josie's fed him,

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weaned him on to solid food, given him swimming lessons,

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and even taught him how to hunt.

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But there comes a time in all parents' lives for their young ones

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to fly the coop.

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It's really important for Drift just to get back home to the wild.

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He's a wild animal - that's where he needs to be. He's a male otter.

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-His biggest challenge is being a male.

-SHE LAUGHS

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He's going to have to fight for his life, really.

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He's going to have to fight for his territory, fight for his women,

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and eventually, hopefully, he'll find his feet

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and he'll get into the swing of it.

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Release coordinator Tristan Cooper has spent weeks researching

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the ideal spot for Drift to start his new life.

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The plan is for a soft release -

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a staged return to the wild in gentle steps -

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and the team will keep a close eye on his progress.

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For the first couple of weeks, this is his little world.

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So we've got screening and then we've got electric fencing.

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And it's basically a case of keeping him within this area for now.

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It's not such a shock to the system.

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He can get used to the new sounds and smells.

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It would be ideal to get a bit of the river in, but that's

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logistically really hard to do with an electric fence.

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But it's a really important that he's got water,

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because they have to keep their coat wet.

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There's sort of a pile of brash and some tunnels

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and some natural scrub and cover.

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So we're basically ready to go.

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We've done all we can for him, we've given him a really good start, and

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with Tristan's help to find such a great place to release him,

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yeah, I feel really good.

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After some initial uncertainty,

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Drift soon starts to settle in to his new quarters.

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But this is just the first step.

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For now, he's still safely enclosed.

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In a few weeks, the fence will come down

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and Drift will be a wild otter once again.

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It's mid-May, and the smell of

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freshly-cut grass announces the arrival of summer.

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It's a busy time for any farmer,

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but on this particular farm

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there's an extra special sense of urgency about the place.

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This is Worthy Farm, home of the world-renowned Glastonbury Festival.

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Every summer, these 900 acres in the Vale of Avalon

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host the largest music festival in the world.

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And these green fields become home to a multicoloured makeshift city.

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But outside of that spell of midsummer madness,

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this is a traditional Somerset dairy farm,

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where keeping cows runs in the family.

0:19:010:19:04

We've been milking here 160 years altogether.

0:19:040:19:07

Festival founder Michael Eavis is probably the country's most famous

0:19:070:19:11

farmer, and even when the rock stars come calling,

0:19:110:19:14

he's still in touch with his day job.

0:19:140:19:17

I was always rushing around, taking phone calls from Radio 1,

0:19:170:19:20

talking to The Smiths and all that sort of thing, and milking cows at

0:19:200:19:23

-the same time.

-Talking to Morrissey and milking cows?

-Yeah.

0:19:230:19:27

And, as well as tending to his beloved cows,

0:19:270:19:30

he's got time for the local wildlife too.

0:19:300:19:33

It might seem surprising with a quarter of a million people here

0:19:330:19:37

for two or three weeks every year, wildlife really does survive.

0:19:370:19:42

The owls at night and the foxes and badgers -

0:19:420:19:46

everything's here, you know?

0:19:460:19:48

The survival of nature is unbelievably powerful.

0:19:480:19:51

When the festival's happening,

0:19:510:19:53

do you think the wildlife retreats deep into the hedge,

0:19:530:19:55

or does it, sort of, come out and see what's going on?

0:19:550:19:57

We used to take the deer out.

0:19:570:19:59

You know, they were jumping over the fence to get back in.

0:19:590:20:01

Even when there were people on site?

0:20:010:20:03

-Yes.

-Really?

-Seriously.

-LAUGHTER

0:20:030:20:05

One of the really striking things, looking around the farm,

0:20:050:20:08

is your hedgerows - the amount of mature trees in your hedges.

0:20:080:20:11

In fact, it is made of mature trees.

0:20:110:20:13

I had to leave those, you see, deliberately.

0:20:130:20:15

When the people were cutting them down,

0:20:150:20:18

I was letting them grow, you know?

0:20:180:20:20

And you're reaping the benefits in terms of songbirds and other

0:20:200:20:23

-wildlife?

-It's all full of life.

0:20:230:20:25

Beyond the ancient hedgerows here at Worthy Farm, the pasture,

0:20:270:20:31

ponds and woodlands all offer a refuge for wildlife.

0:20:310:20:35

So what really happens to the wild residents of the farm

0:20:360:20:39

when the festival crowds descend?

0:20:390:20:42

I'm here today to find out about one family of creatures that have become

0:20:420:20:46

well-known festival regulars.

0:20:460:20:48

-Right in the corner.

-In here?

-Yeah, if you lean right over that tub...

0:20:490:20:53

Oh, they're literally living in here?

0:20:550:20:57

They're living underneath this building.

0:20:570:21:00

Really? There's a little animal track

0:21:000:21:03

just the other side of this fence.

0:21:030:21:05

You can see that's quite well worn.

0:21:050:21:07

This building is where the crew, who work at the festival, are fed.

0:21:080:21:12

But catering boss Audrey Brown has some other hungry mouths

0:21:120:21:16

to feed here too - Glastonbury's resident badgers.

0:21:160:21:19

Behind her alfresco wash basins is an ancient sett

0:21:220:21:26

that's home to up to 12 badgers.

0:21:260:21:28

They've become more than used to the annual invasion.

0:21:310:21:35

During the festival,

0:21:350:21:36

they're crowded out of their regular hunting grounds,

0:21:360:21:39

so they, too, turn up at the catering tent.

0:21:390:21:41

So you're here cooking for about six weeks of the year,

0:21:410:21:45

and during that time, the badgers know there's stuff going on here

0:21:450:21:48

-and they come in looking for a bit of a free feed?

-Yeah.

0:21:480:21:51

What sort of treats are they getting?

0:21:510:21:53

Well, they've had some pine nuts and they've had some dried apricots.

0:21:530:21:56

-Very healthy stuff!

-And they've had a bit of stale bread.

0:21:560:21:59

Are you usually seeing them when you feed them

0:21:590:22:01

-or do you leave the feed out?

-No, we leave it out.

0:22:010:22:03

Summer picnics are on the way.

0:22:030:22:05

Yeah. And it's a thrill to know that they've eaten that food,

0:22:050:22:08

so they've been round and they've gone on back.

0:22:080:22:13

You enjoy the idea that they're here and they're connected and,

0:22:130:22:16

even when there's nearly a quarter of a million people here,

0:22:160:22:18

the badgers are still safe and able to...

0:22:180:22:21

But they were here before the quarter of a million people.

0:22:210:22:24

We're intruding in their land.

0:22:240:22:26

So, all the more reason,

0:22:260:22:27

-the obligation if you like, to look after them.

-Yeah.

0:22:270:22:30

It's one show at Glastonbury that hardly anyone's ever seen,

0:22:320:22:36

but our automatic cameras should allow us to catch

0:22:360:22:39

the nightly performance of the UK's most rock and roll badgers.

0:22:390:22:43

The daily tides wash in and out

0:22:500:22:53

over the newly-created reserve at Steart Marshes.

0:22:530:22:56

Success of this exciting wetlands project depends on

0:22:560:22:59

the animals it's intended for deciding to make use of it.

0:22:590:23:04

Today, Tom Stamp and Sean Plenty are hoping to find some very important

0:23:040:23:08

new arrivals, and their early-morning investigation

0:23:080:23:12

has drawn a bit of a crowd.

0:23:120:23:13

COW MOOS

0:23:130:23:16

That's too close for comfort.

0:23:160:23:19

LAUGHTER

0:23:190:23:21

Usually they will just head over the bank.

0:23:230:23:26

This one doesn't seem to be too put off by us being here.

0:23:260:23:31

Maybe if we just ignore it...

0:23:320:23:35

Yeah, try. Yeah, let's try and ignore it.

0:23:350:23:38

-MOOING AND LAUGHTER

-You can't eat a net!

0:23:380:23:42

This isn't tasty.

0:23:420:23:44

Tom and Sean are looking for fish.

0:23:450:23:48

For these two scientists,

0:23:480:23:49

it's a big moment in their study of this new environment,

0:23:490:23:53

worthy of their attentive audience.

0:23:530:23:56

They hope today to find proof that these tidal, muddy creeks are being

0:23:560:24:01

used as a nursery where juvenile sea fish can grow,

0:24:010:24:05

protected from the open sea.

0:24:050:24:07

So we're just dragging the two ends of the net together and hopefully

0:24:070:24:11

all the fish should collect at one part of the net.

0:24:110:24:14

OK.

0:24:170:24:20

This is a thin-lipped mullet. That's actually quite a fat one.

0:24:200:24:23

That one's doing quite well. Looks very healthy.

0:24:230:24:26

Obviously, we've just taken the fish out of the natural environment,

0:24:280:24:31

and so they're going to be a bit stressed when they come into

0:24:310:24:34

contact with the nets, so what we try and do is put them in a bucket

0:24:340:24:36

of water as quickly as possible with an aerator,

0:24:360:24:38

so they don't run out of oxygen and they're as happy as they can be

0:24:380:24:42

while we measure and process them.

0:24:420:24:44

Here we have a juvenile herring.

0:24:440:24:49

Thin-lipped mullet.

0:24:490:24:51

As well as being identified,

0:24:510:24:53

each baby fish is measured.

0:24:530:24:56

Thin-lipped mullet, 90.

0:24:560:24:58

Thin-lipped mullet, 70.

0:25:000:25:02

Thin-lipped mullet, 96.

0:25:020:25:05

One species of fish in particular seems to be finding sanctuary here.

0:25:050:25:11

Thin-lipped mullet, 102.

0:25:110:25:14

The mullet tend to be feeding on

0:25:140:25:17

little plankton that grow on the mud.

0:25:170:25:19

Which is quite interesting - the different species use the salt marsh

0:25:190:25:22

in different ways. And what we've found at the moment is that

0:25:220:25:24

you do tend to get higher fish diversity and equal or sometimes

0:25:240:25:28

even higher fish abundance compared to the natural salt marshes.

0:25:280:25:31

So, at the moment, we've got quite promising results.

0:25:310:25:35

One fish whose stocks are under mounting pressure in the UK

0:25:350:25:38

is the sea bass, so to find some

0:25:380:25:41

young bass here would be encouraging.

0:25:410:25:44

So all the fish are basically swimming up and down these channels,

0:25:440:25:47

and as the tide ebbs, they all want to get out of the salt marsh

0:25:470:25:50

as quick as possible.

0:25:500:25:51

So they're coming down the salt marsh to be funnelled through a

0:25:510:25:54

series of chambers into what's called the cod end right here.

0:25:540:25:58

It's always quite exciting, this bit.

0:25:580:26:01

Ah! One scoop and two...

0:26:040:26:08

-Two bass.

-Two juvenile bass.

-That's cool. So, we know that from

0:26:080:26:11

elsewhere in the UK, they use salt marsh quite a lot when they're

0:26:110:26:14

really young. At the moment, they're going through quite a rapid decline

0:26:140:26:17

around the UK, so every individual counts.

0:26:170:26:21

Bass - 81.

0:26:210:26:23

For Tom and Sean, it's been a good day,

0:26:230:26:25

and further proof that

0:26:250:26:27

when it comes to creating a much-needed new salt marsh habitat

0:26:270:26:31

for British wildlife, if you build it, they will come.

0:26:310:26:35

Keeping dry land under your feet has been a challenge

0:26:380:26:42

ever since people first settled on the Levels.

0:26:420:26:44

Over thousands of years, rivers have been diverted

0:26:450:26:49

and drainage ditches dug to contain the water.

0:26:490:26:52

The resulting patchwork of land is steeped in history

0:26:540:26:58

and often brimming with rare wildlife.

0:26:580:27:00

In the dawn light of an autumn morning, it's an atmospheric place.

0:27:020:27:06

I've joined amateur wildlife photographer Stephen Hembury

0:27:130:27:17

to visit a spot by the River Tone near Taunton

0:27:170:27:21

where, at this time of day,

0:27:210:27:22

he's had regular sightings of one of my favourite animals - the otter.

0:27:220:27:27

What's the plan?

0:27:300:27:32

We're going to be heading up around this corner,

0:27:320:27:35

another 200, 300 yards up the river,

0:27:350:27:38

and that's generally where I see an otter or two pop out.

0:27:380:27:43

And when did you last see an otter here?

0:27:430:27:45

-Yesterday morning.

-Oh, really?

-Yes.

-Very excited to be here today.

0:27:450:27:49

Good, good.

0:27:490:27:51

Stephen's a dedicated wildlife watcher who knows these river banks

0:27:510:27:55

and their wild inhabitants as well as anyone round here.

0:27:550:27:58

And this is a spot where he's seen and filmed otters before.

0:27:580:28:03

And I got on film, it catching a big fish as well.

0:28:030:28:07

-So...

-What sort of fish did it catch?

0:28:070:28:09

I think it was a pike. It had a big old tail on it.

0:28:090:28:12

It was a big fish.

0:28:120:28:14

When you see this otter here,

0:28:140:28:16

it tends to be moving and fishing and...

0:28:160:28:18

Yeah, moving and fishing.

0:28:180:28:20

Sometimes they may only come up once and then disappear.

0:28:200:28:24

Often it's just a glimpse, it's the best you can hope to get.

0:28:240:28:27

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.

0:28:270:28:28

Recently, Stephen's patient vigil was rewarded by this playful pair.

0:28:300:28:35

Somerset's otters were once in real decline but, since the 1980s,

0:28:360:28:41

they've made a significant comeback.

0:28:410:28:43

But they're still far from easy to see,

0:28:430:28:46

so we need to be alert to any little sign.

0:28:460:28:49

You are able to track their bubbles.

0:28:490:28:51

They do blow bubbles as they swim, so you can track the bubbles.

0:28:510:28:54

But sometimes the bubbles disappear and then the otter's gone with them.

0:28:540:28:58

The otter can be inquisitive. They can, erm...

0:28:580:29:01

They'll come by and they'll stop

0:29:010:29:03

and they'll have a look and check you out.

0:29:030:29:06

And then they'll move on.

0:29:060:29:08

I often wonder, are they, or is there something else

0:29:100:29:13

sat in the reeds on the other side watching us, you know?

0:29:130:29:18

You're sat there nice and quiet and they just know you're there.

0:29:180:29:21

They're sitting over there saying,

0:29:210:29:23

"I wonder if those strange creatures

0:29:230:29:25

"are going to come out and sit on a bank today!"

0:29:250:29:27

QUIET CHUCKLING

0:29:270:29:30

No otters for me so far.

0:29:300:29:32

But time spent in a spot like this is never wasted,

0:29:320:29:36

especially in such good company.

0:29:360:29:38

Now, always, if you're out looking at wildlife, then,

0:29:390:29:42

if there's a commotion, find it, watch it.

0:29:420:29:45

-Always something happening.

-Have a look.

-Absolutely. Yeah.

0:29:450:29:48

Little bit of a display there.

0:29:510:29:53

That could get interesting over there.

0:29:540:29:57

Yeah. There's another half a dozen coming down the other way.

0:29:570:30:01

That bird's got wings opened up to look a little bit larger.

0:30:010:30:05

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

0:30:050:30:07

As most things do when they get defensive or aggressive,

0:30:070:30:10

-they puff out. Make themselves look bigger.

-Oh, yeah. Look at that!

0:30:100:30:14

Really looking after himself, isn't he?

0:30:140:30:16

That preening behaviour is just so important

0:30:160:30:19

for the condition of the feathers.

0:30:190:30:21

Look at that upside down head!

0:30:230:30:25

That's ridiculous.

0:30:270:30:29

Takes a lot of work to stay looking this good, isn't it?

0:30:290:30:32

It's a funny time of year for the birds,

0:30:350:30:38

coming into their winter plumage.

0:30:380:30:40

So, that's probably what a lot of this is about.

0:30:400:30:43

We've got the cygnets preening now, lovely and close.

0:30:430:30:47

And they're pretty good at it.

0:30:470:30:48

They're not in the same class as their dad.

0:30:490:30:51

Not quite there just yet, are they?

0:30:510:30:53

He really takes the cake.

0:30:530:30:55

They've been watching and learning, I think.

0:30:550:30:57

These cygnets will stay with their parents for a few more months yet.

0:30:570:31:01

Then, when they have a pristine, white plumage of their own,

0:31:010:31:04

they'll be driven off to fend for themselves and, with luck,

0:31:040:31:08

to find their own lifelong mate.

0:31:080:31:10

We've given it our best shot here, haven't we?

0:31:100:31:12

It's been a beautiful way to start the morning.

0:31:120:31:14

-Yeah, it has been. I'm never disappointed.

-No, it's been lovely.

0:31:140:31:18

Sometimes you see nothing,

0:31:180:31:20

but you've got all the sights, the sounds, the smells.

0:31:200:31:22

-You never quite see nothing, do you?

-No.

0:31:220:31:24

-There's always something.

-Oh, yeah, absolutely.

0:31:240:31:27

I've loved being by the river bank this morning,

0:31:290:31:31

even if Stephen's otters didn't show themselves today.

0:31:310:31:35

Though, as we head off for breakfast,

0:31:360:31:39

I can't help feeling they'll probably be here tomorrow.

0:31:390:31:42

The Somerset coast is defined by the powerful tidal waters

0:31:520:31:56

of the Bristol Channel, where the River Severn flows into the sea.

0:31:560:32:01

This vast estuary is one of the most important places in Britain

0:32:010:32:06

for a creature that, down the years, I've become rather obsessed with.

0:32:060:32:10

As tiny little babies, they swim upstream in their millions,

0:32:100:32:14

heading right up the river.

0:32:140:32:15

Then years, maybe even decades later,

0:32:150:32:18

as part of an extraordinary life cycle

0:32:180:32:21

that we still don't fully understand,

0:32:210:32:23

a lucky few of them head downstream again,

0:32:230:32:26

swimming out to sea in the hope of starting the next generation.

0:32:260:32:30

Of course, I'm talking about the eel.

0:32:300:32:33

These marvellous, mysterious fish can grow over a metre long

0:32:360:32:40

and live up to 100 years.

0:32:400:32:43

Until a few decades ago, eels were an important food fish,

0:32:430:32:47

served up jellied and smoked in pubs and cafes all over Britain.

0:32:470:32:52

I have to admit that I have, in the past, caught,

0:32:520:32:55

cooked and eaten eels with considerable enthusiasm.

0:32:550:32:59

But that's not something

0:32:590:33:01

I'm thinking of doing again any time soon.

0:33:010:33:03

And the reason is that eel numbers in our rivers

0:33:030:33:06

are in serious decline.

0:33:060:33:09

But ecologists Harriet Alvis and Scott West are optimistic

0:33:090:33:13

that the creation of a new wetland at Steart Marshes

0:33:130:33:16

could help to improve the eels' fortunes

0:33:160:33:19

in this part of the UK at least.

0:33:190:33:21

-Are you in, Harriet?

-Yeah, we can push you off.

0:33:210:33:23

And I can't wait to join them

0:33:250:33:27

for their first ever trip to look for eels here.

0:33:270:33:29

That looks good.

0:33:320:33:34

-You've done this before, haven't you?

-I'm liking this.

0:33:340:33:38

Keeps me warm.

0:33:380:33:39

You're putting me to shame there.

0:33:400:33:42

The first place we're checking out is one of the older,

0:33:420:33:45

more established pools that predates the creation of the new wetlands.

0:33:450:33:50

OK, so we've deployed five double fyke nets.

0:33:510:33:55

These fyke nets are targeting adult eels.

0:33:550:33:58

Yeah, that's right. So, we're really trying to understand

0:33:580:34:01

the larger eel population here.

0:34:010:34:03

Does this look like an eely pond to you?

0:34:030:34:05

-It is as eely as it gets, Hugh.

-Is it?

-It really is.

0:34:050:34:09

Well, Scott should know.

0:34:090:34:11

All right, so, here we go.

0:34:110:34:13

-And we've got an eel.

-Oh, that's exciting.

0:34:130:34:16

-Fantastic.

-An adult.

0:34:160:34:18

Well done, Scott. It's a beaut.

0:34:190:34:21

Lovely. Really nice. It's almost got a kind of reddish tinge to it.

0:34:220:34:26

It's because of the clear water.

0:34:260:34:28

So it lives in clear water,

0:34:280:34:30

so naturally it takes a dark appearance.

0:34:300:34:32

-Good size, eh?

-Yeah.

-Well done, everyone.

0:34:320:34:35

Absolutely stunning.

0:34:370:34:38

This female eel could be more than 20 years old,

0:34:380:34:42

and she's showing one of the many remarkable features

0:34:420:34:46

of this strange fish - shape shifting.

0:34:460:34:48

Depending on whether they form mainly fish prey

0:34:480:34:52

or larger invertebrates, which depends on where they live,

0:34:520:34:56

they'll either have sort of a flat head,

0:34:560:34:58

wide, sort of flat triangle, arrow tip type head,

0:34:580:35:01

or a much broader head.

0:35:010:35:04

And the flat, pointy one would be a predator eel?

0:35:040:35:06

That's correct. Yeah.

0:35:060:35:07

And the flatter, broader one would be a mud-chomping...?

0:35:070:35:10

Yeah. Larger invertebrates, that type of thing.

0:35:100:35:13

Eating grubs and things in the mud.

0:35:130:35:15

They eat both,

0:35:150:35:16

but they will specifically sort of morph their head.

0:35:160:35:19

So, they become specialist feeders

0:35:190:35:21

and their heads change shape to adapt to what they're feeding on?

0:35:210:35:24

That's right.

0:35:240:35:26

So, could you tell if this is a stickleback-muncher

0:35:260:35:28

-or a kind of an invertebrate, wormy sucker?

-This is a...

0:35:280:35:32

The more pointed shape one, so this is probably a fish chaser.

0:35:320:35:37

Trapping this eel was relatively straightforward.

0:35:370:35:39

Getting her vital statistics is another matter entirely.

0:35:390:35:43

And your half drainpipe here does the job?

0:35:430:35:45

It never goes exactly to plan.

0:35:470:35:49

Measuring a very slippery, wriggly customer.

0:35:500:35:53

-That's right.

-Good luck with that.

-Yeah.

0:35:530:35:55

Well done, well done, well done. You've got her.

0:35:580:36:01

You've got her.

0:36:010:36:03

Oh, nice job. Whoa!

0:36:030:36:06

Back in the bucket.

0:36:060:36:08

Beautiful, beautiful.

0:36:080:36:10

Erm... There we go.

0:36:100:36:12

Just coming up to 72, I've got.

0:36:120:36:16

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

0:36:170:36:19

It's great to see such a beautiful, healthy female...

0:36:200:36:23

..and even better to watch her return to the depths unharmed.

0:36:250:36:28

Well done, team.

0:36:280:36:30

Once she's fully matured,

0:36:300:36:32

our eel will begin an incredible and improbable adventure

0:36:320:36:36

that's one of the great aquatic journeys of the natural world.

0:36:360:36:39

It all starts on moonless, wet nights in autumn.

0:36:410:36:44

This is when the mature silver eels head downstream,

0:36:450:36:50

some leaving ditches and ponds to find rivers

0:36:500:36:53

that will carry them down to the sea.

0:36:530:36:56

Here, along with eels from all over Europe,

0:36:560:36:59

they cross the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea near the Caribbean.

0:36:590:37:03

They were born here and, after breeding, they'll die here.

0:37:040:37:08

Their offspring then drift on the currents,

0:37:080:37:10

thousands of miles back to the rivers of Europe.

0:37:100:37:13

They arrive as glass eels - tiny translucent young

0:37:150:37:20

that become elvers as they adapt to living in freshwater.

0:37:200:37:24

Sadly, in just 40 years,

0:37:240:37:27

the eel population in Europe has plunged by 95%.

0:37:270:37:32

I love these incredible creatures,

0:37:320:37:34

but they're in trouble and they need our help.

0:37:340:37:37

It's obviously vital that as many adult eels as possible

0:37:370:37:41

complete that journey to the Sargasso Sea to breed.

0:37:410:37:44

And if we're going to help with that here in the UK,

0:37:440:37:47

then we need to make sure that elvers can get up our rivers

0:37:470:37:50

and adult eels can get down them.

0:37:500:37:52

Andrew Carr is from the Sustainable Eel Group.

0:37:540:37:58

Mankind really, over hundreds of years,

0:37:580:38:01

has done all sorts of things to the environment.

0:38:010:38:03

In particular, there are the blocked migration pathways.

0:38:030:38:07

Flood defences, weirs and dams, are just some of the barriers

0:38:100:38:14

that are hampering the natural breeding cycle of the eel.

0:38:140:38:18

These are all historic wetlands but, over the centuries,

0:38:190:38:24

we've been draining them.

0:38:240:38:26

In England and Wales, we have about 20% left of what we had.

0:38:260:38:31

So, loss of habitat is a major issue for the eel.

0:38:310:38:35

Despite the decline,

0:38:370:38:38

elvers are still fished here in the way they always have been -

0:38:380:38:42

at night, with hand nets, on the rising tide.

0:38:420:38:45

But a new breed of fishermen are now doing their bit to conserve,

0:38:450:38:49

as well as catch, the tiny glass eels.

0:38:490:38:53

Harley Curl is a fourth-generation elverman here on the River Parrett.

0:38:530:38:57

My grandad always used to tell me,

0:38:580:39:00

he used to live by the river and when he was little,

0:39:000:39:03

he used to go out and see all the elvers in the river.

0:39:030:39:06

My dad used to come out and I used to go out with him.

0:39:060:39:10

As soon as I've been able to hold a net, I've been fishing for myself.

0:39:110:39:15

I've always done it, so I wouldn't imagine not doing it.

0:39:150:39:19

These days, half of the elvers caught in UK rivers

0:39:210:39:25

are set aside for restocking.

0:39:250:39:26

From a distribution centre in Gloucestershire, they're sorted,

0:39:290:39:33

packed and shipped out to resupply waterways, not only in the UK,

0:39:330:39:37

but also in Europe.

0:39:370:39:39

Packing them up to survive these journeys is a major operation.

0:39:410:39:45

Some of these wriggly dignitaries

0:39:460:39:48

even get their very own private plane.

0:39:480:39:51

But others will be staying much closer to home.

0:39:550:39:58

This school is about to receive its own consignment...

0:40:000:40:03

..hand delivered by Harriet.

0:40:060:40:08

-ALL:

-Whoa!

0:40:120:40:14

She's getting classrooms on the Somerset Levels

0:40:150:40:18

actively involved in eel conservation.

0:40:180:40:21

The schools will look after them for about four weeks.

0:40:240:40:26

In that time they get bigger and fatter

0:40:260:40:28

and they'll get darker in colour.

0:40:280:40:30

And then the schools are going to release them into their local river,

0:40:300:40:32

so they're helping to stock the next population of eels.

0:40:320:40:35

OK. In they go.

0:40:350:40:38

Our eels will need all the help they can get from the next generation

0:40:380:40:41

so it's great to involve the kids growing up in eel country.

0:40:410:40:45

Has anyone got fish at home in a tank?

0:40:450:40:47

Yeah? And do you have...

0:40:470:40:50

The fact they ask so many questions

0:40:500:40:51

really helps them to learn about their environment,

0:40:510:40:54

rather than us talking at them, and they are really, really interested.

0:40:540:40:57

That one. I would say that one, actually.

0:40:570:41:01

It looks quite fun being an eel, because you'd be wriggling around.

0:41:010:41:05

The kids have got to help to clean the poo out and they feed them.

0:41:050:41:09

They do water changes

0:41:090:41:10

and just generally checking on their wellbeing,

0:41:100:41:13

making sure they're active and they're disease-free.

0:41:130:41:15

It's a big responsibility.

0:41:150:41:17

I'm going to call them Gracie number two.

0:41:170:41:20

Gracie number two.

0:41:200:41:21

-Which one's Gracie number two?

-That one.

-That one.

0:41:210:41:24

I definitely think it's the most powerful engagement project

0:41:240:41:27

that we've got. For the kids to be able to look after them for so long

0:41:270:41:30

and to learn so many different things about rivers,

0:41:300:41:33

rather than just being taught on a piece of paper,

0:41:330:41:35

yeah, it's definitely so powerful.

0:41:350:41:37

In three weeks, the elvers are ready to return to the rivers of Somerset.

0:41:420:41:46

Where do you think he's gone?

0:41:570:41:59

Down there.

0:41:590:42:01

Down there. What do you think it's going to do down there?

0:42:010:42:04

Find a home.

0:42:040:42:06

Tip it out. Yay. It jumped out, yours.

0:42:060:42:09

Oh, I can see it.

0:42:090:42:11

-Bye-bye.

-Did you like having him in your classroom?

0:42:110:42:15

-Yeah.

-What was the best bit?

-It was looking after them.

0:42:150:42:19

Eventually, some of the elvers the children have released

0:42:190:42:23

will mature into adult silver eels,

0:42:230:42:25

ready to make that marathon journey across the Atlantic.

0:42:250:42:29

With luck, their stopover in a Somerset classroom

0:42:300:42:33

will have won the eel a new generation of supporters.

0:42:330:42:36

At Worthy Farm, there's only a week to go

0:42:480:42:50

until the start of the Glastonbury Festival.

0:42:500:42:53

The site is buzzing.

0:42:530:42:55

And so, too, are the hedgerows.

0:42:550:42:57

With bees, naturally.

0:42:590:43:01

But not just any bees.

0:43:010:43:03

These are British black bees

0:43:050:43:07

and a colony of around half a million of them

0:43:070:43:10

are kept here by Glastonbury's commercial director Robert Richards,

0:43:100:43:14

and the festival's founder, Michael Eavis.

0:43:140:43:16

Black bees are indigenous UK bees.

0:43:180:43:21

I talked it through with Michael.

0:43:210:43:23

He was really enthusiastic about having some bees.

0:43:230:43:25

One of the reasons for promoting black bees

0:43:250:43:29

is because black bees don't suffer from the same diseases

0:43:290:43:33

that imported bees can do.

0:43:330:43:36

Bees are pollinators with a vital role in fertilising plants.

0:43:370:43:42

But, recently, numbers have been in steep and worrying decline.

0:43:420:43:46

The reasons are complex and controversial.

0:43:470:43:50

But one thing that is giving hope is this hardy British bee.

0:43:500:43:54

Black bees account for just 1% of our honeybees.

0:43:550:43:59

But, as a native species, they're suited to our climate

0:43:590:44:02

and seem to be more resistant to the traumas affecting other honey bees.

0:44:020:44:07

So, these VIP bees need to be looked after,

0:44:070:44:11

which is why beekeeper Joe King is making a timely intervention.

0:44:110:44:15

He's taking the bees on holiday.

0:44:150:44:17

Bees cope very well with what they're used to.

0:44:190:44:22

And so, all of a sudden, from being very quiet and tranquil,

0:44:220:44:25

with an occasional person about,

0:44:250:44:27

suddenly you've got a quarter of a million people bopping up and down

0:44:270:44:30

in the fields around you.

0:44:300:44:33

There's a lot of noise.

0:44:330:44:35

I think there's a lot of the heavy bass

0:44:350:44:38

which goes on during the day and part of the night.

0:44:380:44:42

And I think that sort of thing

0:44:420:44:44

probably would be very unsettling for them.

0:44:440:44:46

Honey bees are sensitive to low-frequency sounds,

0:44:490:44:52

so a thumping bass could well cause them damage.

0:44:520:44:55

Since it's not that difficult to actually move a colony of bees,

0:44:580:45:01

it does make sense just to move them out for a few weeks.

0:45:010:45:05

As soon as the bees have returned to their hives for the night...

0:45:050:45:09

..the job of preparing for the move can begin.

0:45:110:45:14

First, the entrances are sealed and, to prevent them from overheating,

0:45:170:45:22

each hive gets a ventilated travel screen.

0:45:220:45:25

The next morning, Glastonbury's bees are ready to be spirited away.

0:45:330:45:38

But when the engine is running,

0:45:430:45:45

there's slight vibration in the vehicle

0:45:450:45:47

and the bees seem to cling on to the comb.

0:45:470:45:50

The problem is when you turn the engine off.

0:45:500:45:52

But the idea is you don't turn the engine off till you get there.

0:45:520:45:55

Seven miles down the road, the bees reach their destination -

0:46:010:46:06

the serene setting of the gardens of Glastonbury Abbey.

0:46:060:46:10

The abbey and the farm have a connection dating back

0:46:120:46:15

to the very beginning of Worthy Farm's existence,

0:46:150:46:18

when it was presented by the abbot

0:46:180:46:20

to a person he deemed worthy of the gift.

0:46:200:46:23

And this ancient place of sanctuary seems a fitting spot

0:46:240:46:28

for these treasured British bees to carry on their vital resurgence.

0:46:280:46:32

It looks to me as if they've travelled well.

0:46:340:46:37

They're in good spirits.

0:46:370:46:39

They're coming out. They're having a look around.

0:46:390:46:41

They'll get used to where they are and what they'll start doing

0:46:410:46:44

is by flying very short distances immediately around the hive.

0:46:440:46:48

and gradually, as they're orientated, and they get to know it,

0:46:480:46:53

they then gradually start travelling in wider circles

0:46:530:46:57

until they're totally familiar.

0:46:570:47:00

And, you know, they'll start foraging.

0:47:000:47:03

There's lots of nice trees in Glastonbury,

0:47:030:47:06

so they should do very well. They should enjoy their holiday.

0:47:060:47:10

They'll have a lot quieter time than if they're at the festival, I think.

0:47:100:47:13

A few days after the bee relocation,

0:47:180:47:21

the transformation of the once-peaceful fields

0:47:210:47:24

of Worthy Farm is complete.

0:47:240:47:26

Backstage, the crew catering tent is in full swing.

0:47:320:47:35

Manager Audrey makes it her job to ensure nobody misses out.

0:47:380:47:42

Along with husband Terry,

0:47:440:47:46

she ends the day with a special "at table" service

0:47:460:47:50

for the farm's full-time tenants.

0:47:500:47:53

We've got some nice bits of apple and a nice bit of buttered bread.

0:47:530:47:59

They love that.

0:47:590:48:00

When we check the next day, the food always seems to be gone,

0:48:000:48:03

so they seem to enjoy it.

0:48:030:48:05

We feel that if we feed them in here,

0:48:050:48:07

they're not going out into the crowds

0:48:070:48:09

and not going anywhere near people's tents

0:48:090:48:12

so they're not getting harmed and they're not harming anybody.

0:48:120:48:17

And right on cue,

0:48:200:48:22

Glastonbury's very own badger family arrives for dinner.

0:48:220:48:26

They're just a stone's throw

0:48:330:48:34

from thousands of unsuspecting festivalgoers.

0:48:340:48:37

But the badgers are careful not to draw a crowd.

0:48:380:48:41

Although they don't see especially well,

0:48:420:48:45

badgers do have an acute sense of smell.

0:48:450:48:47

And very sensitive hearing.

0:48:490:48:51

Their sett here could be centuries old.

0:48:520:48:54

And there's not much that its robust residents haven't seen before.

0:48:560:49:00

Long may they go on making the most of an annual opportunity

0:49:040:49:08

that they seem more than capable of taking in their stride.

0:49:080:49:11

Just a few miles from Glastonbury, at a secret location,

0:49:200:49:24

Tristan is preparing for a crucial moment

0:49:240:49:27

in the life of orphaned otter Drift.

0:49:270:49:29

Two weeks ago, Drift was moved to his halfway house,

0:49:310:49:34

an enclosure where he can adjust to life in the wild.

0:49:340:49:37

But today's the day when that fence is coming down.

0:49:450:49:48

It's all out of our hands now.

0:49:500:49:52

It's up to him to go and find his way in the wild.

0:49:520:49:56

But we know we've done everything we can

0:49:560:49:59

to give him the best second chance.

0:49:590:50:01

I hope he's going to go and make me proud.

0:50:010:50:03

Drift is left alone

0:50:080:50:09

to pick his moment to venture into the wild.

0:50:090:50:12

The remote trail cams left around the site will be Tristan's

0:50:140:50:18

only indication of how Drift is getting on.

0:50:180:50:21

It's the culmination of months of work and preparation.

0:50:230:50:26

He's still around in the area, which is quite a nice surprise.

0:50:280:50:31

We didn't expect him to hang around this long.

0:50:310:50:34

But I think that's a good thing that he's still about.

0:50:340:50:37

He's eating well.

0:50:370:50:39

He's fending for himself.

0:50:390:50:41

He's swimming in the river, which he's obviously never done before,

0:50:410:50:45

which is really exciting.

0:50:450:50:47

Tristan still leaves food for Drift

0:50:550:50:57

to support him as he learns to hunt for himself.

0:50:570:51:00

But where there's free fish, there's likely to be competition.

0:51:000:51:04

We've got a fox that's been hanging around quite a bit,

0:51:090:51:12

who we think has been sharing the food that's being put out for Drift.

0:51:120:51:16

He's not been going back for support food every day,

0:51:190:51:22

which suggests that he is finding natural food

0:51:220:51:24

and he is learning to fend for himself.

0:51:240:51:26

It's fantastic to see Drift's instinct and adaptive intelligence

0:51:260:51:30

kicking in after a year of captivity.

0:51:300:51:33

And the cameras have revealed something

0:51:330:51:35

that was beyond Tristan's wildest hopes.

0:51:350:51:38

We've got two otters,

0:51:380:51:40

which I think is potentially Drift

0:51:400:51:43

and a lady otter.

0:51:430:51:45

So, it's really exciting to see

0:51:450:51:47

and quite a surprise.

0:51:470:51:48

The fact that he's hung around for this long and has now been,

0:51:500:51:54

obviously, interacting with another otter, is really exciting,

0:51:540:51:57

because male otters are fiercely territorial

0:51:570:52:00

and there was a chance that he was going to go out into the world

0:52:000:52:05

and get his butt kicked, basically.

0:52:050:52:08

Who knows? There could be little baby Drifts out there

0:52:110:52:16

at some point in the foreseeable future.

0:52:160:52:19

Who knows?

0:52:190:52:21

I'm back at Steart Marshes, investigating the future of a fish

0:52:320:52:36

I've always found deeply intriguing - the eel.

0:52:360:52:40

It loves wetlands but they're a disappearing habitat in the UK,

0:52:400:52:44

so this brilliant new wetland reserve

0:52:440:52:47

could play a crucial role in its local revival.

0:52:470:52:49

I'm with fish biologists Scott and Harriet.

0:52:510:52:54

We've already found an adult eel here.

0:52:540:52:57

But Scott wants proof that the young elvers,

0:52:570:53:00

fresh from their Atlantic migration, are settling here too.

0:53:000:53:04

So, if we find elvers today,

0:53:040:53:06

will they be the first elvers you've worked with on Steart Marshes?

0:53:060:53:10

-Yep. That's it.

-OK. So, it's going to be a first.

0:53:100:53:13

-Yeah, yeah.

-Or a zero?

-First or a zero.

-It's a blank or a first.

0:53:130:53:16

Yeah, you know. If we get them, I'll be super happy.

0:53:160:53:20

It's a cold, February morning.

0:53:200:53:22

At this time of year,

0:53:220:53:24

tiny elvers should be arriving from the ocean and heading upstream.

0:53:240:53:28

But weirs, tidal gates and sluices could block the elvers' routes.

0:53:290:53:34

So Scott and Harriet have installed special ramps to help them

0:53:350:53:40

slither up against the flow of the stream and get through.

0:53:400:53:43

Gosh, so you're asking those elvers to have swum up there?

0:53:440:53:49

That's correct, yeah.

0:53:490:53:51

That's going to require quite an effort

0:53:510:53:53

for those little fellas, isn't it?

0:53:530:53:54

Well, inside that covered black box, as you can see the green,

0:53:540:53:57

it's all that upturned bristle filament.

0:53:570:54:00

So they slither their way up the pass inside there.

0:54:000:54:04

So those bristles give them some traction to go uphill?

0:54:040:54:07

That's correct, yeah.

0:54:070:54:08

Yeah, a bit of a challenge and that's only one of the structures

0:54:080:54:11

along the river so, you know,

0:54:110:54:13

there are several obstacles they've got to make across the journey.

0:54:130:54:16

We want to find out whether the elvers

0:54:160:54:19

are actually using these eel elevators.

0:54:190:54:22

Whoa!

0:54:220:54:23

That was close.

0:54:230:54:25

I'm getting very close to the limit of my waders here!

0:54:280:54:32

Using an old pair of tights as a net,

0:54:320:54:34

Scott and Harriet have designed a simple trap

0:54:340:54:37

to catch any passing elvers.

0:54:370:54:39

I don't think so, Scott. I'm really sorry.

0:54:440:54:47

It's a disappointing start, but there are a few more traps to check.

0:54:470:54:51

Ooh... Ah.

0:54:510:54:54

I don't see an elver.

0:54:540:54:56

No matter how hard we search, the elvers are nowhere to be found.

0:54:560:55:00

Jeez. Are you starting to think it probably was not an elvery night,

0:55:020:55:06

-it just wasn't happening?

-Yeah.

0:55:060:55:10

The enigmatic elver has eluded us today, but there's still a hope

0:55:100:55:13

we'll find some bigger eels out in the new salt marsh.

0:55:130:55:17

This is a completely different landscape

0:55:170:55:19

to where we pulled the first fyke.

0:55:190:55:21

Yeah, that's right. I mean, it was only four years ago now

0:55:210:55:23

that this was farmland and fields.

0:55:230:55:25

-Really? That recently?

-And now it's saltwater brackish.

0:55:250:55:28

We've got a new habitat here

0:55:280:55:30

so it would be fantastic to know whether eels are using it.

0:55:300:55:33

Let's have a look at this one.

0:55:330:55:35

I've not been feeling too confident about the salt marsh.

0:55:350:55:38

We'll see how it goes, but let's have a look.

0:55:380:55:41

-Yeah.

-There's something in it!

0:55:440:55:46

-Yes! Look at that!

-It's a little greeny.

0:55:460:55:49

-Fantastic.

-That's really significant here.

0:55:490:55:53

That's a young eel, the second eel we've caught here at Steart ever.

0:55:530:55:57

-And the first one in this habitat.

-The first in this habitat.

0:55:570:56:00

-What were we saying on the way over here?

-Eel history.

-Eel history!

0:56:000:56:03

-Fantastic.

-Such a different animal, isn't it?

0:56:030:56:07

This one I would say is...

0:56:070:56:09

..probably isn't mature yet.

0:56:100:56:12

A real significant find for this new salt marsh.

0:56:120:56:15

And until now we did not know for sure

0:56:150:56:18

that eels were using this habitat.

0:56:180:56:20

-Yes, that's right.

-And now you do.

-Now we do, which means a lot.

0:56:200:56:23

It means a lot to me. I've got a lot to think about now.

0:56:230:56:26

-It's a whole new eel story.

-It is, yeah. Yeah, it is.

0:56:260:56:29

Away you go, little fella.

0:56:300:56:32

You are eel history.

0:56:320:56:34

But what a great day.

0:56:370:56:39

I used to catch eels...

0:56:390:56:41

..to cook them and eat them.

0:56:420:56:44

And today I spent the day

0:56:440:56:46

catching eels with Scott and Harriet for conservation.

0:56:460:56:50

It's been the most exciting eel hunting trip I've ever been on.

0:56:500:56:54

And how fantastic to see them slithering away

0:56:540:56:57

into this amazing new habitat.

0:56:570:56:59

But where are those elusive elvers?

0:57:010:57:03

After all, they're the vital future of Steart's eel population.

0:57:030:57:08

OK, Hugh, looks like you've missed the glass eels and the elvers

0:57:090:57:13

by literally a day.

0:57:130:57:15

Here are some lovely little glass eels.

0:57:160:57:19

Just got their black line down them,

0:57:190:57:21

so they've been feeding in freshwater.

0:57:210:57:24

These are the first glass eels caught at the Steart site.

0:57:240:57:29

Not just in Europe but globally,

0:57:310:57:34

the eel faces a very uncertain future

0:57:340:57:37

due to overfishing and habitat loss.

0:57:370:57:39

But what I've seen here at Steart Marshes

0:57:400:57:42

is that it isn't necessarily our destiny

0:57:420:57:45

always to be taking from nature.

0:57:450:57:48

We are capable of rebuilding and giving back wild places too.

0:57:480:57:52

And when we do, the rewards are rich indeed.

0:57:540:57:57

If you'd like to explore Britain's diverse landscapes in more detail

0:58:000:58:04

and find out how to create your own wildlife habitats,

0:58:040:58:08

the Open University has produced a free booklet with Bookmarks.

0:58:080:58:12

Order your copy by calling 0300 303 3643,

0:58:130:58:18

or go to bbc.co.uk/hughswildwest

0:58:180:58:23

and follow the links to the Open University.

0:58:230:58:26

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