Episode 3 Hugh's Wild West


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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 is right here

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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! Oh, come on! No way!

-Brilliant.

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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.

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This is great, this is measuring an eel.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa.

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Ants! Off, off! Oh, there's one 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.

-Oh, that's so cool.

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There's one in my hair now, probably.

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

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-Do you hear 'em?

-I heard something.

-Yeah.

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-They're in there.

-Yes.

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..the sheer joy of the encounter...

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-Ah! She's so golden.

-She's fast asleep.

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It's OK. Shhh!

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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.

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There she goes.

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Whoa-ho!

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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 on Dartmoor, among its famous great granite peaks, known as tors.

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I love coming up here, it's one of the best views

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in the whole of the South West

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and one of the truly wild landscapes of Britain.

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Dartmoor is the largest area of open moor in southern England.

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The unbroken panoramas from these craggy,

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granite summits are always breathtaking.

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But there's another side of Dartmoor that, for me,

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holds an even greater fascination.

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In the steep river valleys,

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much of the ancient woodland has stood for centuries.

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These atmospheric forests hold the key to

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survival for many of Dartmoor's most engaging creatures.

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And I'm hoping to meet some of them,

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as I explore the secrets of Dartmoor's woodland world.

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Dartmoor is in southern Devon

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and measures 40km from north to south

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and from east to west.

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The River Dart that gives the moor its name rises here and runs

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through ancient Hembury Woods near the town of Buckfastleigh.

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The valleys of the River Taw, near the village of Belstone,

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are also rich with native broadleaf woodlands.

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My fascination with one creature that's brilliantly adapted to

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life on Dartmoor begins about an hour away

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from the National Park boundary

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in a more domestic setting.

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This is my garden,

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where you'll often find me pottering around of a morning,

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catering for the regulars at my bird table breakfast bar.

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What am I going to give them this morning?

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Same old, same old, I think. Fat balls, nyjer seed.

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It's got to a point where, on most days,

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the birds get their breakfast before I get my first cup of tea.

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Which is a bit extreme.

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That's because I like watching the birds

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while I drink my first cup of tea.

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OK. Right.

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I've been feeding the birds in my garden for years.

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All right, fellas?

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Over time, I've learned how to attract a wide

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variety of species by catering for their different tastes -

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and it isn't just what they eat, it's how it's served.

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There we go.

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Who's coming for breakfast?

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Straight onto the table.

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Oh, a little coal tit.

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Lovely.

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Ah, here's our nuthatch. He's a very confident fellow.

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He usually gets what he wants

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and barges the other birds out of the way.

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I mean, you wouldn't want a stab from that sharp beak.

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But I just love the way he moves.

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Look at him.

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I don't know how he does that.

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It's like he's got glue on his feet.

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Here comes the woodpecker.

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I knew he'd turn up.

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What a beauty.

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Well, if you went on a bird-watching holiday in the tropics,

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you'd be blown away to see birds that are this colourful,

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but we so quickly forget that we've got them right here in the UK.

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And recently,

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I spotted a new addition to the line-up on my bird table.

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Seeing it has become the highlight of my morning routine.

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I've even devised a special technique to watch it in comfort.

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Here goes.

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With the help of a broken fishing rod,

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I'm dangling a feeder full of fat balls

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just outside my bedroom window

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so I get to watch out for the new object of my avian affections

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from a particularly comfortable perch.

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There's really nothing better on a cold winter's morning

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than sitting here all cosy

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with my binoculars and my cup of tea,

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my bird feeders out, just waiting for the action.

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Right on cue.

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I knew she wouldn't be able to resist those fat balls for long.

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This is the long-tailed tit.

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That is very exciting.

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Such a beautiful thing.

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I've had these bird feeders up here for years

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and the first time I saw a long-tailed tit was just a few

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months ago and this is only the third or fourth time.

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Look at it.

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It's such a beautiful bird.

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It's like a little ball of fluff with that lovely long tail.

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It's only since they started coming here this year that I've had

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a close look at them and I'm getting more and more intrigued.

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When they're not here at the bird table,

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I know very little about what they get up to.

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My new-found enthusiasm for the long-tailed tit

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has led me to John Walters.

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He's a walking encyclopaedia of all of Dartmoor's wildlife.

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And he's also particularly smitten with my new favourite bird.

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In fact, John's passion is in a whole different league.

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He's devoted decades of his life to understanding them.

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I set the bird table up seven years ago,

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but I didn't see a long-tailed tit until a few months ago.

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They're tiny little birds.

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They will eat fat, but they mainly eat insects.

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The long-tailed tit is nicknamed the "Flying Teaspoon"

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on account of that tiny, round body and distinctive long tail.

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It's one of the UK's smallest birds, weighing 8g,

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barely more than a 10p piece.

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They flock together in noisy gangs

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and their sociable nature is the key to understanding them.

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Is there one particular flock that you've stayed with,

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as it were, through thick and thin? Your loyal flock.

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Well, this flock, that hopefully we'll see this evening roosting,

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they're the ones that I watch the most.

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Do you think they now know who you are and they just accept you?

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-You're... You're John in the woods.

-Oh, definitely.

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They have got to know me, for certain,

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because I can see that by their behaviour.

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And they don't mind if you bring a friend in from time to time?

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No, not at all, they're completely used to that.

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Winning the trust of these skittish little birds has taken

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John hundreds of evenings over many years.

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It's all down to a fascination with one very distinctive

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feature of their family life.

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So, there was a particular thing that you hoped to see,

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it was like the Holy Grail of long-tailed tit-watching.

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That's right, yeah.

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Well, to survive the winter, they've got to all snuggle up

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and keep warm at night and they have this, you know, this amazing

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behaviour where they gather together at dusk and roost together.

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But then, you think, "Well, how on earth do you see this?

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"It's almost impossible. Where do they go?"

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But nothing's impossible in the end

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and sometimes things like that find you.

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And I just happened to be wandering down past a little hawthorn bush

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with some ivy at dusk

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and I just saw some long-tailed tits flick in there and I thought, "Wow.

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"They're actually going to roost in there. They are in there now."

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And I sort of hardly dared to sort of look in there

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in case I disturbed them.

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How long was it from when you first decided to follow long-tailed tits

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and you actually saw them in a roost?

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-Well, it was probably about 10, 15 years.

-No?!

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You've got me all excited now, I hope it's going to happen.

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The way that long-tailed tits roost in winter is unlike any other bird

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and something only a handful of people have ever seen.

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But after five years of following one family group,

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John has been allowed into their secret world.

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Here we go. So, the flock are just up above us here, in this birch.

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-They like birch to feed in.

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

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That's my first long-tailed tit off the bird table. That's fantastic.

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It's very exciting, but they are right up in the tops of the trees.

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Yeah, there's still a few here in the birch here. Um...

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And that noise is very insistent now, isn't it? It's back in the...

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-Yeah, up in...

-Back, right in the top of that birch.

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As night draws in,

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the birds will stop foraging for insects in the tree tops

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and find a more sheltered spot to settle for the cold night ahead.

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I'm still not sure just how we're going to find

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a handful of tiny birds in the whole of this wood in the dark,

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but under John's guidance, we have a plan.

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And after a bit of kit wrangling, one special twig

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in one particular holly bush

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is wired for picture and sound.

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So, you're predicting that these birds are going to sit on this

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exact twig that we've framed upon with our infrared camera?

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I know it might seem ridiculous,

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but they always come back to exactly the same twig each night.

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It seems extraordinary that we can predict within, you know...

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-I mean, this is, what, an eight-inch piece of twig?

-That's right.

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In the middle of a holly bush, of which there are thousands -

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-same twig, same holly bush.

-Every night, yeah,

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they'll drop in and then two will drop onto that twig and start

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to form the roost and then all the others will jump in one at a time.

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Extraordinary.

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Yeah, there they are.

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So they're up the back through here.

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You see them up the top there?

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One's going across.

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I can't see a thing except a mass of twigs.

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And there goes one. See that?

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-The roost. Ooh!

-Here's one. Oh, there we go.

-There we go.

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-So, there we go, there's one on the...

-That's unbelievable!

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-That's ridiculous.

-And there we go.

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-Yeah, that's...

-There's one up here.

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Yeah, so, they're pretty well there.

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They're just going to settle in,

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so I think now we can get

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the torch and just carefully go

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and have a look in there.

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Oh, really, even before there's more of them?

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Oh, yeah, yeah, and we can hopefully

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see them actually form the roost.

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-Oh, fantastic.

-They've got used to me doing this.

-Can we do that?

-Yes.

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Have a look in there. Take the torch and walk carefully in.

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Thanks to John's persistence, this family of birds has become

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quite accustomed to being in the spotlight.

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-Just stand here, there they are.

-Oh, that's amazing!

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There's a few others. Yeah, they'll all be in there.

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I expect there'll be eight birds.

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There's been eight birds every night just in the last week.

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I didn't know it was possible to establish this kind of trust

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with wild birds in their natural habitat.

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It's such a buzz.

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The reward for John's infinite patience is a really intimate view

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of this little family's unique bedtime routine.

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So, there's one trying to barge in between them.

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That's right, yeah, you see, the first...

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The two birds form the roost

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and then the other birds join the roost, one at a time.

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There's one just had to move here.

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Oh, yes, he's managed to get right in the middle.

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Yeah, he gets right in there, he gets a nice, snug, warm spot.

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Everyone has to shuffle along a little bit.

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-Yeah, they've all shuffled back.

-Look a bit grumpy about it.

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Is there a kind of pecking order?

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Do the same birds end up in the middle every night?

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Yeah, they won't go onto the outside.

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The more dominant birds will always choose a snug, warm spot

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in the middle of the roost.

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Every winter's night, the same birds that have been together all day

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huddle up - brothers, sisters, parents, uncles and aunts

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share their body heat to stave off the cold.

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Cute as it looks, it's a tough survival strategy

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favouring the dominant birds in the middle of the huddle.

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In harsh winters, getting pushed to the edges could be fatal.

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Oh, they're having a bit of a tussle.

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Yeah, you get a few scraps going on this time of year

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as the birds are pairing up

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and the hormones are getting going for the breeding season.

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And so you get a few little disputes between them.

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So, would you say that roost is now settled, John?

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It looks settled, yeah, because

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the last bird's gone in,

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which is the dominant bird in the flock.

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They're all sort of snuggled up there.

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And they'll remain there for the night.

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It's the sweetest thing, isn't it?

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It's beautiful.

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Eight little tails all pointing out.

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But the truth is, John,

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it's only your incredible patience and stealth over years

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has made it possible to see something like this.

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Oh, not many people have seen it. Well, not this well.

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You might see it, you know, off in the distance in a bit of scrub

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somewhere, but to actually come in and get them this tame

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so you can shine a torch on them and see all that behaviour

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is probably unique.

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And it's quite wonderful. It's been really, really special.

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Yeah, well, I'm glad we got to see it, it's a

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stunning thing to see, isn't it?

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-Unbelievable. Thank you so much.

-That's OK.

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For all wild inhabitants of this exposed moor,

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the cold of winter presents a serious challenge.

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While our long-tailed tits huddle together to fight the chill,

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larger mammals, having fattened themselves up in the autumn,

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restrict activity in winter to a minimum.

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But smaller creatures, who lose heat more quickly,

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are living on a knife-edge.

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So, for some, the best option is nature's ultimate winter shutdown -

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hibernation.

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Among them is a very tiny and very cute rodent,

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whose big winter sleep defines its character -

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the dormouse.

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This rare woodland creature is thought to spend over

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half its life asleep and even when it's awake,

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it's hard to spot because it's mainly nocturnal.

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During the summer, it forages on seeds, berries and insects.

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And in autumn, it feasts on hazelnuts to build up fat reserves

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to see it through the long slumber ahead.

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And it is, of course, its notable talent for kipping

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that gives this mouse its name.

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The "dor" in dormouse is from the French word "dormir" - to sleep.

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But new research is challenging the dormouse's somnolent reputation.

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I've come to a wood on the northern edge of the moor,

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a stone's throw from the village of Belstone.

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This is where Brazilian biologist Leo Gubert has been studying

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the winter sleeping habits of dormice.

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His work is helping us to understand

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how to conserve this precious British mammal.

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On every field trip, Leo's first task is to find his tiny subjects.

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How's it going to work,

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how are we going to find hibernating dormice here in this vast forest?

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Well, this one we're looking for is the dormouse I've been following

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since the end of October.

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-So, we're looking for a specific dormouse?

-Yes.

-Not any old dormouse?

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-No, no, no...

-There's one... You're after an individual?

-This is a...

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Yeah, I treat it as a good friend of mine, actually.

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Is the range of a dormouse such that you actually have to

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look in quite a wide area? I mean, do they move around quite a bit?

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They do, they tend to stay in an area of about 100 square metres,

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but the problem is the density.

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-You tend to find, say, four to six per hectare, which is...

-Ah.

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-That's a needle in a haystack.

-Yeah.

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And maybe if you kind of get on your knees and start looking

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on the woodland floor, maybe in a day or two you'll

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find one, if you know what you're looking for and where to look.

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-So, where are we heading next?

-Uh, we're going down that way now, so...

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-Great.

-Yeah.

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Across the country, dormouse numbers are in decline,

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but Devon seems to be a stronghold.

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Leo monitors the population here from year to year.

0:17:350:17:39

He knows these woods very well,

0:17:390:17:41

but to track down these tiny animals could take days

0:17:410:17:44

without the help of a rather handy gadget.

0:17:440:17:47

OK, Hugh, we are getting quite close to where the dormouse was last seen,

0:17:470:17:50

so I think I'll take my radio tracking equipment

0:17:500:17:53

and we can look for her.

0:17:530:17:55

OK. So, you could track all sorts of different things with this device?

0:17:550:17:59

-You can, yes.

-Whatever you've managed to put the collar on.

0:17:590:18:01

-Yeah, as long as they are...

-Animals big and small?

0:18:010:18:04

As tiny as a dormouse.

0:18:040:18:05

That must be close to the smallest thing

0:18:050:18:07

you can get a radio collar on, isn't it?

0:18:070:18:09

That's right, yeah.

0:18:090:18:10

If you raise that above your head.

0:18:130:18:15

-Like that is great, yeah.

-So, we're tracking, are we?

-We are.

0:18:150:18:18

-So, what sort of noise are we looking for that...?

-It's a beep.

0:18:180:18:21

-A little beep.

-It goes, "Beep, beep."

-OK.

0:18:210:18:24

-And the louder it gets, then the closer we...

-OK.

-..we are.

0:18:240:18:28

-Oh, am I allowed to...?

-Yeah, you put that on your shoulder.

0:18:290:18:33

OK, great.

0:18:330:18:34

And we head that way.

0:18:340:18:35

Better not get tangled in branches.

0:18:360:18:38

-So keep moving from right to left.

-Yeah?

0:18:430:18:46

-And try to pick up the signal.

-That kind of thing?

0:18:460:18:48

It all feels like a bit of a long shot to me, but I'll give it a go.

0:18:500:18:54

-Ah.

-Anything yet?

-I think I heard the beep. A little click.

-Excellent.

0:18:540:18:58

OK. Carry on.

0:18:580:19:01

-Can you hear anything?

-Yes.

-Oh, excellent.

-There it is.

-OK.

0:19:010:19:05

BEEPING

0:19:050:19:07

-Yup.

-Yeah?

-Up ahead.

-That's the only sound you want to hear

0:19:070:19:10

when you're holding that aerial.

0:19:100:19:13

Yeah, it's very exciting.

0:19:130:19:15

Leo's been tracking one particular dormouse all winter.

0:19:160:19:20

-It seems to be stronger...that way.

-That way.

-So we're heading up?

0:19:200:19:23

We're heading up.

0:19:230:19:24

It's probably very simple for a dormouse.

0:19:260:19:29

Much easier for a dormouse.

0:19:290:19:31

Leo, I'm looking at this pile of leaves here.

0:19:340:19:37

I mean, it doesn't look particularly made,

0:19:370:19:39

but it's definitely a little pile. BEEPING CONTINUES

0:19:390:19:41

-Is that it, is it under there?

-Yeah, we will have to start with that.

0:19:410:19:44

That could be it. Let's have a closer look.

0:19:440:19:47

It's super loud.

0:19:470:19:48

-This is what we're looking for.

-That's incredible.

0:19:480:19:51

You can lift the whole nest from underneath, can you?

0:19:510:19:53

Yeah, they are very subtle.

0:19:530:19:55

-Are you telling me there's a dormouse in there?

-This is the one.

0:19:550:19:58

That's right.

0:19:580:19:59

And this is the sort of place they will look for a hibernation nest.

0:19:590:20:03

I'm just nervous that he's going to kind of wake up and shoot out.

0:20:030:20:06

No, I think he's fast asleep.

0:20:060:20:08

-Sometimes it takes up to half an hour for them to wake up.

-Really?

0:20:080:20:10

Just cos they are so deep asleep, they shut down completely,

0:20:100:20:15

so they need to warm up gradually.

0:20:150:20:18

And us standing here chatting - in my case, rather over-excitedly -

0:20:180:20:21

that's not going to wake him up, either?

0:20:210:20:23

-No, not at the moment.

-That was so exciting.

0:20:230:20:26

I mean, and I haven't even seen the dormouse yet, my heart's thumping.

0:20:260:20:29

-Excellent.

-Um, it's a bit precarious here.

0:20:290:20:32

Should we move somewhere a bit safer for that operation?

0:20:320:20:34

If we move uphill somewhere flatter. So, yeah. OK.

0:20:340:20:37

Dormice hibernate down in the leaf litter,

0:20:370:20:40

where the winter temperatures are less changeable,

0:20:400:20:43

so they can stay snug in their little leafy cocoons.

0:20:430:20:45

And there...

0:20:470:20:48

Oh, wow! That's incredible!

0:20:480:20:50

HUGH GASPS

0:20:500:20:52

Oh!

0:20:520:20:53

Leo has a special licence to study

0:20:550:20:57

and handle this protected species.

0:20:570:21:00

Today, he needs to fit a new

0:21:000:21:01

battery to the radio collar on this

0:21:010:21:04

very dozy mouse.

0:21:040:21:06

She's amazing. Such a thick, bushy

0:21:060:21:09

tail for such a tiny, little animal.

0:21:090:21:12

That little tail curled right

0:21:120:21:14

over her head to tuck her in.

0:21:140:21:15

She's a perfect ball, isn't she?

0:21:150:21:17

-She's, uh...

-Yeah!

0:21:170:21:19

I can't believe we're pulling the leaves

0:21:190:21:21

and exposing her like this, but she's fast asleep.

0:21:210:21:25

She looks in great shape. Are you happy with her condition?

0:21:250:21:28

Yeah, she had a lot of preparation before winter,

0:21:280:21:31

so she had to build up all the fat reserves

0:21:310:21:34

to kind of survive this long without food.

0:21:340:21:37

Um, and... Yeah, I think...I'm quite happy.

0:21:370:21:40

I'm quite anxious to weigh her and see how much...

0:21:400:21:42

OK, let's go to work.

0:21:420:21:44

Disturbing her as little as possible,

0:21:470:21:48

Leo takes off the miniature radio collar.

0:21:480:21:51

15.5g.

0:21:530:21:55

That's the weight of two 10p coins.

0:21:550:21:58

And now we just adjust the collar.

0:22:000:22:02

And now I can see her beady, black eyes.

0:22:020:22:04

She has opened her eyes, so is she sort of waking up a little bit, Leo?

0:22:040:22:07

She's just... Yeah, she's slowly waking up.

0:22:070:22:10

I think it's quite mild today, it's 15 degrees,

0:22:100:22:12

so it's coming towards the end of the hibernation period.

0:22:120:22:15

But waking up now, is there a danger that she'll stay awake,

0:22:150:22:18

that she'll think, "OK, it's time to get up"?

0:22:180:22:20

-As you can see, she's closing her eyes again, so...

-OK.

0:22:200:22:23

OK, so she kind of wants to go back to sleep.

0:22:230:22:25

It may seem odd to go to such lengths to track a mouse that's

0:22:270:22:31

fast asleep, but that's where Leo's research has been so revealing.

0:22:310:22:36

He's discovered that dormice are much more active

0:22:360:22:39

during the winter months than we'd ever realised.

0:22:390:22:43

What role has this little mouse

0:22:430:22:44

been playing in your study?

0:22:440:22:46

Well, she's been...

0:22:460:22:48

She's quite an important one because she has changed nest three times

0:22:480:22:52

over the winter, which is something that we didn't know.

0:22:520:22:56

She stayed quite close and she crossed the river,

0:22:560:22:58

but then it wasn't really a problem for her because...

0:22:580:23:01

-She crossed the river?

-Yes.

-So she's been up over a tree branch

0:23:010:23:03

-and onto the other side of the river?

-Over the winter, yes.

0:23:030:23:06

So she's been fully awake.

0:23:060:23:07

If she's actually crossed the river, she's properly scuttling around.

0:23:070:23:10

She did. That was... Yeah, that was just the day after the New Year.

0:23:100:23:14

I think it was the 2nd January the day she did that, yeah.

0:23:140:23:17

And what would stimulate her, do you think,

0:23:170:23:18

to wake up and decide to move her nest right in the middle of winter?

0:23:180:23:22

Um, I think it's sometimes they need to evade predators or

0:23:220:23:26

sometimes the old nest is not as weathertight as it had been,

0:23:260:23:30

so they need to kind of...

0:23:300:23:31

-So the nest is maybe damaged and that's what's woken them up?

-Yeah.

0:23:310:23:35

-Right, now I need to take her back.

-OK.

0:23:350:23:38

She's got hibernation to go through.

0:23:380:23:41

Sleep well.

0:23:410:23:42

Just amazing.

0:23:460:23:47

It's about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

0:23:490:23:52

And in she goes.

0:23:520:23:53

As she's tucked back in, fast asleep,

0:23:530:23:56

it's hard to imagine that she'll be on the move any time soon.

0:23:560:24:00

Before we leave the site, Leo and I are going to rig up

0:24:000:24:02

a couple of these trail cameras, pointing at our dormouse nest.

0:24:020:24:06

If she does decide to move nests in the next few days,

0:24:060:24:09

we should be able to catch that on camera.

0:24:090:24:11

And just a couple of nights after our visit,

0:24:140:24:17

our automatic cameras are activated.

0:24:170:24:20

Our radio-tagged dormouse is on the move again.

0:24:200:24:23

Leo will be back in the summer when the hibernation is over

0:24:250:24:28

to find his dormouse again,

0:24:280:24:30

perhaps in one of his specially-prepared nest boxes.

0:24:300:24:33

In the depths of winter, Dartmoor's forest can seem strangely lifeless.

0:24:390:24:45

For most of the creatures that live here,

0:24:450:24:48

it's a matter of lying low until the weather warms.

0:24:480:24:51

And as spring breaks and the primroses begin to bloom,

0:24:520:24:56

it's as if an alarm clock has gone off.

0:24:560:24:59

Temperatures rise across the West Country

0:24:590:25:01

and life is starting to bustle again.

0:25:010:25:03

The air becomes thick with insects.

0:25:050:25:08

Summer visitors, like the wood warbler, arrive from Africa

0:25:080:25:12

to feed and breed,

0:25:120:25:13

bumblebees get busy among the gorse and down on the ground,

0:25:130:25:18

one tiny animal is taking control of the forest floor.

0:25:180:25:21

The wood ant, the largest native ant species in the UK.

0:25:220:25:27

To take full advantage of the warming sun,

0:25:270:25:30

their huge nests are south-facing.

0:25:300:25:33

This is the hub of an ordered colony

0:25:330:25:35

with up to a quarter of a million ants.

0:25:350:25:39

A colony can support as many as 100 queens,

0:25:390:25:43

who can live for 20 years.

0:25:430:25:45

For the workers who tend them, life expectancy is just a few weeks.

0:25:450:25:49

Wood ants are voracious predators,

0:25:490:25:51

patrolling the forest to hunt for prey

0:25:510:25:54

like caterpillars or other ants.

0:25:540:25:56

The search often leads into the canopy,

0:26:000:26:04

across streams

0:26:040:26:07

and around the forest floor in a search area that can

0:26:070:26:10

spread 25 metres from the nest.

0:26:100:26:12

Any prey they can subdue in their powerful jaws

0:26:150:26:18

is carried back to the nest and dragged within.

0:26:180:26:22

But in the forest ecosystem, ants are under attack themselves,

0:26:240:26:28

so the colony has some robust security arrangements.

0:26:280:26:32

The first line of defence is their sharp and painful bite,

0:26:320:26:36

but wood ants also have a chemical weapon in their fight

0:26:360:26:40

against hungry predators...

0:26:400:26:42

Formic acid.

0:26:420:26:44

Aiming their abdomens skywards,

0:26:440:26:46

a volley of stinging jets of acid is often enough to deter predators.

0:26:460:26:51

At this time of year, there's an interesting opportunity for a

0:26:530:26:56

simple demonstration of the wood ants' impressive defence system.

0:26:560:27:00

Every spring, Dartmoor is blessed with some of the very best

0:27:040:27:08

bluebell fields in Devon.

0:27:080:27:10

So, I think I can pick just a few to attempt an experiment that

0:27:110:27:15

I heard about long ago, but have never tried for myself.

0:27:150:27:19

At the base of this tree is a wood ant nest

0:27:240:27:27

and the whole area around there is heaving.

0:27:270:27:30

I want to find where the ants are at their thickest

0:27:310:27:34

because that's best for the experiment.

0:27:340:27:37

There's a lot of them there, look. Let's just bother them a bit.

0:27:370:27:40

The aim is to make the ants think my bluebells are a hostile predator,

0:27:400:27:45

triggering them to defend their nest with those jets of formic acid.

0:27:450:27:49

It's then, so I've been led to believe,

0:27:490:27:52

that a simple bit of chemistry has a striking effect.

0:27:520:27:55

I'll put one over here. If I bother them enough...

0:27:550:27:59

Come on, attack.

0:27:590:28:01

Some of the ants seem to have worked out that the flowers are not

0:28:010:28:04

the real menace here.

0:28:040:28:06

Oh! Ants! Off, off!

0:28:060:28:08

Oh, they're inside my trousers as well. Whoa!

0:28:080:28:12

I'm actually starting to get a smell...

0:28:120:28:14

..of vinegar, and then I can smell the formic acid now,

0:28:160:28:19

it's quite distinctive.

0:28:190:28:20

It's really quite like the vinegar in a chip shop

0:28:200:28:23

and if I brush the ants off my leg...

0:28:230:28:26

it's ending up on my fingers.

0:28:260:28:28

So, they really are very effective at spraying this defence,

0:28:280:28:33

this formic acid out.

0:28:330:28:34

And they're getting it on me and it's having the desired effect,

0:28:340:28:38

cos it's certainly making me feel like getting away from here,

0:28:380:28:41

which is, I imagine, the object of the exercise,

0:28:410:28:44

as far as the ants are concerned.

0:28:440:28:45

But I'm not leaving till I've seen just what

0:28:450:28:48

they can do to my bluebells.

0:28:480:28:49

The theory is that the pigment that makes the petals blue will be

0:28:520:28:56

affected by the onslaught of formic acid, but only if enough ants

0:28:560:29:01

take exception to my offering of bluebells.

0:29:010:29:03

And I do believe it might actually be happening.

0:29:040:29:08

Look at that, look at the tips of the flowers there.

0:29:080:29:11

So, these two have both been attacked.

0:29:110:29:13

You can see the pink here on these flowers,

0:29:130:29:16

but it's even more distinctive on this one.

0:29:160:29:19

This was the one that got really mullered by the wood ants.

0:29:190:29:22

This is the unmolested flower, still that deep, classic bluebell blue.

0:29:220:29:26

By the power of the ants' formidable formic acid,

0:29:260:29:30

my bluebells have been transformed into pink bells.

0:29:300:29:34

Not that I really needed proof of the wood ants'

0:29:340:29:37

highly effective defences.

0:29:370:29:39

Aah!

0:29:390:29:41

The warming weather brings these woodlands alive with animal activity

0:29:460:29:50

and my guide to the night-time routine of the long-tailed tit,

0:29:500:29:54

John Walters, doesn't like to miss any of it.

0:29:540:29:57

John is a dedicated field naturalist, never happier than

0:29:580:30:02

when patrolling his local woods and adding to his exceptional

0:30:020:30:06

understanding of the wildlife here in his patch of the South West.

0:30:060:30:10

In fact, John is so intent on spending as much time as possible

0:30:140:30:18

with the wild inhabitants of the region, that he's done all he can

0:30:180:30:22

to make them feel at home in his own back garden,

0:30:220:30:25

in Buckfastleigh, south Devon.

0:30:250:30:27

So, he's never more than a few steps away from a world

0:30:310:30:35

that's captivated him for as long as he can remember.

0:30:350:30:37

Ever since I was three years old, it's one of my earliest memories,

0:30:410:30:45

was of watching a glow-worm in our garden

0:30:450:30:47

on the South Downs in Hampshire

0:30:470:30:49

and finding slowworms in the garden.

0:30:490:30:51

I've been passionately interested ever since.

0:30:510:30:54

I track lots of bees

0:30:540:30:55

and one of my favourites is a little furrow bee and these

0:30:550:30:58

are solitary bees, the females make their nests in the ground,

0:30:580:31:01

but the males fly in late summer and they don't go into the nest.

0:31:010:31:05

For some reason, the females don't want them in the nests,

0:31:050:31:07

and so they boot them out, you know,

0:31:070:31:09

and they actually roost on flower heads and seeds.

0:31:090:31:11

So we leave all the seed heads here

0:31:110:31:13

and it's a sort of bachelor party.

0:31:130:31:14

And you can get up to 30 of these male bees.

0:31:140:31:16

They'll stay there for the night

0:31:160:31:18

and then they'll fly off again the next morning.

0:31:180:31:21

I've lived on Dartmoor for 20-odd years, 25 years now,

0:31:280:31:31

and it is one of my favourite places.

0:31:310:31:34

It's the place I know best.

0:31:340:31:35

As well as having a prodigious knowledge of natural history,

0:31:350:31:39

John also observes it with the appreciative eye of the artist.

0:31:390:31:43

Really, my love of drawing and painting comes from

0:31:460:31:49

my love of wildlife, so I've got to try and

0:31:490:31:51

capture the movement and life of my subjects on paper.

0:31:510:31:54

If I can, anyway.

0:31:540:31:55

For me, the reason I do all this is really just to observe.

0:32:050:32:08

I'm a field naturalist, so I love to be out in the wild, looking

0:32:080:32:12

at the wildlife, but having these - drawing and painting and taking

0:32:120:32:17

photographs - just gets me closer to the subjects, makes me really

0:32:170:32:20

look at them and really notice the beauty in the world around us.

0:32:200:32:23

John is also an amateur film-maker with a talent for catching

0:32:250:32:29

on camera revealing moments in the life of the creatures of Dartmoor.

0:32:290:32:32

Like this fat cuckoo chick

0:32:360:32:38

as it tricks its surrogate parent to feed it.

0:32:380:32:41

Or these male adders, squaring up in their dancing display.

0:32:410:32:46

And the astonishing potter wasp,

0:32:460:32:48

building tiny mud pots to hold its eggs.

0:32:480:32:52

And today, John's setting out to film a crucial moment

0:32:520:32:55

in the life of a creature with an impressive claim to fame.

0:32:550:32:59

It's a slug, but not the common or garden variety.

0:32:590:33:03

It's the world's largest slug, the ash-black.

0:33:030:33:07

It's capable of growing over 20cm and, for John,

0:33:070:33:12

the prospect of filming the extraordinary mating behaviour

0:33:120:33:15

of this mighty mollusc is irresistible.

0:33:150:33:18

Not many people have seen it, it's quite a nocturnal slug.

0:33:180:33:21

It could be anywhere in a woodland,

0:33:210:33:22

so the chances of being in the right place at the right time

0:33:220:33:25

to see it would be very slim, but I have a little trick up my sleeves

0:33:250:33:29

to hopefully enable us to see the mating behaviour.

0:33:290:33:32

The ash-black feeds mainly on fungus and lichen and this small

0:33:340:33:39

patch of woodland near the River Dart suits it perfectly.

0:33:390:33:43

It's midsummer, the height of the slug breeding season,

0:33:430:33:47

so John should be in the right place at the right time.

0:33:470:33:50

And this is an old, ancient woodland and nice and damp,

0:33:500:33:55

lots of mosses and ferns here.

0:33:550:33:57

A really good place for slugs.

0:33:570:33:59

The chances this evening are pretty good, I think.

0:33:590:34:01

There's lots of slugs that live in these woodlands

0:34:010:34:03

and if we search for long enough to...

0:34:030:34:05

And under bits of bark and bits of moss and places like that, we should

0:34:050:34:08

find enough and then hopefully we can either watch them or

0:34:080:34:12

set them up on a tree

0:34:120:34:14

and see if we can see their bizarre mating habits.

0:34:140:34:17

It may not be everyone's idea of an evening's entertainment,

0:34:180:34:22

but the chance to film something this strange will always

0:34:220:34:25

appeal to a dedicated wildlife cameraman.

0:34:250:34:28

So, our crew arrived to join the action.

0:34:280:34:31

And John has two more pairs of eyes to help with the search.

0:34:310:34:34

Ash-black slugs emerge to feed at night.

0:34:340:34:38

During the day, they lie low under large pieces of dead wood.

0:34:380:34:42

And John, Joseph and Si leave no log unturned.

0:34:420:34:46

These wet, mossy areas are ideal habitat.

0:34:460:34:50

But finding the world's biggest slug is not a pushover.

0:34:500:34:54

Especially if you've never encountered one before.

0:34:540:34:57

John, I think I'm... Well, I've found a slug.

0:34:580:35:01

It's got a slightly orange underbelly

0:35:010:35:03

and there's lots of mushrooms or fungi around here...

0:35:030:35:06

OK. Well, this is a good sort of spot to look.

0:35:060:35:09

-Yeah, these have been munched, so...

-Yeah, that one's half gone already.

0:35:090:35:12

Right, yeah, this is an Arion slug, so similar, but it's the sort

0:35:120:35:17

of place where you get these slugs, which are also eating the

0:35:170:35:20

mushrooms, then you're likely to get the ash-black slug as well, so...

0:35:200:35:25

Well, I haven't rolled it back yet, so shall we...?

0:35:250:35:27

Oh, yeah, well, let's have a look, yeah. Um, if we turn over here.

0:35:270:35:30

Now, here we go.

0:35:300:35:31

This is the ash-black slug and I can tell immediately it's one,

0:35:310:35:34

cos if we turn it over, you can see on the underside,

0:35:340:35:38

it's got a pale underside, but it's shaded on the edges.

0:35:380:35:42

And that's the only British slug that has that.

0:35:420:35:46

So, if you find a slug in the woods

0:35:460:35:48

and it's got a pale bottom like that with shaded edges to the foot,

0:35:480:35:52

then you know it's an ash-black slug.

0:35:520:35:54

It's got this lovely sort of tapering tail with...

0:35:570:35:59

-Almost a bit reptilian!

-It is a bit, yeah.

0:35:590:36:02

I've got a certain fondness for these slugs,

0:36:020:36:04

they wouldn't attack your vegetables even if they came in your garden.

0:36:040:36:07

-Oh, really?

-No. They much prefer rotting vegetation

0:36:070:36:10

and also mushrooms and toadstools, that's their favourite food.

0:36:100:36:13

Well, that kind of slug is a friend of mine.

0:36:130:36:15

It's not long before John has a handful of contenders

0:36:160:36:20

for tonight's romantic rendezvous.

0:36:200:36:22

Slugs are hermaphrodites,

0:36:230:36:24

so they are male and female at the same time,

0:36:240:36:26

but they do have to meet another slug to mate with them.

0:36:260:36:29

I mean, you could wander around the woods for hours at night

0:36:290:36:32

and you might be lucky and people have been lucky in seeing them,

0:36:320:36:35

but to stand a better chance, we've found a few slugs

0:36:350:36:39

and we're going to actually set them up on a branch

0:36:390:36:42

and then put them together and see if they will actually mate.

0:36:420:36:46

And if they do, our cameras will be poised to capture every detail.

0:36:460:36:50

These slugs are thought to mate just once a year,

0:36:510:36:54

so we can only hope that ours will find themselves in the mood tonight.

0:36:540:36:58

-OK, Simon, I've chosen the slugs...

-Right.

0:37:080:37:11

..which I think are going to maybe mate with each other.

0:37:110:37:14

And what we're going to do is just pop them on here

0:37:140:37:18

and introduce them to one another.

0:37:180:37:20

And is there any kind of signs where they are clearly

0:37:200:37:24

interested in each other?

0:37:240:37:25

Well, if they start following each other around, that's the best sign.

0:37:250:37:29

This bit can take a while, they are slugs after all!

0:37:290:37:32

So, hopefully they'll take an interest in each other

0:37:360:37:39

and they'll want to mate.

0:37:390:37:41

But who knows what goes on inside the mind of a slug?

0:37:410:37:44

Or indeed what goes on in the minds of two men in a wood

0:37:470:37:50

waiting for slugs to mate!

0:37:500:37:52

Well, we've got a couple here,

0:37:580:38:00

which are sort of sliming around together,

0:38:000:38:02

so they may be interested in each other.

0:38:020:38:05

The slugs have their sex organs,

0:38:050:38:07

-they're actually in the side of their head.

-Oh, right!

0:38:070:38:11

It's quite a strange thing, you know,

0:38:110:38:13

sort of like this huge sex organ which appears.

0:38:130:38:18

I don't know, it's quite hard...

0:38:180:38:20

Even when you do see it, it's hard to tell where it's come from,

0:38:200:38:22

and they wrap them round each other.

0:38:220:38:24

So, if we look for signs of that appearing.

0:38:240:38:27

Signs that I imagine would be hard to miss!

0:38:270:38:31

But so far, there's no indication that either slug is in the mood.

0:38:310:38:36

Warmth and damp are both vital,

0:38:360:38:38

so John does what he can to help create the right conditions.

0:38:380:38:41

After all, the night is still young.

0:38:430:38:46

Usually, I'd expect a little bit more activity by now.

0:38:470:38:51

Usually, you can tell if they're going to mate

0:38:510:38:53

because one of the slugs will lock on to the tail of another slug

0:38:530:38:57

and it will follow it along. But at the moment,

0:38:570:38:59

these slugs don't seem particularly interested in each other.

0:38:590:39:02

It's gone quite cold and I think now they've gone very inactive,

0:39:020:39:06

we haven't seen any movement for a little while,

0:39:060:39:09

so it doesn't look like they're going to do anything, unfortunately.

0:39:090:39:12

I've got to admit, I'm slightly disappointed.

0:39:120:39:14

I was really looking forward to seeing that.

0:39:140:39:16

I know, and it is an amazing thing to see,

0:39:160:39:18

but, you know, I think it's a little bit too cold tonight for them.

0:39:180:39:21

And usually these slugs are very active

0:39:210:39:23

and they're whizzing around all over the place,

0:39:230:39:25

and you're trying to stop them escaping,

0:39:250:39:27

but there's no problem with that this evening, is there?

0:39:270:39:29

No, they're just staying rock solid, aren't they?

0:39:290:39:32

John was certainly right that this is a very hard thing to witness.

0:39:320:39:36

It could have been the cold that killed their passion,

0:39:370:39:40

but there's a lot we just don't know about these mysterious molluscs.

0:39:400:39:43

Although John's never filmed this before,

0:39:440:39:47

he has taken stills of these secretive slugs mating.

0:39:470:39:51

And as his pictures show, when the mood does take them

0:39:510:39:55

and the slime starts to flow, it can all get pretty weird.

0:39:550:40:00

After they've circled each other

0:40:000:40:02

to confirm their interest in mating,

0:40:020:40:05

white organs start to emerge

0:40:050:40:07

from the sides of their heads.

0:40:070:40:09

These are their penises.

0:40:090:40:11

To mate, these hermaphrodites hang upside down.

0:40:110:40:15

They need the help of gravity

0:40:150:40:17

to fully extend those enormous sex organs,

0:40:170:40:21

which can be the length of their entire bodies.

0:40:210:40:24

Wrapping around each other in a slimy embrace,

0:40:240:40:28

their penises entwine in a double helix as they exchange sperm.

0:40:280:40:33

Then they'll slither off and lay around 200 eggs,

0:40:330:40:36

ready to produce the next generation of ash-black slugs.

0:40:360:40:41

It's high summer and in the woods of Dartmoor's Taw Valley,

0:40:470:40:52

Leo Gubert is back to catch up with his dormice.

0:40:520:40:55

Sadly, in England and Wales,

0:40:550:40:57

dormouse numbers have fallen by two-thirds in the last 20 years.

0:40:570:41:01

So strongholds like this are critical for them.

0:41:010:41:04

So, this is a fantastic habitat for dormice.

0:41:060:41:09

I mean, if you look at the trees and shrubs,

0:41:090:41:11

it's been here for a long time.

0:41:110:41:12

I mean, the moss here on the branch is a good indicator of that.

0:41:120:41:16

Of course, I can't wait to find out what happened to

0:41:160:41:19

the lovely little dormouse we met a few months ago.

0:41:190:41:22

By now, she should be wide awake and could even be rearing some

0:41:230:41:27

babies in one of Leo's purpose-built nest boxes.

0:41:270:41:30

The first place to check is the very same box that she bred in last year.

0:41:300:41:35

So, it'll be interesting to see what we find in that box.

0:41:350:41:38

I hope this is a good one.

0:41:380:41:40

There's nest material there, but I see no movement.

0:41:410:41:45

No-one's at home, but that's not necessarily a bad sign.

0:41:460:41:50

They're all up in the canopy, I think, it's such a nice day today.

0:41:500:41:54

The nest boxes help the breeding success of the dormice

0:41:540:41:57

and tell Leo whether they're active in a given area.

0:41:570:42:01

Oh, now we've got a few leaves.

0:42:010:42:03

Leo's an old hand and he isn't giving up the hunt quite yet.

0:42:040:42:09

Now, the other ways that we can find evidence that dormice are present...

0:42:090:42:14

Oh, here. Look at that one.

0:42:140:42:16

You see, it's been freshly opened by a dormouse

0:42:170:42:20

and you can tell how the tooth marks on the nut

0:42:200:42:23

has been opened by dormice.

0:42:230:42:24

They tend to leave a very kind of round, even hole inside.

0:42:240:42:28

Yeah, I mean, you can see the dormouse just by, you know,

0:42:280:42:31

looking at the nut.

0:42:310:42:32

But this is a good sign, this is what I've been looking for.

0:42:320:42:36

The trail's getting warmer.

0:42:360:42:38

OK, we've got nest material in here,

0:42:420:42:44

so I'm going to take the box out and check inside my plastic bag.

0:42:440:42:48

Oop, there he comes.

0:42:510:42:54

It's a dormouse.

0:42:540:42:55

Not the adult female I met in the winter, but a good find.

0:42:550:43:00

It looks like a juvenile, this one. Let's have a quick look at him.

0:43:000:43:03

He's very lively.

0:43:060:43:08

The mouse goes into a small bag

0:43:080:43:10

so it can be weighed without a struggle.

0:43:100:43:12

We normally find juveniles. At this time of the year, they're just

0:43:140:43:16

still growing and putting on weight and developing for the winter.

0:43:160:43:21

This one is exactly 15g, which is what a juvenile that was

0:43:210:43:26

born kind of earlier in the summer should weigh.

0:43:260:43:30

And the other one of the main differences from other small mammals

0:43:300:43:33

is this beautiful furry tail here.

0:43:330:43:35

Now, some of the dormice in these woods,

0:43:350:43:37

they've been fitted with microchips,

0:43:370:43:39

which is another technique I'm using as part of my research.

0:43:390:43:43

Leo has microchipped all the dormice he's found

0:43:450:43:48

to help him track how they travel through the wood.

0:43:480:43:51

This is dormouse 6058785.

0:43:530:43:58

A thriving juvenile is always a good find

0:44:000:44:04

as it adds to the breeding population.

0:44:040:44:06

The summer survey is a particularly special time in Leo's

0:44:060:44:10

year-round study of the Dartmoor dormice.

0:44:100:44:13

Finding them is just so rewarding, you know?

0:44:160:44:19

Sometimes you come out and you don't find any.

0:44:190:44:21

You come out in the rain or you come out and get bitten by midges

0:44:210:44:24

or ticks, here on Dartmoor, even, but, yeah, it's worth it.

0:44:240:44:28

Thanks to Leo's painstaking work,

0:44:300:44:32

we know more about the secretive lives of these tiny mice

0:44:320:44:35

than ever before.

0:44:350:44:37

And it helps us to safeguard their future

0:44:370:44:40

in this vitally important Dartmoor woodland.

0:44:400:44:42

Spending time with wildlife watchers has shown me

0:44:460:44:49

that however persistent and patient you are,

0:44:490:44:51

it's impossible to predict what you're going to see or find.

0:44:510:44:55

After John showed me the long-tailed tit's winter roost,

0:44:550:44:59

he went on to stake out one of their nests in the hope that we

0:44:590:45:03

could watch their chicks grow over the summer.

0:45:030:45:06

So, I'm excited to come back

0:45:060:45:07

and catch the next chapter in the life of my new favourite bird.

0:45:070:45:13

But on the day before my visit, disaster has struck.

0:45:130:45:17

The nest has been raided.

0:45:170:45:19

So, what's happened to the nest, John?

0:45:200:45:22

Well, unfortunately, it's been predated, which, you know,

0:45:220:45:26

is something which happens. I almost expect it to happen

0:45:260:45:29

because it happens to about 60% of the nests.

0:45:290:45:31

-As many as that?

-That's right.

-More than half.

-Yes.

0:45:310:45:34

-And who do you think the culprit is?

-Well, either a jay or a squirrel.

0:45:340:45:37

-The nest has been ripped out and the chicks...

-Not a magpie?

0:45:370:45:40

Well, there aren't many magpies here,

0:45:400:45:42

-so there are jays in the woods and squirrels around...

-Right.

0:45:420:45:44

So they're the two most likely culprits.

0:45:440:45:47

Is there still a nest there for me to look at?

0:45:470:45:49

Yes, there's still a nest, yeah. It's quite...

0:45:490:45:51

-But not the nest it was?

-Not the nest it was.

-OK.

0:45:510:45:53

-Well, let's check it out anyway.

-OK.

0:45:530:45:55

Despite being hidden in dense gorse,

0:45:550:45:57

our nest has provided a meal to some other hungry Dartmoor inhabitant.

0:45:570:46:02

Well, there you can see the feathers.

0:46:020:46:04

So, as soon as you get here, you know it's been predated.

0:46:040:46:06

And you'd been the day before and everything was right as rain?

0:46:060:46:08

Yeah, they were all looking good, actually, and I was thinking,

0:46:080:46:11

"These ones could be all right," because they'd got to that stage.

0:46:110:46:14

-They were probably about three or four days off fledging.

-Really?

0:46:140:46:18

Do you think jays have a particular penchant for long-tailed tits?

0:46:180:46:21

Well, they really like...

0:46:210:46:22

Well, not just long-tailed tits, but young birds in nests.

0:46:220:46:25

And just like me when I'm trying to find a nest,

0:46:250:46:27

I look for birds carrying food - I'm sure they do as well,

0:46:270:46:29

follow them in and then take out all the young.

0:46:290:46:34

The adults will have got away. What will they do now?

0:46:340:46:36

Cos they have this amazing social behaviour that we saw when

0:46:360:46:39

they were roosting, it also applies to their breeding habits as well.

0:46:390:46:42

So if a pair's nest gets destroyed, they go off to their nearest

0:46:420:46:46

male relative's nest and then they help out there.

0:46:460:46:50

I watched one the other week with four adults

0:46:500:46:53

feeding the young in the nest.

0:46:530:46:54

-So, four adults feeding is twice as good as two.

-Yeah, it would be.

0:46:540:46:57

Can we get a look at what's happened to this nest?

0:46:570:47:00

-Can we get a bit closer?

-Yeah, I'll pick the nest out, actually.

0:47:000:47:03

Hang on. OK.

0:47:030:47:06

Here we go.

0:47:070:47:08

-You've interfered with the crime scene there, John.

-Yes, yeah.

0:47:080:47:11

So, lots and lots of feathers.

0:47:110:47:13

But these are not the feathers of the birds that have been killed,

0:47:130:47:16

-these are part of the nest?

-Oh, no. No, they are not.

0:47:160:47:19

No, this is part of the amazing construction of this nest.

0:47:190:47:21

It's actually lined with hundreds and hundreds of feathers.

0:47:210:47:24

There's a few pheasant feathers I can see in there,

0:47:240:47:26

wood pigeons, a robin there...

0:47:260:47:29

So, basically, the whole construction is feather and moss?

0:47:290:47:31

That's right. The actual outer construction, which is built first,

0:47:310:47:36

is made of spiders' webs, moss and lichen.

0:47:360:47:39

And the spiders' webs are sort of the glue then, they're

0:47:390:47:41

kind of really quite important for sticking it all together?

0:47:410:47:44

Oh, yeah, and it's an amazing construction.

0:47:440:47:46

It takes about two weeks to build this nest and the pair will

0:47:460:47:48

work together and they'll build it up slowly by collecting

0:47:480:47:51

spiders' webs, spinning it all in here and then adding bits of lichen.

0:47:510:47:55

But the amazing thing about this nest, because it's

0:47:550:47:57

made of spiders' webs - you see, pull it there like that - it can

0:47:570:48:00

actually expand to accommodate the big chicks when they're in there.

0:48:000:48:03

-It's a kind of Lycra nest.

-That's right. It's an amazing construction.

0:48:030:48:06

John is not deterred by this setback.

0:48:060:48:09

He's already found another nest and guides us to the

0:48:090:48:12

perfect position to set up our camouflaged camera.

0:48:120:48:16

So, I'm still hoping to round off my experience of Dartmoor's

0:48:160:48:20

long-tailed tits with the moment when a new brood of chicks

0:48:200:48:24

leaves the nest for the very first time.

0:48:240:48:27

Ah, brilliant, it's just there!

0:48:290:48:31

God, that's such a good set-up.

0:48:310:48:33

-Lovely position, isn't it? Just about head height as well.

-Ah!

0:48:330:48:37

It's a tiny... The nest looks even smaller than the one you showed me.

0:48:370:48:40

That's right, yeah.

0:48:400:48:42

About the same size, about the size of your hand, isn't it?

0:48:420:48:44

How long after the guys set the camera up do the birds come back?

0:48:440:48:47

-Well, almost immediately, they'll be coming...

-Minutes?

0:48:470:48:50

-Yeah, within five minutes.

-So this doesn't bother them at all?

0:48:500:48:52

No, they're not really... If it's not a classic predator

0:48:520:48:55

and it is just a bit of inanimate object,

0:48:550:48:57

they're not going to be frightened of it.

0:48:570:48:58

But we probably shouldn't hang around too long?

0:48:580:49:00

No, they would be a bit scared if we were here, so we better...

0:49:000:49:03

Well, it looks like a great set-up. Let's go and find the monitor.

0:49:030:49:06

Well, I found this one yesterday

0:49:100:49:12

and the chicks were quite big in there.

0:49:120:49:14

-They should fledge within two or three days, I think.

-Oh, really?

0:49:140:49:17

So, we're lucky to get it just before they've left?

0:49:170:49:20

So, they've just got to hang in there for a couple more days

0:49:200:49:23

and beat the jays?

0:49:230:49:24

That's right and the adults here are pretty good, actually.

0:49:240:49:26

It took me a while to find them.

0:49:260:49:28

Just me sat here was... They were a bit

0:49:280:49:31

cagey about going down to the nest, which is a good sign.

0:49:310:49:34

They've spotted me, so they think, "Oh, let's let him walk away."

0:49:340:49:38

When I turned my back, they flipped down into the nest.

0:49:380:49:41

John's affinity with these beguiling birds offers me

0:49:410:49:44

another moment to savour.

0:49:440:49:46

Ooh, ooh, look! That's... Look, the young. They're sticking...

0:49:480:49:52

Is that because they've seen Mum or Dad on the way?

0:49:520:49:55

Because they lunged out there, two of them

0:49:550:49:56

lunged out with their great, gaping beaks open.

0:49:560:49:59

-Did you see that?

-Yeah, they can hear the parents, probably.

0:49:590:50:02

Probably the parents are calling nearby and these

0:50:020:50:04

birds are close to fledging now, so they'll come right out of the nest.

0:50:040:50:08

Look, there they are again! Ooh, ooh, and she's in. Fantastic.

0:50:080:50:11

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-That is amazing.

0:50:110:50:14

I didn't realise we were actually going to see the little ones

0:50:140:50:17

right up in the mouth of the nest there with their beaks gaping open.

0:50:170:50:21

-That's fantastic.

-Well, we've caught this just right,

0:50:210:50:23

cos that just happens just a couple of days before they fledge.

0:50:230:50:26

Before that, they're tucked in, tight into the nest,

0:50:260:50:29

and they'd just come up to the entrance a bit.

0:50:290:50:31

But that's full now

0:50:310:50:32

and it's sort of expanding with that silk expansion system they've got.

0:50:320:50:36

-So...

-But there will be other chicks, you know, deep down.

0:50:360:50:38

So, they're literally clambering on top of each other to get

0:50:380:50:41

-there first when the food comes?

-That's right.

0:50:410:50:43

It's the one sticking its head out the furthest which is going to

0:50:430:50:45

get fed, so the ones down the bottom have got to

0:50:450:50:48

sort of work their way up and battle their way up to get some food.

0:50:480:50:50

-Ooh, there we go.

-There we go, yeah.

-Ooh! A big beakful of something.

0:50:500:50:54

Yeah, it's usually caterpillars and small flies and things like that.

0:50:540:50:57

Yeah, it looked caterpillary, actually.

0:50:570:50:59

And often the pair will come in together. So, there we go.

0:50:590:51:01

Look at that! That's a real mouthful of caterpillars!

0:51:010:51:04

Almost choking on it there, isn't it?

0:51:040:51:05

I think he got all three of those fat, green caterpillars.

0:51:050:51:09

-Yeah, that'll keep him going for a little while.

-This is so great.

0:51:090:51:12

-You know, having seen them first on my bird table...

-Mm.

0:51:120:51:15

-..and then at the beginning of the year in that beautiful roost...

-Yes.

0:51:150:51:18

..and now right here in the wild, in their habitat,

0:51:180:51:22

-with a nest on the go, it's just fantastic.

-Yeah, it's brilliant.

0:51:220:51:25

And this is probably the perfect day to see them.

0:51:250:51:27

And this is just going on all day now,

0:51:270:51:29

just cramming that fuel in to get them ready for their fledge?

0:51:290:51:32

That's right, yeah, these are really hungry chicks

0:51:320:51:35

and they're growing rapidly through the day.

0:51:350:51:37

So, by tomorrow they'll be even bigger than that and, yeah, they'll

0:51:370:51:40

probably be ready to go, so they need as much food as they can get.

0:51:400:51:43

And they'll all be ready at the same time?

0:51:430:51:45

Yeah, they've all been incubated.

0:51:450:51:47

Although the female will lay the eggs one at a time, she doesn't

0:51:470:51:50

start incubating them until she's laid the last one, so they will

0:51:500:51:53

all hatch on the same day and they will all fledge on the same day.

0:51:530:51:56

It's tantalising, cos they're obviously a day or so

0:51:560:51:59

away from absolutely making it, these guys.

0:51:590:52:01

Yeah, maybe even tomorrow morning, these birds, they're looking

0:52:010:52:04

like they might well go tomorrow, just looking at that today.

0:52:040:52:06

It makes me want to come back tomorrow

0:52:060:52:08

just to see if they do fledge, but I'm wondering,

0:52:080:52:11

maybe we can leave a camera set up here

0:52:110:52:14

and try and keep on this and get the footage of them actually fledging.

0:52:140:52:17

Yeah, that would be fantastic.

0:52:170:52:18

Yeah, we can leave a camera running on the nest

0:52:180:52:21

and hopefully see that magic moment when they all pile out.

0:52:210:52:24

I'd love to see it.

0:52:240:52:25

Time's run out for me and John today.

0:52:280:52:31

But the next morning,

0:52:310:52:33

the crew returned to the exact same spot to be our eyes on the nest.

0:52:330:52:38

It's a big relief to see the chicks still there.

0:52:390:52:42

There's no predicting exactly when they'll fledge

0:52:420:52:44

and there's only one thing for the crew to do -

0:52:440:52:48

settle in and wait.

0:52:480:52:49

For the next two days,

0:52:520:52:54

the parents and almost certainly other family members

0:52:540:52:57

keep up the unrelenting feeding routine, stuffing

0:52:570:53:01

those gaping mouths with a steady supply of fat, green caterpillars.

0:53:010:53:05

Feeding builds to a crescendo, as parents pack the chicks with as

0:53:070:53:10

much protein as possible, preparing them for their very first flight.

0:53:100:53:15

But as the adults come and go, there's something in

0:53:180:53:21

the parent birds' flight that we haven't seen before.

0:53:210:53:24

It's fleeting and hard to spot,

0:53:310:53:34

until we watch it in slow motion.

0:53:340:53:37

Then, this magical little performance

0:53:410:53:43

emerges in all its glory.

0:53:430:53:44

As they leave the nest,

0:53:480:53:50

the adults hover in mid-flight,

0:53:500:53:52

just like hummingbirds.

0:53:520:53:54

And as the day goes on, they perform the same trick again and again.

0:53:540:53:59

There's a couple of theories about what they might be up to.

0:54:040:54:08

One idea is that it's a signal,

0:54:080:54:10

calling the other adult birds in the extended family

0:54:100:54:13

to come and help with the feeding,

0:54:130:54:16

making a deliberate display of leaving the nest.

0:54:160:54:18

But John thinks the adults could be trying to entice the chicks

0:54:210:54:25

to make that first flight, hovering at the nest entrance

0:54:250:54:28

and giving them little chirps of encouragement.

0:54:280:54:31

Whatever it means, this charming display is one more reason to

0:54:330:54:37

marvel at these lovely little birds.

0:54:370:54:39

But even if they are being asked to leave the nest, for now,

0:54:410:54:44

these chicks have chosen to sit tight, which, as it turns out,

0:54:440:54:49

is a smart move.

0:54:490:54:50

THUNDER RUMBLES

0:54:530:54:56

As you can see, it's a lovely day up by the long-tailed tit nest!

0:55:040:55:08

The kit's all getting wet,

0:55:080:55:10

everything's covered with bin bags, um, except us.

0:55:100:55:14

Not a lot's going to happen today if this rain keeps up.

0:55:150:55:18

But whatever the weather, those chicks still need to be fed.

0:55:220:55:26

All day long, the bedraggled adults

0:55:260:55:29

keep up the round-the-clock deliveries.

0:55:290:55:31

They certainly aren't going to fledge

0:55:380:55:40

if the weather stays like this.

0:55:400:55:41

Our cameraman Matt's banking on a burst of sunshine

0:55:420:55:45

to bring out the chicks.

0:55:450:55:47

But one thing I know about Dartmoor is that even in late spring,

0:55:470:55:51

it can drizzle for days.

0:55:510:55:53

The parents are keeping up their impressive work-rate

0:55:560:56:00

and the chicks are scoffing the lot.

0:56:000:56:02

But sitting tight.

0:56:020:56:03

It's a lot of rain.

0:56:060:56:08

By day six, the nest is at bursting point.

0:56:120:56:15

They really can't stay in there much longer.

0:56:150:56:18

And finally, the weather breaks.

0:56:180:56:22

Thankfully, the rain's just stopped.

0:56:230:56:26

I haven't been able to see what the birds have been up to

0:56:260:56:29

for a good half an hour or so, so just checking the monitor here.

0:56:290:56:33

And thankfully, they're still on the nest.

0:56:330:56:36

At long last, one chick makes its move.

0:56:430:56:46

It's a short maiden flight,

0:56:490:56:51

but there's no going back.

0:56:510:56:53

And this fluffy-headed youngster is not alone for long.

0:56:550:56:59

And Matt and Joseph's six-day vigil is finally paying off,

0:56:590:57:03

as the chicks move out en masse.

0:57:030:57:06

One, two, three, four,

0:57:060:57:10

five, six, seven.

0:57:100:57:14

Seven chicks, all from the same tiny, but luckily, expandable nest.

0:57:140:57:19

These young birds will now join their family group,

0:57:210:57:24

flitting and foraging around the woods.

0:57:240:57:26

And when winter comes, they'll join their cousins,

0:57:270:57:30

uncles and aunties, huddled on a single branch.

0:57:300:57:34

Just like the group I saw at the beginning of the year.

0:57:360:57:39

And next time I see long-tailed tits on my garden feeders at home,

0:57:410:57:45

I'll know a whole lot more about what they've been up to

0:57:450:57:48

the rest of the time.

0:57:480:57:50

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

0:57:550:58:00

and find out how to create your own wildlife habitats,

0:58:000:58:04

The Open University has produced a free booklet with bookmarks.

0:58:040:58:08

Order your copy by calling...

0:58:080:58:10

..or go to...

0:58:140:58:15

..and follow the links to The Open University.

0:58:190:58:22

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