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For me, watching wildlife is one of life's greatest pleasures. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
And my favourite place to do it is right here, | 0:00:07 | 0:00:10 | |
in my beloved West Country. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:12 | |
This captivating corner of the British Isles... | 0:00:13 | 0:00:16 | |
There's six right underneath us! | 0:00:16 | 0:00:18 | |
..has a cast of creatures that's as awe-inspiring, | 0:00:18 | 0:00:22 | |
extraordinary and magical as any. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:26 | |
-Oh, come on, no way! -Yeah. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:29 | |
I'm hoping to get as close as I can to as many as I can... | 0:00:29 | 0:00:33 | |
Right, I'm ready. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:34 | |
This is great, this is measuring an eel. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:36 | |
Whoa, whoa! | 0:00:36 | 0:00:37 | |
Pants! Off, off! Oh, there's one inside my... | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
..with the help of a band of dedicated nature lovers. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
Some of the patterns on the feathers, they are beautiful! | 0:00:45 | 0:00:48 | |
-Good spot. Look, look, look, look! -Wonderful! Oh, that's so cool! | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
There's one in my hair now, Poppy. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:54 | |
I'll share the thrill of the chase... | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
-Do you hear them? -I heard something. -Yeah, they're in there. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:01 | |
ANIMAL CALLS | 0:01:01 | 0:01:02 | |
Yes. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:03 | |
..the sheer joy of the encounter... | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
-She's so golden. -She's fast asleep. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:08 | |
It's OK. Shh! | 0:01:08 | 0:01:10 | |
That's amazing. | 0:01:10 | 0:01:11 | |
..and I'll pitch in to help these local heroes... | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
..safeguard the future of our precious animals. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
Bye-bye. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:21 | |
There she goes. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:22 | |
Whoa! | 0:01:24 | 0:01:25 | |
I can't believe that I've been living in the West Country | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
for so many years and I've never done this before. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
This will be a year-round adventure... | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
Straight ahead! | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
..as we explore the natural wonders of the UK's very own Wild West. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:41 | |
Today, I'm in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor, where my quest | 0:01:50 | 0:01:55 | |
for enlightenment has brought me to Somerset's own secret kingdom. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:59 | |
This labyrinth of sparkling waterways and misty wetlands | 0:01:59 | 0:02:04 | |
has a special place in England's history. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
It's called the Avalon Marshes. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
This extraordinary landscape has always been a kind of sanctuary, | 0:02:12 | 0:02:17 | |
almost hidden away from the outside world. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
So naturally, it's a haven for wildlife. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:24 | |
But it's also a place where people are connecting with nature, | 0:02:24 | 0:02:28 | |
and being inspired to protect it. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
And I'm really looking forward | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
to meeting some of the people who are doing that. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:35 | |
Of course, I'm also hoping to make that magic connection myself. | 0:02:35 | 0:02:39 | |
The Avalon Marshes lie at the heart | 0:02:41 | 0:02:43 | |
of the Somerset Levels, | 0:02:43 | 0:02:45 | |
a vast flood plain covering | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
around 650 square kilometres. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
Rising above it | 0:02:50 | 0:02:51 | |
is Glastonbury's famous tor, | 0:02:51 | 0:02:53 | |
a landmark linked to the legend | 0:02:53 | 0:02:55 | |
of King Arthur. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:56 | |
Winter is a quiet time | 0:03:12 | 0:03:13 | |
for much of our wildlife. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
But here in Somerset, | 0:03:17 | 0:03:19 | |
it's the moment to witness one of the UK's great natural spectacles. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
So, I've hit the road, and I'm hoping that today, | 0:03:27 | 0:03:30 | |
I might see it for myself for the very first time. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
And if I do, it should be the perfect introduction | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
to my exploration of the Somerset Levels. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
At this time of year, starlings roost together in vast flocks | 0:03:41 | 0:03:45 | |
to survive the harsh winter nights. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
There's safety in numbers, and the birds share their body warmth | 0:03:49 | 0:03:53 | |
as well as information about the best feeding sites. | 0:03:53 | 0:03:56 | |
And the Avalon Marshes is home | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
to one of the UK's largest and most impressive gatherings, | 0:04:00 | 0:04:04 | |
made up of hundreds of thousands of birds from across the county. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:08 | |
The starlings swoop and dive in unison, | 0:04:10 | 0:04:13 | |
creating massive flowing flocks called murmurations. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:17 | |
It's surely one of the avian world's most breathtaking sights. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
For those in the know, this spectacle is a big local attraction. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:27 | |
And today, I'm planning to join them. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:31 | |
This will be a first for me, but not for our soundman Gary. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:36 | |
Gary, are you a bit of an old hand at the starling murmurations? | 0:04:37 | 0:04:40 | |
I guess I've been to see them on a regular basis | 0:04:40 | 0:04:43 | |
for the last ten years. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:44 | |
I've never seen them. I feel I have seen versions of it, | 0:04:44 | 0:04:49 | |
kind of almost out of the corner of my eye or maybe when driving, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
big swirls of starlings sort of at the end of vision, | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
quite a long way away, but I've never been to have a look, | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
sort of purposely made a date with the murmurations. | 0:04:58 | 0:05:01 | |
OK, no pressure, then! | 0:05:01 | 0:05:03 | |
I'm glad to have Gary as my guide. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
When it comes to the murmurations, he's a true aficionado. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:13 | |
The reason these birds come together in such vast numbers is for safety. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:23 | |
They'll drop into the reed bed, they'll pour in like water, | 0:05:23 | 0:05:26 | |
you'll think the display is over, but something will trigger them. | 0:05:26 | 0:05:30 | |
A few birds might get nervous, might panic, and they'll move. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:33 | |
Then suddenly, the whole lot will go again. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:35 | |
Peak viewing for the murmurations | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
is from mid December through to February, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
and it happens in some form or another most nights. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
But the timing and precise location can change from day to day. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:50 | |
So finding the best place to watch it is never easy. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:53 | |
-There's a starling hotline, run by the RSPB... -Really? -..that you can | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
-ring and they'll... -And you've got... I bet you've got the number. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
-I have got the number. -Brilliant. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
I'm going to ring the starling hotline. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:04 | |
It should be the location the starlings were the night before. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:08 | |
And that's the best bet for where they'll be tonight? | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
-Best you've got to go on? -The best you've got to go on, yeah. -OK. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
Welcome to the Avalon Marshes Starling Hotline. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:19 | |
Last night the starlings roosted on Ham Wall. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
Ham Wall, is that a location you know? | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
I know Ham Wall, but it's still a very big reserve, | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
it's the RSPB reserve on the Somerset Levels. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
The RSPB reserve at Ham Wall is one part of the patchwork of wetlands | 0:06:32 | 0:06:37 | |
that make up Avalon Marshes. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:40 | |
But it's still a large area, so it's a bit of gamble | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
deciding exactly where to go for the best view of tonight's avian show. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:48 | |
I'm hoping our cameraman John Walters | 0:06:50 | 0:06:52 | |
might help to get us front row seats. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:55 | |
He's another murmuration veteran and is exuding confidence. | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
So this will probably be the best spot for tonight | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
-because they've just moved and have taken to a fresh bit of marsh. -Yeah. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:05 | |
I think they've sort of completely flattened the reeds elsewhere, | 0:07:05 | 0:07:09 | |
-and now they've come for... -That's what happens, is it? -Yeah. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
-They flatten a patch, then move on? -Yeah, fresh reeds and a fresh spot. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
Nice bit of hard ground to set your tripod up. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
Absolutely. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:21 | |
How are we doing for time? | 0:07:21 | 0:07:22 | |
Oh. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:23 | |
-Ooh. -Ten past four? -Hm. -20 minutes? | 0:07:25 | 0:07:28 | |
At least. Well, I'd say, half an hour. | 0:07:28 | 0:07:30 | |
Yeah. 20 minutes, half an hour. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:31 | |
-So we just enjoy the, er, waterbirds till then. -Yeah. | 0:07:31 | 0:07:35 | |
The Avalon Marshes are home to a vast range of bird species. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:41 | |
And it's best known as a great place to see all kinds of waterfowl, | 0:07:41 | 0:07:45 | |
waders, herons and swans. | 0:07:45 | 0:07:47 | |
Tonight, these lovely birds are just the warm-up act. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
But it's a great way to settle in. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
So Gary's brought his own stool. | 0:07:55 | 0:07:57 | |
Look, it's actually a folding rucksack stool. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:00 | |
What a pro, eh?! | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
Is it really comfortable, Gary? | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
Well, it's the first rule of wildlife watching. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:05 | |
-Any fool can be uncomfortable. -Any fool can be uncomfortable. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
-Absolutely. -That'll be me, then. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:10 | |
The murmuration is best seen on bright, still, crisp days. | 0:08:10 | 0:08:15 | |
And it looks like we've picked a good one. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:17 | |
The birds can start to appear about an hour before dark. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:24 | |
As dusk approaches, the sense of anticipation | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
among the gathered spectators is definitely building. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:31 | |
They look like old hands, somehow, | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
they look like they've been here before and they know what to expect. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:36 | |
I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only murmuration virgin. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:39 | |
Here they come, here they come. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:46 | |
That's fantastic! | 0:08:46 | 0:08:47 | |
That's beautiful. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:51 | |
They are moving in the most extraordinary way. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
Twisting and turning. | 0:08:58 | 0:09:00 | |
Look, see on the horizon there? | 0:09:02 | 0:09:04 | |
-Oh, my goodness! -Massive, massive. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:06 | |
That's insane! | 0:09:06 | 0:09:07 | |
-That's huge flock. -That is a huge flock. -That's many thousands. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
Right on cue, | 0:09:19 | 0:09:20 | |
shape-shifting swarms of starlings stream in over the reedbeds. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:25 | |
Wow, they keep coming. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
In midwinter, Somerset starling population is boosted by more flocks | 0:09:36 | 0:09:40 | |
from northern Europe, making for one mighty murmuration. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:45 | |
Still going on in the distance. | 0:09:51 | 0:09:52 | |
-Quite a spectacle. -It is, isn't it? -Amazing. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:12 | |
Are you a teeny-weeny bit disappointed | 0:10:12 | 0:10:14 | |
-that they weren't closer? -It would be nice. -It would be nice, | 0:10:14 | 0:10:17 | |
-but then if you could foresee it... -We can come back. | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
..it wouldn't be the same, would it? | 0:10:20 | 0:10:21 | |
-No, but it whets your appetite. -It does, doesn't it? | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
Have you been before? | 0:10:24 | 0:10:25 | |
No, it's the first time. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
That's strange, cos I thought I was the only first timer, somehow. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
I thought everyone else looked like they knew when you were doing. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
-Can you still see them? -Yeah, there's a big crowd of them. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
Look at the trees. They're still around there. We thought | 0:10:36 | 0:10:39 | |
-that they'd gone down but they all came back up again. -Oh, yeah! | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
-There's a wave, there's a wave. -Look at them all piling down there. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
-What did you think? -It's fantastic. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:48 | |
-Have you been before? -I came on Tuesday for the first time. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
-How was it on Tuesday? -It was different. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
It was lots of sort of little ribbons of birds that came. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:58 | |
-Right. -And it was lovely, | 0:10:58 | 0:11:00 | |
but you didn't get that huge crowd that we got today. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
It was just very different. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:04 | |
There's something quite nice about lots of people coming out here. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
It feels like a bit of a party. | 0:11:07 | 0:11:08 | |
-Yeah, it's lovely. -Shame nobody's brought any mulled wine. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:11 | |
I've got some hot tea, but, you know, just enough for me and Sue. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
-Hot, sugary tea. -All right, I... I get the picture. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:16 | |
Not enough for you. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:17 | |
-You can... -I'll open it. -You can have a bit in that top lid. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:21 | |
Do you want me to open it for you? | 0:11:21 | 0:11:22 | |
-There we go. -You can have some of the top part. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
-See what you think. -That's very kind. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
Oh, that's lovely, hot, sweet tea. | 0:11:30 | 0:11:31 | |
It is nice, isn't it? | 0:11:31 | 0:11:32 | |
I've had such a lovely time, | 0:11:34 | 0:11:35 | |
I can't believe that I've been living in the West Country | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
for so many years and I've never done this before. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:40 | |
It's just so mad. | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
Why didn't I do it before? | 0:11:42 | 0:11:43 | |
Anyway, I've done it now, and I'm definitely going to do it again. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:47 | |
Wherever you are on the marshes, | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
the striking landmark of Glastonbury Tor dominates the view. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:03 | |
It's easy to see why it entered the mythology of ancient Wessex. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:07 | |
But just a few miles away, | 0:12:11 | 0:12:13 | |
another patch of high ground is earning a place in local legend. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:16 | |
This is Green Down, and in midsummer, | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
a little miracle is taking to the wing... | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
..the large blue butterfly. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:26 | |
You've got something here in Somerset | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
that would be the envy of every country. | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
I think that makes it very special. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
Almost 40 years ago, | 0:12:38 | 0:12:40 | |
this globally endangered species was declared extinct in the UK. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:44 | |
But now it's back, thanks in part to entomologist David Simcox. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:50 | |
In 1992, we put 281 caterpillars on the site, | 0:12:50 | 0:12:56 | |
26 generations later, we've got over 170,000 large blue eggs. | 0:12:56 | 0:13:01 | |
They're on the wing for just a few weeks | 0:13:02 | 0:13:05 | |
when they must mate and create the next generation. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:08 | |
It's a vital window for David to monitor their progress. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
Whoa! | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
This steep hillside is the best place | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
to see large blues in the world. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
Let's just keep looking. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:19 | |
But that doesn't mean they're easy for David to spot | 0:13:19 | 0:13:23 | |
or for John to film. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:24 | |
We've got a blue. We've got a blue. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:26 | |
Have you got it? | 0:13:26 | 0:13:27 | |
Can you see it still? | 0:13:28 | 0:13:29 | |
Still got it? | 0:13:30 | 0:13:31 | |
I'm not sure I'm filming it, but... certainly not in a steady mode. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
Good spotting. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:39 | |
Are you ready, John? | 0:13:41 | 0:13:42 | |
The other thing to bear in mind is once she's laid an egg, | 0:13:44 | 0:13:47 | |
there's a good chance for about two seconds she'll open her wings. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
Hold on. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:52 | |
Large blues are incredibly fussy. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
They only lay their eggs on the buds of wild thyme flowers. | 0:13:57 | 0:14:00 | |
This is a beautiful patch of thyme. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:03 | |
These have huge flowers on them. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
So sites that have thyme with large flowers are good sites. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:10 | |
But there's something else about this special spot | 0:14:12 | 0:14:15 | |
that makes it just right for the large blue. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:18 | |
And it only came to light after years of meticulous research | 0:14:18 | 0:14:21 | |
by David and his team. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:23 | |
The large blue has a really quite extraordinary life cycle. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:27 | |
The female will lay her eggs right in... | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
..the tips of the flowers of wild thyme. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
And after about five or six days, those eggs will hatch | 0:14:35 | 0:14:39 | |
and a very, very tiny caterpillar burrows into the flower. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:43 | |
And all it actually eats at this stage are parts of thyme flowers. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:47 | |
When it gets about six or seven millimetres long, | 0:14:47 | 0:14:51 | |
it loses interest in actually feeding on the flower, | 0:14:51 | 0:14:55 | |
and it drops onto the ground, and it sits there and waits. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
And what it's waiting for is one of these red ants to come and find it. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:03 | |
The large blue caterpillars undertake a deceit | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
on which their whole future, | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
and indeed the future of the species, depends. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:12 | |
Caterpillars are releasing pheromones that tell the ant | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
that it's there. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:17 | |
It also has little glands that it produces a sugar solution, | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
which the ants start to feed on. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
The caterpillar is fooling the ant into thinking | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
it's one of its own grubs. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:27 | |
The ant will pick the caterpillar up, put it in the ant's nest, | 0:15:27 | 0:15:31 | |
and at that point... | 0:15:31 | 0:15:32 | |
..the large blue caterpillar stops being a herbivore and, | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
for the rest of its life, it will just eat ant grubs. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
After gorging on its unsuspecting hosts, | 0:15:39 | 0:15:42 | |
the crafty caterpillar completes its metamorphosis underground, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:46 | |
until it's ready to emerge as a butterfly | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
and start its search for a mate. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
The ant trick is played by a few other types of butterfly, | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
but for the large blue, it's very risky. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:58 | |
The team have discovered that some ants | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
are wise to the caterpillar's con. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
And that can have deadly consequences. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:07 | |
There are four or five different species of red ant. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
Any of those will pick up the caterpillar | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
and take it into its ant's nest, | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
but landmark research over five years | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
showed four of those species quickly recognised it was an impostor | 0:16:17 | 0:16:21 | |
and killed it. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:22 | |
And just one species, called Myrmica sabuleti, | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
were unable to detect it was an impostor. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:28 | |
The butterfly had learnt perfectly to mimic ant grubs. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:33 | |
This sneaky secret of the large blue's life cycle has made it | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
a very tricky species to reintroduce. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
Without exactly the right kind of ant to serve it, | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
this butterfly simply won't survive. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:46 | |
Today, David's also taking an ant census to ensure the right red ant | 0:16:47 | 0:16:52 | |
that the large blue depends on is present and correct. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
And I'm now going to pick one up. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:57 | |
And to get the ants where he can see them, | 0:16:57 | 0:16:59 | |
he deploys a few crumbs of trifle sponge. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:03 | |
Ants love sweet things, so they love trifle sponge. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:07 | |
And the ants very quickly will come and find it, | 0:17:07 | 0:17:11 | |
and there are ants running around already. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:14 | |
And I can see this one is exactly the ant that we want to see. | 0:17:14 | 0:17:17 | |
But keeping the right red ants here on Green Down is no piece of cake. | 0:17:18 | 0:17:23 | |
Taller the turf gets, the cooler the ground gets. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:27 | |
And as it cools down, a different species of red ant | 0:17:27 | 0:17:30 | |
will very, very quickly, just in a matter of weeks, come in | 0:17:30 | 0:17:34 | |
and take over the ants' nest that Myrmica sabuleti has. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
So we need to keep it warm in the spring and particularly warm again | 0:17:37 | 0:17:41 | |
in the autumn, and grazing is how we manage that. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
To me, it's mind-boggling just how many delicate variables there are | 0:17:46 | 0:17:50 | |
to manage for both the large blue and the ant it depends on. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:54 | |
No wonder it's taken David and his team almost 30 years | 0:17:54 | 0:17:58 | |
of relentless attention to detail to get this habitat in shape. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
But their fantastic fieldwork has been richly rewarded, | 0:18:04 | 0:18:08 | |
as these demanding, devious, | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
but delightful butterflies now have a vital stronghold. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:15 | |
It's not just the biggest population in this country, | 0:18:16 | 0:18:20 | |
but actually it's the biggest known population anywhere in the world. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:24 | |
A few miles north of Green Down across the flatlands of Somerset | 0:18:37 | 0:18:42 | |
lies the watery heart of ancient Avalon - the marshes. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
These reedbeds are home to a variety of British birds. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:52 | |
Crisscrossed with waterways, | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
they're also an ideal habitat for mammals like water voles and otters. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:58 | |
I've come back in the summer and the starling murmurations are long gone. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:07 | |
It's such a peaceful spot that it would be easy to believe | 0:19:07 | 0:19:11 | |
that not much has changed here in the marshes for centuries. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
But in fact these beautiful wetlands were created relatively recently, | 0:19:14 | 0:19:19 | |
and that takes a huge amount of vision and hard work | 0:19:19 | 0:19:22 | |
from some very dedicated people. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
And one whose story really stands out is Sally Mills, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:30 | |
a lifelong wildlife obsessive. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
As a child I used to be around, | 0:19:34 | 0:19:36 | |
trying to see birds in the local quarry and the local woods. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:39 | |
And... And I was just collecting, like, | 0:19:39 | 0:19:41 | |
bits of eggshell and trying to identify what they were, | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
and, much to my mum's distaste, I used to also pick up dead birds | 0:19:44 | 0:19:49 | |
that I found so that I could paint them and I used to keep them | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
in the freezer at home, and she didn't realise | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
till she got to the bottom of the freezer and found them there, | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
but, yeah, these things you do as a kid. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:00 | |
Sally's childhood passion led her to a career in conservation | 0:20:00 | 0:20:05 | |
and, ultimately, to a truly daunting assignment after the RSPB | 0:20:05 | 0:20:09 | |
acquired a new site with an amazing opportunity. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:13 | |
In 1994, work began to turn Ham Wall, | 0:20:13 | 0:20:17 | |
where peat had been dug on an industrial scale, | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
into a wetland wildlife reserve. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:22 | |
When I first started, it looked a bit like what I imagine the surface | 0:20:24 | 0:20:28 | |
of the moon to look like, | 0:20:28 | 0:20:29 | |
cos they harvest the peat right down to the clay, and I thought, | 0:20:29 | 0:20:33 | |
"Here we are, trying to establish a wetland. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:35 | |
"I'm never going to do this by myself." | 0:20:35 | 0:20:37 | |
And so we put an advert out for volunteers, | 0:20:37 | 0:20:39 | |
and I remember advertising that | 0:20:39 | 0:20:41 | |
there was free tea and cake on this evening if volunteers came, | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
and we were... we had about 50 people turn up. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
It was the start of a cake-fuelled people-powered revolution. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:53 | |
Sally and her team of volunteers | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
planted thousands upon thousands of reed seedlings, all by hand. | 0:20:56 | 0:21:01 | |
They used to be, like, with spade handles and bits of broomstick. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:03 | |
It was great, I mean, all right, it was hard work, | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
but it was an easy job for people to do, | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
but they were really...felt they were making a difference. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:10 | |
Reeds are a tough form of grass. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:13 | |
They thrive in flood plains and provide much-needed cover | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
and sanctuary for all kinds of animal life. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:19 | |
Among them lives a very curious British bird that with the decline | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
of the UK's wild reedbed habitats had very nearly gone extinct. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:29 | |
Bittern was our main target species at a time | 0:21:31 | 0:21:34 | |
when we started back in 1994. They were in massive decline. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
I think it was just down to 11 booming males | 0:21:37 | 0:21:40 | |
in the whole of the country in '93. | 0:21:40 | 0:21:42 | |
The bittern is a member of the heron family. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:45 | |
But no other heron can do this... | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
BITTERN BOOMS | 0:21:48 | 0:21:51 | |
This is Britain's loudest bird. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
The male's distinctive mating call, or boom, | 0:22:00 | 0:22:03 | |
is made by belching gulps of air. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:06 | |
It can be heard from a distance of two kilometres. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:09 | |
20 years ago, this eccentric bird was on the brink of extinction, | 0:22:10 | 0:22:15 | |
but thanks to new reedbeds like this, it's making a comeback. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:19 | |
The marshes here are now home to 45 breeding male bitterns. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
It's a very different picture from when Sally started. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:27 | |
It makes you draw breath, really. If you got it right for the bittern, | 0:22:27 | 0:22:30 | |
then you're going to get it right for so many other species. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
So I feel very, very lucky to have been involved, | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
and it's just brilliant to see how the site has... | 0:22:38 | 0:22:41 | |
has developed, and I think will continue to. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:43 | |
The transformation of this place has been a great success story and | 0:22:45 | 0:22:49 | |
the benefits of what's been achieved here go beyond the wildlife. | 0:22:49 | 0:22:53 | |
What's also great is to see the people that got involved in... | 0:22:53 | 0:22:57 | |
in making this project work still here, still enjoying it, and still, | 0:22:57 | 0:23:02 | |
whether it be watching the wildlife or still volunteering, | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
and...and it's just... feels very complete. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
THEY CHUCKLE | 0:23:07 | 0:23:09 | |
For Sally and her team, the years, in some cases decades, of hard work, | 0:23:13 | 0:23:18 | |
have been their own rich reward. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
Newcomers like me and the tens of thousands of delighted visitors | 0:23:21 | 0:23:25 | |
who come here every year owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:29 | |
To maximise their value as habitat, | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
man-made reedbeds like this need a lot of maintenance. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:40 | |
To keep the ditches clear and the water flowing | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
is a year-round task for the volunteers. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
And it's just brilliant to see all their amazing hard work paying off, | 0:23:47 | 0:23:51 | |
as every year brings greater diversity and new species arrive | 0:23:51 | 0:23:54 | |
that haven't been seen here before. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:56 | |
There are hundreds of British bird species | 0:23:58 | 0:24:01 | |
that now call this place home. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:02 | |
But in recent years, | 0:24:04 | 0:24:06 | |
the startling white plumage of some exotic newcomers | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 | |
has been spotted through the reeds. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
For the whole reserve, this is a very exciting development. | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
Today, volunteer Alison Morgan wants to confirm the latest sightings | 0:24:17 | 0:24:22 | |
with the help of an eye in the sky. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
We've got this new species coming in, they're beautiful, they're new, | 0:24:30 | 0:24:35 | |
they're big birds, they're about this big. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
They're just incredible birds to watch. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:38 | |
This is the great white egret, | 0:24:41 | 0:24:44 | |
once an incredibly rare sight in Britain. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:47 | |
When a single pair was spotted here on the Avalon Marshes in 2012, | 0:24:48 | 0:24:53 | |
it was big news in the bird world. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:55 | |
But more remarkable still was the discovery | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
that the pair wasn't just passing through. They were nesting. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:04 | |
It was an all-time first in Britain. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
Since then, more new pairs have been attracted | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
by the newly-created marshland, | 0:25:13 | 0:25:15 | |
and now the team wants to help them settle for good. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:18 | |
-There we go. -That's the nest. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:22 | |
There's the nest. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
Oh, look, what a wonderful location. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:26 | |
Oh, yeah. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:28 | |
Great white egrets hunt by stealth, stalking fish and frogs, | 0:25:28 | 0:25:32 | |
which they catch with a deadly jab of their bill. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
Reedbeds provide fantastic cover, and for egrets that's essential | 0:25:37 | 0:25:42 | |
for finding a nest site where their chicks can stay safe from foxes | 0:25:42 | 0:25:46 | |
and other land-based predators. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:48 | |
It makes monitoring the progress | 0:25:51 | 0:25:53 | |
of these precious newcomers a challenge. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:55 | |
But with the help of the drone, some of their secrets are being revealed. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:01 | |
The egrets nest over water, constructing a home in the reeds. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:08 | |
It's on a quite flimsy platform, isn't it? | 0:26:10 | 0:26:12 | |
Yes, it's a very flimsy platform. Yes, it's surprisingly flimsy. | 0:26:12 | 0:26:16 | |
Sometimes quite...about a metre high, you'll see the water, | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
and there's just these sticks, | 0:26:19 | 0:26:20 | |
then they build a platform on top of the reed sticks, | 0:26:20 | 0:26:22 | |
so the whole thing is very precarious. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:24 | |
Today's aerial investigation is revealing more good news. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:31 | |
Got these three birds nesting very closely together, haven't we? | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
-Yeah. -They're supposed to be colony nesting birds. | 0:26:34 | 0:26:36 | |
These early signs of a possible colony are a thrilling discovery. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:41 | |
If these pairs breed successfully, | 0:26:41 | 0:26:44 | |
Alison and the team will be the guardians | 0:26:44 | 0:26:47 | |
of Ham Wall's next generation of great white egrets, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:50 | |
so keeping a close eye on the chicks is paramount. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:53 | |
We know that one nest has got at least one chick, | 0:26:54 | 0:26:56 | |
and we want to check whether it's one | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
or whether it's more than one now, | 0:26:58 | 0:26:59 | |
cos they tend to lay up to three eggs. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
The other two nests, we want to know what's going on, | 0:27:01 | 0:27:03 | |
we think they're both incubating. From that we can calculate | 0:27:03 | 0:27:05 | |
the dates, so that we know when they hatch. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:07 | |
But for now, it's time to leave the egrets in peace, | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
and it's the end of a very satisfying day's work for Alison. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:17 | |
It's just a fabulous way of being outside | 0:27:17 | 0:27:19 | |
and seeing what life there is all around us. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
It's good for your mental health, | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
it's good for your spiritual health, it's just great fun. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
And the sight of these egrets | 0:27:26 | 0:27:28 | |
is a spectacular seal of approval for this man-made habitat. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:32 | |
Just such a privilege to connect so closely with birds, | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
with the natural world. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
We're just a small part of it and it's an amazing and beautiful thing | 0:27:38 | 0:27:41 | |
to be able to do. | 0:27:41 | 0:27:42 | |
Alison will return in a few weeks to see how the new colony's | 0:27:42 | 0:27:46 | |
getting along, and she'll be hoping to find some brand-new chicks. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:50 | |
Summer in the marshes is not to be missed. | 0:27:57 | 0:27:59 | |
It's when life here is teeming... | 0:27:59 | 0:28:01 | |
..and there's another exotic newcomer | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
that's made the hop here from mainland Europe. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:08 | |
It might not be as elegant as an egret, | 0:28:08 | 0:28:10 | |
but it could be having a vital role in their success. | 0:28:10 | 0:28:14 | |
Ecologist Andre Blacker has invited me to join him as he patrols | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
the marshes on the lookout for this easily alarmed amphibian. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:22 | |
Are we stalking frogs at the moment? | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
Yeah. This morning there were a couple over here in this ditch. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:28 | |
They're really, really jumping, so if you get... | 0:28:28 | 0:28:31 | |
Stop it! Frogs? | 0:28:31 | 0:28:32 | |
Never! Jumpy? | 0:28:32 | 0:28:34 | |
Surely not! | 0:28:34 | 0:28:35 | |
There's so many herons and predatory birds around, | 0:28:35 | 0:28:38 | |
they're just like a coiled spring, so, you know... | 0:28:38 | 0:28:41 | |
-Softly, softly. -Softly, softly. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:43 | |
OK. So I shouldn't have laughed loudly. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:45 | |
-No. If we're too... -You said the frogs were a bit jumpy. | 0:28:45 | 0:28:47 | |
I'm sorry. That was what set me off. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
We're trying to find a jumpy, shy, noise-averse, well-camouflaged frog | 0:28:51 | 0:28:56 | |
in the thick cover of a reedbed. | 0:28:56 | 0:28:58 | |
Surely that's a cinch! | 0:28:59 | 0:29:00 | |
But it's possible that a heron was here before we got here | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
-and might have frightened them. -Or eaten them. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
-Or eaten them. -Yes. -They're definitely heron food. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:15 | |
But we're not giving up easily. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:18 | |
Hang on, what's that there? | 0:29:22 | 0:29:23 | |
-Bit of leaf. -Yeah, that's it, yeah, there we go. | 0:29:24 | 0:29:27 | |
Got one, well done. | 0:29:27 | 0:29:28 | |
-Bright green. -Aren't they beautiful? | 0:29:29 | 0:29:31 | |
Stunning, stunning. | 0:29:31 | 0:29:33 | |
So that's an Iberian water frog. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:35 | |
-So he's come all the way from Spain? -Portugal, Spain or southern France. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:38 | |
How on earth did Iberian water frogs end up here on the marshes | 0:29:39 | 0:29:43 | |
-in Somerset? -We're really not sure. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:45 | |
They could have been released deliberately, | 0:29:45 | 0:29:47 | |
but they're more likely to have been brought in with the fish stock. | 0:29:47 | 0:29:50 | |
Oh, so maybe somebody brought some carp over | 0:29:50 | 0:29:53 | |
-for one of the angling lakes here. -Yeah, that's... | 0:29:53 | 0:29:55 | |
-Tadpoles came in with the carp or something. -Yeah, yeah. | 0:29:55 | 0:29:58 | |
This Iberian arrival really is rather smart. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:02 | |
The striking patterns and that vibrant shade of green | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
make it very different from our common British frog. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:08 | |
It's also a lot more vocal... | 0:30:08 | 0:30:10 | |
FROG CROAKS | 0:30:10 | 0:30:11 | |
..and that's helped to make it | 0:30:14 | 0:30:15 | |
a very notable presence in the marshes. | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
I've done some rough calculations, and I think in this habitat here | 0:30:20 | 0:30:24 | |
there are probably 2,000 adults per hectare. | 0:30:24 | 0:30:28 | |
Come on. 2,000 adult... | 0:30:29 | 0:30:31 | |
-Per hectare. -That could look like a bit of a problem, | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
a kind of invasion of a frog that's not meant to be here. | 0:30:34 | 0:30:37 | |
Is it proving problematic for the ecosystem here? | 0:30:37 | 0:30:40 | |
We've not recorded any problems. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:42 | |
These frogs have been here since the 1960s and we would have seen | 0:30:42 | 0:30:45 | |
a problem by now, we would have seen one of our native... | 0:30:45 | 0:30:47 | |
-50 years. -Yeah, we'd have seen one of our native species in decline | 0:30:47 | 0:30:51 | |
and they're thriving. | 0:30:51 | 0:30:52 | |
They're now part of the food chain whether we like it or not. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
The sheer numbers are clearly a boost | 0:30:56 | 0:30:59 | |
for the birds that like to eat them. | 0:30:59 | 0:31:01 | |
And I'm wondering if their vocal tendencies could be a factor, too. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
Is it possible that the fact that they're noisy makes them easier prey | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
for herons and bitterns and the birds that are doing well here? | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
I personally think so, yeah. | 0:31:11 | 0:31:13 | |
Yeah. Cos they call at night, erm, a lot of bird species | 0:31:13 | 0:31:16 | |
migrate at night, it could be acting like a homing beacon. | 0:31:16 | 0:31:19 | |
Egrets, herons, bitterns... | 0:31:19 | 0:31:22 | |
-Yeah. -Little bitterns, | 0:31:22 | 0:31:23 | |
they're probably all piling into the Iberian water frog. | 0:31:23 | 0:31:25 | |
Yeah, they all predate frogs. | 0:31:25 | 0:31:27 | |
Any species. And because we have so many, | 0:31:27 | 0:31:29 | |
it could be the reason they're doing quite well here. | 0:31:29 | 0:31:31 | |
Andre regularly conducts DNA tests on these frogs, | 0:31:33 | 0:31:36 | |
and today the task of catching one falls to his new field assistant. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:41 | |
I'm going to stalk the Iberian water frog for a good scientific reason. | 0:31:42 | 0:31:46 | |
It's not just for show, | 0:31:47 | 0:31:49 | |
and I'm guessing you're not rating my chances. | 0:31:49 | 0:31:52 | |
I'm no heron, but I can be pretty stealthy when I want to be. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:04 | |
Oh! | 0:32:16 | 0:32:17 | |
And guess what? | 0:32:17 | 0:32:19 | |
I thought I had him. | 0:32:22 | 0:32:24 | |
Nice try. I thought you were going to... | 0:32:24 | 0:32:27 | |
Sorry about that, I really thought I had him. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:30 | |
-It's OK. -I got within a couple of inches and he plopped... | 0:32:30 | 0:32:33 | |
-..just into there. -They're so fast, aren't they? | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
-God, he did move fast. -Yes, yes. | 0:32:37 | 0:32:39 | |
I've no idea where he is now. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:41 | |
But the Iberian water frog has eluded this famous amphibian catcher | 0:32:42 | 0:32:47 | |
that you've got with you today. | 0:32:47 | 0:32:49 | |
-That's all right. Nice try. -Thank you. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:52 | |
Luckily, Andre's research isn't dependent | 0:32:54 | 0:32:57 | |
on my frog catching skills. | 0:32:57 | 0:32:59 | |
He's already gathered some prize specimens. | 0:32:59 | 0:33:02 | |
Is he allowed out? | 0:33:02 | 0:33:04 | |
We can't let him escape because technically it is illegal | 0:33:04 | 0:33:07 | |
to put them... Although they came from here, technically it's illegal. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:11 | |
Oh, because it's a non-native species? | 0:33:11 | 0:33:13 | |
Yeah, so these will have to live out their natural lives at home with me. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:16 | |
-That's quite bizarre. -It is. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:18 | |
-But the rule is there to protect the countryside... -Exactly. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:21 | |
..from non-native species even if they are already here. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:23 | |
-Wow. A very bright, jade green body. -Yeah. | 0:33:23 | 0:33:28 | |
And then speckledy brown flanks and legs. Very distinctive. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:32 | |
And the sheer amount of water here, the big ponds, the standing water, | 0:33:32 | 0:33:36 | |
the little pools, he can exploit all those habitats. | 0:33:36 | 0:33:39 | |
They can also exploit salty water | 0:33:39 | 0:33:41 | |
and they can tolerate different pollutants. | 0:33:41 | 0:33:44 | |
So it's a tough frog but its undoing is the heron and the bittern? | 0:33:44 | 0:33:48 | |
-Exactly. -He can't do much about them. -No. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:50 | |
They can still make lunch, tea and dinner of him. | 0:33:50 | 0:33:52 | |
But there's no such fate in store for this frog. | 0:33:52 | 0:33:56 | |
He'll be heading home with Andre to live in his garden refuge. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:59 | |
So you'd think he'd be happy to go back in his box. | 0:34:00 | 0:34:03 | |
Whoa! | 0:34:03 | 0:34:04 | |
Come on, Jumpy. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:09 | |
I notice you have got a couple of reptiles with you as well, Andre. | 0:34:14 | 0:34:17 | |
Yes, two grass snakes. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:19 | |
I haven't seen a grass snake for years. | 0:34:19 | 0:34:21 | |
-Can we have a look? -Yeah, of course you can. | 0:34:21 | 0:34:23 | |
There we go. It might musth on you. | 0:34:23 | 0:34:25 | |
It's strong. I've got him, I've got him. | 0:34:26 | 0:34:29 | |
I've got one as well. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:30 | |
I can hear yours making a squirty noise. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:33 | |
Your hands end up stinking, but it's worth it. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:36 | |
They're amazing, aren't they? | 0:34:36 | 0:34:37 | |
Stunning, stunning. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:39 | |
Yeah, I'm getting that smell, | 0:34:39 | 0:34:42 | |
definitely getting that smell. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:44 | |
-That is a musth, is it? -It's a defence mechanism, yeah. | 0:34:44 | 0:34:46 | |
Some people say it smells like rotten frogs, | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
-which is probably what it is. -It doesn't smell good... | 0:34:49 | 0:34:51 | |
..but they're so fascinating and amazing to handle | 0:34:52 | 0:34:55 | |
that I'm putting up with it. | 0:34:55 | 0:34:56 | |
It's not just herons and bitterns who are booming | 0:34:56 | 0:34:59 | |
on the frog population, these guys are also frog eaters. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:02 | |
They are, yes, specialist predators of amphibians, | 0:35:02 | 0:35:05 | |
so we have a substantial population of grass snakes. | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
-They're doing well here? -They're doing very well, yeah. | 0:35:09 | 0:35:12 | |
The last time we surveyed them was in 2015 | 0:35:12 | 0:35:14 | |
and they're one of the most numerous reptiles | 0:35:14 | 0:35:17 | |
we have on the Somerset Levels. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:18 | |
Are grass snakes also prey as well as predator here? | 0:35:18 | 0:35:21 | |
Yeah, absolutely. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:22 | |
Wow. These guys obviously are natives, | 0:35:22 | 0:35:24 | |
so they are allowed to go back. | 0:35:24 | 0:35:26 | |
What are your plans for them? | 0:35:26 | 0:35:27 | |
As soon as we finish, these can go back to where they came from here. | 0:35:27 | 0:35:31 | |
They're obviously quite keen to get back in the grass. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:34 | |
-Yes. -Shall we let them do that? | 0:35:34 | 0:35:35 | |
-Yes. -OK, grass snakes, back into the grass with you. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:39 | |
Oh, he's fast and into the water. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:44 | |
Quick. | 0:35:45 | 0:35:47 | |
-This one is making its way a little bit more slowly. -Mm. | 0:35:49 | 0:35:52 | |
Well camouflaged, aren't they? | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
There he goes. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:56 | |
Beautiful. | 0:35:56 | 0:35:57 | |
And away. | 0:35:58 | 0:36:00 | |
It's great that not only are amphibians thriving here, | 0:36:00 | 0:36:02 | |
but also snakes that we barely stop to think about | 0:36:02 | 0:36:05 | |
being part of UK natural history. | 0:36:05 | 0:36:07 | |
Mm, grass snakes are doing really well, | 0:36:07 | 0:36:09 | |
a really healthy population. | 0:36:09 | 0:36:11 | |
Good news. | 0:36:11 | 0:36:12 | |
They don't smell great, though. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:17 | |
THEY CHUCKLE | 0:36:17 | 0:36:18 | |
These marshes are inspiring for any budding wildlife watcher, | 0:36:22 | 0:36:26 | |
and they've certainly got me looking to up my game. | 0:36:26 | 0:36:30 | |
But I am still way off the pace of one man | 0:36:31 | 0:36:34 | |
who must be among the Levels' most dedicated nature lovers. | 0:36:34 | 0:36:38 | |
I supply, install and maintain air conditioning and heat pumps. | 0:36:45 | 0:36:51 | |
Even in his day job, | 0:36:53 | 0:36:55 | |
Stephen Hemry can't stay away from the local wildlife. | 0:36:55 | 0:36:59 | |
Sorry, you've got a nest. | 0:36:59 | 0:37:01 | |
No eggs. | 0:37:03 | 0:37:04 | |
It's quite dry, so obviously from last year. | 0:37:05 | 0:37:08 | |
So they were very busy here last year, which is good. | 0:37:08 | 0:37:12 | |
He seems to me to be a man with a keen sense of work-life balance. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:16 | |
Finish work maybe six o'clock, go home, have a bit of tea, | 0:37:17 | 0:37:22 | |
spend a bit of time with the family and then off out. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:24 | |
I was born and bred in Somerset so it is a special place, very special. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:37 | |
The wildlife is absolutely fantastic. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
This infectious passion for his local patch | 0:37:40 | 0:37:43 | |
isn't something Stephen can keep to himself. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:46 | |
I like to get out there, see it, film it, photograph it, | 0:37:46 | 0:37:50 | |
share it out. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:51 | |
This evening he's out with his camera as usual, | 0:37:51 | 0:37:55 | |
seeing who's to be found around some of his spots. | 0:37:55 | 0:37:58 | |
This is West Sedgemoor, a big open moorlands, which do flood... | 0:37:58 | 0:38:03 | |
They are flood plains, so in the winter | 0:38:03 | 0:38:06 | |
this would all be under water. | 0:38:06 | 0:38:08 | |
And what happens? | 0:38:09 | 0:38:11 | |
All the wintering birds come in. | 0:38:11 | 0:38:12 | |
As a child I was always into my birds, | 0:38:14 | 0:38:16 | |
but then you grow up, you get jobs, | 0:38:16 | 0:38:18 | |
you go to work, you get married, | 0:38:18 | 0:38:20 | |
you have children and those sorts of things fall by the wayside. | 0:38:20 | 0:38:23 | |
It's a familiar story, but since he rediscovered his passion, | 0:38:27 | 0:38:32 | |
Stephen's developed a knack for getting close enough to wild animals | 0:38:32 | 0:38:36 | |
to film and photograph them. | 0:38:36 | 0:38:38 | |
I could see the footprints, found a hole, | 0:38:39 | 0:38:41 | |
sat and waited for a while and, yeah, I got one on film. | 0:38:41 | 0:38:45 | |
I love water voles, they're great to see. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:50 | |
Very elusive, don't see them very often. | 0:38:51 | 0:38:54 | |
Plenty of roe deer out here. | 0:38:56 | 0:38:59 | |
Often see them playing around. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
You stay still, you've used the landscape as your hide, | 0:39:02 | 0:39:06 | |
you don't need to come out here and build a hide, | 0:39:06 | 0:39:08 | |
you use what's natural here to hide behind, | 0:39:08 | 0:39:11 | |
let those mammals come in close, and they do. | 0:39:11 | 0:39:13 | |
Keep the wind in the right direction, | 0:39:16 | 0:39:18 | |
keep the noise down and you'll get them in, | 0:39:18 | 0:39:20 | |
and you get them in nice and close for the good close-up shots. | 0:39:20 | 0:39:23 | |
It's beautiful. | 0:39:23 | 0:39:24 | |
They don't know you're there. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:26 | |
You're not disturbing them. | 0:39:26 | 0:39:28 | |
That's the key, don't disturb anything, let it come to you, | 0:39:28 | 0:39:31 | |
don't chase it, let it come to you | 0:39:31 | 0:39:33 | |
and you can get your shots, it's great. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:35 | |
She came out and walked about 15 feet in front of me, | 0:39:38 | 0:39:42 | |
and she's just happily eating the thistles. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
And she looked up a couple of times, she saw me there, | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
wasn't bothered at all, and, like I say, | 0:39:48 | 0:39:51 | |
closest I'd ever come to a roe deer. | 0:39:51 | 0:39:53 | |
That was absolutely fantastic. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:55 | |
I'm able to film these things and put them out on my Facebook page | 0:39:57 | 0:40:01 | |
and people really enjoy it. | 0:40:01 | 0:40:02 | |
There's no sign yet this evening of Stephen's favourite badger family. | 0:40:07 | 0:40:11 | |
But the clues aren't far away. | 0:40:11 | 0:40:13 | |
In the puddle here, there's a couple of dog prints, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:19 | |
which are really quite obvious. | 0:40:19 | 0:40:21 | |
But there's also something else. | 0:40:21 | 0:40:23 | |
That's actually a badger print. | 0:40:23 | 0:40:25 | |
So a badger's passed through this way at some point. | 0:40:25 | 0:40:28 | |
But you can tell by the length of the claw that it's a badger | 0:40:28 | 0:40:33 | |
as opposed to being a dog. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:35 | |
Stephen's stealth and field craft often gets him and his camera | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
in the right place at the right time. | 0:40:38 | 0:40:41 | |
I spotted the fox in the margin, and he's making his way up through. | 0:40:41 | 0:40:46 | |
And then there's a big commotion, the crows started to chase it off. | 0:40:46 | 0:40:52 | |
So, yeah, one of them had to leave, | 0:40:52 | 0:40:54 | |
and there were more crows than foxes, so the fox lost! | 0:40:54 | 0:40:59 | |
Think a heron got involved as well somewhere along the line there. | 0:41:00 | 0:41:03 | |
It's really quite interesting to see. | 0:41:03 | 0:41:05 | |
Whilst I was actually filming that, | 0:41:08 | 0:41:10 | |
a stoat came out of the gateway. | 0:41:10 | 0:41:12 | |
Just out there hunting, looking for food. | 0:41:14 | 0:41:16 | |
Went in and out of the hedgerow a few times, and I managed to get it | 0:41:16 | 0:41:19 | |
onto film, so, yeah, I was very pleased with that. | 0:41:19 | 0:41:22 | |
Stephen's midsummer outings usually end in a sunset appointment | 0:41:26 | 0:41:30 | |
with some old friends. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:32 | |
I know where the hare are. | 0:41:33 | 0:41:35 | |
I do like to try and get shots of the hare. | 0:41:35 | 0:41:37 | |
There's one particular evening out on Curry Moor, | 0:41:39 | 0:41:42 | |
I was sat quiet in the gateway and then slowly came along the hedgerow | 0:41:42 | 0:41:47 | |
just to my right. | 0:41:47 | 0:41:48 | |
Came really close, less than six feet away from me, I suppose, | 0:41:51 | 0:41:55 | |
and stopped. | 0:41:55 | 0:41:56 | |
Having one so close, I had to stop... | 0:42:01 | 0:42:04 | |
stop filming and take some photographs. | 0:42:04 | 0:42:06 | |
He makes it sound easy, but hares are famously skittish, | 0:42:06 | 0:42:10 | |
so to get close-ups like these are a great testament | 0:42:10 | 0:42:14 | |
to Stephen's dedication and skill. | 0:42:14 | 0:42:16 | |
And he's always alive to every opportunity to watch and wonder. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:21 | |
I've got one out there. It's very low at the moment. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:29 | |
It's obviously heard me, so it, it's... | 0:42:31 | 0:42:35 | |
But give it a few minutes and it should settle down. | 0:42:35 | 0:42:39 | |
If I stay quiet, it should show. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:42 | |
So we'll wait and see if a couple more come out. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:48 | |
Hares tend to feed at night | 0:42:51 | 0:42:53 | |
when they'll be less obvious to potential predators. | 0:42:53 | 0:42:56 | |
When called for, those hind legs can propel them at over 40mph. | 0:42:58 | 0:43:02 | |
For Stephen, whatever they're up to, | 0:43:04 | 0:43:06 | |
every minute in their company is time well spent. | 0:43:06 | 0:43:09 | |
There you go, that was nice to see. | 0:43:13 | 0:43:16 | |
We stayed quiet and he eventually came up out of the grass, | 0:43:16 | 0:43:21 | |
had a bit of... bit of a trot across, | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
and a bit more feeding and then has run off into the distance. | 0:43:24 | 0:43:27 | |
Great. Happy days. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:29 | |
One thing I've learnt from the devoted wildlife watchers | 0:43:44 | 0:43:48 | |
of the Somerset Levels is always to keep my eyes open. | 0:43:48 | 0:43:51 | |
And every time I come here, including today, I'm asking myself, | 0:43:51 | 0:43:55 | |
"What am I going to see today that I've never seen before?" | 0:43:55 | 0:43:57 | |
And it doesn't have to be big. | 0:43:58 | 0:44:00 | |
What are those? | 0:44:01 | 0:44:02 | |
Come and have a look at this. | 0:44:05 | 0:44:06 | |
On the water. | 0:44:13 | 0:44:15 | |
Hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny aquatic insects. | 0:44:16 | 0:44:20 | |
They look like little beads, little beetly things. | 0:44:20 | 0:44:24 | |
Just have to get a closer look. | 0:44:24 | 0:44:25 | |
Are they going to scarper? | 0:44:27 | 0:44:29 | |
They've sensed my presence and they're just heading off. | 0:44:29 | 0:44:31 | |
I don't want to scatter them too much, | 0:44:31 | 0:44:33 | |
but they're definitely reacting to me. | 0:44:33 | 0:44:35 | |
Just raise a hand and they start spinning, | 0:44:35 | 0:44:38 | |
like, doing crazy circles. | 0:44:38 | 0:44:40 | |
They're stunning, like little jewels in the sunshine. | 0:44:41 | 0:44:44 | |
Catching the light in the most brilliant way, | 0:44:47 | 0:44:49 | |
they're absolutely mad. | 0:44:49 | 0:44:51 | |
Some of them are just spinning round and round like crazy tops. | 0:44:51 | 0:44:54 | |
And there's a load over there, too... | 0:44:57 | 0:44:59 | |
..just at the bottom of the reeds on the other side. | 0:45:00 | 0:45:03 | |
You can see the tiny little sparkly dots. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:05 | |
Every now and then they go absolutely nuts, | 0:45:08 | 0:45:10 | |
and I wonder if that's basically a kind of defence. | 0:45:10 | 0:45:12 | |
Cause such confusion with the spinning movements that any predator | 0:45:12 | 0:45:15 | |
doesn't really know which way to go. | 0:45:15 | 0:45:17 | |
Never mind the starlings. | 0:45:19 | 0:45:20 | |
This is aquatic invertebrate murmurations. | 0:45:20 | 0:45:22 | |
But what are they? That's what I want to know. | 0:45:23 | 0:45:25 | |
I'm either going to have to find somebody who knows | 0:45:28 | 0:45:30 | |
what these little guys are, or, | 0:45:30 | 0:45:32 | |
by the time this is actually on telly, I'll have done my research | 0:45:32 | 0:45:36 | |
and I could do you a nice little piece, | 0:45:36 | 0:45:38 | |
tell you exactly what they are | 0:45:38 | 0:45:39 | |
and a little bit about their natural history. | 0:45:39 | 0:45:41 | |
As promised, I've done my homework, | 0:45:43 | 0:45:45 | |
and now I can tell you that these little whirling dervishes | 0:45:45 | 0:45:49 | |
are actually aquatic beetles called whirligigs. | 0:45:49 | 0:45:52 | |
This out-and-out specialist is perfectly equipped for life | 0:45:54 | 0:45:58 | |
on the surface of still water. | 0:45:58 | 0:46:00 | |
They're actually predators feeding on tiny insects | 0:46:00 | 0:46:03 | |
trapped in the surface tension. | 0:46:03 | 0:46:06 | |
They have extraordinary split-vision eyes that allows them | 0:46:07 | 0:46:10 | |
to keep a lookout for danger, | 0:46:10 | 0:46:12 | |
both from the air above and the water below. | 0:46:12 | 0:46:15 | |
And as for that crazy gyrating movement, | 0:46:16 | 0:46:19 | |
it's thought to be something whirligigs do when they're hunting | 0:46:19 | 0:46:22 | |
to panic the tiny insects they feed on. | 0:46:22 | 0:46:25 | |
But also, as I suspected, as a defensive manoeuvre | 0:46:26 | 0:46:30 | |
to confuse any threatening presence, birds, fish, | 0:46:30 | 0:46:34 | |
or the occasional passing wildlife enthusiast. | 0:46:34 | 0:46:37 | |
There's something about them just caught my eye, which, | 0:46:40 | 0:46:42 | |
at the beginning of the year, probably wouldn't have happened. | 0:46:42 | 0:46:45 | |
I'm definitely much more tuned in now, I spot stuff. | 0:46:45 | 0:46:48 | |
I'm getting better. It's so exciting. | 0:46:48 | 0:46:50 | |
These curious bugs are just one part of the explosion of life | 0:46:51 | 0:46:56 | |
here at Ham Wall over the summer. | 0:46:56 | 0:46:59 | |
The reedbeds everywhere are bustling with newly-hatched insects. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:03 | |
And, of course, it's a crucial time for the birds. | 0:47:04 | 0:47:06 | |
It's been a few weeks since the great white egrets | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
started hatching chicks, suggesting these relatively recent arrivals | 0:47:11 | 0:47:15 | |
are really settling in here. | 0:47:15 | 0:47:17 | |
Alison Morgan is certainly hoping so, and today she's catching up | 0:47:17 | 0:47:22 | |
with the progress of the precious offspring. | 0:47:22 | 0:47:25 | |
There's the cloth on the string. | 0:47:25 | 0:47:27 | |
Yeah. | 0:47:27 | 0:47:28 | |
That's the rings. | 0:47:30 | 0:47:31 | |
Alison and her colleague Richard Hearn | 0:47:37 | 0:47:39 | |
are taking to the water to check on the chicks. | 0:47:39 | 0:47:43 | |
As we approach, the adults come off the nest. | 0:47:44 | 0:47:47 | |
They remain within sight of the nest. | 0:47:47 | 0:47:49 | |
The young ones don't have too many options about where to go, | 0:47:49 | 0:47:52 | |
and we put them back quite quickly, and then the parents | 0:47:52 | 0:47:54 | |
will normally return 10 to 15 minutes after we've left. | 0:47:54 | 0:47:57 | |
We've got a special disturbance licence, | 0:47:57 | 0:47:59 | |
because obviously these are rare breeding birds. | 0:47:59 | 0:48:02 | |
The mission for the day is to ring all the chicks. | 0:48:02 | 0:48:05 | |
It's important that this happens before they're strong enough to jump | 0:48:06 | 0:48:10 | |
from the nest, which is always a risk if they get spooked. | 0:48:10 | 0:48:13 | |
As the nests are over water, | 0:48:14 | 0:48:16 | |
a chick that falls or jumps out could easily drown. | 0:48:16 | 0:48:19 | |
I'm just going to stand up. | 0:48:20 | 0:48:22 | |
To minimise the disturbance, | 0:48:22 | 0:48:25 | |
they've left the crew behind and are filming it themselves. | 0:48:25 | 0:48:28 | |
Yeah, they're pretty big. I think they're too big to go anywhere near, | 0:48:28 | 0:48:31 | |
personally. They're completely feathered. | 0:48:31 | 0:48:33 | |
They're going to see us come in and they're over water, | 0:48:33 | 0:48:37 | |
and to me that just changes everything. | 0:48:37 | 0:48:39 | |
For the welfare of the chicks, | 0:48:41 | 0:48:42 | |
Richard and Alison decided to back off the burgeoning colony. | 0:48:42 | 0:48:46 | |
The chicks just look too big - they're feathered. | 0:48:46 | 0:48:49 | |
And so that means that if we go in and ring them, they'll jump off | 0:48:49 | 0:48:51 | |
the nests into the water - all sorts of dangers that we need to avoid. | 0:48:51 | 0:48:54 | |
And the other nest is so close to it that we'd disturb the first nest | 0:48:54 | 0:48:58 | |
if we went in. | 0:48:58 | 0:49:00 | |
The third nest, the chicks are too young still probably to ring, anyway. | 0:49:00 | 0:49:03 | |
So, that's how not to ring great white egrets. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:06 | |
It's a frustrating start, but there's another nest on the list... | 0:49:12 | 0:49:16 | |
..and this one's on its own. | 0:49:18 | 0:49:19 | |
Yeah. | 0:49:23 | 0:49:25 | |
There she goes. | 0:49:28 | 0:49:29 | |
They look a nice size. | 0:49:35 | 0:49:36 | |
Good shot, Richard. | 0:49:46 | 0:49:48 | |
The cloth over the chicks helps to keep them calm... | 0:49:48 | 0:49:50 | |
..before popping them in a pillowcase | 0:49:52 | 0:49:54 | |
for a comfortable move on to the kayak. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:56 | |
There's one. | 0:49:57 | 0:49:59 | |
There's the other one. | 0:50:01 | 0:50:03 | |
It's important to gather all of the data that they need | 0:50:03 | 0:50:06 | |
in the shortest possible time. | 0:50:06 | 0:50:07 | |
-CHICK CHEEPS -Yeah, excellent. | 0:50:07 | 0:50:10 | |
And these old hands have got this down to a pretty slick routine. | 0:50:10 | 0:50:15 | |
Total head is 111.1. | 0:50:15 | 0:50:17 | |
Feathers are taken to determine the chick's sex... | 0:50:19 | 0:50:21 | |
..and leg rings help with future identification of each bird. | 0:50:24 | 0:50:27 | |
6.50. | 0:50:32 | 0:50:33 | |
-That's the actual weight. -6.50? | 0:50:33 | 0:50:36 | |
-CHICK CHEEPS -Ta. | 0:50:38 | 0:50:40 | |
Oops, he's just left his breakfast on your bag. | 0:50:40 | 0:50:42 | |
You're number two, aren't you? Looks good. | 0:50:45 | 0:50:49 | |
Job done, in more ways than one. | 0:50:49 | 0:50:51 | |
Great. | 0:50:51 | 0:50:52 | |
That's good. | 0:50:56 | 0:50:57 | |
Textbook. | 0:50:57 | 0:50:58 | |
The great white egrets are thriving and giving us all hope | 0:51:02 | 0:51:06 | |
of what could be a long-term nesting colony here in the Avalon Marshes. | 0:51:06 | 0:51:10 | |
Just a few weeks later, the chicks have flown the nest. | 0:51:15 | 0:51:19 | |
It's successes like this that make the long struggle to recover | 0:51:19 | 0:51:23 | |
and preserve this wetland habitat | 0:51:23 | 0:51:25 | |
from an industrial site incredibly worthwhile. | 0:51:25 | 0:51:29 | |
It's been fantastic. It's been the best so far. | 0:51:29 | 0:51:31 | |
This year we had eight nests with 18 chicks fledging. | 0:51:31 | 0:51:35 | |
And there's more exciting news. | 0:51:35 | 0:51:37 | |
It looks like the egret chicks ringed here just a few weeks ago | 0:51:37 | 0:51:41 | |
could be colonising other wetland sites across the country. | 0:51:41 | 0:51:46 | |
AAJ was reported less than a week after we know that it was still here | 0:51:46 | 0:51:52 | |
from Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory in Kent. | 0:51:52 | 0:51:55 | |
And just a few days ago we discovered that a AAH has been seen | 0:51:55 | 0:51:59 | |
at Dungeness Bird Observatory in Kent. | 0:51:59 | 0:52:01 | |
So we reckon both birds probably travelled together. | 0:52:01 | 0:52:04 | |
The timing seems to suggest that. | 0:52:04 | 0:52:06 | |
We don't know why. Maybe there was a strong west wind, | 0:52:06 | 0:52:09 | |
maybe they just went along the coast and stopped when they ran out | 0:52:09 | 0:52:12 | |
of land, but we have successfully exported them to Kent. | 0:52:12 | 0:52:15 | |
Whether they'll come back we don't know. | 0:52:15 | 0:52:17 | |
We rather hope they will, but time will tell. | 0:52:17 | 0:52:19 | |
In my visits here, I've seen so many species, both new and native. | 0:52:22 | 0:52:27 | |
It's clear just how important this place is for wildlife. | 0:52:27 | 0:52:31 | |
And it's certainly done wonders for my bird knowledge, | 0:52:33 | 0:52:36 | |
and that's something I now realise can be a never-ending quest. | 0:52:36 | 0:52:40 | |
But there's one famous resident that has eluded me so far - | 0:52:41 | 0:52:45 | |
the booming bittern. | 0:52:45 | 0:52:47 | |
BITTERN BOOMS | 0:52:47 | 0:52:48 | |
Today I'm returning to the exact spot where I watched the starlings | 0:52:50 | 0:52:54 | |
back in the winter, hoping finally to see one. | 0:52:54 | 0:52:57 | |
I'm with the reserve's warden, Steve Hughes, | 0:52:57 | 0:53:00 | |
and the ever-dependable team of John and Gary. | 0:53:00 | 0:53:04 | |
-Hi, John. -Hi, Hugh. How are you doing? -Got your short sleeves on. | 0:53:04 | 0:53:07 | |
-Yeah. -You wouldn't have had that on in February. -No, not in winter. | 0:53:07 | 0:53:10 | |
How's it going? | 0:53:10 | 0:53:11 | |
There's some egrets about. | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
-Marsh harrier. -A marsh harrier, was it? | 0:53:13 | 0:53:15 | |
-Very amazing chestnut colour, isn't it? -Mm. | 0:53:16 | 0:53:19 | |
-It's just going down into the reeds. -Yeah. | 0:53:19 | 0:53:21 | |
Also there's meant to be some bitterns flying about, but I haven't | 0:53:21 | 0:53:25 | |
-seen any yet. -OK, well, that would be exciting. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:28 | |
-Have you filmed a lot of bittern? -No, no. | 0:53:28 | 0:53:31 | |
They're difficult because, I mean, you can see them, | 0:53:32 | 0:53:34 | |
but by the time you pick them up, | 0:53:34 | 0:53:36 | |
they're often just already dropped into the reeds, so... | 0:53:36 | 0:53:39 | |
-Yeah. -Yeah. I mean, yesterday, | 0:53:39 | 0:53:40 | |
I think was actually the first time I got a decent shot of a bittern. | 0:53:40 | 0:53:44 | |
-Really? -Yeah, and I've been here many, many times. | 0:53:44 | 0:53:46 | |
John's making it sound like I'll be lucky to see a bittern today. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:52 | |
Do you see the little... | 0:53:52 | 0:53:53 | |
Is it some duck in there? | 0:53:55 | 0:53:56 | |
There's a duck just to the right of it? | 0:53:56 | 0:53:59 | |
I don't think that's a bittern. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:01 | |
But I'm learning that when you're looking for a wild animal | 0:54:01 | 0:54:05 | |
you haven't seen before, | 0:54:05 | 0:54:06 | |
a glimpse is all it takes to get the pulse racing. | 0:54:06 | 0:54:09 | |
Is that a bittern? Can you see him? | 0:54:09 | 0:54:11 | |
Yeah, he's come out from this side now, you can see him clearly. | 0:54:11 | 0:54:14 | |
Amazing, that's a bittern. | 0:54:14 | 0:54:15 | |
I did not think I would come here and see a bittern. | 0:54:20 | 0:54:23 | |
Marsh harrier, the other bird. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:26 | |
So, marsh harrier crossing a bittern there. | 0:54:26 | 0:54:28 | |
How amazing. Big bird. | 0:54:29 | 0:54:31 | |
Bigger bird than I expected. | 0:54:31 | 0:54:32 | |
How was that for you, John? | 0:54:35 | 0:54:36 | |
Just got the last bit as he dropped into the reeds. | 0:54:36 | 0:54:39 | |
OK, that was phenomenal. | 0:54:39 | 0:54:41 | |
I have to say, my heart's still thumping. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:44 | |
I mean, that's magic for me to see a bittern. | 0:54:44 | 0:54:47 | |
I've never seen one before. | 0:54:47 | 0:54:49 | |
-Fantastic. -Yeah, no, really, really great. | 0:54:49 | 0:54:52 | |
That's just blown me away, actually. | 0:54:52 | 0:54:54 | |
And the marsh harrier at the same time. | 0:54:54 | 0:54:56 | |
It's one of the only places in the UK I think you could probably | 0:54:56 | 0:54:59 | |
come and get six species of heron, if you want, in a day. | 0:54:59 | 0:55:01 | |
So that would be the grey heron. | 0:55:01 | 0:55:03 | |
-Grey heron, yeah. -The bittern. | 0:55:03 | 0:55:05 | |
-Yeah. -The little bittern. | 0:55:05 | 0:55:06 | |
Yeah. | 0:55:06 | 0:55:08 | |
The cattle egret, the little egret, and the great white egret. | 0:55:08 | 0:55:11 | |
-Indeed, yeah. -Have you ever seen them all in a day? | 0:55:11 | 0:55:13 | |
I have done them all in a day, yeah. | 0:55:13 | 0:55:15 | |
-Have you? -Been pretty lucky. -That's heron bingo, isn't it? | 0:55:15 | 0:55:18 | |
-Full house. -It is, yeah, indeed. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:19 | |
Is that a bittern? | 0:55:19 | 0:55:21 | |
-I think so. -They're a bit further away this time. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:26 | |
Yeah, bittern up underneath the mast. | 0:55:26 | 0:55:28 | |
-Are you on him? -It dropped in again. | 0:55:28 | 0:55:29 | |
-It's gone in. -It's gone in at the exact same spot again. | 0:55:29 | 0:55:32 | |
We've seen him drop in there twice, | 0:55:32 | 0:55:34 | |
once from the left and once from sort of behind and to the right. | 0:55:34 | 0:55:37 | |
That feels like we're getting a fix on the nest. | 0:55:38 | 0:55:41 | |
-Possibly. -Possibly? -But we need to take a view over a much longer... | 0:55:41 | 0:55:44 | |
I'm getting overexcited. I'm pushing you to conclusions | 0:55:44 | 0:55:46 | |
you're currently reluctant to make on the evidence. | 0:55:46 | 0:55:48 | |
We take a few weeks, I think, | 0:55:48 | 0:55:50 | |
to be able to decide whether it's a nest or not. | 0:55:50 | 0:55:52 | |
-What, rather than three minutes? -A few surveys. Yeah, we like to get | 0:55:52 | 0:55:55 | |
a bit of evidence behind it rather than just... | 0:55:55 | 0:55:57 | |
What I'm trying to tell you is I've found you a bittern nest, Steve. | 0:55:57 | 0:55:59 | |
Come on, give me some credit here. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:01 | |
I appreciate the enthusiasm. | 0:56:01 | 0:56:03 | |
Well, I'm super enthusiastic. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:06 | |
I'm being treated to a parade of some really hard-to-see species | 0:56:08 | 0:56:11 | |
all making the most of this wonderful wetland. | 0:56:11 | 0:56:14 | |
This distinguished iridescent plumage belongs to the glossy ibis. | 0:56:16 | 0:56:20 | |
I just saw an egret pop up. | 0:56:23 | 0:56:26 | |
Yeah, it's a little egret. | 0:56:26 | 0:56:27 | |
That's the little one just behind the reeds there. | 0:56:27 | 0:56:30 | |
Great white egret flying. | 0:56:32 | 0:56:33 | |
You really see the heron in him there. | 0:56:36 | 0:56:39 | |
-Yeah. -With that sort of S-bend in the neck. | 0:56:39 | 0:56:41 | |
Just dropped in behind the reeds there. | 0:56:46 | 0:56:47 | |
Ah, is that a bittern I see? | 0:56:49 | 0:56:52 | |
-I think so. -A bit further away this time. | 0:56:55 | 0:56:58 | |
Yeah, bittern underneath the mast. | 0:56:58 | 0:57:00 | |
Are you on him? It dropped in again. | 0:57:00 | 0:57:02 | |
It's gone in, but I did get it. | 0:57:02 | 0:57:05 | |
Well done. | 0:57:05 | 0:57:07 | |
That bittern has treated us all to a stunning show. | 0:57:07 | 0:57:10 | |
It's a fitting end to my time amongst the captivating wildlife | 0:57:11 | 0:57:16 | |
of the Avalon Marshes. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:17 | |
It's been so heartening to see this man-made environment looked after | 0:57:19 | 0:57:25 | |
by such a dedicated team, enriching our world for wildlife | 0:57:25 | 0:57:29 | |
and giving so much pleasure to visitors like me. | 0:57:29 | 0:57:33 | |
Saw all sorts of things I didn't expect to see today. | 0:57:37 | 0:57:40 | |
Ibis, marsh harrier and bittern. | 0:57:40 | 0:57:41 | |
-It's not bad, is it? -It's not bad. | 0:57:42 | 0:57:44 | |
-And great egret. -Yeah. -And great egret. | 0:57:44 | 0:57:47 | |
If you'd like to explore Britain's diverse landscapes in more detail | 0:57:52 | 0:57:56 | |
and find out how to create your own wildlife habitats, | 0:57:56 | 0:58:00 | |
the Open University has produced a free booklet with bookmarks. | 0:58:00 | 0:58:03 | |
Order your copy by calling... | 0:58:05 | 0:58:06 | |
..or go to... | 0:58:10 | 0:58:11 | |
..and follow the links to the Open University. | 0:58:15 | 0:58:17 |