0:00:02 > 0:00:05For me, watching wildlife is one of life's greatest pleasures.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And my favourite place to do it is right here,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12in my beloved West Country.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16This captivating corner of the British Isles...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18There's six right underneath us.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22..has a cast of creatures that's as awe-inspiring,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26extraordinary and magical as any.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Oh, come on! No way!
0:00:28 > 0:00:33I'm hoping to get as close as I can to as many as I can...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Right, I'm ready. This is great, this is measuring an eel.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Oh, oh, oh!
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Ants, off, off!
0:00:39 > 0:00:41There's one inside.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45..with the help of a band of dedicated nature lovers.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Some of the patterns on the feathers, they're beautiful.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Good spot. Look, look, look.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53- Wonderful.- It's so cool.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55There's one in my hair now, Poppy.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I'll share the thrill of the chase...
0:00:58 > 0:00:59- Do you hear them?- I heard something.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Yeah. They're in there.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02DISTANT SQUEAL
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Yes.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06The sheer joy of the encounter.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08- She's so golden.- She's fast asleep.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It's OK. Shh.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11That's amazing.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And I'll pitch in to help these local heroes...
0:01:16 > 0:01:20..safeguard the future of our precious animals.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Bye-bye. There she goes.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Whoa-ho!
0:01:25 > 0:01:27I can't believe that I have been living
0:01:27 > 0:01:29in the West Country for so many years
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and I've never done this before.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34This will be a year-round adventure...
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Straight ahead!
0:01:35 > 0:01:40..as we explore the natural wonders of the UK's very own
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Wild West.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55There can't be many places in Britain
0:01:55 > 0:01:58as timeless as this ancient woodland.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The Forest of Dean
0:02:02 > 0:02:05is one of the great wooded landscapes of Britain
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and it is certainly one of the most atmospheric wild places I know.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12In the Dark Ages,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16this forest was protected as the hunting ground of England's Kings.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23And in modern Britain it's prized as an unspoiled wildlife refuge,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25providing shelter, food,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30cover, and camouflage for a multitude of amazing creatures.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37So I'm heading in, beneath the canopy,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40to find out much more about the secretive wildlife
0:02:40 > 0:02:43living deep in this forest.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The Forest of Dean is set between two great tidal rivers,...
0:02:52 > 0:02:53..the Severn and the Wye,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56which straddle the border between England and Wales.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Of all the creatures making a home in this forest,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08there is one that I'm absolutely determined to see.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11But it can be very elusive.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15So I've teamed up with a photographer
0:03:15 > 0:03:18who's well practised in tracking these imposing animals...
0:03:19 > 0:03:20..and capturing them on camera.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28This is the wild boar.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33And Robin's account of coming face-to-face with one
0:03:33 > 0:03:37for the first time has me bristling with anticipation.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39I was just frozen.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Seeing this huge animal just walking up to me in the forest,
0:03:42 > 0:03:43stop, and stare at me.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46We exchanged a glance, sort of thing, and it was like,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49OK, I'm going to stay still and then she trotted off.
0:03:51 > 0:03:57For centuries, wild boar like this ran free in the Forest and, now,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00300 years after being hunted to extinction,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03this native breed is back.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06This looks like quite fresh rooting, here.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08We do have some wild boar footprints in here, too.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- It's a footprint?- Yeah.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Robin is a local, born and bred here in the Dean,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and he's thrilled the boar have returned.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27I remember the first time I saw them, I was just blown away.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Yeah, it just love these beasts walking around the forest.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36The wild boar is the original pig,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38the forefather of our domestic porker.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43They are still bred in captivity for their meat.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The boar's return to the wild began 20 years ago,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51when a few farmed animals escaped into the forest.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Soon, they were joined by dozens more that were illegally released.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Today, the Dean is thought to have around 1,200 wild boar,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04the largest population in the UK.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09But that doesn't make them easy to see.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11This is a shy creature
0:05:11 > 0:05:14whose every instinct is to keep well away from humans.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19The Forest of Dean is a very big place, Robin,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21why have we started here today?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It's just somewhere that I've found boar in the past
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and I like to return because I know they have their breeds here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Robin likes to track alone, so today we are a bit of a crowd.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35There is actually five of us here today, these guys,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38as well as us two, and I'm already talking in a whisper,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I'm sort of assuming that's the way to go.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Yeah, we just need to respect that there are
0:05:42 > 0:05:45some big wild animals out in the forest and if we do see some,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48we need to just hold back a little bit.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And big and wild - dangerous?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54There is no recorded incidents, as far as I'm aware,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56that anyone has been hospitalised or anything,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57but, you know, it is a wild animal,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59with any wild animal, you respect them.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00How easy is it going to be today?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's not easy to find them at all.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I spend hours and hours, as often as I can, trying to find them.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07So, the honest truth is,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10we'll be quite lucky to even see a wild boar today.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Oh, yeah. Definitely.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I got the message, no aftershave, no deodorant,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16so I'm going home smelly tonight.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Yeah.- I even backed off my rose scented moisturiser.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Did you?- After my shave today, yes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23So, if I get a sore face, it's all your fault.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- Gutting. - THEY CHUCKLE
0:06:26 > 0:06:30That could be nervous laughter, on my part, at least.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35After all, we are tracking a wild animal that can outweigh two men.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Make sure you are behind us.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40For this first bit, make sure...
0:06:41 > 0:06:45And a boar that feels cornered could charge at intruders.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Hopefully we will see a sow today.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52With litters of newborn piglets,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54we can expect the sows to be on high alert.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Are they likely to be active, or resting?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03They're likely to be sleeping and just feeding.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04The piglets might be up.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08If I could just mention to everybody...
0:07:09 > 0:07:12If you smell like a farmyard sort of smell, let me know.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Because that means they're very close.- OK.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- I'm just going to point you towards this tree.- Oh, that's boar.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22So that's tusk marks.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Really? That's quite full-on, isn't?- Yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30- They've got a little bit of sap running on that now.- Yeah.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Really recent.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33I would say.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40- Still just crumbly.- That's a thin trickle, looks very wet.- Yeah.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Does that suggest to you super recent?- Definitely.- Last 24 hours?
0:07:43 > 0:07:44I would say so.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- So, they can't be far away. - Definitely not.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57WHISPERING: I get the sense that we're right in the heart of boar territory now.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00There is so much rooted-over ground here.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06It looks very freshly dug over.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- That's a footprint, is it?- Yeah. - Yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Listen.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- Piglets.- Really?
0:08:19 > 0:08:20- Did you hear them? - I heard something.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Yeah, they're in there.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23DISTANT SQUEAL
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- Yes, yes.- Piglets.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26I can hear it.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I very much like to respect them.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I wouldn't just go walking through that.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33This is the sort of thing I would do.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I stay on the outskirts of places like this
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and hope they'll come out, maybe get my shot.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39- Do you mind if I just do my thing? - No.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Robin is just going to do his thing and go a little bit closer
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and just confirm that that is piglet noise,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50just in this thick conifer here.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Definitely seems really tuned into the forest.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00He's hearing and seeing things that I am missing, but...
0:09:01 > 0:09:02..he's absolutely on it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10We're right by the main road here.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17There we go. There they are, there they are.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Wow! Fantastic.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22About ten piglets, they were just 15 yards away.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28They took us by surprise!
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We practically walked into them.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Well, they just sort of trotted off into the conifers here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I'm not sure we got any of it on film.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I don't really mind, cos I saw them really well.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42- Lost it.- Sorry about that!
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Robin's instinct for where this litter was going to be today
0:09:48 > 0:09:49was absolutely bang on.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56That tantalising glimpse has only whetted my appetite.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I'd love to get a clear sight of this sow and her piglets.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So we stalk on, as stealthily as we can.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08But someone else is being stealthier still.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12- Hello.- Nice to meet you.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20We've just had a close encounter with another enthusiast.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24We practically stood on him because he's very well camouflaged.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It's actually really great to find somebody else here
0:10:27 > 0:10:29doing exactly what we are doing,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33just out of sheer passion and excitement about the wild boar here.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I think he was up a little bit earlier than us.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38He has been on a long stakeout
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and it looks like he has got a great shot of the sow who was,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44just a few minutes before we came in, she was just here.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Our fellow stalker's strategy is to stay put,
0:10:49 > 0:10:50letting the boar come to him.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54But with daylight running out,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Robin and I decide to get back on the trail.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59I am hoping that with Robin's expertise
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and perhaps a bit of beginner's luck from me,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06we'll meet again with this fabulous family group of wild boar.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18For woodland animals, the dense canopy provides valued cover,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23shielding them from view, not only from the ground, but also from the sky.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Most birds of prey, like this buzzard, hunt in the open.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But in the arms race of survival,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36being able to hunt among the trees gives one exceptional hawk an edge.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42It is known as the phantom of the forest.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Swooping on prey as if from nowhere.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They would fly through the trees, chasing things through trees.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57They have no trouble flying through here,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01twisting and turning just to get through every gap that is there.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04This is the goshawk, the top predator in British woodland.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Thanks to its broad wings and long tail,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11it can weave through the trees at speed.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Powerful talons equip it perfectly to seize its prey in mid flight.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24The aerobatic agility of this specialised hunter
0:12:24 > 0:12:27first captivated Gerry Lewis 40 years ago,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30when goshawks were almost unknown here in the forest.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I started bird ringing back in 1975
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and about three or four years afterwards,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42a friend of mine found the first, or what we thought was the first,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44goshawk to breed in the Forest of Dean
0:12:44 > 0:12:47and we kept following them ever since then.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And, gradually, they built in numbers.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52The Forest of Dean, Wye Valley, is about as good as it gets
0:12:52 > 0:12:54for a goshawk in Britain.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58There are thought to be around 50 breeding pairs here.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01But this revival brings a threat.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Across the UK, goshawks are scarce
0:13:03 > 0:13:07and their eggs are still targeted to be sold illegally to collectors.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Gerry's work keeps tabs on numbers
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and will pick up any worrying trends.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16You know, you can study things for five years
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and you think you know everything, but you carry on for a lot longer
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and you'll learn a lot more things about it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I tried to get around about 40 nests,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26monitor about 40 nests a year.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32His goal this year is to ring every newborn chick,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34giving each a unique number
0:13:34 > 0:13:38that will help monitor their progress throughout their lives.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Gerry's friend and helper is Peter,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46whose day job, conveniently, is a tree surgeon.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Today, they have tracked a ringed female
0:13:48 > 0:13:51to the place where Gerry thinks she's built a nest.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57They are hoping to check whether she has laid a precious clutch of eggs.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00She's just called over there.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01HE IMITATES CALL
0:14:02 > 0:14:05She'll call again in a minute, I expect.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Hi, over here, Pete. Pete, over here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14See you've got a loader down on it.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Once the nest site is confirmed,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21it is over to Peter to do what he does best.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38There she goes.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- Just gone, hasn't she?- Yeah.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Now this dynamic duo need to move pretty fast.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47Until the eggs are hatched,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50the parents haven't fully invested in their young
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and they could abandon the nest.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58But with Peter and Gerry, the goshawks are in expert hands.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Four, we have.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Four?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11- Four.- That's good.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Four eggs is quite a good clutch size these days.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19When we first started, you were always getting fours and fives
0:15:19 > 0:15:23but the normal clutch size now is about three.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So four is quite a good clutch.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Peter's job is to make some quick measurements of each egg.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Then, from 12 metres up, the results are relayed to Gerry,
0:15:33 > 0:15:34using a time-honoured technique.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39When they first establish, they will have big clutch sizes...
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Five, five, four.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Five, five, four.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Four, two, seven.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Four, two, seven.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Five, five, six.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Five, five, six.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And then when he weighs them, I can work out what the
0:15:55 > 0:15:57fresh weight will be...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Four, two, seven.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Four, two, seven.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Then we'll know...
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Five, five, eight.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05Five, five, eight.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10The measurements need to be precise.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11They are used by Gerry
0:16:11 > 0:16:14in an ingenious bit of number crunching
0:16:14 > 0:16:18that tells him almost exactly when the chicks are due to hatch.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23So to work out how long they have been incubated for,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26you measure the length by the breadth squared,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and then you multiply that by a conversion factor,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32which, for goshawk, I use 0.55.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I'm not very good at keeping up with complicated calculations...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38..Which will be something higher than 56.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42..but clearly Gerry is a master of egg-related algorithms.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45That will relate to how long the egg has been incubated for.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Happily, he's promised he'll let me know the crucial date
0:16:48 > 0:16:51so I can join him to check on the chicks when they are few weeks old.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01Must be quite well camouflaged.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Are you looking for movement or...?
0:17:03 > 0:17:04Yeah, looking for movement, yeah.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07We're going on a boar hunt.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Robin's on the trail of a sow with her brood of young piglets
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and I'm really hoping to get a better sight
0:17:15 > 0:17:18than the fleeting glimpse we caught earlier today.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Nice.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24At this time of year, female boars and their young
0:17:24 > 0:17:27often group together in what's called a sounder.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It's usually led by two or three sows,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32each with a recent litter of piglets.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And the priority for these wily mums
0:17:35 > 0:17:37is keeping well away from prying eyes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41I guess for the untrained eye, like mine,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43they could be quite easy to miss.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Yeah, especially at this time of year,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47when the bracken's all orange
0:17:47 > 0:17:48and the piglets are orange.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Robin seems to sense that we are getting close
0:17:53 > 0:17:55to the group we've been tracking.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Think we'd better go in that way.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04OK, so, as I said, before we go any further,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06we're going to make sure we're quiet now.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- OK.- We're going to disappear into these trees.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Our visibility isn't going to be great.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13So we're going to rely on our hearing, listen out for the piglets,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16maybe a grunt, and also the smell.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28This is extraordinary, swampy bit, looks really primordial, doesn't it?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30- Yeah.- And they would come down here to get a bit of water
0:18:30 > 0:18:32- and a bit of mud?- Yeah, of course,
0:18:32 > 0:18:33they'd wallow in this little bit just here.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35You can see that it's been used as a wallow.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40What have we got there?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Some kind of animal fur.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44Do you think that's wild boar?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- It could be.- It could be deer, couldn't it?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- Maybe.- Is it quite soft?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51I would go with boar. Just from the colour, it's quite grey.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54The signs are all good.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56DISTANT SQUEAL
0:18:56 > 0:18:58That's piglets.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00DISTANT SQUEAL
0:19:00 > 0:19:02That's piglets.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- Can you hear it now? - I can hear it now, yeah.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Hang on, hang on, I can see something.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12- Where are you looking? - Straight ahead.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14SQUEALING
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- Just... They are just in here.- Yeah.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17- Yeah.- They are really close.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20It's quite deceiving. That sound does travel.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- Yeah.- But they are, yeah, you're right.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26They are making a heck of a racket.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28They are very close.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33There's no doubt that we are now incredibly close to these animals.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40The sudden downpour could actually work in our favour,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42masking our final approach.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Oh, my God!
0:19:49 > 0:19:50That's incredible!
0:19:55 > 0:19:57She's stopping.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01She doesn't seem to mind that we're here.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14She's saying, "Who are you and why are you watching me?"
0:20:14 > 0:20:16With the camera crew hanging back,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Robin and I are in a prime position to capture this impressive boar
0:20:20 > 0:20:21on our cameras.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25But then I spot something even more exciting.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27And there's a load of piglets under the tree, too.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30There's a whole load of piglets under the tree.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32That is just brilliant.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37That is crazy.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I just didn't expect us to see anything like this.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45They are so relaxed.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52They are just trotting off. All the piglets trotting away behind her.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I've seen more than I could have hoped for.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And filmed some great close-ups of the piglets
0:20:58 > 0:21:01with the amazing digital zoom on my new little camcorder.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Or have I?
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I'm really, really sorry to say that I wasn't running.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I'm feeling like a total idiot.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I was looking at it through the viewfinder
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and I hadn't actually pressed record.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- But it was stunning. - Yeah, it was awesome to see.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18And those piglets were crawling all over each other...
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Yeah.- That's what happens if you get an unprofessional, a rank amateur,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24- with a camera in his hands. - That's it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It happens most of the time when I see them.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29You just forget to press record or take a photo
0:21:29 > 0:21:31because you are in awe of what you're seeing.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Not my finest moment as a budding wildlife cameraman
0:21:34 > 0:21:37but I have an idea that might save my bacon.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Wild boar in the forest have habitual nests
0:21:41 > 0:21:44where they return for shelter and family time.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47So this could be our chance to capture
0:21:47 > 0:21:50a very intimate home movie of this lovely group.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I have got a couple of these trail cameras.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57How likely do you think it is, Robin, that
0:21:57 > 0:22:01that same sounder of boar might come back to use this nest?
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I would think it would be very likely, considering this habitat.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06There's a couple of nests dotted around.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10So they are surely going to come back and use this one.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13'I'm hoping these automatic cameras can show us
0:22:13 > 0:22:17'a side of the boar family we could never see with our own eyes.'
0:22:17 > 0:22:18So, this one...
0:22:18 > 0:22:20'For example, how the group behaves
0:22:20 > 0:22:23'when not being watched by men with cameras.'
0:22:23 > 0:22:25These are much cleverer than I am.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Right.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30If that motion sensor is triggered, the camera will be on.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32- And there is no idiot... - That's good news.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35..around to be responsible for not turning it on.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I can't believe I blew my chance to film those piglets.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46But, luckily, Robin has captured a strikingly similar scene
0:22:46 > 0:22:47on a previous visit.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Which perhaps shows just what I was so excited about.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I thought my chances of seeing wild boar today were, frankly, slim.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I mean, Robin gives his chances at 50-50
0:23:00 > 0:23:03when he's out here on his own
0:23:03 > 0:23:04and he's really stealthy.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06He's got great field craft.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10I'm clumping around with a camera team...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12God bless you. But...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14But we got it. We saw them twice,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16and brilliantly, as well.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22I feel like today I've seen a truly wild animal in a truly wild place.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25And that's quite rare and quite special
0:23:25 > 0:23:26in the UK.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29That was a brilliant day, Robin.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Yeah, that's absolutely fine.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38This forest is a great place to see some of Britain's
0:23:38 > 0:23:40best loved woodland species.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Fallow deer browse in grassy clearings,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and at night the forest floor belongs to the badgers,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52living in extensive underground sets that can be up to 100 years old.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56The streams are a stronghold for the delightful dipper.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00And the lakes are home to the once rare great crested grebe.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And there are curiosities here, too.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06This is one of the best places in the UK
0:24:06 > 0:24:09to see the tree nesting mandarin duck.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12They are native to the Far East but since being introduced here
0:24:12 > 0:24:14in the 1980s, they are thriving.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18With so much to see here,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21it's no surprise that the forest is also well-stocked
0:24:21 > 0:24:24with resident wildlife enthusiasts.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26In my year here,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30I've met some of these devoted guardians of the forest's fauna.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35One of the most remarkable must be Dr Stephanie Tyler
0:24:35 > 0:24:38who I first met on one of her regular sorties
0:24:38 > 0:24:41with ladder and wellies, keeping tabs on the dipper,
0:24:41 > 0:24:46a bird she's been studying for most of her adult life.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48I can't remember a time when I didn't love wildlife.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I think I was born with it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Her devotion to dippers knows no bounds
0:24:54 > 0:24:58but Steph has an insatiable curiosity about all wildlife.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Even after decades of research and field work,
0:25:02 > 0:25:07her childlike wonder at every discovery burns as bright as ever.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I think from about the age of three I was just...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12That was all I wanted to do was go out and look at wildlife,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16whether it was wild flowers, or birds, or ladybirds, or whatever.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Today, we've dropped in on Stephanie in her own natural habitat.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25You cut a flower off there.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Oh, well, nobody's perfect!
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Steph and her husband Lindsay are both passionate nature lovers.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36They live in a quiet corner of the lower Wye,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38a stone's throw from Forest of Dean.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40I remember planting all these shrubs.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42It's an idyllic existence.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47But life for this well travelled couple hasn't always been so serene.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49In the mid-1970s,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Lindsay's work as a vet took the couple
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and their young family to East Africa,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56where they were caught in the middle of a civil war.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01We were held hostage for eight months, yes.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02It was a long time ago,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03almost another life.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09And the children were small, they were just five and seven.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14They assumed we were spies, British spies,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17so they thought they'd keep us for a little while.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19And we heard that they were demanding...
0:26:19 > 0:26:20What was it? A million dollars?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23A million pounds. Not nearly enough in my view.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- She's worth much more than that! - Oh!
0:26:26 > 0:26:29In captivity, living on meagre rations,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32their love of wildlife provided some crumbs of comfort.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36We were allowed to keep a bird book, so we did imaginary holidays.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39We'd say, "Supposing we went to Turkey?"
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And we'd get the bird book out and make a list of all the birds
0:26:43 > 0:26:47that we could see in Turkey, or the Balkans, or Italy,
0:26:47 > 0:26:48and so on.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53But we eventually got out, and no lasting damage.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I think it put a perspective...
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Whenever we're having a little local difficulty,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01we think back to what it was like then.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03We said, if ever we got out,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06we'd just make sure that every day we'd make,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08you know, live that day as if it was our last.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15After eight months, they were released.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18And ever since, Lindsay and Steph have been true to their word,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23exploring the wild world around them at every opportunity.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26They even find delight in a creature many of us would overlook.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29The moth.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Having encouraged as many varieties to their garden as they can
0:27:33 > 0:27:34with selective planting,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Lindsay and Steph spend many a long summer evening surveying
0:27:38 > 0:27:41the multiplicity of moths to be found here
0:27:41 > 0:27:43with the help of a home-made moth trap.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49The moths are attracted by the light and then they come down through
0:27:49 > 0:27:50this funnel.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54And they then perch comfortably on these old egg boxes.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Moths are sensitive to environmental change.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01So by keeping a track of their numbers,
0:28:01 > 0:28:06we can learn a lot about the condition of the surrounding countryside.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08But the real rewards of this weekly ritual
0:28:08 > 0:28:10lie in something far simpler.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I think the joy of mothing
0:28:12 > 0:28:15is being able to closely examine
0:28:15 > 0:28:20some of the most beautiful things that you could imagine.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27We still love our birds but when you can get a moth list, in one garden,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- of... What's the total now? - It can be 80.- Yeah.
0:28:30 > 0:28:3280 species in a night.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Our friend across in the next valley,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38he habitually catches more than us, for some reason.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Very annoying. Yes.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Spurred on by a bit of local competition,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46hopes of a bumper haul are high.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50On a good night, the boxes will be swarming with moths
0:28:50 > 0:28:53and we take them out one at a time and pot them up.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Ready to go.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Most moths are nocturnal, coming out to feed after dark
0:29:00 > 0:29:03when they're less likely to be seen by predators.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06As the trap is left to gather its nightly haul,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Lindsay and Steph can exercise their competitive streak
0:29:09 > 0:29:11with some other distractions.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14I must see University Challenge.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15What's the time?
0:29:15 > 0:29:16BUZZER ON TV
0:29:16 > 0:29:17- TV:- Correct. Yes.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18APPLAUSE ON TV
0:29:18 > 0:29:19- TV:- Ten points for this.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30When it comes to watching wildlife,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33this wooded wonderland has always had a lot going for it.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Its secluded setting has allowed it to stand largely undisturbed
0:29:40 > 0:29:41for centuries.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47Today, it's one of Britain's few remaining truly ancient woodlands.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50And for the mighty oak,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53this is one of the most important sites in the whole of Europe.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Individual trees here, like this enormous sessile oak,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01date from the middle of the 17th century.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05These majestic giants of the forest
0:30:05 > 0:30:08make an instant impression for their sheer size.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11But the role they play for wildlife
0:30:11 > 0:30:14all begins at the opposite end of the scale.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Sometimes, when you're out looking for wildlife,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19you just don't see the wood for the trees.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24And, unless you are really paying attention and looking very closely,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27you might miss something really interesting.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Like this little guy.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37This is a member of an incredibly significant family of insects.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38The beetles.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42So far, we know of 400,000 types of beetle.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46That's one fifth of all known plant and animal species on earth.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51And the ancient trees of the Dean are crawling with them.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57For some naturalists, there's enough fascination here to last a lifetime.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I spend a lot of time poking around in decaying wood
0:31:00 > 0:31:02and looking at old trees.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03And, yeah, I'm a specialist in beetles.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06So this is what I spend a lot of my time doing.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Doctor Sarah Henschel is an entomologist
0:31:10 > 0:31:13working to conserve Britain's precious bugs.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16I've always loved bugs from an early age.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20I think they're beautiful.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23They are so fascinating and I'm always learning.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Today, Sarah's on the hunt for some of the specialist beetle species
0:31:29 > 0:31:32that thrive here, to get a snapshot of how they're doing.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Of the 120 species on her creepy-crawly critical list,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40more than a quarter live here in the West Country.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43It's all down to the age and variety of the trees here.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Just one of the forest's large oaks alone
0:31:47 > 0:31:50can support 300 species of invertebrates.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53And the trees that Sarah is drawn to most of all
0:31:53 > 0:31:56are the ones that might be considered past their best.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01This tree is incredibly important
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and its value comes along with age.
0:32:03 > 0:32:09The older the tree, the gnarlier the tree, the more decay, the better.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11That's a spider.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14As an entomologist, this is the business end of things.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16This is where the decaying wood is,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18where the invertebrates are going to be.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Even though this tree is dead,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23it's going to provide habitat for lots of difference species
0:32:23 > 0:32:25for many years to come.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29So the life of the oak and all the wildlife associated with it
0:32:29 > 0:32:31can go on for decades and centuries,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33even after it's fallen on the ground.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37That is one just down there.
0:32:38 > 0:32:39Found a little beetle larva,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41it's properly going to be a click beetle larva,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46which are specialists, loving this really lovely rotten, decaying wood.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50The success of beetles is largely down
0:32:50 > 0:32:52to their extraordinary ability to make food
0:32:52 > 0:32:54from unpromising materials.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59In the UK alone, there are over 700 types of beetle
0:32:59 > 0:33:01that live on decaying wood.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06The recovered nutrients are passed up through the food chain,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10as beetles and their larvae are eaten in their millions
0:33:10 > 0:33:12by birds and small mammals.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15And the rich diversity of trees here in the Dean
0:33:15 > 0:33:17make it home to some of our rarest beetles,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19like this cardinal click beetle.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24It's also one of the last known habitats
0:33:24 > 0:33:27of a species that is perilously close to extinction.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33The area's really important for a really rare beetle called Cosnard's net-winged beetle.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37It's known from the Wye Gorge and Forest of Dean
0:33:37 > 0:33:39and only one other location in the UK.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46These are species that are all reliant on these old, mature,
0:33:46 > 0:33:47ancient, and veteran trees.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Oak trees produce acorns on a cycle of feast or famine.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Quite often there are very few then, every four or five years,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00they arrive in vast quantities in what's called a mast year.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Exactly how or why this rhythm works is a mystery
0:34:05 > 0:34:10but, this year, the Dean has one of those occasional bumper harvests.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13For Sarah, this abundance is an opportunity
0:34:13 > 0:34:15to take stock of some bugs
0:34:15 > 0:34:18for whom the acorn is a vital life-support system.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21It's a job that calls for some specialist kit
0:34:21 > 0:34:25that allows her to take a closer look into their tiny world.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30So, I've set myself up a little outdoor lab to have a look at
0:34:30 > 0:34:33what's living inside some of these acorns.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37We've got a knopper gall here, which is really quite spectacular.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40It's very, sort of, knobbly and bobbly
0:34:40 > 0:34:44and a little tiny parasitic wasp has caused that.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48The abnormality is triggered when the female wasp first lays its eggs.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56A secretion from the wasp causes a chemical reaction in the acorn
0:34:56 > 0:34:58that triggers this strange growth...
0:34:59 > 0:35:02..providing the perfect home for the developing wasp larvae.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Another opportunity that arrives with a bumper crop of acorns
0:35:10 > 0:35:12is to get an idea of the numbers
0:35:12 > 0:35:17of one of the most highly adapted beetles in this forest.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19And this one requires that technical assist
0:35:19 > 0:35:23to spot the signs of its presence.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28So you can see on the screen there, a tiny, tiny little hole.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30And the culprit that's caused this
0:35:30 > 0:35:33is something called the acorn weevil.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35So, a type of beetle with a big long nose.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40They use this nose to burrow into the acorns -
0:35:40 > 0:35:42they've got little mouthparts on the end.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44And then she lays an egg.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47The egg is on the tree in the acorn,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49growing into a big, juicy larva.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51And as soon as these acorns drop to the ground,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55that's the trigger for the larva to find its way out of the acorn.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Now, these holes are really, really tiny.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01And the larva that we are looking for is quite a chunky beast.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03So, there still might be one in there.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06But to check we, basically, need to break the acorns open.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11No.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14No luck with that one.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I think this one's been and gone.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23This one looks promising because it's nice and squidgy,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27so it's obviously been chomping away and munching away inside.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31All this little bits of black stuff, that's also a frass
0:36:31 > 0:36:33that's the waste product of the larva.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Oh, here we go. Bingo.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Bingo. Right.
0:36:40 > 0:36:41I'll just pop it under the scope.
0:36:44 > 0:36:45He's quite lively.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48They are incredibly mobile.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52This one is making a bit of a break for freedom.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55They don't look agile and mobile, but they've got lots of ridges
0:36:55 > 0:36:58on their underside, which they use to move around.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00And the reason why they have to be quick
0:37:00 > 0:37:02is because once they have got out of their acorn,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06they're really vulnerable to being predated by birds or rodents.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07So they hatch out of their acorns
0:37:07 > 0:37:10and they immediately burrow down into the leaf litter,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13where they will remain for, maybe, a couple of years before
0:37:13 > 0:37:15pupating and emerging into an adult.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19The numbers here are fantastic.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23We've found quite a lot of acorns and I'd say at least, sort of, 30%
0:37:23 > 0:37:27have evidence of acorn weevil within them.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30So, sites like this with lots of acorns, particularly in mast years,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33they're going to be excellent for acorn weevil.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Sarah's finds are an indication of the continuing diversity
0:37:37 > 0:37:39here in the Dean.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43And that's good news because the bug life here will always
0:37:43 > 0:37:46underpin the food chain of the forest's wild animals.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56At the home of Steph Tyler and her husband Lindsay,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00their garden moth trap has been working all night.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04The time to collect and inspect their spoils is just before dawn.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Lindsay's still in bed.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11We take it in turns to do it, and I drew the short straw today.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14But we get up just before dawn because already you can hear
0:38:14 > 0:38:17the robins singing, and as soon as it's dawn,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19and the robins are active,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22a lot of these moths would be taken as prey.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25So we are trying to get there before the birds.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Poppy, no, leave it.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30Poppy, no. Oh, God!
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Oh, Poppy, I can do without that.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38I'm so used to the dog on my back that it becomes second nature.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39She's comfortable up there.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43She's done that since she was a puppy, for some reason.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48There's one in my hair now, Poppy.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Getting individual moths into inspection pots
0:38:51 > 0:38:53is the best way to identify them,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56but a few always make a break for freedom.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59There's one to catch and another to catch
0:38:59 > 0:39:01but they go against the window and we'll get them.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02Oh, golly!
0:39:02 > 0:39:06At first peek, it looks like the trap has delivered.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10A good catch, actually. There's loads of moths.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20Moths everywhere.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Another one gone.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30With all the moths now safely in their pots,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Lindsay and Steph can get down to the part they love the best -
0:39:34 > 0:39:37discovering what wonders the night has delivered.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40I mean, it's like a lucky dip, if you like.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42You never know what you're going to get.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46This is pretty. This is called a blood vein...
0:39:48 > 0:39:50Blood vein, darling?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52There's simply
0:39:52 > 0:39:54the excitement of the hunt.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56What are we going to find?
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Many of these moths are absolutely beautiful to look at.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05You know, you open the trap and wow!
0:40:05 > 0:40:07We've got something we don't know
0:40:07 > 0:40:10or an old friend that we haven't had for a year.
0:40:10 > 0:40:11That's a green carpet.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Setaceous Hebrew character.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Some amazing names.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20A flame shoulder.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22Mother-of-pearl.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Gosh, I'm not sure about that one.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31It's exciting when you get something you can't recognise immediately
0:40:31 > 0:40:33and have to pour through the books to find what it is.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39There's never been a better time to be a naturalist.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44The resources there are, in terms of identification guides,
0:40:44 > 0:40:46stuff on the internet.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51There are at least 2,500 moth varieties resident in the UK.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55So even experts like Stephanie and Lindsay need a bit of help
0:40:55 > 0:40:57identifying each one.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Moths rest up during the day
0:40:59 > 0:41:02when their incredible wing patterns come into their own.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Each one is a specialised camouflage that allows them to sit
0:41:06 > 0:41:09unseen on dead leaves, lichen, or tree bark.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14Moths' wings are made of thousands of tiny scales,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16overlapping like tiles on a roof.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Some of the moths, you want to get a good view of the underwing.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24And this is one of the yellow underwings,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27we'd like to check out which one it is.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32So you can very carefully hold them and reveal the underwing like that.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34If you handle them carefully,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37they are surprisingly tough, these things.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39And we will be able to release this one
0:41:39 > 0:41:41and it will fly away quite happily.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Steph and Lindsay had been recording their moth data for six years,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57feeding in valuable research
0:41:57 > 0:41:59to several national moth monitoring schemes.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05It was amazing.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I mean, we probably got a couple of hundred today, at least.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12And we've got several species that are the first of the season for us.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17But there's probably 400 or 500 around in the garden,
0:42:17 > 0:42:18so we've a long way to go.
0:42:20 > 0:42:21Right, these can all go.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25Freedom.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31For these two remarkably dedicated naturalists,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34there's clearly no better task in their moth research
0:42:34 > 0:42:36than releasing the subjects of their study.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45But they'll be setting their trap again soon, same time next week.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Moth catching goes on right through the summer
0:42:52 > 0:42:54but other events call for meticulous timing.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58It's over a month since a clutch of goshawk eggs
0:42:58 > 0:42:59were weighed and measured.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03And after some careful calculations,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Gerry Lewis has picked today to return to the nest.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13A busy time of year for you, then?
0:43:13 > 0:43:16It is, yeah. This end of May,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18beginning of June period is when it all happens, really.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22I'm thrilled that Gerry has invited me
0:43:22 > 0:43:25to help him ring the newly hatched chicks.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Not least because I've never seen a goshawk in the wild.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32What's the plan this evening, Gerry?
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Well, there's a nest just up in the wood on the left here.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41And about three weeks ago, four weeks ago, Pete climbed up,
0:43:41 > 0:43:45checked all the eggs and measured and weighed the eggs.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49And from those measurements, I can work out approximately when they hatched.
0:43:49 > 0:43:50So that we don't go back
0:43:50 > 0:43:53to do chicks that are too small, or too big.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55And these chicks should be about three weeks old now.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57And how do you feel altogether
0:43:57 > 0:44:00about the health of the goshawk population in the Forest of Dean?
0:44:00 > 0:44:02It's good. Yeah, there's plenty of them.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Going in the right direction? Going up?
0:44:04 > 0:44:08They have probably got to about the maximum number you could fit in now.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11They may be doing well, but the phantoms of the forest
0:44:11 > 0:44:13are never easy to spot.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15And what's the noise I'm looking out for?
0:44:15 > 0:44:18It's a sort of cackle, like a sparrow hawk,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20but deeper and slower, like.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21Can you do one for me?
0:44:21 > 0:44:22HE IMITATES GOSHAWK CALL
0:44:26 > 0:44:30We're on high alert, and it's not long before the goshawk mum
0:44:30 > 0:44:31makes herself known.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34BIRD CALLS
0:44:34 > 0:44:35That's her.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40- Further round?- I can't hear her, but I can't see her.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Going through there. Coming back over here.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44I see her, I see her.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46- Yes.- Yeah.
0:44:46 > 0:44:47Beautiful. Look at that!
0:44:48 > 0:44:50And I heard her before I saw her.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52That's what you normally will do, yeah.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Yeah. That's why they call them, sort of, phantom of the forest
0:44:55 > 0:44:58cos you hear it, but you hardly ever see it.
0:44:58 > 0:44:59I have seen one now.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01That's my first. That's really exciting.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05And now I want to get a sight of those chicks.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08But that's going to be more of a challenge.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10Not for me, but for tree surgeon, Pete.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18I'm just going to switch you on now, Pete.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19OK. No worries.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24I can't wait to see what it looks like from Pete Cam.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Good. Pete Cam. That's good.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34- He's moving pretty quick.- Yeah.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Pete has probably got the most difficult job out of everything.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47In late spring, Pete weighed and measured four eggs in this nest
0:45:47 > 0:45:51and we are about to find out how many chicks have survived.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Very nearly there.
0:45:53 > 0:45:54He's just underneath the nest now.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55BIRD CALL
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Three, we have, Gerry.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08- Three?- Three.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13For a goshawk nest, three chicks from four eggs
0:46:13 > 0:46:15is an excellent success rate.
0:46:17 > 0:46:18That's good news.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21OK, Ger?
0:46:22 > 0:46:23OK. Here they come.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27The precious cargo is lowered down to our level
0:46:27 > 0:46:32and now I can have my first-ever sight of a wild goshawk chick.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34- So, that one...- Blimey! Look at you!
0:46:34 > 0:46:38That one has got big legs, big feet.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40- Yeah.- So, that one's a female.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43They are quite chunky.
0:46:43 > 0:46:44Yeah. Yeah.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48That one looks the same.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Two females, you think, with the thick legs.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54And this one is probably a male.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57See? It's got a slightly smaller foot, slightly thinner leg.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58Definitely. But why is that, then?
0:46:58 > 0:47:00That's definitely smaller, but why?
0:47:00 > 0:47:02The males are... In lots of birds of prey,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04the males are smaller than the females.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07So, that male will always be a smaller bird?
0:47:07 > 0:47:10Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they have just started growing
0:47:10 > 0:47:14their primary feathers, so they are just about coming up to three weeks.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16You can really see how the feathers interlock here.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21You've got this long stem with just a little bit of feather at the tip.
0:47:21 > 0:47:22BIRD SQUEAKS
0:47:22 > 0:47:26Noisy girl. They interlock. Long, short, long, short, long, short.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29Nine millimetres.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Gerry needs to work fast to get the chicks' vital statistics.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37That gives me a short moment to revel
0:47:37 > 0:47:39in this rare face-to-face
0:47:39 > 0:47:42with a wonderfully adapted woodland hunter.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48The alertness in that eye somehow is quite intense.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53We need to get these guys back in the nest as soon as we can,
0:47:53 > 0:47:54so to make myself useful,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57I'm getting a quick lesson in handling the chicks.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Keep some fingers on the legs to stop them thrashing about.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03- Gotcha.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05And then I need to get at this...
0:48:05 > 0:48:06At that leg.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08- The other leg.- Yeah.- OK.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11And then we're putting these rings on them,
0:48:11 > 0:48:12so they're more easily identifiable
0:48:12 > 0:48:14if they are ever seen again in the future
0:48:14 > 0:48:16when they're breeding.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19So, this gives the bird a really personal identity.
0:48:19 > 0:48:20Yeah.
0:48:24 > 0:48:25ABX.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Even though these goshawks are doing really well,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33here in the Forest of Dean, this is a schedule one protected species.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Their numbers have been so low in the past that...
0:48:37 > 0:48:39..they really have to be looked after.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42- How are we doing, Gerry?- OK.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45- Do you want to put that one down and have this one now?- Yeah.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48You can only really conserve any species
0:48:48 > 0:48:51if you understand what they are doing
0:48:51 > 0:48:55and, by ringing these birds, you can understand where they move to,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57how long they live for, where it's died,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00how long it lived since it's dispersed.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01Maybe the cause of death.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05This lady has got one of her talons...
0:49:05 > 0:49:08..just resting on my finger and I...
0:49:08 > 0:49:11It's not piercing the skin but I can feel the power of it.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14She has just got my finger with the tip of the talon.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16And that's quite a...
0:49:16 > 0:49:19That's quite a crunch she's putting on there.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23It's a privilege and a treat to handle these incredible birds,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26but the priority has to be returning them to the nest.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29- All right, Pete?- OK, mate.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33And letting Pete get back down to earth.
0:49:33 > 0:49:34- Get round this side a bit.- Hello.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38I'm sure you want to go back, don't you?
0:49:38 > 0:49:40There we go.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42In you go.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45Up they go.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52When people see a new species, they normally take us all for a pint.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Yes. I'm bang up for that, Gerry.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59The chicks settle quickly back into their treetop home
0:49:59 > 0:50:00and we can make our exit,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03so the parent birds can return to their young.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- Thank you both so much.- OK.
0:50:05 > 0:50:06- Excellent.- That was just great.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08- No problem.- Time for that pint.
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Since being in the forest,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29I've been on the trail of the majestic wild boar.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33And you don't have to be here long to realise
0:50:33 > 0:50:35that the return of this native animal
0:50:35 > 0:50:37is contentious, to say the least.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42It's all down to the way they forage for food.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45Boars root out their food
0:50:45 > 0:50:48by bulldozing through the soil with a powerful snout,
0:50:48 > 0:50:52reinforced at the tip with thick discs of cartilage.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58In the forest, this rooting helps to break down leaf litter
0:50:58 > 0:50:59and promote new growth.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03But when boar come into the villages and towns,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06that bulldozed ground is a bit less welcome.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11And, as numbers rise, boar sightings in towns are the more common.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14It's the subject on everyone's lips here.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16So it is something I can't just ignore.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20And, here in Cinderford, I can see why it's such a hot topic
0:51:20 > 0:51:24with boar damage appearing in playgrounds, public spaces,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27and even the graveyard of the local church.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31We think they are coming in over the wall, just over there, because...
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Oh, I can see a bit of wall that's been a bit knocked down.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- Yes.- Yeah.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38For church warden Eve Smith,
0:51:38 > 0:51:42boar damage like this is becoming an all-too-familiar sight.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45I haven't got a problem with the boar, as such.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47But not in here.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Not in the churchyard.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54It's very upsetting for people when they come to visit their loved ones
0:51:54 > 0:51:56and it's been disturbed.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01Most of the land where the boar live is owned by the Forestry Commission.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05So, the controversial task of controlling their population
0:52:05 > 0:52:06falls to them.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11So this clumpy stuff here, that's all boar activity.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14The man who finds himself at the centre of this knotty issue
0:52:14 > 0:52:16is Ian Harvey.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20The general sort of public feeling is, they're OK,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22but at a managed low number.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25And when you say managed, you're talking about a cull,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28which is of course killing boar, reducing the numbers.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30And you're, kind of, caught in the middle.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32That is your responsibility now.
0:52:33 > 0:52:39It's certainly a... problematic aspect of the job.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Yeah, I mean it's not easy, is it?
0:52:41 > 0:52:45You're caught in the middle of a really serious local debate.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48Quite a contentious local issue.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Yeah, it is very contentious
0:52:50 > 0:52:52and it does arouse strong feelings in people,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54both for the animals and against the animals.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57And I think this is something that often gets lost
0:52:57 > 0:52:58in the wider discussion
0:52:58 > 0:53:01is that this was a problem not of our making,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04these animals were dumped on our ground.
0:53:04 > 0:53:05Ian's been tasked
0:53:05 > 0:53:09with reducing the number of the boar in the forest by two thirds.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11That is a big challenge.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17I want to put all of this to my boar tracking friend Robin.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21As a local resident who's clearly enjoying the boar,
0:53:21 > 0:53:23what does he think about bringing boar numbers down?
0:53:24 > 0:53:26I've heard some strong opinions
0:53:26 > 0:53:29about wild boar in the Forest of Dean.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31Including, "get rid of the lot of them".
0:53:31 > 0:53:33- Yeah.- "Shoot the lot."
0:53:33 > 0:53:35And on the other side,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- "don't touch a bristle on their hides, leave them be."- Yeah.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43I do kind of get a sense that there's sort of a consensus,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46a sort of meeting in the middle, which is...
0:53:47 > 0:53:50..they should be fine here in the forest.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52But let's try and keep them in the forest
0:53:52 > 0:53:55and probably bring the numbers down.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58At the moment, I think the numbers aren't rocketing as much as people say.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01They're getting pushed out into the towns and everything else,
0:54:01 > 0:54:02but we have no natural predator.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Culling is the only method at the moment.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07We want to coexist with the boar and it is not up to us,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10we are no experts. We need help from the authorities.
0:54:10 > 0:54:11This debate isn't going away
0:54:11 > 0:54:15but neither is the excitement over the boars' revival,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18as part of Britain's wildlife heritage.
0:54:18 > 0:54:19- Set it up here.- Yeah.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23And we have another question we're eager to answer.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27Did our trail cams get the intimate footage of our boar family at play
0:54:27 > 0:54:29that we have been hoping for?
0:54:29 > 0:54:33- You ready for this?- Yeah. - I haven't seen it either, Robin.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37So I just don't know what's on here, but let's have a look.
0:54:39 > 0:54:40Oh!
0:54:41 > 0:54:43- That's just fantastic, isn't it? - Amazing.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46That's cool!
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Some juveniles reaching their adult stage.
0:54:53 > 0:54:54- That's a bigger one.- Yeah.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00It's almost like they are performing for the camera, isn't it?
0:55:00 > 0:55:02And they all exit.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04- See the piglets.- Look at that!
0:55:05 > 0:55:07A little trail of piglets.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- Amazing.- That's awesome.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16I wonder if those are the same ones that I had in my viewfinder
0:55:16 > 0:55:18- when I wasn't... - They definitely were.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22And we also had a camera pointing straight into the nest.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Oh!
0:55:26 > 0:55:30That's the nest. That's fantastic.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32That's the shot I had in the mist and the rain,
0:55:32 > 0:55:34all those piglets playing together.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36- That's insane.- Yeah.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39These pictures of the whole group
0:55:39 > 0:55:41confirm that this is a classic sounder.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44With no males in sight
0:55:44 > 0:55:48three sows share the responsibility for piglet care.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53Our best efforts at a count put the number of young here at 16.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54For me, that is quite something.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58It doesn't get old. That one's looking straight at the camera.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01- Totally.- He knows we're here.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03That's a really strange feeling,
0:56:03 > 0:56:06being eyeballed through the screen by a little piglet.
0:56:06 > 0:56:07Having a fight as well.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11These are the kind of relaxed and intimate moments
0:56:11 > 0:56:14we could never have seen in the field
0:56:14 > 0:56:16once we'd been clocked by the sows.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19They are so gregarious, aren't they?
0:56:19 > 0:56:21- Yeah.- They are really social, smart animals.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27You just picked such a brilliant spot for us to put that camera.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30Right on the money.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32All that walking was worth it.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34And here they come at night.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37I don't see them at night really, so it's cool.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Just little piglets doing what pigs do.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45I mean, looking at this,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48you couldn't want to take these guys out of the forest.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50Exactly.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57Well, thank you so much for taking me to that place.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00- That's fine.- And showing us where to put the cameras
0:57:00 > 0:57:02- to get those amazing shots. - That's fine. I loved it.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05- Thanks, Robin.- No problem. - I loved it too. Just brilliant.
0:57:12 > 0:57:13The lively local discussion
0:57:13 > 0:57:16about how best to live alongside the wild boar
0:57:16 > 0:57:19is going to continue for some time.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22As people work out how to control where they're going,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24how best to keep the numbers down,
0:57:24 > 0:57:26but the bottom line is,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29the wild boar of the Forest of Dean are here to stay.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31And that surely is a good thing.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01If you'd like to explore Britain's diverse landscapes in more detail
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and find out how to create your own wildlife habitats,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08the Open University has produced a free booklet with bookmarks.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Order your copy by calling...
0:58:15 > 0:58:16Or go to...
0:58:20 > 0:58:22..and follow the links to the Open University.