Episode 7 Hugh's Wild West


Episode 7

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Transcript


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

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And my favourite place to do it is right here in my beloved West Country.

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This captivating corner of the British Isles...

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There's six right underneath us!

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

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extraordinary and magical as any.

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Oh, come on, no way!

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

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Right, I'm ready.

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This is great, this is measuring an eel.

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Whoa, whoa!

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Ants, off, off! Oh, they've gone inside, mate!

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

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

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Good spot. Look, look, look, look.

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-Wonderful.

-That's so cool.

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There's one in my hair now, Poppy.

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

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-Do you hear them?

-I heard something.

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Yeah, they're in there.

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..the sheer joy of the encounter...

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-So golden.

-She is fast asleep.

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That's amazing!

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

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safeguard the future of our precious animals.

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Bye-bye! There she goes.

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Whoa!

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I can't believe that I've been living in the West Country for so

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

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This will be a year-round adventure...

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Straight ahead!

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

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I've come to Dartmoor - Devon's own big sky country.

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This vast open moorland, capped with craggy granite tors,

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has a spectacular, rugged beauty.

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Up here, you're exposed to the elements and never far away from

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the kind of weather that is one of Dartmoor's defining features.

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Rain.

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Two metres of rain fall on Dartmoor every year.

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And when it hits the impermeable granite of the moors,

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there's nowhere for the water to go but down.

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Whenever I come to Dartmoor, I'm as delighted by the rivers and

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streams that run through it as I am by the stunning moorland itself.

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The fast-flowing white-water carves up this landscape in the most dramatic way.

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And, of course, it's the lifeblood for much of the wildlife that lives here.

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To find out more about the creatures that depend on it,

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I plan to follow the course of all that water, from the high moor

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right down to the sea.

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Dartmoor National Park is in South Devon.

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It's about 30km north to south, and east to west,

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and the source of a dozen of Devon's rivers.

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The Dart - that gives the moor its name - rises near Postbridge,

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and flows to the sea at Dartmouth, close to the fishing village of

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Brixham, where my journey today will end.

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I'm on the high moor.

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On a clear day here, the views seem to stretch out for ever.

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Across this windswept expanse, there's little shelter,

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and few hiding places.

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So it's a perfect hunting ground for one of our great birds of prey.

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The buzzard.

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At home in Devon, I see the broad wings and fanned tail of the buzzard

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almost every day, as it soars above us, scanning the ground.

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And today I have a chance to get a much closer look,

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thanks to a tip-off from a couple who know this part of the moor

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intimately, because they live and work here.

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Farmers, who are tuned into the natural world around them,

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can have an amazing experience of the wildlife year.

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Just a few miles from the source of the river Dart is a working hill farm

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with a history that stretches over 1,000 years.

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Good girls, good girls!

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The current tenants of Challacombe Farm are Mark Owen and Naomi Oakley,

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farmers with a passion for conservation of this charmed piece of Devon.

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It's just a magical place to live, you know, amazing landscape,

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the wildlife...

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Just the life cycle as it sort of goes through the year,

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of things sort of appearing, moving on.

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It's really lovely through the seasons.

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Among the farm's many delights is the exceptional birdlife,

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and Mark has told me about a resident pair of buzzards that he

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now considers old friends.

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How many years have the buzzards been using these trees to nest in?

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Ooh, probably ten years?

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-Really?

-Yeah, they seem to use the same nest every year.

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So... And I think we have two chicks this year.

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You've got two chicks? Have you been up to have a look?

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I haven't, no, you can see them from the field,

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but we tend to leave them alone, just let them do their stuff.

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There's a vantage point where, with binoculars, you can see through onto

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-the nest, or...?

-Yeah, there's a little hole in the canopy where if

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you peer from the right direction, you can see right in onto the nest.

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Well, it's obviously a great spot,

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they've got a lovely view of your amazing farm!

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Yeah, we're very lucky here.

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There's good hunting, I guess. Lots of rabbits, lots of cover,

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deep meadows.

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So should be lots for them to find.

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The female laid her eggs back in April and, a month later, they hatched.

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For the first fortnight, she stayed on the nest to guard her chicks,

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relying on her male partner to bring in food.

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Now, the chicks are about four weeks old, and today,

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I've got an opportunity I don't want to miss.

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It's the ideal time to put leg rings on the chicks.

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And that means climbing up to the nest, which gives me a chance to get

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a closer look at Mark's beloved buzzard family by rigging a camera

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that can watch them round the clock.

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Climbing specialist Waldo Etherington

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is helping us get up to the nest safely.

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But before I go up,

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it's the turn of licensed bird recorder Mark Lawrence.

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What's your job this morning, what are you going up there for now?

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My job now is to go up there,

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get the chick and to lower it back down so Nick can ring it.

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OK, so, the first thing is to check that those chicks -

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if there are two of them - are in good shape.

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So you'll give us a shout if it's good to go and send them down?

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-Yes.

-Have a good climb.

-OK, thank you very much.

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MUSIC PLAYS

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The nest is a good ten metres up the trunk of this magnificent beech tree.

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Can you see inside the nest, Mark?

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-Yeah.

-How many chicks?

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-Just the one.

-It's just the one, is it?

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-Yeah, they always tend to end up with one chick, buzzards.

-Right.

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For safety, the surviving chick will be ringed on the ground rather than

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up the tree.

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Is it the bird coming down now, Mark?

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-Yes, the bird's coming down now.

-OK.

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Waiting below for our backpacked buzzard is Nick Ward

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from the British Trust for Ornithology.

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-Got it.

-Open it up and have a quick look.

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Wow!

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-Quite a size!

-Yeah.

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Well-feathered, as well, so...

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-Yeah.

-Watch the feet. They're probably going to be a bit grasping.

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There we go. One buzzard chick.

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-In good nick.

-Yeah, looks like it.

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But there were two and now there's only one,

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so sometime in the last week or so...

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-Yeah, sadly.

-Does that happen quite often?

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Yeah, it's not uncommon, really, for one chick to be lost, to be honest.

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So... Either they haven't been able to find enough food,

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or maybe the wind has caught them, you know.

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Because they'll be standing up and stretching their wings and very

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often, sometimes, they'll get blown out of the nest.

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Just one of those things, unfortunately.

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Even at four weeks old, the power you can see in these feet, I mean,

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that's quite a substantial bit of leg there.

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-Absolutely.

-And a hell of a claw on the end of it.

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You understand if you're a rabbit, with one of these coming at you...

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..you wouldn't survive very long!

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The chick is about to become one of the 900,000 British birds ringed

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every year.

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So you have 76837.

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Brilliant, thank you. Once that's put on the bird,

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it makes the bird an individual.

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If it's ever found again,

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hopefully someone will be able to report it into us.

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There's a little bit of wriggle room.

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It means the ring goes round on the leg.

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-Plenty of movement there.

-Exactly.

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-It's not obviously going to come off the foot.

-Yeah.

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It's like you and me wearing a wristwatch or a bracelet, really.

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It's so light for the bird.

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And in a few weeks' time, this chap will be learning to hunt?

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Absolutely, yeah. This will probably be another three weeks,

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and then it'll be thinking about leaving the nest,

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following the adults around.

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The adults will help it to learn how to hunt and find its own food,

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and then at some point, the adults will be driving it out of the

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territory and it'll be on its own. He'll have to find all his own food,

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hunt for himself and find a territory and a mate next year maybe.

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So he's got plenty of challenges ahead but, as far as we can tell,

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he's in good shape to meet them when they come.

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Yeah, I think so, he's looking good.

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So, we can send him back up the tree?

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I think so, get him back in the nest.

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Mark's waiting back up there to make sure he goes back in all right.

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-Yeah.

-OK, Mark, all yours.

-OK.

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And once the chick is settled in the nest,

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we're ready for the second part of the morning's mission,

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which involves me and Waldo shinning up the tree and trying to fix a camera.

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The system we're using to keep an eye on the nest is a simple

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battery-operated CCTV camera.

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I have climbed up a tree to get access to birds' nests before,

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using ropes and tackle like this, quite a long time ago.

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In fact, nearly 20 years ago.

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So I'm hoping that muscle memory is going to kick in at some point.

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Lift this leg up in the air.

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There you go. Yeah, you just stand up and sit down,

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-and then you repeat that.

-OK.

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Spot on.

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After a quick refresher course from Waldo, we're off.

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Waldo, I'm not going under this branch, am I?

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I'm just following my ropes?

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Yep. So, you just follow those ones up.

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I'm going to go round the back, is that the idea?

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Yeah, that's it.

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Just climbing up this beech tree is an incredible privilege -

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it's such a beautiful tree.

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And I'm just a few feet away from the nest now.

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It's incredibly exciting.

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Look at the thickness of this nest.

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And the depth of the nest from top to bottom must be nearly three feet or more.

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And there we are! That...

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That little chick, who only a few minutes ago was down at the bottom,

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now I'm up at the top and I can see him where he ought to be,

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which is sitting on his nest.

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And I'll tell you what seems to me to be quite precarious is...

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..there is some soft stuff there, but it's just a platform.

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It's not like he's really contained within it.

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No. It's easy to see how the other chick at some point could have just

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taken a tumble off the edge of the nest.

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Now, where do you think we should move ourselves to, to rig this camera up?

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So, what I was thinking is...

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-I'm getting a bit...

-Where you are there is kind of good.

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But what I was thinking is maybe having the camera somewhere around

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here, looking kind of this way back at the nest.

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That could be ideal, yeah.

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-Up there looks good.

-Up here, yeah.

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Yeah.

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So, the camera in there? You got it?

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Yeah.

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How's that looking? You can see the chick?

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Great.

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This inexpensive CCTV rig is a great way to monitor the nest over a long period.

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Well, that was just amazing!

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Beautiful tree, beautiful nest, beautiful chick.

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I can't wait to come and have a look at that shot of the nest.

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-Well done.

-Lovely.

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-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, I enjoyed that.

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-Yeah, that was good, wasn't it?

-Quite an adventure.

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-Yeah, it really was.

-It's an extraordinary thought that that nest

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has become a permanent feature, with the branches growing round it.

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-Yeah, it has.

-I hope it's there for another decade.

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Let's hope so!

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That's the shot you set up, which is great.

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I mean, it covers a good two thirds of the nest.

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Yeah. That's brilliant, isn't it?

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-Great job.

-Nice!

-So whatever happens on that nest over the next

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few weeks, we'll see it.

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I'm happy, Waldo's happy, but the most important thing is to

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make sure that the buzzards are happy,

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so they can return to their check.

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And here is Mum or Dad.

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So it's just pretty good timing, I think, if we can make ourselves scarce,

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that she can come in, feed the chick,

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and we'll get some shots of her doing that, but it does look like

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she's now quite eager for us to get out of here so

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she can get back onto that nest and look after that chick.

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There's a busy time ahead for the parents.

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The chick needs feeding up fast.

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In less than a month from now, it'll take to the wing for the first time.

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Then it must start learning to hunt so it can feed itself.

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Dartmoor's fast-running streams and rivers are the domain of another

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skilled hunter that it's a huge privilege to catch sight of.

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Without doubt, some of the most thrilling wildlife encounters I've

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ever had in Britain have been with otters.

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And it seems just incredible to me that, even within my lifetime,

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these beautiful animals were being hunted and persecuted almost to extinction.

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So it's fantastic news that, in the last couple of decades,

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they've really been making a comeback.

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But they're still incredibly elusive and very hard to see.

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If you want to have regular encounters,

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you've got to put in a lot of time and effort and, of course,

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it helps to have a house right by the river.

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When it comes to spotting otters, this is unquestionably a prime location.

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And today, owner Stephen Powles is having breakfast in the afternoon.

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His passion for otters means that when they're about,

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he's practically nocturnal.

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Stephen lives beside a stream to the north-east of the moor,

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giving him an amazing chance to develop a rare and special

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relationship with a wild otter.

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He's grabbed it with both hands.

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I found some otter spraint, and that was the clue.

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I had to work out what it was,

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make sure I learnt a little bit more about the otters.

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These territorial animals mark their patch with their droppings,

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called spraint.

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Otters are so elusive that a sticky,

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bony poo is the closest that most people come to seeing one.

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The driving force was, the more I understood, the more I could watch them,

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the more I could film them, the more I could photograph them.

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Otters are usually very wary of humans.

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They have an incredibly sharp sense of smell and great hearing.

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If they detect people nearby,

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they're likely to slip out of sight in an instant.

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Obviously a very elusive animal,

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but if you want to be there and to see them, to watch them,

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to learn about them, to photograph them and to film them,

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then, obviously, you need to spend time with them, and thoroughly enjoy myself,

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hopefully, whilst learning about them, as well.

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Years of patience and perseverance have allowed Stephen to capture some

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precious and intimate footage of otter behaviour.

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His prime subject has been one particular female who stood out from

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the very start.

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There was a little mark right on the end of her nose that was in the

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shape of a hammer. And it's not a very ladylike name,

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but I've named her Hammer Scar after the mark on her nose.

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Could have been a fighting injury, but when you see her fishing

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underwater, the speed at which she travels,

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it must be so easy for her to catch it on a branch and scrape the

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surface off the top of her nose.

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Otters mostly hunt under cover of darkness,

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when the fish that are their main quarry are less wary.

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But Stephen has managed to get Hammer Scar used to his lights.

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She and her cubs carry on their nightly routine,

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seemingly oblivious to his presence.

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This is one of my really, really special spots on the river,

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because for two years, this is where Hammer Scar has introduced me to her

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cubs for the very first time.

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This year, Hammer Scar has a litter of two cubs.

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Like most female otters, she's raising her young alone.

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Hunting for three is keeping her very busy.

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There's a little hole in the bank, and so when she goes down river,

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she tends to leave them there, goes off on her fishing trip...

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On the first occasion, she caught a trout and then you could see her

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dispatch the trout and then take it in under the bank,

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and three or four minutes later, two otter cubs appear.

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She trusts me that much that she's prepared to even bring the cubs out

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in front of me.

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What else could you ask for?

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Stephen has watched Hammer Scar raise several litters, and each time

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he's witnessed the cubs taking their first baby steps in the art of

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survival on the river.

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Back earlier on in the summer, I was down by the river there,

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two cubs were then fighting over this one fish.

0:18:390:18:42

It was a tug-of-war and a serious battle for control of this fish.

0:18:420:18:46

It's easy to see how the antics of this charming otter family becomes

0:18:520:18:56

compulsive viewing.

0:18:560:18:58

And now, Stephen's come up with a way to watch it all from the comfort of home.

0:18:580:19:03

So here we've got the CCTV system, and that is critical to my otter life,

0:19:040:19:10

my otter obsession. Without that,

0:19:100:19:11

I wouldn't really have a very good handle on what the otters are doing.

0:19:110:19:15

Down here on the tree, we've got the CCTV camera,

0:19:150:19:18

and then linked in to an antenna, which is in fact an old whisky tin.

0:19:180:19:24

And that's beaming the signals back to the house.

0:19:240:19:27

And in case he's not paying attention, there's even an otter alarm.

0:19:270:19:31

Here we've got, between the two branches there,

0:19:320:19:35

we've got the sensor, so that's the thing that marks the alarm,

0:19:350:19:39

tells me that they're coming through, if I'm lucky.

0:19:390:19:41

But that's totally dependent on them actually visiting the spraint rock

0:19:410:19:45

that's just down there.

0:19:450:19:46

This favoured rock is where Hammer Scar lets other otters know

0:19:470:19:51

she's in residence.

0:19:510:19:52

So it's a great spot to site the sensor and camera.

0:19:520:19:55

But whenever the river rises, the spraint is washed away,

0:19:560:20:00

so Hammer Scar patrols regularly to leave an update.

0:20:000:20:04

They go over the spraint rock, and the alarms go off,

0:20:040:20:07

and then we're in action.

0:20:070:20:09

It's now several weeks since Hammer Scar's cubs left home to find

0:20:110:20:15

a new territory of their own, leaving their mother behind.

0:20:150:20:19

But Hammer Scare seems to have vanished, too.

0:20:220:20:25

Stephen's never gone this long without seeing her.

0:20:250:20:27

Yeah, not on a very good run at the moment.

0:20:280:20:31

The alarm has been silent for days,

0:20:310:20:34

and Stephen has no idea where she might have gone.

0:20:340:20:37

She's not going through the sensors, and just remember,

0:20:370:20:39

the sensors are on the spraint sites, so you begin to wonder,

0:20:390:20:43

why isn't she using the spraint sites?

0:20:430:20:46

I spend my life worrying about her,

0:20:460:20:48

because I know so much about what she's doing on the CCTV,

0:20:480:20:51

then when I don't see her, or we don't detect her

0:20:510:20:54

for three or four days, it's pretty traumatic.

0:20:540:20:57

She's almost certainly five and a half,

0:20:570:20:59

so she's already lived longer than your textbook otter.

0:20:590:21:03

It's a nerve-racking time for Stephen.

0:21:040:21:06

As the otter population grows, territories are in short supply.

0:21:070:21:11

An older female like Hammer Scar could easily be pushed out.

0:21:110:21:15

All Stephen can do is wait and hope he'll see her again.

0:21:150:21:19

The continuing recovery of the otter here is wonderful news.

0:21:220:21:26

But another mammal inhabiting our West Country waterways is having a

0:21:260:21:30

much tougher time.

0:21:300:21:32

The water vole is one of our most enigmatic and secretive small mammals -

0:21:330:21:37

one that I've only glimpsed a couple of times in my life.

0:21:370:21:41

For the last 30 years or so,

0:21:410:21:43

they've been almost completely absent from Dartmoor.

0:21:430:21:45

But now, at a secret location not very far from here, these busy,

0:21:450:21:50

chubby little voles are getting a much-needed helping hand.

0:21:500:21:53

Coral Edgecombe is an ecologist with a project breeding water voles to

0:21:570:22:01

put back into the wild.

0:22:010:22:03

There are no water voles on Dartmoor at the moment,

0:22:040:22:07

so these ones will be the first ones that we know of to go out.

0:22:070:22:11

Water voles hold an unenviable record.

0:22:130:22:15

They're the fastest-declining mammal in the UK.

0:22:160:22:19

The main problem has been the arrival in British waters of the

0:22:210:22:25

American mink, after it escaped from fur farms.

0:22:250:22:28

This is a voracious predator.

0:22:290:22:31

Small enough to squeeze into the voles' burrows,

0:22:310:22:35

it's wiped out whole populations in sites across the country.

0:22:350:22:39

But Dartmoor has now been cleared of mink,

0:22:420:22:45

so water voles should have a chance to thrive here once again.

0:22:450:22:48

And today, Coral is reintroducing the first eight of Dartmoor's new generation.

0:22:500:22:55

These ones are deemed ready for release

0:22:550:22:58

because they're above a certain weight.

0:22:580:23:00

So they're juveniles that have been born this year, so they're

0:23:000:23:02

ready to go out and become the breeding stock out in the wild.

0:23:020:23:05

The site chosen has two essentials of water-vole habitat - secluded,

0:23:070:23:12

earthy banks where the voles can burrow and raise their young safe

0:23:120:23:16

from predators, and a plentiful and varied supply of plants to eat.

0:23:160:23:20

Water voles eat 80% of their body weight every day.

0:23:210:23:25

As you can see, the habitat is pretty good,

0:23:250:23:28

there's lots of different types of vegetation.

0:23:280:23:30

The water's nice and deep,

0:23:300:23:31

which gives them space to dive away from predators if they need to.

0:23:310:23:35

And it's very slow-flowing, so they're not going to get washed away.

0:23:350:23:38

These pioneering voles are too precious to be left to fend

0:23:400:23:43

for themselves straightaway.

0:23:430:23:45

Secure holding pens give them a safe home as they grow

0:23:450:23:49

accustomed to life in the wild.

0:23:490:23:50

They'll be in these for about a total of a week.

0:23:520:23:55

After five days, we adapt them so they can come and go,

0:23:570:24:00

and then two days after that, we take them away completely.

0:24:000:24:03

To get them started, Coral provides food as well as lodging.

0:24:040:24:07

We're putting four males and four females out, but we're pairing them,

0:24:090:24:13

and hopefully by the time they go out into the habitat,

0:24:130:24:16

the female and the male will have mated whilst they're in the pen,

0:24:160:24:20

so the female is going out pregnant,

0:24:200:24:21

and that's the start of a new colony.

0:24:210:24:23

Water voles are sometimes known as water rats,

0:24:240:24:27

hence gentle Ratty of Wind In The Willows fame.

0:24:270:24:31

But these little rodents can be fierce.

0:24:310:24:33

The tube is the water vole handling device, I suppose!

0:24:330:24:37

We use this to handle them, because they are aggressive,

0:24:390:24:42

and they do bite and it does hurt!

0:24:420:24:44

So this is a male, and I'm just checking him over

0:24:510:24:53

to make sure he's nice and healthy.

0:24:530:24:55

They have very, very orange teeth,

0:24:550:24:58

and that's because they're very hard for burrowing,

0:24:580:25:00

so that's the keratin in them.

0:25:000:25:02

Their paws are quite large in comparison to their body size -

0:25:020:25:05

that's also for burrowing.

0:25:050:25:08

And he's going to in first.

0:25:080:25:10

And then the female's going to go in after.

0:25:100:25:12

This is a female, she is a little bit smaller than the male,

0:25:150:25:18

which is what we would want.

0:25:180:25:19

She's less likely to beat him up, then.

0:25:200:25:23

And so this hopefully well-matched couple

0:25:230:25:25

are ready to start their new life together.

0:25:250:25:28

There's lots of bankside vegetation -

0:25:280:25:31

gives them enough cover, so as soon as they come out of the pens,

0:25:310:25:34

they have somewhere immediately to go.

0:25:340:25:36

Coral positions the pens along the bank

0:25:400:25:42

to give each pair a bit of space to create their own territory.

0:25:420:25:46

And that's now all eight voles in the soft release pens.

0:25:460:25:50

Success of the project depends on the vole couples feeling settled

0:25:500:25:54

enough in their surroundings to mate and produce the next generation.

0:25:540:25:58

After five days, it's time to start phase two of their release.

0:26:030:26:07

I am letting the voles out,

0:26:070:26:10

but we do it so that they can come back to the pen if they need to -

0:26:100:26:15

come and get the food and use it for shelter.

0:26:150:26:18

Because it will take them a few days to get their burrows up and running.

0:26:180:26:21

And this is the baffle board.

0:26:210:26:22

It has two holes, it stops large predators from getting in,

0:26:220:26:27

so the voles can still use it as a safe base.

0:26:270:26:29

Some voles will come straight out,

0:26:300:26:32

other voles will take their time and come out when they're ready.

0:26:320:26:35

And then they can leave when they like!

0:26:400:26:42

It's not long before curiosity prevails.

0:26:430:26:47

These are the first small steps in the water voles' long journey

0:26:470:26:51

back into the wild here on Dartmoor.

0:26:510:26:53

And if they can make a go of it,

0:26:550:26:57

then there's every chance that this delightful animal could soon be

0:26:570:27:01

settled in Devon's streams and rivers once more.

0:27:010:27:04

We're hoping from here

0:27:060:27:07

we'll be able to reintroduce water voles across Dartmoor,

0:27:070:27:11

and we're hoping to have kind of a county-scale release,

0:27:110:27:15

reintroduction of water voles.

0:27:150:27:16

At Challacombe Farm, our buzzard chick is growing fast.

0:27:240:27:27

I'm back to see farmer Mark,

0:27:310:27:33

who's been keeping an eye on the family's progress.

0:27:330:27:36

It was about a month or so ago that the youngster fledged,

0:27:370:27:40

and now has been hunting around,

0:27:400:27:43

still calling a lot for its parents to keep feeding it.

0:27:430:27:46

Did you see what food the parents were bringing to the nest while they

0:27:460:27:49

-were feeding the chick?

-Not particularly.

0:27:490:27:51

We tend to stay away when the nest is active, saves disturbing them.

0:27:510:27:56

But, yes, it will be fascinating to find out more.

0:27:560:27:59

When I was last here, we rigged a CCTV camera on the nest, and now

0:27:590:28:04

Mark and I have a chance to review the footage.

0:28:040:28:07

Have a look at this.

0:28:070:28:08

-There's the chick.

-He's quite fluffy, isn't he?

0:28:110:28:14

This is just after we ringed it, so it's still pretty scrawny.

0:28:140:28:17

But there's some food on the edge of the nest there.

0:28:170:28:19

Yeah, he's picking away at it, isn't he?

0:28:190:28:21

And there comes the parent.

0:28:210:28:23

What has she brought?

0:28:230:28:25

-Oh, it's a frog.

-It's a frog.

0:28:250:28:26

Yeah. That'll be from the bogs,

0:28:260:28:29

the marshes down the bottom of the valley.

0:28:290:28:31

What's he got there?

0:28:310:28:33

Oh, that looks like a mole.

0:28:330:28:34

-That's definitely a mole.

-Yep.

0:28:340:28:37

What is that? That's a leg of somebody, isn't it?

0:28:370:28:39

That is a leg of a hare or a rabbit, isn't it?

0:28:390:28:42

With this varied diet

0:28:440:28:45

from Dartmoor's diverse moorland habitats,

0:28:450:28:48

in just a few weeks, the chick is almost the size of its parents.

0:28:480:28:53

Now, he's really starting to travel around the nest and work those wings a bit.

0:28:530:28:56

Yeah. Yeah, we see how he's sort of taking shape and growing.

0:28:560:28:59

He's a good-sized bird now, isn't he?

0:28:590:29:01

-And off he goes!

-OK!

0:29:010:29:04

Just off to the next branch.

0:29:040:29:06

OK. That was the first bit of powered flight, as it were.

0:29:060:29:09

-Yeah.

-Just from the nest onto that branch.

0:29:090:29:11

-Yeah, I saw that.

-It's a great moment, isn't it?

0:29:110:29:13

-Yeah - a great leap for buzzard kind!

-Exactly!

0:29:130:29:18

And after that short-hop flight,

0:29:180:29:20

the fledgling buzzard is starting to get familiar with his surroundings.

0:29:200:29:24

How far away from here are you now seeing the youngster?

0:29:240:29:27

They're hunting over the whole of the valley.

0:29:270:29:29

-So, a mile or two?

-Yes.

0:29:290:29:31

If I want to catch up with them at some point today,

0:29:310:29:33

-where do you think I should head?

-Anywhere over the hill here,

0:29:330:29:36

they hunt over the ridge quite a lot.

0:29:360:29:37

Now the chick is fully fledged,

0:29:410:29:43

it will spend a couple of months with its parents learning to hunt.

0:29:430:29:46

And that's something I'd love to see.

0:29:480:29:50

I'm just on my way to meet Pete the cameraman in his hide,

0:29:530:29:57

which is about 600, 700 metres up the hill there.

0:29:570:30:00

But I can see buzzards right now on the ridge.

0:30:000:30:04

It's fantastic.

0:30:040:30:06

They're doing so well here.

0:30:060:30:07

Those three could be our youngster and his two parents.

0:30:090:30:13

The hide isn't exactly invisible, but it does give vital cover

0:30:140:30:18

for a pair of nosy humans and their camera.

0:30:180:30:21

-Welcome.

-Is there room for me to sneak past?

-Yeah.

0:30:210:30:25

What have you seen so far, before I got here?

0:30:250:30:28

The youngster on the fence posts.

0:30:280:30:31

He was sort of looking around and then he'd hop down into the bracken or the grass.

0:30:310:30:35

Hoping he might come across a beetle, or a worm or something?

0:30:350:30:37

Yeah, and slugs, I think, as well.

0:30:370:30:39

Just literally anything I think that he can find.

0:30:390:30:42

-Just learning to forage?

-Yeah, and he's definitely sort of a bit ungainly,

0:30:420:30:47

hasn't quite got the finesse of adult birds.

0:30:470:30:51

Any sign of the parent birds close by?

0:30:510:30:53

They were always in the vicinity.

0:30:530:30:54

I'm really hoping to see the youngster for myself,

0:30:560:30:59

but the first to show are two adults with their distinctive darker plumage.

0:30:590:31:04

Are they our pair?

0:31:040:31:05

I can see... I can see two...

0:31:050:31:07

I can see three birds now. Four. I can see four buzzards right now -

0:31:080:31:12

-three to the right on the ridgeline, and one up there.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:31:120:31:16

So, that's four, that's one more than...

0:31:160:31:18

-Oh, is there another one?

-You know what?

0:31:180:31:21

There's five, there's five buzzards here right now.

0:31:210:31:24

And it sounds like our chick isn't far away.

0:31:240:31:27

It's a really persistent call now.

0:31:270:31:29

There.

0:31:320:31:34

That sounded like it was coming from straight out in front.

0:31:340:31:37

Yeah. OK, I think... I think there's one coming back round.

0:31:370:31:39

And that is... That is a buzzard, and it's...

0:31:410:31:44

..possibly not holding itself quite as well in the breeze,

0:31:450:31:47

so that could be the juvenile.

0:31:470:31:48

-Oh, yeah, and you can see...

-The legs hanging down as well.

0:31:480:31:51

Exactly. The wing tips really spread out, like fingers.

0:31:510:31:56

And really working the wind.

0:31:560:31:58

Buzzards are superbly adapted to soaring flight.

0:31:590:32:03

With a wingspan of up to a metre and a half, they catch

0:32:030:32:06

the thermals and updrafts,

0:32:060:32:08

adjusting their fanned tail

0:32:080:32:10

for balance.

0:32:100:32:12

From this steady vantage point,

0:32:120:32:14

their incredible eyesight can spot a feeding opportunity

0:32:140:32:17

up to 3km away.

0:32:170:32:19

Buzzards eat plenty of carrion, as well as hunting small mammals

0:32:190:32:24

and even insects and worms.

0:32:240:32:26

And that's the one that's calling!

0:32:260:32:28

I think that's the one!

0:32:280:32:29

And... it's very pale.

0:32:290:32:30

So, Pete, if that's the one we think it is, ten weeks ago,

0:32:330:32:37

I held it in my hands...

0:32:370:32:39

Yep, incredible.

0:32:390:32:40

..while it was being ringed, popped it back on its nest,

0:32:400:32:44

and there it is, completely boundless and free.

0:32:440:32:49

It's a success story, isn't it?

0:32:490:32:50

It's such a heart-warming sight to see our youngster in good shape.

0:32:510:32:55

Once, buzzards were targeted by gamekeepers

0:32:560:32:59

and were almost hunted out of existence here.

0:32:590:33:02

In the early 1900s,

0:33:020:33:04

there were just 1,000 breeding pairs in the whole country.

0:33:040:33:07

Just swirling across in front of us now.

0:33:100:33:12

Over the past few decades, they've made a fantastic comeback.

0:33:140:33:18

Now, buzzards are our commonest bird of prey,

0:33:180:33:20

with around 67,000 pairs at the last count.

0:33:200:33:24

I'm so glad I saw him.

0:33:250:33:27

I've had a wonderful afternoon in this very beautiful place.

0:33:340:33:38

I've seen at least six buzzards flying into this stiff breeze,

0:33:380:33:42

and showing that they really are masters of the air.

0:33:420:33:45

But funnily enough, the one I enjoyed watching the most

0:33:450:33:49

was the least skilful -

0:33:490:33:51

the youngster, still just finding its wings

0:33:510:33:54

at the very beginning of its own aerial adventures.

0:33:540:33:57

Dartmoor is notoriously damp.

0:34:160:34:19

Even in the height of summer, it's often shrouded in mist and fog.

0:34:230:34:27

But there's one rare little beast here for whom wet is always wonderful.

0:34:290:34:34

They're quite difficult to find.

0:34:360:34:38

But you're looking for dead leaves,

0:34:380:34:40

where they've eaten patches and moved on.

0:34:400:34:43

On this suitably soggy August day,

0:34:440:34:46

Simon Phelps is on the hunt for a creature that's only found on a plant

0:34:460:34:51

that loves boggy meadows - the purple-flowering devil's-bit scabious.

0:34:510:34:57

As you can see, this site here has large carpets of devil's-bit scabious like this,

0:34:570:35:01

and that's the only food plant that they feed on.

0:35:010:35:04

Oh, yeah, we've got one here.

0:35:040:35:07

Yeah, cool.

0:35:070:35:09

The bristly bunch hanging out on this scabious stem

0:35:090:35:12

are caterpillars of the highly endangered

0:35:120:35:15

marsh fritillary butterfly.

0:35:150:35:17

So, within each group like this,

0:35:180:35:21

there will be maybe 50-100 caterpillars.

0:35:210:35:23

Some down the bottom feeding on the leaves.

0:35:230:35:25

These ones have come up here to sort of bask a little bit and try and get

0:35:250:35:29

a bit of warmth.

0:35:290:35:30

This lot are all from one batch of eggs.

0:35:310:35:34

Huddling together in one caterpillar clump is a common defence strategy

0:35:340:35:38

for caterpillars of many butterfly species.

0:35:380:35:42

And they could even survive the wetlands that they live in flooding,

0:35:420:35:47

and sometimes when they have fires, they can survive,

0:35:470:35:50

cos they are buried deep in the grass, so they can be protected.

0:35:500:35:52

They hibernate over the winter months,

0:35:540:35:56

so they bury deep down in the grass to sort of insulate themselves

0:35:560:36:00

from the cold weather.

0:36:000:36:02

Come spring, Simon is back to see the caterpillars emerge from their

0:36:090:36:13

metamorphosis as adult marsh fritillary butterflies,

0:36:130:36:18

with their exquisite chequerboard patterns.

0:36:180:36:21

These rare beauties are in severe decline across Europe.

0:36:210:36:25

Numbers have more than halved in the last 30 years

0:36:250:36:28

as large areas of the damp, marshy pasture they need to survive

0:36:280:36:32

are drained for agriculture or grazed heavily,

0:36:320:36:35

killing off the scabious plants that the butterflies rely on.

0:36:350:36:38

Dartmoor is one of their last strongholds in the UK.

0:36:390:36:43

It's almost like a flagship species for this wet grassland habitat

0:36:430:36:48

that's so important for lots of other things.

0:36:480:36:50

This marshy meadow has another resident that's equally diverting,

0:36:520:36:56

and, sadly, just as scarce.

0:36:560:36:58

Despite its appearance, this is a moth.

0:37:000:37:02

It's the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth,

0:37:030:37:06

a curious creature that mimics the bumblebee to put off predators.

0:37:060:37:10

They are quite difficult and can be confused with bumblebees,

0:37:110:37:14

but once you get your eye in,

0:37:140:37:15

you can see that they fly in a more direct and faster sort of flight

0:37:150:37:20

pattern than bumblebees, and they've got sort of paler markings,

0:37:200:37:24

and, as well, you can see their antennae

0:37:240:37:26

stretching out quite far from the body,

0:37:260:37:28

which bumblebees don't have.

0:37:280:37:31

Simon is working to revive the fortunes of Dartmoor's hawk moths and marsh fritillaries.

0:37:310:37:37

And after several years of campaigning to conserve the

0:37:370:37:40

marshes and meadows they need for survival,

0:37:400:37:43

the champion of these beguiling insects

0:37:430:37:46

has made some encouraging progress.

0:37:460:37:48

It took a few years,

0:37:480:37:49

but after three or four years of the project starting,

0:37:490:37:52

the butterfly numbers did start to rise,

0:37:520:37:55

and they have improved and stabilised

0:37:550:37:57

and colonised new patches of habitat

0:37:570:38:00

that we've worked on with farmers, as well.

0:38:000:38:03

So it has been a great success.

0:38:030:38:05

These brilliantly distinctive creatures are living on the front line of

0:38:060:38:09

changes in our environment - developments that seem small to us,

0:38:090:38:14

to them can be calamitous.

0:38:140:38:16

So, it's great that in Dartmoor, thanks to Simon's hard work,

0:38:160:38:20

their habitat is now being protected.

0:38:200:38:23

On this Dartmoor riverside,

0:38:310:38:33

Stephen Powles is looking for a wild otter he's kept in regular contact

0:38:330:38:37

with for years.

0:38:370:38:38

He hasn't seen Hammer Scar for ten days -

0:38:400:38:42

the longest time she's ever gone missing.

0:38:420:38:44

At more than five years old, she's already outlived most wild otters.

0:38:460:38:50

So, Stephen is anxious for any sign, and he's keeping a full-time watch

0:38:550:38:59

on his specially installed CCTV system.

0:38:590:39:02

Days and hours pass without so much as a glimpse of an otter.

0:39:060:39:10

But then, on day 11... DEVICE BEEPS

0:39:120:39:14

That's her.

0:39:140:39:16

She's on her way up. Let's go.

0:39:160:39:19

We're going to try and go upriver and find her.

0:39:190:39:21

But Stephen can't be sure that his sensor was set off by Hammer Scar.

0:39:240:39:28

The only way to confirm it is seeing her in the flesh.

0:39:330:39:36

So, we wait.

0:39:390:39:41

-WHISPERING:

-I suspect she's given us the slip.

0:39:500:39:52

By the time he arrives,

0:39:540:39:55

the otter that triggered the sensor has melted into the darkness.

0:39:550:39:58

But after all these years, Steven's not giving up on Hammer Scar.

0:40:010:40:06

The next night sees another vigil, and the alarm is triggered again.

0:40:060:40:10

DEVICE BEEPS

0:40:100:40:11

She's gone through the sensor.

0:40:110:40:13

In fact, she's now made it to the second sensor,

0:40:130:40:16

so we are all in an otter panic.

0:40:160:40:19

Often Steven can identify Hammer Scar, even when she is in the water.

0:40:220:40:26

But heavy rain has clouded the river with silt and runoff.

0:40:260:40:29

HE WHISPERS:

0:40:330:40:36

Otters can stay submerged for minutes at a time,

0:40:370:40:41

covering long distances underwater without needing to surface.

0:40:410:40:45

Seeing any sign now would just be a matter of luck.

0:40:450:40:48

A brief glimpse tells him everything he needs to know.

0:40:550:40:58

There's no mistaking Hammer Scar.

0:41:050:41:07

And she has spotted Steven, too.

0:41:080:41:10

It's a huge relief to see Hammer Scar safe and well.

0:41:180:41:22

She's a wild otter.

0:42:020:42:03

I'm very privileged to have this contact with her.

0:42:040:42:07

Hammer Scar has rewarded Steven's dedication

0:42:120:42:16

with one of his best encounters yet.

0:42:160:42:18

Well, that was the most amazing experience.

0:42:200:42:24

I've had some great experiences with Hammer Scar, but,

0:42:240:42:27

yeah, that's pretty well near the tops.

0:42:270:42:30

It doesn't matter how much time you spend with her,

0:42:310:42:34

it's never going to get boring,

0:42:340:42:35

it's never going to get mundane.

0:42:350:42:37

To me, that's the pinnacle of a wildlife experience.

0:42:370:42:41

It's rare to even see a wild otter,

0:42:430:42:45

let alone build the level of trust that's been developed by Steven

0:42:450:42:50

over years of watching his beloved Hammer Scar.

0:42:500:42:52

Hats off to him and to Hammer Scar for showing us all that the most

0:42:540:42:58

patient of wildlife watchers can get their just rewards.

0:42:580:43:02

I've come to a very special spot on a Dartmoor river in autumn.

0:43:110:43:16

No matter how idyllic,

0:43:160:43:17

it might seem a strange time of the year to be thinking about a dip.

0:43:170:43:21

But this is Lydia Falls,

0:43:230:43:25

and I've heard it's a good spot to catch one of nature's great migrations,

0:43:250:43:30

which means I don't need asking twice to get into the water.

0:43:300:43:33

This is when salmon and sea trout are making their way inland from the

0:43:380:43:42

sea, into the cold, clear waters of Dartmoor's rivers.

0:43:420:43:45

After a couple of years fattening up in the ocean,

0:43:470:43:50

they return to freshwater to breed.

0:43:500:43:52

This is known as the salmon run,

0:43:540:43:56

an annual event on many British rivers

0:43:560:43:58

from Cornwall to the northern tip of Scotland.

0:43:580:44:02

But it's not easy to see the salmon in action.

0:44:020:44:05

Fantastic.

0:44:080:44:09

Plenty of small trout and one good-sized salmon.

0:44:100:44:13

As the fishermen say, you know, one of those.

0:44:150:44:17

A real cracker. I think I might have caught a glimpse of it on camera.

0:44:170:44:21

I've only seen one salmon so far.

0:44:220:44:24

I'll go and have a look in some of the other pools in a minute,

0:44:240:44:27

but it does suggest they're starting to arrive.

0:44:270:44:29

Obviously waiting to head up through those waterfalls,

0:44:290:44:32

through those rapids to their spawning grounds.

0:44:320:44:35

And those numbers should keep building now, as the month goes on.

0:44:350:44:39

Swimming against the current is hard work.

0:44:410:44:44

And even for the fish, this is an arduous journey.

0:44:440:44:46

From the sea to its source on the moor,

0:44:480:44:50

the River Avon rises to over 400 metres above sea level,

0:44:500:44:54

and there are plenty of obstacles along the way.

0:44:540:44:57

It's extraordinary that these fish

0:44:590:45:01

can swim up these waterfalls.

0:45:010:45:03

And to do so successfully,

0:45:030:45:05

they need all the help they can get from the elements.

0:45:050:45:10

The problem is it hasn't rained properly here for nearly two weeks.

0:45:100:45:13

And there's just not enough water in the river,

0:45:130:45:16

coming over those falls and through the rapids,

0:45:160:45:19

for the fish to move up into.

0:45:190:45:21

But when the water does come,

0:45:210:45:22

that faster flow will put more water through the gills of those fish,

0:45:220:45:26

more oxygen into their blood,

0:45:260:45:27

and they'll get the energy they need to keep on pushing upstream,

0:45:270:45:31

through those rapids, up the waterfalls,

0:45:310:45:34

heading upstream to their spawning grounds where they themselves

0:45:340:45:37

were spawned several years ago.

0:45:370:45:39

Salmon are driven onwards and upwards by the urge to breed.

0:45:410:45:45

At this time the males undergo a dramatic change.

0:45:450:45:49

Their jaws become hooked and their normally silvery flanks

0:45:490:45:53

take on a coppery-red tone.

0:45:530:45:55

Once in fresh water, the salmon don't eat

0:45:570:46:00

but rely on their fat reserves to fuel them upstream

0:46:000:46:03

as they leap those weirs and waterfalls.

0:46:030:46:06

Sadly, in recent decades,

0:46:090:46:11

this seasonal spectacle has become an ever rarer sight on Dartmoor.

0:46:110:46:14

The cause of their decline is a complex issue.

0:46:200:46:22

But one pioneering team is honing in on a unique way to help.

0:46:240:46:28

So, we released 200,

0:46:320:46:36

which were attached with an ID.

0:46:360:46:39

Rupert Goddard and Matt Elmer are on the hunt.

0:46:410:46:44

How many you find, we're not really sure yet.

0:46:440:46:47

It depends on how far they've moved.

0:46:470:46:50

What they're looking for could be anywhere in the river.

0:46:500:46:52

But if they find some,

0:46:520:46:54

they might hold the key to helping revive the salmon's fortunes.

0:46:540:46:58

We're looking for rocks.

0:46:580:46:59

-Yep, got one.

-OK.

0:47:000:47:02

-Go ahead.

-9-delta-4...56.

0:47:020:47:06

So, this little tag will stick onto the rock

0:47:090:47:13

with, like, a sort of glass fibre resin,

0:47:130:47:17

and then as we come along the detector

0:47:170:47:19

will generate the current that will excite these.

0:47:190:47:23

The tag will produce a signal that the detector will then pick up.

0:47:230:47:27

Alpha-Charlie-7.

0:47:270:47:29

This Plymouth University project is tracking stones that were among

0:47:310:47:36

700 tonnes of granite gravel added to various stretches of the river

0:47:360:47:41

by the West Country Rivers Trust.

0:47:410:47:42

This gravel could play a vital role in bringing back the salmon.

0:47:490:47:53

Before the female salmon spawns, she makes a nest called a redd -

0:47:550:48:00

a small hollow where she can lay her eggs for the male to fertilise.

0:48:000:48:04

The right-size stones are important for holding the eggs.

0:48:050:48:09

It's normal that stones are sometimes washed away by the fast-flowing water,

0:48:090:48:13

and usually the pebbles are replaced by more from upstream.

0:48:130:48:18

But not here.

0:48:180:48:20

And this is why -

0:48:200:48:22

in the 1950s, for the creation of a reservoir, the river was dammed.

0:48:220:48:26

When you have a dam across the river,

0:48:280:48:30

it stops the natural movement of stones.

0:48:300:48:35

We end up with a channel that doesn't have the right kind of

0:48:350:48:39

composition of stone sizes that would enable the fish to spawn in.

0:48:390:48:43

In the breeding season, salmon travel many hundreds of kilometres -

0:48:450:48:49

perhaps from as far away as Greenland -

0:48:490:48:52

to return to the exact stretch of water where they were born.

0:48:520:48:55

But if their spawning grounds have been washed away,

0:48:550:48:59

they've got nowhere to start the next generation.

0:48:590:49:02

So, by adding more stone into the river,

0:49:040:49:07

we are increasing the available habitat for the fish to spawn in.

0:49:070:49:12

And to find out if the plan is working,

0:49:140:49:16

they need to know how far the gravel has travelled.

0:49:160:49:19

So, the lazy ones, 3.7 metres.

0:49:190:49:23

The adventurous ones, 90.

0:49:230:49:25

The great news is that this project is already seeing a positive effect.

0:49:270:49:32

A five-minute survey of one spot found 21 juvenile fish,

0:49:320:49:36

where previously there were none.

0:49:360:49:38

-Another one.

-Yeah.

0:49:390:49:41

We're certainly improving habitat,

0:49:410:49:43

and these areas would not have been here before we started the project.

0:49:430:49:47

If this method is proven to work,

0:49:470:49:49

it could be used to help salmon and trout flourish

0:49:490:49:52

in other rivers all over Britain.

0:49:520:49:54

A journey down any of Dartmoor's rivers ends at the sea...

0:49:570:50:01

..where the foibles of the flowing freshwater habitat

0:50:020:50:05

give way to the great opportunities of the ocean.

0:50:050:50:08

And for me today, that's a chance to encounter

0:50:100:50:13

an animal that never fails to thrill me.

0:50:130:50:15

I'm in the fishing port of Brixham,

0:50:160:50:18

a stone's throw from where the River Dart flows into the English Channel.

0:50:180:50:22

So, today's plan, we're going to be covering around 100, 105km today,

0:50:240:50:29

at around ten knots. That should take roughly 5½ hours.

0:50:290:50:32

Going to be recording our efforts.

0:50:320:50:34

Rachel Davies and her volunteers from Marine Life make regular surveys of

0:50:340:50:38

a creature that most of us are excited to even glimpse.

0:50:380:50:42

Dolphins.

0:50:430:50:44

The team are researching all cetacean activity in the

0:50:440:50:47

southwest. In the past year even humpback whales

0:50:470:50:50

have been spotted off this part of Devon's coast.

0:50:500:50:53

What about today's conditions?

0:50:560:50:58

Are they good for surveying cetaceans?

0:50:580:51:00

Well, right now it's absolutely fantastic.

0:51:000:51:02

We've got grey skies,

0:51:020:51:03

which may not sound like it's the best conditions for us,

0:51:030:51:05

but actually it really is, because when we get a little bit too much sunlight, we get glare.

0:51:050:51:09

-So...

-Too much glare is not good?

0:51:090:51:12

Not good at all, for a few reasons.

0:51:120:51:13

It can make it very difficult once you've actually spotted an animal

0:51:130:51:16

to identify the species, because quite often you can just see a silhouette,

0:51:160:51:20

so you can't see any colour markings.

0:51:200:51:21

But also when there is light reflecting off,

0:51:210:51:24

it can be very tiring for the eyes. And of course we want to keep our eyes fresh and we want to be rested.

0:51:240:51:28

And your volunteer spotters have been doing this for a while.

0:51:280:51:32

-Yes.

-They're a pretty eagle-eyed bunch?

0:51:320:51:35

The surveyors we have on board today have been doing this since the '90s, actually.

0:51:350:51:39

Oh, so really experienced.

0:51:390:51:40

Yeah, we've got Pete, who is a very, very keen birder

0:51:400:51:44

but also an exceptionally experienced...

0:51:440:51:46

Eagle-Eyed Pete, they call him?

0:51:460:51:48

Oh, Eagle Eyed Pete. Yes, definitely.

0:51:480:51:50

It's not too long before Eagle-Eyed Pete lives up to his name.

0:51:530:51:56

-300 metres, something like that.

-300 metres, but, Pete,

0:51:560:51:59

you are going to know better than I am what we are looking at.

0:51:590:52:02

Yes, they look as though they are common dolphins.

0:52:020:52:05

Common dolphins?

0:52:050:52:06

I've seen about three or four.

0:52:070:52:09

-Brilliant.

-One, two...

0:52:100:52:11

It's cool.

0:52:110:52:13

This fleeting glimpse is proof that there are cetaceans out here today.

0:52:130:52:17

And I'm desperate to see more.

0:52:170:52:19

I mean, those weren't feeding, so there's nothing with them.

0:52:190:52:22

But very often you're attracted to cetaceans by sea birds circling overhead.

0:52:220:52:26

Cos if they're feeding, then there's scraps available,

0:52:260:52:31

or even the gannets feeding might have drawn the common dolphins in.

0:52:310:52:35

-So you'll quite often see sea birds feeding before the dolphins?

-Yeah.

0:52:350:52:39

Even on this flat, calm sea we have to keep our eyes keenly peeled.

0:52:430:52:49

We've just had another sighting.

0:52:490:52:51

The skipper called this one, actually.

0:52:510:52:53

He thinks it's a harbour porpoise.

0:52:530:52:56

Here it is just now.

0:52:560:52:57

Looks like a solitary beast. Is it a harbour porpoise, Rachel?

0:52:590:53:02

Yep. I can't see it at the moment.

0:53:020:53:05

-I do...

-I did see it pop up just a second ago.

0:53:050:53:08

He will come up again, so we just want to keep an eye open in this area here.

0:53:080:53:11

But if it was a harbour porpoise there, in these conditions,

0:53:160:53:19

-if it comes up we will see it.

-Yes.

0:53:190:53:22

We just need to keep scanning.

0:53:220:53:24

Don't fix on one spot, just keep scanning.

0:53:240:53:27

I think that might have been the mirage of the day.

0:53:290:53:34

It was just a fleeting little black back on the surface, wasn't it?

0:53:340:53:37

There it is. So that's the harbour porpoise,

0:53:380:53:41

and you see what I mean by a fleeting glimpse.

0:53:410:53:43

It's just the curve of the back and then it's down again,

0:53:430:53:45

often for a couple of minutes.

0:53:450:53:46

Dolphins must break the surface regularly,

0:53:480:53:50

exposing their blow holes to the air to breathe.

0:53:500:53:54

But the whole thing happens fast.

0:53:540:53:56

They can breathe in and out in less than a second.

0:53:560:53:59

Sighting!

0:54:010:54:02

Straight ahead.

0:54:050:54:07

One's coming out of the water there.

0:54:090:54:11

They're much more active than they were earlier.

0:54:110:54:14

Whoa! A tail slapping right in front of us.

0:54:150:54:18

Now they're showing off.

0:54:180:54:20

Oh, right under the boat, there's six right underneath us.

0:54:200:54:23

Right on the bow wave, that's fantastic.

0:54:230:54:25

I'm literally on top of them.

0:54:270:54:29

Dolphins can save a huge amount of energy by bow riding,

0:54:290:54:33

using the pressure wave ahead of the boat

0:54:330:54:35

to push them through the water.

0:54:350:54:37

I'm just hoping I can get this

0:54:370:54:38

little underwater camera close to them

0:54:380:54:41

and get some shots of that amazing swimming action.

0:54:410:54:43

Whoa, here we go!

0:54:450:54:47

Just in front of me now.

0:54:470:54:49

Whoa!

0:54:490:54:50

These common dolphins are so distinctive,

0:54:530:54:55

with that amazing, creamy flank and underparts.

0:54:550:54:58

Common dolphins can grow to lengths of 2½ metres,

0:55:010:55:05

and have a lifespan of 30 years or more.

0:55:050:55:07

They live in tight-knit social groups,

0:55:080:55:10

communicating with high-pitched calls and clicks.

0:55:100:55:13

They even have their own version of regional dialects.

0:55:140:55:17

The best time to spot them in UK coastal waters

0:55:190:55:22

is between July and October,

0:55:220:55:24

and they're most commonly seen in the southwest.

0:55:240:55:28

Whoa!

0:55:280:55:30

Look at that!

0:55:300:55:33

Amazing!

0:55:330:55:34

I was watching all that from lying down,

0:55:370:55:40

but that was absolutely amazing.

0:55:400:55:42

Really smacking the water with its whole body, there.

0:55:420:55:45

What sort of behaviour is that, then, Rachel?

0:55:460:55:48

I think they're having a bit of a play, to be honest.

0:55:480:55:51

There's no single explanation for why dolphins breach and bellyflop.

0:55:540:55:58

It might be another way they communicate,

0:55:580:56:01

or perhaps they're dislodging parasites on their skin.

0:56:010:56:04

But I'm happy with Rachel's theory -

0:56:040:56:07

that these social, intelligent animals are simply playing.

0:56:070:56:11

And it's impossible not to get caught up in the sheer glee of their

0:56:110:56:15

delightful behaviour.

0:56:150:56:16

It's great when you see them breeching out of the water.

0:56:170:56:21

It's exciting.

0:56:210:56:22

We've counted 12 dolphins and one porpoise so far.

0:56:220:56:26

Not a bad tally for a few hours.

0:56:260:56:29

I'm pretty sure there's a juvenile in amongst them.

0:56:290:56:31

And this one is certainly a little bit smaller, isn't it?

0:56:310:56:34

We didn't record a juvenile last time, did we?

0:56:350:56:37

You've been out here in Lyme Bay more than anybody, Rick.

0:56:400:56:42

Do you have a sense of getting to know these dolphins now?

0:56:420:56:45

Sort of. I mean, we have catalogues,

0:56:450:56:49

numerous individuals that we've picked up upon regularly,

0:56:490:56:53

so you do, I suppose, attach yourself to those animals, yes.

0:56:530:56:57

So today we're a little piece of a big jigsaw puzzle...

0:56:570:57:00

-Yeah.

-..but when we put it all together it tells us about the health, the success of the species.

0:57:000:57:06

-Yes.

-It just gives you a good feeling,

0:57:060:57:08

knowing that you're doing something good

0:57:080:57:10

for the animals that you like to get out and see and observe.

0:57:100:57:13

It's not hard to see what brings these volunteers out here.

0:57:150:57:18

The data they gather on our cetaceans is important,

0:57:180:57:21

and today's trip will deliver its fair share of that.

0:57:210:57:25

But spending time among dolphins is its own reward.

0:57:250:57:28

There's so many creatures that you can be thrilled by

0:57:280:57:31

when you see them,

0:57:310:57:32

but for me, of all of them, the dolphins...

0:57:320:57:35

You kind of want to know - what's it like to be one?

0:57:350:57:37

-Yeah. Absolutely, yeah.

-It looks such fun.

0:57:370:57:40

Yeah, to be able to swim through the water at 25-30 miles an hour and...

0:57:400:57:44

While chatting to your mates.

0:57:440:57:46

-Yes.

-Yeah. It wouldn't be bad to come back as a dolphin.

0:57:460:57:49

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

0:57:550:58:00

and find out how to create your own wildlife habitats,

0:58:000:58:03

the Open University has produced a free booklet with bookmarks.

0:58:030:58:07

Order your copy by calling...

0:58:080:58:09

Or go to...

0:58:130:58:14

..and follow the links to The Open University.

0:58:180:58:21

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