0:00:02 > 0:00:04'I'm Gordon Buchanan.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09'I've filmed the most amazing creatures on the planet.'
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Wow.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12These are animals that have killed people.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16'But, for me, some of the best wildlife
0:00:16 > 0:00:18'is right here on our doorstep.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23'And I'd like some of our best-loved household names
0:00:23 > 0:00:25'to experience it as I do.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It's just awe-inspiring.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29That was unbelievable.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Beautiful.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Oh, what an experience.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34'I can spend weeks or even months tracking down
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'these elusive creatures.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40'This time, I have just three days.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44'This could be the biggest challenge of my career.'
0:00:53 > 0:00:56'I'm in the north of Scotland with someone
0:00:56 > 0:00:58'I'm more used to seeing in a flak jacket.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03'John Simpson, BBC's world affairs editor.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08Veteran war correspondent and a man who's often in the firing line.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Out there, the Gaddafi people are shooting in our direction.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17You can hear bullets flying overhead from time to time, quite low.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Nobody's around. They're too scared to stay.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25'John joined the BBC when he was 25
0:01:25 > 0:01:29'and he's made a career reporting from the world's conflict zones.'
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Baghdad and Kabul.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I actually enjoy going to them, not because it's dangerous,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39although it is quite dangerous sometimes,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41but because it's difficult.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Difficult to operate, difficult to explain.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I take a pleasure in that.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But there is something in me that would prefer to get on a plane
0:01:49 > 0:01:55and go to these wild, kind of crazy places that nobody goes to.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00'For the next three days, we're going to be
0:02:00 > 0:02:03'in and around Cairngorm National Park in the north of Scotland.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09'It's the UK's largest national park,
0:02:09 > 0:02:121,750 square miles,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15'and home to four of the UK's five highest mountains.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22'Today, we're on the lookout for the elusive wildcat.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'Then we are in the Highlands tracking red squirrels,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29'and our only native hare.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'I'm hoping we'll also see ptarmigan and free ranging reindeer.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:45So, John, one of my favourite places on the planet is right here.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- Cairngorms. I absolutely love it. - Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
0:02:48 > 0:02:5325% of some of the UK's most important species are found...
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Is that right, a quarter?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Yes, so, what I'd like to do is just show you
0:02:58 > 0:03:02the majesty of the mountains, the magic of the forest,
0:03:02 > 0:03:07- and just pick a handful of creatures that I'd like to find.- Like what?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- Red squirrel.- I'd love to. I've never seen a red squirrel.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Really? Oh, there you go.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Ptarmigan, again,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17a hardy little bird that presents its own challenges.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20For them, we're going to have to go up into the mountains.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Wildcat is the Holy Grail, I think, of British wildlife.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- There's so few of them, they're so hard to find.- Fewer than tigers.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Fewer than tigers, yes.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30They're one of the most endangered cats in the world.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35So, of those species, is there any that kind of ignites a spark?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Well, there really is.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Ever since I was a kid,
0:03:39 > 0:03:45I've been excited by the idea of wildcats in Scotland.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Really endangered, really, really rare,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53really difficult to see. So that's what I'd like to see. Can you...?
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I'll see what I can do.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02OK. Well, if you can, I'll be really happy.
0:04:02 > 0:04:08- We are in the best possible place to see them.- OK, well, you know.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- I live in hope.- Yeah.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14'So, I've just three days to show John wildcats, red squirrels,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18'mountain hare, ptarmigan and reindeer.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26'But it's November and the Cairngorm plateau is the highest,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'coldest, and snowiest place in the UK.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'I hope John knows what he's in for.'
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I don't like the cold so much.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43I did a documentary in the Arctic with Ranulph Fiennes,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and there I was miserable.
0:04:46 > 0:04:52I mean, it was -70, and the wind blowing like crazy.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57And I got frostbite on all my fingers. I just...
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I loathed that. I couldn't wait to be out of it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:07I promise there's no chance of frostbite. Hypothermia? Yes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09But frostbite, no.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18'The Angus Glens are around 20 miles north of Dundee.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'And one of the few places we might spot the elusive Scottish wildcat.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'They used to be found all over Britain.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33'Now there are only a handful left in the north of Scotland
0:05:33 > 0:05:36'because of persecution and loss of habitat.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'Scottish Wildcat Action is a conservation project set up
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'to save this iconic animal from extinction.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'They've been monitoring wildcats using trail cameras.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'And this area has one of the highest densities.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01'So, I'm hoping project manager Dr Roo Campbell
0:06:01 > 0:06:03'can tell us where to put our cameras.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:08This is all...
0:06:08 > 0:06:13all great habitat. Hello, how are you doing? Roo's the man.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Nice to meet you.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I was thinking, when was the last time a wildcat walked up...
0:06:18 > 0:06:22walked up here? Have you ever bumped into a wildcat?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I could count the number of times on one hand.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26- So it's not often.- Yeah.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28So, this habitat,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- I suppose it provides everything that wildcats need.- It does, yes.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34When that grass goes up and that becomes great vole habitat,
0:06:34 > 0:06:35so then you've got prey.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Right next to it, you've got all this mature pine
0:06:37 > 0:06:40or you've got a young plantation, so, that'll provide cover.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43So the cat's got everything it needs all in one place.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It's exciting, isn't it?
0:06:45 > 0:06:49When you think, small island, not very many species of wildlife,
0:06:49 > 0:06:54really. And, yet, you can have something
0:06:54 > 0:06:57that's so little known as a wildcat.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01That's really...why I've always had a real interest in them,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05for that reason. Just sort of mysterious.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Our last ferocious predator.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10And without the use of camera traps,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13the chances of actually learning anything about them would be...
0:07:13 > 0:07:17They've revolutionised the work on the species. Totally.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20We can go out and cover large areas of ground.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Scottish Wildcat Action's going to be setting
0:07:22 > 0:07:26something like 70 camera traps for 60 days in each of our
0:07:26 > 0:07:30six priority areas we've got across Scotland, so that's 420 cameras.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- You know how these work.- I do, yes. - So, you put it out. Anything...
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- Anything that moves.- Anything that moves will be recorded.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So what we're going to do is start exploring on the edge
0:07:42 > 0:07:44of the forest and go in, and look for places that I think
0:07:44 > 0:07:47are going to give us the best chance. Let's do it.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Roo, thank you very much. See you later.- Good luck.- All the best.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55'Roo is also going to put out a couple of his camera traps,
0:07:55 > 0:07:56'just in case.'
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- Just up here, see the post?- Yes.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Here what I want to do is try and hold the cat
0:08:02 > 0:08:04in this area by...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07putting things here that are going to be of interest.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12- So, sardines. Nice, smelly fish. - Yep.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Do you have any cat urine with you?
0:08:14 > 0:08:19- Strangely, I left it behind. - I should have said.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I've got some mountain lion urine.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22JOHN LAUGHS
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- How do they get it to pee in the bottle?- That is the question.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- Do you know what wildcat lure smells like?- Strangely not.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33This will be a first for you.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Not, erm...
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Phwoar, that's disgusting.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43This is possibly more familiar.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47- It's like the worst public toilet in the world.- Yes.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49That's not very nice, either.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50LAUGHTER
0:08:50 > 0:08:53You're right, it's not very nice.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Right, if you take that, and... - Try not to spray it on myself.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Don't spray it on yourself,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03just liberally around this area, so this whole tangle of roots.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Presumably this isn't something you've done before.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11- No, I'm just trying to think... - Sprayed urine on a log,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13in your long and varied career.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17There's always something new, there's always something new.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21- Go close because of this wind and rain.- Yes.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- I'm afraid the wind's blowing it... - It's blowing straight into me!
0:09:25 > 0:09:27You're spending the next three days with me, John,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and you're covering me with cat pee.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37Onto the camera.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- It will take in that whole... - The whole of that.- Yes.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Finding a good site, going to all this effort to climb up
0:09:52 > 0:09:54here and put out all this food,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- you just have to obviously make absolutely sure...- Yes.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01..that the camera is doing what it should. Good luck, camera.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'Often, when I use camera traps, I like to use several
0:10:05 > 0:10:10'in the same location to increase my chances or just in case one fails.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:15Good luck.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23'On our way back to the Land Rover, we look for signs of wildcats.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26'Like droppings, or scat,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29'which wildcats use to mark their territory.'
0:10:31 > 0:10:33There we go, John. Right...right there.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I'm really glad you told me because I wouldn't know.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Let me just find something to give it...
0:10:41 > 0:10:43to give it a prod with.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Is that genuine wildcat?
0:10:49 > 0:10:55I couldn't say with absolute certainty, but it fits...the bill.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57And it smells...
0:10:57 > 0:10:59like...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02It's got... What's it been eating?
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Fur.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The longer hairs could be from...
0:11:07 > 0:11:09a rabbit?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12So that's been eating something... something furry.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- Does it smell as you...?- Not much.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I just got a good catty waft.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25Finding faeces is, kind of, greatly exciting to me.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30It's one of the key, one of the very few things that is associated
0:11:30 > 0:11:33with the animal that you can see, isn't it?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36It's not exactly beautiful, and it certainly doesn't smell
0:11:36 > 0:11:40very nice, but I think that's really exciting.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I mean, it shows that a wildcat has been here.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'So, we leave the camera traps to do their thing.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59'But there are no guarantees, so we're travelling 70 miles north
0:11:59 > 0:12:01'to the Highland Wildlife Park,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'where I know I can show John a wildcat.'
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Will I really see it?- We will see...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- we will see one... - Not a stuffed one?
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Not a stuffed one.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Even in captivity, they're still quite shy.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19But we can certainly go into the enclosure, and see one.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Cos I'd really like you to see
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- this animal that we're talking about.- Oh, yes, yes, yes.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33'The Highland Wildlife Park covers 260 acres.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37'And it helps to conserve endangered species, like the wildcat.'
0:12:38 > 0:12:41These cats that we're going to see are very different
0:12:41 > 0:12:42to the cats in the wild,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46insomuch as they're well used to seeing people.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Visitors come every single day.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53'There have been captive wildcat populations in zoos
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'for around 50 years. Here at the park, they have nine.'
0:12:57 > 0:13:02- There's a youngster.- My God, yes. - So, that's a kitten from this year.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- Oh!- There's a litter of three that were born in April.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I never thought to see this in my life.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13And another couple over there.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19I'm just out of my... out of my head with this.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24The one that's looking slightly grumpy is this...
0:13:24 > 0:13:25is the mother.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31I don't think I would reach my hand out to this one.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It's those flattened ears, she's telling us
0:13:33 > 0:13:36exactly how she's feeling about us.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40That cat looks quite bad-tempered.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- That's what I wanted to see! - A hissing, snarling wildcat!
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Even though it's not in the wild, I just think it's fantastic.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- Let's go round, let's go into the enclosure, and get even closer.- Yes.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02- I like the way I make you go first. - Delighted to go first.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05'It's a real privilege to be allowed in the cage with them.'
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I'm used to cages with various wild things but not cats.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Here comes one here, John, look. - Oh, yes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18They are exquisitely beautiful.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20They really are.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28That stare is kind of as intimidating as the stare
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- of a tiger.- I'm sure it is, yes.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Not a creature you'd want to get on the wrong side of.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40'Wildcats have a distinctive thick, ringed, black-tipped tail.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:47He is absolutely magnificent.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- Can you see the barring on the tail? - Yes. On the tail, yes.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53Never would've thought this.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- We're being stalked by the Highland tiger.- Yes, yes!
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Despite the fact that they are actually, you know,
0:15:01 > 0:15:02they're accustomed to seeing people,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- they're not walking between your legs and purring.- No, no.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- I'd like to get as close as we can, as close as we dare...- Sure.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16- So I've arranged for Rachel to come and put some food out.- Oh, yes.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And they're looking pretty hungry, so...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Rachel Williams is a carnivore animal keeper.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27What have we got? Chicks? All right, here, look at this.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31(Oh, yes. Gosh.)
0:15:31 > 0:15:34No messing. You just see how comfortable they are...
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Look how he works his way his way through there.- ..in the trees.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43They'll catch things from small mice, voles, rabbits, young hare...
0:15:43 > 0:15:45birds if they can get them.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- Beautiful.- Oh, look at that.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55The sharp claws are retractable which helps keep them sharp
0:15:55 > 0:15:57so that helps with their climbing.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Yes.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04And just incredibly sharp teeth.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06All predators are unsuccessful most of the time.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Of course, yes, of course.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- And if they were successful most of the time...- There wouldn't be any...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13There wouldn't be anything left.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It's a hard life, isn't it?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18For predators of all sizes.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20The wild is no place for the weak.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Sounds like the BBC!
0:16:21 > 0:16:23HE LAUGHS
0:16:23 > 0:16:24He's very choosy.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28That one just made a little noise.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35Some unmentionable bit of a bird hanging out of his mouth and "Grrr!"
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I thought he was going to jump on my head for a moment.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- Don't speak too soon! - No, he still might.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Oh, what an experience!
0:16:50 > 0:16:55When I lived in the country, I had a cat which used to go
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and catch voles and things.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01We had an Indian carpet with a circle in the middle
0:17:01 > 0:17:05and the cat would put this little vole or whatever
0:17:05 > 0:17:09exactly in the middle of the circle and he would have messed around
0:17:09 > 0:17:13with the tail until the tail was directly straight.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15He was proud of what he'd done, he wanted it to look good.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16- A little gift.- Yes, a little gift
0:17:16 > 0:17:20and he wanted to show it off in the best way possible.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Maybe it's just your cat.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Yes, it may be.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- That's his present to us.- I'm well fed, John's looking a bit hungry.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- He might like this vole.- I'll do a nice thing with a bit of tail.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34What a sight!
0:17:34 > 0:17:40They are all the more magnificent for being wild animals.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43They're not all sort of pretty-pretty,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48soft, furry, you know, curling up on the end of your bed
0:17:48 > 0:17:49type of animal.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52That's what I really appreciate.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Look at the colours, look at the markings.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Look at the grace of that thing.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Magnificent!
0:18:04 > 0:18:09I'm so glad to be able to show John these fabulous cats up close.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It's only a 15-minute drive to the Alvie forest
0:18:23 > 0:18:24and our bed for the night.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27We're staying in a bothy,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31a simple shelter out in the wild that anyone can use.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It's basically wild camping indoors.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I think it's time for dinner.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45'Bothies are often abandoned farm buildings
0:18:45 > 0:18:48'and they're found in remote and mountainous spots all over the UK.'
0:18:50 > 0:18:52As long as I've got...
0:18:52 > 0:18:57somewhere to sleep that's not too infested with insects,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01that's kind of warm and dry or warmish and dry-ish,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and some food, a little bit of whisky maybe,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07it's amazing the places that I can make myself comfortable.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Absolutely, yes.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13The worst sleeping experience happened to me
0:19:13 > 0:19:18night after night after night in Sarajevo during the siege
0:19:18 > 0:19:22when all the windows had been shot out of the hotel.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I was there for two months in the winter
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and it was one of the coldest winters, 1992.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- -19, -20 every night. - Oh, gosh.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34And nothing really protecting us from the outside world.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I used to sleep in my sleeping bag with all my clothes on
0:19:38 > 0:19:42except my shoes and I tied a scarf around my head
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and I still couldn't sleep.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46It was too cold to sleep.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49But whisky helped!
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Just going to stick a couple of logs on.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58There's a bottle of whisky as well that is...
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Well, that will be my reward.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07- Can you bear some of this?- I could bear a great deal of that, yes.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- Yes, please.- Would you like a splash of water or...?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13No, I think I'll just take it neat, actually.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Thank you.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Oh, it's very good, isn't it?
0:20:16 > 0:20:21It's got almost a sort of orangey sort of nose to it.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- Cheers.- Cheers.- Slainte. - Excellent, yes.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33That, to me, is a sort of really satisfying end to the day.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38If I can't sleep or if I've had a stressful day or something,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I like to make myself a hot chocolate
0:20:41 > 0:20:43with a big dollop of whisky in it.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45You've properly had more than your fair share
0:20:45 > 0:20:47of stressful days throughout your career.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Erm... Well, I try not to let things stress me.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I try and really kind of float over it a bit.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02But for the most part, you know, the sort of constant irritations
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and difficulties, I just feel now that I'm in my 70s,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- I can just float over them. - Rise above it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Rise above it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Through all those horrific things that you've witnessed,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17how have you managed to keep it together?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20That's assuming I have, of course.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22And if it's going to come out,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24it's going to come out in a lonely bothy in the Highlands.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29I think for a start, I belong to a different generation.
0:21:29 > 0:21:36I came along at the end of that period where you just
0:21:36 > 0:21:39tried to keep calm and carry on.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I have seen quite a lot of nasty things
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and the worst thing that happened in many ways to me
0:21:45 > 0:21:48was that we got bombed in Iraq.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50When was that? 12 years ago.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52And...
0:21:53 > 0:21:56..a lot of people killed, 18 people killed,
0:21:56 > 0:22:03but my colleague and I spent the next four or five days, I think,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07talking to each other and we talked and talked and talked
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and talked about what we'd seen and what we'd done.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15And by the end of the third day, I think,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18we'd just got sick to death of talking about it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Both he and I, I think,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23felt that afterwards that that had exorcised it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28We are equipped to deal with the horrors of life
0:22:28 > 0:22:32- and the best way of dealing with it is to actually share that.- Yes.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36And I think a lot of the social ills is that people don't want
0:22:36 > 0:22:40to admit that they're weak and that they're vulnerable.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Yes, yes.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50It's the second day of our Highland adventure.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55And there's just time for a quick breakfast
0:22:55 > 0:22:57before we head off to our next animal.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11My entire life is spent racing around and that business which
0:23:11 > 0:23:14we did here of arriving in the dark
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and then in the morning stumbling out, you know,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20rubbing your eyes and seeing what lies outside, especially
0:23:20 > 0:23:23when it's as beautiful as this, I love all of that.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29In a way, you and I live parallel lives.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34You know, you observe animals, I observe people,
0:23:34 > 0:23:39often in fairly extreme circumstances.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Are you a reckless man, would you say?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Erm... I kind of am, in a way, yes.
0:23:45 > 0:23:52I am. I tell myself I'm very sensible and don't take risks,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54but that isn't true.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Does it become an addiction,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01a lifelong addiction to sort of travel and uncover those stories?
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Yes. It's that business of always, you know,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08always wanting to know what's round the next corner.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11That's what keeps me going.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13"For lust of knowing what should not be known,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16"we take the Golden Road to Samarkand."
0:24:16 > 0:24:20That's what I love, things that people don't want you to know
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and going and finding out and coming back and telling other people.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27That, to me, is heaven.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33There is nothing in my world, in my life, in my existence,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35that's better than that.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Thank you, bothy.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43That was a nice place.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Roof above our heads.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53We head south towards Glenfeshie to track down another amazing animal.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00The mature pine woodland is the perfect habitat for the UK's
0:25:00 > 0:25:01only native squirrel.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Red squirrels were common all over Britain
0:25:11 > 0:25:15until grey squirrels were introduced in the late 1800s.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Disease and competition for food means
0:25:19 > 0:25:22they are losing the fight against their bigger cousins.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32- John, if you go into the hide, make yourself comfortable...- Yep.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35..and I'll put out some food.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44John has never seen a red squirrel before
0:25:44 > 0:25:46and I'd really like to show him one.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Even if it means enticing them in with hazelnuts.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Great.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Let the long wait begin. Or let the short wait begin.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02JOHN LAUGHS
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And do they expect to find nuts here?
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Yeah, this is a place where food has been put out before.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- On a regular sort of basis?- Yeah.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Do they live on the ground or do they live up in the trees?
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Their nest is made of a collection of twigs and leaves.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31It is called a dray. And they'll have a dray up in the trees.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35But, yeah, we kind of think of them as being an arboreal creature,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38but they are as happy on the ground.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40The trees are their safe haven.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44That's where they'll retreat to if they feel threatened.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49There are now only 140,000 red squirrels left,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52compared to 2.5 million greys.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- (John, John, John, John. There's one. OK.)- (Where?)
0:27:00 > 0:27:04(OK, to the right, on the tree. Stay there.)
0:27:04 > 0:27:07You don't even need the binoculars for it.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16(I want to see more than that.)
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- (Yes, yes. OK. I think they're there, right on the log.)- (Yes.)
0:27:23 > 0:27:26(Watch what he does. Watch what he does.)
0:27:33 > 0:27:34(Fantastic.)
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- (You see that. It covered about 25 feet without me even seeing it.) - (Yes.)
0:27:39 > 0:27:42(It's just darted back up in that direction.)
0:27:42 > 0:27:45INDISTINCT
0:27:45 > 0:27:46I think he's fine.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- It knows that we are here. - Look at that beautiful animal.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56- I saw just a flicker of something. There you go. There it is.- You did.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02'And it's gone.'
0:28:02 > 0:28:05I can wipe the sweat from my brow because the fact that
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I have been able to show you a red squirrel,
0:28:07 > 0:28:08I'm mightily pleased about.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13I'm so pleased. I'm profoundly grateful to the squirrel for coming.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Let's move on, because we're actually going to leave the woodland
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and go somewhere that's very different to here.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23- Am I going to like it? - I...think... you will like it.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24THEY LAUGH
0:28:24 > 0:28:28The next place, if the weather closes in,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30it could get a little bit wild.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Oh, well. We'll see.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41We're heading towards the Monadhliath mountains
0:28:41 > 0:28:43on the very edge of the National Park.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49I've heard that it's the best place to track down mountain or
0:28:49 > 0:28:53a blue hares, our only Arctic mammal.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58Right, we could potentially see hare at any point...
0:28:58 > 0:29:01And they're white now, are they?
0:29:01 > 0:29:03They won't be in full winter coat,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06because when they are in full winter coat
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- and they're pure white, they stand out on this landscape...- Yes.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14..which makes them very vulnerable to golden eagles and foxes.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19They're also Britain's only native hare and may have been here
0:29:19 > 0:29:21since the last Ice Age.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Do they eat the grass? What do they eat?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Heather makes up most of their diet but they'll browse
0:29:29 > 0:29:33on other plant species if there's any willow or juniper.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41I thought I saw some movement straight ahead. I'm sure I didn't.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43I'm sure it wasn't anything.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49They don't want to be seen by any predator.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53- Don't they want to get on television?- Not today, it seems.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54HE LAUGHS
0:29:56 > 0:29:59One of the great things about watching wildlife is that you
0:29:59 > 0:30:02never know what you are going to spot next.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06- See right up on the ridge, the red deer?- Actually on the ridge?
0:30:06 > 0:30:10- So right at the very, very top. - Oh, yes.- There you go.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Oh, there's even more just below the horizon.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20- A couple of stags to the right. - Yes, I see. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Red deer are our largest deer species,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28found mainly in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31It's lovely to see the red deer, even though that's not what
0:30:31 > 0:30:36- we came here for. Mind you, they are long way up.- They are.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- What is that, a mile?- Must be approaching a mile, yeah.- Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- There we go, John.- No! Where?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- Just...- Where, where?- ..lots.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49- A fair number.- Really?- Yes.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Up the hill?
0:30:51 > 0:30:53- Yes, white specks.- Yes, yes, yes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Oh, yes, I see them. Oh, yes.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00They're very handsome creatures, aren't they?
0:31:06 > 0:31:09But I'd like to get John even closer to the hares.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Bit of off-roading.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23OK, nice and slow. There you go. There you go.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- Right there.- Yes. - You see?- Yes. Lovely.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37- Oh, yes.- Doesn't seem too fearful.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44Please tell me this is another one of our native species that
0:31:44 > 0:31:46you haven't ever seen before.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- Yeah.- Is it?- It... Absolutely.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58It looks at us. It's assessing us.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01They think, "Actually, they're not a threat."
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Look at that.- Stretching. - Lovely.- Off it goes.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12Their powerful hind legs propel them forward at speeds of up to 40mph,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15fast enough to give them a chance of escaping any predator.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Lovely to see it. Absolutely lovely.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25And so close. And so clearly.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Beautiful animal. Beautiful.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34I once did a ride over the mountains in Afghanistan
0:32:34 > 0:32:38in the Hindu Kush on horses.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42- It was cold like this. - Really?- Yeah. Wonderful.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47The only problem was that the men who were guiding us
0:32:47 > 0:32:50wanted to rob us, perhaps kill us.
0:32:50 > 0:32:57So it was quite tricky. But this is no less beautiful than those views.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00It was worth the whole thing.
0:33:03 > 0:33:09I just feel kind of liberated looking out over these mountains.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14I... It's such an uplifting feeling.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20I can't believe that people aren't here,
0:33:20 > 0:33:26that it's not full of tourists bashing about taking pictures.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40'We're back in Glenfeshie, where we saw our red squirrel.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'I've heard that after the wildcat, it's also a great
0:33:45 > 0:33:48'place for spotting Britain's second rarest carnivore.'
0:33:50 > 0:33:54There is...a nano per cent of a chance
0:33:54 > 0:33:57that we'll actually see a pine marten.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59But if we go into the forest and put the camera traps up
0:33:59 > 0:34:02and we can leave them working overnight...
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Like the wildcat, they are incredibly difficult to find.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11If we did have that nano chance of seeing it,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13how would I know that I'd seen one?
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Cat size, domestic cat...- Right. - ..but they're quite weaselly...
0:34:16 > 0:34:18- Sort of long?- Long and low.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Beautiful deep brown creamy bib.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24They look like little bears at times.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27They are arboreal, but they come down to the ground.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30- They're...- So would they live in the trees, in nests or something?
0:34:30 > 0:34:35- No, they'll nest in rock hollows or hollow trees.- Oh, yeah.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36They hunt squirrels?
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- They'll hunt squirrels...- Yes. - ..birds if they can catch them.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42They are a formidable predator because the pine marten can
0:34:42 > 0:34:46- hunt a huge range of prey on the ground and up in the trees.- Yeah.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51- I think we're going to just head off..- OK.- ..into the night.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Into the dark... deep, dark forest.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02'Up until about 1800, pine martens were widespread throughout Britain.
0:35:02 > 0:35:08'Now there are only around 4,000 left, mainly in Scotland.'
0:35:09 > 0:35:13Are they threatened in any way?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Loss of woodland, loss of habitat, combined with this
0:35:16 > 0:35:21- pressure of persecution...- Yes. - ..that almost wiped them out.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27This looks like the perfect spot.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- That should be fine. - This is for the camera?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36- I'm going to put the camera trap here.- I see.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- And there's a nice...- In the hopes that the pine marten will...
0:35:39 > 0:35:40Why should it go there, though?
0:35:40 > 0:35:43This is why it should go there.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- Because I have two of a pine marten's favourite foods.- Ah.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48- Honey.- Yes.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- Peanuts.- Yes.- They can't resist it.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54You sure this isn't part of some Disney film?
0:35:54 > 0:36:00Peanuts and honey, who could resist? Actually, I don't know if I can.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02Mmm.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06- Mmm.- It's rather good, actually. - That is really good.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09A very thick honey as well, so...
0:36:09 > 0:36:12I'm going to use the honey like a glue. HE LAUGHS
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- Yeah, for the peanuts? - For the peanuts.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17It's pouring with rain now. I hope it doesn't wash it off.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20And nothing else will come along and eat this?
0:36:20 > 0:36:24I suppose a badger would tuck into this quite happily.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25- Really?- Yeah.- Yes.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28A fox would come, maybe, yeah, if it's hungry enough.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Well, we'll know, if we've got the camera.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- We will know, yeah.- So we'll know who the guilty party is.- Yeah.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37It'll be exciting to come back and find all of this gone.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- OK, I'm the camera...- Mm-hm. - ..you're the pine marten.- I am.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43You're going to stand on your hind legs.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46I think he's going to look around and think, "What on earth is this
0:36:46 > 0:36:50"delicious honey-peanutty treat doing here in the dead of night?"
0:36:50 > 0:36:52He's probably not going to think about that too much,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55he's just going to think, "I love this stuff and..."
0:36:55 > 0:36:57MAKES LIP-SMACKING SOUNDS
0:36:57 > 0:36:59- Don't eat it all! - Well, I'm just having a lick.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02I didn't even get a peanut! This is like Halloween. JOHN LAUGHS
0:37:02 > 0:37:05And... Oh, actually, it's quite nice. Mmm.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10So I'm hoping, I imagine if a pine marten finds this,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12it's going to eat the whole lot.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33- Let's hope this works. - I've got a good feeling about this.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36That we're in prime pine marten habitat.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38But who knows what we'll see.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41If we come back tomorrow and it's gone...
0:37:41 > 0:37:43- that's a good sign.- Yes.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45OK, great. Let's find our way home.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48'All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed
0:37:48 > 0:37:51'and wait for tomorrow.'
0:37:57 > 0:38:00It's the final day of our journey into the wild.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07And I'm hoping to show John a very special animal.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11So we head south towards the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
0:38:11 > 0:38:14at Glenmore, which covers over 10,000 acres.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21It's a 20-minute walk to the 150-strong reindeer herd.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33All right, once we're on the hill, it's...
0:38:33 > 0:38:35less steep.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39These reindeer are originally from Sweden
0:38:39 > 0:38:42and are the UK's only free-ranging herd.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44They are on the move constantly.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47They're one of those species that migrates,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52- but open tundra's what we tend to associate with reindeer.- Yes.
0:38:52 > 0:38:57The reason that they were brought back here was because,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59actually, this habitat
0:38:59 > 0:39:04very closely matches the habitat from which they came.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Reindeer were indigenous to the UK until about 8,000 years ago.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11One theory is that overhunting combined with
0:39:11 > 0:39:15the warming of the planet led to their extinction.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19The Cairngorms are the only place in the UK cold enough for them
0:39:19 > 0:39:20to survive all year round.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- Have you ever been close to a reindeer before?- Never.- Really?
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- I've never seen one.- Well, there you go, there's your first reindeer.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30My God, yes!
0:39:32 > 0:39:33Good morning, reindeer.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Well, they are, I suppose,
0:39:39 > 0:39:44- one of those creatures that are completely unmistakable.- Yes.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Very recognisable.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Nobody who's ever seen a Christmas card could fail
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- to know where we are. - GORDON LAUGHS
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Can I touch the antlers and things? Or do they...?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I think, yes. No, I think as long as they can see your hand coming in...
0:39:57 > 0:39:58They won't mind? Yes.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I've actually got some food here.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Let me just...
0:40:03 > 0:40:04'These deer are very tame.'
0:40:04 > 0:40:06There you go.
0:40:06 > 0:40:07They know I've got the good stuff.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09'And used to being hand-fed.'
0:40:09 > 0:40:11There you go.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- This is a calf from last year.- Right.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19It's an animal that is designed to cope
0:40:19 > 0:40:22with these sub-zero temperatures.
0:40:22 > 0:40:28In -40, you've got a herd of reindeer out on the open tundra,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31so they have to be able to cope with those conditions.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37'It's bitter today and the wind makes it feel even colder.'
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Their coat is incredibly, incredibly warm. They are very well insulated.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Their noses are completely covered in fur.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51'Reindeer are the only deer species where both male
0:40:51 > 0:40:53'and female have antlers.'
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Their antlers, why are they covered in fur?
0:40:57 > 0:41:00That's just bone so it's, erm...
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Why do you have to keep that warm?
0:41:02 > 0:41:05The reason for that is, every single year,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07the reindeer lose their antlers,
0:41:07 > 0:41:13so this massive impressive rack is grown every single year,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15and for them to grow fast,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18they're covered in this velvet, it's called.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20This is just engorged with blood.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28'It might look painful, but what's left is just the membrane
0:41:28 > 0:41:30'from when the antlers were growing.'
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Hey!
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Aren't they lovely? They're a beautiful animal.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41They're an animal that's been domesticated for thousands of years.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44We were able to domesticate them and herd them,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47take the products from them that we wanted.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Which are milk, meat?
0:41:50 > 0:41:52- Do we eat reindeer meat?- We do.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55The skins themselves, clothing made out of skins.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Antler was very useful for making tools out of them.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04- I've seen shelters made out of reindeer skins.- Really?
0:42:04 > 0:42:08If you have a frozen surface and you put down a reindeer skin
0:42:08 > 0:42:12and sleep on top of that, your body warmth will heat up the skin
0:42:12 > 0:42:16and you won't get any of that cold from underneath.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17- Really?- Yeah.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20I have to say it is bloody cold.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I don't know what it is.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24In the wind, it's really cold.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27Yeah, they won't be feeling any of this.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30This is the good times.
0:42:34 > 0:42:35Come on, boy.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40You see, if you look at their feet.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Yeah, the feet, the splaying of the feet
0:42:43 > 0:42:45is really interesting, isn't it?
0:42:45 > 0:42:49If you're walking through a snowy landscape,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51as you're sinking in with every footfall, you're going
0:42:51 > 0:42:54to use part of your energy just covering getting around.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58They're just lovely animals, aren't they?
0:42:58 > 0:43:02I can see why people are fond of them.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- It's...- Are you feeling festive?
0:43:04 > 0:43:06THEY CHUCKLE
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Yes.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12We're out of food.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14That's the last bit, I'm afraid.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20'I'd like to show John another animal
0:43:20 > 0:43:22'which thrives in this cold climate.'
0:43:29 > 0:43:35'It wins the prize hands down for Britain's toughest bird.'
0:43:35 > 0:43:40The interesting thing about ptarmigan is that they choose
0:43:40 > 0:43:42to live at the tops of these mountains.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45You find them in these mountains over 3,000 feet.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51If we want to get up quickly, as high as we can,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53the best way to do it is use the available transport.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57Let's not make things more difficult than they already are.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03'So we're taking the funicular railway,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06'the only one in Scotland, to the top of Cairngorm.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13'At just over 4,000 feet, it's the sixth largest mountain in the UK.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16'And a snow sports mecca.'
0:44:16 > 0:44:20With every metre of altitude we're heading up into ptarmigan territory.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- You can just see the trees are starting to thin out.- Yes.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27It almost feels like we're stepping from autumn into winter.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33You see now the heather's practically gone.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35It's gone, hasn't it?
0:44:35 > 0:44:37- No trees...- Into the snow line. - ..whatsoever.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39My God, what a view.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- Isn't that...- Spectacular. - ..absolutely wonderful?
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Right, you're going to feel...
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Welcome to the Arctic.
0:44:52 > 0:44:53Oh!
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Oh, yes.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58'This is officially the coldest, windiest
0:44:58 > 0:45:02'and snowiest place to spend the winter in the UK.'
0:45:02 > 0:45:06The weather conditions that you get up in the Cairngorms
0:45:06 > 0:45:09is as bad as it gets the United kingdom.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12What sort of speed is the wind, do you think?
0:45:12 > 0:45:16There's a weather gauge and it's gusting at 60mph,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18but that weather gauge is in a sheltered location,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21so it could be 75.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25'It's November and by now most creatures have headed down to
0:45:25 > 0:45:29'lower altitude in search of food and shelter.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33'The Ptarmigan is one of the few exceptions.'
0:45:33 > 0:45:36On a day like this, they'll be hunkered,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40may well be hunkered down but they've still got to eat.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43When the weather is bad like this, it is a real reminder for them
0:45:43 > 0:45:46and with the snow covering that winter is on its way.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48- Look, look, look.- Where? - Just right there. Do you see it?
0:45:48 > 0:45:50It's right in front of us.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59'The ptarmigan is a member of the grouse family.'
0:45:59 > 0:46:02- Do you see how well camouflaged they are?- Yeah.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04'They put on weight throughout the year and in winter
0:46:04 > 0:46:07'try and conserve as much energy as possible.'
0:46:08 > 0:46:13- We're not having to hide from them. They have got nothing to fear.- No.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15They don't see us as predators.
0:46:17 > 0:46:18Oh, there you go.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21- On the other side of the fence, on the ground to the right.- Oh, yes.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23A little covey of them there.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Yes.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29- How come they've got this weird name?- Ptarmigan?- Yeah.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33It comes from a Gaelic word which means "the croaker"
0:46:33 > 0:46:35and they make a croaking sound.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39MIMICS THE CROAK
0:46:39 > 0:46:42- When do they do that? - They often do that when they fly.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Look at them, though...
0:46:44 > 0:46:48I really thought we were going to have to walk bloody miles.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- You know...- So did I.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54I've been whining, or at least I try not to whine
0:46:54 > 0:46:55and I try and keep up.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59I'm so grateful to these little animals for being here.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01I mean, it's good of them.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06There's a white one. It's almost completely white.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10With just a little bit of stuff over its wings.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13'Ptarmigan are the only birds in Britain to turn
0:47:13 > 0:47:15'white during the winter.'
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Until they move, they're so well camouflaged.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20- You couldn't tell. - You can't tell.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Then the one that it's quite close to
0:47:24 > 0:47:27is still quite dark, isn't it?
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Look there, that one looks, just kind of walking along.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35It's bits of white on it.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39'Cold weather and shorter days trigger hormonal changes
0:47:39 > 0:47:42'that give rise to its dense, white plumage.'
0:47:43 > 0:47:46You can see how dumpy they are.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48That's all about conserving heat.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50Obviously, they've got their body fat,
0:47:50 > 0:47:54but it's those feathers that are giving them that insulation.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58I just marvel at their ability to survive up here.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02Through the winter, it's -25 up here
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and these little birds can survive.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08- Human beings, you'd just perish. - Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
0:48:08 > 0:48:09I mean, apart from anything else,
0:48:09 > 0:48:13we might get swept off the mountainside by the wind.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17I mean, they're pecking away, aren't they?
0:48:17 > 0:48:19They're getting stuff through the snow.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22'When it's snowy,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25'they look for areas where the wind has cleared the ground.'
0:48:30 > 0:48:32On a day like this, they're reluctant to fly
0:48:32 > 0:48:34just because it's so windy.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37- They're expert fliers.- They'll find themselves in Edinburgh if they fly.
0:48:39 > 0:48:44You've got such admiration for these characters, haven't you?
0:48:44 > 0:48:46- Are they one of your favourite birds?- Yeah.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50I love them, I really do. They're my favourite British bird
0:48:50 > 0:48:52and actually probably my favourite bird of all.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53I always love seeing them
0:48:53 > 0:48:59and I'm very glad that we've seen them without too much hardship.
0:48:59 > 0:49:00Yes.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07'We head back down on the funicular railway before we're blown away.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:11- There we go. - So what are we doing now?
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Where will we go?
0:49:13 > 0:49:16While we've been exploring the Cairngorms, our camera traps have
0:49:16 > 0:49:22hopefully been doing their magic back down at the wildcat locations.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25- We're going to head back south. - Great.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30And, yeah, pick them up and review them and see what's on them.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33- I do hope there is something. - I really do. Yeah, me too. - I'm very excited.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49'It's pitch-black by the time we reach the Angus Glens.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52'I just hope I can find the camera traps.'
0:49:59 > 0:50:01OK.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05They're still here, which is good.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10John is, I think, very surprised at the successes that we've had,
0:50:10 > 0:50:15but the cherry on what's already been a very lovely cake...
0:50:15 > 0:50:17CHUCKLES
0:50:17 > 0:50:20..will be a wildcat on one of these camera traps.
0:50:22 > 0:50:23Fingers and toes crossed.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28'We've already picked up the pine marten camera traps,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32'so head off to a nearby hotel to view the footage.'
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Right.
0:50:39 > 0:50:40Pick a card, any card.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44How are you feeling about this?
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Actually rather excited.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50It's like Christmas morning.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Oh, that's...
0:50:53 > 0:50:55That's us framing up.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58So that's still... There I am.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02And these are clips with something on them?
0:51:02 > 0:51:03These are when it's been triggered.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05So whether I triggered it 12 times.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09Oh...
0:51:09 > 0:51:14Six times, seven times.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16- Eight times...- Oh, no.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Oh, dear.
0:51:18 > 0:51:19Oh, hang on.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Let's have a look.
0:51:25 > 0:51:26Something's triggered it.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32- You never know, it might have been...- Movement of something.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34..a sort of bat flying through.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- I think there's one more. - There's one more.- One final.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43- No.- Aw...- That's OK.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Right, let's see, John.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53- That's a lot of.- That's a lot, isn't it?- That's a lot of clips.
0:51:53 > 0:51:54There's 25.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59- This is all the setting up.- Yeah.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05THEY GASP
0:52:05 > 0:52:06HE CHUCKLES
0:52:06 > 0:52:09- Fantastic!- That is your pine marten.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11That is a real...
0:52:11 > 0:52:13- Is that what they look like? - Hang on.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Look at it.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17- Two of them!- Wow!
0:52:17 > 0:52:20- Yay!- Fantastic!.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24So my hands have actually got the shakes here.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I wasn't expecting that, actually.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Look at that.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Fantastic.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37Bloody brilliant! Look, they're really...
0:52:37 > 0:52:40So how was my description, a bearlike cat?
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Yeah, absolutely right, yes.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Very sharp teeth.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Their eyes obviously don't shine, that's the infrared light
0:52:47 > 0:52:48- bouncing off.- Sure, sure.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52- Look at that.- They're perfectly relaxed, as well.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56Look at him, what a handsome beast he is.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59And that branch was as thick as my wrist
0:52:59 > 0:53:01and he's just balancing perfectly.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03It's the honey he's interested in, though.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05- Look he's licking, isn't he? - A honey addict.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- He's been very thorough.- He is eating the peanuts, but he's...
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- Oh, he heard something there. - Oh, yes.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15- They don't... Oh, look! - Look, another one.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17That's what he was...
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Oh, that jump.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Look at this one, this one's face is a little bit different.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24It's sharper, isn't it, and more...
0:53:24 > 0:53:26It could be siblings.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Or, it could be a mother and one of its young.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Whatever the relationship is between these two,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38this is the more dominant one because that other one would
0:53:38 > 0:53:40have stayed there and polished off all of that honey.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44Yes, and did a runner when this one arrived. Yeah, yes.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Look at that tail.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51- Look...- Yeah, and see how he's balancing and...
0:53:51 > 0:53:54- Well, we did it. - We certainly did.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57And we didn't have to get cold and wet
0:53:57 > 0:54:00and spend half the night sitting in the forest.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Look at that.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05That is a beautiful jay, isn't it?
0:54:05 > 0:54:07- He's after the peanuts.- Yes.
0:54:08 > 0:54:14'But the million-dollar question is, do we have a wildcat on camera?
0:54:14 > 0:54:18'I would be ecstatic if we did.'
0:54:20 > 0:54:22- Oh!- Oh, no!- That's not good.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25- That's not good.- Just one entry.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29That is very disappointing.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Dash, dash, dash.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34- Is that it, or do we? - No, I've got another two.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37- OK. Three.- Three.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Oh, dear.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- That's just... - That is disappointing.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49- That's the cat urine going in. - Yeah.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Wasn't strong enough, you see.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52We blitzed that place, look.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Can you blame them for not wanting to come along
0:54:56 > 0:54:59and sniff cat urine? I mean...
0:54:59 > 0:55:02To be fair, it did absolutely pong.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04But, I think, I've see it work before as an enticement.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06- OK.- What a shame.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09One more card from a different location.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12That other site that we had a trap out at.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15'Remember Roo, the project manager we met?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18'Well, these cards are from his camera traps.'
0:55:21 > 0:55:22Oh, no, there's lots of them.
0:55:23 > 0:55:29Don't get excited, because I've got excited like this before
0:55:29 > 0:55:33- and it's been movement of the branches.- Yes.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37- This is three minutes.- That must be the branch there, mustn't it?
0:55:37 > 0:55:41This is 3:16 in the morning.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45- Oh, look at this.- Ah!
0:55:46 > 0:55:51- What is that?- It's definitely a wildcat.- It certainly is.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Well, the back of a wildcat.
0:55:53 > 0:55:58- Yes.- Often, well, almost always, we find the back of wildcat.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00- You need to find the front. - We need to find the front.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04- Look at that.- Look at that.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- And it's a beauty. - Oh, yes.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10- Look see the stripes down its neck.- Yes, yes.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12A stripe down into his tail.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16That is certainly a wildcat, a really good example of a wildcat.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Look at that.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24What a beauty.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I mean, the thing is, you know, we saw them,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29of course, in the wildlife park,
0:56:29 > 0:56:31which was wonderful, heart-stopping.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35But, this is a real, live...
0:56:35 > 0:56:39- Wild.- ..out in the wild and it's alive
0:56:39 > 0:56:41and it's having a great time.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45- A wildcat. A very wild... - A wild wildcat.- A wild wildcat.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53Oh...
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Look at the head lamps.
0:57:00 > 0:57:01It's gone for the grouse.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04- Like a leopard.- Oh, oh, oh.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06That is beautiful.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Oh, God, this makes it all worthwhile,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12it really, really, really does.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14See, with the claws, clinging on...?
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Climbing trees is not a problem for these animals.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20- What about that!- Oh, look!
0:57:20 > 0:57:24In daylight, in colour.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26- Look at the belly on it.- Yes.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30It's not getting enough exercise.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34What a handsome creature that is.
0:57:35 > 0:57:40I came here really because I wanted to see a wildcat
0:57:40 > 0:57:44and I've seen the real thing, but this is more of the real thing,
0:57:44 > 0:57:49because this is what they look like in the wild.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51A wild wildcat.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53What a pleasure it is to see that.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00- Congratulations. - You did it.- No, we did it.
0:58:00 > 0:58:05What a success. The whole thing was a huge success.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07It means one hell of a lot to me.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10You quite possibly picked the toughest species
0:58:10 > 0:58:14at the toughest time of year. So to come away
0:58:14 > 0:58:16with these results is fantastic.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Thanks so much for showing me all these things.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23It's really given me something to invigorate my entire life.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27- Let's do it again. Let's go somewhere warm, tropical.- OK.
0:58:27 > 0:58:28THEY CHUCKLE