0:00:05 > 0:00:09'Wales has many wonderful estates created with the wealth
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'from landowning and industrial families.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18'Once privately owned, most of these beautiful parklands
0:00:18 > 0:00:21'are now open for all of us to enjoy.'
0:00:21 > 0:00:25In this series, I'm uncovering another side to four of these parks,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29a side that often goes unnoticed by those who visit.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35'I'm meeting people with inside knowledge to share,'
0:00:35 > 0:00:37exploring less visited corners
0:00:37 > 0:00:40and finding night-time creatures.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'm discovering just how great these parks are for wildlife.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'The first of my four great Welsh parks
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'sits right in the middle of Cardiff.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Industrial giants the Bute family owned Cardiff Castle
0:01:17 > 0:01:20from 1766 until 1947.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28The fifth Marquess of Bute gifted what was the castle's back garden
0:01:28 > 0:01:30to the people of Cardiff.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33The council purchased additional parts of the Bute Estate
0:01:33 > 0:01:36to create an extensive 59-hectare park
0:01:36 > 0:01:39right in the heart of the city.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Tell you what, it's nice when you step into Bute Park
0:01:47 > 0:01:50because you leave all the hustle and the bustle,
0:01:50 > 0:01:51the noise of Cardiff behind you
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and it's like an instant step from the city
0:01:55 > 0:01:57into the middle of the countryside.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11The park receives over one million visits a year.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Sports fields, woodland walks and a cycle way along the River Taff
0:02:19 > 0:02:21make it a busy place.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But there are quiet corners to be found...
0:02:24 > 0:02:26lawns for relaxing in the sun
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and beautiful flower beds to admire.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'An early morning is my favourite time to visit.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42'With only a few people around, the wildlife is at its best.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'A bird has caught my attention with its familiar call.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'So I'm heading into the woodlands to track it down.'
0:02:51 > 0:02:54CHIRPING
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Hear that? It's a green woodpecker.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01There are two holes up there and it's the male
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and he's been calling out of his nest hole.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And every now and again, he'll stick his head out
0:03:07 > 0:03:08and go, "Yik, yik, yik, yik, yik, yik, yik."
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And that's why I couldn't see him. I just couldn't see him anywhere.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Fantastic. And you can tell it's the male
0:03:14 > 0:03:16because he's got this red moustache here.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19The female's moustache is black but it's...
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Oh. Cracking.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23BIRD CALLS
0:03:30 > 0:03:34There is a squirrel up there. Let's hope that squirrel...
0:03:34 > 0:03:35The hole might be big enough,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38actually, for a squirrel to squeeze in. I hope not.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43That's, I think, the nearest I've ever come to a green woodpecker.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45That's brilliant and really unexpected too.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Great spotted woodpeckers are found here too.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56They feed on insect grubs buried under the bark of trees.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'My good friend Steve Roberts has also noticed
0:04:02 > 0:04:03'the number of woodpeckers
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'in the park and their benefit to other birds.'
0:04:06 > 0:04:10There's several holes in there. These green woodpeckers have been using
0:04:10 > 0:04:13that same tree for years, I suspect.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17This is what I think is the current woodpecker here, look.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Same tree as the other holes. That looks fresher.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And if you look down here, Iol. See the fresh chippings?
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Have a look. You get the thorns in your hand, that'll suit me fine!
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- See?- It's all fresh, isn't it? - That's all fresh out of there.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And that's a big hole, so that's going to be a green woodpecker.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Green woodpecker, yeah.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Yeah, earlier on today, Iol, I found a great tit down here
0:04:40 > 0:04:41feeding young 'uns.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45You've got to go alongside the river a bit.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47There, look. That hole up there.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Oh, I've got you. Yeah, I see it.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And you say that it's feeding chicks?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54He had big caterpillars, so I would have thought
0:04:54 > 0:04:56it's fair-sized chicks in there.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58That's another old woodpecker hole again.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I bet woodpeckers are responsible for...
0:05:00 > 0:05:02The vast majority of the nests in this wood.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So much other stuff in here.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06If it wasn't for the woodpeckers making all the holes,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09a lot of these things would be struggling to find somewhere
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- to have a nest.- Yeah, they would. They would.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Lots of food with the caterpillars but just not enough nesting.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Not enough tidy nesting places. Well, you know, normally,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20a great tit wouldn't go in a hole like that. It's too big.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23A squirrel can get half in there and pull the chicks out.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Or a jay could shove his head in. But needs must.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Woodland makes up an extensive part of Bute Park.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39The 2,000 plus trees are a mixture of native and ornamental.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Since 1947, the council have planted rare and exotic species
0:05:43 > 0:05:44within the grounds.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50The collection adds a splash of colour throughout the year.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Am I all right to come in here, John?- You are, Iolo. Come on in.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'I'm joining a team from Cardiff Council led by John Watts
0:05:58 > 0:06:00'to find out more.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03'It's their job to look after the trees.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So what's the work then today? What have we got on?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Well, we're going to take this poplar tree down.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Unfortunately, through the storms earlier in the year,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- a large limb came out that way... - Oh, yeah.- ..and one went that way.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18How do you feel when you've got to fell a big old thing like this?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Oh, it's heart-wrenching, isn't it? It's a lovely park
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and it's surprising how tall these trees are.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29This park is known... It's got over 45 champion trees.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Champion meaning what? Massively big, tall ones?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Not necessarily, no. But for their species,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37they're either the tallest or the greatest girth.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Well, well, well. I didn't know that
0:06:39 > 0:06:43because it's a real mixture of native trees
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and exotics brought from all over the world.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Absolutely, yes. We're very fortunate.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52We're reaping the work of many, many years ago, aren't we?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Right. The boys are going up now.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56What's going to be the first thing they do up there?
0:06:56 > 0:07:00What we're going to do is tie the rope on. He's got it through a fork.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02He'll be able to cut that and just lower it gently to the ground.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05So we'd save the ground as well. Don't have any holes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Here it comes, look. Controlled. Look at that.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17It's brushing down the other trees, but that's fine. Excellent.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23What happens to all of the wood afterwards then?
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Obviously, the branch wood gets put through the chipper
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and that will go to allotments or some of it will go on beds.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32And then the timber, if it's useable, it will get milled.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- Oh, right.- This finger post here is actually from timber
0:07:36 > 0:07:40we've taken down and we do make whatever use we can of the timber.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- It will all get recycled.- Well done.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44We can take this other limb from the ground
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- and that tree's a lot safer than it was this afternoon.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Sometimes the team leaves the odd tree trunk standing
0:07:53 > 0:07:57because they're a fantastic resource for the park's wildlife.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01This one's completely dead. It's probably, I would think,
0:08:01 > 0:08:02an old horse chestnut, an old conker tree.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It's got these enormous bracket fungi.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Just look at these amazing things, really solid things as well.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'Course, the bulk of the fungi is inside there,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15specialised roots called hyphae breaking this down.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19If I was to come back in maybe 20, 30-odd years,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22this would be no more than a pile of soil.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Keeping the park looking great takes a lot of hard work.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36There's grass to be cut,
0:08:36 > 0:08:37lines to be painted...
0:08:40 > 0:08:44..and the flower beds only look this good because of a team of gardeners.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Behind these walls lies the council's nursery
0:08:50 > 0:08:53where 750,000 plants are grown each year
0:08:53 > 0:08:55for the city's parks and floral displays.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It's an area off limits to the public.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06But with a few gaps in the fence, animals can easily get in and out.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08'I reckon it's a great place to start looking
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'for some of the nocturnal wildlife in the park.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Fox poo here. Look. See that? Old fox poo by my boot here.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I'm just going round now looking for evidence of foxes
0:09:20 > 0:09:24or any real paths that they use or tracks
0:09:24 > 0:09:26or anything at all.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and the good thing with foxes is that if they use
0:09:28 > 0:09:32somewhere regularly, they give off this pungent smell.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35They mark their territory. And usually, when you walk through,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38you can smell that immediately.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I tell you what...
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I talked about a pungent fox smell...
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I've just walked into a bit here.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Strong, strong fox smell here.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Oh. This will explain why.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Very, very fresh.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'The staff tell me they used to regularly see foxes.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00'So I decide to put a night-vision camera-trap
0:10:00 > 0:10:02'in the last spot they were seen.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:06This is where the workers think the fox is denning.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09They used to see it a lot more than they do now.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12But they haven't seen it for a while so they're just wondering
0:10:12 > 0:10:14whether it's still here or not.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16looks like there might be one or two fox prints here.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21I will tell you what, I'm going to set this trap probably...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23in that corner over there.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Make sure that it's facing the right direction.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'Fingers crossed, if we leave it for a few nights,
0:10:30 > 0:10:31'we'll get something.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:37It's May and 5.30am.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Lucky for me, it's another beautiful morning.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44The landmarks of Cardiff peek above the trees in the dawn light.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49It's the perfect time of day to begin my investigation
0:10:49 > 0:10:51along the River Taff.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56I've come out at first light this morning before all the joggers
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and walkers are here to Blackweir Bridge
0:10:58 > 0:11:02because it's a great place for all kinds of water birds.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19It's a fantastic place. I've only been here five, ten minutes tops.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22There's a grey wagtail right underneath me here,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24walking along the edge of the water, feeding.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28There's a heron on the far shore over there, patiently waiting
0:11:28 > 0:11:31for anything to come within a beak's length, a fish, or a frog,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34or a vole, virtually anything.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37But the reason why this area is so good, or one of the reasons,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39is because the water is churned up.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42That puts a lot more oxygen into that water.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43That's great for the insects.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46If it's good for insects, of course, it's good for fish.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49If it's good for fish, it's good for fish-eating birds
0:11:49 > 0:11:50like herons, cormorants.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54'A few people are out and about now.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57'But a bird has caught my eye on the opposite side
0:11:57 > 0:11:59'so I'm going to take a closer look.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I've come over on to this side to watch the dippers.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35They've been feeding over on the far shore over there,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39flying across the water and then literally diving in,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41getting all kinds of insect larvae,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and carrying it across over here
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and into this fish pass
0:12:45 > 0:12:49because the nest is in there, hidden out of the way, really safe.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I can't get at it. No humans can.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Of course, the pass wasn't intended for dippers, but rather to help
0:12:59 > 0:13:02salmon and trout migrate upstream over the weir.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08In October, you can still see some fish jumping the weir itself.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11But there was a time when you wouldn't have found salmon
0:13:11 > 0:13:13or dippers here.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15The river was too polluted.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20No-one knows more about the changing conditions of the river
0:13:20 > 0:13:22than Michael Roberts.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Ooops.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25I need a net.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29'I'm joining him whilst he's doing what he loves best...
0:13:29 > 0:13:30'fishing.'
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- Any luck there, Mike?- Well, I've had one and...
0:13:35 > 0:13:37..put him back. Had a grayling.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40They are beautiful fish, you know.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- How long have you been fishing this bit of river, then?- 45 years.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Have you? That long?- 45 years, yeah.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And in that time, what's the biggest change you've seen?
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Clarity of the water. I mean, 40 years ago,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58all that was coming down was coal dust from the washeries.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04The sewers were all on an overflow system.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Of course, if it didn't kill the fish, it killed all the insect life,
0:14:08 > 0:14:09everything the fish fed on.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Nearly all of that has been tidied up.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Oh. Here we are! I'll go and get the net. Well done, Mike.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I'll keep him out there for a bit and hope he doesn't come off.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20It's come off!
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Has it come off?
0:14:22 > 0:14:24MIKE LAUGHS
0:14:24 > 0:14:26I'm a jinx, I am. Right. I'll come back.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I'll sprint next time.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The thing which has of course improved is the salmon
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and sea-trout fishing.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42But there is a problem. By making the water clean,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47you've opened it up to every visual predator under the sun.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51You don't like the cormorants, do you? You don't like the cormorants.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- We don't like the cormorants. - I like cormorants, see.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And I think whenever fishermen complain about cormorants,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58it's envy.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- Did you get a bite then?- Yes.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02Here we go.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- He's got it!- Hey, hey, hey! Here we go. Yay!
0:15:10 > 0:15:11A lovely grayling.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I'll show you this big, dorsal fin the grayling have got. Look at that.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20See that? Lovely, great big dorsal fin.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Whoop. OK. I'd better stick him back in.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25But that's a grayling. Lovely fish.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Well done. Well done.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33I'm heading back up river to the stretch near Blackweir Bridge
0:15:33 > 0:15:38as there's still another animal I'd love to find.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42The one animal I was really hoping to see here is the otter.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Now, I haven't got much chance, I know, but I've heard
0:15:45 > 0:15:47one or two people have seen them,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50one or two people have seen signs here. I've never seen any myself,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53but I'm going to meet Eleanor Keane from Cardiff University
0:15:53 > 0:15:55who I know has been out and has found otter signs.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58So I'm going to have a chat and see what she's got.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04- Hi, Eleanor.- Hello.- You all right? - Yeah. Good, thanks. You?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- Yeah, not bad at all. Have you seen anything today?- Not yet, no.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11But you have been out, I know, over the past few weeks,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and you have, actually, found signs of otter.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16That's right, yeah. I've been out on the river
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and found some otter spraints. So they're definitely using
0:16:19 > 0:16:20this section of the river.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Is that just using it for fishing, do you think?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Or is it a possibility they might have a holt,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27they might have young here somewhere?
0:16:27 > 0:16:31I haven't seen any evidence of a holt or young.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34But it's not impossible. There's some quite good vegetation
0:16:34 > 0:16:37in here that might have a resting place.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I would imagine here they must be strictly nocturnal, are they?
0:16:40 > 0:16:41I would imagine they are.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44And I'd have thought, if they're coming out in the day,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47people would be seeing them and we'd be hearing a lot more about them.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- Right. OK. Let's go and have a look. If you lead on...- OK.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54'So our only option during the day is to look for otter spraint,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57'a sign they leave behind to communicate to other otters.'
0:16:57 > 0:17:01They tend to like elevated areas cos that means their smell
0:17:01 > 0:17:03will be carried over a longer distance.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- Yeah. They look good over there, don't they?- Ooh, yeah.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10On those rocks.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15- See anything?- Yeah, just on the edge of this one here.- I got you, yeah.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Oh, yeah. This looks like it.- Yeah?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- Oh, that's definitely otter. - Is it?- Yeah.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24People say jasmine tea and all this type of stuff...
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It doesn't smell anything like jasmine tea.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28It smells like fish gone off to me.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- It's not a bad smell, though. - No, it's not.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34If you imagine what you would think poo would smell like...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Are those bits of fish bones in it or what?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40There are some bits of fish bone.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Erm, this bit looks like a fish scale.- Oh, yeah. It does.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Oh, good. Well, there's the evidence.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48The otters are definitely here.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52'Given that Eleanor had previously found otter signs along the river,
0:17:52 > 0:17:53'we'd left a camera out overnight,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55'so we're curious to see the results.'
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Here we are. Look, it is dark.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00What was that? Was there something there?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03No, just something floating in the water.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I've never, ever seen an otter on the Taff here.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10What's triggering this camera then, if it's going off?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- It looks like there's something crawling around.- Yeah.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- I'll be gutted if it's just nothing at all...- Just flies.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Oh!
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Hang on. Hang on.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27- Oh! It's an otter! Well, well, well, well.- No mistaking that.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Absolutely no mistaking.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- I thought it was a rock. I thought "What's that rock doing? That wasn't there last time."- Yeah.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I tell you what, let's play that again. That's fantastic.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38You can just see, it sprainted as well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41It did! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Puts its back end right down,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43spraints and then just leapt off.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- Hey, that's pretty nifty! - Yeah, really good. That's fantastic.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Well, well, well.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- So, otters in Bute Park. - Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Thank you very much, otter. Thank you very much.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I'm staying alongside the river to look for my next mammal.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05James and Alex from Cardiff Bat Group are going to introduce me
0:19:05 > 0:19:08to an unusual method of looking for bats
0:19:08 > 0:19:10using the park's cycle route.
0:19:10 > 0:19:17- Right, James. Bats and bikes...- Yes. - What's it all about?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Well, it's a unique survey technique
0:19:20 > 0:19:24that we've developed in the Cardiff Bat Group and the Valleys Bat Group
0:19:24 > 0:19:27where we can cover large tracks of land,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30get a lot of information about where the bats are,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33where they're foraging and what species of bat it is as well.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Alex, you've got all kinds of contraptions
0:19:35 > 0:19:37coming out of your rucksack
0:19:37 > 0:19:39and something on top there. What's that?
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I've got a bat detector in the rucksack
0:19:42 > 0:19:45which is attached to a GPS unit as well. So the GPS will
0:19:45 > 0:19:47tell the bat detector where the bats are
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and keep a record of what bats we're seeing along the route.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Right. OK. Don't leave me behind. Here we go.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And how many different species are there?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Seven, eight species in Bute Park. That's almost half the UK species.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06That's good going.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12So, the bats... Oh, hello. That's on your bat detector, is it?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Yeah. That's picking up echo location
0:20:14 > 0:20:17of some pipistrelle bats that are foraging around here.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- Ah, wow.- This is a great spot for bats
0:20:19 > 0:20:21and there's loads of insects,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23so there'd be great foraging potential for them.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26If you've got a pipistrelle bat, which is the smallest bat in the UK,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30weighs the same as a two-pence piece, can fit inside a matchbox...
0:20:30 > 0:20:35And a small colony, say a hundred, over a summer will actually eat
0:20:35 > 0:20:39- 27 million insects.- 3,000 midges a night, I heard, is it?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42One pipistrelle will eat 3,000 midges a night
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- in the breeding season.- And those bats foraging in Bute Park,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48would they be roosting here as well?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Yeah, they'd be roosting in some of the old trees that have got knots
0:20:52 > 0:20:54and cracks and holes in them,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56but also in some of the buildings nearby as well.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Oh, here we are, look. Pretty active bats. Hang on, hang on, hang on.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Is that pipistrelles again?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Yes, that sounds like pipistrelles.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07They're flying really slow too, aren't they, now?
0:21:07 > 0:21:11They're very manoeuvrable. They're more manoeuvrable than birds.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Yeah, you see them twist back and forth.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16I suppose, it's along the edges of these mature trees
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- that they'll get the most insects.- Yeah.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22But also the river as well. The river is just one big insect highway.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25It's excellent to think there are so many bats in Bute Park,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28right in the middle of Cardiff. And what a great way to carry out
0:21:28 > 0:21:31a bat survey. It's brilliant. It really is brilliant.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Right. Shall we carry on?- Let's go. - Come on, then.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40So the next time you're out
0:21:40 > 0:21:42for an evening walk or cycle along the Taff,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46remember that figure, 3,000 midges a night,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and be thankful for the bats whizzing over your head.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04'Unfortunately for us, it rains a lot in Wales.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08'On days like this, there are certainly fewer people in the park.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13'But for the wildlife, it's business as usual.'
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I've been watching a pair of jays.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Look, there's one up in the tree here.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25They're building a nest at the moment
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- and what's fascinating... - SIREN WAILS
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Police going over there. What's fascinating is that
0:22:31 > 0:22:34they're also going down by the edge of the river,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37where the water level's been high, washed away much of the soil
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and it's exposed the roots.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44And what they're doing is digging out the finer roots.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47They're getting hold of it and yanking it off
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and you see the birds leave with a beak full of roots
0:22:50 > 0:22:52and it looks like a big moustache.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And then they head up to the nest
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and they're obviously using that then to line the cup.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00It's fascinating to watch and they're beautiful birds,
0:23:00 > 0:23:01stunning birds.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Bute Park is the best place I know in Wales to see jays.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And surrounded by a spring carpet of bluebells and wild garlic,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in the countryside
0:23:16 > 0:23:17and not in the heart of Cardiff.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21That's one of the fantastic things about Bute Park.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24There are areas throughout where you feel like
0:23:24 > 0:23:26you're miles from the city.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31One of these spots lies along the eastern side of the park.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34There's a relic from the Industrial Age here,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38a canal that's now a wildlife haven.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41But keeping it that way takes a lot of hard work.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43How are you, boys?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45'I'm meeting up with Lynne, Thom and Matt,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'dedicated members of Keep Wales Tidy to find out more.'
0:23:50 > 0:23:53You all right? Watch that one. That's a heavy one.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- You've done this before.- A long time ago, when I was a young man.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00So if you were able to get the whole team down here,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- how many people would that be? - At least 90 plus.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- Is it honestly that many? - And it's growing all the time.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So if you can get half a dozen at a time...
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Regularly, we'll get 16 people. And those people for two hours
0:24:13 > 0:24:15can do an awful lot and they do.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18I think last time out of here, we had 26 bags of rubbish,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21six road cones, lots of metalwork,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24car headlamp, two fire extinguishers...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26And it's constant, isn't it? Come back in a month
0:24:26 > 0:24:30and you probably take the same thing out again and again and again.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Oh, hang on, boys. Scaffold pole here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42There's a lot of it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Still coming.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Yeah, keep going. Keep going.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48There's a bit more to come.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52It's got to be the biggest item in here today, I would think.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01It's a nice wildlife area though, isn't it? It's like a long pool,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03a wildlife oasis, really, in the park.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Oh, here's one of the damselflies,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07just gone round behind us.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10It's a female. But we should be coming to the bit where...
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You see them down there? If you scan the water,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15you see quite a few damselflies further down.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17The Banded Demoiselle, have you seen those?
0:25:17 > 0:25:18We have seen them up here.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Slow moving with, like, a thumb print on the wing.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And then there's a Beautiful Demoiselle.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26That's got the lovely, bluey-green wing. They're stunning things.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27they're all along the bank here.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30So why do they perch on the vegetation? Is that for hunting?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Yeah. What they do is... They've got their little patch,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- like a little territory... - They're territorial?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39..and they'll catch insects going past.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42If you watch them, you see them go off, go up, get an insect
0:25:42 > 0:25:45and come back down and then eat it.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48You can see instantly why they're here. You've got natural vegetation on the left there
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and you've got pondweed growing right in the middle
0:25:51 > 0:25:52which is great for them.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's good to add damselflies to the mix of wildlife
0:25:56 > 0:25:58we've found in Bute Park.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04'I've almost finished my exploration.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'But before I go, I'm returning to the nursery
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'to look at the results on the remote camera.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:15OK. I've put the flash cards into the laptop here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Let's have a look and see what we have here. Let's give it a go.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Let's click on one of the first ones here. Double click.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Oh, it's a rabbit. Got a rabbit.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27A big rabbit too by the looks of things. Wow.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I wonder if it is a rabbit hole then.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Let's try that one next. See what else we've got here.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35Another rabbit.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40They are rabbit holes. That rabbit has disappeared down the hole.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44He's had a look down the hole. He hasn't actually gone down the hole.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46But I would have thought, if there was a fox in there,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49a rabbit wouldn't actually hang around the hole like that.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54So it almost certainly is a rabbit hole, so no foxes as yet.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56See what we've got here.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Ah, look at that. It's a fox!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01It's a fox.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Oh, wow. A fox has just come in from the right
0:27:04 > 0:27:06sniffing the air...
0:27:07 > 0:27:08and off he goes.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14See what else we get. Let's try this one. Something different.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Oh! Fox digging.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Now this is interesting.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21So he knows that there are rabbits in there.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24He's in good nick, this fox, too. Big, bushy tail.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28So we've got rabbits here, probably living in there,
0:27:28 > 0:27:29and we've got a fox who'll come and visit.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32But that's interesting. Without that camera, we wouldn't have a clue
0:27:32 > 0:27:34that any of this was going on here.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Bute Park is an incredible place.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46It's like a piece of the countryside
0:27:46 > 0:27:49dropped right in the heart of Cardiff.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53And because there are so many people here, the wildlife get used to them
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and it's the best place I know to see really shy birds
0:27:56 > 0:28:01and colourful birds too like green woodpeckers and jays. And the otter.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03I think that's the first time
0:28:03 > 0:28:06an otter's ever been filmed here on the Taff.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08And it's an incredible place for wildlife,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12especially when you think that it's surrounded by 300,000 people.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Next time, I'll be visiting the ancient parkland of Dinefwr
0:28:21 > 0:28:24where I'll find things I haven't seen for decades...
0:28:24 > 0:28:26It reminds me of my childhood.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30'..Some things in places I haven't seen them before...'
0:28:30 > 0:28:33In there is a greylag goose. It's a goose!
0:28:33 > 0:28:38'..and get up close to some of the nocturnal wildlife in the park...'
0:28:38 > 0:28:39I'll let her go that way.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd