0:00:06 > 0:00:09Wales has many wonderful estates created with the wealth
0:00:09 > 0:00:12from landowning and industrial families.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Once privately owned,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19most of these beautiful parklands are now open for all of us to enjoy.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26In this series, I'm uncovering another side to four of these parks,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29a side that often goes unnoticed by those that visit.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35I'm meeting people with inside knowledge to share,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39exploring less visited corners, and finding night time creatures.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'm discovering just how great these parks are for wildlife.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Today, I'm in the glorious countryside of Carmarthenshire,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04just outside the town of Llandeilo.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11Dinefwr Park is an 800-acre estate cared for by the National Trust,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14CADW and the local Wildlife Trust.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18If you head to the top of the 12th-century castle
0:01:18 > 0:01:25you get fabulous views over Newton House and the landscape designed by George Rice and his wife Cecil
0:01:25 > 0:01:28during the later half of the 18th century.
0:01:30 > 0:01:36They tore up the formal gardens in favour of the picturesque, a new fashion that embraced nature.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The instant you walk into the park here, you know where you are,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43you can only be in Dinefwr,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46and especially when you come up this little rise.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Look at that view, there is the big house over there and it's
0:01:49 > 0:01:53framed by the trees, it couldn't be anywhere else in the world, really.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57And this is exactly what George Rice wanted to create.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00He would have kept the best of the trees,
0:02:00 > 0:02:01the biggest and the oldest ones,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06and he would have added to them, in his mind to make it look even better
0:02:06 > 0:02:10and he wanted these meadows here because of the magnificent view.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17There's an animal here that's a key part of this landscape and the
0:02:17 > 0:02:19history of the park.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Today, the white park cattle are being rounded up by
0:02:22 > 0:02:26head warden Wyn Davies and I've been roped in to help.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34It's certainly not easy.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46After 20 minutes chasing them around the field, we give up.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Well, that didn't go according to plan.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Well, no Iolo, unfortunately not.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56With these cattle, they've always got that primitive instinct
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and there's always a lead cow.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Now, she could see us all coming, so she thought to herself,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03"I'm not going to play ball this morning, am I?"
0:03:03 > 0:03:06So off she goes, and then I'm back to plan B now,
0:03:06 > 0:03:07with electric fences.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09It'll work, you think?
0:03:09 > 0:03:10I don't know.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16They're an icon of the property. This is their ancestral home.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19They were recorded here in the year 920.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20That far back, were they?
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Yes, yes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24So way back then, a lot more people would have had white cattle?
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Yes. Well, in Wales at that time,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27you had all manner of coloured cattle, didn't you?
0:03:27 > 0:03:30You had red cattle, blue cattle, black cattle of course,
0:03:30 > 0:03:31white cattle.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34But the black became very, very popular.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Farmers reckoned that they were perhaps a better animal than
0:03:36 > 0:03:39these for meat production and milk.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41So these then became creatures of fancy.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Now then, Iolo, come inside here, it's a bit noisy in here, mind you.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53This is our cattle-handling facility.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54These must be an important management tool
0:03:54 > 0:03:57for you at Dinefwr as well.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Well, you see, Iolo, we've got the perfect tool for the job.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03It's the only parkland in Wales to be a national nature reserve,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and obviously that needs conservation grazing.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08You've got to have animals to graze it.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11They've actually been doing that job for us for centuries.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12And it's wonderful that they're still here.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16I refer to them as a living link with our distant past.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20To me, they're as important as the actual house itself.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Hopefully, they'll be here for a long time to come.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24Let's hope so, let's hope so.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- Hey, let's get some more in.- We'll get the bull in now, shall we? Let's get the bull in.- Here we go.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34I have to say, it's been a privilege to be able to watch you at work
0:04:34 > 0:04:36and get so close to these wonderful animals.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Now I'm going to go out and see what I can find around Dinefwr,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43but I don't suppose the wild animals will be as easy to get close to as these ones.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Well, I don't think so, you can't really miss these, can you?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I'm starting my exploration during spring,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54a particularly beautiful time in Dinefwr.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10If you time your visit so you come here in early May, you get
0:05:10 > 0:05:14one of the best bluebell displays anywhere in the whole of Wales.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This is one of the most interesting habitats, I think,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26in the whole of Dinefwr here, this small woodland,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's not very big, it's quite long.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's called bog woodland and it's very, very wet,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and it's full of all kinds of interesting insects and plants,
0:05:34 > 0:05:35but I'm looking mainly for birds.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'When I'm searching a woodland for birds, I listen.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Wren calling.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52'I watch for the slightest movement,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56'I look in the obvious and not so obvious places.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Right at the top of this really thin-looking tree here,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04a pair of long tailed tits are building a nest.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08They're back and forth like mad with feathers
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and it's quite unusual to have it that high, because usually they nest
0:06:12 > 0:06:18low down in a real dense mass of dog rose and brambles somewhere safe.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21That, pardon me saying this, but it's quite an idiotic place,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24because it's right out in the open there, cos a passing squirrel
0:06:24 > 0:06:28or a magpie or a crow is probably going to spot that a mile off.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And I've found evidence of another predator
0:06:31 > 0:06:34they'll certainly need to watch out for.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36See this?
0:06:40 > 0:06:42This is a kill and it's a very, very fresh kill.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I mean, literally within the last hour.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It's a dead wood pigeon and the reason I know it's a dead wood pigeon
0:06:48 > 0:06:52is because I can show you some of the breast feathers, see those?
0:06:52 > 0:06:59Very orange-y pink edge to that and it's a young wood pigeon.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01The reason I know it's a young wood pigeon is
0:07:01 > 0:07:05because the feathers are still what they call in pin, in a sheath there.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10If it was an adult you wouldn't have those on there and it's fresh,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13very fresh, you can see the blood on the end of that and this
0:07:13 > 0:07:17woodpigeon has just been killed probably here by a sparrowhawk.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'It's a bit gory but a good way of finding information
0:07:22 > 0:07:24'about which birds are here.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'I'm pretty pleased with the variety of species I've found,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'but one last sighting is the icing on the cake.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Well, I always thought Dinefwr was special,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38but this really is something else.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41There is a pair of lesser-spotted woodpeckers here.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Now that in itself is rare, but there is another male here as well,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48so the two males are now battling for the female.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54You know I said that there were two males,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56well, there's not two males, there's two pairs
0:07:56 > 0:07:58cos the two females have been having a go as well.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The one that obviously belongs in this territory here
0:08:01 > 0:08:05flew on to this ash and worked her way up and that's where the nest is.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08There are two holes. The upper one is an old great spotted
0:08:08 > 0:08:12woodpecker hole and below it is a really clean, nice, small hole,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14so that's where they are going to nest.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It's the first lesser-spotted woodpecker nest
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I've seen for 20 years, I think.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Superb, absolutely superb, and what a wood, what a woodland!
0:08:30 > 0:08:36What's really special about Dinefwr are the magnificent veteran trees,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40trees that have become gnarled and full of holes over many centuries.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's no wonder, really, that Dinefwr is known as one of
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the best places, well, in the whole of Europe for its old,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53for its ancient trees.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59There are reckoned to be almost 300 trees here that date back to before 1600 AD.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04And this one - this is known as Castle Oak and this is thought
0:09:04 > 0:09:10to be the oldest one of all here, and this one dates back to 1170.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Now think about that for a minute -
0:09:13 > 0:09:17this was a seedling only 100 years after the Norman invasion.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I find that quite remarkable.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24And, invariably, veteran trees are very interesting for botanists
0:09:24 > 0:09:28because they are covered with mosses and ferns and liverworts
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and lichens.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Now, I've got to be honest, I'm not an expert on these but,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37if you want someone with the knowledge on lower plants in Wales,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39there is only one man you go to.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49'Ray Woods has spent his life studying these often overlooked plants,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54'so I'm looking forward to getting a low-down on what's here.'
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- Look at that, it's just gorgeous. - Oh, that's a good one.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Wow, look at this tree!
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It doesn't look very healthy to me, Ray, with this big hole in it!
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Well, this is what life does to trees eventually.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15All the wood in here's dead anyway and the fungi hollow them out,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17and hollowing them out actually helps preserve them,
0:10:17 > 0:10:18so they live much longer.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22An oak tree, we say, grows for 300 years, stands for 300 years
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and gently dies for 300 years.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26It wouldn't stand for that length of time if it was solid,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29it would just fall apart under its own weight.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31The cylinder is a really strong shape.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36See, I didn't know that, I thought this was a sign of a dying tree.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And then the lichens, Ray - I couldn't name a single one of these.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Is this a good place for them?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It's a wonderful place because there are very few places
0:10:44 > 0:10:46now left in Western Europe where there are ancient trees.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50We've practiced euthanasia on trees for the last 2,000 years
0:10:50 > 0:10:53to the extent where you can hardly find an ancient tree.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55If we look, covering the bark here
0:10:55 > 0:10:57are these funny little black speckles.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00This is a lichen called cresponea premnea
0:11:00 > 0:11:03that specialises on living on ancient oak trees.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06This would have been the common lichen on every ancient oak
0:11:06 > 0:11:08tree from here to the Alps.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Go about 20 miles down the road here,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and it becomes listed as near extinct throughout all of Western Europe now
0:11:13 > 0:11:15because we've just chopped down the old trees.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Whereas in this country, at the end of the 1700's,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20this landscape movement which developed along the Welsh borders,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24this picturesque movement, it was called, and they valued
0:11:24 > 0:11:27these ancient trees and incorporated them into the landscape,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and, as a result, in this park here,
0:11:29 > 0:11:35we've recorded about 55-60 different species of lichens on the oaks.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And around this side, if we have a look around here...
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Here we are, look at this one,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42just cowering in the crevice because it hates direct rainfall.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Now, there's nowhere on a young oak tree that's out of direct
0:11:45 > 0:11:47rainfall but here, it's leaning,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50it's got these big bosses above us to protect it from direct rain.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52I'm sure one or two people will look at it and think,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54"Oh, it's only a lichen" but, of course,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56over the years, they've been really important things, haven't they?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I mean, only recently, this tree lung wort,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00we've got one tree left here in the park with it on,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03it's got a chemical in it which protected mice from getting
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- this prion protein disease and BSE that we're all worried about.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10This lichen has a chemical that breaks those proteins down,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14so we now might, for the first time, have a potential cure for these.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Every time I bump into you, Ray, I always leave thinking,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20"I really like lichens again now! I really like them."
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Well done, Ray.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28'It's great to be reminded about the importance of the little things.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33'I'm spurred on to see what else I can find living in these trees.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36'A tip-off by the park staff
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'leads me to a familiar bird, in an unfamiliar location.'
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I tell you something I have never seen before - behind this
0:12:46 > 0:12:51oak tree here is a hole about 25 foot up, quite a big hole
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and in there, is a greylag goose.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Yeah, it's a goose,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and I have been thinking about this, why's that greylag goose in there?
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Well, just behind me down here, you've got the river Tywi and there
0:13:03 > 0:13:06are a couple of really nice ox-bow lakes there where I'd expect
0:13:06 > 0:13:09the goose to nest, but there is a pair of swans nesting down there
0:13:09 > 0:13:13and swans are very territorial, and they will see off and even kill
0:13:13 > 0:13:17other swans, geese, other waterfowl as well.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18But, luckily, for this goose in Dinefwr,
0:13:18 > 0:13:23there's a plan B, and plan B for her is to nest 25 foot up a tree.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28And it's not just holes in standing trees that can turn up
0:13:28 > 0:13:30a surprise find.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32In Dinefwr, the decision has been made to try
0:13:32 > 0:13:36and leave any branch or tree where it falls.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Here's one of these fantastic dead old trees,
0:13:41 > 0:13:42and look at the size of this one.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47When it was alive, it must have been I don't know about 500, 600, 700 years old
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and it looks like its been dead for decades but what I like about this
0:13:50 > 0:13:55one is in it is something I haven't seen probably since my late teens.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I was always looking into holes and I used to find honey bees
0:13:59 > 0:14:02nesting in the wild. Now, they have become so rare you don't see
0:14:02 > 0:14:06that often at all these days, but there is a hole in here.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09If you look carefully you can actually see some of the comb
0:14:09 > 0:14:13hanging down, and I imagine then it must be a pretty big chamber,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17and you'll have combs and by the end of July, August, those combs will be
0:14:17 > 0:14:20full of honey and you will be able to smell the honey out here, too.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And you see the workers going in and out, when they come in,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27the back legs have got these sacs on them and those sacs are full of pollen.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32You might think, "Oh, well, why's he making such a fuss about bees? They're only bees,"
0:14:32 > 0:14:38but bees are having a hard time with Veroa mites, cold springs, cold summer.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41They've become pretty scarce now and to see them in the wild again,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46something I didn't think I'd see, and it reminds me of my childhood.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54'As evening falls over the park, I'm going to turn my attention
0:14:54 > 0:14:57'to some of the nocturnal creatures.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00'With all the buildings, old trees and meadows here,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03'it should be a great place for bats to roost and hunt.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09'Richard Crompton is a trained and licensed bat worker.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13'He's been putting up nets as part of a survey to see which species are found here.'
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- Hello, Rich, how are you, boy? Good to see you.- Hello, Iolo.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18'I'm in time to help him with the last net.'
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- So the plan for the evening - catch some bats.- Yeah.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24We've got a few different trapping techniques we're going to try tonight.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Harp trap, standard mist net you'll be familiar with from birds.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- Yeah, yeah.- And this one you might not have met before,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- it's a variation on the mist net, called a canopy net.- Right.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And we're going to try to suspend it from that branch just there.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38You're not expecting me to climb up there, are you?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40No, no climbing involved.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43We're going to throw it up with a throw line.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Oh, that's too low. I'll get it through now.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Has it got stuck?- Oh, dear.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I'll get it now. Oh, that's messed up that plan.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56'It turns out to be a little bit trickier than I thought.'
0:16:01 > 0:16:03No, not strong enough, not quite.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08'After several attempts, I eventually get it in the right position.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:10That's the one, gotcha!
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Hallelujah!
0:16:13 > 0:16:17'We can finally assemble and hoist the canopy net into place.'
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- Now we've just got to hope for some bats.- Yeah.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21'Unfortunately for us,
0:16:21 > 0:16:26'the temperature drops to two degrees which is too cold for bats.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29'After all the effort of putting up the nets,
0:16:29 > 0:16:30'we only catch one lonely bat.'
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We've got a little pipistrelle.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35'We quickly get him weighed...'
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Five grams. Oh, that's light!
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'..measured and released.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'When working with wildlife, things don't always go to plan,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'but we're not going to give up on the bats.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47'We'll try again on a warmer night.'
0:16:56 > 0:16:59'The park attracts around 70,000 visitors a year.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04'The gothic-influenced architecture of Newton House,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07'the ancient castle with panoramic views,
0:17:07 > 0:17:12'and the beautiful parkland, make it a wonderful place to spend the day.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:14It gets very, very busy here sometimes. You can see the car
0:17:14 > 0:17:17park is full and I have watched dozens of cars arrive,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and the people leave and they either go up for the big house
0:17:20 > 0:17:23or they go down for the ponds or the castle, which is a shame cos
0:17:23 > 0:17:28I haven't seen a single person spend any time looking at these big trees.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32And had they done that, then this old lime, they'd have seen a pair of
0:17:32 > 0:17:37treecreepers feeding their young and the nest is where the bark has come
0:17:37 > 0:17:41away from the trunk, just a little bit, and there's a split in there.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Oh, one's just landed on the tree!
0:17:44 > 0:17:47See it go up the bark? That's what they do every time -
0:17:47 > 0:17:50they land about half a metre below the nest, work their way up,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52slink in, quietly, and then fly out.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It'll be in there just for a few seconds feeding the chicks.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00There he goes, out again, and off he goes.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'This treecreeper may be nesting in plain sight,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07'but there are other birds that are extremely difficult to find.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13'Dinefwr is the one park that I really thought we'd find a tawny owl.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15'It's the perfect habitat for them.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20'My good friend and bird finder Steve Roberts has been out tracking them down,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22'and thankfully we're in luck.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27'He's located an adult perched at the top of a big old sycamore.'
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- It isn't often you see a tawny owl in daylight, is it?- No.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32It's a lovely bird.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Now the winds blowing you can pick him up.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Yeah.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40There must be chicks there, somewhere, see.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Probably right in front of our faces somewhere.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44But the thing is with them, they leave the nest,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46don't they, tawny owl chicks, before they can fly.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48They sort of climb up and they stay on a branch
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and they won't move unless they're mobbed by something.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Well, their wing feathers are developed properly,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- but their bodies are still covered in down.- Yeah.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59But I could hear him hooting.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I bet those chicks are somewhere in there...
0:19:02 > 0:19:03I bet they are.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06'That's a great discovery,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'because trying to find a tawny owl amongst all these trees
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19'Sometimes, a better tactic is to find a place to hide and let the wildlife come to you.'
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I've come out this evening with Mike Williams,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26'or Mike 'The Badger' Williams as he's known.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Mike's putting peanuts down around the sett over there now,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and he's been coming here, watching the badgers
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and feeding the badgers for about 20 years,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37so he will have seen some big changes,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40he's probably got a better insight into the wildlife here
0:19:40 > 0:19:43more than anyone else, so it will be interesting to have a chat with him.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47(Well done, Mike.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51(I tell you what, you've only just walked back
0:19:51 > 0:19:54(from there to here and we've got a squirrel stealing nuts down there.)
0:19:54 > 0:19:55(I know.)
0:19:55 > 0:19:57(Nuthatches, at least three of them come in.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01(I tell you the other thing -
0:20:01 > 0:20:05(there's a wren, a beak full of insects.)
0:20:05 > 0:20:09(Yeah, nesting in the bark of the oak tree on the left here,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11(made a little hole and they're nesting behind it.)
0:20:11 > 0:20:13(Fantastic!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16(Oh, oh! Is that a badger sticking his head up?
0:20:16 > 0:20:17(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.)
0:20:17 > 0:20:18(That's the main sett.)
0:20:18 > 0:20:22(That's the main sett, there's a head just poking out.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25(On the whole area, there must be several setts in here.)
0:20:28 > 0:20:30There's a sett up here on the left here.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35There's about six major setts within the deer park,
0:20:35 > 0:20:40not counting what there is outside and there's - what? - untold setts.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43(Oh, there's another one, look, just about sticking its head out.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47(It's got to be one of the nicest places you could possibly get
0:20:47 > 0:20:50(to sit and watch badgers.)
0:20:50 > 0:20:51This is it, yes.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Amazing place!
0:20:54 > 0:20:56(Keep an eye on the far hole, Mike.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00(I think I saw another snout start to come out.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- (It's a nervous one, isn't it, that last one?)- (Yeah.)
0:21:03 > 0:21:05(Oh, there's a rabbit, look!
0:21:05 > 0:21:08(There's that much wildlife here, Mike, it's like a safari park!
0:21:08 > 0:21:10(It is, isn't it?! There's a lot going on.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14(A fallow deer coming in from the left.)
0:21:14 > 0:21:17(Now you'll see the badgers disappear.)
0:21:17 > 0:21:20(Is it? Oh, yeah, they have, they've gone straight down.)
0:21:20 > 0:21:21(Straight down.)
0:21:21 > 0:21:23(Why's that, then?)
0:21:23 > 0:21:24(They just don't like it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28(They must meet them when they're out in the dark at night,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30(but they don't like the deer around the sett.)
0:21:33 > 0:21:36(Of course, the badgers will be keeping this whole area clear of
0:21:36 > 0:21:40(bracken and it's good for the grass so the deer's coming down to graze.)
0:21:40 > 0:21:43(And pinch some of their nuts.)
0:21:43 > 0:21:45(Oh, the deer will be pinching the nuts as well!)
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'All we can do is wait to see if the badgers come back out.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54'Luckily, there are a few other distractions.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:04(There's a little wood mouse coming out of the trunk here
0:22:04 > 0:22:07(to come and get some seeds, and it's got a badly damaged eye,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10(probably from fighting or something, by the looks of him.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13(You're feeding half the woodland here with your peanuts!)
0:22:14 > 0:22:16'When the badgers do come back out,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20'one wanders so close to the hide, we have to keep very quiet.'
0:22:26 > 0:22:30(Oh, that's a nice view, isn't it? Look at that.)
0:22:33 > 0:22:37'It's time Richard and I tried once more to catch some bats.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'Luckily, it's a warmer night and we've moved to a different location
0:22:40 > 0:22:45'amongst the trees. I join Richard as he's checking the harp trap.'
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So it's the same basic technique - the rows of wires.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50They go in between the two rows of strings, just come
0:22:50 > 0:22:54flutter down effectively with their wings open, almost parachuting down.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Onto the soft plastic, into the canvas bag
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and then the bats just go between the two.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01This one's actually using the acoustic sound lure
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and basically that's just playing back social calls.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Oh, right, so it's going to pull the bats in.- That's the idea, yeah.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10'And, sure enough, just minutes later, we have our first bat.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Oh, look, long-eared. Yeah.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Just reach in here, just scoop it up like that.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Oh, wow! Look at the size of those ears!
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It looks like a ram, doesn't it?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Yeah, they call it ram's horn position.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25So it is a female bat.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Are you checking to see if she's lactating, are you?
0:23:27 > 0:23:29That's right. And in fact she is.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31OK, so we need to let her go, don't we?
0:23:31 > 0:23:32That's right. All we'll do.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I'll take a step... Look at the ears! Look at the size!
0:23:34 > 0:23:38She's just scanning around and she'll fly straight away, I think.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42- There she goes.- Oh, wow!
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So brown long-eared bat - are they known to be here?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Absolutely, it's a woodland species.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49They're really what they call a gleaning bat,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52so this is a bat that almost flutters around the outside
0:23:52 > 0:23:54of a tree canopy, looking for insects,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and then, rather than using echo-location like most bat species,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01they're listening for the insects moving.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03So they're listening for the footsteps
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and for the wing casing movements of the insects.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Hence the long ears of course. - Hence the long ears.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- All makes sense in nature, doesn't it?- Absolutely.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13We're having much more success tonight.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Within minutes, we've caught four more bats.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18These all look like pipistrelles from this angle.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21They're almost dog-like, aren't they, the pipistrelles?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23They're lovely-looking things.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25'Richard and I assess each one.'
0:24:25 > 0:24:26How very tiny it is.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'By looking at their colour, size...'
0:24:28 > 0:24:31This is probably about four or five grams.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35'..wing veins, facial features and their smell...'
0:24:35 > 0:24:36Quite musky.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39'..we can tell that all of them are soprano pipistrelles.'
0:24:39 > 0:24:41And again, he's warm, he's going to go very quickly, I think,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43so there he goes.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46So if these are mainly canopy feeders,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I'd have thought with all the mature trees you've got here,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54ancient ones, this must be a fantastic place for them.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Absolutely. Absolutely, yeah, and it's no particular surprise that we
0:24:57 > 0:25:00don't often encounter these bats as well because they spend such
0:25:00 > 0:25:03a lot of time 20, 30 metres off the ground.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It's a whole new world up there.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13'There's just one more mammal I want to catch up with before I leave Dinefwr.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18'Fallow deer have been in this park since medieval times.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22'October is mating season, otherwise known as the rut.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30'Dawn is a good time for me to try and find fighting males.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'I soon come a cross a buck and decide to wait for some action,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'but he seems more interested in eating.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I haven't heard any fighting here, so I'm going to move on up that way.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47There are more deer in the woods up there.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50If I sit in the woods and listen for a while,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53hopefully we'll have a bit more fighting,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55a bit more noise up there.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00DEER CALLING IN DISTANCE
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'I soon hear not fighting, but the call of a male.'
0:26:13 > 0:26:16(There's a buck literally about 20 metres away from me,
0:26:16 > 0:26:17(the other side of this tree.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23(He's lying down, he's absolutely shattered and that's
0:26:23 > 0:26:27(the thing with the rut - the whole year for the males builds up towards this.
0:26:27 > 0:26:33(It's all about getting a mate and they'll defend a harem of does,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37(and fight off all the other males to hold onto their harem
0:26:37 > 0:26:41(to pass their genes on to the next generation.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43(But so much effort goes into it,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46(because they can be fighting virtually non-stop for two weeks,
0:26:46 > 0:26:47(that they are shattered,
0:26:47 > 0:26:53(and this poor buck here just looks down and out.)
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'Judging by the state of this buck,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'I think I've missed the majority of the fighting.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02'I decide to come back in the evening, when there might be more activity.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:09(There's a big herd here, there must be 50, 60 fallow deer
0:27:09 > 0:27:11(and one dominant buck right in the middle.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15(He's walking around looking for unmated does so that he can mate with them.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21(But we're getting towards the end of the rut now, there's less
0:27:21 > 0:27:25(fighting, still a lot of noise, he's still patrolling his harem
0:27:25 > 0:27:30(and this one has obviously been very successful - a lot of females in his harem.)
0:27:32 > 0:27:36'The park will have plenty of new additions to the herd next June.'
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Dinefwr, it has to be said, is one of my favourite places
0:27:41 > 0:27:42in the whole of Wales.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45There's a real richness about the place and I don't
0:27:45 > 0:27:50mean money, I mean wealth - wealth of wildlife in a fairly small area,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54and I've seen some rare things here too, lesser-spotted woodpeckers,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I don't see many of those in Wales any more.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01But what's impressed me I think most is the sheer number of ancient trees,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05and particularly the oldest one of them all the castle oak.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It's almost a thousand years old and still flourishing,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13wildlife in every nook and cranny and for a human being,
0:28:13 > 0:28:19who would be lucky to see a hundred years old, that's very humbling.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'Next time, I'll be visiting Plas Tan y Bwlch
0:28:23 > 0:28:25'in the Snowdonia National Park,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28'where I'll go in search of cold blooded creatures...'
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Oh, that's nice! That's really nice.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'..uncover nocturnal secrets in the garden...'
0:28:33 > 0:28:34Ah, that's a nice record!
0:28:34 > 0:28:38'..and join a special hunt for wildlife with the locals.'
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd