0:00:03 > 0:00:05There are over 30 country parks in Wales.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Thousands of people visit them every year.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Some are old estates of wealthy landlords.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Some are old industrial sites.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20The parks are usually close to towns
0:00:20 > 0:00:23and that's because they've been set aside
0:00:23 > 0:00:25for us to enjoy on our doorstep.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29But what I like about them most is that they're great places for wildlife.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33If you keep your eyes open, you'll see some great sights.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Behind me is Margam Castle and it's a stunning building.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57It's the centrepoint of a fantastic estate right on the outskirts of
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Port Talbot in South Wales.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Margam Country Park is set in an estate once owned by the Talbot family,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12who were, during the 19th century,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14one of the richest families in South Wales.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19It was this wealth that enabled the family to develop the ironworks in
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Margam and create a new harbour
0:01:22 > 0:01:25in nearby Aberavon and name it Port Talbot.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29At one time, the estate was huge -
0:01:29 > 0:01:31nearly 19,000 acres.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Today, the country park is owned by Neath Port Talbot Council and is a
0:01:37 > 0:01:39fraction of the size.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44But it's still large enough for some stunning parkland, lakes and woodland.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50It's a beautiful place to visit with magnificent old buildings and great walks.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And, of course, the park has some good wildlife and I like looking for
0:01:56 > 0:01:59it early in the morning when there are fewer people around.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I've been taken to the hills above the castle by one of the park's wardens.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Margam is very well-known for its deer,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16probably more than anything else, really.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19And there's three different types here,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23you've got red deer and you've got fallow deer and you've also got a
0:02:23 > 0:02:26rare and very exotic deer called the Pere David's deer.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And I've come up with Jonathan this morning, upon the high ground, here,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33where you've got all of this bracken to look for the deer with their fawns.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35There's quite a few around, too.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Fallow deer are variable in colour and not always easy to identify.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Most are a pale gingery brown colour with white spots on the back.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53They also have a characteristic black and white tail and a white
0:02:53 > 0:02:55rump with a black outline.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04It's the first day of July and the fallow does have given birth in the
0:03:04 > 0:03:06bracken during the past month.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23We've come down into one of the valleys now and come across a herd of red deer.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Whereas the fallow tend to be right up on top in all that bracken,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31the red deer are bigger and are more confident as well.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34And you can see that these have got fawns, I think I counted nine,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37there's another one come across now, that's ten fawns now.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39They're still giving birth too.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41What's interesting is you look at the adults,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45they're that lovely rusty red colour, but the fawns are mottled.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48They look like a large fallow deer,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51sort of brownish with cream spots on them.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56That's all part of their camouflage really, so when they're lying up,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58they blend in a lot better with the background,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01whether it's the bracken or whether it's some bushes, wherever it is.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08While the red and fallow deer have just given birth,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11the park's other deer species, the Pere David,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13are well into their rutting season.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Pere David deer originally come from China
0:04:18 > 0:04:22and they nearly became extinct during the 19th century.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Their perilous state was noticed by a Father David,
0:04:25 > 0:04:31a French missionary working in China at the time and the deer are named after him.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37During Midsummer, the stags compete for females.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47STAG BELLOWS
0:05:09 > 0:05:14A young stag has just come down from the distance over there and he's got
0:05:14 > 0:05:18perilously close to all the hinds, so the alpha male,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22the big alpha stag has come down, he's going to see him off, I think.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25He's been thrashing through the bracken, making a lot of noise.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27And, of course, they don't really want to fight.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29They want to scare the opposition away without fighting,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30if at all possible.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42You see the resident stag is not happy at all,
0:05:42 > 0:05:43he really isn't happy at all.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Look at him.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Hello...
0:05:57 > 0:06:01STAG GRUNTS
0:06:03 > 0:06:05That's interesting.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07No fighting at all.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Threats, bellowing...
0:06:10 > 0:06:14This one's probably quick because there is another stag just up there
0:06:14 > 0:06:17around the corner. He's just seen him off and he's seen this one down
0:06:17 > 0:06:21here, so he's come after this one and he's probably quite concerned
0:06:21 > 0:06:23that he's left all of his hinds up there.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27And the young male has actually gone now.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30He obviously got a little bit too close to the hind.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33He's turned and he's gone after him and chased off over there.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34But it is never-ending.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's absolutely never-ending for them, for a period of weeks.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Can you imagine how tired you'd be at the end of all that?
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Not only do you have to see to all the females,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44but you've got to fight off allcomers as well.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48And by the end, they just lie down, just shattered, I think.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Yeah, back he comes. He's coming back now.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53There we are.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Well, he's won the day today, anyway.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The most outstanding feature in Margam Country Park is the castle,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12which was built during the early 19th century and is the last of a
0:07:12 > 0:07:15succession of houses built on the site.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20700 years before the castle was built, the estate was run by
0:07:20 > 0:07:25Cistercian monks and parts of the monastery still remain.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33Margam Abbey monastery was built by skilled stonemasons and they left
0:07:33 > 0:07:35their signatures on their work.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Here's one.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42There's another one. And see, they were covered in lime wash.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Another one here. Here.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Local historian, John Adams, is helping me find them.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52And here as well. And there.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56And on that one on that one. This looks like a bed, almost.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58So what are these then, John?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Well, they're basically the mark of individual masons.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05When they started building an abbey like this, they appointed a master
0:08:05 > 0:08:08mason and then he appointed masons and when they
0:08:08 > 0:08:10finished training, they were given a mark.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So this is the mark of one individual mason.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19What's interesting about this building is this occurs almost anywhere.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22So it's more or less, there's a lot of work from one man.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So, why would he have put them marks?
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I'd have thought, you know, the monks coming in,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29wouldn't have wanted to see these marks everywhere.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Well, one, they were covered over, but of course the other thing was
0:08:33 > 0:08:35you could use them for quality control.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38There would've been a roof on this, would there?
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- A stone roof.- There was marvellous rib vaulting coming across but the
0:08:42 > 0:08:46sad thing was when the monastery was closed,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48a man called Sir Rice Mansel bought it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Now, they needed a coal house, so at some point in time,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56they basically used this for storing coal.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- You're joking.- No, I'm not joking.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And then in the vestibule, they used that for brewing beer and
0:09:01 > 0:09:06basically they took the lead off the roof, lined it with oil cask paper
0:09:06 > 0:09:11and eventually what happened was the water seeped through.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The pillar went out of vertical and it collapsed.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17I'm pleased to say that the Abbey
0:09:17 > 0:09:20is treated with a little more respect these days.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25During early spring, any masonry or stone wall in
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Margam Park is a potential nesting site for birds.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Walking across through the gardens from the Abbey now and there's a
0:09:35 > 0:09:38pine tree, I think it's Scots pine over there,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and there was a coal tit digging away at the moss.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45A beak full of moss, obviously building a nest,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and then he came over here and what it's doing,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51there's a slit low down in the wall over there and it's diving in there
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and taking moss, both birds, and every now and again,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58they'll perch up on this branch over here with a beak full of moss.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And dashing in... It's the perfect place.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04They're funny birds, coal tits, whereas you find blue tits,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08great tits will use nest boxes, holes in trees, holes in walls,
0:10:08 > 0:10:13quite high up, these will nest low down, often in old mouse holes.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And this is perfect because it's dry in there, it's out of the way,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20it's safe, no cats, no dog, anything can get in anywhere near that nest.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21And they're cracking little birds.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24They dive in like little mice diving out of the way.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Of course, at the moment, because they're getting moss,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29they're just building the base of that nest.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Once they've finished that base, they then go off looking for wool
0:10:33 > 0:10:37or maybe deer hair and they'll do the fine lining and that's when
0:10:37 > 0:10:38she'll eventually lay the eggs.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Oh, here we are, look.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Here we are. One's just landed on a branch here and in he goes.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Like a mouse, into the wall. Cracking little birds.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Most of the visitors that come to the park live locally and sunny days
0:10:57 > 0:10:59draw literally thousands.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Margam has a group of friends of the park.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08These are volunteers who help to look after the park and keep it tidy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14I'm meeting Doreen Nash at another great ancient building on a hill
0:11:14 > 0:11:16above the castle.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- Hello there.- Hello.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- How are you? All right?- Fine, pleased to meet you.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- Nice to see you. - Thank you, thank you.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- Thank you.- Litter picking. - Yes, I'm afraid so.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29We usually get quite a bit around here because they come of a night
0:11:29 > 0:11:32and they have barbecues and they have drinks and you know...
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- So it'll be kids mainly, is it? - I would say teenagers.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36So, there's a gang of you.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39There's you... I saw a couple of people... I can see them all now.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41There's a gang of you, come out...
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Yes, there's between four and five come up.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- Shall we go in and have a look?- Yes.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It looks like there have been barbecues lit here fairly recently.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- Yes, there have, yes.- Something is over here, look.- Of course they have.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- And this building now, is it a chapel?- Old Chapel, built in 1470.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59It was built for the farmers and the peasants to come up to worship
0:11:59 > 0:12:02because they weren't allowed in the Abbey Church
0:12:02 > 0:12:04because they were only for the rich and for the monks.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07So it was for the peasants, not the bigwigs, sort of thing.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Definitely not the bigwigs.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Definitely not them. And we do have a mass here once a year.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Do you?- In July. Yes, yes, yes.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I bet you're all praying it doesn't rain for that?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18It has been raining, but it still goes on.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- Does it?- Still goes on, yes. - That's fabulous.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- That's brilliant.- I can see what you mean now.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25There a barbecue here and behind me over there.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Yes, it's a shame. And what's happening is, doing the barbecues
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- against the stone, you know... - It ruins it, doesn't it? - It's going to ruin it.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- And this has all just been done... - This is a shame.- ..this part.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38And the same as the litter in the park.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42We pick up plastic bags, or numerous things, but what people don't
0:12:42 > 0:12:45realise that the animals are in danger through the
0:12:45 > 0:12:49litter in the park. I mean, it's a fact that five deer die in every
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- park every year.- Honestly? - Yes, through litter.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58- So, what is that, from plastic...? - Yes, plastic bags from dog bags.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59They think it's food.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- Well, well.- You know, visitors come in, they throw litter everywhere,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06they don't realise that they are killing our wild animals.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38The park is now closed and the people have gone home.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And one thing I really wasn't expecting to see right in front of
0:13:42 > 0:13:44the big house is a hare.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47But a hare has come from the top fields down here...
0:13:49 > 0:13:52..and it's feeding, I think, on the young grass and of course,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57this is mown, so you get young, fresh, succulent growth and that's
0:13:57 > 0:13:59why the hare has been attracted down here.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11She's happy enough. There she is, just going right across in front of the big house.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Wow!
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Well, that was unexpected.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16That really was unexpected.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19It just goes to show what's around once everybody's gone home.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30In addition to parkland and gardens, Margam Country Park also has
0:14:30 > 0:14:32woodlands and they are particularly stunning
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and busy with birdlife at dawn during spring.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46This is my favourite part of Margam Park.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50It's an old woodland, ancient woodland and it's pretty unique,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I think. I don't know of another woodland like this anywhere in
0:14:53 > 0:14:57Wales, at least. These are old sweet chestnuts,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01hundreds of years old and they're all twisted and gnarled,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04they're full of holes and because of that, they're fantastic for all
0:15:04 > 0:15:07nesting birds, of course, and I bet there are all
0:15:07 > 0:15:10kinds of invertebrates, bats in there as well.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And of course, the backdrop of Margam Castle, here,
0:15:13 > 0:15:18it's just a stunning place and I know that there's no-one else here, just me.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38I've come round now to the other end of this
0:15:38 > 0:15:41sweet chestnut woodland here.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I've heard a woodpecker. There's been a great spotted woodpecker been calling
0:15:44 > 0:15:48and drumming as well and it's all come from this area here,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50so I reckon there's got to be a nest here somewhere.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I've found the nest. This is the tree, here.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11It's a dead sweet chestnut and the nest is maybe what, five,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15six metres up? Around the other side, facing down that way.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17And what's odd is that it's the male who's in there.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20He's gone in. I saw him go in. I suspect what he's doing,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23because it's early May now and they don't usually lay their eggs
0:16:23 > 0:16:26until middle of May, maybe even towards the end of May.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30I suspect what he's doing is he's finishing off the nest chamber.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32What you've got, you've got hardwood on the outside,
0:16:32 > 0:16:33it'll be soft on the inside.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37So they'll dig through the hardwood and then they'll go down about a
0:16:37 > 0:16:39foot and that'll be the nest chamber.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41They won't take grass or anything like that.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43You've got bits of wood in there.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46So she's gone off to feed and she'll fatten up
0:16:46 > 0:16:47in order to make some eggs.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Look at this lovely building, this is the Orangery.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It's one of the oldest buildings here.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05This dates back to the late 18th-century and just look at the
0:17:05 > 0:17:08intricate carvings on the wall there.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Amazing place. And this was so that they could have their own citrus trees.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13Isn't that amazing?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17They could have their own citrus trees over 200 years ago and they
0:17:17 > 0:17:22were kept in here, in the winter, and there was a coal fire right at
0:17:22 > 0:17:25the back just to keep it warm and then what they would do,
0:17:25 > 0:17:30is they would bring them outside between about May and October,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32just to make the best of the sunshine.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Isn't that amazing? They'd cart them out, leave them here,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38then come October when it got cold again, take them back in,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40light up the coal fire,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43so that it was warm enough to keep these trees alive.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45And now, it's hugely popular.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49You can have weddings here, you can have functions here,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52so it's still used, not for the same thing, but it's still used and still
0:17:52 > 0:17:53very busy.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Many of the old buildings in the country park are used for functions
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and one of the original buildings is even let for holiday accommodation.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10This odd-looking cottage was built because the Talbot family wanted to
0:18:10 > 0:18:15retain this beautiful facade designed by the famous 17th-century
0:18:15 > 0:18:16architect, Inigo Jones.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22The facade was relocated here in 1837 from an old banqueting hall
0:18:22 > 0:18:24that used to be close to the castle.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29A lean-to was built against the facade
0:18:29 > 0:18:31to form a cottage for workers.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Peter Nash used to live in the cottage as a child and belonged to
0:18:35 > 0:18:38the last family to live in the house as estate workers.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Did your family work for the big house, then?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Yes, my mother was a maid for four years.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48My father worked in the sawmills on the estate.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50My grandfather and great-grandfather
0:18:50 > 0:18:52worked on the estate, on maintenance,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55repairing fences you know, various jobs, like, you know.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58It would've been a busy place, I would imagine.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- Dozens of people working for them. - There were dozens.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06You had valets, you had grooms with the horses, you had stable lads,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09dozens of maids.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- I think they had 41 bedrooms. - 41 bedrooms?
0:19:13 > 0:19:14It was quite a big place.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16And what's it like for you now?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Because I know you lead walks around here.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Is it nice to be able to share all these memories and stories with
0:19:23 > 0:19:24- people in the park?- Absolute...
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Some people can't believe you actually live there.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31There's certain things you do remember, like on a hot evening,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35my bedroom window would be this one on the left and you'd have the sash
0:19:35 > 0:19:38down and you go to bed with a candle.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42And you'd have a little orange lamp, didn't give much light,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44but it would attract bats.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45And the bats then...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50..they'd come around and my mother'd be terrified.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53But we never thought anything of it, like, you know.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56They'd just come around, go back out. Come around, go back out.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01The bats are still around.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04And on a summer's night, hundreds come out to feed.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's about 10.30 now, finally getting dark,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and all the bats have suddenly come out.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16There are lots of different species around the trees, but the ones I'm
0:20:16 > 0:20:19really interested in are these, down by the water here,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22they are Daubenton's bats, real water specialists.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27They'll skim over the surface, back and forth, feeding on midges,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30on caddisflys, on any water insects.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33And really, they'll not just eat them with their mouths,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35but they'll take them out to the water sometimes, as well,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39with their feet or even with their tail, they can scoop them out with their tail.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41They're fantastic bats.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And there are lots of them, so many of them, all gathered around here.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Margam Country Park is one of the best bat sites in Wales.
0:20:55 > 0:20:5911 of the 18 species of bat living in the UK can be found here.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Without a bat detector, it's difficult to identify the different species.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The best time to view them is on a clear, still, dry night.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Sensibly, they tend not to come out when it's wet and if you see big
0:21:17 > 0:21:21bats behaving like this above water, they're pretty certain to be
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Daubenton's bats.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Margam Country Park has a number of man-made ponds and this one in front
0:21:37 > 0:21:39of the castle is the biggest.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44It was created by the family during the 1920s to help relieve
0:21:44 > 0:21:47unemployment in the area at the time.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52I've no doubt that the project also improved the view from the mansion.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58The pond has matured into an excellent wildlife habitat,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01but most of its wealth is hidden in the water.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08Hannah Shaw works for the Freshwater Habitats Trust on a
0:22:08 > 0:22:11national project that helps to protect freshwater wildlife.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15She's creating a database of pond species throughout Wales.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Hello, Hannah. Have you got much?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Hi, Iolo. Yes, I've got a few things, I think.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24Oh, I love pond dipping.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Just have to have a look through.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's a bit like Christmas, you never know what you're going to get.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Look at that, look at that.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34That's a water scorpion.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Wow! Aren't they cool things?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38With that siphon on its tail.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Does it breathe through that?
0:22:39 > 0:22:44- Yes.- So it sticks that up above the water and then goes down and hunts
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- under water.- Yeah.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47They're cool things, aren't they?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49And a snail. Look at the size of that snail.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- That's a ram's horn snail.- A ram's horn.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I can see why it gets that name, yeah. That is nice.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55That is nice, OK.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58And this has all just come out of the edge of this pond here, has it?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Yes, just through the reeds, yes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05In a pond, most of the wildlife is in that first metre of the
0:23:05 > 0:23:07vegetation around the edge of the pond.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Wow! Is that a leech?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Is it a leech on there on the side?
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Yes, that's a duck leech.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14A duck leech.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15- Mm.- As opposed to what?
0:23:15 > 0:23:20Well, you can get fish leeches and there's other types of leeches that
0:23:20 > 0:23:24eat small invertebrates, but these actually parasitise ducks.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Do they? As in, hang on the feet of ducks or what?
0:23:27 > 0:23:32No, they go in their nasal cavity, in their beak.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33Oh, do they? Wow!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- I've never heard of a duck leech. - But they are really good parents.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40I'm sure they are(!)
0:23:40 > 0:23:43There's a stickleback as well, look, a little stickleback.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Probably three-spine stickleback, is it?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47- Is it that one probably?- Yes, it is.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Do you know, the amazing thing is, you walk past here,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54you wouldn't think that you'd find any of this in there.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And if it wasn't for the fact that you were going in with a net and
0:23:57 > 0:23:59bringing them out, I'd have no idea.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Wow! Look, we've got a water stick insect here as well.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Look at that.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Wow! That's a water stick insect.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Yes, it's a bug, the same as the water scorpion is a bug.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- He's gone back in.- And a back swimmer. So it's one of the bugs.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17That is very, very odd.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And is this common in our pools?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24They're quite widespread, but not common.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Do you know what? I think that's only the second one I've ever seen.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That is amazing. I would have missed that, see?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I really would have missed that. What a weird looking thing.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I think they're really under recorded in Wales.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I'm not surprised. You can't find them. Look at that.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Wow! And this one again uses that siphon on the tail,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45it sticks out above the water to breathe.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Mm-hm.- I find it really weird that they breathe through their bums,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50basically, don't they?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52- They do.- Isn't that odd?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Wow! So, how does this pond then rate?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57- Is it a good pond?- It's a pretty good pond, yes.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01And that again is because of the variety of wildlife in it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Yes, yeah.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13One of many lovely landscapes in the park is Cwm Phillip, a quiet,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16sheltered valley, situated behind the castle.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24It's particularly beautiful during early autumn
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and it's perfect territory for adders.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44Almost every encounter I've ever had with an adder has involved one or
0:25:44 > 0:25:49the other of us being startled and often the adder just making their
0:25:49 > 0:25:51way off, which is a shame.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54But there's one on the edge of this old path here,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58it's overgrown, she's right in the vegetation.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01She's curled up and the head is just lying there,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03looking straight out at us.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It's a perfect spot for adders.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08We've got the bracken here, you've got some gorse,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11you've got some vegetation, and open areas where they can sunbathe,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14plenty of mice and voles and lizards for them to eat.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19September is a real critical time for adders because it's when they
0:26:19 > 0:26:22give birth, they give birth to live young, of course.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26And, of course, they're going to be thinking about what they call brumation.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28They don't hibernate, they go underground and they do move
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and they will come out as well on a warm winter's day,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34but they brumate, which means that they slow down.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And what they will do, they'll feed now but before going into brumation,
0:26:37 > 0:26:42they'll empty their stomach out because what they don't want, of course,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44if there's a mouse or a vole in there,
0:26:44 > 0:26:45they don't want that to rot away
0:26:45 > 0:26:48inside and it's not the best view I've ever had of an adder.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52But I always think an encounter with an adder is a good one.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55If I can find the animal, I can watch the animal,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I can film the animal if I want to, and when I leave,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01the animal is still there. It's not been disturbed.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04And that's exactly what I'm going to do now.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I'll let it be, I think.
0:27:18 > 0:27:24Margam Country Park is mostly known for its beautiful buildings and its deer.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28There are not many parks in Wales where you'll see three species of
0:27:28 > 0:27:29deer and so easily.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Like many other country parks, there's also plenty of other less
0:27:35 > 0:27:38obvious wildlife which takes a bit more effort to find.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42And that's the real fun of wildlife watching.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47The deer have all come together up on the hill now, the red and the fallow.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51And then you come down to Cwm Phillip,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55now in its autumn colours, absolutely stunning.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Of course, that's where we saw the adder and it gives you some idea of
0:27:58 > 0:28:00the size of the park.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It is huge and of course, this is only the back bit.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05You've also got the front bit over there, as well.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10And this is nothing compared to the size of it 150 years ago.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11It was huge.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15That gives you some indication of the wealth of the people involved.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20A fantastic place.