0:00:02 > 0:00:04'My name is Iolo Williams, and in this series,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'I'm looking at some of the jewels of Wales.'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Oh, wow, look at that.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11This is new for me,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14so I'm seeing the birds from the water rather than the land.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Incredible. Absolutely amazing place.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'It's my pick of Wales' landscape gems
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'and the wildlife associated with them.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'In this programme, I'm exploring the hills and mountains.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'It's my choice of jewels from upland Wales.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37'I'm meeting people who share my love of these stunning landscapes.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40'I'm finding out how the uplands were used in the past,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'and how they're used today.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'And seeing the wildlife that lives in this challenging
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'and dramatic landscape.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:00This is the Clwydian range.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06And this range of hills is often overlooked, unfairly so.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10You see Moel Famau, that's the highest peak in the distance
0:01:10 > 0:01:15and Offa's Dyke path running right along it here.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And it's a succession of hill forts all along.
0:01:18 > 0:01:24This one is Moel Arthur, built 2,000 years ago during the Iron Age.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And you can see why they built these forts up here
0:01:27 > 0:01:29because they were easy to defend,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33and the views really are magnificent.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36The high peaks of Snowdonia in the distance,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40the Carneddau, the Gladerau and even Snowdon itself.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46And coming around towards the north, this is Pencloddiau here,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and on there was the biggest hill fort of them all.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Not much left there now, of course, but plenty of wildlife.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Buzzards and ravens and kestrels. It's a great place to come.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's early April on the Clwydian Hills high above Ruthin,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11and a pair of kestrels are pairing up ready for the breeding season.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17So too are a pair of buzzards.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The Welsh uplands have been a big attraction for people
0:02:27 > 0:02:28since prehistory.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Around 600-hill forts were built in Wales during the Iron Age.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37This one at Bryn Caer overlooks the Conwy Valley.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43It's perfectly placed for a panoramic view of the lowland.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The most impressive hill fort remains in Wales are at Tre'r Ceiri
0:02:49 > 0:02:51near Trefor on the Lleyn Peninsula.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54The people living in this hill fort over 2,000 years ago
0:02:54 > 0:02:56were seeking security.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It gave them a good vantage point to protect themselves
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and their animal stock.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05We can only imagine how they lived here in ancient times,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08but we can certainly today share their experience of being
0:03:08 > 0:03:10in this fabulous location.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21The uplands are my favourite landscape in Wales.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Especially the high uplands.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30It takes great effort to explore them,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34but once you've reached the hilltops, the views are magnificent.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Take Bwlch y Groes, right in the heart of Wales above Dinas Mawddwy.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's part of the Cambrian Mountain range,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44which forms the spine of mid-Wales.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46In common with the rest of our uplands,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49the ancient woodlands that would have stood here in the past
0:03:49 > 0:03:55were cut over 4,000 years ago to form open pasture and moorland.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00You'll be hard pushed to find a more dramatic setting in Wales.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Here's another upland jewel...
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Nant Ffrancon in Snowdonia, also known as the Ogwen Valley
0:04:10 > 0:04:12and situated below the mountain of Tryfan
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and the Glyderau mountain range.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22The landscape is a stunning mixture of open space, waterfalls and crags.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Upland wildlife here is difficult to see,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31but when you do find it, it's often rare.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37In Nant Ffrancon, the rarity is a twite...
0:04:37 > 0:04:40an insignificant-looking small bird,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43but a bird that you'll rarely see anywhere else in Wales.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And they're here largely because of the efforts
0:04:46 > 0:04:48of farmer Gwyn Thomas.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51During the spring and summer,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Gwyn puts seed down for them daily to help supplement their feeding.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Twite, it's never been common in Wales,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03but it's fairly widespread in north Wales and there were
0:05:03 > 0:05:06maybe six or seven locations where you could find them breeding.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10They're now, as far as we know, down to this one area here
0:05:10 > 0:05:14and all of these birds come and feed on Gwyn's farm.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20Twite have a great Welsh name that describes them perfectly.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24It's llinos y mynydd, the mountain linnet, and they do look a lot
0:05:24 > 0:05:28like linnets, but they're linnets that breed in the high mountains.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But they've gone into decline in the uplands
0:05:31 > 0:05:34because of changes in farming methods.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37One of the things that's happened is that in the olden days
0:05:37 > 0:05:40every farmer around here would have had hay meadows full of seed.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43All the farms would have had hay meadows.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And that's all gone because of silage because of weather...
0:05:46 > 0:05:48No, the system of farming has changed.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51These upland farms now have gone away from cattle
0:05:51 > 0:05:54because of the expense and cost of keeping them.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58They are farming sheep and sheep only. So this is why the twite
0:05:58 > 0:06:02have flourished here, as the system I'm using here is a very old system.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06And these birds here will be the birds that nest up on the high tops.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Just in the heather above us, wherever the nests are.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14They're so tiny I don't think anyone have come across the nests so far.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20A change of land use has had a big effect on this little bird,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23but thanks to Gwyn it's found a haven...
0:06:23 > 0:06:28a last refuge, if you like, in one of Wales's most dramatic landscapes.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38This is Cwm Twrch,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41a fabulous valley below the Black Mountain in south west Wales
0:06:41 > 0:06:45and in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It's another of my upland jewels of Wales.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Cwm Twrch has an industrial past.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Buildings associated with an old colliery still remain.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04And they're great additions to one of the best upland walks in Wales.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Higher up the valley you eventually reach an impressive gorge,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and it's a popular site for nesting ravens during early spring.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Local bird watcher, Colin Richards,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19has been recording birds here for many years.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Oh, there we are, Iolo. On the ledge just there.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24- Oh.- The droppings.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- By the top there.- That's it. - Oh, it's a nice nest.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Oh, there we are, you can see them now. There's at least three.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Two, three... Yeah, it's three, is it? I can see three beaks.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- At least three.- Do you think it's four in there or just the three?
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Yeah, you can see them gaping.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- Yeah, it's three, isn't it? Three heads now.- Three.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It's a typical raven nest, a big pile of sticks,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48with baler twine and wool in there.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Probably three weeks old.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- Yeah.- They'll stay in there until they're about five weeks.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Yeah, yeah. They're quite big lumps. God, they're ugly, aren't they?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I've got to be honest, I do like ravens but raven chicks
0:08:00 > 0:08:03are not the most attractive of birds.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05How long's this nest been here then, Col.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- Oh, at least 20, 25 years.- Has it?
0:08:07 > 0:08:12- At least that.- They're opening their beaks now to cool down.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Pretty warm nest, Col, cos it's lined with wool, isn't it?
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- Full of wool.- It's a lovely nest. I do like ravens and the adult birds
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- will probably be away getting food for them.- Yeah.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25What I like about them, they are early nesters.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27These would have been on eggs, what, late Feb?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Late February, this pair.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And we are over 1,000 foot up here so pretty exposed, pretty cold,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36pretty harsh here, but they time it
0:08:36 > 0:08:40so these chicks are in the nest at a time when they most need food
0:08:40 > 0:08:42which is when everybody's lambing up on the hills.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46A lot of dead lambs, a lot of afterbirth, the odd dead ewe
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- so plenty of food for the ravens.- Yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51They're like Welsh vultures, aren't they?
0:08:51 > 0:08:52They are, aren't they?!
0:09:00 > 0:09:03One of the main uses for the uplands in Wales
0:09:03 > 0:09:05is for conifer tree planting.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The trees are generally grown on land that's too poor for pasture,
0:09:09 > 0:09:14and about 10% of the uplands are covered with conifer plantations.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20These dark woodlands are often frowned upon by naturalists
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and thought of as barren, empty places with little value for nature,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26but this is far from the truth.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28They have a very rich wildlife.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Increasingly they've become substitute habitats
0:09:31 > 0:09:36for a whole range of species that use to live in broadleaf woodland.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And that fact alone makes them important jewels
0:09:39 > 0:09:40in the Welsh landscape.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46A jay is perfectly at home in a conifer forest.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48There's plenty of food and nesting sites for it.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Conifer plantations are last refuges for red squirrels in Wales.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01It's only in this habitat that they can reasonably compete
0:10:01 > 0:10:04for food with the grey squirrel.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Spruce cone seeds are a particular favourite.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11They can't compete at all in deciduous woodland.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15All this wildlife would not be here in Wales
0:10:15 > 0:10:17were it not for commercial tree planting.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Derek Roberts is a timber contractor.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30He's using an extraordinary machine in a forest
0:10:30 > 0:10:34lying on the slopes of the Preseli hills in Pembrokeshire.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42What will this wood go for now? What will it be used for?
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- You've got some thin rails here now. - Yeah, now, if it's bent
0:10:45 > 0:10:47that will go for pulp.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51What it does is it goes down to Swansea
0:10:51 > 0:10:55and goes on a boat and goes to Finland,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59but all the other stuff, the log and fencing, will all go
0:10:59 > 0:11:02to local little mills around.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04So the best wood goes local?
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Yes, yes, they send that away.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12It's just a rough length, is it? You try and get them
0:11:12 > 0:11:13all around the same length?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- No, they've got to be perfect. - Oh, they have to be perfect.- Yes.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The mill, if it's too short, you know, they can't do anything with it
0:11:21 > 0:11:27so they're very strict on the lengths.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And it automatically shortens or lengthens?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33It finds it all itself. Yeah, it's fully automatic.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Incredible. You just feel like you are working your way through
0:11:36 > 0:11:41this forestry here in charge of some huge, great big prehistoric beast.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45It's like working a T-rex down here!
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Does it make cups of tea and cakes, as well?
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I've got an oven here.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- Have you?!- Yeah, I've got an oven there.- Have you honestly?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55That was a joke! I didn't know you've got an oven!
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Where's the fridge with the cold beers?!
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Yeah, the fridge sits in there, but I haven't got my fridge.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Derek works with his cab comforts
0:12:07 > 0:12:10in the hill forests of Pembrokeshire.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Local bird recorders have shown that these forests
0:12:15 > 0:12:17have become important nesting sites
0:12:17 > 0:12:20for a whole range of deciduous woodland birds such as redstarts.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28These plantations on the uplands have become
0:12:28 > 0:12:30very important wildlife sites.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But if I were asked to choose a favourite upland forest,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36it would have to be Coed y Brenin in north Wales
0:12:36 > 0:12:41because of its size and the range of wildlife that lives in it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46You'll find nesting buzzards during the spring.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48They're magnificent birds of prey.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Coed y Brenin also has one of the biggest
0:12:51 > 0:12:53fallow deer populations in Wales.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57And you'll find a remarkable ant,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00which has really taken to this man-made habitat.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Oh, Wow! This is a huge wood ants' nest.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Northern hairy wood ants to be exact.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It's got to be five metres in circumference,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18about a metre tall, and you can see the ants carpeting the top here.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22They reckon there's about 100,000 ants in one nest like this,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27and if you run your hand over them they'll defend the nest.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29If you smell it then...
0:13:29 > 0:13:30HE SNIFFS
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Oh, formic acid. They'll spray it. That's their defence.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39And they've got a series of tunnels in here winding its way down,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and the nest is really carefully positioned as well
0:13:42 > 0:13:46because it's quite open this side, so they do get some morning sun.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50That'll heat it up, but it's also got quite a bit of shelter over it.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53If you get heavy rain then it's not too badly affected.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56And at the moment, it's cooled down a bit and the ants
0:13:56 > 0:13:58are not as active as they often are
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and they're just getting some warmth off this nest here.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04It's quite a warm nest. Here they on my fingers now, too.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Fantastic. The whole nest is alive with ants.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The forest floor is full of ant hills with tracks
0:14:15 > 0:14:19leading from them on which the ants travel to gather their food.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25They bring back all sorts of material
0:14:25 > 0:14:29including beetles much bigger than themselves.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38In any "best of" list of upland Wales,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41the Rhinogydd mountains in north west Wales
0:14:41 > 0:14:43would have to be included.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Cwm Bychan is roughly four miles inland from Harlech.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's a hot spot for wild goats,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53but what makes it special for me
0:14:53 > 0:14:57is the variety of small upland bird species that you'll find here.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08There's a male ring ouzel singing away on a rock up there.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12It's kind of a... Well, it is really a mountain blackbird.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Its terrain is out in the uplands, rocky uplands, like this.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20And the Rhinogydd are just about the best place
0:15:20 > 0:15:22in the whole of Wales for them.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24They're not easy to pin down, they're not easy to find,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29but I've obviously been sat on the edge of a territory here
0:15:29 > 0:15:31because he's singing away like...
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Oh!
0:15:32 > 0:15:35It's a beautiful song! Everyone says "Oh, the blackbird
0:15:35 > 0:15:37"has got a lovely song" and it has,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40but I just think the ring ouzel's song is...
0:15:40 > 0:15:44It reminds me always of the wilder, rockier parts of Wales.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46So when you hear that,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48you know that you're out in the wilderness by yourself.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50It's a lovely, lovely song.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58During the spring the Rhinogydd slopes above Harlech are full
0:15:58 > 0:16:00with the sounds of birds.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05If you venture too close to a stonechat nest,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07you'll soon here this alarm call...
0:16:07 > 0:16:11TWEETING
0:16:11 > 0:16:12It's a female.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The male is much darker,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and they'll both warn you away from their territory.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30A similar looking bird to a female stonechat is the whinchat.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37Unlike the stonechat, a whinchat is a summer visitor from Africa.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This is a bird I was really hoping to see up here.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41It's not a common bird any more.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45When I used to wander these hills, 25 years ago,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48you'd find whinchats. Practically every valley had them.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And he'll use some of these low perches, he'll go on gorse,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54he'll go on some of the rocks and lower branches.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56They also go quite high up in the ash as well.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59And when they're up there singing away,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03they're striking birds, they really are, but nowhere near as confiding
0:17:03 > 0:17:06as some of the other birds up here in that they have this...
0:17:06 > 0:17:09kind of a comfort zone, you know.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12You rarely get within 40 metres of a whinchat.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Once you get that close... Pumf! Off it goes.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40The Rhinogydd mountains and, indeed, the whole Ardudwy uplands
0:17:40 > 0:17:42in North West Wales are also special
0:17:42 > 0:17:46because they're full of relics of the past.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And this is the most extraordinary of all.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50A monument built on Bryn Cader Faner
0:17:50 > 0:17:55during the Bronze Age, and it's a real jewel in the uplands.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Frances Lynch is an expert on pre-historic Wales.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Wow, this I have to say, is one of the most
0:18:00 > 0:18:05remarkable ancient structures I think I've ever seen in Wales.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08It looks like a crown of thorns, doesn't it?
0:18:08 > 0:18:14Yes, it's a sort of sunrise monument and its splendidly dramatic.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16But what was this thing. Francis?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Well, this is a cairn, a round cairn,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24which is the traditional burial monument of the Bronze Age,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26round about 2000 or so BC.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30But why here? I mean, we're over a 1,000-foot up, its very barren,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33very harsh. Why would they have built it here?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Because they were living around here at that time.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I mean, it is a period of climate change
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and you've got warmer weather here, you've got a longer growing season
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and you do see a lot of Bronze Age activity in the uplands.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Wouldn't it be wonderful to come here 2,000 years ago and see
0:18:49 > 0:18:51exactly what it would have looked like then.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53And see who they were burying here and so on.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57We tend to think they were heathens, but they were intelligent people.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00They may have been heathens, but they were intelligent!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02They must have been, Francis, they were Welsh.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Of course they were, yes!
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Well, actually, they make some quite good ones in Cornwall
0:19:08 > 0:19:09and in Derbyshire as well.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- But they would have been Welsh. - Indeed.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Yes, the Kingdom Of Elmet.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Yes, that's right.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18You see, we once ruled the world, Francis.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21We once ruled the world... and it's gone downhill since then.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22Yes!
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The Welsh uplands are truly magical.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35They're places where you can really lose yourself in the past.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37And they can even transport you to distant lands.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Whenever I come here and look out,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44I always think of the African Plains.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48The Serengeti with its wildebeest and its giraffes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51But, of course, these are not acacia trees.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55They're hawthorns with a few rowan thrown in as well.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59This is the edge of Ireland Moor in Radnorshire in mid-Wales.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04And this habitat is ffridd. It's a mixture of a bit of bracken,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08a bit of gorse, bit of heather, scattered trees.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's undervalued, I think, because probably of the fact
0:20:11 > 0:20:14there's so much bracken here.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18And yet, in spring and summer, it's alive with the songs
0:20:18 > 0:20:20of really quite scarce birds now.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23The loudest song comes from a skylark
0:20:23 > 0:20:26which sings high up above the moor.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It makes upland walking a real pleasure,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36but you'll only experience this in a few special upland locations
0:20:36 > 0:20:42like this gem on Ireland Moor near Painscastle in mid-Wales.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44A similar looking bird that you'll find here,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47but smaller and duller, is a meadow pipit.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53It's an unremarkable looking bird, and yet even ordinary common birds
0:20:53 > 0:20:57are fascinating to watch, especially when they're looking for food.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01This one's strategy is to listen...
0:21:01 > 0:21:04watch...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and a quick dash when an insect appears at the surface.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12There are plenty of insects for the meadow pipit on the Welsh uplands,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and that helps make it our commonest upland bird.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21These are the Eppynt Mountains in mid-Wales.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25They're situated immediately west of Builth Wells.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's a vast area of empty, rolling hills dotted
0:21:28 > 0:21:30with conifer plantations here and there.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Much of this upland has restricted access, and for good reason.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40It's the most important army infantry training area in Britain.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50GUNFIRE
0:22:05 > 0:22:09The enemy position is that barn in the distance over there
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and you see some of the guys... More of them moving up now.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Got all kinds of stuff here, light machine guns,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22heavy machine guns, they've got rocket launchers.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Incredible.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'The Eppynt upland is perfect for this type of exercise
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'with its undulating contours, hidden gullies
0:22:30 > 0:22:32'and sporadic woodland cover.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35'Colour Sergeant Stuart Benson is one of the soldiers
0:22:35 > 0:22:37'who's overseeing the exercise.'
0:22:39 > 0:22:42So this is absolutely vital training for these boys
0:22:42 > 0:22:44before they go overseas for combat.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Oh, massively, especially in the job they'll do.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- These are training to be section commanders, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53So they need to know how to do all this and the procedures.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Are you watching them
0:22:56 > 0:23:00and are you thinking "Oh, well, I wouldn't have done that,
0:23:00 > 0:23:01"I'd have done it this way"?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Or are you watching and thinking "He's good, he's good"?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Both.- Is it?- Both, yeah.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09At the end of every incident we go for a debrief,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12talk about the use of ground, the rates of fire.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- So it's basically assessing everything.- Everything.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- The whole exercise...- Yeah. - ..from individual to team work.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22From individual skills and drills all he way through.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25And there's me, all this banging's going on and shooting
0:23:25 > 0:23:26and everyone's organising this
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and I'm thinking "There's a skylark singing over there"!
0:23:34 > 0:23:38What makes the Eppynt special is, in fact, the army's presence.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Because the land has restricted use for both agriculture
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and general access, it's perfect for wildlife.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49With hardly any sheep grazing allowed on the land, rough grassland
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and areas of bracken and gorse are allowed to grow
0:23:52 > 0:23:55which act as nesting and feeding sites,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and cover for all sorts of birds and animals.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Away from the noise of the action,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04you can really tune in to the songs and calls of the birds.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Most of the Eppynt here is grass moorland, but tucked away,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18down in the valleys, is some really interesting little bits
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and these will hark back to the time when this was all farmland here.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Lovely woodland, mainly birch and a few hazel in there.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28And they're obviously really old. They're covered in moss
0:24:28 > 0:24:32and they're full of little holes as well and from a birds point of view,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35that's what makes them really interesting, and you stop here
0:24:35 > 0:24:38and you look and you listen. You can hear blue tits,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40you can hear willow warblers
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and every now and again, you get a heavy machine gun going away.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48And that really is quite disconcerting, I have to say.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53The most striking bird here is the redstart,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55but they can be very elusive.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07It's difficult to get a really nice clear view of this male redstart
0:25:07 > 0:25:10because he's just so busy in this wood.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13He's not long back from Africa so he's torn between two things.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16He wants to come up onto the tops here and sing,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21because he hasn't got a mate yet, but also he wants to keep his
0:25:21 > 0:25:25territory clear and he's willing to chase away anything and everything,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28whether it's a willow warbler, robin, blue tit, great tit,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30doesn't matter what it is.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So the moment he comes up, high up on one of these obvious perches,
0:25:33 > 0:25:38I get my binoculars up and he's off chasing another bird away
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and he's into the dense undergrowth there...
0:25:41 > 0:25:43and a difficult bird to watch.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Really difficult bird to watch.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Redstarts are mainly found in the north and west of Britain
0:25:51 > 0:25:53with the greatest concentration in Wales,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57and they seem to love these upland areas of mid-Wales.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Tell you one bird I wasn't expecting to see out here is a crossbill.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12There's a stunning male right up on the top here.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Beautiful red plumage. He really does stand out,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18but there's others calling. There's one calling from up here
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and I suspect it's probably a family group.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And they have this unique beak.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26One mandible goes that way, one goes that way
0:26:26 > 0:26:30and it's designed to get at pine cones.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33They're early nesters. Even though it's only April now,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35still quite cold even though the sun's out,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39these will have been on eggs in January if it's a good cone year.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42They'll have the chicks out of the nest by the end of Feb
0:26:42 > 0:26:45so they'll be together for a while.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47These have stopped here for two reasons.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50First of all there are quite a few cones here,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52but the other thing, earlier on, they were down...
0:26:52 > 0:26:54There's a little bit of water here,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and because their diet is seeds, that's incredibly dry
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and they have to come down every now and again and drink water.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05So they'll come down, drink from here but, at the moment,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09they're back up on these tops and he's back feeding on some seeds.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13And he really does stand out. Bright red against all that green.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14Cracking looking bird.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20More than anything, it's the unexpected sighting
0:27:20 > 0:27:23that makes wildlife watching so rewarding.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Especially on the big open spaces of the Welsh uplands.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35All the landscapes of Wales have their little gems.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Sometimes, you have to work hard to see them.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Sometimes, a gentle stroll is all that it takes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49But whatever the effort,
0:27:49 > 0:27:54you can be sure that you'll find plenty of jewels in Wales.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:41 > 0:28:43E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk