0:00:24 > 0:00:26When I was a boy,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I dreamed of a river. MY river...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34..of mayflies and monsters...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..of weirs and whirlpools.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Now I am grown, my river still surprises me.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05And with each uncovered secret, I fall deeper into a magical world.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I have loved this river all my life.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Now I cross her to reach home - an old millworker's cottage by a weir.
0:01:38 > 0:01:45I watch her changing moods and, every season, how my neighbours struggle to survive.
0:01:45 > 0:01:52She's nine miles long, but you can see all her beauty and the creatures that depend on her,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56here, within a few hundred yards of my home.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06# You go to my head
0:02:06 > 0:02:11# And you linger like a haunting refrain
0:02:11 > 0:02:16# And I find you spinning round in my brain
0:02:16 > 0:02:21# Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
0:02:22 > 0:02:26# You go to my head
0:02:26 > 0:02:32# With a smile that makes my temperature rise
0:02:32 > 0:02:35# Like a summer... #
0:02:35 > 0:02:39The river carves banks for kingfishers to nest in.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Each summer, the same pair bring up their family just by the house.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Sometimes the female flashes by a dozen times in a bright morning.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57From minnow to mayfly, life on the river is not as tranquil as it looks.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Beneath the surface lurks danger.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10This familiar face belongs to my noisiest neighbour.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Constantly on the lookout for food...
0:03:15 > 0:03:17..or predators!
0:03:21 > 0:03:24But I suspect there is a new visitor.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29For the first time since I've known the river - an otter.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32I haven't seen him yet,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34but by the bridge is an old holt -
0:03:34 > 0:03:39a network of tunnels and burrows used by otters decades ago.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Outside the entrance, I've seen tracks.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48At night, I've heard whistles which make me hopeful that otters are back.
0:04:00 > 0:04:07This river can be a tough place to live - never the same from one day to the next.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13With spring comes flood. I've seen the water rise three feet in as many hours.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Food becomes hard to find.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34By nightfall, all our homes are threatened.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49I wasn't the only one caught out by the rising water!
0:04:49 > 0:04:53A dog otter - unnerved by the sight of me -
0:04:53 > 0:04:58watched as I struggled to raise the sluice gates.
0:05:02 > 0:05:09As the water level fell, a female rushed past the house to rescue her squeaking cubs.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17I didn't know whether she could save them from the flood, but I did know that otters have come home.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23The next morning, I found another surprise -
0:05:23 > 0:05:27less welcome, but at least it was taxed!
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The ancient Greeks believed this little blue bird
0:05:32 > 0:05:35had the power to calm the waters.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37They called her Halcyon.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42The Gods blessed her with fair weather to build her nest.
0:05:43 > 0:05:49This halcyon bird survived the hungry days of the flood, and has been fishing since dawn.
0:05:53 > 0:05:59She has a suitor. There is one sure sign that two kingfishers are a couple -
0:05:59 > 0:06:05their engagement is official when the female accepts a fish from the male.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09To impress, you should do something you're good at,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and kingfishers are best at fishing!
0:06:13 > 0:06:21Despite HIS very best dives, this female seems only too happy to catch her own fish - and hers are bigger!
0:06:21 > 0:06:25# Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
0:06:27 > 0:06:33# Maybe baby's found somebody new
0:06:34 > 0:06:39# Or is my baby still my baby true? #
0:06:43 > 0:06:49I can't help admiring his persistence. I watched them all morning and he NEVER gave up.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04For all his fancy fish work, she played hard to get.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I think she was testing his commitment!
0:07:08 > 0:07:13# Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
0:07:15 > 0:07:20# Maybe baby's found somebody new. #
0:07:20 > 0:07:24He and I were both relieved when she accepted.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29# Or is my baby still my baby true? #
0:07:30 > 0:07:37To be certain, he spent the day offering her fish to reinforce the bond!
0:07:37 > 0:07:43They will rely heavily on the strength of this bond in the months to come.
0:07:48 > 0:07:56By April, the pair have chosen the nest site. This bank has been used by kingfishers for generations -
0:07:56 > 0:08:01high enough not to flood and safe from predators. They take turns.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07It's hard work digging! It may take two weeks to complete the nest -
0:08:07 > 0:08:11which can be a metre long, with a chamber for the eggs.
0:08:11 > 0:08:19But the happy couple have a problem - good territory and loyal males are hard to come by.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21We have an intruder.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28The first reaction is what I see most often - to fly at the strange bird and chase it, whistling loudly.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Intruders will not be tolerated.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59But what of the otter and her cubs?
0:08:59 > 0:09:05Although I've looked every day, I haven't seen them since the flood.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Then, at the end of April, my persistence paid off.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Two cubs survived the flood! They look about four months old -
0:09:19 > 0:09:24just big enough to start learning about their river home.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30This might be their first journey. They are frightened - hugging the bank, staying close together.
0:09:31 > 0:09:38They struggle with this environment, preferring to leap from rock to rock rather than face
0:09:38 > 0:09:42the full force of the water, calling for reassurance.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46While Mum is very wary,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48the little ones barely notice me.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52They have more than enough to cope with.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It's a whole new scary world.
0:09:56 > 0:10:02They reach the house. Up the steps and over my lawn isn't the usual route,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07but they are too small to go Mum's way UP the weir!
0:10:10 > 0:10:15At the top of the weir, they come really close. I hope they'll linger.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21But they don't like the lights and they're gone again!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30DAWN CHORUS
0:10:36 > 0:10:39CUCKOO CALLS
0:10:39 > 0:10:45Dawn is my favourite time here. This daybreak finds the kingfishers still digging.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56They still have a problem - the intruder hasn't got the message. She must be desperate.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01Aerial combat is the first option - they try to chase her away again.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06At this time of year, particularly, females want to avoid injury,
0:11:06 > 0:11:13and won't normally attack each other. But for the homeless female, perhaps this is her last chance.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23I watched them pose, sizing each other up.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29Flattening their bodies and pushing their necks out. Neither will yield!
0:11:29 > 0:11:33In rare cases, kingfishers try to drown each other,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37but in 15 years of watching them, I've only seen it once.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45This female is NOT giving up!
0:11:48 > 0:11:54I was about to witness the most startling drama I've seen on the river. This is it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57To the death.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06I soon lost track of which one was MY bird.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11I had no idea how much longer they'd last in the water without drowning.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42A mink! I thought it was an otter when it burst out from the bank.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50One kingfisher had dived to safety, but which one?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52It was impossible to tell.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59The mink had been waiting in ambush,
0:12:59 > 0:13:05hidden, even from me, probably attracted by the kingfishers' frantic whistling.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11She stashed the first bird and returned, sure there was another.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23But one kingfisher got lucky.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37She's spotted me! We were so absorbed in the fight
0:13:37 > 0:13:41that she's as surprised to see me as I was to see her!
0:13:41 > 0:13:46I was hoping that this bedraggled survivor was my neighbour.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And then the proof!
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Her mate! Reaffirming they are a couple!
0:14:04 > 0:14:08For my exhausted kingfisher, this is prime territory.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14Everything is set for her to breed. That, in the natural world, is worth fighting for!
0:14:23 > 0:14:30By contrast, you'd think that moorhen females are timid, nervous characters - and normally they are -
0:14:30 > 0:14:32but not in spring.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38When there is a fat male to be had, then the girls let rip
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and the feathers really fly!
0:14:46 > 0:14:49MOORHENS SQUAWK
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Once the cat fight is over,
0:15:23 > 0:15:30the triumphant female suddenly switches from sassy to submissive as the male steps in!
0:15:46 > 0:15:51The loser gathers her strength to fight again before the males run out.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04In my duck gang, the males are very much in charge.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Spring is a difficult time for females!
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Often, I watch horrified as they are mobbed by gangs of males,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and yes, occasionally, they do drown.
0:16:20 > 0:16:27But this couple has been together since the autumn, and have a much stronger bond than I normally see.
0:16:30 > 0:16:37Where there's running water, there's usually wagtails. My closest neighbours nest right by the weir.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43A cup of twigs, roots and grasses, lined with hair from my dog -
0:16:43 > 0:16:50it needs to be just right before she lays her clutch. A good nest should fit snugly.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00By April, most of my feathered neighbours are on nests. This is when they are most vulnerable.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05Last year, a rat took the eggs from the wagtails' and the ducks' nests.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11And the moorhen - now settling on this years' eggs - was raided at night by the mink.
0:17:18 > 0:17:25The wagtails are on a deadline. They need to time their chick hatch with the mayfly hatch at the end of May,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29when they can guarantee food for hungry mouths.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40But even the egg thieves run the gauntlet, coming out at night.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Hunting takes the rat past the mink hole...
0:17:43 > 0:17:47NOT a good place for a rat to linger.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03Mink are not native - an alien species, forced to survive in a foreign country
0:18:03 > 0:18:08because of releases from fur farms as far back as the 1950s.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Our rivers are similar to those of its native America
0:18:13 > 0:18:17and, in the absence of any competition, they thrive.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Now the competition is back.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Bridge Holt - the native is reclaiming its territory.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I don't rate the mink's chances with this otter.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34She's ten times the weight - all claws, teeth and muscle.
0:18:34 > 0:18:40Inside the holt, her cubs grow quickly. They rely on her for food.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Tonight, she must hunt.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01A fox will avoid a fully-grown otter,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04who could easily outweigh him.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12She has only one thing on her mind -
0:19:12 > 0:19:14fishing.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34My heart sank as I watched him go into Bridge Holt.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39It'd be touch and go - a fox against two cubs. Holts have an escape route.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I hope the cubs made use of it!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50They say rats are intelligent.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Not sure about this one!
0:19:55 > 0:20:01The mink has been lucky. After a good meal, she'll probably spend the next 24 hours sleeping.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So that's one less predator to worry about!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Particularly good timing for the moorhen,
0:20:16 > 0:20:21whose chicks are just making their first appearance.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31Otters are fond of moorhens, but feathered fowl aren't on her menu tonight!
0:20:53 > 0:20:56COW MOOS
0:21:03 > 0:21:09I've heard that ducklings call to each other from inside the eggs to synchronise hatching.
0:21:09 > 0:21:16It must work! After nearly four weeks' incubation, they're all out within a couple of hours.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20It's a bit of jump from the nest, but they show no fear.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24They're impatient to begin their life on the water.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I count 13.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34That's a lot for any mother to watch, no matter how diligent.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38She's going to be busy... and won't be the only one!
0:21:38 > 0:21:42# Up a lazy river where the old mill run
0:21:42 > 0:21:47# Meets a lazy river in the noonday sun
0:21:47 > 0:21:50# Linger in the shade of a kind old tree
0:21:50 > 0:21:55# And you throw away your troubles And you dream with me
0:21:55 > 0:21:59# Up a lazy river where the robin's song
0:21:59 > 0:22:03# Wakes a bright new morning We can loaf along
0:22:03 > 0:22:06# Blue skies above
0:22:06 > 0:22:09# Everyone's in love Up a lazy river
0:22:09 > 0:22:14# How happy we can be, oh-oh
0:22:14 > 0:22:18# Lazy river, lazy river, lazy river
0:22:21 > 0:22:25# Up the lazy river where the old mill run
0:22:25 > 0:22:28# That lazy, lazy river in the noonday sun
0:22:28 > 0:22:31# Linger in the shade of a kind old tree
0:22:31 > 0:22:34# Throw away your troubles You can dream with me
0:22:34 > 0:22:37# Up the lazy river Robin's song
0:22:37 > 0:22:40# Wakes up, we can loaf along
0:22:40 > 0:22:43# Blue skies above Everyone in love
0:22:43 > 0:22:46# Up the lazy river Crazy river
0:22:46 > 0:22:49# Lazy river, lazy river, lazy river
0:22:49 > 0:22:52# Up the lazy river with me! #
0:23:00 > 0:23:07While the frenzy of summer continues around them, the ducklings relish their first visit to the weir.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12So busy dabbling for insects, they are blissfully unaware of any danger.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Every year I watch the same drama unfold.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54It seems to be a ritual, almost a rite of passage.
0:23:57 > 0:24:03Although some are understandably reluctant to throw themselves into the game,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08I have never yet seen a duckling injured - a little shaken, perhaps.
0:24:10 > 0:24:17It's all part of learning to navigate the river, and it certainly endears them to me.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25Under the water, another annual tradition is about to begin.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29These rather ugly bugs are mayfly larvae,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33a foundation of the river's ecosystem.
0:24:33 > 0:24:40They have survived on the river bed for at least a year, but now they transform themselves.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Late May is when mayflies live, love and dance in the sun.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49They only have 24 hours to mate and lay their eggs before they die,
0:24:49 > 0:24:55if they aren't eaten first, for many creatures love a tasty mayfly!
0:25:07 > 0:25:11# What a difference a day made
0:25:15 > 0:25:19# Twenty-four little hours
0:25:23 > 0:25:26# What the sun and the flowers
0:25:31 > 0:25:33# Where there used to be rain
0:25:37 > 0:25:41# My yesterday was blue, dear
0:25:45 > 0:25:49# Today I'm a part of you, dear
0:25:53 > 0:25:57# My lonely nights are through, dear
0:26:02 > 0:26:05# Since you said you were mine
0:26:08 > 0:26:13# Lord, what a difference a day makes
0:26:16 > 0:26:19# There's a rainbow before me
0:26:24 > 0:26:27# Skies above can't be stormy
0:26:32 > 0:26:36# Since that moment of bliss
0:26:36 > 0:26:39# That thrilling kiss
0:26:40 > 0:26:42# It's heaven when you...
0:26:46 > 0:26:48# ..find romance
0:26:48 > 0:26:51# on your menu
0:26:54 > 0:26:59# Oh, what a difference a day made
0:27:02 > 0:27:05# And the difference...
0:27:05 > 0:27:07# is you. #
0:27:23 > 0:27:30Those who do survive lay their eggs by skipping along the water, dipping their abdomens onto the surface.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34The eggs drift down to rest on the muddy bottom
0:27:34 > 0:27:39before, in turn, becoming the larvae of another year's mayfly hatch.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44But all too quickly their day in the sun is up.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49They fall in their thousands, dying, onto the river, every evening.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55In late May, the wagtails return to their new chicks over and and over,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59beaks stuffed with nutritious mayflies.
0:27:59 > 0:28:06Their first nest by the sluice was raided by the rat and so they relocated to the patio.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12They only just had time to hatch their new brood and catch this time of plenty.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Upriver from the house,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22the most beautifully ugly babies on the river have all fledged.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26I have never known the moorhen hatch this many chicks before.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Perhaps there are too many. One appears to be weaker than the rest.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40After his first journey, he can't make it up the bank to the nest.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Before long, he is missed by his parents.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53It's the father that comes to the rescue.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01He's looking for an easier route and encouraging the chick to follow.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09I'm surprised how well the parents work together.
0:29:09 > 0:29:16While the father tries to help the chick, the mother takes over at the nest, keeping the others warm.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24After all this effort, the chick is exhausted.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Instinct kicks in and, desperate to keep him warm,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33the father tries to incubate the chick, as if he were in the nest.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43But slowly struggle ceases and life ebbs away.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I had watched both parents incubating their young,
0:29:48 > 0:29:53but sometimes even the most dedicated parenting is not enough.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05Right in front of my eyes, a chick's life had left him.
0:30:10 > 0:30:15But life is only one part of the cycle in the river.
0:30:15 > 0:30:21It is a reminder of how high the stakes really are for all those with chicks to raise.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40MUSIC: "The Host Of Seraphim" by Dead Can Dance
0:32:37 > 0:32:41It's minnows that keep this river alive
0:32:41 > 0:32:44and the river teems with them in summer.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49The kingfishers have seven chicks.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55To keep them alive, they have to fish during every moment of daylight.
0:32:58 > 0:33:04As they're being fed, the chicks shuffle round in a circle, so that each gets a turn.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Throughout the summer on my river,
0:33:08 > 0:33:13the parents will need to catch 5,000 minnows to feed their chicks.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20The pressure to catch is relentless.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26Every dive is an investment of energy.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39Every minnow counts.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43But even a kingfisher can't juggle two fish every time!
0:33:45 > 0:33:50What doesn't end up in a kingfisher's belly isn't wasted.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Gammarus - freshwater scavenging shrimps.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01They clean up the river floor of all rotting detritus.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06At this time of year, all trace of that minnow will be gone in days.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19A refusal? It's hard to believe they are finally full.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34For some time, I had been worried about the otter family.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39I hadn't seen them since the fox sneaked into Bridge Holt weeks ago.
0:34:39 > 0:34:45When they finally showed up, both cubs were on fine form and had grown quite fat.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50They must have had good fishing on some other part of the river.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07They are big enough to follow mum everywhere - even up the weir.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13They enter the water with barely a ripple, the mark of an accomplished otter.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17Now they're SO confident in the water.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Gone are the days when they clung to the side of the bank.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31They need this confidence and the skill to remain unseen.
0:35:31 > 0:35:37The modern river is full of hazards, things that decades ago the otters might never have come across.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42MUSIC: "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Tom Jones and Robbie Williams
0:35:59 > 0:36:03People have touched just about every part of the river now.
0:36:15 > 0:36:22The otters have been gone so long that their scent has faded in Bridge Holt, and now it has a new resident.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24The mink has woken up and is hungry.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30Dinner just swam by. My chicks might not last the night.
0:36:39 > 0:36:45My infrared lights and camera mean that I am the only one that can actually see the drama
0:36:45 > 0:36:48as it unfolds in the darkness.
0:36:48 > 0:36:54The duck knows that the mink is stalking her, but has no idea where he is.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58She hides her chicks away in the bank, rough in her urgency.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07Then she acts as a decoy to distract the mink.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19She waits until she can sense that he is really close,
0:37:19 > 0:37:24before noisily drawing him away from the hidden chicks.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26SHE QUACKS
0:37:29 > 0:37:31This is a risky strategy.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40If she gets caught, he'll kill her first, then probably the chicks, too.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52She's seen him.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02Still ignorant of the huddle of hidden ducklings, the mink gives up.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Summer has moved on for the kingfishers.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Their chicks have just fledged.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19They have all their glorious plumage, but none of the skills to match.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23By now the parents are weary of feeding their offspring.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28The youngsters must learn to fish quickly, while minnows are plentiful.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33It's easy to understand how a parent's patience quickly runs thin.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36It's going to be a rude awakening.
0:38:41 > 0:38:47But the first signs of independence are there. Mum's fish is ignored.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52A first dive.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55He missed.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57And it's a belly flop!
0:39:02 > 0:39:05I watch forlorn babies every year,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10getting more and more hungry until they master this most precise art.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Some of them never do and many starve.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18The parents viciously turn on their young.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Even a mother who has worked so hard to feed her brood all summer
0:39:25 > 0:39:32knows that there won't be enough fish for all of them in the winter. They must go.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Many will drown in the weeks to come while they're learning to fish,
0:39:54 > 0:39:58or die fighting to establish a territory.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Only a quarter of chicks will survive their first year.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Summer is over.
0:40:10 > 0:40:16# Sanctus, sanctus
0:40:16 > 0:40:21# Sanctus, sanctus
0:40:21 > 0:40:27# Sanctus Dominus
0:40:27 > 0:40:33# Sanctus Dominus
0:40:33 > 0:40:39# Dominus Deus
0:40:39 > 0:40:45# Dominus Deus
0:40:45 > 0:40:51# Deus Sabaoth
0:40:51 > 0:40:58# Deus Sabaoth
0:40:58 > 0:41:07# Sanctus Dominus Deus
0:41:10 > 0:41:17# Deus Sabaoth
0:41:22 > 0:41:31# Pleni sunt coeli et terra
0:41:35 > 0:41:41# Gloria, gloria tua
0:41:47 > 0:41:57# Hosanna in excelsis
0:42:00 > 0:42:09# Hosanna in excelsis
0:42:15 > 0:42:24# Hosanna in excelsis
0:42:24 > 0:42:31# in excelsis... #
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Autumn brings flood.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Everyone has to move and that brings casualties.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59Out on the road, a young female otter.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I don't think she's one of mine.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24One night, just before Christmas,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27my dog otter returned to the river.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42He was really on a mission!
0:43:42 > 0:43:45But experienced enough to avoid cars.
0:44:04 > 0:44:09The mother and cubs have spent the night in Bridge Holt.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13The cubs are now fully grown, too big to be sharing.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26They have no idea there's another otter on the river,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28or what the night will bring.
0:44:28 > 0:44:33I didn't realise this would be the last time I would see the cubs,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36porpoising as they flushed out their prey.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Fish flying out of the water rather than confront those sharp fangs!
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Family life as usual.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58They suddenly become very wary.
0:44:58 > 0:45:04It's their first meeting with their father and they are right to be wary.
0:45:04 > 0:45:09A dog otter will kill his cubs if he doesn't want them in his territory.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12But he is quite relaxed.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16The way he quietly fishes in front of them reassures the cubs.
0:45:16 > 0:45:21So, keeping close together, mum and cubs follow his lead.
0:45:25 > 0:45:30Soon the cubs are relaxed, too, enough to start feeding again.
0:45:30 > 0:45:36They ferret under the rocks for stone loaches and bullheads, tasty little snacks.
0:45:37 > 0:45:42Slowly mum increases the distance between her and the cubs.
0:45:44 > 0:45:51She's even happy to leave them with me close by, as she moves off with the dog otter.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55One last glance before she goes.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00They realise her plan.
0:46:10 > 0:46:17This is the first time they've been on the river without her and they don't like it.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21I know she'll be back in the morning, but they don't.
0:46:21 > 0:46:27She ignores their calls and, reunited with her mate, heads off into the night.
0:46:27 > 0:46:33There is only one reason for a dog otter and a female to be travelling together.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38But I would have to wait until the next year for proof.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59A year passed, the cubs left.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07But the following autumn the mother otter returned
0:47:07 > 0:47:12and, with her, some new cubs which she began to teach about our river.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25I hope I'm going to be able to get to know them all over again.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34The kingfisher survived the winter's flood.
0:47:36 > 0:47:43The ducklings grew up, and the following summer had ducklings of their own.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49And as for me?
0:47:50 > 0:47:54I'll never stop dreaming of the river, my Halcyon River.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Subtitles by Susan Mason and Dorothy Moore - BBC Broadcast 2002
0:48:33 > 0:48:36E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk