0:00:13 > 0:00:17A magnificent 200-year-old cork oak,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21able to thrive on the poorest Mediterranean soils.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Thousands of years ago, people learnt to harvest their spongy bark
0:00:25 > 0:00:29for a uniquely versatile material - cork.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They also began to graze the land between the trees
0:00:35 > 0:00:36and to grow a few other crops.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Forests of these cork oaks survive to this day in a few parts of Europe
0:00:48 > 0:00:54and with them an astonishing variety of plant and animal life.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Cork woodland is especially rich in bird life
0:01:10 > 0:01:15with more than 100 different species breeding here in southern Portugal.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28They include some of Europe's rarest birds,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32which still find sanctuary amongst these remarkable trees.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45The bark of the cork oaks is stripped away every nine years.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54It's sold for many different uses, from floor tiles to fishing floats.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58But the greatest revenue comes from the billions of stoppers
0:01:58 > 0:02:01we use each year to close our wine and champagne bottles.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It's because of the high value of cork bark
0:02:04 > 0:02:08that this ancient landscape, with its rural culture and its wildlife,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10have been protected until today.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14But its future is by no means certain.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20If metal screw-caps and plastic were to completely replace natural cork
0:02:20 > 0:02:23to stop our wine bottles, then a drastic change could be on the way,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27because landowners would have to replace their oak woodlands
0:02:27 > 0:02:30with other, more conventional crops.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36So what is it about these forests
0:02:36 > 0:02:41that make them so valuable to both people and wildlife?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50The Alentejo region of southern Portugal
0:02:50 > 0:02:52stretches from Lisbon in the west,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56to the hills of the Spanish border in the east.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It's about 10,000 square miles, or the size of Wales,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and it's the world's most important cork-growing area.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07These woodlands of evergreen cork oaks and their close relative,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11the Holm oak, are known in Portugal as Montados.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Although the Montado is so good for wildlife, it's by no means a wilderness,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19but rather a natural ecosystem of woodland and pasture
0:03:19 > 0:03:22which has been sympathetically adapted for farming
0:03:22 > 0:03:25in this sustainable way for more than 1,000 years.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Typically, the pastures under the trees are grazed,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34although where there are patches of better quality soil,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38landowners have traditionally grown citrus, vines and olives.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41This has created a rich mosaic of habitats,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46which is as beneficial for wildlife as it is for the farmers.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Nevertheless, to make a living based mainly on cork,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54each family needs well over 1,000 acres,
0:03:54 > 0:04:00where the oaks can thrive despite the dry, poorer quality soils.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Francisco Garrett is a farmer whose family have managed
0:04:04 > 0:04:08a large area of forest in a traditional way for many generations.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Apart from an intimate knowledge of his own cork oak woodland,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Francisco has a passion for the future survival
0:04:27 > 0:04:31of the Portuguese Montado, including its spectacular wildlife.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Well, this is a very pleasant thing,
0:04:38 > 0:04:43just wandering in the Montado on a beautiful day,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46spring day like this, sun is shining,
0:04:46 > 0:04:52and hearing the birds and seeing the birds of prey
0:04:52 > 0:04:55that have just come in for nesting.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00I don't think there is anything better that one can enjoy
0:05:00 > 0:05:04than live in the country here and see all this growing
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and I just hope that it can be kept like this.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17We have been for four or five generations living on cork
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and I hope that future generations can continue to live on it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Although the ancient Greeks and Romans knew about the value of cork bark,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38it only began to be harvested commercially in Portugal about 300 years ago.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It's still done by teams of men using hand axes
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and no viable mechanical method has yet been invented
0:05:44 > 0:05:47to do the job as effectively.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The important thing is to know the amount of force that you have to input this
0:05:55 > 0:06:00so that it doesn't damage the living part of the bark.
0:06:00 > 0:06:06These axes are manufactured locally in several towns where they make it
0:06:06 > 0:06:12and you have some bigger ones and some smaller ones.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17It's a very nice thing and special for Portugal.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27The stripping is done in midsummer
0:06:27 > 0:06:32when the bark comes away from the living tissue, the cambium, more easily.
0:06:34 > 0:06:41The smell of just-peeled cork oak and the colour of it, it's fantastic.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48The skills needed for harvesting cork are often handed down from father to son.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54You have to be really skilful to go up in the trees
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and work with an axe and up in the air.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05Very important on this, it is sustainable
0:07:05 > 0:07:10because every nine years you peel it and you don't destroy the tree.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13The more you peel it, the better the cork is.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18What an extraordinary tree!
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Cork oaks are the only trees in the world from which you could strip
0:07:22 > 0:07:25an entire piece of bark like this without killing it.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Every tree this size yields sufficient bark
0:07:28 > 0:07:33to produce 4,000 corks and this harvest provides employment
0:07:33 > 0:07:35for at least 60,000 Portuguese workers.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49Each tree is daubed with a number to record the year of the harvest.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52This will remain visible as the bark thickens from the inside,
0:07:52 > 0:07:58reminding owners that these trees can next be harvested in 2016.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14During the hottest part of the day,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17the cork harvesters are not the only ones to welcome a break.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20A pair of booted eagles has nested nearby and the male
0:08:20 > 0:08:24has been patiently waiting for the human activity to quieten down
0:08:24 > 0:08:26before delivering food to his mate.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41If cork and Holm oaks grow side by side, booted eagles will always
0:08:41 > 0:08:45choose the cork oak for their nest site in preference to the Holm oak.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Maybe the gnarly bark holds the sticks better.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Who knows?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56They're called booted eagles because of their heavily feathered legs,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01and both adults build the nest, often lining the shallow cup with oak leaves.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Successful nests are re-used in future years and although two eggs are generally laid,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09typically only one chick fledges because siblicide is common.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15The attentive male will catch numerous birds and small mammal prey
0:09:15 > 0:09:17in between the harvesting activity.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28During August the annual cork harvest draws to a close
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and activity in the parched Montado
0:09:31 > 0:09:35gradually slows down as autumn approaches.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39By late October the stripped cork trees are now deep red
0:09:39 > 0:09:42as they begin to re-grow their bark.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55The oaks now provide another abundant harvest
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and the large acorns have their own nutritious value,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01particularly for pigs!
0:10:03 > 0:10:08One of the most important species that goes together
0:10:08 > 0:10:13with the Montado and the cork oak is the Alentejo black pig
0:10:13 > 0:10:19and that is used for the... the smoked ham.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24The acorns give the ham its unique nutty flavour
0:10:24 > 0:10:28and the pigs gorge on them from November until February.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36The meat of this pig is very valued and it's one of the yearly revenues
0:10:36 > 0:10:41of the Montado because the cork only happens every nine years.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45In undisturbed areas of rough grassland,
0:10:45 > 0:10:50surface runways reveal a smaller, secretive mammal hunting for acorns.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59This is Cabrera's vole, a species unique to Spain and Portugal,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01which favours the cork forests.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04It will return to its usual diet of grass and sedges
0:11:04 > 0:11:06when the acorns are finished.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Even though winter doesn't get very cold in this part of Portugal,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20the cork oaks still shut down their growth from November onwards.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26The winter months allow Francisco more time
0:11:26 > 0:11:30to give his many thousands of cork oaks the attention that they need
0:11:30 > 0:11:35to remain healthy and so continue to produce high quality bark and acorns.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52These trees, they have been pruned several times, so once you do it
0:11:52 > 0:11:57you have to continue doing it because when man interferes in nature,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01once he has, he has to continue doing it, to balance the tree,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06that it has the same leaf area as the root area
0:12:06 > 0:12:11and adequate to the age of the tree.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19The more important part of pruning is in the young trees
0:12:19 > 0:12:22so that you have a straight bark,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27at least two, three metres high, without any branches,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30so you can have a nice piece of cork for the stoppers.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44By the end of the year, cork bark from the surrounding woodlands
0:12:44 > 0:12:47has virtually filled the storage yards.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51This natural, sustainable product now provides a good living
0:12:51 > 0:12:53for those working in the factories.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Winter also brings visitors from abroad to the Montado.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Up to 60,000 European cranes
0:13:08 > 0:13:14migrate each year from Scandinavia to take part in the acorn bonanza.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Their trumpeting calls are one of the most evocative sounds
0:13:17 > 0:13:20of the Montado winter.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38The cranes don't like to swallow the acorns whole,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40so skilfully de-husk them first.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49As a winter destination for nearly 30 other species of migrant birds from Northern Europe,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54the Portuguese Montado are becoming increasingly significant.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Millions of robins, chaffinches and thrushes from Britain alone
0:13:59 > 0:14:03spend each winter in the warmer sanctuary of the cork forests.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06However, it's only in the last 20 years that the rich diversity
0:14:06 > 0:14:09of plant and animal life has been seriously studied here.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Tiago Marques and Ana Rainho are bat specialists.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Caves and old mine-workings
0:14:25 > 0:14:30are traditionally used by Alentejo's bats for winter hibernation.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35Ana and Tiago are surveying their populations before the bats disperse to breed.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42These are greater mouse-eared bats,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46just one of 26 species found in this region of Portugal.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Even here, some, like Mehely's horseshoe bat, are extremely rare,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58but today the scientists are concentrating on
0:14:58 > 0:15:02a relatively abundant cork woodland specialist.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06This species or this bat is called the bent-wing bat
0:15:06 > 0:15:09because despite his small body size
0:15:09 > 0:15:13he has these large and very narrow wings,
0:15:13 > 0:15:18and to keep them forward they just bend the tip of the wing.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21You can see it now open, it bends it.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24So that's why it's called like that.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Their long wings are perfect for rapid flight between the oak trees in search of insects.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And thanks to the minimal use of pesticides
0:15:36 > 0:15:39there's no shortage of them in the Montado,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41both for bats and for insect-eating birds,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44like the lesser spotted woodpecker.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52By early March, birds like hoopoe, warblers and nightingale
0:15:52 > 0:15:55have already begun their spring courtship,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00based on the promise of plentiful food supplies to feed their young.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Woodchat shrikes and endangered rollers
0:16:05 > 0:16:07have returned from Africa to breed.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Petticoat narcissi are the first floral beacons of spring,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17triggering a rampage of wild flowers,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21an increasingly rare sight in the rest of agricultural Europe.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Mediterranean catchfly forms pink saucers around the cork oak trunks.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52The evergreen, umbrella-like canopy provides welcome shade for these light-sensitive flowers.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Unlike so much of Europe, there's hardly any chemical run-off
0:17:00 > 0:17:02from the surrounding land, so spring rains
0:17:02 > 0:17:06replenish the streams and ponds with beautifully clean water,
0:17:06 > 0:17:11which is good news for the pollution-sensitive animals like amphibians.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13These are male marsh frogs,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18trying to attract females and establish a territory.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35In the slower moving rivers and pools throughout Alentejo
0:17:35 > 0:17:39stripe-necked terrapins are abundant.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Like all reptiles, terrapins are cold-blooded
0:17:43 > 0:17:47and need to absorb heat by basking on suitable rocks.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Throughout early spring barn swallows use the mud
0:17:55 > 0:17:57they collect from the margins of the pond
0:17:57 > 0:18:00to construct and repair their nests.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Marsh frogs are not the only noisy amphibian here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Stripeless tree frogs are also common.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13They reserve their mating chorus until nightfall.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18FROGS CALL
0:18:33 > 0:18:37During the night a male Iberian midwife toad
0:18:37 > 0:18:40has kept a chain of eggs moist in the pool.
0:18:40 > 0:18:47Wrapped around his hind legs, they shackle the toad for six weeks until hatching.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Before dawn, he'll find a damp, cool shelter to prevent the eggs from drying out.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Fire salamanders hunt for invertebrate prey throughout the night.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05With its striking yellow and red markings,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09this is a rare sub-species found only here.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It will also hide up during the day.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15As too will the spadefoot toad.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Using its shovel-like rear feet and corkscrew body movement,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25the toad buries itself in the soft soil of the cork forests
0:19:25 > 0:19:26before the end of the night.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44In Britain, you seldom hear nightingales singing after dawn.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45NIGHTINGALE SINGS
0:19:45 > 0:19:48But in this very undisturbed area
0:19:48 > 0:19:53these normally secretive birds will often continue throughout the day.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05The relative peace and quiet
0:20:05 > 0:20:09also encourages many of Europe's rarest birds to breed here,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11such as the black-shouldered kite.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17This male is quartering one of the Montado's
0:20:17 > 0:20:21more open, grassy areas for small rodent prey.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27It's now mid-March and a female, ready for breeding,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31watches the performance with a critical eye.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35These beautiful birds can hover over their prey in a similar way to a kestrel.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39It's an ability that differentiates them from their common relatives,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41the red and the black kite.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56The female sees that her prospective partner
0:20:56 > 0:20:59is at last returning with a courtship gift.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08She will join him on his post for a handover ceremony.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And then fly off with her engagement present
0:21:16 > 0:21:19to the chosen nest site in an old olive tree.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33She's unlikely to be disturbed here - the farmer who would have harvested the olives is long gone.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37So too the cork-oak woodland that once surrounded the abandoned farmstead,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40probably cleared during the 1980s
0:21:40 > 0:21:45when EU subsidies encouraged a switch to more intensive crops, like maize.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48At the same time wine drinking was becoming more and more popular,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52with a corresponding increase in demand for cork bark.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57The producers of cork stoppers could hardly keep pace
0:21:57 > 0:22:01and in some factories standards of quality and cleanliness fell.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07As a result, complaints of tainted or "corked'" wine rose
0:22:07 > 0:22:11and opened the way for new plastic or metal alternatives,
0:22:11 > 0:22:16marketed as cleaner and more modern than cork stoppers like these.
0:22:16 > 0:22:22By early 2000, the cork industry had lost almost a quarter of its market to this new competition
0:22:22 > 0:22:29and some landowners, fearing the worst, continued to replace their cork oaks with cereal crops.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32But on these dry, impoverished soils
0:22:32 > 0:22:36many such projects were doomed to failure.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Once felled, cork woodland is very difficult to restore.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47A complex ecosystem such as the Montado takes time,
0:22:47 > 0:22:52knowledge and patience to recreate, as Francisco knows well.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58There's a Portuguese proverb that says...
0:22:58 > 0:23:01HE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE
0:23:03 > 0:23:07In English this means these vineyards of mine,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12olive groves of my parents and Montados of my ancestors
0:23:12 > 0:23:18and that shows the time it takes to have a Montado established.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Carefully controlled plantations like this
0:23:20 > 0:23:25are how modern farmers try to recreate their cork woodlands,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27but there was a simpler way in the past.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32One of the good memories I have from my childhood
0:23:32 > 0:23:37is that walking in the Montado, with my grandfather,
0:23:37 > 0:23:43he would just look for an acorn, he would pick it up
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and with the heel of his boot,
0:23:45 > 0:23:50just do like this, put it back like this,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and after pick up a piece of... with thorns like this
0:23:54 > 0:23:59and just put it on top of the acorn just to protect it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04He would choose a place where there were no cork trees
0:24:04 > 0:24:09and hopefully next year we would have a nice sprouting
0:24:09 > 0:24:12young cork tree in that place.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Look - here's a beautiful acorn that has germinated.
0:24:18 > 0:24:25You see? Hopefully this acorn in 20, 30 years' time
0:24:25 > 0:24:27will be giving some cork.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34I won't be here to harvest it but I hope my sons, you know,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37or my grandsons will be here for it.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Let's hope it's here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Francisco's long-term view of the Montado
0:24:43 > 0:24:45includes a passion for its wildlife,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49so he leaves about 10% of his woodland un-grazed.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Natural regeneration encourages a mixed understorey of flowers
0:24:53 > 0:24:58and shrubs, including the evergreen arbutus or strawberry tree.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03A special thing about the Arbutus unedo, is that its leaves
0:25:03 > 0:25:11is the food for a very specific caterpillar of the pasha butterfly.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17They only feed on these leaves, so by keeping these we help nature.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22By understanding wildlife and sympathetically managing his Montado,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Francisco helps secure the increasingly rare pasha butterfly.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Walking through here, that I do in weekends,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38one of the things I've found is a nest of a nightjar.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43They are quite frequent here and they are very difficult to find
0:25:43 > 0:25:47because they mix with nature so, so well.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Red-necked nightjars are masters of camouflage.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59Only a glinting eye reveals her sitting on her nest in the leaf litter.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06She will sit out the daylight hours on her clutch of eggs with hardly a movement,
0:26:06 > 0:26:12trying to avoid the attention of the many species of snakes found here.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Being good climbers, ladder snakes can also be a threat to tree-nesting birds.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Growing up to a metre in length,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24they're one of the largest species in Europe.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Grass snakes are common in the Montado
0:26:28 > 0:26:32and when basking in the open need to stay alert to danger themselves,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35particularly when it's most likely to come from above.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44This is a female short-toed or serpent eagle,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and she's expecting some food from her mate.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It's characteristic for him to arrive with a half-swallowed ladder snake,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55which she is then obliged to pull from his throat.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05The male provides all the food for both his mate and the chick
0:27:05 > 0:27:08during its first two weeks of life.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18It's April and the cork oaks are flowering once again.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21There can't be many places where the continued survival
0:27:21 > 0:27:25of one species of tree helps to feed so many mouths!
0:27:25 > 0:27:28This attentive mother is a woodchat shrike,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30who with that hooked bill,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33can dispatch anything from beetles and grasshoppers
0:27:33 > 0:27:36to small lizards and the young of other birds to feed her own brood.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45That variety of prey is largely thanks to the patchwork of habitats in the Montado
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and it's the mixture of woodland and pasture
0:27:48 > 0:27:51which also enables the iconic azure-winged magpie
0:27:51 > 0:27:54to raise its offspring in such healthy numbers.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Gaggles of these handsome birds
0:27:58 > 0:28:01are often seen diligently searching for insects.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06It would be easy to assume that this pair are the nestlings' parents.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10However, they're just as likely to be siblings from one of last year's broods,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14who, instead of breeding themselves, have forfeited their first year
0:28:14 > 0:28:16to help attend to their new relatives.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Minimal use of insecticides and herbicides,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37together with "habitat friendly" traditional management,
0:28:37 > 0:28:42means that countless insects are always available on the menu.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Another vital part of this management system is water conservation.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Farmers will often channel their precious spring water
0:28:57 > 0:28:59into traditional stone troughs
0:28:59 > 0:29:03and the surrounding damp vegetation of such places
0:29:03 > 0:29:08is favoured by Europe's largest amphibian, the sharp-ribbed salamander.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18The temporary supply of water in the troughs coincides perfectly with the salamander's spawning season.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23They will often clamber in to lay their eggs amongst the algae on the bottom.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Local farmers have an ancient superstition
0:29:33 > 0:29:37that a salamander in a water trough will soon drink it dry!
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Of course, this is only a myth.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42Or is it?
0:29:49 > 0:29:52It's easy to dismiss an old legend - much harder, though,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55to replace an ancient system
0:29:55 > 0:30:01that gives haven to even the rarest of Alentejo's breeding birds,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03such as the black stork.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07The more remote areas of cork-producing woodland, near the Spanish border,
0:30:07 > 0:30:13provide a vital European sanctuary for these impressive, enigmatic birds.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19It's now May and this male, having just returned from Africa,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22is looking for a female to pair with.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26She's below, checking out the oak trees for a potential nest site,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28so he must attract her attention.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33He does this by circling overhead
0:30:33 > 0:30:38with his long, red legs dangling towards her but the climax occurs
0:30:38 > 0:30:41when he throws his head back to utter a special call.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44HE WHISTLES
0:30:52 > 0:30:55If suitably impressed, the female joins him
0:30:55 > 0:31:00in a graceful aerial ballet, which if you are lucky enough to witness it,
0:31:00 > 0:31:04is one of the loveliest sights on the Montado.
0:31:31 > 0:31:37Black storks are extremely rare and now highly protected in Portugal.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Because they prefer to nest in mature cork oaks,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44they're symbolic of the intimate link between conserving wildlife
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and a healthy, successful cork industry.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51The future of the Montado and its wildlife
0:31:51 > 0:31:53is largely determined by economics.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Cork growers must be able to sell their crop
0:31:55 > 0:31:58to the factories for a worthwhile price.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Faced with intense competition from alternative closures,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05the manufacturers have modernised and cleaned up their production methods,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09to rid cork of any charge that it may sometimes spoil a bottle of wine.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Nowadays the sheets of raw cork
0:32:11 > 0:32:15are immersed twice in sealed vats of boiling water,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18killing off any moulds or bacteria
0:32:18 > 0:32:20and making it more flexible to work with.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29In today's spotlessly clean, state-of-the-art factories,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33the stoppers are individually scanned for imperfections.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42They're sterilised, polished and graded,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and samples from every batch are scrupulously checked
0:32:45 > 0:32:50in the company's labs for the chemical trichloroanisol or TCA,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53which can cause an off-taste in a bottle of wine.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57TCA is produced by micro-organisms in the soil, on trees
0:32:57 > 0:33:03and even on a brand-new wine bottle, but rarely now in cork factories!
0:33:03 > 0:33:10Since 2006, the Portuguese cork industry seem to have conquered TCA contamination.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14For the moment, with the cork industry fighting back in this way,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17the Montado and its wildlife have gained some respite.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Even very shy animals are able to live successfully here,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29particularly in the more remote, thinly populated areas.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37This shepherd might walk 20 kilometres in a day
0:33:37 > 0:33:41without meeting another soul or seeing any other grazers
0:33:41 > 0:33:45except perhaps for some quite special local deer.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49These might look like ordinary red deer,
0:33:49 > 0:33:54but they're a distinct sub-species, found only in Portugal and Spain.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59While they're grazing, the scene looks tranquil, idyllic even.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03However, when the deer feel the urge to drink, their behaviour changes dramatically.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14Now they're tense and nervous, more reminiscent of African antelope
0:34:14 > 0:34:16at a waterhole on the lookout for lions.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21A local red fox is obviously no danger to them
0:34:21 > 0:34:24but they're still instinctively alert.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31Is there a predator still existing in Portugal
0:34:31 > 0:34:34which could invoke such extreme caution?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43The answer is yes.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48The most endangered big cat in the world, the Iberian lynx -
0:34:48 > 0:34:51certainly capable of killing a deer calf
0:34:51 > 0:34:53or even an injured or weak adult.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Having been persecuted for years, a pair of these mesmerising cats
0:34:58 > 0:35:01has recently been spotted in the Alentejo region,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06and conservation biologists are desperately hoping that they'll breed successfully.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14There's certainly enough prey here for lynx to kill or scavenge,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16although any dead animal such as a deer
0:35:16 > 0:35:20will soon be spotted by other sharp-eyed scavengers on patrol.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30Always the opportunist, a red fox is first to the carcass, but it won't have long to feed at leisure.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35A black vulture has already seen the meal.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39And a Griffon vulture is also swooping in.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52This might be the last chance for the vixen to get at her meal,
0:35:52 > 0:35:57although she's been of service to the vultures by opening up the tough skin.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06As vultures cruise the skies
0:36:06 > 0:36:09they're always on the lookout for feeding activity,
0:36:09 > 0:36:14so it's not long before they start arriving in greater numbers.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24There's a loose feeding hierarchy around a carcass,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28but as more vultures arrive, the situation becomes noisy and chaotic,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32perhaps more typical of the African savanna than rural Portugal!
0:36:32 > 0:36:36BIRDS SCREECH
0:36:39 > 0:36:42After a feeding frenzy lasting several hours,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45almost a hundred vultures have stripped the carcase bare.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51And many are so satiated that for the moment,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54only sleep and digestion seem an option.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09It's early June and around some old, abandoned buildings on their land,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Francisco and his wife Teresa
0:37:11 > 0:37:14have come to check on the current residents.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23The barn swallows have been here since March but there's a much larger bird
0:37:23 > 0:37:26that comes to nest in the church almost every year.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28HE SPEAKS IN PORTUGUESE
0:37:32 > 0:37:34In a small window hole,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38barn owl chicks about seven weeks old are close to fledging.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44They nest sometimes here and they also do it on the other side.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49But this year they want to have a better view of, of the lake.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56Barn owls, along with five other owl species, breed very successfully in the Montado.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59It's a sure indication of the plentiful rodent prey,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02including Cabrera's vole, that can be found here.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14A declining population in the countryside does, at least,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16have a bonus for the local swallows.
0:38:16 > 0:38:22The abandoned priest's house has provided some perfect nest sites.
0:38:22 > 0:38:28Each young swallow eats about 150,000 insects before leaving the nest.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Insects are so abundant in the Montado
0:38:31 > 0:38:35that a pair of Portuguese swallows regularly rears three broods each season,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38rather than the two more typical in Britain.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50The spring flowers have long withered.
0:38:53 > 0:38:59But throughout May and until mid June, the summer flowers provide a new tapestry of colour.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Stunning though they are,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38it's not this astonishing display of wild flowers
0:39:38 > 0:39:40which will save the Montado.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43It's more to do with visionary farmers, like Francisco,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47who are prepared to experiment with new ways of improving the production
0:39:47 > 0:39:51and the quality of cork bark for the factories.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01The main reason why I plant lupins in the Montado
0:40:01 > 0:40:03is because I am of the opinion
0:40:03 > 0:40:07that we can't have bare soil in the Montado.
0:40:07 > 0:40:14Lupins is a legume, it fixes nitrogen in the soil
0:40:14 > 0:40:19and it also covers the soil in winter, avoiding erosion.
0:40:19 > 0:40:26And you can graze them when it's dried, with the sheep or cattle.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31It's very good for the soil, below the cork oak.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Ground cover like this also helps retain moisture
0:40:35 > 0:40:39and keep the shallow tree roots cooler during the height of summer
0:40:39 > 0:40:42when temperatures can often reach 40 degrees Centigrade or more.
0:40:44 > 0:40:51Lupins are imported flowers and don't attract bees in the same way as native flowers like lavender.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00With wild flowers so plentiful,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04most cork farmers allow bee-keepers to manage hives on their land.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16For this they get a small rent and a share, perhaps,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20of the plentiful crop of delicious, aromatic honey.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28But the bee-keepers here do have an enemy,
0:41:28 > 0:41:31albeit one of the most attractive ones imaginable.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37Bee-eaters, who, as their name implies, feed on bees.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44The light, sandy soil might not be ideal for growing crops
0:41:44 > 0:41:49but exposed banks are perfect for excavating nest burrows.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Throughout Alentejo, colonies of bee-eaters
0:41:53 > 0:41:58provide an iridescent spectacle of energy and colour.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Bee-eaters are not the only creatures here
0:42:19 > 0:42:21with an appetite for the bees.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24The eyed or ocellated lizard catches them too,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27although on this occasion, he's got a wasp.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36These handsome but declining lizards thrive in the Portuguese Montado.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40They're Europe's largest species, growing up to a metre long
0:42:40 > 0:42:42and capable of eating small rodents.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46However, despite their size,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50they're certainly not immune from danger themselves.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Throughout June, a black stork with young to feed
0:42:56 > 0:42:59would have no hesitation in trying to grab one.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Hunting over a large area, the diet of black storks is varied,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09including other lizards, many amphibians
0:43:09 > 0:43:11and even small fish when available.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24With a nest full of very hungry four-week-old chicks,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28the adult storks will have to maintain a steady supply of food
0:43:28 > 0:43:30if the chicks are to fledge in July.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50These birds are very sensitive, but if undisturbed,
0:43:50 > 0:43:53most black stork pairs successfully rear
0:43:53 > 0:43:55three to four chicks every year.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Our black-shouldered kite parents, however,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12with their nest in the old olive tree,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15have chicks which are already close to flying,
0:44:15 > 0:44:18if their vigorous wing exercises are anything to go by.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Although the parents are still catching and bringing in rodents for their young
0:44:30 > 0:44:34they'll also encourage the chicks to leave the nest
0:44:34 > 0:44:36as soon as possible now.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54There's such a lot of clambering about going on
0:44:54 > 0:44:57that by the time the mother kite returns again with food,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00she could easily assume her chicks have already flown.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10At least until one of them drops abruptly in for lunch!
0:45:24 > 0:45:30By July, right across this vast, parched, shimmering area of Portugal,
0:45:30 > 0:45:34hundreds of plant species have already flowered and set seed.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36Thousands of birds and other animals
0:45:36 > 0:45:38have successfully reared their young.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49It's a success that depends on farmers managing their Montados
0:45:49 > 0:45:52in the time-honoured, traditional way,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55but also with an eye to the future.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57When the cork harvest comes around once more,
0:45:57 > 0:46:00it becomes a crucial test of the farmers' skills
0:46:00 > 0:46:04and their continuing livelihood, as Francisco knows well.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11We live on cork so when we've got to the time of harvesting it
0:46:11 > 0:46:15and sending it to the factory, we've been able to raise it.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19There were no shortcomings during those nine years
0:46:19 > 0:46:22and all the 40 years before it.
0:46:22 > 0:46:28And this is an achievement, it's a reward, and what keeps you living.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Most of this high-quality cork will be turned into wine stoppers,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35essential for the economy of the Montados.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37As a bonus the cork oaks themselves will absorb
0:46:37 > 0:46:42millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Billions of high-quality corks
0:46:48 > 0:46:51are still used by wine bottlers all over the world.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54They're a low-energy, bio-degradable product
0:46:54 > 0:46:56that ticks every green credential,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58yet are still under threat of replacement
0:46:58 > 0:47:01by synthetic plastic stoppers and metal screw-caps.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06So might the future of the cork forests and their wildlife
0:47:06 > 0:47:12be up to us consumers, and if so, what can we do about it?
0:47:12 > 0:47:14One thing that we should do
0:47:14 > 0:47:19is when we go to the supermarkets and choose a wine,
0:47:19 > 0:47:24I would try and know if the bottle is using a cork stopper
0:47:24 > 0:47:26and of real cork because if it is,
0:47:26 > 0:47:32I know for sure that this will be contributing for the sustainability
0:47:32 > 0:47:39of a vast Mediterranean area where you have a large number of species.
0:47:39 > 0:47:45The future of so much wildlife seems dependant on such seemingly trivial choices.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Of course we can make choices and you can make a choice of
0:47:49 > 0:47:55preserving a habitat that is unique in the Mediterranean area or not -
0:47:55 > 0:48:00choose something that's nature-friendly or not.