0:00:04 > 0:00:06The coast of South West.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09We go there in our millions every year.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But I want to show you it's not just the stunning gateway
0:00:15 > 0:00:17to the West of England -
0:00:17 > 0:00:18it's home to some great wildlife.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23I'm Nick Baker, and I'm going to be bringing you the very best
0:00:23 > 0:00:27that nature has to offer from right here in the West Country.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35I've lived and worked here as an naturalist for three decades,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and I'm convinced the wildlife year is as compelling
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and beautiful as anywhere I've travelled.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Over the next weeks,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I'll be catching up with some great wildlife spectacles...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..tracking some of our rarest insects...
0:00:53 > 0:00:54..and most stunning birds.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59So join me as I explore my Wild West.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12My journey starts here in Portland,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15part of Dorset's beautiful Jurassic Coast.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18These coastal places I'm exploring this week
0:01:18 > 0:01:21aren't just pretty backdrops - their cliffs and their coves
0:01:21 > 0:01:23are vital in sustaining a huge variety of wildlife,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26with animals exploiting every nook and cranny.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Portland itself has a bit of a reputation of just being
0:01:33 > 0:01:35a series of holes in the ground. But that's unfair -
0:01:35 > 0:01:38it's rapidly becoming a wildlife haven,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41home to some of our most beautiful plants and butterflies.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The holes are a result of quarrying for Portland stone,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54a highly-prized limestone that was used to build St Paul's
0:01:54 > 0:01:56and much of the City of London.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'Now, the redundant quarries are rapidly greening over.'
0:02:08 > 0:02:12I first came to Portland and got to know it about 20-odd years ago
0:02:12 > 0:02:15when I came to open a butterfly reserve.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It's about time I came back to see how things are progressing.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24The disused quarries here are managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29and are part of a SSSI protecting this rare grassland.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32When you can tear yourself away from the breathtaking views,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34it's full of wildlife interest.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39This bank of viper's bugloss is alive with insects.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41A bee is taking pollen from the flowerhead,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and on another plant a hoverfly is taking in provisions.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51And this is a female bush cricket.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54That long sword-like organ is its ovipositor.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59But the isle hasn't always been in prime condition.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02They've been tangling with this, cotoneaster -
0:03:02 > 0:03:06an invasive species that was at one stage choking out other plants.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08It's hardly noticeable among the wild flowers,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and it can grow at something like 8mm a day,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15smothering out those wild flowers it's hiding amongst at the moment.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And from this little stem here, an ecological nightmare can develop.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23The Trust have sprayed, burnt and removed literally
0:03:23 > 0:03:27hundreds of tonnes of the stuff with the help of dozens of volunteers.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34How quickly after the cotoneaster is removed do you start seeing results?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Almost straightaway. Within the three years of the project,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38we've been able to see
0:03:38 > 0:03:40the limestone grassland really recovering.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43What we call a sward, which is a functioning microhabitat
0:03:43 > 0:03:46in its own right, has taken place almost immediately.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Things like the bird's-foot-trefoil,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50things like horseshoe vetch -
0:03:50 > 0:03:51those sorts of species
0:03:51 > 0:03:54are recovering almost instantly.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The thin soil is now brimming with these magnificent flowers.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01A rich sward of viper's bugloss and the golden bird's-foot-trefoil
0:04:01 > 0:04:04are key larval food for the standout species around here -
0:04:04 > 0:04:05the butterflies.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13This is one of our most beautiful, and it's relatively uncommon -
0:04:13 > 0:04:15the silver-studded blue.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Its larvae need the vetches to feed on.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21When it unfurls its wings,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23you get a vivid splash of blue.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30But it's the underside of those wings
0:04:30 > 0:04:32that give the butterfly its name -
0:04:32 > 0:04:35those small studs of silvery-white.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41This tortoiseshell, much commoner, is basking in the sun,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44taking in energy before flying off.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52This is a real close-up of another more common species,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55the large skipper, with those amazing clubbed antennae.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00This terrain is perfect for butterflies.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03You've got the flowers and you've got these lovely little pockets,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05these sunspots.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07There was a couple of marble whites knocking around,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and I still haven't got a decent photograph of them.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13However, unfortunately, in this heat they're a little bit flighty.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17This marbled white really needs a bit of chasing.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But, despite the name, it's not really one
0:05:20 > 0:05:22of the true white butterflies -
0:05:22 > 0:05:24it's one of the browns.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27When it finally settles, you get a great view of the beautiful
0:05:27 > 0:05:29marbling on the top of its wings.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Of course, you don't have to hare around chasing insects.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'Some of the most interesting natural history on the island'
0:05:48 > 0:05:50isn't going anywhere fast.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Here in the King Barrow Quarry, that 30-foot face represents
0:05:57 > 0:06:00something like 150 million years of life on Earth.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Right at the very bottom, you can find fossils
0:06:02 > 0:06:04of primitive marine organisms.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06About halfway up, well, that's the age of the dinosaurs.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And that scruffy bit of turf at the top?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Well, that's us.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13The island abounds in fossils.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17These curious stone rings are part of a fossil forest.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The circles are actually fossilised algae
0:06:19 > 0:06:23that surrounded the bottom of trees millions of years ago.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27And these are giant woodlice!
0:06:27 > 0:06:29No, they haven't been reconstructed from fossilised DNA,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32they're modern ones, scuttling across ammonite fossils.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'Back in the present,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'the quarries are stuffed full of modern-day natural history.'
0:06:41 > 0:06:43This is Portland Spurge,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46named after the place where it was first found.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Look at those rather alien-looking flowerheads.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54In late June, another Portland speciality,
0:06:54 > 0:06:55yellow-wort, is emerging.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And a fine pyramid orchid.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02All these flowers need low-nutrient soil.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And the island, with its porous limestone, drains very easily
0:07:05 > 0:07:07so nutrients don't build up.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Well, my tour of Portland is coming to a close,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13but I can't ignore a scene like that.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Look at this natural amphitheatre -
0:07:15 > 0:07:18you've got the fabulous geology exposed for us to see.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21And living on those cliffs are the modern-day
0:07:21 > 0:07:24descendant of the dinosaurs themselves.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's time for a spot of bird-watching.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31These kestrels are putting on a great display,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33hovering over the scrub on the cliffs
0:07:33 > 0:07:35and looking out for small mammals.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46A bird settling close by on a rock gives us a rare opportunity
0:07:46 > 0:07:49to take in the details of that fabulous plumage.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And these birds are shooing off a raven that's getting
0:07:58 > 0:08:01too close for comfort, mobbing it again and again,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04bravely taking on this much larger bird.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The ravens on the cliff face are being quite crafty,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13stealthily approaching a fulmar nest.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15One flies in, perhaps to take an egg,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17but it's quickly shooed off.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'There can't be many places, even in the South West, with this
0:08:41 > 0:08:45variety of plant, insect and birdlife in just a few square miles.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47In fact, it's got so much
0:08:47 > 0:08:50I'll need couple of days to take it all in.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Now, on the face of it, the local industry, the quarrying,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58has damaged the landscape to an extent.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01However, it has left a series of these fabulous quarries,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04which in their own right become microhabitats
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and are brimming full of wildlife.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10But, as we've seen, they can't exist on their own,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12independent of the hand of man.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And that effort will have to continue.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Britain abounds in invasive species.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Being an island is little protection.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25But here, they've reached a great balance,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28allowing so many precious and rare native species to thrive.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46A trip to the coast for many of us means one thing - the beach.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49But I want to show you that if you venture just a little
0:09:49 > 0:09:52bit off the sand, there's a whole new world to explore.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57This is the Teign estuary,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00right behind the South Devon resort of Teignmouth.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Every summer, the resort attracts tourists in their tens of thousands.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Every winter, it's host to some very different visitors -
0:10:09 > 0:10:11thousands of wintering birds,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13some of them threatened.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But, despite human pressure, the birds here seem to be doing OK.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Now, this is what we're talking about.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26I've just walked out of Hackney Marshes
0:10:26 > 0:10:28and on one side of me I've got a fabulous pub.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32And if you can resist the pub and look in that direction,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34you have got loads of wildlife.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36That is where all the action is.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And kingfishers, like this one, are a winter visitor here,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45often seen hunting up and down the channel.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48These redshank are having a bit of a spat.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Now, this could be early courtship behaviour,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52or a squabble over food.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02And this is a common sandpiper, taking a worm from the mud.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Again, it's attracting the attentions of another bird -
0:11:05 > 0:11:08that fanning of the tail perhaps part of courtship.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It's all happening out here today.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16At this time of year, this place is mainly about one thing -
0:11:16 > 0:11:19food for the thousands of wintering birds.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Now, if I was a bird, and I had the tools to extract them,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26this whole area of the beach would
0:11:26 > 0:11:28be one massive intertidal banquet.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Just a few seconds picking around the weed
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and I've turned up a whole fistful of edible winkles.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38But if I was to brave going down there onto the mud where
0:11:38 > 0:11:40all the birds are, I would have a massive menu
0:11:40 > 0:11:44including crustaceans and worms at my disposal.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49These oystercatchers are probing deep into the mud.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Many times a minute they dig in,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53before eventually pulling up a worm.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00These black-tailed godwits are birds under severe conservation pressure.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02There are only about ten here in any one year.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06These are using their longer bills to probe deeper into the mud than
0:12:06 > 0:12:09the oystercatchers, and they're pulling out different species.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Sifting from the surface are these shelduck.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17That characteristic side-to-side motion
0:12:17 > 0:12:20is them scything their bills through the surface of the mud
0:12:20 > 0:12:22to hoover up tiny aquatic animals.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Now, what the shelduck and other birds feeding on
0:12:26 > 0:12:27are these guys here.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30This tiny little snail here is called the laver spire shell.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It's a bit of a mud specialist.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35You might think that's not much of a mouthful,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39but these things occur at incredible numbers on the surface of the mud -
0:12:39 > 0:12:41up to 10,000 per metre squared.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43And those sort of numbers add up.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47There's a really vital mix of habitats here.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50This is precious salt marsh.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51It's a pretty rare sight in Devon.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58With pools and channels amongst the vegetation,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01it means the shelduck can feed even on a high spring tide,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03when the mud is covered.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06But there's even more to salt marsh than just food.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I found out just how important salt marsh is
0:13:12 > 0:13:15when marine biologist David Dixon took me on a tour.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18It doesn't look that grand, as far as habitats go,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20but what is this plant we're walking on?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- What is this stuff? - Well, this is marsh samphire.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26So this is closely related to the samphires we would eat?
0:13:26 > 0:13:27Yeah.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29And it's edible,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- but not at this time of the year. - NICK LAUGHS
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- No, it's a bit coarse at the moment. - Yeah.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36So basically, this is the key,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38essentially, to the salt marsh.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40This plant is a terrestrial plant,
0:13:40 > 0:13:45but it's capable of withstanding full-strength seawater.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47And in so doing it's able to bind
0:13:47 > 0:13:51what would otherwise be very, very soft mud.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Mud that would move around every tide.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58And so it's able to bind it with its roots,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and with generations of dead plants.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05So it produces, effectively, a soft sea defence.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10And the sea defence can move slightly, gives with the waves,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and takes up the force of the energy of the waves,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16and therefore protects the shore.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The more of this we had around our coasts,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22the greater the defence to things like sea level rise.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24- So this is a good natural buffer? - Essential one.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- Wow.- Essential one. - Amazing stuff.
0:14:27 > 0:14:28- So, important?- Yeah.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30All the more surprising, then,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32that the marsh has the lowest level of protection.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35It's a county wildlife site.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The Teign Estuary overall has no designation as a nature reserve.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43There are already signs of plant destruction on the edges
0:14:43 > 0:14:45where people walk.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51There's an important high tide roost on the far side of the marsh
0:14:51 > 0:14:54for birds like these oystercatchers and curlew.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Walkers at high tide can disturb them.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00We saw plenty of evidence of dog walking all along the estuary.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04These high tide roosts at the edge of the marsh are really important,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06they are a chance for these oystercatchers
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and curlews to rest safe from predators.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13A chance for nervous birds like the shelduck to preen and get
0:15:13 > 0:15:17their feathers in tiptop condition, ready to fly away from trouble.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Eventually, as the tide drops and the mudflats are exposed,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34the roost disperses to go to take on more calories.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37But they must have safe areas at all states of the tide to fly.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Despite the pressures that come from humans living and working here,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59it's good to report that most of the species we filmed have
0:15:59 > 0:16:04had pretty constant numbers on the river over the last five winters.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I'm off to a great vantage point at the bottom of the estuary
0:16:08 > 0:16:10in Teignmouth, where the river meets the sea.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15In the channel, there's a male and female red-breast merganser.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18These are diving ducks, sawbills.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21The female dives underwater.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23They can stay under for long periods
0:16:23 > 0:16:27and this one is under for 30 seconds or so at a time.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28These diving ducks are after fish,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31but it is difficult to see what species
0:16:31 > 0:16:33as they seem to be eating them underwater.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40But you can see when this little egret gets a bite.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42There must be plenty of them.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47Its darting and stabbing technique is pulling one in every few seconds.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03'It's a morning's drive or a day's walk around the estuary.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'You don't just take in some great wildlife,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11'you're never far from a bite to eat.'
0:17:13 > 0:17:16I know what you're thinking, I started with a pub
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and now I've ended with a pub.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But for me that kind of reminds me how important these places are,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25not just for humans but for the wildlife that utilise them.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28This is a very important feeding stop for many bird species and
0:17:28 > 0:17:33also a very important habitat for many others that simply live here.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35The problem is, these habitats,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38as well as being some of the most threatened in Europe
0:17:38 > 0:17:41are also the easiest to take for granted.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46So what can we do to protect these pressured places?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I'm on my way from the Teign to another coastal gem where
0:17:49 > 0:17:53they're trying to replace some of what man has in the past destroyed.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It's a bit of a battle with the elements to get there,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03but this tidal road is a clue to why this place is important.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07That tidal rise and fall is helping feed the wildlife around it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13South Efford Marsh near Averton Gifford in South Devon,
0:18:13 > 0:18:1760 hectares of new nature reserve that's fast becoming vital habitat.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27It's home to some beautiful but threatened wildlife.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I can't wait to get a look at it,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39if I can get through the mud that is.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Just like in the Teign, it's the mud that's really important.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57This stuff is key.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00In one cubic meter of this estuarine mud
0:19:00 > 0:19:06there's something like 4,500 calories worth of worms,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08molluscs, crustaceans right in there
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and that's what's so important about this stuff.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13That's something like 18
0:19:13 > 0:19:16of a well-known popular confectionery bar.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19I can see the worms right here, look.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26But the birds here aren't resting or playing.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29They're working to the limit in the gap between the high tides,
0:19:29 > 0:19:30taking in as many nutrients
0:19:30 > 0:19:33as possible before the saltwater covers the flats.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39This redshank is feeding on the tide line as the water rises.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42This tends to force crustaceans and worms to the surface,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44making them easier pickings.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53And on the grassy banks this curlew is probing even deeper.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It's longer bill allows it to feed on a different
0:19:56 > 0:19:57range of invertebrates to the other birds
0:19:57 > 0:20:00so it's not competing directly with them for food.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05The reserve sits right by the side of the muddy banks of the estuary.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08There seem to be two distinct habitats here,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11the river with tidal flats that has a tide ebbing
0:20:11 > 0:20:15and flooding twice a day and the reserve itself.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It looks like just a bit of wet grassland enclosed by a wall,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22but there's a bit more to it than that.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Back in the 1760s, this rather splendid sea wall was constructed.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29The idea was to keep the tides out
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and create fantastic grazing just the other side.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37That was good news for cows, but bad news for all the wildlife
0:20:37 > 0:20:39that would have used the original salt marsh.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43Those intertidal areas,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48bits of land overwashed by saltwater but dry for part of the day
0:20:48 > 0:20:50are becoming very rare indeed.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Now the Devon Wildlife Trust is trying to put some back.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58To do that it has put a breach in the sea wall,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02controlled by this very clever tidal valve.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05We've got a big tube through a bank and it lets through sea water
0:21:05 > 0:21:08but we can control the sea water that goes through there.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09That's what the valve does.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11The green float raises as the tide comes in.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15That opens the valve to sea water so it floods into the nature reserve.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Then, as the tide drops, the float goes down
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and that shuts off the valve.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23So we keep some of that water inside and that is vital.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25We want to recreate salt water conditions in there.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41We want the landscape we see out here to be replicated in there,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45as it once was. So we're trying to recreate salt marsh,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48so we need saltwater to go in there to kill off the grasses
0:21:48 > 0:21:50that were there when it was there for cattle.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52We want to recreate salt marsh and we need the mud,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55the detritus to flow through the tube as well
0:21:55 > 0:21:58and settle around the new plants, the salt-tolerant plants
0:21:58 > 0:22:02that we see starting to establish themselves in there.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08The hope is that within a few years plants like this sea purslane
0:22:08 > 0:22:13are as common inside the wall as they are outside it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Salt marsh is amongst the fastest disappearing habitat in the UK.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21There's only 550 hectares left in the whole of Devon.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24These plants are vital for invertebrates like worms,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27molluscs and crustaceans and in turn the birds that feed on them.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Just as on the Teign, little egrets are plentiful here.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36They were once rare.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I remember skipping lectures to go and see them.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Now they are breeding in the south-west.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55This is a real rarity, a glossy ibis.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58They tell me this one has been here for weeks.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02They cling to these brackish wetland areas, feeding voraciously.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Although migrants, they may now be breeding elsewhere in the UK.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08If places like this can be allowed to survive,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11pretty soon they may well be breeding in Devon.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I've come to meet local birder Rodney Bone
0:23:21 > 0:23:24who's known this place since his childhood.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27In the War, a stray German bomb dropped just near here,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30breaching the wall. It changed things.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So in this bombing, what actually happened to the sea wall?
0:23:35 > 0:23:40The bomb was dropped on the bank of the marsh and obviously,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42a massive great crater.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45When the tide came in,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I would say was probably about 25 to 30 foot deep.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51It gradually got more and more salt marsh
0:23:51 > 0:23:53with a fair bit of wildlife,
0:23:53 > 0:23:58but of course there was more wildlife in those days
0:23:58 > 0:24:00and there were more shooters
0:24:00 > 0:24:05cos most of the youngsters in the village, 17 and 18-year-olds,
0:24:05 > 0:24:06they all had a gun.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10They either shot duck or pigeons at weekends.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Despite the best efforts of Rodney's mates to kill them off,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17the birds thrived in the newly-breached lagoon.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21In the '50s the breach was prepared with this pile of rubble
0:24:21 > 0:24:22and over the years,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26the bird population started to go into decline.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32Back in those days, everything like curlew for instance,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- minimum winter flock would be 200 plus.- Wow.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Redshank, 60 plus.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Lapwing, 200 or 300 plus.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Of course, over the years things have gone down and down.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46So I guess the big question I've got is,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50this new tidal valve, is it making a difference?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Yes, it's beginning now.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55With regular flooding things are coming back.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I mean, the shelduck for instance,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00this last week I think 44 is my best count.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03That's as high as it ever has been.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08So a recent pick up in bird numbers,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12but sadly all set against long-term decline.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16That decline is pretty much true across many of our estuaries
0:25:16 > 0:25:18as they face development pressures.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22But there is one new building here that's definitely welcome.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25To make the most of what's left,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29the Trust have constructed this rather fabulous 360 degree view hide
0:25:29 > 0:25:32to give you the proper Sensurround experience of the reserve.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Over here you've got the embryonic salt marshes,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37just beginning to look good.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Over here you've got a lovely outlook onto the River Avon
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and all of the mudflats here.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Let's see what's around.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51This is a truly great site, two types of shank - both green and red.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54The greenshank in front is a much rarer bird locally than
0:25:54 > 0:25:58the redshank, with only about 1,500 breeding pairs in the UK.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01This is a migrant. They tend to breed much further north.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11This beautiful bobbing bird is a common sandpiper,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13easy to spot in the distance.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17The bobbing is supposed to be a physical camouflage, making the
0:26:17 > 0:26:21bird difficult to pick out against the moving watery background.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29A quick turn around and you've got another set of birds on the lagoon.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34For a keen birdwatcher like me, this is a real highlight -
0:26:34 > 0:26:38the curlew, our largest wading bird. A beautiful sight,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42thankfully relatively common here. This one is preening.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45It's a bit tricky with only a long bill and legs to use.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It uses its feet to tend to the neck and head feathers.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Then turns round to rub a gland near its tail with its long bill.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57This is the preen gland and it secretes an oil
0:26:57 > 0:27:00which it then runs over the main body of feathers
0:27:00 > 0:27:02to keep them sleek and watertight.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I love this reserve, not just because it's interesting,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10it's actually quite small and compact.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12You can get around it in half an hour.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Yet, at the same time, there's so much to see here,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17you could quite easily kill an entire morning
0:27:17 > 0:27:21in the hide alone, especially if you're into your wading birds.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24An extra feature for me is the salt marsh.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Or the salt marsh that will be.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It is still in its infancy, but year in, year out, it's going to
0:27:28 > 0:27:32be changing and developing and well worth returning for.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Our estuaries have always faced huge pressure from man.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43They are where we want to live, or boat, or even drive our cars.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46So it's welcome news that 250 years on
0:27:46 > 0:27:50one small part of Devon is being, at least in part,
0:27:50 > 0:27:55given back to the sea and sustaining all the life the sea brings with it.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05So many of the places I visited face some kind of challenge.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09On Portland we've seen, after the damaging effects of human activity
0:28:09 > 0:28:14and the introduction of invasive species, habitats can regenerate.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17On the Teign, we've seen the threats that are still there
0:28:17 > 0:28:20to the tiny little fragments of remaining salt marsh.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22But it's not all bad news.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Here in South Efford, for example,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27we've seen it's also possible to turn back the hands of time
0:28:27 > 0:28:30and recreate such valuable habitats as the salt marsh.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33It's places like this that give me hope.