0:00:02 > 0:00:05'My name is Iolo Williams.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'I'm on a tour of the rugged countryside of Wales.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'Parts formed by nature...'
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Wow! Look at that!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'..and parts created by man.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Incredible. Absolutely amazing place.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23'It's my choice of some of the best wild
0:00:23 > 0:00:28'and industrial landscapes of Wales and the wildlife that lives in them.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'I'll be meeting people who live, work and play in this spectacular scenery.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36'I'll be finding out why they love it so much.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It's a national treasure, really. You've got everything here.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'I'll be exploring the sea,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46'I'll also be finding out how the Welsh landscape is being used today
0:00:46 > 0:00:51'and discovering some surprising wildlife right amongst this dramatic activity.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55'Wales has terrific landscape and it's been enjoyed
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'and exploited for centuries.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'It's been shaped by nature and by man.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'In this part of my journey, I am exploring Wales's lowland,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16'including the magnificent woodland.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'I'm visiting some real choice locations on the coast
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and I'm venturing underwater.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30'I'll also be heading to the hills and mountains,
0:01:30 > 0:01:36'where I'll be meeting people who share my love of these stunning landscapes.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38'I'll be discovering history.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:40It looks like a crown of thorns.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44- 'I'll be joining the Army.' - Fire. - GUNFIRE
0:01:44 > 0:01:45'I'll be felling a forest.'
0:01:45 > 0:01:48It's like working a T-Rex down there!
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'It's my pick of the best landscape and wildlife in upland
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'and lowland Wales.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00'First, I'm taking you to what I think is Wales's best green lane.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03'It's found near the village of Chwilog,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07'halfway between Cricieth and Pwllheli in north-west Wales.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'It's a man-made nature reserve, created by accident
0:02:10 > 0:02:14'because there was a need for a transport route in the past.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Look at the shape of this tree here.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19It's an old oak tree, and the branches,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21they just curl around each other.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23It reminds me of one of the trees
0:02:23 > 0:02:27that I used to read about in fairy-tales as a kid, you know,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29one that changes into a witch.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33This is Lon Goed, a famous old Welsh route.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38And it would have been at one time the main entry and exit point into the Llyn Peninsula.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43People would have come along here, they'd have walked, they'd be on horseback.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And I'm quite envious of those days because they would have had
0:02:46 > 0:02:50a lot more time to just look around and listen.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And the birdsong here is just incredible
0:02:53 > 0:02:56because the whole route for miles is lined with these old oaks,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and you've got bluebells and stitchwort growing all around you.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03It's a great place to come and enjoy wildlife.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07During the spring, the trees are full of nesting birds.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09CHAFFINCH SONG
0:03:09 > 0:03:13This is a male chaffinch singing to claim his territory.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This great tit is chattering away, probably alarmed
0:03:17 > 0:03:20that I'm walking underneath its nest.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25But these two are not bothered at all, they're far too busy.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31There's a pair of blue tits right up amongst the uppermost branches of this oak tree here.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33And they're frantically looking around for food,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36they're investigating every single bud, every leaf,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39even tearing the buds apart just to get at the eggs,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42the larvae of these insects.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46And they're expending a phenomenal amount of energy,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48but when you think that some of these mature oak trees
0:03:48 > 0:03:52have got over 750 different species of insects growing on them,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57there must be, what, tens of thousands of eggs and larvae there,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and those are packed full of energy, so it's well worth it
0:04:00 > 0:04:03because the food they get, they replace all that energy and more
0:04:03 > 0:04:05because they'll be egg laying now,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08they're going to be feeding young later on.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11And they'll go along every single branch of these oaks.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Lon Goed in English means Wood Lane,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22and it's a valuable piece of woodland nature reserve amongst farmland.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Ancient oak woodlands are hard to come by these days,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30as most of the landscape has been developed for farming.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32But a few have survived,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35and quite often because the terrain was far too difficult to farm,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37or they were set aside in the past as woodland
0:04:37 > 0:04:41for the production of wood for tools and other implements.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44This one is called Coed Crafnant
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and it's a little gem set in a great location
0:04:46 > 0:04:50on a hillside next to farmland near Harlech in north Wales.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The woodland floor is full of moss-covered rocks,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59only good enough for rough grazing if you're a farmer,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02but the owners of the wood, the North Wales Wildlife Trust,
0:05:02 > 0:05:08rarely allow that, they prefer a rich wildlife habitat to develop.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12And Coed Crafnant has one of the biggest selections of
0:05:12 > 0:05:14nesting woodland birds in the whole of Britain.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And because the woodland is on a slope,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19the views of birds are particularly good,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21'especially high up on the hillside.'
0:05:23 > 0:05:27There's a male wood warbler singing here to attract a mate.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30He's not long back in from Africa
0:05:30 > 0:05:34so the first thing he does is establish his territory.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And he's got this, that call now, hear it?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Di-di-di-di-di-rrrr.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Fantastic, that tells you every time, no matter where you are, wood warbler.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47WARBLER SONG
0:05:47 > 0:05:50And we're very lucky to see this because it usually takes place
0:05:50 > 0:05:55right up in the uppermost branches of a wood
0:05:55 > 0:05:59but, because we've climbed up, we're looking down on all this.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03And every now and again he'll do this little song flight.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Slow wing beats, sing, going from branch to branch like that.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16And when he sings, when he comes down, rrrr, like that,
0:06:16 > 0:06:21he puts so much effort into him, you can see his whole body shake.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Fantastic little birds, they're lovely little birds.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31'Coed Crafnant is also an important woodland for pied flycatchers.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's a migratory bird that's very special in Wales
0:06:37 > 0:06:41as most of the UK population of pied flycatchers migrate here.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46The North Wales Wildlife Trust monitor the birds carefully
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and have set up nesting boxes in the woodland
0:06:49 > 0:06:52to supplement their natural tree hole sites.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Just sat here quietly watching a pair of pied flycatchers,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02they've got a nest in a nest box on an oak tree here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06They're hole nesters but they will take to nest boxes.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09She's on a full clutch, I think,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11she'll have eggs in there
0:07:11 > 0:07:15but she's not sitting comfortably if you like, at the moment,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18for a day or two now she'll be quite jumpy,
0:07:18 > 0:07:19she'll move around a bit,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22she'll feed up a bit and then, eventually,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25once she sits on those eggs, she'll settle down.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32That's nice, the male's coming in now, he's coming in with food.
0:07:33 > 0:07:41He's just fed her, she's come off the nest and he's just fed her.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The female is a fairly drab bird, brown and not quite white
0:07:43 > 0:07:47but pale cream if you like, but the male is stunning.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Black, and I mean sheer black, and bright white as well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55He's a handsome, handsome bird
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and that's quite unusual in woodland birds
0:07:58 > 0:08:01because the canopy here is incredibly dense,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03there are leaves everywhere,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06you can't see much, and most of these woodland birds
0:08:06 > 0:08:11rely on song to be heard, whereas the male pied flycatcher,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14yes, he's got a song, it's not a fantastic song,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17but he's an incredibly bright bird as well
0:08:17 > 0:08:20so he must be quite visible in amongst this canopy.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24And one of the wonderful things
0:08:24 > 0:08:27is that people have been ringing these birds for many years now
0:08:27 > 0:08:31and what they've found is that the chicks and the adults
0:08:31 > 0:08:35will come back often not just to the same area,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38not just to the same wood,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41but to the same hole in the same tree.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43That's after flying all the way down to Africa and back,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and that's phenomenal.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50While oak woodlands are important for songbirds during the spring,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55it's the estuaries that are important for wading birds during the winter.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00The Dee Estuary, sandwiched between Flint and the Wirral,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02is one of the most important feeding areas for waders,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05ducks and geese in the UK,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08if not the whole of Europe, it's a real gem of an estuary.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13During the winter the population of birds reaches over 100,000
0:09:13 > 0:09:16as shorebirds birds from all over Europe come here
0:09:16 > 0:09:18to escape the colder continent
0:09:18 > 0:09:21to find guaranteed food on the mudflats.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The mud and sea is full of a fantastic range of worms,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27molluscs, and other invertebrates.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I've watched these birds from the shore,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33but I've never explored the estuary from the sea
0:09:33 > 0:09:36or indeed considered the relationship
0:09:36 > 0:09:39between the Dee fishing community and the wildlife.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Keith Marland has been fishing on the Dee for over 30 years,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45he mainly fishes for cockles on the mudflats,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48which of course is one of the main food items of the birds,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52particularly oystercatchers.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Is there a season now, then, for the cockles?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The season as it stands
0:09:58 > 0:10:00is July to the end of December.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Last year the quota was 300 kilos per day.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- 300 kilos per day per person.- Yeah.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12There's 50 licences with an option to have four apprentice cocklers.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And there's enough cockles on here, you say, for the birds,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19for the people and for next year?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Yeah. Rule of thumb is a third for the birds,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27a third for the cockle fishermen and a third for stock.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And the boats, why do you use the boats then for cockling?
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Well, you are basically working on an island, you know,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36so you come early on in the tide, put the boat,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39dry it out on the top of the bank and then cockle,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43load the boat and then wait for the tide to come back in.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- So you work between tides really? - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Should see some birds on these banks as well, should we?
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Oystercatchers and a few redshank maybe.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I'll take you to this Little Salisbury and let's have a look.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yeah, see what's there.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59There's usually oystercatchers feeding on the mussels there.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Spending much of his time on the estuary,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Keith knows the favourite locations of the birds,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15and he also wants to show me another wildlife attraction.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19The Dee Estuary is one of the few places on the Welsh coast
0:11:19 > 0:11:22that grey seals haul up on sand banks.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Seals are usually wary of people,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28and move quickly to water if anyone ventures too close,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31but these seals are used to fishermen and their boats.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Nevertheless, we'll keep our distance to avoid any disturbance.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- Fascinating creatures. - They are, they are.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- Some in the water as well, see their heads bobbing up and down.- Yeah.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Do you reckon, there is a lady doing some research on them,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and they reckon some of these may well come from Pembrokeshire.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56All the way around the Welsh coast
0:11:56 > 0:12:01they come here just to haul up, to mature, I suppose, and to feed.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Well, as you can see, they're not starving.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10No, no. What have we got here, there's got to be 60 or 70 here.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- In the summer they increase. - Is it?
0:12:12 > 0:12:15400 or 500 they reckon in the...
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- It's a good number, isn't it? - Yeah, in the summer.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20When do you get peak time, then, when do you get most here?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22July and August?
0:12:22 > 0:12:26It's a coincidence, it's when you get the biggest run of salmon.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33We seem to have a lot of... a lot of seals.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- They know, don't they? - Course they do.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38You know, they know when's best to come,
0:12:38 > 0:12:39they know when's good fishing.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42They probably know you by now.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Yeah, I should imagine, yeah....
0:12:45 > 0:12:49They are a lovely, lovely animal but it's a pity they eat too many fish.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- Yeah, you don't like them eating your fish.- No, no, no.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00'I must confess, I'm envious of Keith.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02'He's got a front seat view of the Dee's wildlife
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'pretty much on a daily basis and is part of the estuary's make-up.'
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Well, it's just one of those things you take for granted.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It's a national treasure really. You've got everything here.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I'm walking, early May,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26on Malltraeth Cob on the western coast of Anglesey.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33The Cob is a mile-long embankment built during the early 1800s
0:13:33 > 0:13:36to protect the low-lying land from flooding,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38but it not only caused a change in the landscape,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40it also affected the wildlife.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45This is the Cefni Estuary,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48one of the lesser-known estuaries of Wales
0:13:48 > 0:13:51but a wonderful place for birds.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55And especially in the winter for waders and wildfowl.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58But can you imagine, before this Malltraeth Cob,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02this sea wall was built several centuries ago now, what it would have looked like?
0:14:02 > 0:14:08Because at that time the estuary would have extended half way across Anglesey.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12A whole series of creeks and lovely wetland area,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15must have been a great place for breeding waders,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17red shank and lapwing.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And although the land now behind the Cob
0:14:20 > 0:14:24has been improved for agriculture, much of it dried out,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28it has actually created a very different habitat
0:14:28 > 0:14:33and a habitat which in parts is just as good as the estuary itself.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37The Cefni Marsh at Malltraeth
0:14:37 > 0:14:40was in fact originally drained for coal mining
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and the building of the A5 turnpike road to Holyhead.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48And over the past two centuries this reclaimed lowland
0:14:48 > 0:14:50has also been used for farming.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Today much of it is owned by the RSPB,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and is one of its main wildlife reserves in Wales.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It has a great mix of habitats.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02There are wetland pools and reeds,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05which attract waterfowl like these shovelers.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10There's farmland pasture, which attracts greylag geese,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and it's an important nesting site for lapwings.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17There are shrubs and hedges for butterflies.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21This is a male orange-tip, it's one of the first butterflies
0:15:21 > 0:15:23to emerge during the spring.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29When the RSPB first bought this bit of land here, Malltraeth Marsh,
0:15:29 > 0:15:34one of the target birds was to get marsh harriers back into Wales nesting.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37And there's a female marsh harrier flying around
0:15:37 > 0:15:40just hunting over the reeds and up in the air and then back.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Very leisurely, slow flight back and fore,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46trying to flush moor hens or coots or a teal,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50or if it sees a water vole, it will plunge down.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55And it's an odd bird because in other parts of the UK,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57in England, they're now quite common.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59In East Anglia they're nesting in corn fields,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04in Scotland they're nesting as far north as Insh Marshes in Speyside
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and even beyond that.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08But for some reason they haven't nested in Wales
0:16:08 > 0:16:12for the best part of 35 years now.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14And why they don't come back,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17especially an area like Malltraeth Marsh, which is huge,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19it's got plenty of food,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22we just don't understand but we've got a female here now.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26All we want is a male, will it happen? I don't know, I don't know.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40There's not much I can say to add to that, is there?
0:16:40 > 0:16:45'Soon I'll be exploring the coast of Wales, above and below the sea.'
0:16:45 > 0:16:50This place is just covered in dead man's fingers.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'Later, I'll be heading to Snowdonia.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'I'll also be looking at an extraordinary Bronze Age monument
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'on the Ardudwy uplands.'
0:16:58 > 0:17:01We once ruled the world, Francis, we once ruled the world.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And I'll be watching nesting ravens in the Brecon Beacons.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07And it's a typical raven's nest, isn't it? Big pile of sticks.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11But first I'm going to another outstanding wetland.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Amongst the low-lying farmland,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17you'll find the occasional patch of rough ground.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21These are areas that are either too wet to farm,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25or have for one reason or another not been drained for farming.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30This area of marshy ground on the Llyn Peninsula in north-west Wales
0:17:30 > 0:17:33is called Cors Geirch and is another lowland jewel of mine.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It's a national nature reserve,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41and during spring it's full of plants and insects.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44This is a broad bodied chaser,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48a common dragonfly of ponds and natural pools.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The four dark brown patches on the wing bases
0:17:51 > 0:17:54instantly identifies the species.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57One of the big attractions for me,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00coming to a wetland area like this in spring,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02is to see the bogbean flowers,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04they're absolutely beautiful.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Great for insects as well, all kinds of insects here, especially bees,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11bumble bees and honey bees flying here, there and everywhere.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And many people extol the virtues of flowers like orchids for example,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and quite rightly so, I suppose,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21but you look in detail at the flowers of a bogbean
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and it's every bit as intricate,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25every bit as beautiful.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27If not more so, I think.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Not only is Cors Geirch alive with the sound of insects during spring,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36it's also full of birds singing and calling on their territories.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38CHIRRUPING
0:18:39 > 0:18:43When you come to a marsh or a fen like this,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45you really need to use your ears as much as your eyes
0:18:45 > 0:18:49because a lot of the birds, especially some of these warblers
0:18:49 > 0:18:51that have just come back from Africa,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54your reed warblers and sedge warblers, they're skulking birds.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56They don't come out into the open,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59they'll be in the middle of all this mass of vegetation,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01singing away like mad.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04And if they do pop up, they pop up invariably for a couple of seconds,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08you get the binocs out and they've gone back down.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12But very lucky at the moment because there's a sedge warbler,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14male sedge warbler up on the edge of the alder,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17singing away like mad in this sun, showing himself.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21And I've had some of the best views I think I've ever had of this bird.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Lovely bird, you can see the black eye band here and dark cap as well.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It's a lovely bird, really nice bird.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30And incredibly rambling song,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33scratchy and then a little bit tuneful then scratchy again,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36just goes on and on and on and on.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Much of what's good about lowland Wales is along its coast.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And if you measure every portion of every beach,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00bay and rugged cliff, including Anglesey's coast,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02as the Ordnance Survey have done,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06you'd total an amazing coastal length of nearly 1,700 miles.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Just look at this.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20There's not much I can say to add to that, is there? Incredible.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24And we're so lucky in Wales, not just to have landscape like this
0:20:24 > 0:20:26but the fact that these days
0:20:26 > 0:20:29you can walk almost all the way around the Welsh coast.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33And some of those paths are well established and well known,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Pembrokeshire coast path maybe being the best one.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38But this one was only opened a few years ago.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40This is the Ceredigion coast path
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and it stretches from beyond Aberystwyth in the north,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48all the way down to the south side of Cardigan down there.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52And the section I'm walking, this is Cwmtydu down here.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I've climbed up and I'll be following the coast around,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58only for about 4.5 to 5 miles maybe,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01but I think this is probably the best section of all.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I'm heading south in the direction of Llangrannog,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11with the headland of Ynys Lochtyn and Aberporth in the distance.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16The path follows a route along the cliff tops high above the sea,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and you walk at eye level with the coastal birds.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29On the cliffs themselves, peregrines are nesting.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33'Cliffs are great vantage points for peregrines to look out for prey.'
0:21:33 > 0:21:36They hunt and catch birds as they fly.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45There are also kestrels about.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50There are a few things you do in life
0:21:50 > 0:21:53where time passes and you don't really notice it.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55One is watching waves on a shore,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58another one is looking into an open fire, but for me,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01it's watching hunting kestrels.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05There's a male and a female kestrel hunting up here now.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09They're not hovering, they're actually using the wind just to stay up in the air.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15She's just gone down. Erm...
0:22:16 > 0:22:18No, she's come back maybe with a beetle
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and a talon full of grass, I think, there.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29In fact, the kestrel has caught a lizard.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34It's body shape can clearly be seen hanging from the kestrel's talons.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37They don't always eat on the wing. These two are now,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40because they're catching mainly beetles, a few lizards,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43but if they catch something bigger, if they catch a vole,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46they'll land on one of these posts and feed there.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49But you can watch kestrels, I find anyway,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51for hours and hours and time will just pass.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02'The Ceredigion coastal path also passes through pasture,'
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and its in those habitats that you'll find
0:23:04 > 0:23:08this magnificent red-legged, red-beaked crow.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11One of the really special birds along this section of coast
0:23:11 > 0:23:12is the chough.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Very scarce, very much a western bird.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20I think Wales has something like two thirds of the UK population of them.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And there's a pair here feeding away on an old bank,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28and that's ideal for them, because that long, sickle-like beak,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30they dig up grubs, particularly ants,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34they love ant eggs, ant grubs as well.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36And this bank has been warmed by the sun,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38so it will be full of invertebrates for them.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40They don't like the sections
0:23:40 > 0:23:44that are covered in gorse and heather and bracken,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48they like these well-grazed but unimproved parts of the coast.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50And they're lovely birds to watch.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54To call them a member of the crow family isn't really fair,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56because when you look at them close up,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58you see that the feathers aren't black,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02they've got this lovely purplish-green sheen to them.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05And then when you add the bright red bill, the bright red legs,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08they're actually quite stunning birds.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18On a sunny spring day, there aren't many better walks in the whole of Britain
0:24:18 > 0:24:22than this stretch of coast overlooking Ceredigion Bay,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and the variety of birds that you'll see,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28from stonechats along the path to nesting fulmars on the cliffs,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30makes it even more worthwhile.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39In common with the rest of Britain,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Wales has sections of sand dune formations all along its coast.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46But these sand dunes at Oxwich on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales
0:24:46 > 0:24:48have particular interest,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51'particularly between March and April.'
0:24:52 > 0:24:55A familiar looking plant here, this one.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Now, I'm not a great botanist, but these are pussy willows.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01The willows are a little bit different,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03the pussy willows are more yellowy
0:25:03 > 0:25:06than the ones you see in hedgerows and woodlands.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08And it's creeping willow,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10it's a willow that lives in dunes like this,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14especially in dune slacks, and those are the wetter parts of the dune.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19And here at Oxwich, these provide valuable food,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22valuable pollen, for a very rare insect.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30And this is it, it's called the vernal colletes mining bee,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and it's a real Oxwich speciality.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34It's incredibly rare,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37it's found in only three sites in the whole of the UK,
0:25:37 > 0:25:42two in south Wales and one in the north-west of England.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And this bit of dune here might not look like much to you and me,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48but to these bees, it's ideal.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52It's south facing and has very little vegetation on it,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54so it warms up quickly.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And because they feed on creeping willow,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01they appear in April and May, not later on in the year
0:26:01 > 0:26:03when it's much, much warmer.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07And basically they're a Mediterranean, a Continental,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09a warm weather species.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12And this is the very edge of their range.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Though they look similar to honey bees,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19they're a totally different kind of bee,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21and they don't live in a social colony.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Having mated on the dunes, a vernal mining bee
0:26:26 > 0:26:32will raise its own young in a burrow dug in the sand.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It'll fill the burrow with willow pollen,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35and lay its eggs in it.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38When the larvae hatch,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40they'll have plenty of food ready for them.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52There's one patch of Wales
0:26:52 > 0:26:56that's largely untouched by the influence of man.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Wales has got a rich underwater landscape,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and varied sea life all along its coast.
0:27:02 > 0:27:08It has kelp forests, sandy beds, and dramatic rocky landscapes.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13Even wrecks left here by man are quickly taken over by nature.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16I've dived much of the Welsh coastline,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and I've experienced first hand this wonderful hidden landscape.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Today I'm diving with a team of divers
0:27:27 > 0:27:29off the north-west coast of Wales.
0:27:29 > 0:27:35RADIO: "Forecast sent by channel 33. This is Holyhead Coastguard."
0:27:35 > 0:27:38We've come out just off the north coast of the Llyn Peninsula,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41this is Yr Eifl, a very well-known landmark there,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and we'll be diving in about 11-12 metres of water.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And the visibility at the moment at the end of spring is excellent,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50it's about 15 metres,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52which for Welsh waters is virtually unheard of,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56so really looking forward to seeing what's down there.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05'The seabed is a flat, pebbly landscape,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07'on which lurk all sorts of bottom-dwelling fish,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'and other underwater creatures like starfish.'
0:28:14 > 0:28:20This place is just absolutely covered in dead man's fingers.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Now, these are not solitary animals,
0:28:25 > 0:28:30they're a whole colony of creatures that have come together,
0:28:30 > 0:28:37and they filter all the miniscule particles out of the water.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41And you can see where they get the name dead man's fingers,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44it really does look like a dead man's hand
0:28:44 > 0:28:47sticking out of the ground.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Dead man's fingers are soft coral,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53which are formed by thousands of tiny animals
0:28:53 > 0:28:58which have tentacles to help them feed on minute particles in the sea.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05'On a flat seabed like this, they're ideal places for crabs to hide,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07'and for attaching mermaid's purses.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09'It's a spotted dogfish egg.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17'And hiding behind another group of dead man's fingers
0:29:17 > 0:29:19'is the dogfish itself.'
0:29:22 > 0:29:24One of the biggest creatures you'll see down here
0:29:24 > 0:29:26are these, they're spider crabs.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29And the fishermen will tell you
0:29:29 > 0:29:34that in recent times they've increased remarkably.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37And you might think that this is a big one,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41but they will grow to be the best part of a metre across,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44so this one's just a baby, really.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54'I'm now heading to upland Wales.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57'It's a vast area of open space,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00'which has been exploited by man for thousands of years.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04'Later, I'll be meeting a forester...'
0:30:04 > 0:30:07- It's just a rough length. - No, they've got to be perfect.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10'A farmer, a historian...'
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Wow, this, I have to say,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14is one of the most remarkable ancient structures
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I think I've ever seen in Wales.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18- 'And the Army.' - GUNFIRE
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Incredible.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Ill be finding out how this great landscape has been used in the past,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25and how it's used today,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28and how that use has affected upland life.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41This is the Clwydian Range.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47And this range of hills is often overlooked, unfairly so.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52You see Moel Famau, that's the highest peak in the distance,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56and Offa's Dyke path running right along it here.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00And it's a succession of hillforts all along.
0:31:00 > 0:31:06This one is Moel Arthur, built 2,000 years ago during the Iron Age.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09And you can see why they built these forts up here,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11because they were easy to defend,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14and the views really are magnificent.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18The high peaks of Snowdonia in the distance, the Carneddau,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22the Gladerau, and even Snowdon itself.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27And coming around towards the north, this is Pencloddiau here,
0:31:27 > 0:31:32and on there was the biggest hillfort of them all.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Not much left there now, of course, but plenty of wildlife.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Buzzards and ravens and kestrels. It's a great place to come.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's early April on the Clwydian Hills high above Ruthin,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52and a pair of kestrels are pairing up ready for the breeding season.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58So too are a pair of buzzards.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08The Welsh uplands have been a big attraction for people
0:32:08 > 0:32:09since prehistory.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14Around 600 hillforts were built in Wales during the Iron Age.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18This one at Bryn Caer overlooks the Conwy Valley.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23It's perfectly placed for a panoramic view of the lowland.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29The most impressive hillfort remains in Wales
0:32:29 > 0:32:32are at Tre'r Ceiri on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35It's one of the best-preserved hillforts in Britain.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41During the Iron Age, around 100 people lived here,
0:32:41 > 0:32:45and by Roman times the population had grown to as many as 400 -
0:32:45 > 0:32:46the size of a small village.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51The location gave the inhabitants a good vantage point
0:32:51 > 0:32:54to protect themselves and their animal stock.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58We can only imagine how they lived here in ancient times,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00but we can certainly today share their experience
0:33:00 > 0:33:02of being in this fabulous location.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08'The uplands are my favourite landscape in Wales.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13'Especially the high uplands.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17'It takes great effort to explore them,'
0:33:17 > 0:33:19but once you've reached the hilltops,
0:33:19 > 0:33:21the views are magnificent.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25'Take Bwlch y Groes, right in the heart of the country.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27'It's part of the Cambrian Mountain range,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30'which forms the spine of Mid Wales.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33In common with the rest of our uplands,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36the ancient woodlands that would have stood here in the past
0:33:36 > 0:33:42were cut over 4,000 years ago to form open pasture and moorland.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47You'll be hard-pushed to find a more dramatic setting anywhere.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Here's another upland jewel - Nant Ffrancon in Snowdonia.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Also known as the Ogwen Valley,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59and situated below the mountain of Tryfan
0:33:59 > 0:34:02and the Glyderau mountain range.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07The landscape is a stunning mixture of open space,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09waterfalls and crags.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Upland wildlife here is difficult to see,
0:34:16 > 0:34:18but when you do find it, it's often rare.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20CHIRRUPING
0:34:20 > 0:34:23In Nant Ffrancon, the rarity is a twite -
0:34:23 > 0:34:26an insignificant-looking small bird which eats plant seeds.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29It's a bird that you'll rarely see anywhere else in Wales.
0:34:30 > 0:34:36'They're here largely because of the efforts of farmer Gwyn Thomas.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38'During the spring and summer,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41'Gwyn puts seed down for them daily to help supplement their feeding.'
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Twite has never been common in Wales,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49but it's fairly widespread in North Wales,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52and there were maybe six or seven locations
0:34:52 > 0:34:53where you could find them breeding.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58They're now, as far as we know, down to this one area here,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and all of these birds come and feed on Gwyn's farm.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Twite have a great Welsh name that describes them perfectly.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10It's "llinos y mynydd", the mountain linnet,
0:35:10 > 0:35:11and they do look a lot like linnets,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15but they're linnets that breed in the high mountains.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18But they've gone into decline in the uplands
0:35:18 > 0:35:20because of changes in farming methods.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23One of the things that's happened is that in the olden days, of course,
0:35:23 > 0:35:28every farmer around here would have had hay meadows, wouldn't they, full of seed?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Yes, yes. All the farms in the valley here would have done hay meadows.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34And that's all gone because of silage, because of weather, really.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39No, the system of farming has changed, you know, these upland farms now have gone away from cattle
0:35:39 > 0:35:44because of the expense and cost of keeping them, they are farming sheep and sheep only,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47so this is why the twite have flourished here,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49as the system I'm using here is a very old system.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53And these birds now, these will be the birds that will nest up on the high tops there.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58Just in the heather above us here now, wherever the nests are, they're so tiny,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I don't think anyone has come across the nests so far.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07A change of land use has had a big effect on this little bird,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10but thanks to Gwyn it's found a haven,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14a last refuge, if you like, in one of Wales's most dramatic landscapes.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25This is Cwm Twrch,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28a fabulous valley below the Black Mountain in south-west Wales,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36It's land that's largely used as pasture.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43But Cwm Twrch has an industrial past.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Buildings associated with an old colliery still remain.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53Higher up the valley,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56you eventually reach an impressive gorge,
0:36:56 > 0:37:01and it's a popular site for nesting ravens during early spring.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Local bird watcher Colin Richards
0:37:03 > 0:37:06has been recording birds here for many years.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Oh, there we are, Iolo, on the ledge, just there.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11- Oh...- Yeah? The droppings?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13- By the top there.- That's it. - Oh, it's a nice nest.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Oh, there we are, you can see them now, there's at least three.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18Two, three...
0:37:18 > 0:37:23- Yeah, it's three, is it? I can see three beaks.- At least three, yeah.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27- Do you think it's four in there or is it just the three? - You can see them gaping.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- Yeah, it's three, isn't it, three heads now.- Three.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32It's a typical raven nest, a big pile of sticks,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35with baler twine and wool in there.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37They're probably three weeks old.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- Yeah.- They'll stay in there until they're about five, five weeks.- Yeah.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Yeah, they're quite big lumps, God, they're ugly too, aren't they?
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- They are!- I've got to be honest, I do like ravens,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50but raven chicks are not the most attractive of birds.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52How long has this nest been there, then, Col?
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- Oh, at least 20, 25 years.- Has it? - At least that.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59They're opening their beaks now to cool down.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00Pretty warm nest, Col,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04- cos it's lined with wool, isn't it? - Full of wool.- It's a lovely nest.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06I do like ravens, and the adult birds,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09- they'll probably be away getting food for them?- Yeah.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11And what I like about them, they're early nesters.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14These would have been on eggs, what, late Feb?
0:38:14 > 0:38:15Late February, this pair.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18And, you know, we're over a thousand foot up here,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21so pretty exposed, pretty cold, pretty harsh here.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25But they time it so these chicks now are in the nest
0:38:25 > 0:38:26at a time when they most need food,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30- which is when everybody's lambing up on the hills here.- That's right.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33A lot of dead lambs, a lot of afterbirth, the odd dead ewe,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36- so plenty of food for the ravens. - Plenty of food for the ravens, yeah.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41- They're like Welsh vultures, really, aren't they? They are, aren't they? - COL CHUCKLES
0:38:47 > 0:38:50One of the main uses of the uplands in Wales
0:38:50 > 0:38:51is for conifer tree planting.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56The trees are generally grown on land that's too poor for pasture,
0:38:56 > 0:39:01and about 10% of the uplands are covered with conifer plantations.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07These dark woodlands are often frowned upon by naturalists,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11and thought of as barren, empty places with little value for nature,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13but this is far from the truth.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16They have a very rich wildlife.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Increasingly, they've become substitute habitats
0:39:18 > 0:39:20for a whole range of species
0:39:20 > 0:39:23that used to live in broad-leaved woodlands.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Mature conifer plantations are particularly liked by wildlife.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32A jay is perfectly at home in a conifer forest.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35There's plenty of food and nesting sites for it.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45Conifer plantations are last refuges for red squirrels in Wales.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46It's only in this habitat
0:39:46 > 0:39:51that they can reasonably compete for food with the grey squirrel.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Spruce cone seeds are a particular favourite.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58They can't compete at all in deciduous woodland.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02All this wildlife would not be here,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05were it not for commercial tree planting.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'Derek Roberts is a timber contractor,'
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and he's using an extraordinary machine in a forest
0:40:16 > 0:40:20lying on the slopes of the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29What will this wood go for now, what will it be used for?
0:40:29 > 0:40:32You've got some thin rails here now, what will they go for?
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Yeah, now if it's bent, that will go for pulp,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38what it does, it goes to a... goes down to Swansea,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42and goes on a boat and goes to Finland,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46but all the other stuff, the log and fencing
0:40:46 > 0:40:49will all go to local little mills around.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51So the best wood goes local, but the worst one...
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Yes, yes, they send that away. But the worst wood is pulped up for paper. Yeah, yeah.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00It's just a rough length, is it, you try and get them all around the same length?
0:41:00 > 0:41:04- No, they've got to be perfect.- Oh, they have to be perfect, do they?- Yes.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09Yes - the mill, if it's too short, you know, they can't do anything with it,
0:41:09 > 0:41:14so they're very strict on the lengths.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17And it automatically shortens or lengthens...
0:41:17 > 0:41:20It finds it all itself, yes. Fully automatic.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25Does it feel like you're working your way through this forestry here,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29in charge of a huge prehistoric beast?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32It's like you're working a T-Rex!
0:41:32 > 0:41:37- Does it make cups of tea and cakes as well?- I've got an oven here!
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- Have you?!- Yeah, I've got a little oven there.- Have you honestly?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I thought that was meant to be a joke!
0:41:42 > 0:41:48- Where's the fridge with the cold beers?- The fridge sits in there. - Oh, is it?- I haven't got my fridge.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57Derek works with his cab comforts in the hill forests of Pembrokeshire.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Local bird recorders have shown that these forests have become important nesting sites
0:42:04 > 0:42:09for a whole range of deciduous woodland birds, such as redstarts.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14These plantations on the uplands have become important wildlife sites,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18but if I were asked to choose my absolute favourite upland forest,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21it would have to be Coed-y-Brenin in north Wales,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24because of its size and the range of wildlife that lives in it.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31You'll find nesting buzzards during the spring.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34They're magnificent birds of prey.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38Coed-y-Brenin also has one of the biggest fallow deer populations
0:42:38 > 0:42:42in Wales, but there's something else even more remarkable.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47It's an extraordinary ant which has really taken to this manmade habitat.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Wow!
0:42:50 > 0:42:55This is a huge wood ants' nest.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Northern hairy wood ants, to be exact.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02It's got to be, what, five metres in circumference? About a metre tall?
0:43:02 > 0:43:05You can see the ants carpeting the top here.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10They reckon it's probably about 100,000 ants in one nest like this.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14And if you run your hand over them, they'll defend the nest.
0:43:14 > 0:43:20And if you smell it then, oh! Formic acid. They'll spray that.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22That's their defence.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26They've got a series of tunnels in here, winding its way down,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29and the nest is really carefully positioned as well,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33because it's quite open this side. They do get some morning sun.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37That'll heat it up, but it's also got quite a bit of shelter over it.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40If you get heavy rain, then it's not too badly affected.
0:43:40 > 0:43:45At the moment, it's cooled down a bit and the ants are not as active as they often are.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49They're just getting some warmth off this nest. It's quite a warm nest.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Here they are, on my fingers.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Fantastic. It's like the whole nest is alive with ants.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02The forest floor is full of anthills,
0:44:02 > 0:44:03with tracks leading from them,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06on which the ants travel to gather their food.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11They bring back all sorts of material,
0:44:11 > 0:44:15including beetles much bigger than themselves.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25In any tour of upland Wales,
0:44:25 > 0:44:29the Rhinogydd Mountains in the north west would have to be included.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35Cwm Bychan is roughly four miles inland from Harlech.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38It's a hotspot for wild goats.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40But what makes it special for me
0:44:40 > 0:44:45is the variety of small upland bird species that you'll find here.
0:44:50 > 0:44:56There's a male ring ouzel singing away on a rock up there.
0:44:56 > 0:45:02It is really a mountain blackbird. Its terrain is out in the uplands,
0:45:02 > 0:45:04rocky uplands like this.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07And the Rhinogydd are just about the best place
0:45:07 > 0:45:09in the whole of Wales for them.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12They're not easy to pin down. They're not easy to find.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16I'm sat on the edge of a territory here
0:45:16 > 0:45:19because he's singing away like... Oh, it's a beautiful song!
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Everyone says, "The blackbird has got a lovely song,"
0:45:22 > 0:45:27and it has, but I think the ring ouzel's song is....
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Reminds me always of the wilder, rockier parts of Wales.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35When you hear that, you know that you're out in the wilderness by yourself.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37It's a lovely song.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43During the spring,
0:45:43 > 0:45:47the Rhinogydd slopes above Harlech are full with the sounds of birds.
0:45:49 > 0:45:54If you venture too close to a stonechat nest, you'll soon hear this alarm call.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56STONECHAT CALL
0:45:58 > 0:46:02It's a female. The male is much darker.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06And they'll both warn you away from their territory.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16A similar-looking bird to a female stonechat is the whinchat.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23And like the stonechat, a whinchat is a summer visitor from Africa.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28This is a bird I was really hoping to see up here. It's not a common bird any more.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32When I used to wander these hills 25-odd years ago,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35practically, every little valley had them.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37He'll use some of these low perches.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41He'll go on gorse, some of the rocks, lower branches,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43but he'll also go quite high up in the ash as well.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48When they're up there, singing away, they're striking birds.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51But nowhere near as confiding as some of the other birds up here,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55in that they have this kind of a comfort zone.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59You rarely get within 40 metres of a whinchat.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Once you get that close, poomph, off it goes.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27The Rhinogydd Mountains and indeed the whole of the north-west uplands
0:47:27 > 0:47:31are also special because they're full of relics from the past.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34And this is the most extraordinary of all,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38a monument built on Bryn Cader Faner during the Bronze Age.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Francis Lynch is an expert on prehistoric Wales.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48This, I have to say, is one of the most remarkable
0:47:48 > 0:47:52ancient structures I think I've ever seen in Wales.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56- It looks like a crown of thorns. - Yes.
0:47:56 > 0:48:01It's a sort of sunrise monument and it's splendidly dramatic.
0:48:01 > 0:48:07- But what was this then? - Well, this is a cairn, a round cairn,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11which is the traditional burial monument of the Bronze Age,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13round about 2000 or so BC.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17But why here? We're over 1,000ft up, it's very barren, very harsh.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Why would they have built it here?
0:48:20 > 0:48:25Because they were living around here at that time. It is a period of climate change.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30You've got warmer weather here, a longer growing season,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33and you do see a lot of Bronze Age activity in the uplands.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Wouldn't it be wonderful to come here 2,000 years ago and see...?
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Exactly what it is they were doing. They were burying here and so on.
0:48:40 > 0:48:46Intelligent people. We tend to think that they were heathens, but they were intelligent people.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49- They were an intelligent bunch.- They must have been. They were Welsh!
0:48:49 > 0:48:51Of course they were!
0:48:51 > 0:48:56Actually, they made some quite good ones in Cornwall and Derbyshire as well.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01- But they would have been Welsh there, in those days. - Indeed. The kingdom of Elmet.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05- Yes, that's right.- Yes. - We once ruled the world, Francis!
0:49:05 > 0:49:09- It's gone downhill since then, mind. - Yes.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16The Welsh Uplands are truly magical.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20They're places where you can really lose yourself in the past.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24And they can even transport you to distant lands.
0:49:26 > 0:49:32Whenever I come up here and look out, I always think of the African plains.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36The Serengeti, with its wildebeest and its giraffes.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41But of course, these are not acacia trees. They're hawthorns with a few rowan thrown in as well.
0:49:41 > 0:49:46This is the edge of Ireland Moor in Radnorshire in mid Wales
0:49:46 > 0:49:48and this habitat is frith.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51It's kind of a mixture of a bit of bracken, a bit of gorse,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55a bit of heather, scattered trees.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59It's undervalued because, probably, of the fact
0:49:59 > 0:50:03that there's so much bracken here, and yet, in spring and summer,
0:50:03 > 0:50:07it's alive with the songs of really quite scarce birds.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11The loudest song comes from a skylark,
0:50:11 > 0:50:13which sings high up above the moor.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Island Moor is a man-made landscape.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24It is, if you like, a lower upland zone,
0:50:24 > 0:50:26which in the past has been occasionally farmed,
0:50:26 > 0:50:31sometimes left wild, and more recently used for game shooting.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35And this land use is ideal for ground-nesting birds like the skylark.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Here's another one. A meadow pipit.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46It's an unremarkable looking bird and yet even ordinary common birds
0:50:46 > 0:50:51are fascinating to watch, especially when they're looking for food.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54This one's strategy is to listen...
0:50:54 > 0:50:57watch...
0:50:57 > 0:51:00and a quick dash when an insect appears at the surface.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06There are plenty of insects for the Meadow Pipit on the Welsh uplands
0:51:06 > 0:51:08and that helps make it our commonest upland bird.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15These are the Epynt Mountains in mid Wales.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18They're situated immediately west of Builth Wells.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21It's a vest area of empty rolling hills
0:51:21 > 0:51:24dotted with conifer plantations here and there.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Much of this upland has restricted access and for good reason.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33It's the most important Army infantry training area in Britain.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36GUNFIRE
0:51:38 > 0:51:41GUNFIRE AND SHOUTING
0:51:58 > 0:52:02The enemy position is that barn in the distance over there.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06You see some of the guys... more of them moving up now.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15All kinds of stuff here - light machine guns, heavy machine guns, they've got rocket launchers.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Incredible.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20The Epynt upland is perfect for this type of exercise,
0:52:20 > 0:52:25with its undulating contours, hidden gullies and sporadic woodland cover.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30Colour Sergeant Stuart Benson is one of the soldiers who is overseeing the exercise.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32Stand by!
0:52:32 > 0:52:38So this is absolutely vital training for these boys before they go overseas for combat?
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Massively, especially in the job they're going to do.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43These are training to be section commanders,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47so they need to know how to do all this and the procedures.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50If team commander needs you...
0:52:50 > 0:52:55Are you watching them and thinking, "I wouldn't have done that, I'd have done it this way."
0:52:55 > 0:52:59- Or are you watching and thinking, "He's good, he's good."- Both.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04At the end of every incident, we go through a debrief, talk about the use of ground,
0:53:04 > 0:53:06the rates of fire.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09So, basically, assessing everything - the whole exercise,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12from individual to team work to everything.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15From individual skills and drills, all the way through.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19All this banging's going on and shooting and everyone's organising this
0:53:19 > 0:53:23and I'm thinking, "There's a skylark singing over there."
0:53:23 > 0:53:26EXPLOSION
0:53:27 > 0:53:31What makes the Epynt exceptional is, in fact, the Army's presence.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36Because the land has restricted use for agriculture and general access,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39it's perfect for wildlife.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42With hardly any sheep grazing allowed on the land,
0:53:42 > 0:53:46rough grassland and areas of bracken and gorse are allowed to grow,
0:53:46 > 0:53:51which act as nesting and feeding sites and cover for all sorts of birds and animals.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Away from the noise of the action,
0:53:54 > 0:53:57you can really tune in to the songs and calls of the birds.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59BIRDSONG
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Most of the Epynt here is grass moorland
0:54:06 > 0:54:10but tucked away down in the valley is some really interesting little bits
0:54:10 > 0:54:13and these will hark back to the time when this was all farmland.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Lovely woodland.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Mainly birch and a few hazel in there.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24And they're obviously really old - they're covered in moss. They're full of holes as well.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28From a bird's point of view, that is what makes them really interesting.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33You look and you listen and you can hear blue tits, you can hear willow warblers,
0:54:33 > 0:54:37and, every now and again, you get a heavy machine gun going away.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41That really is quite disconcerting, I have to say.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46The most striking bird here is the redstart
0:54:46 > 0:54:49and this is a more typical habitat for it.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53They can be elusive birds.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00It's difficult to get a really nice, clear view of this male redstart
0:55:00 > 0:55:03because he's just so busy in this wood.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06He's not long back from Africa so he's torn between two things.
0:55:06 > 0:55:11He wants to come up on to the tops here and sing because he hasn't got a mate yet
0:55:11 > 0:55:15but also he wants to keep his territory clear.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18He's willing to chase away anything and everything,
0:55:18 > 0:55:23whether it's a willow warbler, robin, blue tit, great tit. It doesn't matter what it is.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26So the moment he comes high up on one of these obvious perches,
0:55:26 > 0:55:31I get my binoculars up and he's off, chasing another bird away.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34He's into the dense undergrowth then.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38A difficult bird to watch - really difficult bird to watch.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Redstarts are mainly found in the north and west of Britain,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47with the greatest concentration in Wales.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51They seem to love these upland areas of mid Wales.
0:55:51 > 0:55:56Though their traditional nesting site is in tree holes, they'll nest pretty much in any safe hole.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59I'm sure even this tank would do quite nicely.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06I tell you, one bird I wasn't expecting to see out here
0:56:06 > 0:56:08is a crossbill.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11There's a stunning male right up on the top here now.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Beautiful red plumage. He really does stand out.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18But there are others calling. There's one calling from up here.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21I suspect it's probably a family group.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26They have this unique beak. One mandible goes that way, one goes that way.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29It's designed to get at pine cones.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31They're early nesters.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36Even though it's only April now, it's still quite cold, even though the sun's out.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39These would have been on eggs in January.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43They'll have the chicks out of the nest by the end of Feb
0:56:43 > 0:56:45so they'll be together for a while.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50They've stopped here for two reason. First of all, there are quite a few cones here.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54Earlier on, they were down... a little bit of water here,
0:56:54 > 0:56:58and because they're diet is seeds, that's incredible dry,
0:56:58 > 0:57:01and they have to come down every now and again and drink water.
0:57:01 > 0:57:07They'll come down, drink from here, but at the moment they're up on these tops.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09He's back feeding on some seeds up there now.
0:57:09 > 0:57:15He really does stand out - bright red against all that green. A cracking looking bird.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22More than anything, it's the unexpected sighting that makes wildlife watching so rewarding.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28Especially on the big open spaces of the rugged Welsh uplands.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35All the landscapes of Wales have their little gems.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38Sometimes you have to work hard to see them.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Sometimes a gentle stroll is all it takes.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49But, whatever the effort,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53if you look carefully, you'll find some stunning sights in Wales.
0:58:53 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd