:00:18. > :00:24.it's been an extraordinary spring all over the UK. We'll find out how
:00:24. > :00:29.our wildlife is coping with the coldest spring in 30 years. We'll be
:00:29. > :00:34.watching real dramas as they unfold on the live cameras. Let us go now
:00:34. > :00:38.on the live cameras. Let us go now to our first live camera. Let's see
:00:38. > :00:48.the sodden buzzard. What a way to the sodden buzzard. What a way to
:00:48. > :01:11.
:01:11. > :01:17.first programme of 2013. We are back here at unis her the fabulous RSPB
:01:17. > :01:21.reserve in Wales. There's everything from the lakes and rivers and the
:01:21. > :01:26.rich oak woodland. It's amongst that woodland thaw might find our cosy,
:01:26. > :01:30.or today not so cosy, studio. It's been raining here all day. About
:01:30. > :01:35.2pm, I thought, should I stay or should I go? I couldn't let them
:01:35. > :01:38.down so we're all still here. appreciate that. A spring it's been-
:01:38. > :01:43.freezing cold, poured with rain. This is a spring that's broken all
:01:43. > :01:48.records in. Fact, in the nine years that we've been doing Springwatch we
:01:48. > :01:54.haven't seen a spring like it. Yesterday, I road my motorbike up in
:01:55. > :01:58.the blazing sunshine. Today, look at it now. We would like to know how
:01:58. > :02:03.has spring been for you? What is your experience of spring? What have
:02:03. > :02:06.you seen? We'd love to hear from you. There's no doubt this spring
:02:06. > :02:13.has affected lots of our wildlife. We'll be looking at that later in
:02:13. > :02:17.the programme. But we'll also be bringing you the best of British
:02:17. > :02:22.wildlife from otters to osprey, from great tits to gannets, our teams
:02:22. > :02:28.have been out and about all across the country following wildlife in
:02:28. > :02:34.this most extraordinary spring. spring arrives, the countryside
:02:34. > :02:44.comes back to life. As the days lengthen and temperatures rise, this
:02:44. > :02:49.
:02:49. > :02:54.is the moment when everything changes. Spring is a critical time
:02:54. > :03:00.for all of the UK's wildlife because for most it's the only chance to
:03:00. > :03:06.raise their young. But this spring is very late. So our plants and
:03:06. > :03:11.animals are facing an extraordinary challenge. Time is short, our
:03:11. > :03:21.wildlife is under enormous pressure to win a mate, have a family and do
:03:21. > :03:26.
:03:26. > :03:36.everything it takes to keep this new the most dramatic events in nature,
:03:36. > :03:41.in the country's most spectacular wild places. For us, spring is a
:03:41. > :03:46.time of great beauty, a time to celebrate the wealth of wildlife
:03:46. > :03:56.around us and for every animal, spring can be a tough time of year.
:03:56. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:09.We'll be following their stories as comes to wildlife. You can't deny
:04:09. > :04:19.it. A fabulous wealth of riches. Who needs the certain getty when you
:04:19. > :04:21.
:04:21. > :04:30.have that. -- Serengetti. We'll be out with great naturalives including
:04:30. > :04:33.Iolo Williams. He's been meeting the gannet. At the heart of Springwatch
:04:34. > :04:38.are our wild characters, the nesting birds which we monitor 24 hours a
:04:38. > :04:42.day with the nest cameras. This year we have a fantastic cast. I'd say
:04:42. > :04:47.they were A-listers. We have the crowd pleaser- have a look, let's go
:04:47. > :04:54.to this one, I know he looks soggy. The buzzard looks soggy. He needs a
:04:54. > :05:00.bit of make up there. Look at that hair do. Always a crowd pleaser. We
:05:00. > :05:05.have brains above beauty, the jackdaw. We haven't had the jackdaw
:05:05. > :05:09.on Springwatch for a while. Good to see it. An extraordinary bird.A
:05:09. > :05:15.newcomer, who is a late arrival on Springwatch because again, we don't
:05:15. > :05:19.normally have these, because they've normally fledged by now, the great
:05:19. > :05:25.tits. These are bound to bring drama over the next few days and weeks in
:05:25. > :05:30.fact. Have a first. I never thought we'd see this. We have a water rail.
:05:30. > :05:35.Let's look at this. This is a bird that is not actually rare, but it's
:05:35. > :05:45.incredibly difficult to see. I spent years trying to get the tick of a
:05:45. > :05:46.
:05:46. > :05:56.water rail. It's a very skull being bird and -- skulking bird and we
:05:56. > :05:57.
:05:57. > :06:01.might see new behaviour. You were very excited. They're so shy. The
:06:01. > :06:08.chance of us finding a nest and looking into it, not many people
:06:08. > :06:13.have seen, that I can tell you. nest is in a new area here which we
:06:13. > :06:16.haven't explored before. It's a wetland area. We will look at that
:06:17. > :06:20.in more detail later. Not only have we pushed the boundaries of the
:06:20. > :06:24.habitats here, we have pushed the boundaries for our team of experts
:06:24. > :06:34.on the technical side. We can film everything from the undergrowth to
:06:34. > :06:34.
:06:34. > :07:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 48 seconds
:07:22. > :07:26.It's all bugged, all under remote control. We'll be bringing I all of
:07:26. > :07:31.the action. Aside from being the first of our Springwatch programmes,
:07:31. > :07:35.we're very pleased to be leading the vanguard for a BBC season entitled
:07:36. > :07:38.summer of wildlife. We're all really excited about this. It's an
:07:38. > :07:41.opportunity for a range of programmes to tell you more about
:07:41. > :07:46.the exciting and amazing and fascinating wildlife that is out
:07:46. > :07:51.there. It's a chance for you to get involved. There will be more of that
:07:51. > :07:54.later. We've expanded the Springwatch genre. We have a new
:07:55. > :07:59.programme, Nick Baker, a truly great young naturalist has come to join us
:07:59. > :08:04.to give us Springwatch in the afternoon. Every afternoon, there's
:08:04. > :08:08.extra Springwatching to be done by all of you. So tune in to that on
:08:08. > :08:12.Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays of the next three weeks. There's
:08:12. > :08:19.more to enjoy. We're expanding. We never stop getting bigger. Speak for
:08:19. > :08:23.yourself! Not that way. Let us go straight away to one of our live
:08:23. > :08:28.cameras, it's the buzzards. I don't know if that's the she or the he,
:08:28. > :08:33.but sodden wet. Been lying there, of course, critically important because
:08:33. > :08:37.she's been protecting what's underneath. They have got to keep,
:08:37. > :08:43.if there's a chick under there or an egg, it has to be kept warm. It
:08:43. > :08:48.can't afford to get wet. There we can see what is underneath, a fluffy
:08:48. > :08:54.chick. Here, it's being fed a frog. All this wet weather nice for frogs.
:08:54. > :08:59.The question is, are there any more eggs or chicks in the nest?
:08:59. > :09:05.Actually, gosh, I wish today had been a bit more like this. Another
:09:05. > :09:14.frog in, poor thing. I think you can just start to see there is another
:09:14. > :09:17.egg just underneath that chick. This is quite normal because they have --
:09:17. > :09:21.don't hatch out at the same time. It's possible that egg might hatch
:09:21. > :09:26.out still. We will have to wait and see. It would be great to have two
:09:26. > :09:29.chicks. Let's meet one of our other stars of the week, the jackdaw. You
:09:30. > :09:33.often see them roosting in huge numbers in the winter. But in the
:09:33. > :09:38.spring, now you're more likely to see them on the farmland, which is
:09:38. > :09:42.where we have the nest box. There's the outside of it. They're lucky,
:09:42. > :09:50.they're sheltered by the roof and the box. Go inside, that's our live
:09:50. > :09:54.April coo -- camera and you can see one of the chicks there. Having a
:09:54. > :09:57.little snooze. Interesting behaviour has happened this week. Look at what
:09:57. > :10:01.happened earlier on. The parents, I've been watching them over the
:10:01. > :10:06.last few days, they've been very attentive. There are the two chicks,
:10:06. > :10:11.I love it, poke their little heads out. Their huge beaks come out.
:10:11. > :10:14.They've been coming in and out of that nest box bringing food. Those
:10:14. > :10:19.chicks have certainly got bigger since I've been watching them over
:10:19. > :10:24.the last few days. They're begging for their food. Very good parents
:10:24. > :10:30.coming in. Look at this, a bit of nesting material, oh, let's shove
:10:30. > :10:33.that down as well, which is unusual, perhaps. Maybe a bit of confusion.
:10:33. > :10:38.There's such a powerful urge to stick something into that yellow
:10:38. > :10:43.gaping bill, rather than add to to the nest that parent put it in the
:10:43. > :10:53.mouth instead. This adult is going into the mouth and bringing food out
:10:53. > :10:57.and eating it itself. Over the last 48 hours we have seen a lot of this.
:10:57. > :11:02.They have a buckle sack that they will collect the food in. One of the
:11:02. > :11:05.adults has come in and regurgitated. In the earlier stages the male gives
:11:06. > :11:10.it to the female who then gives it to the young. Here, perhaps the
:11:10. > :11:16.female is taking it out. My theory is that she's been brooding these,
:11:16. > :11:21.after incubating the eggs. Her own condition might be quite low as a
:11:21. > :11:24.consequence of that she's desperate to bring up her reserve. She's
:11:24. > :11:30.effectively stealing food from the chicks. This makes sense from their
:11:30. > :11:35.point of view. The most part is the adult breeding pair and that's her.
:11:35. > :11:39.It pays to take candy from kids really. No, Chris, it doesn't! Every
:11:39. > :11:43.so often I might steal a bit of my son's food. I wouldn't take it out
:11:43. > :11:48.of his mouth. Those chicks in danger because the food has been taken out
:11:48. > :11:53.or can they make it up? There are only two of them. Jackdaws usually
:11:53. > :11:56.raise broods of four or five. They are both look looking healthy. It
:11:56. > :12:00.has been raining constantly today, perhaps they've been finding it
:12:00. > :12:05.tougher to find food. Interesting you should ask- are they in danger?
:12:05. > :12:11.Have a look at this, which we filmed earlier. You may think they are.
:12:11. > :12:15.Because this is thot -- not the parent. This is another jackdaw. The
:12:15. > :12:22.chicks think it is a parent. They start begging for food. Look at the
:12:22. > :12:27.way it's walking. It's an invader. It peaks in, then it hops in. That's
:12:27. > :12:33.the invader's mate outside. Look how quite the chicks go. Quick look in
:12:33. > :12:41.the mouth to see if it can get any food. Steps on it a bit. Tramples a
:12:41. > :12:47.little bit. Bit worrying for those chicks. As I say the other partner
:12:47. > :12:53.of the invader comes out. The adult parent comes back, chases them away,
:12:53. > :12:59." Get out of my home." Goes back in to see how the chicks are doing. The
:12:59. > :13:05.invader comes back. Chicks are safe, but this has happened quite a few
:13:05. > :13:09.times now. Why do you think that is, Chris? What is going on there?
:13:09. > :13:13.interinject? Yes.I'm quite worried. I have personal experience of this
:13:13. > :13:17.jackdaws coming in and raiding nests. They will do that. They will
:13:17. > :13:22.come in. Because nest sites are a premium for them. They will come in
:13:22. > :13:27.and even kill chicks and they'll destroy that nest and as it were
:13:27. > :13:31.take it away from that pair that are nesting. They will guard it as their
:13:31. > :13:35.territory until the Autumn and they will try to use it in the next year.
:13:35. > :13:40.I'm, those chicks are quite big. They are. But as you say, nest sites
:13:40. > :13:44.are always at a premium. If this is a subordinate pair looking for a
:13:44. > :13:49.nest, they might try to kill those, just to throw them out to occupy
:13:49. > :13:53.that space. Because they're in a nest box, scientists have done tests
:13:53. > :13:58.and they see that the favoured nests are natural holes in trees. Then
:13:58. > :14:02.they choose holes in buildings and bottom of the list is the nest box.
:14:02. > :14:06.This is possibly already one of the lower tiers in our jackdaw society
:14:06. > :14:12.here that have occupied this. The others are trying to get in and
:14:12. > :14:17.throw them out. I had a doff coat at home with doves in it and jackdaws
:14:17. > :14:21.kicked them all out. Rotters. one and a drama already. I have to
:14:21. > :14:26.leave you. I'm going to our brand new habitat now. I will see you in a
:14:26. > :14:31.bit. It's a couple of kilometres away. Hopefully I will get there in
:14:31. > :14:35.time and I will speak to you later. Go on then. Run. We have had drama
:14:35. > :14:39.and shenanigans taking place. Keep up with this over the next three
:14:39. > :14:46.weeks or you can be watching live online on our website or viate red
:14:46. > :14:49.button. The website is bbc.co.uk/Springwatch. Keep your
:14:49. > :14:52.eyes on those webcam raz because you might see things that we don't see
:14:52. > :14:56.ourselves. Last week, if you were reading the
:14:56. > :15:00.news, you'll know this very important report was published
:15:00. > :15:06.called state of nature. A lot of UK conservation agencies have got
:15:06. > :15:10.together to produce this report. For me, it's the call up. It's a call
:15:10. > :15:15.for action. What it tells us is that a considerable proportion of British
:15:15. > :15:20.wildlife is in serious decline. 60% of all of the species that were
:15:20. > :15:25.counted here have declined and 34% of them seriously. 13% are in danger
:15:25. > :15:29.of extinction. It's clear that conservation needs to be working a
:15:29. > :15:33.bit harder. That means all of us. Please give us your support.
:15:33. > :15:38.However, amongst the report it's not all bad news. This is really
:15:38. > :15:43.important. There were lots of things which have increased. Jackdaws have
:15:43. > :15:45.increased, buzzards too. Also so have otters. The commoner they
:15:45. > :15:49.become, the closer they've come to become, the closer they've come to
:15:49. > :15:54.people. A
:15:54. > :15:59.A spring morning in an every day market town, much like any other.
:15:59. > :16:03.And like most town, a river runs through it P With all its familiar
:16:04. > :16:08.urban wildlife. But more recently, this little river
:16:08. > :16:14.in this seemingly ordinary little town, has become an extraordinary
:16:14. > :16:21.place to watch wildlife. It was unbelievable. It was as near
:16:21. > :16:25.to me as I am to you. Just don't expect to see a wild creature like
:16:25. > :16:31.that in a busy town. This place has become one of the best spots to see
:16:31. > :16:38.one of Britain's most elusive and charismatic creatures.
:16:38. > :16:44.I thought it was a dolphin, it was like this. Leaping out the water.
:16:45. > :16:54.An otter, in the middle of town. Here it was, in the middle of day,
:16:54. > :16:58.town centre, incredible. This is not your average otter
:16:59. > :17:04.watching experience. It is bold as brass.
:17:04. > :17:09.It is a remark remarkable situation, what is usually such a timid animal.
:17:09. > :17:13.Across the rivers of Britain, otters are like ghosts.
:17:13. > :17:22.Incredibly shy of people, they are most active when we are not. At
:17:22. > :17:29.night. But here, it is the complete
:17:29. > :17:33.opposite. So why is it so fearless, boldly hunting through the mid --
:17:33. > :17:38.middle of the day? Maybe it is because growing up in a busy town it
:17:38. > :17:42.has got used to people. It has never had a need to fear us. But more
:17:42. > :17:44.likely it has had to because of poor fishing. It has been firsted to hunt
:17:44. > :17:50.both night and day, to find enough food.
:17:50. > :17:55.If that is the case, it looks like a strategy that is working.
:17:55. > :17:58.But with the positives of seeing otter in our town, there are
:17:58. > :18:04.negatives. They will choose the easiest options
:18:04. > :18:08.when it comes to food. River side properties have been poached, and
:18:08. > :18:13.fish plucked from their ponds. Like any angler, they are drawn to
:18:13. > :18:19.where the fishing is best. But it is little consolation for
:18:19. > :18:25.someone who loses thousands of pound of fish.
:18:25. > :18:29.The otter story is a remarkable one, for an animal once so rare. Hunted
:18:29. > :18:34.for centuries, as a threat to fish stocks, and then poisoned by
:18:34. > :18:41.pesticides flowing into our rivers, they disappeared from most of our
:18:41. > :18:47.waterways. But 40 years ago, the tide turned.
:18:47. > :18:50.Hunting ceased, our rivers started to get cleaner. And otter numbers
:18:50. > :18:54.rebounded spectacularly. Recolonising every County in
:18:54. > :18:58.England. And they have been moving in to our
:18:58. > :19:03.towns and cities right across Britain. Though still count yourself
:19:03. > :19:08.lucky to see one. But in this place, you would be
:19:09. > :19:14.unlucky to miss out. This supposedly shy creature,
:19:14. > :19:18.hunting in broad daylight, within feet of onlookers without a care in
:19:18. > :19:23.the world. It has left many locals spellbound.
:19:23. > :19:32.I couldn't believe it. The first time I have seen one. I thought,
:19:32. > :19:38.wow! It is not just one otter performing to the crowds. This patch
:19:38. > :19:48.is home to a pair, of twins. A brother and sister thought to be
:19:48. > :19:49.
:19:50. > :19:55.two or three-year-old. And their age could be the prime catalyst for
:19:55. > :19:57.change here. Now, fully grown, they are going to
:19:57. > :20:06.be thinking about having families of their own.
:20:06. > :20:11.Just not with each other. Once playmaters these siblings are
:20:11. > :20:17.showing all the signs of drifting apart.
:20:17. > :20:22.-- playmates. Their play fighting is becoming less playfulful adult
:20:22. > :20:27.otters are highly territorial. Females and males will furiously
:20:27. > :20:32.defend territories from any rival. Even if it is your sibling.
:20:32. > :20:39.And this territory is under threat, from other otters.
:20:39. > :20:49.There is competition on all sides. Another dog otter has turned up. And
:20:49. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :21:00.the town's male is suddenly having to fight for his future.
:21:00. > :21:10.Territorial battles like this are Territorial battles like this are
:21:10. > :21:24.
:21:24. > :21:33.This time, the town's dog otter manages to escape unscathed. But it
:21:33. > :21:40.is a sign that the future is uncertain here for the twins.
:21:40. > :21:47.Whatever happens, for the last few months these charming animals have
:21:47. > :21:57.illuminated the lives of so many. We are so lucky to have like, a wild
:21:57. > :21:58.
:21:58. > :22:04.creature like that in our river. A rare gift from the natural world.
:22:04. > :22:08.That is truly amazing to get that close to wild otter, in a town
:22:08. > :22:11.centre! I know, incredible. It is only because they are becoming more
:22:11. > :22:14.common and therefore more used to people, and therefore as long as
:22:14. > :22:19.people don't December turbine them, and they behave respectfully, you
:22:19. > :22:23.get those sorts of views, let us hope that spins out all over the
:22:23. > :22:29.country. In that report, otters were one of the winners but so many other
:22:29. > :22:32.creatures weren't. That is one of the reasons we are so excited, by
:22:32. > :22:37.the BBC's Summer of Wildlife Season. This is going to be a whole raft of
:22:37. > :22:40.programme, spread across the summer, all about British wildlivers and it
:22:40. > :22:45.is all about exciting everyone to go out and enjoy it and see it and
:22:45. > :22:55.learn how to look after it. So, what you going to see and how
:22:55. > :23:02.
:23:02. > :23:12.creature, who needs to go abroad to see incredible things? This summer
:23:12. > :23:18.
:23:18. > :23:23.is the time to get out there and The BBC's summer of wildlife brings
:23:23. > :23:29.you a whole raft of special programmes across the BBC. This
:23:29. > :23:33.country really does have the most incredible wildlife. It is a
:23:33. > :23:37.nationwide celebration of our natural history.
:23:37. > :23:42.To be able to crouch here, is beyond my dreams. The chance to get
:23:42. > :23:46.involved. We want you to go out and about with your camera so we can see
:23:46. > :23:50.what wild things are on your doorstep. If you want to see
:23:50. > :24:00.wildlife go down to your local pond. Look out for hundreds of wildlife
:24:00. > :24:05.event, and a website packed full of top tips and guides.
:24:05. > :24:15.All the advice you need to get out and meet your extraordinary
:24:15. > :24:20.
:24:20. > :24:25.Information, and inspiration, for a truly wild summer.
:24:25. > :24:28.There are no excuse, if it rain, get a raincoat and your wellies on, if
:24:28. > :24:33.it is cold put on a fleece. It is important you get out there and
:24:33. > :24:37.enjoy all of this wildlife, it is free. There is one other thing, a
:24:37. > :24:42.personal plea, please make sure that you get some kids out there, they
:24:42. > :24:46.have got to ignite that little spark in their hearts which will fuel a
:24:46. > :24:50.lifelong passion for wildlife. And perhaps this summer, if just one or
:24:50. > :24:54.two kids get out into the Great British Countryside and meet it,
:24:54. > :24:59.they might be the Attenboroughs of for. Wouldn't that be good? Last
:24:59. > :25:03.year was all about the jubilee and the Olympics, this year let us make
:25:03. > :25:07.it all about British wildlife. We can do it if we do it together.
:25:07. > :25:14.About ten minutes ago Martin ran off to the bog. Do you think he got
:25:14. > :25:19.there yet? I don't know. Thank you, I am in the bog or the mire. You can
:25:19. > :25:23.see all round me, this wild looking place, completely different from
:25:23. > :25:28.anywhere else we have looked at on Springwatch. It is better called the
:25:28. > :25:33.raised bog, what happens is that moss grow, then it die, then another
:25:33. > :25:39.one grows on top of it, and more and more and raised bogs can grow up to
:25:39. > :25:43.10 metres high. But this is nutrient deficit. It is a very poor area, a
:25:43. > :25:48.very acidic. That means thrr there are specialised creatures here,
:25:48. > :25:54.especially plants. Behind me folks, there are carniverous plants. I love
:25:54. > :25:58.that. They have to eat these plants, insects to supplement their diet, to
:25:58. > :26:08.get the nutrients that are missing. But this is a great place for birds
:26:08. > :26:13.to nest. And, come with me. Just over there, about 50 metres away,
:26:13. > :26:19.our chief nest finder Nigel was out looking for nests and let us relive
:26:19. > :26:23.that moment, because Nigel went out, among the reeds, he parted them, and
:26:23. > :26:27.that is what he saw. It is a water rail.
:26:27. > :26:33.Now water rails aren't as we have said terribly rare, but they are
:26:33. > :26:38.incredibly difficult to see. They skulk, they hide. They are like a
:26:38. > :26:44.small moor hen. Like a tiny moor hen. Let us see if we can go to it
:26:44. > :26:49.live over there right now. Let's go. There it is. Again, the rail is
:26:49. > :26:53.protecting the egg, it is on seven eggs in there. She has been really
:26:54. > :26:58.really good, sitting very tight, and trying to protect those eggs. The
:26:58. > :27:03.British trust for ornithology only get reports of two of these nests,
:27:03. > :27:07.less than two peryear, so we might see things that nobody else has ever
:27:07. > :27:10.seen. -- per year. We have been recording at the nest, let us have
:27:10. > :27:15.one more look at what has been going on there.
:27:16. > :27:19.In fact they look very similar, the male and female, but the male's beak
:27:19. > :27:23.is longer, and stronger, a bit stouter than the female's, you can
:27:23. > :27:28.see the male builds the nest and surprisingly, he can build it in a
:27:28. > :27:33.day. It is interesting, I think that is the male. What is going on here,
:27:33. > :27:38.is he is sort of adding to the nest. If the water rises up, and it will
:27:38. > :27:43.do here, they will have to raise that nest higher and higher.
:27:43. > :27:46.To keep it out of the water. If the eggs hatch out, we will see
:27:46. > :27:52.something extraordinary, because the chicks are completely different
:27:52. > :27:55.colour from the adults. They are black, tiny little black balls of
:27:55. > :28:00.flush with a little white beak. I have never seen that. I would love
:28:00. > :28:04.to. But there is another problem here. Because that nest is on the
:28:04. > :28:08.ground, there are ground predators here, there are adder, grass snake,
:28:08. > :28:13.maybe a stoat and there are crows flying round, so hopefully, we will
:28:14. > :28:18.see those hatch out, but who knows. Now there is one more nest here as
:28:18. > :28:24.well. I won't go too close because it is very close to us, over there,
:28:24. > :28:28.just behind that bush, that is a reed bunting nest, let us go to it
:28:28. > :28:33.live. See what we can see. You can see the nest there.
:28:33. > :28:38.You can just see, in we go. Now there are five chicks, believe
:28:38. > :28:43.it or not, in that little dark area. Ooh. There is the mum coming in.
:28:43. > :28:49.Perfect. They are only three days old. This is very very interesting,
:28:49. > :28:53.because what the adults do, is they, there is a faecal sac going out.
:28:53. > :28:58.They are fully developed for three days. We have been recording this
:28:58. > :29:03.nest as well. Let us look at what we have recorded here.
:29:04. > :29:08.That is the female, the one we have seen live. She has a brown head. The
:29:08. > :29:12.male's different. He has an obvious black head, and a black bib there.
:29:12. > :29:19.You probably saw he was carrying insects. He is bringing them into
:29:19. > :29:23.the nest. There we go. These birds normally
:29:23. > :29:28.eat seeds, look at the parents there. But then, when they have
:29:28. > :29:31.chicks, they go to a high protein diet, and they take in insects. So
:29:32. > :29:35.they switch their behaviour completely, from seeds to insects.
:29:36. > :29:39.Now, again, we will have to be very careful because that nest is on the
:29:39. > :29:45.ground, and when the chicks fledge, when they leave the nest, they can't
:29:45. > :29:50.fly for three to five days, so, why not leave the nest when you can fly?
:29:50. > :29:54.There we go, I am going to leave here and go to, from this enormous
:29:54. > :29:59.wide place, to somewhere very very tiny, but before I go, we are going
:29:59. > :30:08.to start the process of trying to unravel the curious wetter we have
:30:08. > :30:13.been having, with a special report from Springwatch from Matt Taylor.
:30:13. > :30:19.By the start of the spring in March, weather and its impact were making
:30:19. > :30:24.the headlines. It was a joint coldest March on record, lowest ever
:30:24. > :30:30.Easter temperature recorded. It was colder than the three winter months
:30:30. > :30:33.that precreeded it. Snow featured in March. Then scenes like this towards
:30:33. > :30:37.the end of the month across northern England, southern Scotland and
:30:37. > :30:40.Northern Ireland. 30 to 40 cms of Northern Ireland. 30 to 40 cms of
:30:40. > :30:45.snow falling. What was going on? Well the jet stream, which is
:30:45. > :30:51.usually in this rough position in March, separating the Arctic air
:30:51. > :30:55.from the tropical air, that was much further south, piling in wet weather
:30:55. > :30:58.here leaving us in the colder air and with weather patterns static,
:30:58. > :31:02.high pressure anchored to the north and that continued to feed in cold
:31:02. > :31:06.air from Scandinavia and Russia. Cold on land and eventually turning
:31:06. > :31:10.cold in the seas as well. During April we only saw temperatures
:31:10. > :31:14.around 4 Celsius around the coasts. By May that lifted to 7 to 9
:31:14. > :31:18.degrees. But even that a good few degrees lower than it should be for
:31:18. > :31:22.the time of year. The natural varabilities returned to a certain
:31:22. > :31:26.degree, but an unusual season so far.
:31:26. > :31:30.Thanks to the weather centre for that. You see our spring, this
:31:30. > :31:36.unusual spring that we've had all comes down to the jet stream. So
:31:36. > :31:41.what is the jet stream? Well it's a fast-moving body of air. It's
:31:41. > :31:45.thousands of kilometres long and it's about 11 kilometres up. It's
:31:45. > :31:50.formed when cold air from the Arctic and warm air from the south mix. It
:31:50. > :31:56.acts like a ribbon which laces around the top of the polar jet
:31:56. > :32:00.stream. That's fine. But it's the position of the jet stream which
:32:00. > :32:04.will dramatically alter our weather. Here's the position we saw in March.
:32:04. > :32:08.It's all the way down here over Spain and the Mediterranean. This
:32:08. > :32:13.was drawing lots of cold air down from Scandinavia, from the polar
:32:13. > :32:19.regions, across the northern part of Europe, including us. That's why we
:32:19. > :32:23.had that very, very cold and wet spring. At the moment, the jet
:32:23. > :32:27.stream is over southern England. It is shifting northwards. The reason
:32:27. > :32:31.it moves around, well there are lots of things. It can be, believe it or
:32:31. > :32:38.not, it sounds improbable, warm water in the Pacific Ocean, on the
:32:38. > :32:46.other side of the planet. It can be sudden strat fiching heating over
:32:46. > :32:50.the -- stratospheric heating over the poles. Where do we want the jet
:32:50. > :32:55.stream for a nicer spring? Ideally, where we'd like it is over Scotland,
:32:55. > :32:59.at the moment and throughout the rest of spring, we'd like it to be
:32:59. > :33:02.nudging northwards until it gets as high as Iceland. I've seen some
:33:02. > :33:06.weather reports which already say we're in for a cold, wet summer,
:33:06. > :33:10.because of the position of that jet stream. I'm not sure whether there
:33:10. > :33:14.are any career opportunities for me at the Met centre. I'm going to say
:33:14. > :33:18.that may not be the case. Because the jet stream can move very, very
:33:18. > :33:22.quickly if conditions change. Fingers crossed. Could it move
:33:22. > :33:27.quickly enough by tomorrow? Probably not tomorrow. Over a period of weeks
:33:27. > :33:32.it can shift rapidly and we will see a massive change in weather. Sonchts
:33:32. > :33:39.a decent summer, thank you very much. No predictions, just an
:33:39. > :33:44.explanation, that's all. How has the late spring affected the wildlife?
:33:44. > :33:47.It's affected different animals in different ways. Look the the
:33:47. > :33:51.hedgehogs. The report says that hedgehogs are coming out of
:33:51. > :33:56.hibernation almost a month later than the previous two years. There's
:33:56. > :34:00.concern that they won't have enough fat reserves because many went into
:34:00. > :34:03.hibernation underweight. Only time will tell how those poor hedgehogs
:34:03. > :34:11.are really going to be affected. What about badgers? They've come out
:34:11. > :34:20.and in the cold temperatures they've found the ground too hard. More have
:34:20. > :34:26.been seen scavenging in gardens. They're seeking out leather jacket
:34:26. > :34:29.larvae. Bumble bees have struggled to find enough nectar as flowers
:34:29. > :34:34.have been so late. It's slowed the colony development down. If they get
:34:34. > :34:38.a decent summer, they should be able to catch up. If it's wet, it could
:34:38. > :34:42.have huge implications for bumblebees. Don't want to see that.
:34:42. > :34:46.They are one of the animals who are not doing well at the moment. A bit
:34:46. > :34:49.of good weather would be a good thing. We're going to explore how
:34:49. > :34:53.the late spring has affected other animals in the coming programmes
:34:53. > :34:58.over the next three weeks, but what's coming up for this programme?
:34:58. > :35:04.We've got some pretty good stuff. We've got the love life drama of
:35:04. > :35:11.Monty the osprey. Let me tell you, it gets dramatic. We'll big up the
:35:11. > :35:17.little guys with Martin in the microworld. And bluebells, I'll find
:35:17. > :35:21.out why they're so late this year. It's not just the animals which have
:35:21. > :35:24.risen late this spring. If you've been looking out your window and
:35:24. > :35:30.there were trees there, you will have noticed that some of them have
:35:30. > :35:34.only come into leaf. Look at this spring of oak. These leaves are very
:35:34. > :35:38.lime green. They've only been open a few days. They rapidly discolour and
:35:38. > :35:42.become a darker green because the tree cleverly, pumps them full of
:35:43. > :35:48.things which are relatively indigestible. That means that the
:35:48. > :35:52.small larvae that were any morebling them haven't had the opportunity to
:35:52. > :35:57.do that yet. It seems to be these are out late. They're not the only
:35:57. > :36:00.plants out late. That is an obvious sign of a late spring. There are so
:36:00. > :36:06.many obvious signs. Lots of you have noticed that birds are nesting late.
:36:06. > :36:09.That has given us a brilliant opportunity to focus on birds that
:36:09. > :36:13.have normally fledged bit time we do Springwatch. One particular bird is
:36:13. > :36:23.the Great Tit. Let's look at our the Great Tit. Let's look at our
:36:23. > :36:23.
:36:24. > :36:27.inside. This is something that we've been seeing a lot of in the last few
:36:27. > :36:32.days because I know it seems cold today, it's slightly warmer than it
:36:32. > :36:38.was maybe three days ago. If we look at what's been happening over the
:36:38. > :36:43.last week with our great tits, we can see that the adults are coming
:36:43. > :36:48.in a lot. They're being very attentive. They're feeding, but one
:36:48. > :36:53.of them has been brood brooding, during the colder days, Chris, which
:36:53. > :36:57.means that only one parent has been in and out feeding. It's so windy in
:36:57. > :37:03.there or it has been very windy. They started with eight chicks. Now
:37:03. > :37:08.they're down to five. That isn't particularly unusual. You wouldn't
:37:08. > :37:14.expect all seven or eight of them to survive. There's one unfortunately
:37:14. > :37:19.hasn't made it. The adult takes it out of the nest box. Yeah, obviously
:37:19. > :37:23.if you have one of the birds in there brooding, then that's one less
:37:23. > :37:26.out there foraging. That brood is getting 50% of the food some of the
:37:26. > :37:30.time, particularly when the weather is bad and cold and she needs to
:37:30. > :37:34.keep them warm. Great tits are one of those animals that can adapt to
:37:34. > :37:37.changeable springs. They do that because they can lay all of their
:37:37. > :37:41.legs, they complete the clutch, finish laying all of them and they
:37:41. > :37:45.can leave them. They can leave them, not incubate them for periods of up
:37:45. > :37:49.to ten or 12 days. When they start to incubate them, they begin to
:37:49. > :37:56.develop. So they can choose when to start sitting. This will determine
:37:56. > :37:59.when they hatch and whether there will be enough food about for them.
:37:59. > :38:03.Their flexibility in controlling incubation is something which is a
:38:03. > :38:07.great advantage to the Great Tit in these changeable springs. They're
:38:07. > :38:17.late, the oak tree's late. You went down to the woods because the
:38:17. > :38:28.
:38:28. > :38:32.Now we although that bluebells are a sign of spring and they usually
:38:32. > :38:37.flower late April, early May. That's what the books tell us. How come,
:38:37. > :38:42.then, I'm sitting next to a carpet of them in the third week of May
:38:42. > :38:46.here at Ynys-hir? Last year, they were flowering four to five weeks
:38:46. > :38:52.earlier than now. In fact, I don't think we've ever had the chance to
:38:52. > :38:56.film them just before Springwatch live. So, why are they so late? It's
:38:56. > :39:06.obviously got something to do with the late spring, but for a flower
:39:06. > :39:09.
:39:09. > :39:14.like the bluebell, what exactly does growth is triggered as the soil
:39:14. > :39:19.warms up and days become longer in early spring. They need to flower
:39:19. > :39:23.before the woodland canopy closes over them. Bluebells don't produce
:39:23. > :39:31.their flowers until the air reaches a critical temperature and this
:39:31. > :39:36.year's cold spring has delayed them. Bluebells are an important early
:39:36. > :39:40.flower for bees, hover flies and butterflies who feed on the nectar.
:39:40. > :39:45.Honeybees make a little hole in the top of the bell, taking the nectar
:39:45. > :39:49.without pollinating the flower, rather sneaky. So has the fact that
:39:50. > :39:56.bluebells have flowered so late this spring affected some insects? It's
:39:56. > :40:00.too early to judge the wider impact, but some species like the tawny
:40:00. > :40:04.mining bee, orange tip and brimstone butterflies pollinate and feed on
:40:04. > :40:08.bluebell nectar in particular. If they emerge before the bluebells
:40:08. > :40:11.were in bloom, they'll need to find other flowers to feed on. Many of
:40:11. > :40:18.you may well still be enjoying your bluebells and if you live in the
:40:18. > :40:21.north, you may be enjoying them well into next week. Because usually they
:40:21. > :40:25.start flowering in the south-west and then the timing fans out across
:40:25. > :40:29.the country. We're lucky in this country because it's thought we have
:40:30. > :40:36.50% of the world's population, giving us these gorgeous spring
:40:36. > :40:43.spectacles. These beautiful purple carpets have
:40:43. > :40:48.provided inspiration for myths, legend and stories of fairies in the
:40:48. > :40:52.woods. Bronte wrote, " There is a silent eloquence in every wild
:40:52. > :40:55.bluebell that fills my softened heart with bliss that words could
:40:56. > :41:00.never tell." For me, it reminds me of my
:41:00. > :41:07.childhood. It definitely brings out an emotion that makes you feel good.
:41:07. > :41:12.Maybe it's that strong, sweet smell or the intense colour in that
:41:12. > :41:22.beautiful delicate flower. Maybe, though, it's because a carpet of
:41:22. > :41:30.
:41:30. > :41:33.bluebells really is woven with fairy This is the main production village.
:41:33. > :41:37.This is the beating heart of Springwatch. It looks empty at the
:41:37. > :41:40.moment. But those trucks are full of the people, oh, somebody has fallen
:41:40. > :41:44.out. Full of all the people making the programme. What wildlife could
:41:44. > :41:51.possibly be here? Come on, let's go here.
:41:51. > :42:01.That fell over, I don't know if it's important. Hope not! Inside this
:42:01. > :42:02.
:42:02. > :42:07.door is microworld. Come on in. Now, what we've tried to do is shrink
:42:07. > :42:13.down three habitats here at Ynys-hir and make them into these
:42:13. > :42:17.package-sized bits here. What we have got is a pond. We've got like
:42:17. > :42:20.the mere, a bog here and a bit of forest. Let's have a look and see
:42:20. > :42:23.the sort of things that we've already been filming in here in the
:42:23. > :42:30.pond. Look at that! That's a uponster from
:42:30. > :42:35.the deep. It's a dragon fly larvae, incredibly carniverous. Watch out if
:42:35. > :42:39.I was a tadpole. We have frog and toad tadpoles. We'll watch them
:42:39. > :42:43.change. A stickle back, a bit of red on the tummy, it's nearly in
:42:43. > :42:49.breeding condition. There's a diving beetle, another massive carnivore.
:42:49. > :42:56.Here is another beetle, these are amazing. They can swim under water
:42:56. > :43:01.and they can fly. There's back to that scary dragon fly larvae.
:43:01. > :43:06.Those are all things here in this tank. And they're in your pond too.
:43:06. > :43:12.Here's the forest. Let's look at the sort of things we might find in the
:43:12. > :43:17.forest. You'll get an idea of scale. That is a common frog. It's only
:43:17. > :43:22.about a centimetre long. They've been having a wonderful time in the
:43:22. > :43:27.rain today. It better watch out when it gets bigger because the buzzards
:43:27. > :43:36.will have it. But the most exciting bit for me right now is the bog. You
:43:36. > :43:39.think what's exciting about that? Look at that! That is a trifid, a
:43:39. > :43:44.carniverous plant. How does it work? How does it eat things? We've
:43:45. > :43:50.already filmed it. Have a look at this.
:43:50. > :43:56.There's the sundew. It needs to supplement its photo synthesis with
:43:56. > :44:00.other nutrients. There's the dew. It's complicated because it has to
:44:00. > :44:09.attract insects to it. Here's something creeping in.
:44:09. > :44:14.Will it get it? Oh, yes. Now of course, not only will it attract the
:44:14. > :44:18.insect in, it now has to be sticky and the insect sticks to it. Now
:44:18. > :44:24.what? How is it actually going to digest it? Over time, now this is
:44:24. > :44:27.timelapse, it's speeded up over ten hours, the sundew grows around the
:44:28. > :44:35.animal that it's caught. Let's see that again. It's a bit big for it
:44:35. > :44:40.that one. But you get the idea of what's going on.
:44:40. > :44:45.So we will be following all these micro world stories, as the weeks
:44:45. > :44:48.progress. But isn't it always the case when you get down into that
:44:48. > :44:52.miniature world things that seem ordinary can become extraordinary.
:44:52. > :44:57.Take snails. Common or fareden snails, hardly give them a second
:44:58. > :45:04.thought unless they are eating my beans but nay have exotic and
:45:04. > :45:14.thrilling sex lives. Particularly when it comes to the use of love
:45:14. > :45:33.
:45:33. > :45:35.Under this pot lies a cluster of garden snails. No longer
:45:35. > :45:39.hibernating, they are ready to come out of their shells and live a
:45:40. > :45:49.little. Preferably under the cover of
:45:50. > :45:54.
:45:54. > :46:00.It is early evening and rain showers have encouraging these molluscs so
:46:00. > :46:10.move from their daytime hiding place.
:46:10. > :46:12.
:46:12. > :46:21.Adult garden snails travel at dizzying speeds of 1.3 centimetres
:46:21. > :46:26.per second. They do so, by moving forward on
:46:26. > :46:30.their large muscular foot, a layer of mucus reduces friction and
:46:30. > :46:35.enables the snail to tackle any surface.
:46:35. > :46:41.Tonight, the priority is love. And at this snail party, they are
:46:41. > :46:46.all eyeing up a potential mate. Nearby, is a close cousin, this slug
:46:46. > :46:56.is following a pheromone trail the find a mate. With snails, it appears
:46:56. > :46:58.
:46:58. > :47:03.to be a bit more of a random thing. Snails are hermaphrodites. They have
:47:03. > :47:08.male and fey mail reproduct tiff organ, however they usually prefer
:47:08. > :47:13.to mate in pair, it is a process that is one of nature's most bizarre
:47:13. > :47:18.rituals. Courting begins with a slow dance.
:47:18. > :47:28.Followed by a bit of tentacle touching as things get a bit more
:47:28. > :47:36.
:47:36. > :47:46.Neither snail can hear the other. Interaction relies on their sense of
:47:46. > :47:56.Interaction relies on their sense of As these snails reach the final
:47:56. > :47:58.
:47:58. > :48:04.stage of their elaborate courtship, Each one attempts to fire a love
:48:04. > :48:09.dart into the other. It is a calcium spear, up to half a centimetre long
:48:09. > :48:14.that pierces its partner. It is a violent process but one that can
:48:14. > :48:19.double the chances of successful reproduction.
:48:19. > :48:25.After half an hour, the courting is over and things progress to the next
:48:25. > :48:31.stage. For up to ten hours these snails will mate, with both
:48:31. > :48:38.exchanging sperm. Each one will then lay up to 80 eggs in some shady
:48:38. > :48:43.soil. Snails in the garden come in a range
:48:43. > :48:50.of size and species. In a few week time there will be other tiny ones
:48:50. > :49:00.the size of rain drop drops result of tonight's love match.
:49:00. > :49:09.
:49:09. > :49:16.Other snails have another objective to satisfy tonight. Hunger.
:49:16. > :49:21.But that is all together a different adventure.
:49:21. > :49:28.And that is why we pay our license fee! Britain might well have talent,
:49:28. > :49:33.but it doesn't have snail erotica. That is something to behold, isn't
:49:33. > :49:39.it, and the whole process, takes a matter of hours. They will often be
:49:39. > :49:44.entwined for up to six hours, and what about those love darts? Those
:49:44. > :49:48.love darts, those extraordinary thing, you have some electron
:49:48. > :49:54.scanning pictures of the love dart here. These tiny thing, sometimes
:49:54. > :50:01.only up to half a centimetre long, sometimes, in the larger snails,
:50:01. > :50:05.three centimetres long, imagine that shot into you. It is to carry a
:50:05. > :50:09.bioactive chemical. This is drug stabbing time for snails and the
:50:09. > :50:13.drug they require is this chemical which making sure when they pass the
:50:13. > :50:19.sperm from one snail to another, it isn't I do jested in the gut of the
:50:19. > :50:29.snail. If they fire these, because they are not all the same. Here is
:50:29. > :50:34.
:50:34. > :50:39.another, what we call a gypsobellum. They come in a great range of shapes
:50:39. > :50:44.and sizes, you can identify the species by looking at its dart. Once
:50:44. > :50:49.they have fired them they need to penetrate to work, and if you miss,
:50:49. > :50:56.it is a catastrophe because it takes a week to produce another one in a
:50:56. > :51:01.special organ called, tucked inside the snail. It is amazing. And as you
:51:01. > :51:06.say sometimes they miss. It slips over the snail doesn't it. I hate it
:51:06. > :51:10.when it slips of the snail. I doesn't work then. As much as 99% of
:51:10. > :51:18.the sperm which is passed is digested, that is if they don't get
:51:18. > :51:22.the dart in. If they hit their mark, then they basically score a greater
:51:22. > :51:27.chance of reproductive successful I am going to keep these. I have
:51:27. > :51:31.another great photoment look at this. Here is something else that is
:51:31. > :51:40.fascinating, it is slugs mating but one of you guys is going to have
:51:40. > :51:47.explain what is going on there. . May I? This is a special word for
:51:47. > :51:52.Springwatch. It is fantastic. These slugs are hermaphrodite, and these
:51:52. > :51:57.are the penis, coming out of their heads, they intwine like this, and
:51:57. > :52:01.sometimes they get so intwined they cannot extricate themselves, so what
:52:01. > :52:06.they do is they bite them off, and in that way, they separate
:52:06. > :52:14.themselves, that isn't the end of it. It is not a problem. It is not a
:52:14. > :52:19.problem. 50% of the audience thinks it is a pretty big problem. Next
:52:19. > :52:24.time they only use the female organs the next time. Can I say it is part
:52:24. > :52:31.of summer of wildlife. You could see that in your garden. It is not that
:52:31. > :52:34.exotic. Hanging on a thread of slime. Doing it in your own garden.
:52:34. > :52:39.Can I say something sensible. Thank you to Claire for that photograph.
:52:39. > :52:44.It is a good point. Those are two creatures, the snails and slugs that
:52:44. > :52:48.you can find in a garden, just like this garden here, that you can take
:52:48. > :52:51.for granted, but don't, look at them closer and they are absolutely
:52:51. > :52:57.fascinating. Now, on Springwatch we promised you
:52:57. > :53:01.science, think we have done, We have ticked the science box.
:53:02. > :53:05.Love darts! We promise you drama. One of my favourite characters from
:53:05. > :53:09.last year, one of my favourite birds is the osprey, they certainly gave
:53:09. > :53:13.us plenty of drama during the breeding season last year. Well, it
:53:13. > :53:23.doesn't look like things are going to change, already Monty the male is
:53:23. > :53:29.having a bit of a dramatic time. It is early spring on the Dyfi
:53:29. > :53:32.Estuary and the ospreys are due back at the reserve any way.
:53:32. > :53:37.Ospreys hadn't bred in this part for centuries.
:53:37. > :53:42.So there was a huge amount of excitement, back in 2011, when a
:53:42. > :53:46.male named Monty paired up with a female, Nora, and they produced the
:53:46. > :53:51.first chicks seen here for over 400 years.
:53:51. > :53:55.Over the past two years this successful pair had six chicks.
:53:55. > :54:00.So this year, everyone was eagerly awaiting their return.
:54:00. > :54:05.But, by the beginning of April, there is still no sign of either of
:54:05. > :54:11.them. Finally, on the fifth April a female
:54:12. > :54:21.arrives but it isn't Nora. It is a new female they have named Ellen.
:54:21. > :54:26.Ellen waits for a mate to turn up. But after two days, she moves on.
:54:26. > :54:31.The very next morning, Monty finally lands.
:54:31. > :54:34.He looks in great condition after his long journey from Africa. But he
:54:34. > :54:40.is alone. It looks like he has missed his
:54:40. > :54:44.chance of pairing up by just a few hours.
:54:44. > :54:51.Oblivious to his missed opportunity, Monty prepares the nest, and waits
:54:51. > :54:59.for Nora to return. He carefully builds an egg cup,
:54:59. > :55:03.ready for laying. But in vain. Two weeks pass. The breeding season
:55:03. > :55:08.is well under way in other nests so the pressure is on.
:55:08. > :55:16.It doesn't look like Nora has survived her migration this year.
:55:16. > :55:21.Is Monty destined to be alone? After another two day, a female
:55:21. > :55:28.finally arrives. She is name named Seren, the Welsh
:55:28. > :55:31.word for star, she looks weak, hungry and thin.
:55:31. > :55:41.Monty wasted no time in bringing food to his potential new partner,
:55:41. > :55:58.
:55:58. > :56:08.trying to impress her with his She is ravenous and it looks like
:56:08. > :56:12.
:56:12. > :56:17.she doesn't want to share her meal. Monty displays over head, but Se Rex
:56:17. > :56:22.en -- Seren only seem seems interested in the fish. She calls
:56:22. > :56:32.for food. Monty tries to keep up with her appetite. Even if she
:56:32. > :56:36.
:56:36. > :56:43.doesn't have a good grasp of the Over the next few days, Monty brings
:56:43. > :56:53.in a varietity of fish. And tries to win over her with his
:56:53. > :56:58.
:56:58. > :57:05.But while he is away from the nest, she leaves. Was she just using Monty
:57:05. > :57:10.as a pit-stop, on her way another male? Shocker!
:57:10. > :57:20.Monty returns, to an empty nest. He is alone again.
:57:20. > :57:20.
:57:20. > :57:25.All is quiet on the Dyfi Estuary but it won't stay that way for long.
:57:25. > :57:32.I tell you what it kicks off tomorrow. Handbags at dawn. It is
:57:32. > :57:35.terrible. I feel sorry for Monty. has all the ladies chasing after him
:57:35. > :57:42.tomorrow. We are giving it away. Questions have come in. One for you
:57:42. > :57:48.Chris. Lucy says I heard a cuckoo above me, never heard one so close,
:57:48. > :57:53.loud and clear, in between was a garageling, a throat clearing sound,
:57:53. > :57:57.cuckoo with a sore throat? They produce a bubbling call, it is like
:57:57. > :58:01.when you stick a straw into a glass of lemonade and you blow this jet of
:58:01. > :58:06.air, and it makes this bubbling call, you need to be close to them
:58:06. > :58:16.to hear that. So typically you hear it call, but that bubble, that is
:58:16. > :58:16.
:58:16. > :58:25.special. Is that the female?The female produces the call. You said
:58:25. > :58:29.it was like a sore throat! S We have been sent wonderful footage of
:58:29. > :58:32.hedgehogs by Barry. Here they are. Once they have come out of
:58:32. > :58:38.hibernation. Once they have come out, they go straight into mating
:58:38. > :58:42.quickly and I think this is two males, having a serious punch up. I
:58:42. > :58:52.think that, the one curled up is a coward. He is much bigger than the
:58:52. > :58:56.
:58:56. > :59:03.other one. He is giving up. Let us look at live cameras. : Let us look
:59:03. > :59:08.at the buzzard. Brooding all day, soaking wets, we have to take our
:59:08. > :59:12.hats off to this animal. It has been a dreadful day and it has done
:59:12. > :59:16.sterling duty keeping the chick warm and incubating the egg. Only a
:59:16. > :59:20.couple of times we have seen it stand up, turn round and stretch its
:59:21. > :59:27.leg, that is what it is all about. Those young buzzards are very
:59:27. > :59:31.susceptible at this time. Let us go to the great tits. It is late in
:59:31. > :59:36.evening. She must be reaching for a faecal sac there. Let us see what
:59:36. > :59:39.she pulls out. I think there might be a bit of a runt there. There is
:59:39. > :59:47.one that is not coming up to feed as much.
:59:47. > :59:53.Gosh. Let us leave our great tit rummaging in the bottom. Wa have we
:59:53. > :59:58.got coming up for the week? We have Iolo Williams and the gannets, the
:59:58. > :00:03.animals plunging under the water and seizing fish. More osprey, the drama
:00:03. > :00:08.is unfold folding down the road at the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trus.
:00:08. > :00:12.And will the jackdaws get kicked out of their nest? And also, will the
:00:12. > :00:17.water rail manage to survive as the water rises round the nest? Let us
:00:17. > :00:21.hope so. All that tomorrow. Don't forget to follow the link on the
:00:21. > :00:25.website to find out more about summer of wildlife. Our live cams
:00:25. > :00:29.will be on the red button, the website, and on your mobile phones.