:00:00. > :00:12.It's a magical evening here at RSPB Minsmere, the stuff of fairy tales,
:00:13. > :00:17.which is just as well, because we are going to be putting the beauty
:00:18. > :00:21.into our beasts. Tonight our buties and our beasts have got competition
:00:22. > :00:28.from one of the nation's most loved - the spiky but adorable hedgehog.
:00:29. > :00:48.The sun is shining, things are hotting up. Welcome to Springwatch.
:00:49. > :00:56.Hello and welcome to Springwatch 2014, and what an amazing evening
:00:57. > :01:00.we've got. It is beautiful. It is warm, it's sunny. I don't think
:01:01. > :01:05.there's a rain cloud in the sky, for once. It is a pleasure to be live
:01:06. > :01:09.here at the RSPB Minsmere on the Suffolk coast. We've been here a
:01:10. > :01:15.couple of weeks looking at the habitats and the species. It is a
:01:16. > :01:19.tremendous spot to base ourselves. Part of the Sussex coast area of
:01:20. > :01:27.outstanding natural beauty. It is full of beauty. A range of species,
:01:28. > :01:33.including our raptors, plenty of insects, the scarlet tiger, otters,
:01:34. > :01:38.some deer lurking in the reeds, and one of our favourite reed bed
:01:39. > :01:44.species, the bearded tit. It is a good variety. We arrived here with a
:01:45. > :01:49.truck load of cameras and cables and we've been filming all over the
:01:50. > :01:53.reserve, so we got to know not just the ecology but the wild life, and
:01:54. > :01:59.not just our cast of characters. It is hard to keep up with them. Kev
:02:00. > :02:04.got some A-listers and top of the poppers, and our leading lady is the
:02:05. > :02:09.bittern and her chicks. And there she is, live. Really fantastic to
:02:10. > :02:18.see her and herself go growing chicks. Looks like she's settling
:02:19. > :02:23.down for a rest. Brooding and she is reaching over the side of the nest.
:02:24. > :02:30.They do continue to add to the nest but you would have thought she would
:02:31. > :02:36.given up. She's been off the nest a lot in the last few days. She has.
:02:37. > :02:40.Let's look and really enjoy her chicks. They are growing day by day,
:02:41. > :02:45.but make the most of them, because in the next day or so they are going
:02:46. > :02:52.to do what I'm calling semi-fledging. What do you mean
:02:53. > :02:57."semi-fledging"? They will still rely on their mother for another for
:02:58. > :03:04.our five weeks. You can't just come on this programme and make up your
:03:05. > :03:10.own ornithological terminology. I might semi fledge myself! Those
:03:11. > :03:14.bitternses are doing it for Chris, but there is another contender for
:03:15. > :03:19.the most popular animal of Springwatch this year. He's scruffy,
:03:20. > :03:26.he's squawky, he's covered in slime. It is Grub, the tawny owl chick, and
:03:27. > :03:35.he lives in this tree. You sold him well, Martin. There he is, sitting
:03:36. > :03:39.there. He's showing himself tonight, sitting is out and about. Oh look at
:03:40. > :03:44.that face. Isn't it cute? Very sweet. It is a face only a mother
:03:45. > :03:51.could love. Well, some mothers do after 'em don't they? No! He isn't
:03:52. > :03:57.very beautiful, he wants a wet-wipe to clean that face up. It is hard to
:03:58. > :04:01.imagine that beautiful thing will turn into a beautiful owl one day.
:04:02. > :04:19.Gorgeous. We asked you last night if you could help us by going on
:04:20. > :04:28.#grubsgrub This one says a. 15am, another big fat slug. At this rate
:04:29. > :04:34.they'll be extinct by dawn. It's We had our cameras on Grub and it was
:04:35. > :04:43.slug night last night. The parents brought in 13 slugs. It is grub
:04:44. > :04:48.slugs. I don't think Grub's all that keen, do you? It is pitch black
:04:49. > :04:53.there, so we can't, but I think he can see it, Chris. He knows it is
:04:54. > :04:58.there. Just like your kids when they try and hated under a fork. That's
:04:59. > :05:05.the avian equivalent of an overboiled sprout. I used to do this
:05:06. > :05:11.as a kid, I would push the sprouts to the edge of the plate and pretend
:05:12. > :05:15.my fork couldn't stick in them. I've got another theory. I think he's not
:05:16. > :05:21.eating it because he's heard we are taking the Mickey out of his name.
:05:22. > :05:28.He's got it! The dinner lady used to get me by the scruff of the neck and
:05:29. > :05:35.push it into my mouth. If you would like to keep an eye on Grub over the
:05:36. > :05:43.weekend it is bbc.co.uk/springwatch. I shall be watching. At 4. 04 in the
:05:44. > :05:49.morning? No! Last week we had a lot of drama with our rabbits nest. This
:05:50. > :05:53.week it's happened on the scrape. This is where we've got our
:05:54. > :05:58.ground-nesting birds, our gulls, our avocets. A bit of noise now but it
:05:59. > :06:04.is quite calm. There's been a lot of commotion on that scrape. There's
:06:05. > :06:10.been a lot of predation, so we wanted to know what happens there at
:06:11. > :06:15.night. We sent down a cameraman with a thermal camera. Remember, white is
:06:16. > :06:20.the cold, where you see the dark patches, that is heat, which is why
:06:21. > :06:26.you can see all the bats. Wonderful to see bats. It looks eerie.
:06:27. > :06:30.Remember, it is dark. There's a lot of our nesting birds, our
:06:31. > :06:35.black-headed gulls. You can see how hot their heads are. And look at
:06:36. > :06:41.Audrey, how hot her feet are, and the eggs. They are glowing. And
:06:42. > :06:47.those are the avocets. It is dark. They are feeling for their food.
:06:48. > :06:52.They can't see it. All seems very calm. Then something clearly
:06:53. > :06:57.disturbs the peace. There's a whole load of squawking. Look at what's
:06:58. > :07:02.appeared on one of the islands. It's a badger. That must have travelled
:07:03. > :07:05.some distance to get there. At least a kilometre. It is having a real
:07:06. > :07:10.sniff around, nose to the ground. a kilometre. It is having a real
:07:11. > :07:15.Looking for something to eat, Chris. Yes, it is. And it finds something.
:07:16. > :07:20.It focuses on this one spot for quite some time. I think that's
:07:21. > :07:26.probably a blackheaded gull's nest with eggs and it is helping itself
:07:27. > :07:31.to those eggs. It stays there snuffling about for quite a while.
:07:32. > :07:37.It's got to get off that bit of the scrape somehow. What's it going to
:07:38. > :07:42.do? This is what it's got to do. Amazingly, the badger takes to the
:07:43. > :07:49.water. It turns out it is a powerful swimmer. I've never seen a badger
:07:50. > :07:54.swim like that before. It looks like a mini polar bear. Those avocets
:07:55. > :07:59.can't see it but they can hear something flashing behind them. That
:08:00. > :08:03.frightens them off the water. He's swimming powerfully across that
:08:04. > :08:08.water. I've never seen a badger swim before, but I'm sure they do. When
:08:09. > :08:12.we had the floods, they are on the banks. It eventually gets to one of
:08:13. > :08:21.the other islands on the scrape, has a bit of a shake, gets rid of that
:08:22. > :08:27.cold water. Sniffing about, a bit of a scent mark there. A bit more
:08:28. > :08:33.shaking, but nose to the ground again. He's clearly after more food.
:08:34. > :08:42.On this occasion, it doesn't appear to find it. He's just going to move
:08:43. > :08:49.off now. Disappear into the rushes. That's amazing. It was. We didn't
:08:50. > :08:54.expect to get that at all did we? Not at all. I was interested to see
:08:55. > :08:59.what they are eating. We know they are omnivores. We've seen the
:09:00. > :09:06.badgers here eat earthworms and that's the main diet of badgers. But
:09:07. > :09:12.they are opportunistic. They like, they are like stoats and weasels,
:09:13. > :09:25.they will eat whatever they can find - trying, fungus, carrion, Beatles.
:09:26. > :09:31.The diet of the badger has been studied over the UK. While they do
:09:32. > :09:35.occasionally take birds, their eggs and nestlings, that's only for a
:09:36. > :09:39.couple of months a year. It is thought they have little or no
:09:40. > :09:45.impact at all on bird population. It is just during this particular time
:09:46. > :09:50.of the year, if they come across them, they will help themselves to a
:09:51. > :09:57.nestful of eggs. The RSPB have fences if up, so how did the badger
:09:58. > :10:01.get on to the scrape? We have filmed the badgers climbing. Here's the
:10:02. > :10:07.badger. You will probably remember this from last week. They turned out
:10:08. > :10:12.to be remarkably good climbers. There is just a chance it might have
:10:13. > :10:16.climbed up and over the fences, the RSPB have put in place. On the other
:10:17. > :10:22.hand, badgers are tremendously good diggers. They could have dug
:10:23. > :10:26.underneath that fence. Or that's the Steve McQueen of badgers, it could
:10:27. > :10:32.have got on to a motorcycle and jumped over the fence. They will try
:10:33. > :10:39.something like that. Joking apart, RSPB are glad we managed to film
:10:40. > :10:45.that. Before, they had only heard apocryphal stories. We wanted to
:10:46. > :10:47.find out about badgearies and we certainly found out some really
:10:48. > :10:53.interesting things. It is great to know what we found out will help the
:10:54. > :10:58.RSPB We hoped we found out something for the RSPB, but the people of Holt
:10:59. > :11:03.in Norfolk have helped scientists find out something very significant
:11:04. > :11:09.about a much-favoured bird in our back gardens, the blackbird.
:11:10. > :11:18.We all know what small towns can be like. Everyone knows everyone else's
:11:19. > :11:22.business. But here in the suburbs of Holt in Norfolk, these are not nosey
:11:23. > :11:29.neighbours. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are in fact key
:11:30. > :11:37.players in what I can only describe as cutting edge scientific research.
:11:38. > :11:40.For the last seven years, Dave Leech from the British Trust for
:11:41. > :11:44.Ornithology has been running an intensive study on one of the
:11:45. > :11:50.nation's favourites - blackbirds. They are a fascinating species. They
:11:51. > :11:56.have done really well in urban garden environments. Part of me
:11:57. > :11:59.wants to know why that is. Originally woodland bird, 30% of
:12:00. > :12:06.blackbirds are now thought to breed in gardens. Dave wants to know how
:12:07. > :12:12.well they survive in a suburb an environment. They are pretty tricky
:12:13. > :12:17.to tell apart, so Dave tags them with different combinations of
:12:18. > :12:24.coloured rings. I think a blackbird would look rather snappy with those
:12:25. > :12:30.around his leg. I've already rung 450 individuals since 2007 in this
:12:31. > :12:32.garden. So birds that look identical suddenly become identifiable to
:12:33. > :12:36.anyone. Everybody in the neighbourhood can essentially do the
:12:37. > :12:42.job I'm doing. With all the people around, a you've got all these other
:12:43. > :12:46.pairs of eyes looking out. I've got all these spotters waiting to tell
:12:47. > :12:50.me where my birds are, are it is fantastic. This is proper community
:12:51. > :12:54.signs in action. Brilliant. Over the past seven years Dave's had 46,000
:12:55. > :12:59.records of sightings of his colouring birds sent to him by his
:13:00. > :13:03.crack team of spotters. Most of them are living pretty much in front of
:13:04. > :13:08.us. We've got a few to the right of us, just a couple down the road. And
:13:09. > :13:18.we've got one all the way over there in the distance on the other side of
:13:19. > :13:22.the bypass. Meet the Holt bird observers, affectionately known
:13:23. > :13:26.(Inaudible) The good old blackbird has provided us with enormous
:13:27. > :13:32.entertainment. I did have one in the playground. One was on the swings,
:13:33. > :13:37.swooped in and the bird swooped off with it. Even now we are seeing new
:13:38. > :13:43.ones coming into the garden every day. I think it could really catch
:13:44. > :13:47.on. Neighbourhood Watch with a twixts You can identify them very
:13:48. > :13:54.easily. Blue over black, green over metal. There's a female coming into
:13:55. > :13:59.the garden, she's triple orange, known as Jaffa. Yellow over orange
:14:00. > :14:04.and red. Bet you can't remember its ring pattern. If it was red over
:14:05. > :14:09.blue and metal over white. Serious skills. Just like humans they have
:14:10. > :14:11.personalities. We are fond of them, because these colours have given us
:14:12. > :14:13.a chance to because these colours have given us
:14:14. > :14:18.a chance positively identify individual birds. A lot of people
:14:19. > :14:23.look out for the first swallow. We look out for the first blackbird. It
:14:24. > :14:27.is great to be part of it. I'm hooked from the start. The whole
:14:28. > :14:32.neighbourhood seems to have caught the blackbird bug, but top of the
:14:33. > :14:46.spotters with 33,000 records to her name is Dave's mum, Barbara. Can eat
:14:47. > :14:51.my breakfast while I'm recording. Then I stop for lunch. You get
:14:52. > :14:59.cross-eyed if you have been doing it for hours! You are addicted! Dave
:15:00. > :15:03.rings the birds in his mum's garden, so she gets to know them right from
:15:04. > :15:08.the start. Orange black green will chase anyone
:15:09. > :15:13.off, male or female. You know them as individuals.
:15:14. > :15:17.Orange, black, green, a bit of a tartar! Absolutely.
:15:18. > :15:22.I know birds like that! This mountain of data has shown that the
:15:23. > :15:28.black birds here are living up to eight years. And the survival rate
:15:29. > :15:34.from one year to the next is about 59%. Almost the same as in their
:15:35. > :15:38.original woodland habitat. But Barbara's records have revealed
:15:39. > :15:41.something else, something truly astonishing. How many different
:15:42. > :15:51.individual black birds might you see? Today it has been 73 ringed
:15:52. > :15:55.ones... 73 different birds have come through your garden today? ! Yep.
:15:56. > :16:00.Did you think when you started that there would be anything like that
:16:01. > :16:07.number? No. Or perhaps I wouldn't have been prepared to do it! So hang
:16:08. > :16:13.on, I think, when I look out in my garden, that I have got maybe one
:16:14. > :16:21.male and female, that is wrong. I will never look at my black birds
:16:22. > :16:25.the same again. I had no idea! 73? ! That is staggering. I found that
:16:26. > :16:31.surprising. I knew I had more than two. In the winter we get the
:16:32. > :16:38.Scandinavians with the dark bakes but if you had said how many black
:16:39. > :16:42.birds in the garden? I would have said ten, 15, maximum.
:16:43. > :16:47.Dave would like more members of the community to get involved in the
:16:48. > :16:51.project. He has good coverage but the more the better. We are learn
:16:52. > :16:55.being the black birds, about where they travel to, how long they live.
:16:56. > :17:00.They were a species in decline for a while. We can never rest. There is
:17:01. > :17:05.no sign of complacency when it comes to conservation. So if you are in
:17:06. > :17:11.Hoult, get hold of Dave and the BTA to join the project.
:17:12. > :17:17.Now, bitterns are doing it for some. The tawny owl for others but for
:17:18. > :17:20.some of you it is cuckoozilla, the fastest-growing chick in the
:17:21. > :17:29.Springwatch cast. This is a reminder of who cuckoozilla is. This is a
:17:30. > :17:35.reed warbler's nest, a cuckoo has parasitised it with a cuckoo chick.
:17:36. > :17:42.Here are the parents, looking confused but feeding it. With
:17:43. > :17:52.strength, the strength of Hercules, the chick ejected the bird's chick
:17:53. > :17:57.into the water and then end the cuckoozilla begged for food and grew
:17:58. > :18:01.and grew, as if training for an iron man contest and just about squeezed
:18:02. > :18:07.in the nest. That was Monday. He is looking huge and still very hungry.
:18:08. > :18:11.Look at that. Both of them atentively feeding.
:18:12. > :18:16.An unbelievable appetite. Well, would you like to see what he looks
:18:17. > :18:22.like today? A few days later, a drum roll... This is what he looks like.
:18:23. > :18:27.Pretty enormous. He has a massive gape. The feathers have developed.
:18:28. > :18:30.The parents are not sure what to do. They are working hard to keep
:18:31. > :18:36.feeding him. It is not fair. Constantly begging.
:18:37. > :18:43.But he is getting a brood load of food. They would have had five, or
:18:44. > :18:50.maybe six lots of food going into the one chick now.
:18:51. > :18:56.But this is cometical. The poor reed warbler parent is trying to get on
:18:57. > :19:01.top of him and brood him. That is funny.
:19:02. > :19:07.It is. Cuckoozilla, I can't wait until he grows bigger and starts to
:19:08. > :19:12.stamp add through a city like a giant reptile. In 3D, actually.
:19:13. > :19:16.He does not fledge for another few days.
:19:17. > :19:20.Maybe at the end of our time here. It will be interesting to see just
:19:21. > :19:25.how big he gets. If it gets windy, cuckoos can blow
:19:26. > :19:35.out of the nest as they are so heavy. And if there is a lot of rain
:19:36. > :19:39.it washes the food off the leaves. That could make him fly off.
:19:40. > :19:43.An interesting question, lots of you have been asking this, how do the
:19:44. > :19:48.cuckoos match the egg colour to the host species? The answer is
:19:49. > :19:56.evolution but let's have a look at the process. Here is a female cuckoo
:19:57. > :20:01.on a reed warbler's nest it has found the nest, flies in, it picks
:20:02. > :20:06.up the egg, and eats that for its own source of protein.
:20:07. > :20:14.Then she reaches down into the nest and picks up her egg. Sometimes they
:20:15. > :20:20.remove one, sometimes a couple, never all. But then look at this.
:20:21. > :20:27.This is a funny look, this is her laying the egg into that nest. And
:20:28. > :20:33.when we look into the nest, you can see although it is larger it is
:20:34. > :20:37.almost a perfect match. The closer the match, the greater chance that
:20:38. > :20:44.the reed warblers will accept that egg. Look at this: Here are two of
:20:45. > :20:49.David Leech's photographs. The one on the left that showance egg that
:20:50. > :20:57.is a good match, larger. Look at the one on the right, though that egg is
:20:58. > :21:11.a lot more red. Each female cuckoo can only lay one type of egg. They
:21:12. > :21:15.basically lay one pattern of egg. So a reed warbler cuckoo will always
:21:16. > :21:18.lay them. But there is a greater likelihood that they will not be
:21:19. > :21:24.rejected if they are closer in match. He is finding that there are
:21:25. > :21:29.ten lots of eggs laid by the one female but only three with the red
:21:30. > :21:33.eggs, that is because the reed warblers are seeing them and
:21:34. > :21:36.chucking them out. So evolution drives the design of a better
:21:37. > :21:42.camouflaged egg. Incredible. Nature is amazing. It
:21:43. > :21:45.never creases to amaze me. Here in Minsmere, we are in the heart of
:21:46. > :21:51.Suffolk, surrounded by the countryside. But in the heart of the
:21:52. > :21:58.city you need a little wildlife tranquility. Sophie Darlington went
:21:59. > :22:14.to film hers in a surprising place, right near King's Cross station.
:22:15. > :22:31.London... One of the busiest capital cities in Europe.
:22:32. > :22:38.It is chaotic, frenetic, busy, hassled.
:22:39. > :22:43.The building sites go nonstop from dawn to dust. The biggest building
:22:44. > :22:49.site in Europe is just a couple of metres away. There is the Eurostar
:22:50. > :23:01.terminal. And literally, you turn a corner and there is a sense of peace
:23:02. > :23:10.and sanctuary. In the midst of all of this urban
:23:11. > :23:17.madness, Camney Street Natural Park is a haven, not only for us but for
:23:18. > :23:22.all of the wildlife. Coming in to the park here is like
:23:23. > :23:31.coming into a different world. It is almost a secret garden.
:23:32. > :23:48.It's not managed, it is not manicured. It feels untouched and
:23:49. > :23:54.wild. It's the most wonderful place for children to come and connect
:23:55. > :24:00.with nature. I've watched school visits come in and the kids light
:24:01. > :24:06.up. They get down on their bellies and they get lost in that world with
:24:07. > :24:19.their magnifying glasses and it's an amazing thing to see!
:24:20. > :24:34.Watching the coots with the chick, the bakes, almost as if they are
:24:35. > :24:41.dipped in mercury... -- beaks. There is pretty much beauty, everywhere
:24:42. > :24:46.you look. The yellow-flagged irises are just popping. The bees are going
:24:47. > :24:58.to them and all the kids are going to them too, like everyone is drawn
:24:59. > :25:04.to their bright colour. The cow parsley is a personal
:25:05. > :25:10.favourite. There is an ethereal beauty to it that I find very
:25:11. > :25:18.moving, actually. Listening to the wrens in the morning, shouting! It
:25:19. > :25:38.is so out of proportion to their size. We found a swan and there she
:25:39. > :25:45.is with a huge clutch of egg, maybe eight eggs. Her nest is carefully
:25:46. > :25:53.tended bags and flip-flops. She's right by a really busy restaurant.
:25:54. > :25:59.The pair are just getting on with turning their egg, breeding, doing
:26:00. > :26:14.what nature tells them to do - it is springtime, get busy! Every city,
:26:15. > :26:23.every borough needs a place like Camney Street.
:26:24. > :26:28.It's not a place that shouts, it doesn't not say look at me, look at
:26:29. > :26:34.me, I am full of rare and exciting animals. It does the opposite but
:26:35. > :26:39.that is its beauty it is wild. It is a little piece of the countryside
:26:40. > :26:49.right in the centre of London where people can escape... Where wildlife
:26:50. > :27:06.can escape... And find a haven. It's a place that inspires children
:27:07. > :27:12.and makes people smile. What a magical oasis in the heart of the
:27:13. > :27:18.city. But this does not look like an oasis it is full of prambles. But
:27:19. > :27:25.bromblees are amazing things. They grow so fast. Look at this. This is
:27:26. > :27:30.classic footage. It is speeded up, of course but they do grow prambles
:27:31. > :27:38.astonishingly at about three inches per day if the conditions are
:27:39. > :27:45.perfect! Look at that! Right, let's start lopping. Stop! Don't lop your
:27:46. > :27:52.brmblees! It turns out bromblees are the most astonishing habitat for
:27:53. > :27:57.birds. In this area here, our camera team have found no less than ten
:27:58. > :28:00.different species of birds nesting here. But why? What makes the
:28:01. > :28:04.prambles so good? I want you to here. But why? What makes the
:28:05. > :28:10.imagine you are a sparrowhawk. Throaty is a nest there. You plunge
:28:11. > :28:17.in... Ouch! You would not plunge in, would you? You would get stuck,
:28:18. > :28:22.completely stuck. So if you nest in here it is wonderful protection,
:28:23. > :28:27.especially gets the cats below. So you are protected inside here but
:28:28. > :28:33.look at these, these lovely flowers here. Lots and lots of insects come
:28:34. > :28:39.to the flowers. They will feed. These insects that we filmed, they
:28:40. > :28:44.are feeding on the flowers, so all sorts of things come to feed if you
:28:45. > :28:50.are a bird nesting herings, you can whip down and get a ready meal. So
:28:51. > :28:55.the bromblees are like bed and breakfast. They are protected but it
:28:56. > :28:58.is also food as well. Now perhaps the most precious bird that is
:28:59. > :29:04.nesting here is actually over there, a little further over it is the
:29:05. > :29:13.nightingale. Nightingales have dropped in numbers. We have lost
:29:14. > :29:19.about 60% of them. They are very, very precious. There is a chick.
:29:20. > :29:25.That nest is immaculate. They are clean and tidy parents.
:29:26. > :29:30.Interesting the nightingales as what the chicks do, they don't actually
:29:31. > :29:34.fledge, well they don't fly before leaving the nest. They will leave
:29:35. > :29:39.that nest quickly very soon in a few days. Possibly at the weekend. They
:29:40. > :29:43.will spend three to five days walking around inside the prambles,
:29:44. > :29:51.being protected by them so. This is very, very important for the
:29:52. > :29:57.nightingales. Brambles can you see just over there is a light and a
:29:58. > :30:02.little lamp? That is our goldfinch nest. We can go live to it right
:30:03. > :30:08.now. It is looking absolutely revolting. These are the slobs. The
:30:09. > :30:13.whole of the side of the nest is oathed with poo. They are just not
:30:14. > :30:18.taking it away. That was live. Let's see how the slobs have been dealing
:30:19. > :30:23.with the nest. We think this is a bit of a timing problem. The parents
:30:24. > :30:29.have been great. They are feeding the chicks, feeding them looks like
:30:30. > :30:36.a mush of seeds, but they are being very attentive, feeding all the
:30:37. > :30:41.chicks. But when the chicks poo, it seems parents don't time it right,
:30:42. > :30:47.don't seem to pick it up. They are picking it up now and eating it,
:30:48. > :30:52.which is fine, because it is not fully digested. It is quite
:30:53. > :30:58.nutritious for the parent. Then the parent flies off and the chick poos.
:30:59. > :31:06.They were not doing a tremendously good job. Such a beautiful bird with
:31:07. > :31:12.such a filthy nest. Let's go deeper into the brambles. I'm following
:31:13. > :31:17.these cables. Inside the brambles and just down there you can't see
:31:18. > :31:26.it, that is our bullfinch nest. Let's go live to it. These,
:31:27. > :31:30.remember, are lovebirds. That nest, the chicks are asleep. Look at the
:31:31. > :31:33.thorns. You can see how the brambles are protecting that nest. We've been
:31:34. > :31:41.following those birds, our lovebirds. Let's catch up with them.
:31:42. > :31:46.Remember, he's a bit of a toy boy. The male, that beautiful pink
:31:47. > :31:52.breast. He is one-year-old. She's two-year-old, we know that because
:31:53. > :31:54.of the ring on her leg. They do everything together - feed the
:31:55. > :31:59.chicks together, fly around together. They are the lovebirds in
:32:00. > :32:04.their lovely nest. Beautiful, the bullfinches. Now one more thing. I'm
:32:05. > :32:13.going to launch a new nest. I don't know if you can see, but just over
:32:14. > :32:20.there in the brambles is a brand-new nest, our whitethroat. He's just
:32:21. > :32:24.flown off! We must be quiet. Let's watch what the whitethroats have
:32:25. > :32:27.been doing. Beautiful little birds. A real specialist, a bramble
:32:28. > :32:35.specialist. They've come all the way from Africa. Can you imagine that,
:32:36. > :32:39.to nest here beside me. They tend to come back to the same area every
:32:40. > :32:43.single year. Here they are, both parents, very attentive. There are
:32:44. > :32:49.five chicks in there. We'll be keeping an eye on them over the
:32:50. > :32:58.weekend as they develop. Hate come back? Let me have a -- has
:32:59. > :33:03.it come back? Yes it is, it is sitting up there. Never mind. You
:33:04. > :33:10.can't do that sort of thing live. Back to Michaela.
:33:11. > :33:16.It is amazing how many nests are in those brambles, so put the secateurs
:33:17. > :33:20.away. We are going to ask you to get involved in a feed count, which
:33:21. > :33:25.involves you watching the nest, see how many times the chicks are fed.
:33:26. > :33:30.All the details are on the website - bbc.co.uk/springwatch.
:33:31. > :33:35.At the beginning of the show we promised you one of the Britain's
:33:36. > :33:42.most loved mammal arguments the hedgehog. Sadly we are seeing less
:33:43. > :33:48.and less of it. The UK's hedgehogs are in serious trouble. Changes in
:33:49. > :33:53.farming have meant we've lost thousands of miles of hedgerows,
:33:54. > :34:01.depriving hedgehogs of places to feed, shelter and find a partner.
:34:02. > :34:04.Although hedgehogs and badgers have coexisted for thousands of years,
:34:05. > :34:09.such changes in our countryside could mean that they are now
:34:10. > :34:15.competing for food. Badgers are also known to prey on hedgehogs, and in
:34:16. > :34:18.certain hot spots they might even be affecting hedgehog numbers. We are
:34:19. > :34:25.also putting pressure on hedgehogs in our towns and cities. To a
:34:26. > :34:30.hedgehog, overly manicured gardens are barren waste lands. Fences make
:34:31. > :34:35.gardens into fortresses, stopping movement between areas. And a cosy
:34:36. > :34:48.place to sleep can quickly turn into a death trap.
:34:49. > :34:56.Dr Phil Baker at the University of Reading wants to understand just how
:34:57. > :35:02.bad the decline is. Do we know how many hedgehogs there are roughly?
:35:03. > :35:06.The simple answer is nobody knows for sure, but we do know they've
:35:07. > :35:10.been declining. The study we are planning to undertake will begin to
:35:11. > :35:16.fill in the void. Phil is conducting this new research with the people's
:35:17. > :35:19.trust for endangered species and the British Hedgehog Preservation
:35:20. > :35:25.Society. They and every British hedgehog need your help. Hedgehogs
:35:26. > :35:31.do pose a bit of a problem when it comes to surveying. These footprint
:35:32. > :35:37.tunnels are ideal for this. This is a mammal trap. We've used these
:35:38. > :35:43.before on Springwatch. All we have a couple of pieces of paper at either
:35:44. > :35:48.end, some ink and food bait. The animal comes through, gets inky
:35:49. > :35:53.paws, has a nice meal and when he leaves, he leaveses his footprints
:35:54. > :35:58.behind. These publicy footprints are from hedgehogs. Could that footprint
:35:59. > :36:03.be mistaken for anything else? Fortunately not. They are very
:36:04. > :36:08.distinctive. And this is the sort of mammal trap you want people to use
:36:09. > :36:13.in the survey? Yes. It involves us supplying you with a set of ten
:36:14. > :36:15.tunnels and asking you to go to a particular location in England and
:36:16. > :36:19.Wales. Set the tunnels for five days and once we have that information,
:36:20. > :36:23.it will tell us where we do have hedgehogs at present. More
:36:24. > :36:28.importantly where we don't have hedgehogs. That information as a
:36:29. > :36:34.whole will enable us to quantify the factors that are affect hedgehogs.
:36:35. > :36:39.By setting up these traps you'll be able to collect valuable scientific
:36:40. > :36:44.data. If you are lucky, you may get a visitor. It is amazing this is the
:36:45. > :36:49.first scientific survey of hedgehogs in the UK. It is amazing for a
:36:50. > :36:54.species as iconic as hedgehogs that we don't know where they are at the
:36:55. > :36:56.current time. This is a valuable piece of work. And a great thing to
:36:57. > :37:09.do with the kids. Children love it. It is a great thing to do with the
:37:10. > :37:14.kids, but it is proper science. What you have to do, you have to give a
:37:15. > :37:18.bit of commitment. It is five nights thaw have to do it over, but you
:37:19. > :37:23.send off for all the stuff. You get September this and all the bits and
:37:24. > :37:27.pieces. If you do it, it will really help us understand how hedgehogs are
:37:28. > :37:32.doing nationwide and help us to make plans for the conservation of one of
:37:33. > :37:37.our most loved mammals and one of our most threatened. We think they
:37:38. > :37:41.have gone down by 35% in the last ten years, which is catastrophic.
:37:42. > :37:47.For this survey to work we need 400 sites all over the UK by next year,
:37:48. > :37:51.so if you can join, in it would be fabulous - bbc.co.uk/springwatch.
:37:52. > :37:56.The scrape so far has been a scene of turmoil. Predation and regurn
:37:57. > :39:00.takes. But sometimes it can be a Sea of Tranquillity.
:39:01. > :39:06.Absolutely gorgeous. It is really beautiful down there. In fact
:39:07. > :39:11.there's been more good news today on the scrape. We've seen these gulls,
:39:12. > :39:19.blackheaded gulls. They are starting to display to one another again.
:39:20. > :39:24.Despite having lost eggs. They are displaying, courting and mating
:39:25. > :39:30.again. We've even seen them starting to build nests as well. What we are
:39:31. > :39:34.thinking is that they may have lost eggs, but now they are thinking
:39:35. > :39:38.about doing it all over again. So life springs eternal. They are going
:39:39. > :39:42.to have another go. Do you think they will do that? If they've lost
:39:43. > :39:47.eggs I think there's a chance they'll start again. Normally if
:39:48. > :39:52.they've gone through the process of incubating the eggs, they've lost so
:39:53. > :39:56.much body mass and energy that starting from that point is too much
:39:57. > :40:02.to ask. But if they've lost eggs, they might start again. If you are a
:40:03. > :40:06.regular viewer and you've been watching Autumnwatch and winter
:40:07. > :40:16.watch, we've been involved with an exciting project with Dr Dawn Scott.
:40:17. > :40:23.We've radio collared a set of urban foxes. Let's see what we've found
:40:24. > :40:29.out so far. We have a fox. Fantastic, fantastic. It all started
:40:30. > :40:35.in September, with the collaring of foxes in the leafy suburbs and the
:40:36. > :40:40.tinker city. The data came pouring in, showing that foxes in both areas
:40:41. > :40:45.had spirit small home ranges. Just a few streets, and a handful of
:40:46. > :40:53.gardens. Dawn, look! That's brilliant. Fast food, either
:40:54. > :40:58.offered... Or taken, soon revealed why. We've had a great day. By going
:40:59. > :41:02.out into the field we've literally found out more, because this big
:41:03. > :41:07.clump here, which previously we knew was a Stott that the foxes were
:41:08. > :41:15.visiting, we now know is all down to the people in this flat throwing out
:41:16. > :41:18.foot at 8. 30pm. So, there field objects investigation, state of the
:41:19. > :41:23.art technology, we are learning a lot more about foxes already. By
:41:24. > :41:29.winter, with we were getting to know some remarkable characters. In the
:41:30. > :41:33.tinker city Silver was clearly the Dom. Come breeding position he was
:41:34. > :41:38.perfectly position to do so further his line. There's two on the roof.
:41:39. > :41:43.That's fantastic. I think that may be Silver. It looks like they are
:41:44. > :41:53.grooming. You can see the two together. But in the suburbs --
:41:54. > :41:57.suburbs, Fleet the fox embarked on a record-break journey. He cleared out
:41:58. > :42:01.of Brighton and headed off into rural krixtds there's so many foxes
:42:02. > :42:05.around and so many fox territories there was no space for him, so he
:42:06. > :42:11.kept on going. I think we are walking to find our friend, Fleet.
:42:12. > :42:18.We've got a bit of a road trip to go yet. His epic odyssey gave us new
:42:19. > :42:22.insight into the way urban foxes are spreading across the country. 315
:42:23. > :42:29.kilometres travelled in learn a month. That's amazing. -- in less
:42:30. > :42:35.than a month. That's amazing. Spring has revealed another side to these
:42:36. > :42:39.hugely adaptable creatures. Even in the most built-up areas they find
:42:40. > :42:43.places and ways to rear the next generation. It is no wonder the
:42:44. > :42:49.urban fox is a common sight in nearly every British city.
:42:50. > :42:54.Dawn, thank you very much for making the long journey all the way to
:42:55. > :42:58.Brighton. We appreciate that. We've learned a tremendous amount about
:42:59. > :43:06.these animals. What are the key findings from your point of view? I
:43:07. > :43:11.think Fleet showed us there's no spatial boundaries between urban fox
:43:12. > :43:16.in the intermingle. The data shows us how they use the human
:43:17. > :43:20.environment and how important we are to affecting their behaviour. And
:43:21. > :43:23.sometimes that leads to conflict and people are concerned about the
:43:24. > :43:29.growing population of urban foxes. What do you say to them? They are
:43:30. > :43:33.spreading into other areas, but very few animals can adapt to turban
:43:34. > :43:36.happen at that time take. We should appreciate and respect them for that
:43:37. > :43:41.and learn to live with them and enjoy them being there. It is going
:43:42. > :43:45.to take a little bit of adaptation of our own behaviour to be able to
:43:46. > :43:49.reduce the conflict so we can appreciate them. And the rewards are
:43:50. > :43:53.fantastic. Many of the people we've net in Brighton love their foxes.
:43:54. > :43:58.Yes, and they get a lot of pleasure from them. They do cause some issues
:43:59. > :44:05.and we need to make sure we reduce our behaviour to reduce that
:44:06. > :44:11.conflict. What about our cubs. We've been did -- watching them. Ollie
:44:12. > :44:18.lives with the natal den was. He's picked up Stumpy back at the deck,
:44:19. > :44:22.and with four other cubs. One of them is quite distinctive. Issuing
:44:23. > :44:26.Sugar has been visiting those cubs, and there's two cubs on the other
:44:27. > :44:31.side a few doors down. She's been visiting both of them. The group's
:44:32. > :44:38.separated. This one's got strange ears. People find that attractive. I
:44:39. > :44:46.would rather see proper fox ears, what's going on? We have nicknamed
:44:47. > :44:55.him Fluffy. Fluffy ears in poodles? Come on! A week later his ears were
:44:56. > :45:00.back up. They use audit tricues for hunting. What about the feels? They
:45:01. > :45:05.were both in pretty low condition when we saw them. What does the
:45:06. > :45:09.future hold for them? They have done a fantastic job, but in September
:45:10. > :45:13.the family will break up, they will start to separate and go on their
:45:14. > :45:17.own way and the feels will get back into condition for breeding next
:45:18. > :45:23.year. Do you think any of the cubs might join the feels? Some of them,
:45:24. > :45:28.a lot will Dubai. Some will disperse but there's high densities in those
:45:29. > :45:33.areas, so they are going to struggle to find their space. One or two
:45:34. > :45:36.might stay and form the social bond to find that group. And in terms of
:45:37. > :45:42.the science, what would you be hoping to find out between now and
:45:43. > :45:48.Autumnwatch? Is the data has shown us how the urban landscape affects
:45:49. > :45:52.the size of the territory. We know how these are parcelled together. We
:45:53. > :46:10.have got an understanding of the family group. What controls and
:46:11. > :46:14.affects the density of foxes? Dawn thank you very much for
:46:15. > :46:20.catching up with us. We look forward to catching up with you again in
:46:21. > :46:24.Autumnwatch. Well, I guarantee there is one creature that no-one loves in
:46:25. > :46:29.their garden, as Martin has found out.
:46:30. > :46:37.We Brits love our gardens. They are a source of pride and pleasure.
:46:38. > :46:44.So we do everything we can to keep them looking as lovely as possible.
:46:45. > :46:52.In spring, there is one animal in particular against which the
:46:53. > :46:58.gardeners wage war. We know it by derogatory name, plant lice, white
:46:59. > :47:03.fly, green fly. Unless we are trying to exterminate it, we barely give it
:47:04. > :47:10.a second thought. But we should. Because this little creature has a
:47:11. > :47:15.strange tale to tell. Meet the aphid. Aphids come in a
:47:16. > :47:24.variety of shades and sizes and come into conflict with us as they feed
:47:25. > :47:29.on our priced plants. They wouldn't be a problem if there were only a
:47:30. > :47:35.few of them but where there is one you tend to find hundreds. The
:47:36. > :47:47.reason for this is that at the heart of what makes this animal unique
:47:48. > :47:54.is... Aphids have two ways of breeding. At this time of year only
:47:55. > :48:04.females are involved. A rose aphid is about to give birth, even though
:48:05. > :48:22.she a never mated. She's undergoing a process known as parthenogenisis.
:48:23. > :48:33.The baby is a clone, an I'dal clone to her. The males can mate with the
:48:34. > :48:38.fee mails to create eggs to survive the winter. In spring, the plants
:48:39. > :48:47.are growing. Sap is running and the aphids have to multifly fast to take
:48:48. > :48:56.advantage of this. One female can produce up to ten young every day.
:48:57. > :49:01.Within a week these tiny babies are able to replicate themselves as
:49:02. > :49:09.inside them is an embryo waiting to be born. Like a living Russian doll.
:49:10. > :49:20.Each female is carrying her daughter's and her granddaughter's
:49:21. > :49:24.at the same time. Over summer, a single aphid could multifly into
:49:25. > :49:31.over 15-and-a-half million individuals. -- multiply into over
:49:32. > :49:36.15-and-a-half million individuals. Luckily for u life for aphids are
:49:37. > :49:44.fraught with danger. They fall prey to many parasites and predators.
:49:45. > :49:53.There are parasitic waspses, spiders, buck, mites. Larvae of many
:49:54. > :49:58.kinds, bluetits and foracious lady birds. Being the favourite food of
:49:59. > :50:08.so many predators is clearly a problem. But when this colony of
:50:09. > :50:13.aphids come to the danger zone, knights in armour come to the
:50:14. > :50:19.rescue. Black ants defend the aphids from aggressors.
:50:20. > :50:27.So, how have these aphids won the protection of a completely different
:50:28. > :50:34.species? The secret is in the diet. Aphids drink a lot of sap. And
:50:35. > :50:39.excrete the excess as honey due. This sugary treat is nectar to the
:50:40. > :50:49.black ants. So by protecting the aphids, the ants are simply
:50:50. > :50:58.protecting their own interests. The ant and the aphid. A perfect
:50:59. > :51:04.partnership. So, by all means spray away the spring and the summer but
:51:05. > :51:08.don't forget the scourge of the gardener is also a fabulous
:51:09. > :51:18.opportunist and a living Russian doll. Ladies and gentlemen, I give
:51:19. > :51:21.you the amazing aphid. What an extraordinary and fascinating
:51:22. > :51:29.creature! I'm loving the aphid! I know they are not easy to love if
:51:30. > :51:34.they are all over the roses and the broad beans but look at the amount
:51:35. > :51:39.of people that feed on them. Not just the waspses and the lady birds
:51:40. > :51:45.but the warblers and the house matteriness, they gobble them up.
:51:46. > :51:49.Swallows in particular, time their arrival to coincide with the
:51:50. > :51:54.arrivals of aphids. It makes up 30% of the diet of their young. Because
:51:55. > :52:00.of climate change, aphids are swarming earlier b 15 days in the
:52:01. > :52:04.last 30 years. That mean it is could be a mistiming with the swallows
:52:05. > :52:12.arriving that is a big problem. Climate change. But temperature is
:52:13. > :52:18.important for the aphids. The perfect temperature for them to
:52:19. > :52:22.procreate is 20 to 22 Celsius. I wonder if we will reach the
:52:23. > :52:26.temperatures this weekend? There is one man to tell me the answer to
:52:27. > :52:33.that, that is Nick Miller at the BBC Weather Centre.
:52:34. > :52:41.Michaela, I can give you warmth but also a chance of thunder storms. Her
:52:42. > :52:45.is why. Low pressure is lurking to the west of the country later
:52:46. > :52:51.tomorrow. Here it clashes against the cooler
:52:52. > :52:56.Atlantic air and then uplifting the atmosphere with a chance of storms
:52:57. > :53:01.on Saturday. Some feeding north but by no means will everyone get one.
:53:02. > :53:07.But there will be downpours, when they pop up it is bad news for the
:53:08. > :53:12.newly fledged birds. The feathers are not properly waterproofed.
:53:13. > :53:17.Central and eastern England see the highest temperature, Sunday feeling
:53:18. > :53:21.fresher and sunnier with fewer showers around. What about for
:53:22. > :53:26.Minsmere? Sunday a looking lovely. Saturday not in the greatest Rick
:53:27. > :53:31.area for the thunder storms. Cloud and showers moving through but not
:53:32. > :53:36.so bad for the bitterns should they decide to semi-fledge. What did you
:53:37. > :53:43.say that the perfect temperature was for the aphid repro druks, 20 to 22
:53:44. > :53:49.Celsius? Drum roll, please, your wish is my command, aphids of the UK
:53:50. > :53:56.unite, let's get it on! Aphids of the UK unite! And semi-fledging! But
:53:57. > :54:01.a nice weekend. So no excuse. Get out and enjoy the wildlife. For
:54:02. > :54:09.inspiration for ideas, go tonne the website and look up things to do.
:54:10. > :54:13.Put in your postcode and lots of wildlife things will come up.
:54:14. > :54:19.Now, there has been a lot of wildlife but now it is bittern time.
:54:20. > :54:23.Let's go live to the bittern nest. Look at that, that is gorgeous. Into
:54:24. > :54:29.the reeds. Blimey, I can't see what is going on there. Is that her
:54:30. > :54:34.shielding them? The chicks are big. So to cover them properly she has
:54:35. > :54:37.stretched her wings. Being a very good mum.
:54:38. > :54:43.Definitely. Surprising as it is warm this evening. You would not think
:54:44. > :54:47.she would need to brood? Well, let's see what they look like. They are
:54:48. > :54:52.well feathered. This is fascinating.
:54:53. > :54:56.This is earlier. Watch the youngster looking for the feet. That is the
:54:57. > :55:01.mother, sorry. This is the baby trying to copy what mum just did.
:55:02. > :55:07.Look at his feet. They are gawky. What he is trying to do is grabs
:55:08. > :55:14.five or six stems and actually climb up the stems. Using them like stilts
:55:15. > :55:19.but he does not have the hang of it. Look, right underneath the camera.
:55:20. > :55:23.Basically doing what the adult does. Impersonating a reed whilst doing a
:55:24. > :55:28.bit of tight rope walking. He is not so steady on his pins just
:55:29. > :55:32.yet. There he goes. Look at the size of them. Big strong legs.
:55:33. > :55:37.Oops. Not that strong but getting there.
:55:38. > :55:41.Thick leg, though. Long toes. A good span. And the
:55:42. > :55:45.feathers are coming through. They are beginning to look a little more
:55:46. > :55:50.like a bittern. That stilt walking is amazing. As we
:55:51. > :55:58.said at the beginning of the show, make the most of the chicks if you
:55:59. > :56:04.are watching them online. They could be possibly not there on Monday.
:56:05. > :56:15.They could have semi-fledged! Moving on to the coast.
:56:16. > :56:20.The bitterns will not properly fledge for another 20 to 25 days.
:56:21. > :56:24.This is a good question, how big is a bittern. You don't see them in
:56:25. > :56:30.relation to anything. I can tell you they have a wing span
:56:31. > :56:35.of 130 centimetres. I know what you are saying, how many inches is that?
:56:36. > :56:42.But we have a model of a bittern. Look at this, on loan from the RSPB.
:56:43. > :56:50.But to give an idea of scale, I can tell you that here is a 6ft man. He
:56:51. > :56:57.is a Trojan, pulling an arrow. This is probably Hector. This shows how
:56:58. > :57:04.big a bittern is! Massive! So, that is where you were at lunch time, at
:57:05. > :57:08.the toy shop! I think you should keep this in case the bitterns have
:57:09. > :57:10.gone on Monday. You could be mourning.
:57:11. > :57:14.Pining for a bittern. Shall we have a look at something we
:57:15. > :57:19.shot here a few days ago? Sometimes you may have seen this, a massive
:57:20. > :57:23.hatch of fly but look at the ducklings. They are taking advantage
:57:24. > :57:27.of the hatch. Leaping up. Sometimes taking them from the surface of the
:57:28. > :57:33.water but I have not seen the duckling leaps into the air to grab
:57:34. > :57:38.them. Have you two done yoga? The tree pose. Look at this. I was
:57:39. > :57:44.showing an Avocet and look it copied me on the water. That is Audrey the
:57:45. > :57:50.Avocet doing yoga. Good balance! It could just be
:57:51. > :57:55.resting the legs and conserving heat. Don't spoil it.
:57:56. > :58:02.Don't go anywhere. After we have finished it is Unsprung. And there
:58:03. > :58:06.are models in the cabin. All to be explained. BBC Two.
:58:07. > :58:11.Unbelievably, we have almost come to the end of our first two weeks. We
:58:12. > :58:32.have another week to go. This is what is coming up next week.
:58:33. > :58:48.Yes, more of Monthy the osprey. And Yolo Williams giving us more
:58:49. > :58:54.information from Scotland. -- Monty. We are back on Monday at
:58:55. > :59:03.8.00pm on BBC Two. But the three of us are sticking around for Unsprung
:59:04. > :59:34.with Nick Baker. So stick around for us then. Goodbye!
:59:35. > :59:38.This is one of the most fire-prone regions on earth.