0:00:05 > 0:00:08The British countryside in winter.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Cold...unforgiving...bleak.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18As temperatures plunge, the skies open,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22the winds rage and the light fades early.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25This winter, we've seen extremes of weather.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Mild, wet and freezing cold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Conditions that challenge both wildlife
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and the people trying to survive here.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38In this series, I'm going to uncover a winter world
0:00:38 > 0:00:40few of us have a chance to see.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44I want to shine a light on the bleakness of the British winter
0:00:44 > 0:00:48to reveal its fragile and often subtle beauty.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I'm exploring five of our most extreme winter landscapes.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Including some of my BBC colleagues' experiences from over the years.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And together, we're revealing what's really out there
0:01:06 > 0:01:08during this challenging season.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Today, we're looking at estuaries.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And I'm in a windswept Morecambe Bay.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I'll be meeting people fighting to make a living
0:01:18 > 0:01:20at the edge of the sea.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23What's the technique? Just rake straight into this?
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Rake and straight into the bag.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Finding out about the plants that make these habitats so special.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- So this is the moss that made the bog.- Oh, wow!
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And discovering how the wildlife they sustain not only survives,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40but thrives here in these toughest of months.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44(Yes! They're there!)
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Welcome to The Great British Winter.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The British Isles enjoys a huge range of landscapes,
0:02:00 > 0:02:01like lakes in the Highlands
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and low-lying fens on the east coast.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06One habitat we find in all parts of the country, though,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08is the estuary.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands
0:02:13 > 0:02:16are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21They're home to unique plant and animal communities
0:02:21 > 0:02:25that have adapted to a mixture of freshwater and salty seawater.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31To uncover the stories of the people and creatures
0:02:31 > 0:02:33that flourish in this wild winter habitat,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I'm heading to an estuary that supports
0:02:35 > 0:02:38one of the most diverse arrays of life in the country.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Today, I've come to Morecambe Bay,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44the largest intertidal zone in the UK.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It's an area that's made up of rocky shores, flats and sandy beaches
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and surrounded by a patchwork of wetlands, marshlands,
0:02:52 > 0:02:57reed beds, bogs and, of course, a whole lot of mud.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06On the surface, these flats can appear to be pretty quiet,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09almost barren in winter.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10But when you look a little closer,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13this place is, in fact, awhirl with activity.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18From a host of visitors flying in for the winter...
0:03:20 > 0:03:25..to animals small and large who call these waters home.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28BIRDSONG
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The reason this landscape is so alive in winter is down to this.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Yuck! Mud, glorious mud.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44It may not look like much, but to many birds, this stuff is a feast.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47What's contained in this brown sludge
0:03:47 > 0:03:49is the lifeblood of this landscape.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53At first glance, it's hard to see what makes it so special.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56I'm hoping Carol Bamber here,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58who's an expert on the stuff, can enlighten me.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Carol, you're used to getting your hands dirty for research.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Yes. Yes, we're busy looking for some of the billions of creatures
0:04:05 > 0:04:09that make this mud their home.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11So, what sort of things can you generally find
0:04:11 > 0:04:13by digging around in this mud?
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Well, shrimps, snails, shellfish, worms.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20They're the main things that we find.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- There's lots of these little tubes. - Oh, yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Evidence that shrimps have been around.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And these macoma shells, which, unfortunately,
0:04:29 > 0:04:30this one's been eaten,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33but there are the smaller shells like that.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35But it's absolutely teeming with them.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38And you can see why it attracts the birds.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Morecambe Bay and its surrounding reed beds
0:04:42 > 0:04:47are descended on by over 150 species of birds every winter.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Over a quarter-of-a-million birds fill the skies.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56From gaggles of geese...
0:04:56 > 0:04:58to great plumes of knots...
0:05:01 > 0:05:02..to dunlin...
0:05:02 > 0:05:04dippers and many more.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Some, like avocets, stopping off on their way further south.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Others settling in to spend winter in our mild climate.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21These mud service stations provide rich pickings for them all.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25And thanks to the unique way each bird has evolved,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30there's plenty of food here for everyone throughout the winter.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33The curlew will be able to dig a lot deeper for the worms
0:05:33 > 0:05:36cos it's got a much longer beak, curved.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Very sensitive to find them.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41And the oystercatcher can break open the shellfish
0:05:41 > 0:05:43with its tougher beak.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And the smaller birds, like the redshank we've got around,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49are pecking around for the shrimps that are nearer the surface.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51They've got a much shorter beak.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Different lengths of bills
0:05:53 > 0:05:56means the birds aren't competing for the same animals.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58So a pretty juicy diet for the birds.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02What sort of calorific content do you think you can get out of mud?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Well, somebody in 2010 did a survey
0:06:05 > 0:06:07a kilometre out into the bay.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09He took a square metre of mud
0:06:09 > 0:06:15and he estimated 29,000 of these minute creatures in the mud.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Which, in human food energy terms, is about ten Mars bars.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22That's not bad for such a small patch.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24There's quite a lot of energy in one bit of mud.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Which is what keeps this area so alive, even through the winter.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Yes. Absolutely.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35It's not only the bird life, though, that thrives off the riches
0:06:35 > 0:06:37found in the mud of estuaries like this.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40The shellfish and shrimps that abound in this habitat
0:06:40 > 0:06:43have given rise to generations of human activity.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Curlews and herons aren't the only ones digging down
0:06:49 > 0:06:53to reach the lugworms that build their burrows in the sand.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58They're also highly prized by sea fishermen as winter bait for cod.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03So sought after is this seasonal tempter
0:07:03 > 0:07:06that at this time of year, men like Gordon Park
0:07:06 > 0:07:09make a living gathering supplies for local fishermen.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13In 2003, he was filmed as he headed out
0:07:13 > 0:07:15onto the sands in the Norfolk estuaries
0:07:15 > 0:07:18during an unseasonably mild December.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25When I first started, I think we were getting 25 pence a hundred.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Whereas now they're £12.00 a hundred.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30So quite a considerable increase.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33They're now very difficult to find, really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Everybody wants big bait,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39but obviously, depending on the tide and the conditions,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43it's not always possible to...um...get them.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Normally, they'll show a cast on the sand.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And depending on the size and the thickness of the cast
0:07:50 > 0:07:53depends the size of the bait.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58The worm digging is dependent on the tides.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01You can only dig in this particular area
0:08:01 > 0:08:03about three hours after the tide.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06And, er...you get until about three hours before the tide
0:08:06 > 0:08:08before it'll put you out again.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11But, um...it's quite long enough.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15# Dig, dig, digging the dirt
0:08:15 > 0:08:18# Shovel, shovel, shovel to the dirt
0:08:18 > 0:08:21# I've got my spade, I've got my hoe
0:08:21 > 0:08:23# I've got my rake and I'm ready to go
0:08:23 > 0:08:26# Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-dee-dee-dee. #
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Old hands like Gordon need to know
0:08:30 > 0:08:34the estuaries they work in in intimate detail.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Quicksands and fast-flowing tides
0:08:36 > 0:08:39are as much a trademark of these winter landscapes
0:08:39 > 0:08:41as the riches hidden below their surface.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Over in Morecambe Bay, it's something
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Carol and I are only too aware of.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50The tide is right upon us.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52We've got but seconds now.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Fortunately, it's not a spring tide today.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58If it were, the average amount of water
0:08:58 > 0:09:01coming into the whole bay on a spring tide
0:09:01 > 0:09:05would take about ten days to go over Niagara Falls.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- There's that much water coming in. - Wow!
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Let's put these back. - Let's run for our lives.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14We're only a short way from more solid ground,
0:09:14 > 0:09:20but this is a place where the uninitiated can come easily unstuck.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I've been here once before in the spring.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Even when the weather was better, this place was pretty treacherous
0:09:25 > 0:09:30with shifting sands, high winds and a really fast tide.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34But in winter, stuck out here on your own would be pretty terrifying,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37as Matt Baker discovered when he was here with the RNLI.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43When an emergency call comes in, they'll often have no idea
0:09:43 > 0:09:45what situation they'll face,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49so both the crew and the hovercraft arrive on the scene fully kitted out.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Being able to fly across the bay, whatever the terrain, means the team
0:10:02 > 0:10:06can do the ten mile journey from one end to the other in just 14 minutes.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Before the hovercraft came we was, basically, stuck with a boat.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21- At low water, if we had a job over at the Bay, over that side...- Yeah.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24..now the tide's out the boat would have to go, literally,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27right out to sea and right round to get to the casualty
0:10:27 > 0:10:29but this machine that we've got now,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32we can go straight the way the crow flies,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34get to the casualty within minutes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37How easy is it to get stuck in this kind of environment?
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Oh, it's so easy, you could just get the public walking out,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44off the beach, and they can, literally, go yards
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- and be down to their knees in no time.- Really?!
0:10:47 > 0:10:50And once you're stuck in there, there ain't no way out?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53There's no way they could get out, not without this machine.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56So, it's time to put these guys' skills to the test.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58To prove that you don't have to go far to find quicksand
0:10:58 > 0:10:59we head back to the shore.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- Two foot, straight in...- OK. - ..and, hopefully, you'll sink!
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Right. Here we go.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- Waggle one foot at a time.- Eh?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- One foot at a time. - I can't move them.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I actually cannot move.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Well, keep going, Matt, that's it, you're going down now, mate.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22That's it, Matt, go on. You're going to get stuck now, mate.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26You've got no chance of getting out of there now.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The crew then leave me stranded to give me an idea
0:11:29 > 0:11:31of how it feels to be stuck out here alone.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I'm actually getting lower, don't be too long!
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Honestly, please, don't be too long. I am actually getting lower!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42It's so disconcerting.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43I'm getting lower and lower, and lower,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and there is no way that my feet are coming out of here.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47No way.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51And to think of the tide rushing in...
0:11:53 > 0:11:55..it is frightening.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It might have only been a brief taste but it's still a big relief
0:11:58 > 0:12:00when the hovercraft reappears.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Right, lads, shall we, er, get him out?
0:12:04 > 0:12:08The rescuers then use plastic boards to get out onto the sand
0:12:08 > 0:12:10without the risk of sinking in themselves.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- So, these are your little working platforms, are they?- Yeah.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- If you want to sit down there now, Matt.- Sit on here?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- Is that nice and comfy? - Yeah, that's great.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Are we ready to get muddy then, James?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Come on, James!
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Using a metal stick with holes in it, water is squirted deep down
0:12:30 > 0:12:33to loosen the sand that's now set solid around my legs.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Right, OK, so...we're going to now blast you
0:12:36 > 0:12:38with a little bit of water.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- OK.- You'll see it bubbling.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Now, all we've got to do is work your toe.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- That's fine. And we are out. - That is extraordinarily powerful.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50- Did you feel the suction? - Yeah.- Yeah?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52That's the vacuum underneath your foot.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54What we're trying to do is just break that vacuum
0:12:54 > 0:12:56by putting my hand underneath, in the water.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59And then we just work it out. That's one foot out.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03We're nearly there.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Oh, there you go! Phwoar!
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Cheers, thank you very much indeed.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Give us a hand up, there. Perfect.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Hopefully, I will never, ever, find myself in that situation again
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but it's very nice to know that you guys aren't too faraway.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Despite the best efforts of lifeboat crews, like these,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26the quicksands and fast flowing tides of Britain's estuaries
0:13:26 > 0:13:28have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36In the winter of 2004 it was an incident here at Morecambe Bay
0:13:36 > 0:13:39that proved just how unforgiving this environment can be.
0:13:40 > 0:13:4318 people are now known to have drowned in the sea
0:13:43 > 0:13:45at Morecambe Bay, in Lancashire.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47The victims, all of them from the Far East,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49were gathering cockles on the beach
0:13:49 > 0:13:51when they were cut off by the rising tide.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54All morning the operation has continued.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56A search for bodies now,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59any hope of finding anyone else alive has disappeared.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02These were the lucky ones, the survivors,
0:14:02 > 0:14:03who had remained on the beach.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07They were discovered cold and weary, they were taken to hospital,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09some suffering from hypothermia,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11but there were others who did not survive.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14One by one their bodies were brought ashore.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The cockle pickers were all illegally hired labourers.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Unfamiliar with the dangers of the bay in winter
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and caught in water of just seven degrees, they stood little chance.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Today shell-fishing is a more tightly regulated industry
0:14:31 > 0:14:34but the dangers faced working somewhere like this
0:14:34 > 0:14:36will always exist.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The thing about the estuary here at Morecambe is that the mud flats,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43no matter how treacherous, are so rich in invertebrate life
0:14:43 > 0:14:46that they've provided generations with food
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and a way of earning a living - even in winter.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52That's why people are still prepared to take the risk out there.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Back in the 1950 and '60s shrimping was done on horse and cart
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and today Morecambe Bay's shrimps
0:15:02 > 0:15:05are said to be a firm favourite of the Queen's...
0:15:06 > 0:15:09..but while shrimping takes place in the summer,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11in the cold winter months the fishermen brave the elements
0:15:11 > 0:15:14to harvest the cockles and mussels instead.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20At a time when many creatures are struggling to get by,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23this catch is ripe for the picking.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27These shellfish add over £25 million to the seasonal economy.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31For men like Jack Manning
0:15:31 > 0:15:34they're just what this time of year is all about -
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and they're why he's braved this estuary,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38even in the harshest of conditions,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41during a working life spent harvesting these shallows.
0:15:43 > 0:15:4740 years ago he was filmed for a BBC documentary
0:15:47 > 0:15:49contemplating the season to come.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Well, we're now in the middle or Morecambe Bay,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59something like, I suppose, seven miles from shore,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01on a glorious summer's day
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and, of course, it's a pleasant occupation today.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05We're fishing for shrimps,
0:16:05 > 0:16:10as my forefathers have done for many generations
0:16:10 > 0:16:13but, come wintertime, it's a different story.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15In fact, it can be bloody awful.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Today Jack still recalls the harshness
0:16:21 > 0:16:23of fishing in winter in Morecambe.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27One of the things that I remember most about it
0:16:27 > 0:16:29was you worked hard, physical job,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34so you kept reasonably warm under the oil skins and things
0:16:34 > 0:16:36but then to load the tractors
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and trailers with two or three tons of cockles,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and to drive them back into that cold easterly wind
0:16:43 > 0:16:45was absolutely terrible.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52Jack endured these conditions for 60 years, finally retiring in 2007
0:16:52 > 0:16:56but one winter still stands out amongst all the others.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01The worst winter that I can recall and probably anybody can recall,
0:17:01 > 0:17:07in the last century, was the end of 1962 and into '63.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- ARCHIVE:- 'For London, it was the coldest January
0:17:14 > 0:17:16'since records were first kept in 1841.'
0:17:18 > 0:17:2150 years ago The Big Freeze hit Britain.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Temperatures dropped to -20 degrees centigrade,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29more than 30 people died
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and the country ground to a virtual standstill.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39In places, the sea off Britain's coast froze up to one mile out
0:17:39 > 0:17:42but in Morecambe, Jack and his dad braved the Arctic conditions
0:17:42 > 0:17:44to catch shellfish.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48To work on the cockles, in the icy water,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51in conditions like that, was unbelievable.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55It really was terrible. You could only describe it as hellish.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01Hard frost day after day, after day, after day. 12 weeks, in fact.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05So hard that the water pipes, that are three feet underground,
0:18:05 > 0:18:11were frozen solid but we were making decent money relative to the time
0:18:11 > 0:18:16so we thought, "Well, we've got to go," and we did go, day after day.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20A hard life was made worthwhile by the rewards on offer...
0:18:21 > 0:18:24..but over his lifetime Jack's seen overfishing and pollution
0:18:24 > 0:18:26put many men out of business
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and the future of this age-old industry now hangs in the balance.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34I'm pretty sure that the industry won't come back
0:18:34 > 0:18:37as I knew it 50, 60 years ago
0:18:37 > 0:18:41when there were 30 to 40 fishermen going out from Flookburgh.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Declined gradually down the years
0:18:45 > 0:18:48till there are about half a dozen left.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52I can't see there being any full-time fishermen.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Part-time fishermen, maybe, that can go and do other jobs
0:18:55 > 0:18:59when times are hard, and when there are no fish to be had
0:18:59 > 0:19:02but for full-time fishermen, no.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09The old ways may be disappearing
0:19:09 > 0:19:12but for some this tide of change brings with it new opportunity.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Another man who grew up helping his dad harvest mussels
0:19:21 > 0:19:23through the bitter winds of a Morecambe Bay winter
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and who still works these shores today is Rob Benson...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32..but he's got a plan he hopes could secure the future for him
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and the bay's mussels -
0:19:34 > 0:19:36keeping this star of the season thriving.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Hi, Rob, good to meet you. - Hi, there.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- You're looking hard at work here. - Well, we're trying!
0:19:43 > 0:19:45So, they are harvested by hand, then? These mussels?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- These mussels are, yes.- Why is that? Why do you do that this way?
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Erm, it's just because the orders that we have are quite small
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- and, truthfully, it's easy.- Is it? - You can just get what you need.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I like the sound of easy. Shall I have a go?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- You can most certainly have a go. - So what's the technique?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Just raking straight into this? - Rake and straight into the bag.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- Let's have a go at this then.- It's good to watch somebody doing it,
0:20:05 > 0:20:06rather than doing it!
0:20:07 > 0:20:11In this particular area, there are some natural mussel beds,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14but the quality that we have got here at the moment is unusable,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19so we are in the process of clearing the area of the unusable stuff
0:20:19 > 0:20:24and then reseeding it with small mussels that we'll bring in.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26How you do that, how do you reseed?
0:20:26 > 0:20:29The easiest ways is fish them by boat and bring them
0:20:29 > 0:20:32back in and just basically broadcast them
0:20:32 > 0:20:34on the seabed through the bottom of the boat.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Rob sees his patch more like a farmer's field - the ground
0:20:39 > 0:20:42needs to be sown with the seeds of his crop, in this case
0:20:42 > 0:20:46mussels, which will, 18 months later, mature into a good harvest,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50thanks to the nutrient-rich land in which they grow.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56By winter, his product is at its prime and ready for harvesting.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Winter is normally the busier time, one of the markets that we
0:21:01 > 0:21:05have quite a bit of business with is the French market, their mussel stocks
0:21:05 > 0:21:09get depleted because they eat a lot of mussels in Europe,
0:21:09 > 0:21:10they love mussels.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Challenging weather conditions to be out here harvesting!
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It is, today is quite a nice day,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19we're very, very local where we are today,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22whereas, where we normally are, is a little bit different to this.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23You're more exposed, are you?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Very much so.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Although this is the season when Rob can make most money,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33it also brings the greatest dangers to his shellfish stock.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36So, once you've got them all out here and hopefully the stocks
0:21:36 > 0:21:40are looking quite good, what could potentially lose you the mussels?
0:21:40 > 0:21:45- Erm, nature. If we get bad frost, bad weather.- Really?
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Yes, because of strong winds,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50because the way the mussels fix themselves to the seabed,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52if they start to move around you can possibly lose them,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56they can wash away, predation from birds, crabs, you know,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59there are lots of things that can happen,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but hopefully with the knowledge that we've gained over the years,
0:22:02 > 0:22:08it's as near as we can be to having everything secure as possible.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Well, thank you very much, I wish you well with the harvesting.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- No problem.- And hopefully no storms this winter.- OK.- See you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Thank you. Bye.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24It's impressive the lengths Rob is prepared to go to
0:22:24 > 0:22:28to revitalise the shellfish industry here in Morecambe Bay,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29in order to make a living.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32But in other parts of the world, some families' actual
0:22:32 > 0:22:36survival in the depths of winter depends on mussel harvesting.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40In Canada, on the Arctic Sea, the Inuit's winter mussel collecting
0:22:40 > 0:22:42poses an unimaginable challenge,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44as the series Human Planet revealed.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50In this far-off place,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53the trials of the season take on a whole new meaning.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59And living off the land requires not only determination,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02but a level of daring that has to be seen to be believed.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- NARRATOR:- Cosy inside their igloo, Lukasi and his friends must wait.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Before they can hunt, something extraordinary has to happen.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Underneath the sea ice, the tide is going out.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And out.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43The floating ice drops a staggering 12 metres, nearly 40 feet,
0:23:43 > 0:23:48exposing the seabed and hopefully the bounty they are after.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Lukasi and his friends try to get under
0:23:55 > 0:23:57the ice as quickly as possible.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03They have just half an hour before the tide comes back in.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06TRANSLATION:
0:24:10 > 0:24:13The world beneath their feet is unstable.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The giant blocks of ice are no longer supported by water
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and could collapse at any moment.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46This is the only place on earth where the tides are extreme enough
0:24:46 > 0:24:51to allow people to dare venture under the sea ice.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57And in a chamber that moments ago was underwater,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59they find what they are looking for -
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Mussels.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06All they could hope for.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Now they have just minutes to gather all they can carry.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21The returning tide is an unstoppable force.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43As the sea steadily flows back,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46it lifts the huge blocks of ice over their heads.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Even as they escape, the ice shifts around them.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06The ocean reclaims its secret garden.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Living off the land the Inuit way might be a bit much
0:26:21 > 0:26:25for most of us, but for one couple, being cut off from all
0:26:25 > 0:26:27mod cons and exposed to the more modest
0:26:27 > 0:26:31elements of the farthest reaches of Morecambe Bay is a dream come true.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37They're willing to put up with the rigours of winter out in this remote
0:26:37 > 0:26:40spot because of the stimulation that life here offers them.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Artist John Fox and his wife have lived in this wooden beach hut
0:26:45 > 0:26:48on the bay for the last 12 years, and their lives have
0:26:48 > 0:26:51become entwined with the landscape that surrounds them.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- Hi, John.- Oh, hi.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Good to meet you. I catch you mid-flow here.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59So, is this some driftwood from the beach?
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Yes, some of it is, yes, some trees that came down in January.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04What are you using this wood for?
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Well, some of it's for artwork,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09we put together sculptures from flotsam and jetsam.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The debris washed in on the shore is transformed into impromptu
0:27:12 > 0:27:14sculptures
0:27:16 > 0:27:17and driftwood heats their home.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Can I take a look at your fabulous view from up on your veranda,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- so we can get a sense of the landscape from up here?- Sure.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Let's take a look.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29As the seasons change, it's the ebb and flow of the estuary and
0:27:29 > 0:27:33the life that lives here that is the real inspiration behind John's work.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And he's got the best outlook onto the bay.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- John, this view's amazing! - It is, isn't it?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I'm very jealous of this. Wow!
0:27:41 > 0:27:44It's like being in a dream, we can't quite believe it ourselves.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47How has this landscape in front of your house changed in the time
0:27:47 > 0:27:48you've been here?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Well, the spartina grass is the main difference.
0:27:51 > 0:27:5410 years ago there was hardly any here at all,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56but now you've got this massive swathe of it.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I mean, the story is it came into Plymouth on a Yankee schooner
0:27:58 > 0:28:01over 100 years ago and it has gradually come up here,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04but it is really turning into salt marsh
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and all the land animals are moving out,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09the rabbits are going out there, the crows are going out there
0:28:09 > 0:28:11and there's an interesting liminal space, you know,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14that gap between the sea out there and the freshwater
0:28:14 > 0:28:15coming down here on the land,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19it's a whole kind of corridor which literally changes by the day.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It's quite extraordinary and wonderful.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Amazing to watch. You've got your own oystercatchers.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25And real ones out there?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Yes, well, I made these because the oystercatchers are a threatened
0:28:28 > 0:28:31species, they're on the amber list of the RSPB,
0:28:31 > 0:28:32and they are very unpredictable,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35some days there are thousands of them,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37and other days they completely disappear.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42In winter, the landscape and the life in front of his house
0:28:42 > 0:28:46change on a daily basis and these sights
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and sounds of the estuary are all captured in the artwork he creates.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Revealing a unique perspective on the new wonders that the
0:28:53 > 0:28:54season brings.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04You never quite know what's going to turn up.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Apart from the flotsam and jetsam on the beach,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- like, the other morning, there were suddenly 15 swans out there...- Wow!
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I've never actually seen that, they were about 400 yards out.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Fantastic, a dream place for a creative man like you, then, really.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18It is a dream place, it's completely perfect.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I can't imagine anywhere I would prefer to be.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33In all estuaries, including this one at Morecambe Bay,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36the tide is key for shifting around the sand and the mud
0:29:36 > 0:29:40and shaping the landscape - it's constantly evolving.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43But, of course, it's not just tide,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46but the time of year that changes John's view from his cabin -
0:29:46 > 0:29:49and with winter, migrating birds become a dominant feature,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53drawn to the mudflats and the riches they provide.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56It's a habitat that means John and his wife are sure to enjoy
0:29:56 > 0:29:59the company of pink-footed geese any time soon.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02They come down from the Arctic to overwinter here.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06They're attracted to many of Britain's coastal flats for their
0:30:06 > 0:30:11milder weather. And their arrival is quite a sight, as Richard Daniel
0:30:11 > 0:30:13witnessed when he joined Ciaran Nelson
0:30:13 > 0:30:15over at Snettisham in Norfolk.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19You know, this is an amazing sight - suddenly, out of nowhere,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22the sky becomes black as thousands of geese take off.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25It's an incredible sight.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28They're all getting up in this big flock
0:30:28 > 0:30:29and heading inland, basically,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32because they feed on the remains of the sugar beet harvest.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Those are some incredible lines, why do they fly like that?
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Yes, they get up as this big, like, amorphous mass of birds, and then
0:30:38 > 0:30:40one bird seems to take charge and, just like these birds here,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43they form into these skein shapes, these Vs,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and head inland, and the reason that they
0:30:45 > 0:30:47come into these skeins, we think,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50is aero-dynamic efficiency, basically, so, the downbeat
0:30:50 > 0:30:53of one bird's wing gives a little bit of uplift to the bird behind it.
0:30:53 > 0:30:54Who is leading the way?
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Well, I would love to know.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58If you watch them on long journeys, they change as they're going,
0:30:58 > 0:31:00so you see these birds moving around,
0:31:00 > 0:31:02and a different bird takes the lead,
0:31:02 > 0:31:04and that's about giving another bird the chance to take the brunt
0:31:04 > 0:31:08of the wind, and on a day like today, you can see why they need to do that.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09You can see as they're being pushed away!
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Yes, they're more flying sideways...
0:31:11 > 0:31:13We're not going to see this for much longer, are we?
0:31:13 > 0:31:16That's right, they're only here... December and January
0:31:16 > 0:31:18are the peak months, really, for this.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20And then, after that, they'll head back north,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22they'll go to places like the Ribble Estuary
0:31:22 > 0:31:24and Morecambe Bay, and then they will make their way back to Iceland
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and Greenland, their breeding grounds.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29- It's a real privilege to see. - It is, yes.
0:31:55 > 0:31:56Britain's mudflats
0:31:56 > 0:31:59and marshlands are great habitats for birds in winter.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04But there's another type of wetland ecosystem that's lush and green -
0:32:04 > 0:32:07even in winter - because it's dominated by the growth of mosses.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09I'm heading inland to a peat bogland
0:32:09 > 0:32:11that's been lovingly restored.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24This site at Foulshaw Moss used to be a typical estuarine lowland,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27fertile ground fed by rainwater and rivers flowing to the sea.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33But like many of our bogs it was planted with fast-growing
0:32:33 > 0:32:37conifers after World War II to restock our wood stores
0:32:37 > 0:32:40and satisfy a rapidly rising demand for consumer goods.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45As these fast-growing trees sucked moisture from the earth,
0:32:45 > 0:32:49the bogs and the life that lived in them was lost.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Now, thanks to the work of people like David Harpley, these
0:32:54 > 0:32:56sites are being returned to their former glory.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- Hi, David.- Hi.- Good to meet you.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06- How're you doing?- All right, thanks.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08So, what is going on out there?
0:33:08 > 0:33:09So, these guys, the guy on the right,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13he is re-profiling the peat face, and the guys on the left
0:33:13 > 0:33:17- are building peat bunds to stop water moving off the site.- Hmm!
0:33:17 > 0:33:20- So, do you want to look at some less-damaged bog?- Yes!
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- Absolutely, yes.- Jolly good.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28These cold, damp months are the key to nurturing life here.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31To discover exactly why that is, David's taking me
0:33:31 > 0:33:36to see the one piece of land that escaped cultivation on this site.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39In particular, he's showing me a special moss that creates
0:33:39 > 0:33:42and sustains these unique environments.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47So, we're starting to get sphagnum in here, and if I go...
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Everything moves.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50Earthquake! That's ridiculous.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Yes, so, this is a hill of water made by a moss.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- So, this is the sphagnum down here? - Yes.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02So, this is the moss that made the bog and if you pull a bit out...
0:34:04 > 0:34:05- Woops!- Oh, wow!
0:34:05 > 0:34:08So, it's absolutely wringing with water.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10What percentage of this is water, then?
0:34:10 > 0:34:12A huge percentage.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14This is quite a dried-out bit of the bog,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17but it will still be 90% of water in the peat.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19And yet it feels very light and...
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Yes, once you've wrung the water out, yes...
0:34:22 > 0:34:23Good gracious.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26This is holding water inside hollow cells,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29inside the vegetation itself,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33and the way it grows actually holds water in between all the leaves,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37- you see the complexity of it as a structure?- Yes, absolutely.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39So, this all looks very lush and green,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41which is a great sight in winter, isn't it?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- This is still growing.- Right.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46So, in weather like this, this will grow virtually all year round.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49And the wet year that we've had, the wet season is good for sphagnum?
0:34:49 > 0:34:50Suits it down to the ground.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53There's a lot less competition from the surrounding vegetation,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55so, it is actually a good time for it to be growing,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57as long as it is warm enough.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Sphagnum moss is the first plant to gain a foothold in this
0:35:00 > 0:35:04landscape, thriving in these wetter, winter months.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09But soon others will follow - heather, reindeer moss,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12cotton grass - which in turn attract the insects,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15birds and bees that make these bogs their home.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19How long will that take, then, to restore it to decent bogland?
0:35:19 > 0:35:21That's one of those really good questions
0:35:21 > 0:35:23I don't think we know the answer to.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26You can see change already, so you can see the sphagnum starting
0:35:26 > 0:35:30to grow through all the tussocks of purple moor grass...
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- And that's been in a few years? - Yes, within ten years.- Right.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37How long it takes you to get back to really good-quality bog vegetation
0:35:37 > 0:35:39is really a complete unknown.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44This bog, once restored, will be a prime spot for deer,
0:35:44 > 0:35:45ground-nesting birds
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and up to 200 species of butterflies and moths.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Thanks to these bogland plants this environment can provide
0:35:53 > 0:35:57food for animals all year round, but for some more delicate species
0:35:57 > 0:36:00the British winter is just too harsh.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Butterflies like these will be seen in
0:36:05 > 0:36:08wetlands across the country in the coming months.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11During this harshest of seasons,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14they are still around, but they're deep in hibernation.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19Over in Dorset, Dr George McGavin went in search of some
0:36:19 > 0:36:21of their more ingenious winter hiding places.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Here on the Isle of Purbeck these World War II
0:36:27 > 0:36:30defences are often seen as ugly, as a blot on the landscape,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32yet for half the year
0:36:32 > 0:36:35they're important refuges for overwintering insects.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39One such insect choosing to hibernate here is
0:36:39 > 0:36:41the beautiful peacock butterfly.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Not quite the common species it once was.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49On the roof here, we have got two overwintering peacocks.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Now, they will hibernate from the middle of August to March
0:36:53 > 0:36:54the following year.
0:36:54 > 0:36:5750 years ago you would have seen a lot more than this,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01only two in here, which is evidence of a decline
0:37:01 > 0:37:05and it won't be long now before the days get longer and warmer
0:37:05 > 0:37:09and these two will emerge from this concrete bin, fly outside
0:37:09 > 0:37:11and mate and lay eggs,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14so I think it's time I left them in peace.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19In the past ten years, peacock numbers have fallen by 25%
0:37:19 > 0:37:22and the charity Butterfly Conservation are keeping a close eye
0:37:22 > 0:37:26on their diminishing numbers, but they aren't the only ones in trouble.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Matthew Oates researches the butterflies
0:37:29 > 0:37:32in the Forestry Commission's Savernake Forest in Wiltshire.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34What have you got over here?
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Well, here we have a hibernating caterpillar of a purple emperor.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39I want you to find him.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40That is unbelievably camouflaged.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44- Have you got him?- No!
0:37:44 > 0:37:46It's less than a centimetre long at the moment.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48This is embarrassing!
0:37:48 > 0:37:52No, I can't see it. Seriously, if I was a hungry bird...
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Am I going to have to help?
0:37:54 > 0:37:56You are going to have to help, I'm sorry, yes.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Here we are, so, the point is that it is very late winter
0:37:59 > 0:38:01and this caterpillar has survived, and he is there.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Oh, my goodness!
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Any bird who found that
0:38:05 > 0:38:10and ate it, I tell you, is doing really well, they deserve the meal.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Everybody thinks, you know, winter, things are dead, but it's all
0:38:14 > 0:38:17there, it's all hibernating, as an egg, as a caterpillar,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20as a pupa - somewhere, they're just
0:38:20 > 0:38:23waiting for the spring, aren't they?
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Yes. And not just waiting for the spring,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27they're avoiding the predators and
0:38:27 > 0:38:29the only defence mechanism they've got is camouflage
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and they are masters of the cryptic arts.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Even with this camouflage, there are always caterpillars that
0:38:37 > 0:38:42won't make it until spring, eaten by birds scavenging for winter food.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50More worryingly, butterfly numbers on the whole have been falling
0:38:50 > 0:38:54year round - in part because of the loss of natural habitats.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57This makes projects like the bog restoration I've seen
0:38:57 > 0:38:58even more vital.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Towards the coast on the far east of the bay, there's
0:39:08 > 0:39:12another sanctuary that's playing its part in supporting wildlife
0:39:12 > 0:39:16of a different kind - attracting over 270 species of birds.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I'm heading over to the freshwater reed beds of Leighton Moss.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Thanks to the work of conservationists, this area
0:39:24 > 0:39:26is now home to a wealth of winter wildlife,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29but it wasn't always like this...
0:39:31 > 0:39:3450 years ago, Leighton Moss wildlife reserve was
0:39:34 > 0:39:37founded by John Wilson, who was the original warden here.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43To my way of thinking, a world without birds,
0:39:43 > 0:39:44and, well, any wildlife,
0:39:44 > 0:39:46a world without wild places
0:39:46 > 0:39:49certainly wouldn't be a world worth living in.
0:39:49 > 0:39:55Really, I am very concerned about the preservation of wildlife
0:39:55 > 0:39:57and this is really why I took this job.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Now John's retired from his job,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05but his love for the place remains undiminished
0:40:05 > 0:40:08and he still spends almost every day here as a volunteer.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- Hi, John! Good to meet you. - Hello, welcome to Leighton Moss.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Thank you very much. I hope you're going to tell me this is great weather for birds.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Oh yes, but it's very wet, that's the only problem.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20It sure is, I'm guessing that's why the waders are there.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22- Yes, absolutely.- Those are for me.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29John's had his work particularly cut out for him this winter as
0:40:29 > 0:40:32the reserve is flooded, due to having the eighth wettest
0:40:32 > 0:40:34December on record.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40- You OK?- Yes, that just about sums up our weather this year, doesn't it?!
0:40:40 > 0:40:41Absolutely!
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Good news for the sphagnum moss we're walking across - but at
0:40:44 > 0:40:47this time of year the birdlife needs a bit of a helping hand,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52so John's preparing a rather strange winter feast for some bearded tits.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56- A little dicey here. - Tentatively stepping out now.- Yes.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- This is very unusual-looking bird food!- Absolutely.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Why are they eating grit?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04They have an interesting change in diet.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06During the spring and summer they feed on insects,
0:41:06 > 0:41:11but in the winter they actually start to move to the reed seed which
0:41:11 > 0:41:14is much harder, so they do need grit to grind it up.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- So that helps break it down when they're digesting the seeds?- Yes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Birds don't have teeth, so they need the grit in their gizzard,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25in the stomach, to grind up the seed, and there has been this German
0:41:25 > 0:41:30study done, where they have up to 800 stones in their gizzards.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Amazing they can take off!
0:41:32 > 0:41:36When I first started bird-watching, bearded tits only bred in Norfolk.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39And there were only seven pairs, so the thought that one day
0:41:39 > 0:41:43they would nest here at Leighton Moss was absolutely unthinkable.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47But then in 1973 one pair came and nested here and I found it.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Were you jumping for joy? - I was thrilled to bits.- Yes, I bet.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53And then eventually we got as many 65 pairs,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56so they have done incredibly well.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58For over half a century, John's worked long
0:41:58 > 0:42:03and hard at building up the reserve into what it is today.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07He's seen it grow from 400 acres to over 7,000.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And thanks to him and his team's hard work,
0:42:10 > 0:42:17come rain or snow, it now celebrates a record-breaking 276 species!
0:42:20 > 0:42:23During the winter months, many who leave are replaced by new types
0:42:23 > 0:42:27of birds coming to enjoy the food and shelter this habitat provides.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33John's taking me to a hide where hopefully we'll spot
0:42:33 > 0:42:36some of these winter residents in action,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41but the first thing to catch my attention is the name above the door.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46This is a very new-looking hide.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47It is absolutely new.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49How long has it been around?
0:42:49 > 0:42:51- Just this summer it has been built. - Oh!
0:42:51 > 0:42:54It's in memory, of course, of Eric Morecambe.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56So was he a keen birder, Eric Morecambe?
0:42:56 > 0:42:59He was, yes.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Really, originally, the idea came from the local city council -
0:43:02 > 0:43:07they wanted a memorial to Eric Morecambe, and they chose this.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10APPLAUSE
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Not only did he take his surname from the town where he was born,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17but Eric Morecambe apparently took up bird-watching as a relaxing
0:43:17 > 0:43:19hobby after suffering a heart attack.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21It's lovely here, isn't it?
0:43:21 > 0:43:23It is, good spot for it, isn't it?
0:43:23 > 0:43:24I love this ornithology, you know.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26I'm all for it, all for it.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27- What's it mean?- What?
0:43:27 > 0:43:29- Bird-watching.- You know me.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- Better keep your eyes peeled now. - I will.- Don't make any noise,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- don't frighten away all these feathered friends.- Shhh. Good.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39I'm sure the birdwatcher in Eric would have loved the sights
0:43:39 > 0:43:42I'm being treated to from his specially named hide.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46You can see pintails very close.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Teal, widgeon.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54So is winter a really excellent time for birding in general?
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Well yes, for seeing wildfowl it's the best by far,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00because, of course, a lot of these birds that we have seen today
0:44:00 > 0:44:05have come from as far away as Russia, Iceland, Scandinavia.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08They'll come here, because although we grumble about our weather,
0:44:08 > 0:44:12in fact, it's the mildest part of Europe, really, in many respects,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14so that's why they are drawn here.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17The really best time to see wildfowl and waders is
0:44:17 > 0:44:20when the tide is in, because they're brought right to the edge
0:44:20 > 0:44:23and you can get really lovely views of them.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25You get avocets here, don't you?
0:44:25 > 0:44:26We do, yes.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29That was really something we never thought of
0:44:29 > 0:44:34when we made it originally, because they were quite rare, but they have
0:44:34 > 0:44:39extended and they bred here about ten years ago for the first time,
0:44:39 > 0:44:44but this last year we have had the best year ever, we had 19 pairs,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47- and they reared 46 young, which was really superb.- Gosh.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Unfortunately, we won't see any here
0:44:52 > 0:44:55because avocets are one of the bird species who spend winter
0:44:55 > 0:44:57in other British estuaries further south.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02In 2005, Chris Packham visited
0:45:02 > 0:45:06one of these winter holiday spots, on the Exe estuary in Devon.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Avocets are always popular, they are a very, very elegant bird.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14In the past they were a great rarity here in Britain,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17they had been persecuted for the hat trade, millinery.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19They've come back and they now breed in East Anglia,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22but great numbers of continental birds come down here to the Exe
0:45:22 > 0:45:24and you do get super views of them here.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30The avocet's most distinctive feature is its upwardly
0:45:30 > 0:45:34curved beak, which it uses to good effect to find food.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Now, when you watch avocets feeding, what they are in fact doing is they
0:45:40 > 0:45:45are scooping here that very fine, upturned bill through the mud.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47They are using that to detect any small crustaceans
0:45:47 > 0:45:50or shellfish they can find in there.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00More than 7,500 of these magnificent birds
0:46:00 > 0:46:03flock to south-west Britain every winter to take advantage of the
0:46:03 > 0:46:05rich pickings on offer.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10But while avocets are spending the winter in the south-west
0:46:10 > 0:46:11of England,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15John's work here has managed to draw in one of Britain's rarest birds -
0:46:15 > 0:46:17the bittern.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24It is the feather in the birdwatcher's cap.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29This secretive fisherman needs large,
0:46:29 > 0:46:33wet reed beds full of little fish, like the ones in Morecambe Bay.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42A type of thick-set heron - their huge, long toes stop them
0:46:42 > 0:46:43sinking in the mud.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50They can also grab individual reeds to walk along -
0:46:50 > 0:46:52a bit like walking on stilts.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00The reeds they live in need fresh water to grow,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03so the bitterns are attracted to the lakes in wildlife reserves
0:47:03 > 0:47:07where banks can also be artificially built up and the water level
0:47:07 > 0:47:10kept at the perfect height for them to go fishing.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16In the late 1990s there were only 11 breeding pairs
0:47:16 > 0:47:18in the whole country.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Perfectly camouflaged, difficult to find -
0:47:20 > 0:47:22even when you know where they are -
0:47:22 > 0:47:26this elusive bird very nearly disappeared altogether.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35The good news is that after efforts to create safe havens for them,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38there are now 75 breeding pairs.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Far too few to be out of danger, but the beginnings of a success story.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58As dusk draws in during these winter months,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01all across the country there are special spots where
0:48:01 > 0:48:04one of the season's greatest sights can be fleetingly glimpsed.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10Estuaries can be prime places to see these spectacles,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13so as the sun goes down I'm hanging around.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17I'm here to see a murmuration.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20A flock of starlings performing a mesmeric, acrobatic
0:48:20 > 0:48:23display across the winter sky.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26It's one of the most glorious sights that nature puts on at this
0:48:26 > 0:48:28time of year, and it happens about now, at dusk.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30And not just here, because
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Julia Bradbury travelled to the Avalon marshes in Somerset to
0:48:33 > 0:48:34get her first glimpse.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40We are all here to witness one of this country's natural wonders,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44and to talk me through it, I've enlisted the help of Chris Griffin.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Where are they, then?
0:48:46 > 0:48:48That's nature for you, they'll be here at some point, I'm sure.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49SHE SIGHS
0:48:49 > 0:48:52They've been here for three months, so I'm hoping, anyway,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55otherwise I wouldn't be very good at my job.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57No. Look at this, turn around!
0:48:59 > 0:49:00Where are they?!
0:49:05 > 0:49:06All eyes look to the skies,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09the anticipation in the air is tangible.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12And then, right on cue...
0:49:12 > 0:49:13Ah, there you go. Can you see that?
0:49:13 > 0:49:16Look, yes, this is it, it looks like a swarm of bees.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18That's it, yes. That's the first, sort of...
0:49:18 > 0:49:19The first tranche.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23They usually send in a first little recce group from the pre-roost
0:49:23 > 0:49:25just outside the reserve.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30These are starlings, that humble bird that normally sits
0:49:30 > 0:49:33chattering on top of your TV aerial.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35But out here, in the open country,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37they flock in their hundreds of thousands.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Where are they coming from?
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Some of them are from Britain, as a British bird,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45unfortunately, our starlings have been in massive decline over
0:49:45 > 0:49:48the past 40 years, which is a real shame,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52so, having these big numbers down here can be a bit misleading,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55but that is because about two thirds, maybe even more than that
0:49:55 > 0:49:59come from Russia and Scandinavia, and usually come over here for
0:49:59 > 0:50:03milder winters, but it hasn't really gone to plan this year.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06No, I think they will be phoning up the travel agents and going,
0:50:06 > 0:50:10"Excuse me, it's much colder than you told us!"
0:50:10 > 0:50:12- Yes, they'll get their money back. - Yes.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14'And now for the main event.'
0:50:14 > 0:50:15Here they come.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20A dive! Ooh!
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Look at that!
0:50:23 > 0:50:27Oh! They twisted, it was some gyroscope,
0:50:27 > 0:50:28incredible. Oh!
0:50:28 > 0:50:32They're still going... look how dense that is there.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41These extraordinary shapes are called murmurations.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44The name comes from the sound the birds' wings make
0:50:44 > 0:50:45when they flock like this.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51The numbers, the sheer numbers...
0:50:51 > 0:50:54We've got anywhere between 1.5
0:50:54 > 0:50:57and 3.5 million birds that come down to the roost every night.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03That is an impressive figure.
0:51:11 > 0:51:12SHE GASPS
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Oh, right above us.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17And layers and layers, it's like watching them in 3-D.
0:51:21 > 0:51:22The thing that I like about them
0:51:22 > 0:51:26the most is that you can continually learn about nature, but then,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29every experience that you have, it just keeps getting better
0:51:29 > 0:51:31and better, you learn more and more and more,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34and it just never stops, and it is so inspiring.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40You might be able to get this awesome display nearer to you as well,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44I mean, this goes on all over the country, not just here.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- You've just got to find your local spot, haven't you?- Yes, that's it.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Over in Morecambe Bay I've found my local spot,
0:52:08 > 0:52:12but so far my wait's proving rather less rewarding than Julia's.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17It's getting dark, it's nature,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20it's raining, so I'm not holding out all hope!
0:52:30 > 0:52:33But after an hour of waiting with not a starling in sight,
0:52:33 > 0:52:37the last light is fading from the day - and the only thing
0:52:37 > 0:52:41that's taken my breath away is the biting cold of a winter's night.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Sure enough, we haven't been lucky this time.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00After a good, dry night's sleep, next stop on my estuarine
0:53:00 > 0:53:04adventure is Walney Island just off the west coast of Morecambe Bay.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09The shape of this small spit of land, just 11 miles long
0:53:09 > 0:53:13and one mile wide, has been likened to a gigantic killer whale.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19The island's thought to have formed during the recession
0:53:19 > 0:53:20of the last Ice Age.
0:53:24 > 0:53:25It's a breathtaking sight
0:53:25 > 0:53:28and it's also one of the windiest spots in England.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34The wind on Walney never stops blowing,
0:53:34 > 0:53:36and with an average speed of 20 kph
0:53:36 > 0:53:40it's no surprise that this place has one of the world's largest
0:53:40 > 0:53:42offshore wind farms right on its doorstep -
0:53:42 > 0:53:46this must be one of the most buffeted strips of land in the UK.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53However, despite the exposed conditions here,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55there is life.
0:53:59 > 0:54:04Life is able to be sustained here thanks to one plant - this.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06It's marram grass.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Now, it might not look like much but this binds the dunes together
0:54:09 > 0:54:13and protects them from the sea and the wind, especially in winter.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Marram grows quickly - through up to a metre of sand a year -
0:54:19 > 0:54:22and as it gets bigger more sand gathers around it,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24establishing firm land.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Its vertical roots penetrate deep into the dune to up to 30 feet,
0:54:31 > 0:54:35anchoring it down and yet allowing it to absorb maximum nutrients.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41The nodules on these roots allow new plants to sprout from underground,
0:54:41 > 0:54:45avoiding the risk of seeds being cast far away on the bracing breeze.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51This toughness makes it the frontline flora of our shores.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55And in the shelter it provides, there's
0:54:55 > 0:54:59the creation of a whole new environment, which over 600 types of
0:54:59 > 0:55:00plant call their home -
0:55:00 > 0:55:04their seeds hiding safe underground during the
0:55:04 > 0:55:05cold, winter weather,
0:55:05 > 0:55:09ready to spring into life in a few months' time.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17Life isn't just hiding in the sands on Walney, though,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19there are also some surprise
0:55:19 > 0:55:22seasonal visitors lurking on the shore.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27Winter may batter the most exposed areas here,
0:55:27 > 0:55:30but that hasn't stopped this island becoming home to an elusive
0:55:30 > 0:55:35and exclusive gentlemen's club at this time of year!
0:55:35 > 0:55:39These guys like their privacy so I'm keeping my distance.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43I'm going as quietly as I can because just over here,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I'm hoping, are some of its illustrious members...
0:55:49 > 0:55:52And sure enough, my stealth pays off.
0:55:52 > 0:55:53Yes, they're there!
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Oh, I think they can tell I'm here, look at that!
0:55:57 > 0:56:01They're one of a number of colonies of grey seals usually
0:56:01 > 0:56:03found off the coasts of mainland Britain.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08But since the early 1990s, male seals have also been seen
0:56:08 > 0:56:09here at Walney Island.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14Male seals become sexually mature at about six years old, but they're
0:56:14 > 0:56:18not big enough to fight for the females, so some of these are
0:56:18 > 0:56:21the young ones that would have had a go,
0:56:21 > 0:56:22but have had no chance of success.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29These underwater mating battles may seem graceful,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32but can seriously maim and even kill.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37The loser must know when to cut his losses.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41And as there aren't enough females to go around,
0:56:41 > 0:56:43defeated males have to find somewhere to go and lick
0:56:43 > 0:56:47their wounded pride, leaving the winners to stay and breed.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53For the last 25 years, some of those spurned seals have ended up
0:56:53 > 0:56:54here on Walney.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02It's not just female seals that aren't particularly enamoured with them.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05They haven't won many friends with some local fishermen, either,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07who see them as competition for food.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15This feud between man and mammal hit the headlines in 2008,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18when some of Walney's fishermen claimed the seals had
0:57:18 > 0:57:22started following their boats to try and steal their catch.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24As soon as they see us coming they'll poke their heads up,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28and as soon as we shoot the marker buoy for the net
0:57:28 > 0:57:30they'll make a beeline for the net.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35Numbers have been steadily increasing
0:57:35 > 0:57:39and over 130 seals have now been spotted at one time in the bay.
0:57:41 > 0:57:46We did an 18 hour shift one day, we put a 50 mile round trip in, me and
0:57:46 > 0:57:50my friend over in the bay, and they must have taken 75% of both
0:57:50 > 0:57:53our fish that day. With the fuel costs and everything else,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55it's frustrating.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07These seals may be a bit unpopular with some people,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10but I can't help but be completely charmed by them.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Adapted to withstand freezing temperatures and chill winds,
0:58:13 > 0:58:15they seem to be enjoying the cold,
0:58:15 > 0:58:17rather than hiding from it like the rest of us!
0:58:17 > 0:58:21They really are a beautiful sight in the depths of the British winter.
0:58:54 > 0:58:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd