:00:09. > :00:14.instead of trees. Our cities are a very human habitat. But
:00:14. > :00:17.surprisingly, we share our homes with a wide variety of wildlife. It
:00:17. > :00:27.just takes a bit of time and patience to spot our wild
:00:27. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:51.neighbours. I'm Sanjida O'Connell. Pond. We're surrounded by houses,
:00:51. > :00:54.but this little reserve is an oasis in the heart of the city. It's a
:00:54. > :00:57.mosaic of seminatural habitat. We've got reedbeds, open water and
:00:57. > :01:07.established woodland, and it's home to some fantastic urban wildlife,
:01:07. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:12.which I'll be exploring a little presenter, Mark O'Shea, sets off on
:01:12. > :01:20.a summer photo safari around Nottingham and get his feet wet in
:01:21. > :01:25.the city streams. Oh, there! Yes. Now, that's the first one I've seen.
:01:25. > :01:28.He's letting me touch him. discover how Derby paved the way for
:01:28. > :01:33.Peregrine conservation and meet the bird-lovers who need a head for
:01:33. > :01:39.heights. It sounds like it could be quite distressing for the mother.
:01:40. > :01:45.Never mind about her! What about me? Oh, not bothered about you!
:01:45. > :01:49.Fantastic! And Mike Dilger is out after dark in Leicester in search of
:01:49. > :01:52.creatures that go bump in the night. All of the sudden and then you hear
:01:52. > :01:59.a... Like a rasberry, and that's them honing in and then eating an
:01:59. > :02:02.insect. It's summer. We're in Nottingham. It's the perfect time to
:02:02. > :02:07.relax, chill out, hang out by the water, except our energetic wildlife
:02:08. > :02:11.photographer and presenter, Mark O'Shea, doesn't exactly do chilling.
:02:11. > :02:14.He and three local photographers are going to see how much wildlife they
:02:14. > :02:21.can shoot in and around Nottingham, fauna, flora, the more diverse, the
:02:21. > :02:30.better. But don't phone in just yet, folks, because Mark's going to be
:02:30. > :02:33.judge and jury on this one and decides who gets to win the prize.
:02:33. > :02:36.Today, I'm at Trent Bridge, joining three local wildlife photographers,
:02:36. > :02:42.each of them with a passion for capturing the natural world on our
:02:42. > :02:45.doorstep in glorious close-up. When I'm at home, I like to photograph
:02:45. > :02:49.some of the mini beasts, like mouse spiders and jumping spiders in the
:02:49. > :02:54.house. If I can photograph this sort of thing at home, what can you
:02:54. > :02:58.photograph in a city? The place is teeming with wildlife! So Claire,
:02:58. > :03:02.what have you come to see? Today, I'm going to find an open meadow,
:03:02. > :03:04.and I'm hoping to find any wildlife I can, but what I'm really looking
:03:04. > :03:08.for is some wild orchids. Orchids aren't something I've photographed.
:03:08. > :03:12.I'd be interested in seeing that. Jack? I'm going to be going to an
:03:12. > :03:15.urban stream today, looking for a variety of fish species. I'm an
:03:15. > :03:21.angler, so I'll be very interested to see what you find. And Rob?
:03:21. > :03:24.going to be visiting a power station site for Peregrine Falcon. Well, you
:03:24. > :03:27.can't get much more urban than a power station, wildlife round a
:03:27. > :03:37.power station. Fascinating! Well, let's get started. It's a lovely
:03:37. > :03:39.
:03:39. > :03:42.into his wildlife. He now specialises in underwater
:03:42. > :03:46.photography. When he's not knee deep in Cornish rock pools, you might
:03:46. > :03:49.well see him paddling in city streams. Today, he's within shouting
:03:49. > :03:56.distance of his own front door in Silverdale, Nottingham, and he's
:03:56. > :04:02.told me to wear my wet suit. Well, there's a skateboard here which
:04:02. > :04:08.suggests that this is not a stream in the countryside! And if I'm not
:04:08. > :04:12.mistaken, that's a golf ball. And there's another one over there. And
:04:12. > :04:16.has a rat just come down the wall over there? Yeah, there's a few of
:04:16. > :04:22.those in here. Right, shall we have a look underneath that skateboard,
:04:22. > :04:26.see if it's provided? Oh, there! Yes. Oh, yes. Now, that's the first
:04:26. > :04:30.bullhead I've seen. He's letting me touch him. Tell us a little bit
:04:30. > :04:34.about this, Jack. So these are primarily bottom dwelling fish and
:04:34. > :04:36.they tend to live under the stones and things. They're using the
:04:36. > :04:42.environment to the benefit because they're living under bricks, house
:04:42. > :04:46.bricks, and skateboards. Yeah, they use it to shelter under and breed
:04:46. > :04:48.and things. And you'll normally only find one bullhead under each rock
:04:48. > :04:52.because they're territorial. And they're that confident in their
:04:52. > :04:55.camouflage, you can do what you've just done, which is to pick them up.
:04:55. > :04:58.And they're quite... They just assume that you can't see them
:04:58. > :05:03.which, for photography, is really handy because they don't move!
:05:03. > :05:07.I'll put him back. Streams and rivers running through towns and
:05:07. > :05:15.cities might not be everybody's idea of The Wind in the Willows, but
:05:15. > :05:20.watercourses like this can have a huge amount of nutrients. And with
:05:20. > :05:26.that comes high diversity in wildlife. This stream is a lot
:05:26. > :05:29.richer than it looks. Next, I'm joining Claire Greenaway, a mature
:05:29. > :05:32.student who lives and studies in Nottingham. Claire's told me she's
:05:32. > :05:37.in search of wild flowers in the city centre and, in particular,
:05:37. > :05:41.urban orchids. Well, Claire, we've got the NG2 industrial estate
:05:41. > :05:50.containing the city of Nottingham skyline and the River Leen here, but
:05:50. > :05:53.you've got a real wildlife oasis. Tell me about it. Yeah, this is
:05:53. > :05:57.beautiful. It's an urban meadow which is just teeming with wildlife.
:05:57. > :06:00.What we're hoping to find today is some wild orchids, but let's just go
:06:00. > :06:03.inside and what we can see. Absolutely. So we've got a
:06:03. > :06:08.Brownfield reserve site here and it's not just orchids. I mean, these
:06:08. > :06:12.aren't orchids, but... No, these are beautiful. They're oxeye daisies. So
:06:12. > :06:16.most people know daisies from their gardens, but these are just like
:06:16. > :06:21.giant forms of those daisies. know. It's like honey, I shrunk the
:06:21. > :06:25.gardener, isn't it? Absolutely! And what's really interesting about
:06:25. > :06:28.these is that they actually aren't just one flower. They're a number of
:06:28. > :06:31.different flowers all together. In the yellow in the centre, that's
:06:31. > :06:35.hundreds of flowers. It's a composite flower? Absolutely.And
:06:35. > :06:39.you can only really see that with a macro lens. If you zoom in and look
:06:39. > :06:42.close, then you can see all those little flower heads that, to anyone
:06:43. > :06:49.else, just looks like part of a single flower. Well, I think we
:06:49. > :06:52.should get some shots of these. definitely. So is that what you're
:06:52. > :06:57.looking for? Yeah, that looks exactly like what I'm looking for.
:06:57. > :07:03.And this is? So this is a wild orchid. This actually looks like
:07:03. > :07:06.it's a hybrid between two orchids. It looks like it's a cross between a
:07:06. > :07:09.Southern Marsh orchid and a Common Spotted orchid. And this is the only
:07:09. > :07:13.location, within the city of Nottingham, where you can find the
:07:13. > :07:16.species? Absolutely. This is a very special site. They seem to like the
:07:16. > :07:26.ground here. Well, Claire, I'm really pleased you've found us a
:07:26. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:30.flowering orchid. That's this quest birding with Rob Hawe. If you're
:07:30. > :07:35.looking for an expert in recording rare bird species in and around
:07:35. > :07:37.Nottingham, Rob is your man. He's travelled all over the UK with his
:07:37. > :07:44.passion for ornithology, but his popular website, Cliftongrove Birds,
:07:44. > :07:49.records species much closer to home. This is a very dramatic backdrop,
:07:49. > :07:53.Rob. Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. I think that's really
:07:53. > :07:57.imposing on the landscape. And I gather there's a Peregrine box on
:07:57. > :08:02.one of the towers. There is but there's one that's been installed on
:08:02. > :08:06.the far corner tower. It's been there for about ten years now.
:08:07. > :08:11.we're not here for Peregrines. Today, we're here for Corn Bunting.
:08:11. > :08:14.And is this a good site for Corn Bunting? This is a very good site.
:08:14. > :08:17.And I think I've got one already, Mark. Oh, well, that didn't take you
:08:17. > :08:21.long! Whereabouts? There's one just sat on that bramble, just over
:08:21. > :08:24.there. So the Corn Bunting is in decline? Yes, it's in decline
:08:24. > :08:28.nationwide. Nationwide? Nationwide. And what do you think the reason for
:08:28. > :08:33.the decline might be? Probably agricultural changes with a lack of
:08:33. > :08:38.insect to feed the youngsters. to pesticides? Due to pesticides,
:08:38. > :08:42.yes. And yet, this is one of the stronger areas for Corn Buntings in
:08:42. > :08:45.Nottingham? Yeah, this is one of the best sites for them, actually.
:08:45. > :08:51.There's probably about seven pairs breeding here now. But only seven
:08:51. > :08:57.pairs? Only seven pairs, and that's a good site. I think I got another
:08:57. > :09:00.one by the A453. Right by the road? Yeah, just sitting in the bush.
:09:00. > :09:03.mean, the thing is that this looks like a piece of wasteland alongside
:09:03. > :09:11.a great monolithic human development, and yet, it's a
:09:11. > :09:15.strongpoint for an endangered bird. It is. It is. I last encounter of
:09:15. > :09:19.the day is on the banks of the River Soar in an old boat yard. It's a
:09:19. > :09:22.fracking little yellow wagtail which Rob tells me he's seen around here
:09:22. > :09:32.before. This is a summer visitor from the African continent and it's
:09:32. > :09:32.
:09:32. > :09:41.usually found on riversides, just yesterday, so I'm really looking
:09:41. > :09:44.forward to seeing what you got! Jack, you're first. So this is
:09:44. > :09:48.image. This is of the bullhead that we found together. My second image,
:09:48. > :09:52.this is of some Gudgeon, all rooting through the gravel, looking for some
:09:52. > :09:56.food. And then, for my third image, I wanted to get a bit of atmosphere
:09:56. > :09:59.with it, so I went in the tree roots with the light coming through this
:09:59. > :10:03.shoal of minnows. And you can see there's a male in the background,
:10:03. > :10:06.with the breeding colours, and the female. Yeah, the male and breeding
:10:06. > :10:10.colours, and the light from above, it looks like... Almost like a coral
:10:10. > :10:14.reef photo. It's got movement in it. Yeah. Yes, you like that, yeah?
:10:14. > :10:18.Yeah. Now, Claire, you used macro lenses, so you're on a small scale.
:10:18. > :10:21.So let's see what you've got. Absolutely. So this is my first
:10:21. > :10:24.image, and we were talking yesterday about oxeye daisies and how they're
:10:24. > :10:28.composite of flowers. And I think this has captured that really well.
:10:28. > :10:31.As you can see, all the individual ones beginning to open here on the
:10:31. > :10:34.edge. The little florets on the edge. They're all separate.
:10:34. > :10:37.Absolutely. And then, this is another picture of the beautiful
:10:37. > :10:41.orchid we found. This is a close-up on just one of the... They're
:10:41. > :10:44.actually called leaves, not petals, on the orchids. And then the third
:10:44. > :10:47.one, just slightly further away to show how the whole orchid actually
:10:47. > :10:51.looked. So finally, Rob, at the other end of the photographic scale,
:10:51. > :10:54.telephoto lens and birds. What have you got? I've got a nice yellow
:10:54. > :10:58.wagtail, Mark. This was feeding on the edge of the agricultural fields.
:10:58. > :11:03.OK. My second one is a Common Tern that was fishing on the marina.
:11:03. > :11:06.That's a Tern on the Tern! It is, yes. And my final image, it's one of
:11:06. > :11:10.my favourites, the Corn Bunting. It's just holding territory in that
:11:10. > :11:14.area. Yeah. That is a superb study. It just works. I've really enjoyed
:11:14. > :11:18.looking at your photographs. They're all winners, but I have to pick one.
:11:18. > :11:25.And in that case, I think have got to go for the most endangered
:11:25. > :11:34.species. So Rob, that's for your Corn Bunting. Thank you very much,
:11:35. > :11:40.Mark. But nobody goes home empty-handed. So Jack and Claire...
:11:40. > :11:50.Thank you. Impressive stuff. It goes to show there's a bounty of wildlife
:11:50. > :11:53.
:11:53. > :11:56.right on your doorstep, even if you there, although I think if it were
:11:56. > :12:01.me, I would have gone for the minnows. Anyway, it just goes to
:12:01. > :12:05.show what amazing wildlife there is in and around Nottingham. I'm at
:12:05. > :12:08.Martin's Pond, a small city reserve, and I've just spotted a coot
:12:08. > :12:17.nest-building, or rather, doing a bit of DIY on her nest and feeding
:12:17. > :12:24.her chicks. Our next story is about a creature which is, quite possibly,
:12:24. > :12:28.the fastest animal on the planet. It's a bird of prey and it's set up
:12:28. > :12:35.its home in the urban hustle and bustle of some of our great cities
:12:36. > :12:45.like London, Lincoln and Liverpool. But the story of its taste for city
:12:46. > :12:53.
:12:53. > :13:01.living started in Derby. And that's Derbyshire. This is where our
:13:01. > :13:05.peregrine story starts. It was a guy called John who originally kicked
:13:05. > :13:12.off the project. He asked Steeple jacks to climb in the top of the
:13:12. > :13:17.cooling tallow -- cooling tower. They fitted this is nesting tray and
:13:17. > :13:21.it was a success. Peregrines came, raised their chicks and local people
:13:21. > :13:26.flocked from the surrounding area to watch them. What happened at
:13:26. > :13:31.Willington was the start of something big. It kicked off urban
:13:31. > :13:37.peregrine conservation and East Midlands. And nowadays, if you're
:13:37. > :13:42.after an almost guaranteed close encounter with one of Britain's
:13:42. > :13:52.swiftest predators, you can find in the city as well as the countryside.
:13:52. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:57.My first stop is Nottingham Trent University. You've gone all CSI!
:13:58. > :14:04.You've been collecting DNI from the peregrines. Peregrine tricks are
:14:04. > :14:11.stolen every year, so that's an important consideration. By
:14:12. > :14:16.collecting this material from these falcons, we will be able to have DNA
:14:16. > :14:21.available should any of the chicks be stolen and then that will allow
:14:21. > :14:31.us to confirm the identity of any chicks recovered by police
:14:31. > :14:47.
:14:47. > :14:57.investigation. I spotted one of the fluffy feathers, they look like
:14:57. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:08.checks. They have quite a well-developed beat. It has been the
:15:08. > :15:16.best part of a decade since Peregrines started nesting here. But
:15:16. > :15:25.it is only since around 2007 that they have managed to raise chicks.
:15:25. > :15:33.As a way of protecting the fledgling is, a web camera has been installed.
:15:33. > :15:39.I have been allowed access to their headquarters. This is the poshest
:15:39. > :15:47.wildlife control centre I have been in! We are watching the live stream
:15:47. > :15:54.from the Peregrines test site. -- nest. I did not realise you can
:15:54. > :16:00.control the cameras. We installed this two years ago. It gives us 360
:16:00. > :16:10.degrees control. We can look close in at the chicks, and see that one
:16:10. > :16:14.
:16:14. > :16:19.of the adults as they are now. -- as they are. The camera is fantastic.
:16:19. > :16:28.You often lose sight of them, but with this, we can follow them along
:16:28. > :16:34.and get a shot of them taking the first leak off the ledge. -- leap.
:16:34. > :16:41.Galant has compiled some of the best footage caught on camera. -- rant.
:16:41. > :16:49.When this bizarre encounter between the Hunter and the hunted. That is
:16:49. > :16:59.funny. They are just ignoring each other. And the pension gets away. --
:16:59. > :16:59.
:16:59. > :17:07.engine. -- pigeon. I cannot emphasise how important it is to
:17:07. > :17:17.keep tabs on individual Peregrines because of the risk of theft. I am
:17:17. > :17:20.
:17:20. > :17:23.off to Derby to see exactly how they of view of a Peregrine, these old
:17:23. > :17:31.buildings kind of replicate the rocky cliffs along the seashore
:17:31. > :17:38.where they normally nest. Cathedrals in places like Norwich and Derby
:17:38. > :17:48.have become the perfect place for Peregrine parents to read the
:17:48. > :17:52.
:17:52. > :17:57.chicks. -- rear. I am joining a team from the Derbyshire wildlife trust.
:17:57. > :18:01.They are going through a simple process that places a unique ring
:18:01. > :18:08.around the legs of chicks. It helps identify individual birds throughout
:18:08. > :18:17.their lifetime. Just one challenge -it means somebody sending over the
:18:17. > :18:27.edge on a rope. It sounds distressing for the mother! What
:18:27. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:33.about me? You are on a rope!They do get agitated because they believe
:18:33. > :18:41.that predators are after the young. But if we move quick it is not a
:18:41. > :18:51.problem. After five minutes they can down and carry on flying around. --
:18:51. > :18:51.
:18:51. > :18:59.calm. They will want to be on television! The job of abseiling has
:18:59. > :19:06.gone to Martin. He carefully places the baby birds in a bag and lowers
:19:06. > :19:14.them down the side of the Cathedral. They are taken inside for a health
:19:14. > :19:22.check and to attach the identification. This is a successful
:19:22. > :19:28.project and one of the longest running. It started in 2005. 2006 we
:19:28. > :19:37.put up the nest platform and they have nested every year since.
:19:37. > :19:43.is the same pair coming back? We know that from their habits.
:19:43. > :19:47.the timing is quite critical for this. It is indeed. If they get any
:19:47. > :19:54.bigger than this they become feisty and grapple with their talons. They
:19:54. > :20:04.are difficult to deal with. But this is just the right age to catch them.
:20:04. > :20:05.
:20:05. > :20:10.They are adorable. The talons on this little check our formidable. --
:20:10. > :20:20.chick are formidable. But it is not the talons which killed the prey, it
:20:20. > :20:30.is the peak. -- beak. Peregrines have had a tough time in the
:20:30. > :20:34.
:20:34. > :20:36.countryside. But theft, -- bird. But it is encouraging to see a small
:20:36. > :20:44.army of volunteers dedicated to conserving and protecting this
:20:44. > :20:54.British bird. Next time you are in town, as well as window shopping,
:20:54. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:11.was a bit wet! I am joined by some friends now. The thing about birding
:21:11. > :21:18.is that it is only half the story. Much of urban wildlife only comes
:21:18. > :21:26.out after we call it a day. We went out with some locals from Leicester
:21:26. > :21:35.to see what we could find. It is the start of the weekend. A busy Friday
:21:35. > :21:43.night in Leicester. But for one group, planning a wild night, but
:21:44. > :21:49.they will need wellies, and it is not a pub or a cabal insight. --
:21:49. > :21:55.kebab in sight. You don't have to go far around here to find wild
:21:55. > :22:02.neighbours. Aylestone Meadows. A nature reserve rate in the heart of
:22:02. > :22:08.the city. This is a bio-blitz. An event organised by the city council
:22:08. > :22:14.and the wildlife trust. It is open to anyone and the plan is to survey
:22:14. > :22:24.as much wildlife as possible in 20 one hours. We are in for a busy
:22:24. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:35.night. -- 24 hours. That is a snail. Have you seen this? Look what I
:22:35. > :22:37.
:22:37. > :22:45.found. They use these beautiful colours to attract females and they
:22:45. > :22:51.are unusual fish because they do not have scales. It is 10pm and wildlife
:22:51. > :22:59.is becoming difficult to find. And almost to see. We need help. This
:22:59. > :23:09.group is on a bat walk. We have come to the canal where there will be
:23:09. > :23:14.
:23:14. > :23:21.lots of insects and hopefully that's feeding on them. These detectors can
:23:21. > :23:30.avert ultrasonic echo locators from the bats into sounds we can here.
:23:30. > :23:35.All of a sudden, you hear a sound, like somebody blowing a raspberry.
:23:35. > :23:45.That is them homing in and then eating an inset. You hear all that?
:23:45. > :23:45.
:23:45. > :23:55.All the raspberries? Ha-ha! Chewing the day, bats live in these
:23:55. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:15.abandoned factories. -- duelling. -- like you or me popping out for a
:24:15. > :24:17.
:24:17. > :24:24.takeaway. Elsewhere, Barry has been going wild with technology. He has
:24:24. > :24:31.been out and about capturing larger mammals on his camera. This whole
:24:31. > :24:39.place is alive while we are fast asleep. He says the outdoor pursuits
:24:39. > :24:46.in Leicester as a wildlife hotspot. This is a compact camera with a
:24:46. > :24:56.built in Flash and air heat and motion detector. Occasionally we get
:24:56. > :24:59.
:24:59. > :25:06.towels, heavens. We get badgers, foxes. -- ovals -- hours -- owls,
:25:06. > :25:15.herrons. The creatures here are not disturbed by my presence. The
:25:15. > :25:21.outdoor pursuits centre has canoeists, and a main road. So these
:25:21. > :25:25.are city living creatures who are well used to that kind of thing.
:25:25. > :25:34.have badger set towards the back of the site. Badgers wandered across
:25:34. > :25:40.the drive on a weekly basis. Aylestone Meadows bio-blitz is in
:25:40. > :25:47.full swing. Strange glows in the bushes. Lately this on a nature
:25:48. > :25:54.reserve late at night only mean one thing. -- lights. A moth trap. I
:25:54. > :25:59.think they have had success. For any self-respect in bio-blitz, you need
:26:00. > :26:05.a bit of everything. Yes. You can add species during the day when
:26:05. > :26:11.there are not other things flying. On a good day, you can have 100
:26:11. > :26:21.species. This is quite unique. No other North holds its wings in that
:26:21. > :26:24.
:26:24. > :26:30.position. -- moths. It is called a satellite. It is a brown moth with a
:26:30. > :26:35.white spot on its wings. That is where it gets its name of the
:26:35. > :26:44.satellite. A big weight sport and a tiny white spot, but later satellite
:26:44. > :26:49.going around. This is a long-established natural habitat. It
:26:49. > :26:59.is good good trees, good plants. What the local council are is
:26:59. > :27:00.
:27:00. > :27:03.excellent. Improving the variety of habitats in the area. It would be
:27:03. > :27:10.great to get foxes and otters interacting. Or even foxes and
:27:10. > :27:15.badgers. Barry has had more success with his camera. The city comes
:27:15. > :27:22.alive at night when animals clock on for the night shift. They are
:27:22. > :27:28.feeding, looking for territory, Mates, a home. Exactly what we do
:27:28. > :27:33.during the daytime. If you fancy having a wild night of your own
:27:33. > :27:40.check out your wildlife trust website. CFB is a bio-blitz going on
:27:40. > :27:45.near you. Get a camera like Barry's. They're not expensive.
:27:45. > :27:50.Start making your own wildlife movies. You have a very condensed
:27:50. > :27:59.area of different habitats. Just as good a place to see wildlife as the
:27:59. > :28:09.open countryside. Meikle via having a wild night in Leicester. -- Meikle