East Midlands Urban Jungle

instead of trees. Our cities are a very human habitat. But

surprisingly, we share our homes with a wide variety of wildlife. It

just takes a bit of time and patience to spot our wild

neighbours. I'm Sanjida O'Connell. Pond. We're surrounded by houses,

but this little reserve is an oasis in the heart of the city. It's a

mosaic of seminatural habitat. We've got reedbeds, open water and

established woodland, and it's home to some fantastic urban wildlife,

which I'll be exploring a little presenter, Mark O'Shea, sets off on

a summer photo safari around Nottingham and get his feet wet in

the city streams. Oh, there! Yes. Now, that's the first one I've seen.

He's letting me touch him. discover how Derby paved the way for

Peregrine conservation and meet the bird-lovers who need a head for

heights. It sounds like it could be quite distressing for the mother.

Never mind about her! What about me? Oh, not bothered about you!

Fantastic! And Mike Dilger is out after dark in Leicester in search of

creatures that go bump in the night. All of the sudden and then you hear

a... Like a rasberry, and that's them honing in and then eating an

insect. It's summer. We're in Nottingham. It's the perfect time to

relax, chill out, hang out by the water, except our energetic wildlife

photographer and presenter, Mark O'Shea, doesn't exactly do chilling.

He and three local photographers are going to see how much wildlife they

can shoot in and around Nottingham, fauna, flora, the more diverse, the

better. But don't phone in just yet, folks, because Mark's going to be

judge and jury on this one and decides who gets to win the prize.

Today, I'm at Trent Bridge, joining three local wildlife photographers,

each of them with a passion for capturing the natural world on our

doorstep in glorious close-up. When I'm at home, I like to photograph

some of the mini beasts, like mouse spiders and jumping spiders in the

house. If I can photograph this sort of thing at home, what can you

photograph in a city? The place is teeming with wildlife! So Claire,

what have you come to see? Today, I'm going to find an open meadow,

and I'm hoping to find any wildlife I can, but what I'm really looking

for is some wild orchids. Orchids aren't something I've photographed.

I'd be interested in seeing that. Jack? I'm going to be going to an

urban stream today, looking for a variety of fish species. I'm an

angler, so I'll be very interested to see what you find. And Rob?

going to be visiting a power station site for Peregrine Falcon. Well, you

can't get much more urban than a power station, wildlife round a

power station. Fascinating! Well, let's get started. It's a lovely

into his wildlife. He now specialises in underwater

photography. When he's not knee deep in Cornish rock pools, you might

well see him paddling in city streams. Today, he's within shouting

distance of his own front door in Silverdale, Nottingham, and he's

told me to wear my wet suit. Well, there's a skateboard here which

suggests that this is not a stream in the countryside! And if I'm not

mistaken, that's a golf ball. And there's another one over there. And

has a rat just come down the wall over there? Yeah, there's a few of

those in here. Right, shall we have a look underneath that skateboard,

see if it's provided? Oh, there! Yes. Oh, yes. Now, that's the first

bullhead I've seen. He's letting me touch him. Tell us a little bit

about this, Jack. So these are primarily bottom dwelling fish and

they tend to live under the stones and things. They're using the

environment to the benefit because they're living under bricks, house

bricks, and skateboards. Yeah, they use it to shelter under and breed

and things. And you'll normally only find one bullhead under each rock

because they're territorial. And they're that confident in their

camouflage, you can do what you've just done, which is to pick them up.

And they're quite... They just assume that you can't see them

which, for photography, is really handy because they don't move!

I'll put him back. Streams and rivers running through towns and

cities might not be everybody's idea of The Wind in the Willows, but

watercourses like this can have a huge amount of nutrients. And with

that comes high diversity in wildlife. This stream is a lot

richer than it looks. Next, I'm joining Claire Greenaway, a mature

student who lives and studies in Nottingham. Claire's told me she's

in search of wild flowers in the city centre and, in particular,

urban orchids. Well, Claire, we've got the NG2 industrial estate

containing the city of Nottingham skyline and the River Leen here, but

you've got a real wildlife oasis. Tell me about it. Yeah, this is

beautiful. It's an urban meadow which is just teeming with wildlife.

What we're hoping to find today is some wild orchids, but let's just go

inside and what we can see. Absolutely. So we've got a

Brownfield reserve site here and it's not just orchids. I mean, these

aren't orchids, but... No, these are beautiful. They're oxeye daisies. So

most people know daisies from their gardens, but these are just like

giant forms of those daisies. know. It's like honey, I shrunk the

gardener, isn't it? Absolutely! And what's really interesting about

these is that they actually aren't just one flower. They're a number of

different flowers all together. In the yellow in the centre, that's

hundreds of flowers. It's a composite flower? Absolutely.And

you can only really see that with a macro lens. If you zoom in and look

close, then you can see all those little flower heads that, to anyone

else, just looks like part of a single flower. Well, I think we

should get some shots of these. definitely. So is that what you're

looking for? Yeah, that looks exactly like what I'm looking for.

And this is? So this is a wild orchid. This actually looks like

it's a hybrid between two orchids. It looks like it's a cross between a

Southern Marsh orchid and a Common Spotted orchid. And this is the only

location, within the city of Nottingham, where you can find the

species? Absolutely. This is a very special site. They seem to like the

ground here. Well, Claire, I'm really pleased you've found us a

flowering orchid. That's this quest birding with Rob Hawe. If you're

looking for an expert in recording rare bird species in and around

Nottingham, Rob is your man. He's travelled all over the UK with his

passion for ornithology, but his popular website, Cliftongrove Birds,

records species much closer to home. This is a very dramatic backdrop,

Rob. Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. I think that's really

imposing on the landscape. And I gather there's a Peregrine box on

one of the towers. There is but there's one that's been installed on

the far corner tower. It's been there for about ten years now.

we're not here for Peregrines. Today, we're here for Corn Bunting.

And is this a good site for Corn Bunting? This is a very good site.

And I think I've got one already, Mark. Oh, well, that didn't take you

long! Whereabouts? There's one just sat on that bramble, just over

there. So the Corn Bunting is in decline? Yes, it's in decline

nationwide. Nationwide? Nationwide. And what do you think the reason for

the decline might be? Probably agricultural changes with a lack of

insect to feed the youngsters. to pesticides? Due to pesticides,

yes. And yet, this is one of the stronger areas for Corn Buntings in

Nottingham? Yeah, this is one of the best sites for them, actually.

There's probably about seven pairs breeding here now. But only seven

pairs? Only seven pairs, and that's a good site. I think I got another

one by the A453. Right by the road? Yeah, just sitting in the bush.

mean, the thing is that this looks like a piece of wasteland alongside

a great monolithic human development, and yet, it's a

strongpoint for an endangered bird. It is. It is. I last encounter of

the day is on the banks of the River Soar in an old boat yard. It's a

fracking little yellow wagtail which Rob tells me he's seen around here

before. This is a summer visitor from the African continent and it's

usually found on riversides, just yesterday, so I'm really looking

forward to seeing what you got! Jack, you're first. So this is

image. This is of the bullhead that we found together. My second image,

this is of some Gudgeon, all rooting through the gravel, looking for some

food. And then, for my third image, I wanted to get a bit of atmosphere

with it, so I went in the tree roots with the light coming through this

shoal of minnows. And you can see there's a male in the background,

with the breeding colours, and the female. Yeah, the male and breeding

colours, and the light from above, it looks like... Almost like a coral

reef photo. It's got movement in it. Yeah. Yes, you like that, yeah?

Yeah. Now, Claire, you used macro lenses, so you're on a small scale.

So let's see what you've got. Absolutely. So this is my first

image, and we were talking yesterday about oxeye daisies and how they're

composite of flowers. And I think this has captured that really well.

As you can see, all the individual ones beginning to open here on the

edge. The little florets on the edge. They're all separate.

Absolutely. And then, this is another picture of the beautiful

orchid we found. This is a close-up on just one of the... They're

actually called leaves, not petals, on the orchids. And then the third

one, just slightly further away to show how the whole orchid actually

looked. So finally, Rob, at the other end of the photographic scale,

telephoto lens and birds. What have you got? I've got a nice yellow

wagtail, Mark. This was feeding on the edge of the agricultural fields.

OK. My second one is a Common Tern that was fishing on the marina.

That's a Tern on the Tern! It is, yes. And my final image, it's one of

my favourites, the Corn Bunting. It's just holding territory in that

area. Yeah. That is a superb study. It just works. I've really enjoyed

looking at your photographs. They're all winners, but I have to pick one.

And in that case, I think have got to go for the most endangered

species. So Rob, that's for your Corn Bunting. Thank you very much,

Mark. But nobody goes home empty-handed. So Jack and Claire...

Thank you. Impressive stuff. It goes to show there's a bounty of wildlife

right on your doorstep, even if you there, although I think if it were

me, I would have gone for the minnows. Anyway, it just goes to

show what amazing wildlife there is in and around Nottingham. I'm at

Martin's Pond, a small city reserve, and I've just spotted a coot

nest-building, or rather, doing a bit of DIY on her nest and feeding

her chicks. Our next story is about a creature which is, quite possibly,

the fastest animal on the planet. It's a bird of prey and it's set up

its home in the urban hustle and bustle of some of our great cities

like London, Lincoln and Liverpool. But the story of its taste for city

living started in Derby. And that's Derbyshire. This is where our

peregrine story starts. It was a guy called John who originally kicked

off the project. He asked Steeple jacks to climb in the top of the

cooling tallow -- cooling tower. They fitted this is nesting tray and

it was a success. Peregrines came, raised their chicks and local people

flocked from the surrounding area to watch them. What happened at

Willington was the start of something big. It kicked off urban

peregrine conservation and East Midlands. And nowadays, if you're

after an almost guaranteed close encounter with one of Britain's

swiftest predators, you can find in the city as well as the countryside.

My first stop is Nottingham Trent University. You've gone all CSI!

You've been collecting DNI from the peregrines. Peregrine tricks are

stolen every year, so that's an important consideration. By

collecting this material from these falcons, we will be able to have DNA

available should any of the chicks be stolen and then that will allow

us to confirm the identity of any chicks recovered by police

investigation. I spotted one of the fluffy feathers, they look like

checks. They have quite a well-developed beat. It has been the

best part of a decade since Peregrines started nesting here. But

it is only since around 2007 that they have managed to raise chicks.

As a way of protecting the fledgling is, a web camera has been installed.

I have been allowed access to their headquarters. This is the poshest

wildlife control centre I have been in! We are watching the live stream

from the Peregrines test site. -- nest. I did not realise you can

control the cameras. We installed this two years ago. It gives us 360

degrees control. We can look close in at the chicks, and see that one

of the adults as they are now. -- as they are. The camera is fantastic.

You often lose sight of them, but with this, we can follow them along

and get a shot of them taking the first leak off the ledge. -- leap.

Galant has compiled some of the best footage caught on camera. -- rant.

When this bizarre encounter between the Hunter and the hunted. That is

funny. They are just ignoring each other. And the pension gets away. --

engine. -- pigeon. I cannot emphasise how important it is to

keep tabs on individual Peregrines because of the risk of theft. I am

off to Derby to see exactly how they of view of a Peregrine, these old

buildings kind of replicate the rocky cliffs along the seashore

where they normally nest. Cathedrals in places like Norwich and Derby

have become the perfect place for Peregrine parents to read the

chicks. -- rear. I am joining a team from the Derbyshire wildlife trust.

They are going through a simple process that places a unique ring

around the legs of chicks. It helps identify individual birds throughout

their lifetime. Just one challenge -it means somebody sending over the

edge on a rope. It sounds distressing for the mother! What

about me? You are on a rope!They do get agitated because they believe

that predators are after the young. But if we move quick it is not a

problem. After five minutes they can down and carry on flying around. --

calm. They will want to be on television! The job of abseiling has

gone to Martin. He carefully places the baby birds in a bag and lowers

them down the side of the Cathedral. They are taken inside for a health

check and to attach the identification. This is a successful

project and one of the longest running. It started in 2005. 2006 we

put up the nest platform and they have nested every year since.

is the same pair coming back? We know that from their habits.

the timing is quite critical for this. It is indeed. If they get any

bigger than this they become feisty and grapple with their talons. They

are difficult to deal with. But this is just the right age to catch them.

They are adorable. The talons on this little check our formidable. --

chick are formidable. But it is not the talons which killed the prey, it

is the peak. -- beak. Peregrines have had a tough time in the

countryside. But theft, -- bird. But it is encouraging to see a small

army of volunteers dedicated to conserving and protecting this

British bird. Next time you are in town, as well as window shopping,

was a bit wet! I am joined by some friends now. The thing about birding

is that it is only half the story. Much of urban wildlife only comes

out after we call it a day. We went out with some locals from Leicester

to see what we could find. It is the start of the weekend. A busy Friday

night in Leicester. But for one group, planning a wild night, but

they will need wellies, and it is not a pub or a cabal insight. --

kebab in sight. You don't have to go far around here to find wild

neighbours. Aylestone Meadows. A nature reserve rate in the heart of

the city. This is a bio-blitz. An event organised by the city council

and the wildlife trust. It is open to anyone and the plan is to survey

as much wildlife as possible in 20 one hours. We are in for a busy

night. -- 24 hours. That is a snail. Have you seen this? Look what I

found. They use these beautiful colours to attract females and they

are unusual fish because they do not have scales. It is 10pm and wildlife

is becoming difficult to find. And almost to see. We need help. This

group is on a bat walk. We have come to the canal where there will be

lots of insects and hopefully that's feeding on them. These detectors can

avert ultrasonic echo locators from the bats into sounds we can here.

All of a sudden, you hear a sound, like somebody blowing a raspberry.

That is them homing in and then eating an inset. You hear all that?

All the raspberries? Ha-ha! Chewing the day, bats live in these

abandoned factories. -- duelling. -- like you or me popping out for a

takeaway. Elsewhere, Barry has been going wild with technology. He has

been out and about capturing larger mammals on his camera. This whole

place is alive while we are fast asleep. He says the outdoor pursuits

in Leicester as a wildlife hotspot. This is a compact camera with a

built in Flash and air heat and motion detector. Occasionally we get

towels, heavens. We get badgers, foxes. -- ovals -- hours -- owls,

herrons. The creatures here are not disturbed by my presence. The

outdoor pursuits centre has canoeists, and a main road. So these

are city living creatures who are well used to that kind of thing.

have badger set towards the back of the site. Badgers wandered across

the drive on a weekly basis. Aylestone Meadows bio-blitz is in

full swing. Strange glows in the bushes. Lately this on a nature

reserve late at night only mean one thing. -- lights. A moth trap. I

think they have had success. For any self-respect in bio-blitz, you need

a bit of everything. Yes. You can add species during the day when

there are not other things flying. On a good day, you can have 100

species. This is quite unique. No other North holds its wings in that

position. -- moths. It is called a satellite. It is a brown moth with a

white spot on its wings. That is where it gets its name of the

satellite. A big weight sport and a tiny white spot, but later satellite

going around. This is a long-established natural habitat. It

is good good trees, good plants. What the local council are is

excellent. Improving the variety of habitats in the area. It would be

great to get foxes and otters interacting. Or even foxes and

badgers. Barry has had more success with his camera. The city comes

alive at night when animals clock on for the night shift. They are

feeding, looking for territory, Mates, a home. Exactly what we do

during the daytime. If you fancy having a wild night of your own

check out your wildlife trust website. CFB is a bio-blitz going on

near you. Get a camera like Barry's. They're not expensive.

Start making your own wildlife movies. You have a very condensed

area of different habitats. Just as good a place to see wildlife as the

open countryside. Meikle via having a wild night in Leicester. -- Meikle