0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello, I'm Chris Packham. Welcome to Hands On Nature.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Your very own practical user's guide
0:00:07 > 0:00:09to the best of Britain's natural heritage.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14And today we will explore park lands and country estates,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19places where you can enjoy some of our very best wildlife spectacles.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Let battle commence.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I will be watching urban warfare in a London park.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Janet Sumner heads to Northern Ireland to meet our smallest bat.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35It is minute! Like a bat in miniature!
0:00:35 > 0:00:40And Sanjida O'Connell flies high in Yorkshire.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43They are so big, and we're so close to them,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45you can see them with the naked eye.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I am surrounded by ancient oak trees,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02because I am in a very old forest.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And yet I'm only 12 miles from the centre of London.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Just over there are seven million people.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13This is Richmond Park and it is a fabulous place to come and look at wildlife,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18like so many of the other parks scattered around the UK.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Richmond Park covers nearly 2,500 acres,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and is London's largest royal park.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It was created in the 17th century,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35when Charles I enclosed the area as a royal hunting park for deer.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43This place is virtually unchanged after all those centuries.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The only difference is that
0:01:45 > 0:01:48people don't come here to hunt deer any more, but to watch them.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53This is one of the best places in the whole of the UK to watch these red deer,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56especially in the autumn when they are rutting.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00GRUNTING ROAR
0:02:01 > 0:02:04GRUNTING ROAR
0:02:14 > 0:02:16What an experience this is.
0:02:16 > 0:02:2115 metres away from this massive animal, the sound is phenomenal.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25But I can also smell it, I can smell this deer.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30That's what experiencing wildlife is all about.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33That is why being here is better than watching it on TV.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39The parkland is so lush that the red deer are some of the biggest
0:02:39 > 0:02:42and best fed in the country.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47John Bartram, senior wildlife warden and a man who knows his deer.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48This can't be beaten, can it?
0:02:48 > 0:02:52No, you won't see this anywhere else this close to London.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56But the benefit here is that we're not sneaking up on them,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59but walking as close as it is safe to do so.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03That's right. They are used to having the public in every day.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09The only place you will find this would be in Scotland and you wouldn't get near them.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11What is this business about, the rut?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It's about big males getting the females, isn't it?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Dominance. Getting a bunch of girls together.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Keep them on his patch in a harem, and keeping other stags at bay.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24He has a secret line that you cannot see
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and any male that crosses that line, he will chase.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30They do a lot of posturing, not so much fighting.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34It is the last resort. But they will fight when they have to.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36DEER GRUNTS
0:03:36 > 0:03:40If you do come to watch... I can hardly get a word in!
0:03:40 > 0:03:42If you do come to watch you must be quite safe as well.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Because these things will charge people.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Give them respect, they are wild animals.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51If you've got a dog in tow, these will attack if you are too close.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Give them a wide berth.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57During the month-long rut the males' aim is simple -
0:03:57 > 0:04:02to round up and mate with as many females as they can.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The males eat very little, so it is all about stamina.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15This is what we have really come for, but it is a rare event.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18There are two males here, two stags
0:04:18 > 0:04:22that look like they're going to be having a bit of a push and shove.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25There they are. That is what they're meant to be doing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28But this will only happen if two equally sized
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and equally confident animals come face-to-face
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and really get pushed into a corner.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36They try to avoid fighting,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39because those antlers are very dangerous weapons.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43They are also designed to lock together. That is what is happening.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47It's all about pushing and shoving, not gouging and wounding.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And there we are, that is the upshot of behaviour like that.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56One has run off and the other one, look at that,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58showing off with a celebratory bellow.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02What a fantastic piece of behaviour. What a place as well.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04You can come here in the morning,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08and in the afternoon you can do the Tower of London! Fantastic!
0:05:08 > 0:05:12And it is also not only the autumn that Richmond Park is good.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15In the summer there are brilliant insects and birds too.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's all down to these wonderful old trees.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Richmond is nationally important for its trees,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33including nearly 1,000 ancient oaks.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43In order to maximise the variety of life that can live on a tree,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45age becomes important.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Because the older tree gets, the greater the mosaic you get
0:05:48 > 0:05:51between the living and the dead timber.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52Look at this example.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56There are plenty of holes here for birds to nest in, bats to roost in.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And, up here, the heartwood of the tree is beginning to rot away.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04That reduces the weight of this whole mass of tree,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and lessens the chance that it will fall apart.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08It is food for fungus too.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The best thing about this tree
0:06:11 > 0:06:14is that it's specifically managed to encourage lots of dead wood -
0:06:14 > 0:06:18perfect for a greater variety of life.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25There is one creature that is totally dependent on that dead wood.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30This is the larvae of our largest insect.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It will live underground for up to six years,
0:06:32 > 0:06:37gorging on the wood, before pupating and emerging for a brief life,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40lasting just weeks as an adult.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It is the stag beetle.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46A creature that has declined in recent years,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50but London, including Richmond Park, is one of its strongholds.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53The males have antlers just like red deer.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58And if you're lucky you might see them in action.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00This animal here has got hold of the other one
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and it becomes just a wrestling contest.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06They're not trying to kill one another.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10It's just a trial of strength, just like in red deer stags.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14My money is on this one. Look at the way he lifts the other one up.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Giving him a good squeeze. No danger of him puncturing his exoskeleton.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25He has seen him off. And this creature here is the victor.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34If you want to encourage these into your own back garden,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38build a small log pile, making sure some of it is buried in the soil.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Come on, you won't see a red deer carry out this sort of feat!
0:07:58 > 0:08:02You would have heard the old expression, you can't see the wood for the trees.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06In the summer, in woodland like this, you can't see the birds for the leaves.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09So it's important to use your ears to find them.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11BIRDSONG
0:08:11 > 0:08:16There is one extremely noisy bird that's making full use of the trees.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Natives of Asia, the birds were popular pets but they escaped,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and now there are colonies all over south-east England.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25BIRDS SQUAWK
0:08:25 > 0:08:29That really raucous call is possibly the noisiest bird
0:08:29 > 0:08:32you'll hear anywhere in the south of England.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It's a distinctive call, and you're right if you think it sounds like a parrot.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It is a parakeet, a ring-necked parakeet.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And there is a single bird there.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46And you can see the lovely rounded head,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51the rosy-coloured beak, little eye and the ring on its neck.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56This pair haven't got that distinctive ring.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00So they might be juveniles, looking for their first home together.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06They are the new kid on the block here.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09They are a rival for the woodpeckers in terms of the noise they make,
0:09:09 > 0:09:14but also a competitor for the holes in these trees.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25What about that? Two ring-necked parakeets investigating a nest hole.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Look how adept they are climbing. Typical parrot fashion,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32hanging upside down and using their tails as a brace, like a woodpecker.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Leaning back whilst they're peering into that hole.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Unbelievably there are moves afoot
0:09:48 > 0:09:51to consider exterminating these birds from the UK.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56They are non-natives and it's thought they might be becoming too much of a pest.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01What is being considered are the economic aspects of that and how practical it is.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03There are a hundred pairs of parrots here.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Turning up with a shotgun would not be very popular.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11In my opinion, look at them. They are a glorious bird.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Let's live with them, live and let live!
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Richmond Park can be reached by tube, rail or bus.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21You can visit all year round:
0:10:27 > 0:10:30There are a number of free wildlife events through the year
0:10:30 > 0:10:33including stag beetle and bird-watching walks.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37For more information, check out our website:
0:10:37 > 0:10:40You are watching Hands On Nature, your very own practical
0:10:40 > 0:10:44user's guide to the very best wildlife spots in the UK.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48In a moment Sanjida O'Connell is going to be in a fabulous position.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53She is going to be getting touchy-feely with something special.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57A red kite, in Yorkshire. Brilliant!
0:10:57 > 0:11:00In the past, the great country estates
0:11:00 > 0:11:03were very much the preserve of the landed gentry.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05These days, many are open to the public
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and they are great places to look for wildlife.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Perhaps one of the best is the Crom Estate in Northern Ireland,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16a place where ancient woodland meets the tranquil waters of Lough Erne.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Janet Sumner went to see what she could find.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Crom has a rich history, going back to the beginning of the 17th century.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35But now the ruins and the estate are run by the National Trust.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And what makes it so good is this woodland.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45It's one of the largest and oldest in Ireland.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48And some of the trees here are very special indeed.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55And they don't come any better than these - this mass of greenery
0:11:55 > 0:11:58is actually two giant yew trees,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02said to be amongst the 50 greatest trees in the British Isles.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06This is amazing!
0:12:06 > 0:12:09All these incredibly twisted branches,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12it's like some kind of fantastic sculpture.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Now, this is actually a boy-girl combo.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18But how on earth do you tell which one's which?
0:12:18 > 0:12:22If you come back in June, you'll see they have different kinds of flowers.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26The male has little yellow flowers, while the female's got green flowers
0:12:26 > 0:12:32that later on turn into bright red berries. So, now you know!
0:12:37 > 0:12:40But the Crom Estate has another claim to fame.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43And to experience it, you've got to be here
0:12:43 > 0:12:46as the light starts to fade.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54This is Mark Smith of the Northern Ireland Bat Group.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55He is a man on a mission.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59And he has also got permission to help me get up close and personal
0:12:59 > 0:13:02with one of our most amazing mammals.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Mark, your bat detector is going completely mad!
0:13:05 > 0:13:07There must be loads in there!
0:13:07 > 0:13:12There are 500 to 800 pipistrelles up there, ready to come out.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15So, I can hear them on your bat detector,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19but I swear I can hear them chirping up there as well!
0:13:19 > 0:13:23What you can actually hear up there are social calls.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And it is like, say five to three at school.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28And kids know the bell is going to go any minute!
0:13:28 > 0:13:32School books are going into the bags, pencils are put away.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34The volume starts to rise.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And as soon as the bell goes, it is 3 o'clock,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40they all just run out of school! And it's the same as the bats.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43As soon as the light level is perfect, they start streaming out.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48And Mark's going to try and catch one.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56We've got one! I can see the bag moving!
0:14:01 > 0:14:03This is our smallest bat.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08- That is tiny!- It's angry, like most people would be if you're caught!
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- That's the pipistrelle? - The soprano pipistrelle.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15These little things only weigh as much as a two pence piece,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and eat around 3,000 insects every night!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It's fantastically engineered as well.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Because it's got enormous ears!
0:14:24 > 0:14:28The echolocation coming out of that mouth, the echo coming back
0:14:28 > 0:14:30to the ears, gives it a picture,
0:14:30 > 0:14:35exactly the same as what we can see when we are walking about.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40It can see every tree, it can see the leaves move.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42It can see all the insects flying about.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46It can also tell if an insect is flying towards it or away from it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50And it can tell if it's worth eating or not.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54We're not supposed to handle bats. You've got the special licence
0:14:54 > 0:14:56that lets you handle them like that.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- Yes, I'm licensed to handle bats. - That is like tissue paper, that wing.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03This is one of this year's young.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Bat detector prices start at about £50.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Spend a bit more, and a different world opens up.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- DETECTOR CRACKLES - This is what you would get from a basic bat detector.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Just listening to the social sounds here.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21But if I was to flick this switch here,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24it will slow down the sound ten times.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27And you hear more of what it's actually like.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30SQUEAKING AND CHIRPING
0:15:32 > 0:15:35This is an amazing experience.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39And during the summer months there are bat hunts all across the UK.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44This is a National Trust estate, and they regularly have bat events,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46with people who really know their stuff.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49It's just a great way to get close to some amazing animals.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53But it gets even better than this.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58When bats leave their roost, they go in staggered groups,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01each species leaving at different time.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05When daylight comes, one theory is they are vulnerable to predators,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07so they rush to get back to safety.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12It's just before dawn, and this is when the bats start to swarm.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15They are getting ready to go and roost up for the day.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19There are hundreds of them swarming around right now. Quite incredible.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I can hear their wings beating above my head.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26You can't tell me that's not worth getting up early for.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Like anything else you have to put a bit of effort in,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32but the rewards are well worth it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55And if you're up early,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59it means there is much more time to explore around Lough Erne.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08This part of Northern Ireland is a real watery world.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13So get yourself on a boat because there is loads to see from the water.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16The National Trust run trips in boats like this.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And it's just a brilliant way to get a whole new perspective
0:17:19 > 0:17:21on what makes this place so special.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34I'm looking for one of the most disliked and misunderstood creatures.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37They're also among the most fascinating as well.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Spider hunting is something anyone can do.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46There are 600 UK species to find.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50And spider expert Paul Moore is going to help me out.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56If I'm out and about like this, where would I look for spiders?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58The webs are almost invisible to the naked eye.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00That is so the fly prey can't see them.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04If it was obvious, the flies would avoid it.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08The spiders hide in cracks and crevices, they won't be obvious.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09So you need to look carefully.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13To make a spider's web more obvious, spray it with water.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18And hey presto, the web becomes dead easy to see.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Sometimes the effect of the water hitting the web itself
0:18:24 > 0:18:26causes the spider to come out.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29We have found a web and seen the spider.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33How would I go about getting a closer look at that spider?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Well, we can get a brush,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and hook at it. And put a wee jar underneath it to collect it in.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44They are very sticky webs, which is why when a fly hits it, it sticks,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and is immobilised.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- So that is an orb spider?- Yes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55It is a fairly young one, hasn't really got its nice coloration.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- You have a minute one in here somewhere.- Yeah.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01What is that one? That's minute!
0:19:01 > 0:19:04That's a jumping spider. It doesn't need to use a web.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It basks on a wall, and waits for a fly to come and sit beside it.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Then jumps onto it and eats it.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Then we've got the other extreme, what is this guy?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16This is the house spider, the infamous house spider
0:19:16 > 0:19:18which people find in their baths.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It looks enormous and quite scary.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- But it is harmless?- Completely.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It is the fright it gives you, the fright factor.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28But people catch them and put them outside their door.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31In 10 minutes, it is back in again. It's probably in before you are.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34So if you find one, take it away, two or three miles away.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Let it out and it shouldn't come back again!
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- It will take a couple of days to come back.- Or find a better home!
0:19:42 > 0:19:46The Crom Estate is just 20 minutes from Enniskillen.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It's run by the National Trust and is open from March to October:
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Check our website for information:
0:20:00 > 0:20:04You might be forgiven for thinking that all of the wildlife that exists
0:20:04 > 0:20:08on these old estates and parks is here by accident.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Invariably it's not, often it was put there hundreds of years ago
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and has been looked after ever since.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But then in areas where wildlife has been well catered for,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19there have been remarkable success stories.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Perhaps one of the best, Sanjida O'Connell discovered in Yorkshire
0:20:23 > 0:20:28when she went to meet a bird that almost became extinct in the UK.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Ten miles north of Leeds might seem an unlikely spot
0:20:37 > 0:20:40to reintroduce a spectacular bird of prey.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45But Harewood Estate is the place to see one creature that's made a big comeback.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50And right in front of the grand Georgian house
0:20:50 > 0:20:52is the best spot to see them.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57It's here that the RSPB runs a summer observation post.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59David, what an amazing view!
0:20:59 > 0:21:04- Beats being in a hide!- It is a wonderful place to see birds,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and what better birds to see than red kites?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10With a five foot wingspan, red kites are magnificent.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Not a view shared by the Victorians though, who persecuted them.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17What is great about them is they're so big,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and we're so close to them, you can see them with your naked eye.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I have my binoculars, but you have telescopes as well?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26What is the advantage of using these?
0:21:26 > 0:21:30If we use a telescope like this, you get much greater magnification.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32They will bring the birds close up to you.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39These are brilliant. I can just see the birds so much more clearly.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42We get up to 60 times magnification on these things.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Your typical binoculars are going to be much less than that.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50And just soaring like that, you can follow it really easily with the telescope.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53You can pan in and scan around the skies and see them.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58The other bird that is that sort of size is the buzzard.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03How would you know you're looking at a red kite for definite, not a buzzard?
0:22:03 > 0:22:07The big giveaway is the forked tail of the kite.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11- The buzzard has a rounded tail, fan-shaped.- Oh, yes.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14That's an obvious difference.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16This is amazing.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19So David, would you like to swap jobs?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- I will hang out here. - It's a kind offer, why not?!
0:22:27 > 0:22:32Red kites are scavengers, they are constantly on the hunt for an easy meal.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Luckily there are plenty of footpaths where you can get a great view.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42If you can come here at any time,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45do try and come when there is a bit of wind
0:22:45 > 0:22:47because red kites are notoriously lazy.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51What they like doing is languidly floating around on the air currents.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53That means it's easy to see them.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56A day like today is almost perfect.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06This is something you don't see very often
0:23:06 > 0:23:10but it is at the heart of the red kite conservation programme.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14At the top of this beech tree is a massive red kite nest
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and Simon from the RSPB is going to go and see how many chicks we've got.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Simon, 65 feet, are you feeling strong?
0:23:22 > 0:23:23I hope so!
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The Harewood reintroduction programme began six years ago.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Already the birds have become established,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35breeding and spreading across Yorkshire.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Each summer some of the chicks are tagged so their progress can be monitored.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Mum and Dad don't like it much, but the chicks aren't harmed in any way.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Looks like we've got a couple of little beauties there.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56- One's a bit younger than the other. - You can feel their hearts beating!
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Not exactly lightweight, either!
0:23:59 > 0:24:02One was over a kilo.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Look at that. Isn't it beautiful?
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Lying still and playing dead is part of the chicks' self-defence mechanism.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16As scavengers they are the closest thing we have
0:24:16 > 0:24:18to fulfilling the role played by the vultures.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25We have gone from a situation where red kites were extinct in England
0:24:25 > 0:24:30and Scotland, now we have 20 breeding pairs in Yorkshire.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I was wondering why Harewood Estate is so successful?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Harewood is a fantastic place for kites for many reasons.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40The estate is fantastic, rolling countryside,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43plenty of thermals on that.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Nice strips of woodland where they can nest. There's also bags of food.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Kites eat carrion, and there is no shortage of pheasants and rabbits.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57And also, the reintroduction project has been really successful
0:24:57 > 0:25:01in protecting the nests, making sure the birds are well looked after.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08During the summer months there are regular red kite walks.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10You have a good chance of seeing and learning more about
0:25:10 > 0:25:12these wonderful creatures.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21And that's not all. I also spotted sparrowhawks,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and kestrels.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Harewood is a shooting estate,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31but they say that by providing crops for birds to take cover in,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34there are benefits for other creatures as well.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Insects such as these tortoiseshells,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and comma butterflies are able to thrive.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46It is something that is especially pleasing
0:25:46 > 0:25:48for Christopher Usher who works here.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Christopher, this is an amazing view.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58It certainly is, and it is a view that has changed enormously since I've been here.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04I remember coming as a boy and this would be like a wildlife desert, there was nothing.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08No hedgerows, no cover for nesting birds, nothing. Corn everywhere.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09You've put in all these hedgerows?
0:26:09 > 0:26:15We've planted 15 miles over the past four or five years.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Great nesting cover and mixed cover for ground nesting birds to nest in.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Also provides a wildlife corridor for them to run up and down.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31This is another area which helps with the mosaic of the landscape.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33This is a classic cover crop.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37It provides cover, somewhere where a bird can perch, catch insects.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It's great. Good cover, possibly nesting cover as well.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43But also a tremendous benefit to other birds.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I noticed as we were walking in
0:26:45 > 0:26:49there was a group of birds fluttered into the tops of the trees.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53So they're attracted by these seed heads?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Some are, and we also feed them in the winter.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00We put wheat feeders out, for the pheasants and partridges.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03But all other seed eating birds will benefit from that.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10All this, and the red kites, too.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13That job swap sounds pretty tempting.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21If you want to follow in Sanjida's footsteps,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25then the Harewood Estate is between Leeds and Harrogate.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27The estate is in private hands:
0:27:32 > 0:27:35More details on our website.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46That is the charmless coot,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49a bird that scores one out of ten
0:27:49 > 0:27:52as opposed to the ten out of ten scored by red kites -
0:27:52 > 0:27:54birds which are truly sensational.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57The way they wobble their tail is super sexy.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It's through reintroduction schemes that you can now find them
0:28:01 > 0:28:07in parts of England, Scotland and Wales. A great conservation success.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Sadly, that's it for this edition of Hands On Nature.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Next time, Janet Sumner goes back to the Jurassic age in Dorset.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Look at this - in less than five minutes I have found two fossils.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26And I'm blown away by a fantastic encounter with a minke whale.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Oh!
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2005 E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk