Browse content similar to 30/11/2005. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to Hands On Nature. | 0:00:04 | 0:00:06 | |
I'm Chris Packham and this is your guide to getting to and enjoying | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
the very best wildlife locations across the UK. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:13 | |
We're going to be on the coast and just off it | 0:00:13 | 0:00:16 | |
exploring some of the finest habitats you can find in the British Isles. | 0:00:16 | 0:00:20 | |
I'll be braving Scottish seas, looking for minke whales. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:25 | |
Mike Dilger explores Northumberland's fantastic rock pools. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:29 | |
Every rock I turn over's got crabs under. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:34 | |
And Janet Sumner discovers there's plenty of life on southern England's Jurassic Coast. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:40 | |
This little piece of Utopia is Mull in Scotland. | 0:00:56 | 0:01:01 | |
Just to prove it's that, look behind me. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:03 | |
These dainty little sand martins are nesting at the top of a beach. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:08 | |
Where else could you find that in the UK? | 0:01:08 | 0:01:09 | |
Most of our beaches are far too disturbed, but not here. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:13 | |
Mull's coastline is a wildlife heaven. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:16 | |
Sea eagles, otters, in springtime a host of wild flowers. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:21 | |
The animals I have come to look for today hang around in pods and I guarantee they'll get you excited | 0:01:21 | 0:01:27 | |
and, given the conditions today, I reckon my chances of finding them | 0:01:27 | 0:01:32 | |
are pretty good. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:33 | |
You know those endless top ten lists, things you must do before you die? | 0:01:42 | 0:01:47 | |
I can guarantee that up there with naked paragliding is the desire to see dolphins or whales. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:54 | |
The thing is, seeing some of these remarkable creatures | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
is a really achievable thing throughout the course of the year | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
and in Britain you can do it with your clothes on. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
In fact, you normally do it with rather a lot of clothes on. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
The Isle of Mull is a real whale hotspot and here you can even see them without getting your feet wet. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:18 | |
Now, I know it's a statement of the obvious, very obvious indeed, but unless you are excruciatingly lucky, | 0:02:19 | 0:02:28 | |
you could sit up here staring at this water for quite a few hours, | 0:02:28 | 0:02:32 | |
so for some mild distraction, pick up a book about whales and dolphins. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
This one shows views of the animals taken from the surface, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:39 | |
just the sort of view you're going to get from up here. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
No smiley faces - you don't get to see smiley faces if you're on top of the water, here. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
But what about the best days to come? | 0:02:47 | 0:02:49 | |
Bright, sunny days aren't much good. There's too much glare off the water. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:53 | |
And days when it's too choppy aren't good either | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
because then every white topped wave looks like it's the result of a dolphin's fin. | 0:02:56 | 0:03:01 | |
One last tip. I know it sounds absurd, but keep your ears open | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
because you can often hear whales and dolphins when they are blowing. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:10 | |
On a quiet day, you'll pick up on that. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
And in the seas around the west coast of Scotland you'll find plenty of dolphins and porpoises, too. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:20 | |
But if you are on Mull, Tobermory is a good place | 0:03:20 | 0:03:23 | |
to start your adventure and there are plenty of operators to take you out. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:27 | |
This is whale-watching, Western Isles of Scotland style, and just look at it - sunshine, dramatic scenery, | 0:03:36 | 0:03:43 | |
blue seas and the potential to see 24 different types of whale and dolphin. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
I'm on the hunt for one of the smallest and least known whales - | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
the minke, or stinky minke as it's known because of its fishy breath. | 0:03:54 | 0:04:00 | |
I know the ocean's a big place and looking for whales can be like | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
looking for a bin bag bobbing around in the middle of nowhere but there are clues to whale activity. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:09 | |
Just up ahead of us there are some gannets diving into the sea, which is a pretty spectacular sight. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:17 | |
We mustn't be distracted by the birds | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
but you've got to keep your eye on seabirds because often, when there's a group of them on the surface, | 0:04:19 | 0:04:25 | |
it could be that there is a minke feeding there. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:29 | |
When they feed, they often spill food and the gulls pick it up. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
The minkes were proving elusive. All was not lost though | 0:04:32 | 0:04:36 | |
because on this trip, serious whale research is undertaken too. Skipper James Fairbairn roped me in. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:42 | |
Another good thing about these whale-watching safaris | 0:04:42 | 0:04:46 | |
is they are not just an excuse for gratuitous whale eye candy. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:48 | |
You learn things too, particularly about why the whales are here. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:52 | |
-That's all down to their food, isn't it, James? -Yes, that's right. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
-What's this? Plankton net? -Yes. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
It's got a very fine mesh and we use it to catch plankton so we can show people what the whales are after. | 0:04:58 | 0:05:03 | |
Bottom of the food chain, rich water. Let's see. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
OK. See how clear it is. Still see the net. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
-Doesn't put up much of a fight, does it, plankton? Hardly a sporting fish, is it? -Not really. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:19 | |
Because basically what you've got there is a whale, isn't it? | 0:05:20 | 0:05:25 | |
A whale's mouth, trawling. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:27 | |
That's absolutely right. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:28 | |
Doing exactly the same thing it would when it was feeding. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
Let's have a look. What have we got here? | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
-This is zooplankton, isn't it? -That's right. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:40 | |
-This is whale food, isn't it? -That's right. Exactly what the whale... | 0:05:40 | 0:05:43 | |
-A pint of whale food. I wouldn't down it myself. -Full of protein. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:48 | |
I'm vegetarian! | 0:05:48 | 0:05:50 | |
Unfortunately, plankton was to be our only catch of the day. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:58 | |
Not a sniff of a minke, let alone its fishy breath. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:01 | |
So, it was minke one, whale watchers nil. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:05 | |
Still time, though, to check out the jellyfish before returning | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
to Tobermory to get ready to try again the next day. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:11 | |
Another day, another chance to see a minke. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
Whale-watching operators claim a high success rate around Mull | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
so this had to be our day. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
As part of the research project, the minkes are photographed. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:31 | |
It means their movements can be monitored and it's something that you can get involved in as well. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:36 | |
I bet 99% of your punters want to go home with a photo, don't they? | 0:06:39 | 0:06:44 | |
What tips can you offer for cetaceal photography? | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
The most important thing is to just always keep an eye on what you're looking at. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:53 | |
When you're holding the camera a lot of people find | 0:06:53 | 0:06:56 | |
they tend to naturally close an eye, put their other eye inside the lens, the viewfinder, | 0:06:56 | 0:07:02 | |
whereas the most important thing is to keep that eye open. | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
You can always guide the camera in the right place... | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
And be poised as well so you're looking with this eye and immediately up... | 0:07:09 | 0:07:15 | |
-You've got 1½ seconds whilst it's breaking the surface. -If that. | 0:07:15 | 0:07:19 | |
We're both armed with great big telephotos. What about little snappy cameras? | 0:07:19 | 0:07:23 | |
-Do they ever come close enough to use those? -Oh yeah. | 0:07:23 | 0:07:26 | |
I think actually you don't need to have this sort of equipment. This is more for photo identification. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:32 | |
If you want a photo to take home, these little snappy ones you get are just as good. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:37 | |
Now by this time things were, frankly, rather tense and the minkes were still refusing to play ball. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:44 | |
But there was a big clue - the seabirds were back on the surface | 0:07:44 | 0:07:50 | |
and strange things were happening under the water. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:53 | |
There it is right here. | 0:07:53 | 0:07:55 | |
-Look at that! -Finally, a minke. | 0:07:55 | 0:07:59 | |
It's here again, it's under the bow. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
There it is right here. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
Then the whale just got closer and closer to the boat. | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | |
It was unbelievable. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:13 | |
This is one of around 65 individual minkes that have been identified in these waters. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:24 | |
Just about to come up again. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:27 | |
Look at that! | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
Oh! | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
-If you're thinking of going to Canada, Iceland or Norway forget it! -Here... | 0:08:40 | 0:08:45 | |
There is is, guys, down here, right underneath us. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:50 | |
Wow! | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
Really checking us out. It's going to the stern. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
Honestly, I've seen a few whales around the world, | 0:09:01 | 0:09:04 | |
but never has one shown this much attention to the boat. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:07 | |
It must have criss-crossed under the boat 10, 12 times now. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:11 | |
Fabulous views, looking down through this clear water. You can see every detail. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
Doesn't look like a bin bag floating on the surface - | 0:09:15 | 0:09:19 | |
it looks like a proper animal. James, what can you tell us about this one? | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
It's a young one. The juveniles are much more curious than the adults. The adults tend to stay away. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:30 | |
-What do you think? -It's amazing. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
I've seen minke maybe a handful of times, | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
but to keep going backwards and forwards so slowly, so controlled, it blew me away. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:41 | |
-It's almost like it was a pet. -Yeah. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
It's like it performed for us. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
It knew we were here, and it performed. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:49 | |
And you couldn't ask for anything else, could you? | 0:09:49 | 0:09:52 | |
People go all the way to the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, California... | 0:09:52 | 0:09:57 | |
but, look - calm sea, blue sky, sunshine, minke whale, pet minke, swimming under the boat. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:05 | |
What are you talking about? Save your money. Mull is the place to come. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
-Vote for Mull! -Mull! | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
There are daily ferries to Mull. It's a 45-minute crossing from Oban. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:22 | |
More details on our website. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:36 | |
I've been chasing birds since the age of 12. It's perfectly natural. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
This spot on the side of Loch Frisa takes the British biscuit | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
when it comes to the best place for birdwatching | 0:10:47 | 0:10:51 | |
because from here you can see white-tailed sea eagles. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
And that's a dream come true for a birder such as myself | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
because in 1975, there were none, then a reintroduction programme began and now, there are 30 pairs. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:03 | |
And you can watch one of them from this seat and from this hide. | 0:11:03 | 0:11:08 | |
This is Scotland's biggest and rarest bird of prey. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:14 | |
There are plenty of wildlife tours that can help you get great views of them. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:21 | |
And you can't miss them - with a 6ft wing span, they're like a flying door. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:26 | |
You see? I'm not the only one who thinks this place is brilliant. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:29 | |
And that could be you. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:31 | |
Coming shortly, Janet Sumner takes a step back in time and discovers some real gems from the long distant past. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:40 | |
Has anybody got any flowers? | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
What have you got? | 0:11:42 | 0:11:44 | |
Ichthyosaur vertebra! | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
You know, there's one stretch of Britain's coastline | 0:11:55 | 0:11:59 | |
that doesn't get the praise it's due and I simply don't know why. | 0:11:59 | 0:12:03 | |
The word majestic can only have been invented to describe Northumberland's coast. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:08 | |
It's got great history, great castles, beautiful beaches, glorious sand dunes and a wealth of wildlife, | 0:12:08 | 0:12:14 | |
as Mike Dilger discovered when he set out on his coastal journey from Holy Island. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:19 | |
The Northumbrian coast is one of Britain's hidden gems, as rich in wildlife as it is beautiful. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:32 | |
And it's simply brilliant for rockpooling. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:36 | |
This is a pretty nice place to hang out for the day. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
If you want to live here, it's a completely different ball game. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:45 | |
You have to be a super tough creature. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:47 | |
Not only do you have the pounding waves, | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
you have to cope with extreme heat and extreme cold when you're in the water | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
and the sea water itself is really salty. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:57 | |
So to live here full time, you've got to be pretty special. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:01 | |
Now today is a spring tide which means, in a couple of hours, | 0:13:05 | 0:13:09 | |
this massive expanse behind me is going to be uncovered, revealing lots of lovely rock pools. | 0:13:09 | 0:13:15 | |
I've got all the gear with me. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
I've got my bootees, my jam jar for my specimens | 0:13:17 | 0:13:21 | |
and a little net to catch them in. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
It's like being a kid again. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
So I've enlisted the help of all the kids from Holy Island's only school | 0:13:27 | 0:13:31 | |
and local marine biologist Jane Lancaster. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
-Are you ready? -YEAH! | 0:13:34 | 0:13:37 | |
-Who's going to find the biggest crab? -ME! | 0:13:37 | 0:13:40 | |
Go get 'em! Give us a shout when you find something. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:44 | |
On a spring tide when the sea is at its lowest ebb, the rocky shore | 0:13:44 | 0:13:48 | |
is a great place to discover all sorts of aquatic treasures. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:53 | |
And most importantly, if you do find something, look at it and then put it back where you found it. | 0:13:53 | 0:13:58 | |
I found a crab shell. | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
Molly's found a little hermit crab. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:03 | |
Can you see his pincers? | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
He's a crab, but he hasn't got his own shell, | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
he's got somebody else's shell that he lives in. Pop him in there. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
Molly! Watch out - the crab'll be back. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:14 | |
The same crab - it's there and it nipped me. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:19 | |
Be a bit careful. They've got nasty nippers. This is a shore crab. | 0:14:19 | 0:14:23 | |
CHILDREN SQUEAL | 0:14:23 | 0:14:25 | |
Fantastic. | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
-These are the most common type on the shore. -Trying to get nipped... | 0:14:28 | 0:14:32 | |
This is an edible crab. You can tell it's an edible crab because it's got like a pie crust on the outside. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:38 | |
-But the real prize is this amazing one. -A spider crab. -That's right. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:45 | |
-This is a spider crab. -Look at that. -Do they nip you? | 0:14:45 | 0:14:49 | |
They're not so bad at nipping you. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:51 | |
This is seaweed and they allow seaweed to grow on them so that it's like camouflage. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:56 | |
Look at that, he's a bit of an ugly chap, isn't he? | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
But very charismatic. He can't help it, I'm sure. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:03 | |
Let's see what else we can find. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:05 | |
This is one of the commonest fishes you'll find in rock pools. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:09 | |
You can't normally see them because they move so quickly. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
So whoever caught this one did very well. He's called a shanny, a classic rock pool fish. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:18 | |
You can find things on the lower shore just by peeling back seaweed. | 0:15:18 | 0:15:22 | |
We've got two sea hares. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
They're called sea hares because they have these hare or rabbit-like ears at the front. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:32 | |
-What exactly are they? -They're just a marine slug. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
Treat them very carefully, guys. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:37 | |
-Be careful, guys, they're very delicate, they are. -Can I feel it? | 0:15:37 | 0:15:41 | |
-He squirted ink at me! -Put your hand in the water to get that ink off. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:47 | |
When you annoy these, they squirt purple ink at you. That's a method of defence. | 0:15:47 | 0:15:51 | |
When an attacker comes along, that puts the predator off because they can't see them properly. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:56 | |
In about 15 minutes, we found 20 different species, which is just a tremendous return. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:04 | |
This coastline is spectacular. Just a little farther south is Bamburgh, | 0:16:10 | 0:16:16 | |
which has one of the most stunningly beautiful beaches in Britain. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:19 | |
And it's a very different rock pooling experience. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:23 | |
-I have to say, what a sensational view. -Amazing, isn't it? | 0:16:34 | 0:16:39 | |
Man-made AND natural structures. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:41 | |
But compared to the little mini ponds, this is like a swimming pool or marine aquarium. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:47 | |
This is totally different and one of the reasons is that these areas are never cut off from the tide. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:53 | |
They're called surge gulleys because when the tide comes in, it surges up. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:58 | |
It never dries out so you can see things in here that you'd normally only see if you were a diver. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:04 | |
Now, always take a few sensible precautions. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:15 | |
Don't do this on your own. Tell someone when you're expected back | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
and, even better, if it really takes your fancy, get some help from your local scuba club. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
And just look at what great fun you can have. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:30 | |
Every rock I turn over has got crabs under. Most of them are edible. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:40 | |
Jane, that was just the best time. | 0:18:01 | 0:18:03 | |
There are so many fish and I couldn't catch one to bring back to you. I'm really sorry. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:09 | |
All too fast? | 0:18:09 | 0:18:10 | |
I did get a few little bits and bobs. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
I know this isn't much, but they are beautiful when they're under water. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:18 | |
They're like a little blob of lime green jelly. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
It's an egg mass of a little worm called a green leaf worm. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:25 | |
They look a bit like a rag worm. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
-And you recognise these two critters. -We've got a beautiful purple Henry, here. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:34 | |
You tend to find the biggest ones in the deeper pools, like this. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:38 | |
And we've got a nice sea hare. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:40 | |
He's been squirting purple ink, hasn't he? | 0:18:40 | 0:18:43 | |
He probably got a little bit excited or a bit afraid and slimed me. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:48 | |
-He's looking a bit disgruntled. -He is! | 0:18:48 | 0:18:51 | |
What a terrific place! It's a complete revelation. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
And such a rich diversity of animals and plants. I know where I'm coming on my next holiday - | 0:18:55 | 0:19:00 | |
rock pooling in the north coast of England. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
Check out our web pages for more information. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
OK. It's time for some real wildlife. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
185 million years worth. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
We want to show you the weird and wonderful wildlife past and present of the Jurassic Coast. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:38 | |
It runs for 95 miles along the south coast of England. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:41 | |
Janet Sumner decided to focus her attention on the beautiful county of Dorset. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:47 | |
Welcome to Charmouth in Dorset, one of the best beaches in the country for finding fossils. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:57 | |
Look at this - in less than five minutes I've found two belemnite fossils. | 0:19:57 | 0:20:02 | |
They're about 185 million years old. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
Related to the squid family, they died out about the same time as the dinosaurs. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:10 | |
You don't have to be an expert. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:13 | |
These fossils are literally rolling around on the beach, | 0:20:13 | 0:20:17 | |
just waiting for you to pick them up. | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
This is part of the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, | 0:20:20 | 0:20:24 | |
a stretch of coastline that has some amazing geological features | 0:20:24 | 0:20:29 | |
including rocks formed during the time of the dinosaurs. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:32 | |
It's England's only Natural World Heritage Site band includes the stunning Lulworth Cove. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:39 | |
The fossilised forest just a mile or so from the cove | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
is THE most the complete record of a Jurassic forest in the world. | 0:20:45 | 0:20:51 | |
The evidence of the wood has long since gone. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:52 | |
It's been eroded by the weather. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
But what's left are these huge, fossilised algal rings. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:59 | |
This is algae that grew around the trunks of the trees | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
when the forest was flooded about 150 million years ago. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:06 | |
This is the iconic view of Dorset that appears on all the postcards. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:16 | |
It is Durdle Door and, believe me, it is worth seeing in the flesh. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:21 | |
The plants in this cove are growing in one of the hottest, driest and saltiest environments in the UK | 0:21:23 | 0:21:29 | |
and they need some very special adaptations to be able to survive this hostile environment. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:36 | |
This is sea lavender. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:37 | |
There's lots of species of this around the UK coast, but only this one grows in Dorset. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:43 | |
It's got thick, rubbery leaves to protect it from salt | 0:21:43 | 0:21:46 | |
and tiny purple flowers spikes to stop it losing too much moisture. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:50 | |
You can see why it gets its name because it does look like lavender. | 0:21:50 | 0:21:55 | |
This is rock samphire. It's a succulent | 0:21:55 | 0:21:58 | |
and its leaves are reduced down to spikes | 0:21:58 | 0:22:02 | |
and it uses these to store water. If I break a bit off, you can actually see the water in the stem. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:08 | |
I've come up here to meet Maddy Pfaff who's the head ranger for the Lulworth Estate | 0:22:14 | 0:22:20 | |
She's going to be my guide to this stretch of coast. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
Maddy, the scenery is just absolutely knockout. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:28 | |
Isn't it wonderful? This is Durdle Door and we have got Lulworth Cove a mile down the coastline. | 0:22:28 | 0:22:33 | |
Most people come here to enjoy a day out on the beach | 0:22:33 | 0:22:37 | |
but we are also surrounded by the most amazingly diverse wildlife. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:40 | |
Maddy, this is a really pretty little plant. | 0:22:45 | 0:22:48 | |
It is. These plants in front of us | 0:22:48 | 0:22:50 | |
are both bedstraws. The white one is hedge bedstraw | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
and the yellow one is ladies bedstraw. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | |
They're called bedstraw because they were used to pack ladies' mattresses with in days gone by. | 0:22:56 | 0:23:02 | |
It's got...it's like honey or something. A really strong smell. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:07 | |
It would have been really nice to have a mattress packed with that. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:11 | |
This is another one of these really useful plants which has had | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
a human association throughout the ages. Give it a smell. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:20 | |
It smells of cat pee. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:24 | |
It is called fleabane. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:27 | |
It was strewn over the floors of houses, dried, trodden on and it got rid of the fleas. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:33 | |
If I was a self-respecting flea I would not go anywhere near that! It stinks! | 0:23:33 | 0:23:38 | |
If these clifftop areas had been sprayed with fertiliser, | 0:23:38 | 0:23:42 | |
only a few dominant plants would flourish. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:44 | |
But there's a wonderful diversity of plants here and where you have plants, you have butterflies. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:52 | |
This is a marble white butterfly. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
There are loads of them around in July and they love this type of coastline. | 0:23:57 | 0:24:01 | |
Especially they like the long grasses because that's where they lay their eggs. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:05 | |
And they fly along, a bit like a bomber, and drop their eggs on to selected grasses. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:10 | |
This is Bindon Hill which is a fantastic place to see butterflies. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:16 | |
There are about 32 species which live and breed up here. | 0:24:16 | 0:24:19 | |
The great big ones that we've seen flying around, the orange ones, they're Dark Green Fritillaries. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:25 | |
Why are they called dark green when they're actually orange? | 0:24:25 | 0:24:28 | |
That's because, on the underwing, they have a dark greenish shimmer | 0:24:28 | 0:24:32 | |
which distinguishes them from the other types of fritillary. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:36 | |
There are also lots of moths here including the day-flying, six spot Burnet Moth. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:42 | |
We've got Adonis Blue butterflies, Common Blue butterflies, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
and the Small Blue butterfly which absolutely loves this kidney vetch, which is what it lays its eggs on. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:52 | |
Now, there's one butterfly that's extra-special. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:57 | |
It's a bit brown, dull and not very colourful, but it's the rarest one of them all. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:02 | |
It's the Lulworth Skipper and it was given that name because it was discovered here | 0:25:02 | 0:25:08 | |
and this is the only place in Britain that you find it. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:12 | |
For all the beauty of the living creatures on this part of the coast, what makes this place so special | 0:25:13 | 0:25:19 | |
are the things that lived on the land and under the sea here millions of years ago. | 0:25:19 | 0:25:23 | |
I've come back to Charmouth for a little fossil hunting competition | 0:25:23 | 0:25:27 | |
with Meirel Whaites, the warden for this part of the coast. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
What is it about fossils that just captures our imagination so much? | 0:25:30 | 0:25:35 | |
I think it's the fact that you can walk along the British coastline, come onto a beach like this | 0:25:35 | 0:25:42 | |
and pick up something that nobody else has touched or even seen in 185 million years. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:46 | |
Especially with the children, that is the big wow factor. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:50 | |
Give me some tips about finding really good fossils. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:52 | |
When I come out on the beach, I always carry a hammer. | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
But during the summer months, you are better off looking amongst the pebbles and the gravel. | 0:25:55 | 0:26:00 | |
Your eyes are your best tools, and your hands. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:04 | |
That's why children are so good - their eyes are younger! | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
-So let's start our challenge and may the best woman win! -We'll see! | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
The best time to look is on a falling low tide when the sea has churned up lots of goodies. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:18 | |
Everyone's hoping to find a souvenir of sea creatures that lived | 0:26:19 | 0:26:24 | |
in warm, shallow tropical seas millions of years ago. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:27 | |
-I found a few but they're not very good, so has anybody got a really good fossil? -I've got an ammonite. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:34 | |
That's brilliant. That's perfect. Has anybody got anything else? | 0:26:34 | 0:26:38 | |
What have you got? ..An ichthyosaur vertebra. Fantastic. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:44 | |
OK, Meirel, time to tally up. I think I've actually done quite well. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:51 | |
I've got belemnites... | 0:26:51 | 0:26:55 | |
a really, really good ammonite, but my prize... | 0:26:55 | 0:26:58 | |
is a vertebra from a marine reptile. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:03 | |
-I reckon that is an ichthyosaur. Am I right? -You're pretty much right. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:07 | |
Right, I've got rock ammonites, a piece of fossil wood, | 0:27:07 | 0:27:11 | |
a nice calcite ammonite that I've hammered open, | 0:27:11 | 0:27:14 | |
a bigger ammonite than yours and the belemnites as well. | 0:27:14 | 0:27:19 | |
I've got to confess, actually, I cheated. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:22 | |
How did you cheat out on the beach? | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
I nicked two best fossils from the kids. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:28 | |
I told you the kids are the best fossil hunters. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:32 | |
Fossiling is really addictive | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
and I'll be back to Charmouth again to see what I can find on the beach. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:39 | |
More details on our website. | 0:27:57 | 0:28:00 | |
If you do decide to visit Mull, and I mean look at it - it's irresistible | 0:28:02 | 0:28:07 | |
before you come, check out all of those people offering trips on land and sea. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:12 | |
Check with tourist information or have a quick scan of the web. | 0:28:12 | 0:28:16 | |
I guarantee you'll find something that takes your fancy. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:20 | |
That's it from Hands On Nature. See you again next time... | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
..when Janet Sumner will be meeting some hard-working Dartmoor residents. | 0:28:25 | 0:28:30 | |
They can carry up to 20 times their own body weight. | 0:28:30 | 0:28:34 | |
It's amazing, isn't it? | 0:28:34 | 0:28:35 | |
I'll head for Scotland, searching for one of our toughest little animals. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:41 | |
This is ornithological nirvana. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:44 |