0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to Hands On Nature.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Your guide to getting to grips with the best of British wildlife.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Things like this fabulous grass snake -
0:00:10 > 0:00:12a long and lifetime favourite of mine.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Today is a perfect day to go and find one, it's really nice and warm.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19If you want to see things like this, you've gotta get out
0:00:19 > 0:00:24and put your best foot forward over our moor land, hills and heath land.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I've come to southern England to find a bejewelled dragon...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30A real seasonal beauty.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33He's got little beady eyes, looking right at me.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- He's probably saying the same thing about us.- Oh, what a green!
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Mike Dilger climbs the Brecon Beacons
0:00:42 > 0:00:44in search of an Alpine treasure.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49I'd advise anybody who loves plants to look for this little beauty.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And Janet Sumner's in the Lake District
0:00:53 > 0:00:56to see our loneliest bird of prey.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00It's big, it's beautiful and down here is the best place to spot it.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14This is the majestic Dorset Heath.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Unquestionably unique, not only in Britain, but in Europe too.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Look at it - it's open and it's hot.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26That means it's home to a range of specialist and very sexy animals.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28If you don't believe me, I've just heard it.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I bet I can find it.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Look at that - Dartford warbler.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37They might be scruffy, but they are a real heath land specialist.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48The unique thing about this patch of heath land
0:01:48 > 0:01:53in Dorset is that we could find all six species of British reptile here.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But Rhys Cox, warden of these parts for nearly 30 years...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01How about looking for just the rare two, smooth snake and sanders?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And if we happen across the rest, we can take a look.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Ideal spot here with scattered gorse bushes.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Bare sand for the lizards to lay their eggs in.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- Yeah, this is the sand lizard habitat.- It's good, yes.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Usually it's difficult to spot sand lizards
0:02:16 > 0:02:19as they live up to their name and blend in with the sandy ground.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25But for just a few weeks, the male is rather more obvious. Oh!
0:02:25 > 0:02:31- Good gracious! - Oh, what a green. He's so green!
0:02:33 > 0:02:35That colour's not going to last long, Rhys.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38No, that's right, only a week or two and then it will start to fade.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It becomes nearly the same colour as the female.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45And you've got to stalk them - to get a view like this.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50You've got to be very careful, very slow and a lot of patience.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52The male sand lizard turns bright green
0:02:52 > 0:02:57in the months of April and May, in the hope of dazzling a female.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01I can see these little beady eyes looking right at me.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Probably saying the same thing about us. Look at that human! God!
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- He's got huge eyes with his binoculars.- Look at that!
0:03:08 > 0:03:11What a treat! If you want to spot sand lizards,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15the best time is early in the morning when they bask in the sun.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20We're now going to turn our attention
0:03:20 > 0:03:23to another of Britain's rarest reptiles. The smooth snake.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26An incredibly secretive animal.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And to find it, we need a secret method.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31A secret but simple one, Rhys.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Yeah, they're on these heath lands in Dorset and Hampshire
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and one of the ways of finding the smooth snake
0:03:37 > 0:03:40is to have some bits of tin down that they can hide underneath.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42It warms up quickly in the sun,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but they can't be caught by their predators.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46It gives us a chance to find them,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49otherwise they'd be down in the heather.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Here is our first piece of tin. Yeah, we'll try. Fingers crossed.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Let's see if we've got a smooth snake under this.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Tin number none.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05We should be lucky.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Scientists have put dozens of these shelters out on the heath.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Tin number two...- Yes. - Some skin there.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14It is smooth snake skin.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18But sadly, this is not going to satisfy our viewers, is it?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Hardly.- A scruffy piece of sloughed skin like that.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I'm afraid we need a snake - come on!
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Tin number three.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Another empty tin.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I thought this one would be rubbish.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I thought there'd be nothing under this one.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40The smooth snake - discovered in 1857.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Described as extinct - 2005.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Ah!- Slow worms.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Oh!- Oh, no, don't lose them.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Well, it's a slow worm, but not a smooth snake. It's a reptile!
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- Do you want to handle it? - Oh, here we are then.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I presume it would be unlikely to find a slow worm
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and a smooth snake under the same piece of tin.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Not for very long, I think.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12A smooth snake would swallow down the slow worm.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Easy to identify and harmless.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20They've got this very, very, smooth, shiny skin, haven't they?
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Their scales forming a skin here.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The slow worm may look like a snake,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28but it is, in fact, a lizard that through evolution has lost its legs.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31One thing worth saying - if you do pick up an animal like this,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34always put it back exactly where you found it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38I'm going to put him under the tin so he doesn't get kestrelled.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Or buzzarded, because they would love to eat him.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45The tins are our only chance for the smooth snake.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47It doesn't like lying out in the open.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50In fact, it spends most of its time undercover.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Here we are, on to number 4,000...
0:05:53 > 0:05:58- Yeah, what's the time now? Day three.- I don't know. Day 5!- Right.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- Oh look!- Yes.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Right you are, look at that. Wow!
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- At last!- Oh, my goodness me!
0:06:05 > 0:06:08One more piece of tin, I'd have made myself a cow shed.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12But that's a nice snake, isn't it?
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Smooth snakes are harmless, but they are an endangered species,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18so you have to be licensed to handle them.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22In Britain, they're only found on southern heaths and 80%
0:06:22 > 0:06:25of that habitat has disappeared in the last 200 years.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27No wonder they're rare.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I remember reading accounts of a veritable plague
0:06:30 > 0:06:33of smooth snakes in the 1860s, in Bournemouth,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- when there was a lot more heath land.- Those were the days.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- Those days have gone though. - They've gone.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41And our heaths are threatened through...
0:06:41 > 0:06:45- fire, building, fragmentation... - Yes.- All sorts of things.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- You took some finding, didn't you? - Look at the silky, satiny finish...
0:06:49 > 0:06:51You took some finding!
0:06:51 > 0:06:544,768 pieces of tin!
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Back-breaking tin!
0:06:56 > 0:06:58It says, "You are exaggerating."
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Is that what it says? It feels that way.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03OK then. Away you go.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Put that down, very gently indeed.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08There are other snakes you might see out on the heath.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10This is the grass snake.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15It's our largest reptile, reaching well over a metre in length.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And there's one more you might be lucky enough find.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21It's the UK's only poisonous snake - the adder.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25It keeps well away from humans, but, even so, you might want to know
0:07:25 > 0:07:27how to tell the species apart.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Grass snake - overall green background,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35but always they seem to have this distinctive yellow collar.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The adder, on the other hand, always has this zig-zag on its back.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Even if it's a black adder.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42That leaves the smooth snake.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45They have these brown spots, irregularly placed down the back.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47The other thing to look at is the eyes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50The eye of the grass snake - round pupil, yellow background.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Adder - rich orangey background, vertical pupil.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Lastly, the smooth snake, which is a round pupil with a brown eye.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03The vertical pupil of the adder is a dead giveaway.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04If you are that close!
0:08:07 > 0:08:11I'm now joining a quest for an unusual bird, which in spring,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13comes all the way from Africa to breed here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17It's most active at dusk, when it feeds on insects.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21At the moment, the principle occupation
0:08:21 > 0:08:23of the assembled party is blood doning
0:08:23 > 0:08:26because the insects are having a feast.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30It's midge-mongous! Gnat-tastic!
0:08:30 > 0:08:33That's why all these people seem to have this curious affliction,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35doing that!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38BIRD CHEEPS
0:08:41 > 0:08:45We've heard it. The distinctive chirring sound of the nightjar.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51But how do we spot it? The male has white patches on its wings and tail
0:08:51 > 0:08:52and he may fly out if he thinks
0:08:52 > 0:08:55another male is threatening his territory.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57So, maybe, we need something white.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03The man behind you, see what he's doing with that handkerchief.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06He thinks that might attract these birds, the nightjars.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08But someone has told me,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12that if we were to throw these ping-pong balls up in the air,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15that is even better for attracting the nightjars.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Pretty good, actually. Pretty good. Have another go with that one.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20High as you can.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Sadly, our tricks had no effect whatsoever.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30The next night, our cameraman had more luck.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It's the male that makes this chirring sound,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37proclaiming his territory.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38When he flies,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43he makes a clapping sound as the wings slap together over his back.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45WINGS SLAP
0:09:45 > 0:09:48All to attract a female.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53In America, they call these birds
0:09:53 > 0:09:56night hawks because they look like birds of prey.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57You can see what I mean.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06For a small charge, the RSPB run regular nightjar walks
0:10:06 > 0:10:09during the summer from the Arne Nature Reserve by Poole Harbour.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Hartland Moor and Stoborough Heath Reserves,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15near Wareham, are great places to go reptile spotting.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18All the reserves are free and open all year.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21More details are on our website...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Now, if I'm honest with you, the best time to come to heath land
0:10:29 > 0:10:31is in the spring and summer.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Fundamentally, THE most important thing about this habitat
0:10:35 > 0:10:38is that it's a hot one. Hence the spring and the summer.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40If you want to see it at its most picturesque,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42then come at the end of July.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Then the heather will be in flower and this will be a sea of purple.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50You're watching Hands On Nature -
0:10:50 > 0:10:53your guide to the UK's best wildlife spots.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56In a moment Janet Sumner has her own hands-on experience
0:10:56 > 0:10:59in the Lake District with one of our smallest mammals.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04He's gorgeous. He's got this beautiful, lovely long tail.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And very large, sticking up ears.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12If you're into walking,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15you will have heard of the Brecon Beacons in Wales.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18A great open area of dramatic countryside,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and the largest mountains in the southern part of Britain.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24A place that's packed with wildlife.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27On that account, our very own Mike Dilger
0:11:27 > 0:11:30was only too keen to go there and put down a few footsteps.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The Brecon Beacons, in South Wales -
0:11:36 > 0:11:39a wilderness that's brilliant for walking.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43But even better for rare birds and plants.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51From the highest peaks of this wild country,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55you can see how it has been sculpted by the last Ice Age.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And how the edges of sheer mountain sides
0:12:02 > 0:12:04have been scraped away by glaciers.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The Brecon Beacons are a fabulous place for birds.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We've got birds of prey, we've got upland birds...
0:12:14 > 0:12:17But I'm after one special little chappie.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Imagine a bird that's the blackbird of the mountains,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24that's got a white crescent spray-painted on its breast.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26It's got silvery flashes on his wings
0:12:26 > 0:12:30and a beautiful song that haunts over the mountains.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It's called the ring ouzel.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I know just the man to help me find him.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Andrew King is the county bird recorder
0:12:38 > 0:12:43and my guide to this area known as Craig Cerrig Gleisiad.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Is that a raven flying there? - Yes, it is, yeah.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51There's a pair here, as there is most years. By now they'll have...
0:12:51 > 0:12:54really quite well-formed young in the nest.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56And we've got a stonechat flitting over here.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- Yes.- There's a few classic upland birds.- Yeah, the chats.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04The three at this site are the whinchat, the wheatear -
0:13:04 > 0:13:07which are both summer visitors - and the stonechat.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12A kestrel, right above us. Oh, look at that!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Most people think of kestrels hovering on motorways,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but this one, hovering against the updraft of a cliff.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Using that updraft to the best of its ability.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Another master of the air, a buzzard, soars above the valley floor.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36It's now the UK's commonest bird of prey.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And the bird that almost became extinct in Britain,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44and now making a great comeback - the red kite.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Recognisable, of course, by its distinctive forked tail,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51twisting and turning, like a rudder.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Hang on! I think we've got a peregrine coming in.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Oh, wow! Yes!
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Lovely!
0:14:04 > 0:14:09I think that raven has gone a little bit further to the peregrine nest
0:14:09 > 0:14:12than it's used to and the peregrine is objecting.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16- Cos, of course, peregrines will eat a huge variety of birds.- They do.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Some very good work by a monitoring group in South Wales
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- has identified over 80 species of birds.- 80!
0:14:22 > 0:14:26It's phenomenal. That's everything from the smallest gold crest
0:14:26 > 0:14:28up to... even heron remains have been found.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Feather remains this is.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34I imagine winter would be a different scenario, it must be bitter.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Oh it is. Really, all the bird life leaves this area
0:14:37 > 0:14:40between November and the middle of March.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44You can understand why it's called Craig Cerrig Gleisiad,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47which means crags of the blue stones, effectively.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52The sun doesn't penetrate, doesn't touch these crags during the winter.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57We've seen some great birds of prey,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01but no sight yet, or even sound, of the elusive ring ouzel.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07When you come to wild, desolate places like this,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10sometimes it can be tough finding birds like the ring ouzel.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Top tip - firstly, arrive early so you can hear the birds singing.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20Don't be in a rush to use these. Find yourself a good perch and listen.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22BIRD WARBLES
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Getting a bit closer you can hear
0:15:27 > 0:15:31the willow warbler, which is common up here.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Lovely, I think I can hear a touch of the ring ouzel.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37BIRD CHIRPS
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The ring ouzel is that characteristic,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44almost monotone, free note. Too-too-too...
0:15:44 > 0:15:46That's the distinct of it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48That song is just wonderful.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Isn't it? It really is, yeah.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55It's just such a red-letter-day for me.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Hearing a bird with an amazing, evocative song.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Who-who-who...Tzs-tzs-tzs...
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- Terrific!- There it is, actually. - Have you got it?
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Just by those dark crags, there to the left of that hawthorn.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Oh, fantastic. We've got a cracking view.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- It's singing. We've got a view of it...- It's beautiful there.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18RING OUZEL TRILLS
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Where are they gonna be feeding? In these little boulder screes...
0:16:22 > 0:16:25and hopping around looking for caterpillars, flies...?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Yeah. A range of invertebrates, worms.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Just think of them as the mountain blackbird.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32They'll feed on a similar range of invertebrates,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- earth worms, as in the garden. - In the whole of the Brecon Beacons,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40- how many ringers are we talking? - We're probably talking of 20 pairs.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43RING OUZEL CALLS
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Hearing and seeing the ring ouzel,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52like our common blackbird that lives up in the mountains,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and it's a thousand times rarer.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I tell you what, Andy, right about now,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02We've got ravens calling away here,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06we've got ring ouzels at the top. What a treat!
0:17:06 > 0:17:09That's right, as well as a range of other upland birds.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It really is a special area and I can quite understand why
0:17:12 > 0:17:15it was designated a National Nature Reserve.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17You couldn't ask for more.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Well to prove to you it's just not a haven for birds,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I've slogged right up the mountain and I'm headed over there.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32See those dark, cold north-facing cliffs?
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Well they happen to be the perfect habitat for really rare plants.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Oh, I've got it. Superb!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I tell you what, it might be a nice warm day today,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54but this is a plant that likes it cold.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57In as much that it's found within 400 miles of the North Pole
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and on the tops of the highest mountains in the Alps -
0:18:00 > 0:18:06over 4,000 metres. This is the most southerly site in Britain
0:18:06 > 0:18:11for this superb little specialist - the purple saxifrage.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15This has been here over 10,000 years.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Ever since the last Ice Age when the glaciers retreated downhill.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I personally hope it stays here for another 10,000 years.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I'd advise anybody who loves plants
0:18:24 > 0:18:26to go out and look for this little beauty.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31In the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, up in the mountains of Scotland,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35wherever you go, it does like precipitous places.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37So, be careful!
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The slog up here is well worth it.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43Check out the view.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48To get the best out of the Brecon Beacons
0:18:48 > 0:18:51contact one of the four National Park Information offices,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56including the Mountain Centre at Libanus, six miles South of Brecon.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00The spot Mike visited was Craig Cerrig Gleisiad and the best time
0:19:00 > 0:19:04to see all those birds of prey and Alpine plants is spring and summer.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07There are more details on our website.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Now, the Lake District really is the idealised British landscape.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Made so by the likes of Ruskin and Wordsworth,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20who waxed lyrical about the place.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23But, you know, it's not all about sail-boarding, canoeing, walking
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and mint cake, it's also a great place for wildlife,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30particularly small mammals. We despatched Janet to take it easy
0:19:30 > 0:19:33as she looked for these things around Ullswater.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41The Lake District has got everything...
0:19:41 > 0:19:43stunning scenery and majestic hills,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46all shaped by the force of the last Ice Age.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It's a Mecca for hill walkers, but keep your eyes peeled
0:19:50 > 0:19:53because there's much more to the lakes.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The thing about the Lake District - it's fine to come here
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and hike up the mountains for the big scenes,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01but there's lots of little stuff to find, as well.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I'm right next to a pathway that's used by lots of ramblers
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and I've been sitting here watching an adder basking in the sunshine.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Beautiful brown coloration.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13So just keep looking all the time.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17The lowland valleys around Ullswater
0:20:17 > 0:20:20are a great place to explore and find creatures.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26This is a humane animal trap.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They are really good for catching small animals, like mice
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and voles that inhabit the grasslands in the bottom of these valleys.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36You need to find a likely place to put them.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39There's some evidence here that's a dead giveaway.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Look at these hazelnut shells,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44they've got a round hole nibbled into them.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47You can see tiny teeth mark around the edge.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51That's clear evidence that there are mice and voles here.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I've baited my trap with some raisins and nuts.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Now, I'm just going to put it in place...
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Cover it up and we'll come back later and see if we've got anything.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09This might be a landscape dominated by sheep,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12but where their grazing is restricted,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14flowers and insects have returned
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and farmer Candida Hodgson has witnessed the changes.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23You can see all this often without straying far from the footpath.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30We try and reduce the numbers, so there's not so many sheep on here.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34What happens is you get a bigger variety of flowers.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37The whole knock-on is the range of bio-diversity improves.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40You see the symptoms, you see some more flowers
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and obviously there's going to be more insects and more birds.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I'm not a scientist, I can't measure these things,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50but you notice more things happening and more things growing.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- It's better.- Shall we go and see what we can find?- Yep.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- Yeah, we'll go and have a look. - Now you've hyped me up.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00A pink flower with really tiny leaves...
0:22:00 > 0:22:05I wonder if it's a saxifrage? Pink flowers...
0:22:05 > 0:22:10It's definitely the lousewort.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- When you look close they are really beautiful.- They are!
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- They look really exotic, don't they? - Mmm.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- Look, Janet, here there are some sticky sundews.- Oh, wow, yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I mean, they are quite creepy, when you think about it -
0:22:23 > 0:22:25plants that live off insects.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Look at this one, you can see the sticky blobs on the end of the hairs.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Presumably the flies stick to that and then get dissolved.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Staying with traps,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41time to check out if any small mammals have taken the bait.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43The door is shut,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45so there's obviously something in it.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48The question is, what?
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Now you have to remember when you set out to trap small mammals like this,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57from the moment you set the trap, their lives are really in your hands.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So you have to check your traps twice a day.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03You really need to do your homework as well.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07You need a licence to trap some small mammals like shrews.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And into a bag with breathing holes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11It's very lively!
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Got it!
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It is a wood mouse.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21There he is. These little guys, they live for about 18 months.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23In that time...there he goes...
0:23:23 > 0:23:26they can have up to 36 babies.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Into that short time, they pack more than most of us do into a lifetime.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32There he is. He's gorgeous.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36He's got this beautiful gold colouring,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41lovely long tail and very large, sticking up ears.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Oh! And he's off like a shot.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50The wood mice are part of the food chain
0:23:50 > 0:23:53for birds of prey, like the kestrel.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59But to see the animal that's the number one predator in the lakes,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02you've got to head a few miles south to Haweswater.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11This beautiful reservoir was created in the 1930s
0:24:11 > 0:24:14to supply water to the people of Manchester.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It's a lovely, tranquil location and today this area is home
0:24:18 > 0:24:22to one particular bird that's attracting a lot of interest.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23I mean, literally, one bird.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It's big, it's beautiful
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and just down here is the best place to spot it.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39From the southern tip of Haweswater it takes about half-an-hour
0:24:39 > 0:24:41to reach an RSPB observation point,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45where I've come to meet Bill Kenmir, the local warden.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Bill, what we're looking for here is a golden eagle?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It's the only one left in England?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56This is the territory of the last remaining golden eagle in England.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's a male bird and this valley -
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Riggindale Valley - is where he spends most of his time.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04So if we're really lucky, we might spot him on the crags here.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Now there's quite a sad story attached to this eagle, isn't there?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10There is. He is the only golden eagle left.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13He's not one of a pair. We lost the breeding female
0:25:13 > 0:25:16at the beginning of the last breeding season in 2004.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18She hasn't been replaced.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22The male bird has been here, holding onto his territory, waiting,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25we're all hoping, that a female will come and join him on his territory.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28If he was to disappear - be disturbed - and we were to lose him,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32I think it unlikely we'd get two birds and a new pair settling.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We must maintain this valley as quietly as possible
0:25:35 > 0:25:38to keep this male on territory and hope that a female will come down.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Shall we start looking for that needle in the haystack then?
0:25:42 > 0:25:44OK. The first thing to do is have a pan around
0:25:44 > 0:25:47his favourite perches and see if we can find him.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Am I just looking for rocky ledges and stuff?
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Yeah. Some of his perches are on top of rocks or he sits in trees.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58He is difficult to pick out
0:25:58 > 0:26:01against this craggy, heathery, scrubby tree background.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- I thought I had spotted him then. It's a dead branch.- No, I've got him.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Have you got him?- It's one of his favourite perches, actually.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- I can see him. - That's right.- It's fantastic!
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- Yeah.- He's flexing his wings... more preening, more fidgeting.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Oh, he's gone. He's flown.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25This superb golden eagle is about eight years old.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27He's still quite young.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31He'll feed off medium sized mammals up to the size of a roe deer
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and, of course, dead animals or carrion.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39With his six-foot wing span, he rules this valley
0:26:39 > 0:26:44chasing off all incomers, including ravens, buzzards and peregrines.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54The good thing about here is that you don't have to go softly, softly and whisper all the time.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57The birds are so far away that you can speak as loudly as you like.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00I wouldn't normally wear bright red for birding.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04But, again, that golden eagle is so far away, it doesn't matter.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11This is THE place to see this lonely eagle and just think,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16if he finds a partner, we may have more of these truly majestic birds.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22If you want to see that lonely male,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26then the nearest town to Haweswater is Penrith.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29You can see him flying all year, but the RSPB observation point
0:27:29 > 0:27:33is open April-August between 11am and 4pm.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37You can find out more about animal trapping from the Mammal Society.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Of course, there is more on our website.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44That's just about it, but I've just got to squeeze this beauty in.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I found it out here on the heath and it's absolutely sensational.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51This here is the buff-tip moth.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53It's a perfect piece of camouflage.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55It's meant to be a birch twig like this one.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Look at the colour of the moth's head.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Look at the snapped off piece of birch twig.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Look at the moth's tail.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05That same colour and at the other end of the this birch twig,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07it's exactly the same.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Now, come on, the stories on EastEnders are OK,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14but nothing lives up to the great British wildlife.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Next time on Hands on Nature,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Mike Dilger hits gold
0:28:18 > 0:28:19in his quest to find barn owls.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Oh, it's there. That's fantastic!
0:28:24 > 0:28:25And on the River Wye,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Janet Sumner gets close
0:28:27 > 0:28:30to a truly extraordinary creature.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Can you believe that -
0:28:31 > 0:28:33a four-foot long sea monster!