0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello, I'm Chris Packham and this is Hands On Nature,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10your practical guide to the best wildlife locations across the UK.
0:00:10 > 0:00:16And today we're going to be wet and wild, both out at sea and inland, as we explore our waterways.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22And I've got to tell you, they're amongst the best places to find some our most exciting wildlife.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I'll be checking out Northern Ireland's charismatic bird life.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Gorgeous, I mean, look at them!
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Why don't they make cuddly cormorant toys?
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Look at what Janet Sumner discovers in a Welsh river.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38We're looking at the evidence of a four foot-long sea monster.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40There it is, look. Oh, it's there.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44And Mike Dilger finds a ghostly bird that patrols a Yorkshire canal.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00This is Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, the largest sea inlet in the British Isles,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and the stats about this place are amazing.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Get this - every day 350 million gallons of sea water rush in and out here,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13and it's one of the richest marine environments anywhere in Europe.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17More than 2,000 species of plants and animals have been discovered here.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22But it's the creatures that live above the waterline that I've come to see and one of the best times
0:01:22 > 0:01:27to start to get to grips with them is at the height of the Northern Irish summer.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Strangford Lough is beautiful, wild and rugged
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and it's a drowned ice-age landscape to boot.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44These small hilly islands have a special name.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48They're called drumlins and they were made when the ice age ended
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and the sea levels rose.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Local folklore has it that there are 365 of them,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57one for every day of the year.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05I haven't been counting them properly but there has got to be at least, hmm...
0:02:05 > 0:02:0980, 85 islands out there, which is pretty impressive.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12But you don't have to stand here on the land looking at them.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18You can take a boat trip and that's also a brilliant way of getting close to some spectacular wildlife.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25David Thompson knows this place like the back of his hand.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31Just the man to show me the highlights, including one special place called Bird Island.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36You can see it from boat trips onto the lough, though landing isn't normally allowed.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Dave, the lough's vast, isn't it?
0:02:43 > 0:02:48And it seems to have its own complement of communities. Its own little world, if you like.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50It is. It's a huge sea lough,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55almost landlocked, apart from these constricted narrows out into the Irish Sea.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59- 150 square kilometres in area. - Massive.- It's massive, and I think we worked out
0:02:59 > 0:03:03there's 180 kilometres of shoreline when you add it all together.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- It's so rich - lots of plankton, lots of fish.- Lots.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And vast numbers of birds. That's quite a show of cormorants.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11That's brilliant. Isn't it fantastic?
0:03:11 > 0:03:16They go up to 400 pair of cormorants here. One of the biggest colonies...
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I sense we're cormorant fans alike?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Absolutely, I just love these creatures.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Brilliant. Full of character.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We don't have that aversity to eating a few fish.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27No, not at all.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31No aversity to watching them vomit up that fish to feed their youngsters.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34That's a delightful practice, don't you think?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Course it is. Punk rock birds, cormorants - I love them.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41These pre-historic looking creatures are found all over the UK
0:03:41 > 0:03:46but it's their superb ability in catching fish that often brings them into conflict with anglers.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Today, though, I'm going to get really close to them by helping David with a bit of survey work.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53These are big, healthy chaps.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Yeah, they're really good strong youngsters.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Look at the mouth!
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This bird's mouth is opened to the size of a mug.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08No wonder they can swallow such massive fish, it's a superb adaptation.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Catch something big, get it down, digest it.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Gorgeous. Look at them!
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Why don't they make cuddly cormorant toys?
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Seriously.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Gorgeous little things.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Look, this is what they're eating.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- His dinner.- Oh, that's nice.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Look, there's some very young young here.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31They've just hatched.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33A day old, two days at the most.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- Oh, my goodness me!- Blind.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39No feathers. Looking like reptiles.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- And a clutch of eggs?- Yes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43They're doing well.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Look at these guys here. Oh!
0:04:47 > 0:04:49That's fantastic.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Oh, look at you!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53You wouldn't, would you?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Oh, you would!
0:04:55 > 0:04:59This one's still got his egg tooth. That little white thing.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02How about that for nest material?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Stolen from children!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Yes, they're wicked creatures!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Gorgeous little things.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10- Wonderful.- Aren't they brilliant?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Oh, they're just superb.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31At the southern tip of Strangford Lough
0:05:31 > 0:05:35is the National Trust nature reserve at Killard Point
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and in June it's just carpeted with flowers.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43A feast for the eyes.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Look at that.- Beautiful. - A piece of paradise.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Absolutely. Where else would you find this?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Just about unique, really.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- This kidney vetch is bright yellow. - There's a sea of it.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02There were some spectacular wild flowers
0:06:02 > 0:06:06but sometimes the really lovely ones aren't always the most colourful.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- Oh, wow.- You nearly knelt on that. I nearly knelt on that.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11You nearly knelt on that.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13If I had knelt on that,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- you'd have had to beat me!- You'd have hated yourself for a week.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21- Frog orchid.- You're absolutely right, frog orchid.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- Now that is a monster.- They're good specimens here, aren't they?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Are you not used to seeing them so tall and lush?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31No, on the chalk where I come from, they're stumpy little things,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33but that's in its prime.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Very healthy. Doing well.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Called a frog orchid because it's frog-coloured
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and the flowers are said,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43or WERE said by the Victorian namers, to resemble frogs.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- Do you see a frog?- Not unless it's been run over by a truck!
0:06:49 > 0:06:51But it's a beautiful plant.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Yeah, it's gorgeous.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56But in the autumn, Strangford Lough changes again,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00echoing to the sound of an entire species of bird on the move.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03This is THE place to witness the migration
0:07:03 > 0:07:06of tens upon tens of thousands of Brent geese.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09There's plenty of truth in the old adage
0:07:09 > 0:07:11that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16especially when it comes to getting to know your goose. Look at this.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17It's a little star.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20These Brents might come from the Arctic regions of Canada
0:07:20 > 0:07:23but they're very certainly not Canada geese.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26They're a distinct species and you can tell the two apart easily.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28The Brents here are much smaller.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Look, they're the size of a duck.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32And they have that small blunt beak
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and they lack a very characteristic white facial panel.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Super little thing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45They might be small but these are remarkable creatures making an astonishing journey.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The entire world population of these light-bellied Brent geese
0:07:48 > 0:07:51leave their Arctic breeding grounds to head for the lough.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56It's a 3,000-mile journey that leaves them on the brink of exhaustion.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01The Wildfowl and Wetland Reserve at Castle Espie is the best place to see them.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The question for Brent goose expert John McCullough
0:08:11 > 0:08:14is what makes this place so attractive for them.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19The reason is food. That's all they're interested in when they arrive here.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22We have huge swathes of a thing called eel grass.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26They're coming to feed on this, as they've come through a huge journey
0:08:26 > 0:08:30and they want to settle with us in the winter and just eat.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34When's the best time to come and see the whole 30,000 doing their stuff?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37The best time to come is October. The month of October.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41You can see them from August onwards but October is the maximum time
0:08:41 > 0:08:45when most of the birds have gathered and come in and settled down.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49But you do have some birds which have satellite tracking on?
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Hi-tech low-tech fusion. The low-tech fusion bit of it is that we keep these on with knicker elastic.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58So you have a transmitter on the back of a little goose that costs us a fortune,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00yet we put it on with knicker elastic and glue.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05Robo-goose! State-of-the-art knicker elastic.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Where are they now, then?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09We caught them in Iceland in May of this year.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12We followed them into the Arctic and now they're on their way back.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14What a bird, what a story!
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And you can follow their fortunes on the BBC's Supergoose website.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44One of the best things about watching Brent geese here
0:09:44 > 0:09:47is that you can visit the WWT reserve at Castle Espie.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51They've got a great captive collection, birds from all around the world,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54some of them even hand-tame, like these nenes here,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and an excellent tea room, a prerequisite of any good birding trip out.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07You're watching Hands On Nature, your practical guide to the best wildlife locations across the UK.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Coming up in a minute, Mike Dilger does some do-it-yourself pond dipping...
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Can I have a go with a tennis racket?- Yes.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I fancy a comedy moment!
0:10:28 > 0:10:33But first, water plays an incredibly important role in the shaping of our landscape,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36particularly when it's draining down to the sea.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Now, the River Wye is the fifh longest in the UK,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43it rises in Wales and eventually goes on to form part of the border between Wales and England.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47It's largely unpolluted and an incredible area for nature conservation.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51No wonder, then, that Janet Sumner couldn't wait to get her waders on
0:10:51 > 0:10:56and explore a particularly beautiful stretch near Builth Wells.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15This is part of an 11-mile stretch of the Wye Valley
0:11:15 > 0:11:17that I plan to explore.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22The river passes through some of the most beautiful and unspoilt scenery you can imagine.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26It's a river famed for the diversity of its wildlife,
0:11:26 > 0:11:31including some of our most celebrated rare and endangered fish species.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Some of the Wye's most magnificent natural features
0:11:36 > 0:11:41are where its tributaries tumble into the river, cutting deep into the rocks.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46This is what I mean - huge waterfalls,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50which is fine for us to come and admire,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53but it also has an effect on the wildlife.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Now, just imagine that you're an Atlantic salmon coming back up this river to spawn.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03You've got to make it up this waterfall, so only the biggest and the bravest get to the top.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It's no wonder that the salmon in this river are famed for their size.
0:12:07 > 0:12:13If you come in autumn, you might see these amazing fish in action.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16They'll have travelled 6,000 miles from the Atlantic
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and this is the last exhausting part of their journey.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27But even in spring, you can find salmon here in the Wye
0:12:27 > 0:12:31and some other lesser-known but equally fascinating fish
0:12:31 > 0:12:34making their own amazing migratory journeys.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44My guide to the river is local environmentalist, Simon Evans.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Hi, Simon, is anything biting today?
0:12:51 > 0:12:56I had one on earlier and I almost had it to the bank to show you, but it fell off at the last moment.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- I don't believe that!- It's the fisherman's tale every single time.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04It's funny, isn't it, because everybody knows that birds migrate
0:13:04 > 0:13:06but other creatures migrate as well.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Absolutely. In this river there are fish that come from many, many thousands of miles away
0:13:11 > 0:13:13just to come back to spawn.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18Apparently there's an amazing mystery fish in this river that we know very, very little about?
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Well, I hope to be able to show you one soon. I'm just looking for them at the moment.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's a strange fish that's actually a species of herring
0:13:26 > 0:13:31but here we are, 110 miles from the sea, and I'm fishing for herring.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Got him!- Oh, have you got one? - Here we go.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Gosh, it's really bending the rod down.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Oh, it's fantastic colours.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- Now, what does it remind you of? - Well, it looks like a sea fish
0:13:47 > 0:13:49which is bizarre because we're in a river.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54Do you want to know what the mystery fish is? This is a twaite shad.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- A shad?- A twaite shad. - It's really bright and glittery.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The scales are designed to be reflective so they reflect the colour of whatever's there.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05It's taking on the green of your jacket.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09No-one knows anything about these fish. There's only four rivers
0:14:09 > 0:14:12in the UK that have decent runs of these.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And the shad are only here for six weeks of the year.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19The adults come up for a month, they spawn, the eggs hatch, two weeks later they're gone.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22So I've been really, really lucky to see this, haven't I?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25You've come at just the right time. Shall we let him go?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31It'll just take a couple of seconds just to get his breath back
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and then he'll disappear back into the depths.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35There he goes.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- There he goes.- Wow!
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Now, you don't have to be a fisherman to see fish or anythingelse in the water
0:14:45 > 0:14:47but here's a couple of things that will help you.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53These are polarising sunglasses. They really cut down on the glare from the surface.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58And if you want to take photographs, get yourself a polarising filter for your camera.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Now, our cameraman, Trevor, is going to show you how well these work.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Are you ready, Trevor? That's with the polariser out.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12And this is with the polariser in. And what a difference it makes.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I'm now at the lair of what is, believe me, a real monster fish
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and here for just a few weeks in May and June.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22If we put our glasses on...
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Yeah, use my glasses.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26..can you see, there's a sort of scrape up here
0:15:26 > 0:15:31where there are no stones, it's been taken back to sand, and then a pile of stones behind.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33And if I just show you
0:15:33 > 0:15:35one of the stones.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37So this is a fish nest?
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Yeah, and that's the sort of size of stones that they're shifting.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47No way! Are you telling me that a fish moved something of that size?
0:15:47 > 0:15:49This is the spawning site of a sea lamprey.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52When they spawn, they clamp onto the stones,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56they lift up and then they twist back down and drop it back down.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58You can still see the scrapers,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01the double raspers where the lamprey's picked it up.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- The fish moved all those stones? - That pile of stones there have all been moved by two fish.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10But the thing about these fish, to shift these stones, these are big fish.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15These are 4ft long, as thick as your arm, and they're predators.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Are they in the water right now? - They are. They're probably...
0:16:18 > 0:16:21The two that spawned this redd are probably in this pool behind us.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Before you get too worried, don't worry, like the shad, they don't feed in fresh water.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Can you believe that? Right here in the middle of the Wye Valley,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33we're looking at the evidence of a 4ft-long sea monster!
0:16:33 > 0:16:39The next day from that very bridge, we spotted that the lamprey were back.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Our cameraman captured this amazing footage.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51The lamprey clamp their mouths to the rocks
0:16:51 > 0:16:54to move them out of the way.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57They're creating a safe nest.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03And they thrash their tails to make a dip in the river bed
0:17:03 > 0:17:05in which to lay their eggs.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08You don't need an underwater camera to watch them.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10This is the view from the bridge.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Out at sea, these 4ft-long fish are ferocious parasites,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18clamping their lips onto prey
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and literally sucking the innards out of them.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23It's an extraordinary animal.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Now, another way to get close to fish in the Wye is to get your net out.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39What we've found is a tiny baby version
0:17:39 > 0:17:42of the Wye's most famous resident - the salmon.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Oh, wow, no, there he is!
0:17:44 > 0:17:48He's young of the year. He's hatched out of the gravel just a couple of weeks ago.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50How do you know he's a salmon?
0:17:50 > 0:17:53He's got giant petrel fins - those yellow fins on the side -
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and he uses them to hold him on the bottom.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Fingers crossed, in five years' time he'll be coming back up this river,
0:17:59 > 0:18:024ft-long, 30lb, leaping up the waterfalls,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05having been on a trip all the way out to Greenland.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13There's just one more creature that I'm hoping to see.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17He's a quirky little chap with an unusual mannerism.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24If you sit quietly by the river you might be lucky enough to see a dipper.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They love this fast-flowing shallow water
0:18:27 > 0:18:31with lots of exposed boulders for them to use as perches.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Just needs a bit of patience.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41There's one. Right now.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43On the boulders.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47They've got this funny habit of bobbing up and down when they perch.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51He's doing it now. It's a bit like they're doing tiny curtsies,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and nobody knows why they do that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It's one of the great unsolved mysteries of the bird world.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Birds of prey dip their heads down to get a better sighting
0:19:00 > 0:19:03on small mammals, but he's not doing that
0:19:03 > 0:19:06because he's fishing for insects in the water.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11He could be communicating with other dippers but I don't see any more around today.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13So the mystery remains.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22A great way to explore the river is by boat and you can hire one
0:19:22 > 0:19:24from Hay-on-Wye and other towns along the river.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43In the past, many of our waterways got a bad press for being dirty
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and polluted, and in some cases that criticism was richly deserved.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52But over the last 25 years, we've gone a long way to improving our water quality
0:19:52 > 0:19:58and where human disturbance has been kept to a minimum, wildife has been able to creep back in.
0:19:58 > 0:20:04Now, Mike Dilger discovered just such a place near Pocklington in the North of England.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20The Pocklington Canal might be only ten miles long,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22but what it lacks in length,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25it makes up for in its sheer diversity,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27both above and below the water.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32And to top it all, exploring it couldn't be easier or more relaxing.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38And if you get to chance to take a boat journey on a canal like this,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I'd advise you to grab it with both hands.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45There's no better way to get a canal's-eye view
0:20:45 > 0:20:49of all the water birds, plants, and lovely insects.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00These yellow pond lilies that are fringing the edges of the canal
0:21:00 > 0:21:02are just lovely plants.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05There's a few species quite similar, actually.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09You can tell this one, the yellow pond lily, because it smells of brandy
0:21:09 > 0:21:13and the big leaves are perfect launch pads
0:21:13 > 0:21:15for the red-eye damselfly.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Each male protects his own lily pad and says, "Get off, it's mine."
0:21:22 > 0:21:26You can find 13 species of dragonfly and damselfly on the canal.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31In fact, in just a few hours I counted eight, which is pretty good,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34including this banded demoiselle.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Just watch it waiting for passing prey.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Gotcha! A protein-packed meal of a midge.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I tell you what, dragonfly-watching doesn't get better than this.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I'm watching Britain's biggest dragonfly, the emperor.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The female is curling her abdomen round
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and laying eggs underneath the weed.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01Superb.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14One activity that appeals to the child in us all is a spot of pond-dipping.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20And to show me how it's done, I've enlisted the help of expert pond-dippers Geoff and Roma Oxford.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Gosh, this is fantastic catch.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27- I think there are lots of very young...- Hello, chaps.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- Hi, there.- Ah, hello. - How's it going?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Fine.- It's really interesting.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37We've found quite a lot of different aquatic invertebrates.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39You've done phenomenally well already.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42In terms of tools, this white tray's wonderful
0:22:42 > 0:22:45because you can see everything that's inside. What about nets?
0:22:45 > 0:22:49- This is a professional one...- This is very specific to pond-dipping?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51..and it's really rather expensive.
0:22:51 > 0:22:57But if you're desperate and you don't want to use a professional pond net or an expensive one,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01an old Wimbledon racket and a pair of your mum's tights.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Maybe I'll give that a go later!
0:23:04 > 0:23:07But what you pull out of the canal can be amazing.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- The thing that immediately strikes me is this little critter here.- Leech. Yes.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16They're fantastic, aren't they? The way they writhe through the water.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19People get the heebie-jeebies about leeches,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21thinking they're going to suck their blood,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24but virtually all of the leeches you get in freshwater
0:23:24 > 0:23:27eat nothing larger than snails or snail eggs.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Further downstream, there's even more to find.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38- Can I have a go with the tennis racket?- You certainly can, yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42I fancy a comedy moment! And if you have a go with that, we'll see what we can get.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47I love it when the DIY techniques work as well as something you spent a lot of money on.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- Yes, that's right.- Well, yes. - Look at that!
0:23:51 > 0:23:54What you catch in a canal depends on where you do your dipping.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And in this stretch, which is oxygenated,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00you'll find different creatures like these freshwater shrimps.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03If you're in any doubt about what you've got,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08its worth taking a field guide along to help you out with any identification issues.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11The water in this canal is really clear
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and there's a good stretch that doesn't have any boat traffic,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19so you've got a great chance of seeing eels...
0:24:21 > 0:24:23..roach and dace...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26..and even freshwater mussels,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30which can lay a staggering 200,000 eggs each year.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Nick Askew has got one of the best jobs in the whole of Yorkshire -
0:24:37 > 0:24:41studying an animal that's right at the top of everyone's must-see list.
0:24:41 > 0:24:47And the grassland that fringes the canal is a great place to start looking for them.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51A great evening, Nick, but what are our chances of seeing the barn owls tonight?
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Sadly, over the last century numbers have fallen from about 12,000 pairs in the '30s
0:24:55 > 0:24:57to about 4,000 pairs at present.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01But this is one of the few areas where numbers have remained quite stable.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04In fact, they've been increasing over recent years
0:25:04 > 0:25:07so you've got a really good chance of seeing a barn owl round here.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But to see barn owls, a little stealth is required
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and in a flat landscape like this, you need a bit of height.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17This is absolutely ideal habitat. You can see all the rough grass we've got
0:25:17 > 0:25:20on the edges of the canal and in the fields.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- So this is perfect barn owl habitat, yeah.- So, best habitat.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- What's the best time?- Dusk is very good if you're not an early riser.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29If you are, then dawn's good as well.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Especially during the summer, May to September.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35They're nice, big obvious birds. Just keep your eyes open.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39They've got a lot of things right here. The rough grassland is full of prey,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43and watch out for these curious dog kennel-like structures.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45These are barn owl boxes.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- There it is, look! It's there.- Yeah. I see it.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Fantastic!- That's it.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Oh, wonderful view!
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- I think you're right. - What unbelievable timing!
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- Here it comes. - Just floated straight into shot.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09That's lovely.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18This is classic barn owl behaviour, flying about 10ft off the ground
0:26:18 > 0:26:21whilst listening and watching for prey.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24He's off to hunt to find some food for his chicks, isn't he?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26He's got a lot of voles to catch.
0:26:29 > 0:26:35By now things were moving on, so it was time to help Nick with his research into barn owls chicks.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39OK, so let's see...
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- what we have here. - Oh, just fantastic.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44There's so much down as well.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Yeah, it's just falling off now. You can see all the quill dust as well.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50You can see that beautiful heart-shaped face.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52We're going to fit them with rings.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57It's worth bearing in mind that Nick is licensed to touch barn owls and nobody else can.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02- So even though it's Hands On Nature, it's hands definitely off barn owls. - Unless you have a licence.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05One thing you can get your hands on is these.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10- Yeah.- The old barn owl pellets. Most people think these are a kind of faeces but they're not.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13No, these are vomit. These are the regurgitated remains...
0:27:13 > 0:27:17- In a word!- These are regurgitated remains of their prey.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20If we just put them in the water it helps break them up.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26There we go. These are just full of fur and bones and they tell us exactly what they've been eating.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- I've got a skull here. - Oh, great.- So that's the upper skull as we look at it.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35And if I just turn it over, can you see those two rows of teeth there?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Can't believe how well we did today.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42We've seen adults flying around, we've seen chicks in a nest box,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47we've analysed their pellet remains. I think we've had a pretty good day.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01The Pocklington Canal Amenity Society run boat trips along the canal during the summer.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04There's more information on our website...
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Well, sadly, that's about it for today, but I hope we've given you a few ideas
0:28:14 > 0:28:17of waterways that you can't wait to explore.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Let's face it, your sofa's nice but this is so much better.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25That's it for this edition of Hands On Nature.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29'Next time, I'll be catching up with one of our favourite animals.'
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Look, there's another one!
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I've got to try to control my excitement.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39'And Samjida O'Connell is in East Anglia...'
0:28:39 > 0:28:41# Di-di-dee, do-do-do, do-dee-you. #
0:28:41 > 0:28:44'..bowled over by birdsong.'