0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to Hands On Nature. I'm Chris Packham,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and this is your guide to the very best wildlife locations across the UK.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Today we're going deep into the woodland
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and we'll be showing you how and where
0:00:13 > 0:00:16to get close to some cracking wildlife.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20I'm in southern England to show you how to track
0:00:20 > 0:00:22one of our best-loved animals.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Look! There's another one! Gotta control my excitement.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Mike Dilger is sampling the delights of a Highland wood.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Oh, look! We've got a kitten right in front of us!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Oh, fantastic!
0:00:36 > 0:00:40And Sanjida O'Connell is in East Anglia...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42"Dee-dee-dee, do-do-do, do-do-do, da-dee-you."
0:00:42 > 0:00:45..being bowled over by birdsong.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57These are New Forest ponies.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02They roam semi-wild here in the New Forest in Hampshire.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06It's hard to believe there's a natural area as big as this in the overcrowded south of England.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It's packed with wildlife, and is so accessible.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The New Forest is huge - 150 square miles -
0:01:18 > 0:01:24and it's been here since William the Conqueror set it up as a hunting forest.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Just look at this. These are exactly the same animals that old William wanted fed so he could hunt them.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32There are plenty here in the forest today.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36The deer are fed each day during the summer.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41It's a rare opportunity to get close views of these normally shy animals.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Watching over the herd is Sally Wood.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- These are all fallow, Sally? - That's correct.- The range of coats,
0:01:48 > 0:01:53the traditional tan and spots, but also some dark and light ones.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56We have four different colour coat variations
0:01:56 > 0:01:59which makes the fallow deer very pretty to observe.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03We've got a white deer, also menil deer, the very dark coats.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08The spots are not so obvious. We've also got one of the prettier coats.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13They've got cream spots but they're very bright white spots, and they keep those all year round.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- So that animal will keep its spots? - Yeah, it will keep its spots all year round.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23The males shed their antlers in spring, and now they're growing new ones.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The outer layer is called velvet, but it peels off
0:02:26 > 0:02:31and the bone hardens in time for the mating season.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I can speak as a bird fan,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37so anything with feathers takes my fancy.
0:02:37 > 0:02:43- Why deer for you?- Deer for me, it must go back to the first movie I watched which was Bambi.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I knew it!
0:02:45 > 0:02:49They're so pretty, and ever since I've been passionate about deer.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52So yeah, I think they're absolutely fantastic. They do it for me.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Now deer are a very special feature here in the forest,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00but their numbers do have to be controlled.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04In the old days, there were plenty of wolves and bears to do that,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07but now man has to take charge. Every winter they are culled,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11but the good news is that other types of wildlife gets to flourish.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15One group of animals, a particularly delicate and beautiful group,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19are enjoying a bit of a renaissance on account of this deer management.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Butterflies are now feasting on all the plants and undergrowth
0:03:25 > 0:03:27that would have been destroyed by the deer.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32For forest keeper Robert Colin Stokes, it's just what he hoped for.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It's been quite an uphill struggle.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38The deer have been correctly managed, the ponies have been kept out.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41The proof's in the pudding here, as you can see.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Lots and lots of plants and loads of bramble bushes.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Plenty of nectar.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49There's a silver wash. Look. On that bramble.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Yep. Nice male. See how orange it is?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Yeah, fantastic.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56That species almost disappeared.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58They did during the early '80s,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02they were incredibly rare in the forest and in the enclosures.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07But now almost every bramble bush has got a silver wash fritillary feeding on it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10What a sight! Look at that!
0:04:10 > 0:04:14The area is teeming with butterflies.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19This one's aptly named the ringlet.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22And the well-camouflaged brimstone.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And this bizarre looking specimen, the comma.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It's the only British butterfly with ragged wings.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Can you see that white mark on the under wing?- Yeah.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36That's how it gets its name,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- it's a comma.- It looks like a piece of old crumpled oak leaf.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43There's a white admiral there, Chris.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48Yeah, look at that! They are one of the real New Forest specialties.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52And bramble. I always say to people, if you're into wildlife gardening,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55have a bit of bramble in your garden.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Loads of nectar, loads of fruit for other species
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and also good security.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04When you come to the forest, don't come in the middle of the day
0:05:04 > 0:05:09when all the butterflies have really heated up and have got going.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Mid-morning is ideal, just as the sun has warmed them through.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15You'll get some lovely close views of them.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Yeah, like now - look at that.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20There's a gatekeeper there. And with that white apple.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22And a small skipper there as well.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25If you do come to the forest in July, mid-morning,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28you're virtually certain to enjoy a feast of butterflies.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Just look at that. But not all the animals in the forest are quite as showy as this.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Some of them, I have to say, pretty secretive.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41One of Britain's most charismatic animals,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46a T-shirt animal, a poster pin-up of our fauna, is the badger.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49But it's a creature that has a reputation for being terribly shy.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Very, very difficult to see in the wild.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55As a consequence, many people go a lifetime without doing so.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58That's a real shame because it isn't that difficult.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02First, you need to find a badger sett. That's what we've got here.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It's not a rabbit warren, the hole is much too big.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10And it is not a fox earth as they normally have one or two entrances at the most.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Behind me in this bracken are about 20 other holes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20It always pays to fully explore the sett you're going to watch in daylight first.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Get the lie of the land. Figure out where all of the active holes are
0:06:23 > 0:06:28and make a mental note of where all the badgers' paths are that radiate out of the sett.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Because when you come back in the evening, you want to make a point of treading over those.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36You don't want to leave any scent. Not leaving any scent is important.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Badgers have got very poor eyesight but keen hearing and a very, very good sense of smell.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Another tip - bring a box of matches.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Light the match, blow it out, see which way the smoke goes.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53You want to be definitely downwind, you don't want them to get a whiff of you at all.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And my last bit of advice...
0:06:58 > 0:07:04be prepared to wait, preferably against a tree to disguise your outline. And don't move.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06It will be worth it.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It's about half past eight in the middle of summer.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14There's still full daylight.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17This is about the best time of the year to watch badgers.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19And there it is...
0:07:19 > 0:07:24the first badger of the evening making a tentative appearance.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- HE WHISPERS:- Look, look! That's a female badger.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33You can tell it's a female because it's got a long, thin narrow neck,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37quite a slim body and a long narrow tail as well.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39The boars are far more chunky.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41And, look, there's another one!
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I've got to try and control my excitement and not speak too loudly.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50A sett like this might have as many as 15 badgers living together.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55There are two there having a bit of a scrap.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01One of them, I think is a male, a boar badger, and the other is a cub.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04But they're so close, it's fantastic.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09One badger has come round the side and could soon be downwind of us.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I'm sure she smelt us.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Look at that.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21That's what happens when a badger gets your scent.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23In an ideal world, you don't want that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I think "scarpered" would be the technical phrase.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33All the badgers have left the sett area now.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's important for you to wait for them to go back down their holes or to move off.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Otherwise we'll disturb them leaving, and spoil everything for next time.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45So leave as quietly as I can.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51The deer are fed at two o'clock every day from Easter to September
0:08:51 > 0:08:54at Bolderwood in the New Forest, Hampshire.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57You can find out more on our website.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05You're watching Hands On Nature, your guide to the very best wildlife locations across the UK.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10In a moment, we'll be joining Sanjida O'Connell as she puts her ears to the test in Suffolk.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15- What's that? - There's a little bit of a black cap there. Quite a quick warble.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17A little bit of a voice like this.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24Here in the New Forest is a great diversity of deciduous and coniferous trees.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29Even in this one spot, there's Scots pine, oak, birch, beech, sycamore, holly, willow...
0:09:29 > 0:09:33the list could go on and on.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37But imagine a forest that's almost dominated by a single species.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42A forest that once covered much of the North but now only a few tiny fragments remain.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Well, Mike Dilger has been lucky enough to go and explore this place.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51I say "lucky" - no sane man would get out of his vehicle without masses of midge cream!
0:10:01 > 0:10:04This stretch of the Highlands
0:10:04 > 0:10:08has to be one of the most stunning locations in the whole of Scotland.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15These beauties are Scots pine.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19They're the largest and most dominant trees in the Caledonian pine forest.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24When the glaciers retreated after the last Ice Age, they were the first to recolonise the area.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29Here in Abernethy, near Aviemore, they support a vast array
0:10:29 > 0:10:32of specialist insects and spectacular birds.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Without the Scots pines,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44much of the wildlife so dependent on these trees would simply disappear.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Including this one.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52This little critter is called a timberman beetle.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57It's whole life is totally associated with Scots pine.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00This one here is a female, and the males are much bigger.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Look at these fantastic antennae!
0:11:04 > 0:11:08A top tip whenever you're looking at insects,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11get yourself an eye lens or a magnifying glass
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and you can have a really good look.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Absolutely stunning beast!
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It's only when you return the timberman beetle to its habitat
0:11:21 > 0:11:25that you see its amazing disappearing act.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Now, that's what I call camouflage!
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Once upon a time, Scots pines would have covered the Highlands.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Now just a fragment of the original forest remains.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43To see one of our most impressive forest creatures,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46you've got to be up at the crack of dawn.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51So it's a good job Kenny Kortland from the RSPB likes his early starts.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55This is what we've all come to see...
0:11:55 > 0:11:57the male capercaillie,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01strutting his stuff at a mating site known as a lek.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So, Kenny, this bog or ancient Caledonian forest in front of us
0:12:06 > 0:12:10is as good as it gets for the capercaillie.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Absolutely. This is quite a limited habitat in Scotland.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The capers like these forest bogs.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19They come out and lek on them and we are able to watch them today.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22This male who's just come down...
0:12:22 > 0:12:26is he the alpha male or Big Daddy? Does he get all the females?
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Yeah, he gets most of the matings.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33We're seeing an intense display with the females on the ground. He's really excited.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35They're such impressive birds.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It strikes me like a really good set-up here. Is this a good showcase?
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Correct. This is like the honeypot. We try to get birders to come here.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45The views are tremendous here.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Yeah, nice.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55This is a Scots pine cone.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59And this is another, after it's been mauled by a red squirrel.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01If you find these, it's a pretty sure sign
0:13:01 > 0:13:04you're close to the red squirrels.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Alternatively, you can go to the nearest feeder
0:13:08 > 0:13:12where they're keen to come down for a free peanut handout.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Red squirrels are in serious decline. This habitat is their last stronghold
0:13:17 > 0:13:21as the grey squirrel continues its relentless march north.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27I'm now just outside the forest with Dan Tomes from the RSPB.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I'm about to see a full stage show
0:13:30 > 0:13:33by the capercaillie's smaller cousin,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36the flamboyant black grouse.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Oh, Dan, have a look out the back.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41- Oh, yeah.- Can you see that?
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I think there's a hen coming.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45There's a hen coming onto the lek.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Look at those three males instantly around her!
0:13:48 > 0:13:51You really see the behaviour start to change.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- They crank it up, don't they?- Yeah.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54They call a lot more,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58they display much more vigorously when there's a female.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00This is their chance to mate with that female,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04so they'll make a big show to show how fit they are.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Once the female's decided who the strongest male is,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13she'll mate with him. Then she'll leave the lek.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15They almost seem like clockwork toys.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18They just seem to run along, you can't even see their legs.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It reminds me almost of human mating games.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24If you look there, there's the male showing off like crazy.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28There's a female coquettishly walking around the middle,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- just checking all the males out! - That's right, yeah.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35A lot of people have said, when we've brought people up to the leks,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38that it's like a nightclub, but a black grouse nightclub -
0:14:38 > 0:14:41it's the males who dance around the handbags.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52When we were watching the capercaillie at Abernethy, we were obviously watching from a hide,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- but here, the car serves an equally good purpose.- That's right, yeah.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02They're not disturbed as easily as capercaillie, but if we got out of the vehicle, they would fly off.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08They don't associate the vehicle with people, and providing you don't lean out too much...
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- It's really useful for bringing people up to see the birds.- Sure.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14You can get very close, as we have done here this morning.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Now, there's just one more animal to try and find.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It's a couple of hours until dusk,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32and I'm after one of the rarest and most charismatic animals of the northern forest.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36With luck, a bit later on, it won't be ME perched here, but the animal I'm after.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40To maximise my chances, I've enlisted some help. Hello, Lucy.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- Hello.- Can I help?- Yes, you can put some peanuts and raisins out.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47They've got an incredibly sweet tooth, haven't they?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51- They have got a sweet tooth.- Jam, peanut butter, peanuts and raisins.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I'll have a little sprinkle here.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58It's getting pretty late now. Do you reckon it's about time?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Yep, they could be out any minute now.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Lucy Ford is an expert on the animals we're about to see,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and it wasn't long before our dinner guests turned up -
0:16:08 > 0:16:10pine martens.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Well, done, Lucy, I can't believe you've delivered within ten minutes!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17This is one of our adult females.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- She's called Nicki...- Right.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22..cos she's got the nick in the top of her left ear,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24so really easy to identify.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27That creamy throat patch is beautiful.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I understand that each animal
0:16:29 > 0:16:33has completely different throat markings, so you can separate them.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37That's right. They all have slightly different brown spots
0:16:37 > 0:16:40within their yellowy-cream throat patch.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Oh, look! We've got a kitten right in front of us.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Oh, fantastic!
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Oh, she's really skittish on the ground.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51They're really playful. It's great to see them.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54We can't really tell you how incredibly lucky we are.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58This is an animal you will never, ever see in the wild,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01or maybe one in a million nights if you're wandering around.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And here they are, two, three metres away from us.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Yeah, very lucky, like I say.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10I think Scotland should be rightly proud of their pine martens.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14England and Wales have lost theirs. If they continue to spread, maybe a few could be relocated
0:17:14 > 0:17:18to England and Wales for southern naturalists to enjoy!
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- You never know!- What an experience!
0:17:21 > 0:17:25The nearest town to Abernethy is Aviemore.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Contact the RSPB for more information
0:17:27 > 0:17:30on their capercaillie and black grouse safaris.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33June is a great time to see those pine martens.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Expect to pay around £15.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40And, of course, there's more information on our website...
0:17:40 > 0:17:42When you're wandering through woodland
0:17:42 > 0:17:47on the lookout for wildlife, keep your eyes peeled for animal remains.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Sounds grisly, but skulls are one of the best finds you could make.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55Over the years, I've picked up quite a few. This one is a badger skull.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56I found this outside a sett.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01In the springtime, the badgers clean out their setts and throw out all of the old bones.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04You can tell it's a badger because it's got this distinctive crest
0:18:04 > 0:18:07along the top of the skull.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Also, it's a very broad and powerful skull.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14This is the other one you're likely to find. Look at those canines.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Long and narrow. If anything, a bit like a small dog skull.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20No prizes - it's a fox.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22If you compare it to the badger,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24you can see it's much narrower -
0:18:24 > 0:18:26much longer snout that foxes have.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I like this detective work. You can even tell the age of a wood
0:18:30 > 0:18:33simply by taking account of your surroundings.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Well, Sanjida O'Connell fancied a bit of sleuthing for herself
0:18:37 > 0:18:40so she went off to a traditional working wood in the East of England.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46Before she got started, she fancied sampling the delights of that wood first thing in the morning.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Nature is usually at its best early in the morning.
0:18:57 > 0:19:03So to get the most out of a woodland experience, you really do need to get up as early as you can.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It's spring and I've come to Bradfield Woods near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk to enjoy the dawn chorus.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13BIRD SINGS
0:19:13 > 0:19:18With me is Geoff Sample, a man who's passionate about bird song.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22He travels worldwide, recording their sounds.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27So Geoff, we've come out at this time of the morning to listen to the dawn chorus.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32It's a nice time to get out and LISTEN, as opposed to squinting through binoculars.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36The fluty songs that we're hearing in the middle distance are blackbirds.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44And there we go. There's a chiffchaff just arrived above us.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47"Chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff..."
0:19:50 > 0:19:55At dawn, it's actually the calmest period of the day usually, and the coolest.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59So it's the best time of the day for sound transmission.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Sound travels further and clearer.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10I'm not particularly musical so I don't know whether that means
0:20:10 > 0:20:15that people like me are going to find it harder to distinguish between the different songs.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Somehow you've got to learn to associate a particular sound or pattern,
0:20:20 > 0:20:26latch onto something, and remember the species associated with the bird.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31There's a little bit of a black cap there.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33With a little bit of a voice like this.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34HE WHISTLES
0:20:38 > 0:20:41This is a chaffinch.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45People say it's like a fast bowler coming up to the crease.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47You get one set of steps...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50"Dee-dee-dee, do-do-do, do-do-do."
0:20:50 > 0:20:54He changes his pace and then there's the, "Da-dee-ooh."
0:20:54 > 0:20:56The final bit at the end.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Yeah.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09This sort of descending cadence is a robin.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14It's a very pretty song for a bird that we all recognise and know.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Yeah, it's the northern nightingale.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22So you've got up early, you've heard the dawn chorus,
0:21:22 > 0:21:28you've identified the birds, but if you actually want to record birdsong, then this is how you do it.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Geoff, you've got a state of the art recording device here, but it does look rather strange.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Yeah. Bit Heath Robinson.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38So what's going on with this?
0:21:38 > 0:21:42You've got two choices when you're dealing with wildlife.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44This is the traditional method
0:21:44 > 0:21:49which is, I guess, the equivalent of a telephoto lens with a camera.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51It's known as a parabolic reflector.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56The alternative method is cabling, which is a nicer way to do things.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's my preferred way of recording.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02You don't need to have a big set up like this.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07You can have a cheapish mic, tape it on to a branch of the tree
0:22:07 > 0:22:11and possibly you'll be within 5 to 10ft of the bird.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14But what you need is 30ft of cable.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19So you can have the mic where you think the bird's going to be and then you can be well hidden?
0:22:19 > 0:22:24- Yeah, you could run it back to the stereo in your front room if you want.- That sounds brilliant!
0:22:24 > 0:22:30- Shall we have a go with this and see what kind of bird song we can record?- By all means.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34There's a blackbird over there I'm trying to get onto.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39You have to get it dead on the bird and then you get the boost in the sound.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44BIRD SINGS
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Oh, that's lovely, it's so clear.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52It's really taken out the other sounds and amplified the blackbird's.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02Using these kind of mics allows you to eavesdrop on a world that you'd never otherwise be able to hear.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Bradfield Wood isn't just famous for its birds,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11but also for a wide variety of flowers.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13This is a wood anemone.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16One of the things I like about this plant
0:23:16 > 0:23:19is there are lots of myths and legends associated with it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22One of them is the story of the goddess of love, Venus.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25She was mourning the death of her lover, Adonis,
0:23:25 > 0:23:31and where her tears fell are where the wood anemones sprang up.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35This is beautiful. I'm in a sea of wild white garlic.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It's got a really powerful smell.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41But actually it's not quite so pungent if you eat it.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43What I like doing is making it into garlic bread.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48Also you can make soup out of it and put the little flowers on the top as a garnish.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53Just the smell, being in the middle of all this, is making me feel quite hungry.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58All these flowers are really beautiful.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04But with a bit of detective work, they can also help us uncover the rich history of this wood.
0:24:04 > 0:24:10Botanist Patricia Ash is looking for key plants that will help her find out how long this wood has been here.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Flowers like the oxlip.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16East Anglia is a real stronghold.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19And the beautiful and rare Herb Paris
0:24:19 > 0:24:23which gets its name from the Latin word "par", meaning equal,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26because of the regularity and symmetry of its leaves.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Together, these and other plants, known as indicator species,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39tell Patricia all she needs to know.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42They have a number of unusual properties.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45They take a very long time to colonise a wood.
0:24:45 > 0:24:51They're very reluctant to spread out beyond their natural habitat.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53They also love living in shade.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58So where you get a whole load of that sort of species together,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02it really does suggest that they've been there a long, long time.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04If you had to guess, how old would you say this wood was?
0:25:04 > 0:25:11It must be pretty ancient from the range of species that you've told me about and that I've seen today.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13I would say at least 1,000 years.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19So the sheer variety of flowers here shows you that this is an ancient woodland.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23It's something that you could do in your own local woodland to work out how old it is.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29But to find out more about its history, we need to look at the trees themselves.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32This isn't really what you'd expect of an ancient tree,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36but in fact it could be one of the oldest trees in the wood.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It's an ash stump, or stool.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43The reason that it looks like this is because it's been coppiced by humans for centuries.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47What coppicing is, is when you cut down the branches of the trees
0:25:47 > 0:25:51quite near the base and then that allows these new shoots to generate.
0:25:51 > 0:25:58When they get thick enough, they're harvested and used for fencing, thatching and firewood.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01A different part of the wood is coppiced every few years.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06This may look devastated, but coppicing opens the area to sunlight,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09which encourages wild flowers.
0:26:09 > 0:26:15The wood is also the habitat of an elusive bird that sings from within deep cover.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Nightingales are the archetypal little brown bird,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22so I don't think that I'm actually going to get to see one tonight,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25but I am hoping that I will hear one
0:26:25 > 0:26:29because nightingales are one of the few species that actually sing at night.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Still can't hear one. I'm going to try a little trick.
0:26:35 > 0:26:42What I've got is a tape-recording of a nightingale and I'm going to play it
0:26:42 > 0:26:47to see if that's going to make the males respond.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53I'm hoping that because males sing to attract females, that they're going to think that this male is a rival,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57and they'll sing to out-compete it. BIRD-SONG PLAYS ON TAPE
0:26:57 > 0:27:00BIRD RESPONDS FROM TREES That's amazing.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05I've got a nightingale singing back to us.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10I think it's amazing to be in a wood at this time of night -
0:27:10 > 0:27:17it's about nine o'clock - and to be able to hear a bird singing and singing so beautifully.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22Males only sing for a short period of time and once they've got the females, they stop.
0:27:22 > 0:27:29A bit like your boyfriends, to put all this effort in at the start and they give up once they've got you!
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Bradfield wood is run by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust
0:27:37 > 0:27:40and it's just a short drive from Bury St Edmunds.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42It's open all year round and it's free.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46The best time for the dawn chorus is late April, early May,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50which also happens to be a great time for woodland flowers.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53We've got some interesting plants here in the New Forest too.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58This one is called butcher's broom and it's a species you typically find in old woodlands.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04It's well named. In the old days when butchers would throw sawdust on their floors to soak up the blood,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07they'd then gather up bundles of this stiff spiky plant
0:28:07 > 0:28:09and use it to sweep up.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Works really well.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17And it's still got a modern use as well because it's said that butcher's broom can cure piles.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21On that potentially very painful end, we'll say that's all from this addition of Hands On Nature.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24See you again next time.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27When I'll be tracking down the bird
0:28:27 > 0:28:29known as the nutty noise maker.
0:28:29 > 0:28:35This male here is going berserk. There he is, look at that!
0:28:35 > 0:28:40And we'll be getting close to the insects of the South Downs
0:28:40 > 0:28:44when Mike Dilger catches up with some fantastic wildlife.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd