0:00:03 > 0:00:07Britain. The history and the culture.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Born of a landscape that we know and love.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But...hang on a minute.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17That's just how WE see Britain.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21We humans are in a minority.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24We share our land and our shores here with hundreds of thousands
0:00:24 > 0:00:26of other species of animal,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29many of which have been here a lot longer than we have.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32So what I want to know is what they think of Britain.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33What matters to them?
0:00:37 > 0:00:43And that's my mission - to see the UK through our animals' eyes.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Where are their favourite places in these crowded islands?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54How do their senses affect their view of our country?
0:00:59 > 0:01:00And what do they make of us?
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Off you go!
0:01:08 > 0:01:12This time I'm going to encounter a hand-picked group of creatures,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16specially adapted to live in our grasslands.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Look at that!
0:01:18 > 0:01:24I want to understand each one's unique perspective on Britain,
0:01:24 > 0:01:29the amazing things they do and the unlikely places they survive.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34Together, they'll reveal our country as we've never seen it before.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Welcome to The Animal's Guide to Britain.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Every summer Sunday morning, thousands of British humans get up,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58go out and re-shape our most abundant habitat.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They manage Britain's grasslands.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06But we've got to remember that our grasslands are a man-made habitat.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12Up until only a few thousand years ago, the dominant vegetation across Britain would have been woodland.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It was only with the advent of farming, cereals and grazing,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17that grasslands became far more widespread
0:02:17 > 0:02:21and a whole set of species enjoyed a bonanza.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27And today, when British humans talk about the countryside,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31it's usually this that they mean - our grasslands.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37But big changes in farming practice
0:02:37 > 0:02:40mean that the survival of grassland species
0:02:40 > 0:02:44is constantly in the balance and dependent on the choices
0:02:44 > 0:02:45that humans make.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53So how have grassland animals coped with these changes?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And are they still happy out there on the plains of Britain?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Now here's an animal that's perfectly adapted
0:03:10 > 0:03:12to thrive on our grasslands.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16A creature that was once befriended by Mozart,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18but sings in pure Cockney.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It's a born survivor. It demonstrates some amazing behaviour
0:03:22 > 0:03:24and it looks absolutely stunning.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26It's one of my favourite birds.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42The creatures that I'm talking about, of course, are starlings.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46And this wonderful tame flock is going to
0:03:46 > 0:03:52allow us a remarkable insight into the world according to starlings.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04And starlings, well, they're true grassland specialists.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08And they've got some superb adaptations
0:04:08 > 0:04:10for this type of lifestyle.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Firstly, look at their legs.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Proportional to their body size, they're long, strong and stocky.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Perfect for walking all day long.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The second adaptation comes down to their bill, and just look at it -
0:04:22 > 0:04:24it's long, straight and pointed.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Perfect for pressing down into the soil after their insect larvae prey.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32But lots of birds have bills like that, that's no big deal.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37But what happens underground certainly is. Take a look at this.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42This is what we call open-bill probing.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43Just look at that!
0:04:46 > 0:04:50I've been called a worm on a few occasions, but I never thought that I would
0:04:50 > 0:04:55live to see the world as one as I was being predated by a starling.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57This is amazing!
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I can see into the starling's throat!
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Look at that!
0:05:01 > 0:05:03But when you think about it,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08most animals' jaws are designed to close with some force.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12But the starlings are the complete opposite.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Their force comes in opening their bills.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And look - you can see what's happening.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21They press them down into the soil and then using very strong muscles
0:05:21 > 0:05:23they open the bill so that they can,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25using their tongue and their beak,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28grab hold of their prey and pull it out.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's absolutely fantastic.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34In all of my years of watching wildlife and the great good fortune
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I've had to make wildlife programmes,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I've never had a view like this. This has rocketed into the charts.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It's right up there.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45A couple of the birds are trying to cheat
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and have come underneath the table
0:05:48 > 0:05:50because they are a new species of starling called
0:05:50 > 0:05:52the subterranean starling.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And at the moment,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57they're scoring great success because...
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Oh, get them off!
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The last of the adaptations involves their eyes,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08which are truly remarkable.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Most birds can't swivel their eyes in their sockets like we can.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14But starlings certainly can.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17They can face them forward, a bit like owls, and us,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21so they have very good binocular vision.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And this means that they can judge distances extremely accurately.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27But unbelievably, it's better than that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31When they've got their bills open in the soil they can turn their eyes
0:06:31 > 0:06:36so they can actually look at what's directly beneath their mouths.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39What they're hunting for, what they're foraging for.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43And you've got to admit, that is pretty impressive.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46All together, these three adaptations make these birds
0:06:46 > 0:06:49supreme grassland animals.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50But when you think about it,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Britain hasn't always had as much grassland as it has today.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Around 5,000 years ago,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06when humans began to clear Britain's woodland for agriculture
0:07:06 > 0:07:11the starling's adaptations to grassland meant they boomed.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15As civilisations came and went, more of Britain's forest was cleared,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and for starlings, life just got better.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21They moved into cities
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and London ended up with more than its fair share.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34And by 1949, they were in such large groups that when they landed on the hands of Big Ben...
0:07:34 > 0:07:36they actually stopped the clock!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Londoners were facing a second Blitz.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47So they wracked their brains for an effective defence, eventually devising...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49the dustbin lid and stick.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56But it was going to take more than that to shift the birds.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02So that's how there came to be so many starlings.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06They form such large groups
0:08:06 > 0:08:10because they need to flock for their survival, and here's why.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17This bird is foraging perfectly naturally in the grass here,
0:08:17 > 0:08:18but look at it.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22A lot of the time it's got its head down in amongst the foliage,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24which is fine for finding food,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28but no good for keeping your eyes open for predators.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The whole time it's got its head down there I could be
0:08:31 > 0:08:34a potential sparrowhawk swooping in here.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38So how do starlings overcome this problem?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Well, it's quite simple really.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43All they need is a few more starlings.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46All they need is a flock.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Or a friend like me.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58The extra eyes in a flock
0:08:58 > 0:09:02mean there's more chance that predators will be spotted.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Even in the air, predators such as peregrine falcons and sparrowhawks
0:09:06 > 0:09:11can attack, but starling flocks provide another form of defence.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Acting as one, the birds can dart away from predators in a flash
0:09:18 > 0:09:23and their mesmerising movement may help confuse any potential attackers.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31So how do these vast swirling flocks manage to react
0:09:31 > 0:09:32in a fraction of a second,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36in a way that flocks of other birds just can't?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44To find out more, I need to fly with some starlings.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The question is, how am I going to do that?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55In a little French car.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01A rickety old French car.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Hello, Lloyd. All right, Chris?
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Yeah. How are you? I'm fine, thanks. Good.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Do you think this'll work?
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I think this is going to be good. They seem keen, don't they?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18They're looking pretty keen, especially this one.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Oh! Hello! You've got to fly now!
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Off you go!
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Fantastic!
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Well, it's a pretty small flock but it's as close as I can get
0:10:40 > 0:10:42to flying with starlings.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46So, what are the basic principles of flocking?
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Well, they do it by following three simple rules.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55One - stick close to your neighbour.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59And that's what's happening here.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Lloyd is part of the flock, so wherever he goes, they follow.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Even when he's driving a car.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Two - don't get so close that you collide.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12And three - fly in the same direction as your neighbour.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18And you can see them adjusting their position to do this.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22So those are the fundamental rules,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27but it's far more complicated when they're in their massive flocks.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Scientists have discovered they do much more than look
0:11:31 > 0:11:33at the one bird in front of them.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38They're looking seven birds - all around them - deeper into the flock,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42constantly monitoring what these birds are doing so that
0:11:42 > 0:11:45they can predict when their neighbour is going to turn
0:11:45 > 0:11:49and already begin their own movement when it does so.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53And it's this that allows the flocks to move so quickly, so fast.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Impressive as these flocks are, there aren't nearly
0:12:06 > 0:12:08as many starlings as there were in the days
0:12:08 > 0:12:10when their flocks could stop Big Ben.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Since the '60s, starling numbers have fallen in Britain
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and across northern Europe,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23mainly thanks to modern pesticides that kill their insect prey.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30But in Britain, starling flocks can still become enormous,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33though only during the winter.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40So why is this?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Well, a lot of the starlings that you see in winter
0:12:48 > 0:12:49are not British at all.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54In eastern Europe and Russia the ground becomes frozen,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57so the birds can't get their beaks into it to feed.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Britain's mild winters and muddy fields become highly desirable
0:13:04 > 0:13:06to millions of hungry foreign starlings,
0:13:06 > 0:13:12which arrive every autumn to feed in their favourite spots across Britain.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Britain is still a pretty good place for these birds to be.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27But if I was to reach up and ask any one of these starlings
0:13:27 > 0:13:29here what we could do for them,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31then they would probably say a few less pesticides
0:13:31 > 0:13:33out there on the fields.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And if that could happen,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39then perhaps these swirling spectacles would be here to stay.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Of all the British grassland animals, there is one group that
0:13:58 > 0:14:01are probably more important than all of the others.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04They're very widespread and quite a few of them have made the move
0:14:04 > 0:14:09from grassland into our gardens, so I'm sure you're familiar with them.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22The animals we're talking about are bumblebees.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Look at that. What a fantastic thing.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31There are actually 23 species of bumblebee in Britain,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33which all have their favourite areas.
0:14:33 > 0:14:39And let's be clear from the start, we're talking about bumblebees, not honeybees.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44All of the honeybees in the UK are domesticated animals.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Honeybees are smaller and less hairy,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50bred to provide humans with honey.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And they're farmed.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54They're a bit like insect sheep.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59These things, though, ARE wild and their view of the British
0:14:59 > 0:15:04countryside is very different than honeybees or even humans.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Bumblebees never nest in hives.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Their nests, as a consequence, are much harder to find,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20although I have spotted one earlier over on this bank here.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25And if you get down you can see the entrance hole just here.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31Some of the species nesting in grassland make their nests at the base of dry, grass tussocks.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35But others choose the holes made by rodents - things like wood mice and bank voles.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40And that's the case here with these white-tailed bumblebees.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43There are never normally that many in the nest.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47I'd say in this nest possibly about 40 or 50 bees.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Even the largest nests only have about 400.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Nothing like the 80,000 you can find in a honeybee hive.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04In spring, the queen bumblebee lays eggs that produce sterile workers.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09Towards the end of summer, she lays male and queen eggs.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13The fertilised queens leave and hibernate over winter,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17but unlike honeybee colonies, the rest of the bumblebees will die.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25When the bees are coming close to me, I'm holding my breath.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29They don't like the smell of mammalian breath because
0:16:29 > 0:16:33ground-nesting species like this are frequently predated by badgers
0:16:33 > 0:16:35that will dig them out to eat all of the grubs.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43But they're much more tolerant than some other species near the nest
0:16:43 > 0:16:48and if you stay still or stay out of their flight line and don't breathe on them,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50then you're very unlikely to be stung.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Famous last words.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02There actually have been lots of famous words about bumblebees,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04not all of them true.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It's often claimed that physics
0:17:14 > 0:17:17proves that bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22This is thanks to calculations by scientists at a 1930s dinner party,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27who concluded the bees' wings were too small to create enough lift.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Luckily, the bumblebees know better.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37The calculations were based on the principles that allow planes to fly,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41but the four moving wings of a bumblebee are far more sophisticated.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45They also get a mention by Charles Darwin,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48who was around when they were known as humblebees.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Not because they are lowly beings, but because as they fly, they hum.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01The bees became a bit of a family project, as Darwin and his children
0:18:01 > 0:18:03followed them around the garden,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06dusting them with powder to see which flowers they'd visited.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11This led Darwin to recognise the value of bumblebees as pollinators,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13claiming that if they disappeared,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16then so would some of the plants they pollinate.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Building on this, 100 years later,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Albert Einstein is reported to have stated,
0:18:23 > 0:18:30"No more bees, no more pollination, no more man."
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Despite having fewer bees per colony,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42a bumblebee nest is able to pollinate as many, if not MORE
0:18:42 > 0:18:44flowers than a honeybee hive.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51In fact, each bumblebee is up to 20 times better at pollinating than a honeybee.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56This is because their bigger bodies can carry double the amount of pollen,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00that they're quicker at each flower and they work twice as many hours.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06Our hardworking bumblebees will even fly in colder and wetter weather than honeybees.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11A real asset, given Britain's soggy climate.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13But our bumblebees are drastically declining
0:19:13 > 0:19:18and because they're such important pollinators the British government is spending millions of pounds
0:19:18 > 0:19:20to understand their needs.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27So how do you get into the mind of an animal so different to us humans?
0:19:30 > 0:19:36Scientists have created a whole artificial world to study them,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39monitoring each bee by number.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Weighing them in and out of the nest...
0:19:45 > 0:19:49to discover the precise quantities of nectar and pollen that they collect.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56The work is far from finished,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but it has given key insights into how efficiently they forage.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02For example, using smell.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Unlike the honeybee, which dances to tell other bees
0:20:09 > 0:20:11where the good flowers are,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15bumblebees spread the smell of the best flowers around the nest.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22This way, the bees learn to target only the flowers with the most nectar and pollen.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32And another scientist has found something even more surprising...
0:20:44 > 0:20:47..by spending hundreds of hours just watching.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51I see you've got little brother here, peering down on the nest hole.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Yeah. I'm watching all the bees that go in and out,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and also if any other animals use the hole as well.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Why are you concentrating on the nest when most other researchers
0:21:00 > 0:21:03at the moment are interested in bees' foraging behaviour?
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Well the nest is where everything really important goes on.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08This is where the queen raises her whole colony
0:21:08 > 0:21:12and where all of the new queens and males will be produced.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15OK. So here's the camera, where's the recorder? What have you got?
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Well, this wire runs underground back here where,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24concealed out of harm's way is our recording device.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28That's to stop people messing about with it, I presume? Yep, absolutely.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31So we can have a look at some of the footage now if you want.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33OK, yes. Let's have a look.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Is it just this species you've been working with or others as well?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I've been looking at all of our common bees this year.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Next year I hope to look at some rare bees. OK.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Gosh, look at that! And then you've got the bird coming in.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48What is it?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50This is a great tit. Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54And if you keep watching, you can see it's actually grabbing the bees.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I never thought you'd get great tits coming in.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59We never suspected birds at all.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02No studies have ever shown that birds will predate nests in this way.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Any other birds? Or is it just great tits that are proving a bumblebee nuisance?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10No. I've got some footage of crows on here that you can have a look at.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12It's digging around the hole, isn't it?
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Seems to. I've captured several crows attacking different nests.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22But given that bumblebee populations are shrinking and becoming increasingly fragmented,
0:22:22 > 0:22:27it could be that nest predation is a significant factor affecting their future survival, couldn't it?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And that's why we really need to find out what's going on.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Having seen birds, mice and squirrels raiding bumblebee nests,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41it's now clear what a dangerous place Britain can be if you're a bumblebee.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Because bumblebees are on the menu for so many animals,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56they really need long grass to hide their nests in.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01That and plenty of flowers rich in pollen and nectar.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And these two factors make hay meadows, like these,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09their perfect habitat.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24But as farming has changed, sadly, we've lost most of our hay meadows,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and, along with them, the bees that lived there.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34So what's left at the field edges has become increasingly precious.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39The farmer here has deliberately left this margin.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41And it's not just grass - look at it -
0:23:41 > 0:23:44it's full of wild flowers. It's great!
0:23:44 > 0:23:49So if you're a bumblebee, farms that leave uncut edges
0:23:49 > 0:23:51are the best to live in.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55But in 21st-century Britain there's still one type of grassland
0:23:55 > 0:23:58where bumblebees can find an abundance of flowers.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03A habitat that's becoming crucial in their battle for survival.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08The average British garden is actually a fantastic place for bumblebees.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Look at this one here, enjoying itself on this Buddleja.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But in some ways, that's a happy accident because people
0:24:14 > 0:24:18plant their gardens because they like the pretty flowers.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22But these insects are enjoying the essential nectar, and the bee,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24the pollen that it needs.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28But look - it's just about over for the Buddleja. No problem though
0:24:28 > 0:24:31because the conscientious gardener will be planting species
0:24:31 > 0:24:33which flower throughout the summer period.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Look, here's another one which is just about reaching
0:24:36 > 0:24:37its prime down here,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39which will also be providing for these insects.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43And this one over here, which is just coming out is a species
0:24:43 > 0:24:45which is very much favoured by bees.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And did you know that the average suburban garden can
0:24:48 > 0:24:54actually produce as much nectar as one square kilometre of rainforest?
0:24:54 > 0:24:59So these places can be an incredibly rich resource.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02They're being planted by humans for their beauty,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06but for once, the beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I'll get my coat.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Bumblebees are such important pollinators
0:25:17 > 0:25:18of crops and wild flowers
0:25:18 > 0:25:23that it really is in our best interest to look at things from their perspective.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33If we humans can leave some rough grass for nests
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and plant pollen and nectar-rich flowers in our gardens,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40then we'll be making Britain a better place for them to live in.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Supernatural powers were once widely thought by British humans
0:25:54 > 0:25:57to reside in the bodies of their fellow animals.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00And for one group of creatures in particular this has been perpetuated
0:26:00 > 0:26:07by Hollywood and particularly the British Hammer Horror films.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13These animals are widespread across the UK and they frequently share our spaces.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18So it's surprising that few people have ever seen them properly.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Well, it's surprising, but they are terribly small.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Most of them weigh less than a two-pence piece.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And you know, their view of Britain couldn't be more different
0:26:27 > 0:26:31than the human one, notably because they come out at night.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Bats!
0:26:45 > 0:26:52And I want to meet some fascinating grassland-loving bats - the horseshoe bats.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56There are two species - the greater horseshoe and its smaller cousin,
0:26:56 > 0:26:57the lesser horseshoe.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05They're distinguished by the horseshoe-shaped
0:27:05 > 0:27:06flap of skin around their nostrils,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09which they use to direct the high-pitched sounds
0:27:09 > 0:27:11they make with their noses.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15They can move this flap of skin to direct the sound,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17a bit like a megaphone.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22With a bat detector, we can hear a lower-pitched version of these amazing sounds.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25SQUEAKING
0:27:25 > 0:27:30They pick up the echoes by waggling their ears backwards and forwards
0:27:30 > 0:27:32up to 60 times a second.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Then, their brains process these signals to create a 3D picture of their surroundings.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45So what does a horseshoe bat want from Britain?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Well, firstly, it needs somewhere to hang out.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56And typically we tend to think of those haunts as dark Transylvanian castles with damp dungeons,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00but more often than not it couldn't be further from the truth.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04They like the same creature comforts that we do -
0:28:04 > 0:28:06shelter and somewhere nice and warm.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11And for that reason, they very often set up their homes in our houses.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13And one group has done that down here.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20And with the help of night vision, I won't be disturbing them.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26(Oh, my goodness me!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28(My goodness me, look at that!
0:28:28 > 0:28:30(Oh.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34(That's fantastic. This is a roost of lesser horseshoe bats.)
0:28:34 > 0:28:38They really are quite special.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41So what are they looking for? What does the bat want from this site?
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Well, firstly it wants it to be nice and warm.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Secondly, it wants to be safe from predators.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Things like rats, mice, even great tits,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54will come into a bat roost and peck at the bats whilst they're resting.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58And lastly, it needs to be free from human disturbance.
0:28:58 > 0:29:04In fact, it's illegal to disturb, wilfully or even by accident,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08bats on your property, and specially their roosts.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10And at the end of the day,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14if you're a British bat, that's got be one of the best things
0:29:14 > 0:29:15about living in this country.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22I've always been terribly fond of bats and to sit beneath a roost
0:29:22 > 0:29:24of lesser horseshoes like this
0:29:24 > 0:29:26is such a treat,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29even when they're poohing on your face.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32It's fabulous, but I don't want to disturb them too much,
0:29:32 > 0:29:33so I'm going to leave.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Well, that's the accommodation sorted.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44What these bats need now is a square meal.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50And they've started to think about leaving the roost to go to hunt.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54These initial bats here are just coming out to see how dark it is
0:29:54 > 0:29:55and because it's not quite dark enough,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59they're nipping back in again to give it a few more minutes.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Wow! That one flew right past my face.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07It was amazing!
0:30:07 > 0:30:10I looked into its little funny face. It's incredible!
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Because they emerge at night,
0:30:14 > 0:30:19horseshoe bats and bats in general have gained a sinister reputation,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22something that goes back way before Hammer Horror.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39In medieval times, just seeing a bat was bad luck, and if a bat should
0:30:39 > 0:30:45circle around your head three times, then death would follow.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Their reputation was further blackened by witchcraft.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53In Shakespeare's Macbeth,
0:30:53 > 0:30:57the three witches make a brew using batty ingredients.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03With their hairless wings, bats have been blamed for baldness.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09So for the removal of unwanted hair,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11their wings were boiled to make a tonic,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13which could be simply applied.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21All bats were given the same bad press until science took over,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and, bit by bit, discovered that Britain actually has
0:31:24 > 0:31:2617 different species.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39And in recent years, we've learned a lot more about horseshoe bats.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43For instance, where they live in Britain.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51They seem to favour Wales and the southwest of England.
0:31:51 > 0:31:52But why?
0:31:55 > 0:31:59One reason is to do with how they get around at night.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Now they're heading out to hunt for insects,
0:32:04 > 0:32:06and I'm using a bat detector to find them.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Bats need somewhere to roost and they need a plentiful food supply.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19But often these aren't exactly very close together and they
0:32:19 > 0:32:21need to get between the two.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24And they're doing it in darkness,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26so for us that would be a real challenge.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Horseshoe bats can use echolocation to navigate, but that only works
0:32:30 > 0:32:35if the sounds they emit have an object to bounce off of.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37What they need are features.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41What they need are hedgerows like this because these
0:32:41 > 0:32:45are their commuter routes, these are their roads, their motorways.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50So these field margins are incredibly important to them.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56Amongst our bats, the horseshoes are particularly dependent on hedgerows,
0:32:56 > 0:33:02the highest density of which occurs in the southwest and Wales.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06But there are plenty of other places with hedges, yet no horseshoes.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So hedgerows can't be the only thing these bats are looking for.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Clearly, in Wales and the southwest,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17humans are doing something else that horseshoes love.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23Keeping cows, because these bats have got voracious appetites.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Well, they've got big appetites, but they're not that big.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29What the bats are interested in is the dung.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Of course, it's not the dung they're interested in,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38but the insects which live on and in it and what we're looking at here
0:33:38 > 0:33:40is a fantastic group of yellow dung flies,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43one of the favourite foods of the lesser horseshoe bat.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48But forgive me because, if I dive into this dung...
0:33:50 > 0:33:53..and have a good poke around, yeah, here we are.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Look at this.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58This is a dung beetle, one of a number of species that
0:33:58 > 0:34:03land on the dung and lay their eggs so their larvae can feed upon it.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06But in turn, these things are one of the favourite foods
0:34:06 > 0:34:08of the greater horseshoe bat.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15However, British farms are changing.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19They were once mixed with livestock and crops.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23But in the last 50 years, farms have specialised.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Cattle and sheep have gone from large parts of Britain
0:34:27 > 0:34:29to be replaced by crops.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36So the yellow dung fly is now confined to the dung-rich
0:34:36 > 0:34:37sheep farms of Wales
0:34:37 > 0:34:40and the dairy farms of the southwest.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47And where the insects go, the horseshoe bats have to follow.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57I know what you're thinking.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Every time we go for a drive through the countryside we see hundreds,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03if not thousands of cows, which means there must be
0:35:03 > 0:35:05hundreds of thousands of cowpats
0:35:05 > 0:35:10with no doubt millions of dung flies on them and beetles in them.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12But sadly that isn't the case
0:35:12 > 0:35:16because the majority of farmers are anti-worming their cows
0:35:16 > 0:35:20and these drugs get into their digestive system, they come out
0:35:20 > 0:35:25in the pats and they kill all of the larvae of the beetles and the flies.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30And that, of course, is bad news for bats.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34But the good news for horseshoe bats is that now some farmers are
0:35:34 > 0:35:37redressing the balance with different worming agents,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39or by going organic.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49In Wales, where there's lots of sheep and hedgerows,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53the lesser horseshoes are doing so well, their numbers are on the up.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59And if other farms can add more hedgerows
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and choose their worming chemicals carefully,
0:36:02 > 0:36:07then more of Britain could become an ideal home for horseshoe bats.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Now, the plains of Africa have the cheetah,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20the world's fastest mammal and arguably therefore one of the most
0:36:20 > 0:36:22amazing creatures on the planet.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24But here in Britain we've got our own plains,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29we've got our grasslands, so what can we offer in return?
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Well, there is a creature.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33To some, it's a nuisance and a pest.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Others love to spend a day out shooting it
0:36:36 > 0:36:39and then putting it in the pot, and they claim it's very tasty.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Others, thankfully, love it for being cute and cuddly and yet more
0:36:42 > 0:36:47because it's got lots of amazing folklore associated with it.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49I have to tell you though, it's terribly shy
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and extraordinarily speedy, so most often
0:36:53 > 0:36:55all you're going to get is a fleeting glimpse
0:36:55 > 0:36:57of a disappearing tail.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11The animal we're talking about is the enigmatic brown hare.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13And I haven't done what you might expect me to do,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16which is to rush off to the flatlands of East Anglia.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20I've actually come here to a suburban cemetery
0:37:20 > 0:37:23on the Wirral to look for hares. And I know what you're thinking,
0:37:23 > 0:37:25"You've lost your mind, you've not read the field guide,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27"this is not their type of place."
0:37:27 > 0:37:31But I've got tell you this, unbelievably, is a hare refuge.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54This is the closest that I've ever been to a brown hare
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and been able to move about and speak.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00I can actually see this one nibbling the grass.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03It knows perfectly well that I'm here,
0:38:03 > 0:38:09and it's a fantastic opportunity to get close to this animal and have a really good look at it.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12I don't need binoculars at all. I can gaze straight into its eye.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16And I'm sure you can judge immediately that this is a completely different animal
0:38:16 > 0:38:20to the rabbit. It's much larger, it's got much longer ears,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23proportional to the body size,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27and although it's difficult to discern at the moment with this animal sitting,
0:38:27 > 0:38:32they equally have much longer hind legs in proportion to that body size than rabbits as well.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36But I suppose the question has to be, why is it that rabbits are doing
0:38:36 > 0:38:42so well here in Britain, but that hares are finding it really tough?
0:38:42 > 0:38:47Why is it that they've had to take refuge in a garden of remembrance?
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Well, to answer this question we're going to have to learn a lot more
0:38:50 > 0:38:53about the hare's ecology and behaviour.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Then I can tell you why this is a happy hare in a cemetery.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Let's start at the beginning.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Hares only made it to the UK when they were introduced
0:39:12 > 0:39:14by the Romans for food,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17along with their cousins the rabbits.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20They soon became part of the British countryside and its folklore.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23In the Middle Ages, it was believed they were witches
0:39:23 > 0:39:28that had shape-shifted and the only sure way of killing them was with a silver cross.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Their similarities to rabbits have made confusion common.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Br'er Rabbit, the Easter bunny and even Bugs Bunny
0:39:41 > 0:39:43were originally not bunnies, but hares,
0:39:43 > 0:39:48which history has slowly morphed into rabbits.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51And what's most surprising about this story is,
0:39:51 > 0:39:56compared to their rabbity cousins, how poorly the hares have fared.
0:39:56 > 0:40:02So why are there fewer hares than rabbits?
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Well, let's get down to the hare's point of view,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10starting in a much more typical territory of the hare - the rolling hills of Hertfordshire.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Well, there is one there actually.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18It's, um...
0:40:18 > 0:40:21I'm not sure you're going to see it even if you move round, but...
0:40:21 > 0:40:24I shouldn't have taken my binoculars off either.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27I'll probably have lost it.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Oh, no, I have got it actually,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33I've got it and it's hunkered right down into its form.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37A form being a shallow depression in this furrow.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42It's convinced that we can't see it, that's why I've been able to get this close.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46And it's showing typical behaviour. Its back is flattened, its ears are
0:40:46 > 0:40:51right down tight across its back, all I can see is one of its eyes.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53And its eyes are perfectly placed.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55They're on either side at the top of the head,
0:40:55 > 0:41:00which means it's got full 360-degree vision.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02But its strategy is quite simple here.
0:41:02 > 0:41:09It's so convinced that we can't see it, that it's gone down and it's frozen.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Oh, and there he goes.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Unfortunately, we sort of pushed our luck there
0:41:14 > 0:41:18and the hare got up and sped across the field.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26Let's just see if we can find the form where it was resting down in here.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35There's not much to it, it's not a spectacular sight.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38But here we are. Yeah, look, you can see.
0:41:39 > 0:41:46This is a perfect form where it's dug out the soil and when it flattens its back here
0:41:46 > 0:41:52and it's got its head down here, you can appreciate that it's very well hidden.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55They're so convinced that things can't see them that they freeze,
0:41:55 > 0:42:01until you get right on top of them, then they flee, like that animal just did.
0:42:03 > 0:42:10So while rabbits have burrows to bolt into, hares only have a form to crouch in.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21And for the young, the leverets, it's worse.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25They don't ever run away, they just freeze...
0:42:27 > 0:42:31..and that's no protection from the sharp blade of a combine harvester.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38So, are livestock farms better?
0:42:42 > 0:42:43Well, no.
0:42:49 > 0:42:55Sheep and cows constantly disturb hares and they eat their crucial cover.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And there's another problem for some hares.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14In fact, things got so bad they had to call for backup.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25You can see, it's ideal for hare-coursing activities.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30Wide-open fields, plenty of exits and entrances through the hedgerows.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34They can see for miles, they can see if anyone's coming.
0:43:34 > 0:43:35So, it's just ideal.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37What exactly is hare coursing?
0:43:37 > 0:43:39How do you define it legally, as it were?
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Mainly it's a minimum of two dogs and a group of blokes
0:43:42 > 0:43:46and they have the dogs on the lead and literally they walk across
0:43:46 > 0:43:51the field, and they see a hare and they set the dogs off onto the hare
0:43:51 > 0:43:56then they bet on the dogs and it's basically the first dog to turn the hare either left or right.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00So they're actually betting money on which direction the hare's going to be turning.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02We're talking huge sums of money as well.
0:44:02 > 0:44:07Tens of thousands of pounds in certain... Tens of thousands on which way a hare turns?! Yeah, literally.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11And the dogs presumably catch the hares and kill them? Unfortunately, yes.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13Not every time, but quite often.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16We're talking about Lurcher type dogs and they're a fast breed,
0:44:16 > 0:44:22so unfortunately, yeah, the poor old hare doesn't get away every time.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23And it's illegal? Definitely, yes.
0:44:23 > 0:44:28And nationally, how much of a problem is it, or is it just a few isolated cases?
0:44:28 > 0:44:33No, it's a huge problem. Um, with last year, 2009 to 2010,
0:44:33 > 0:44:40we're looking in the realms of at least 1,200 reported incidents of hare coursing.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44It strikes me, if I were a farmer and a gamekeeper, having these people traipsing around
0:44:44 > 0:44:49on the land chasing hares is going to be, you know, a bit of a pain, to be quite honest with you.
0:44:49 > 0:44:55I know of estates, not a million miles away from here, where they've actually taken the stance
0:44:55 > 0:44:59of shooting hares to cull the hares, because as far as they're concerned,
0:44:59 > 0:45:06no hares, no hare coursing, no hare coursing and they don't have all the associated problems.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Life on many farms is really tough for hares.
0:45:12 > 0:45:18But there are some humans who have used our understanding of what the hare needs to make changes.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25Farmers on a wildlife-friendly scheme have created a patchwork of fields
0:45:25 > 0:45:29so there's always something to eat,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32long grassy strips where hares can hide
0:45:32 > 0:45:37and the farmers cut crops from the middle of the fields outwards to allow the hares to escape.
0:45:42 > 0:45:48The result? Hare numbers have shot up by 35% in a single year.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52And there are other little pockets where hares can thrive,
0:45:52 > 0:45:57and our cemetery in the Wirral is one of these.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03Oh...
0:46:03 > 0:46:07I hope by now you've got a far better idea why these hares have
0:46:07 > 0:46:10taken to living in this cemetery, finding refuge here.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Firstly, they're not disturbed by any cattle.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15In fact, they're not disturbed by very much at all,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20because this is a place which is renowned for its peace and for its quiet.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Also, they're protected here from human disturbance.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28There's no-one shooting at them, there's no-one coursing for them.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31The whole area's guarded by community wardens.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34But it's not just about avoiding disturbance.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37If you move somewhere, you've also got to eat to be able to live there,
0:46:37 > 0:46:42and in fact we are indirectly feeding these hares.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45And as a clue to what's on the menu, take a look over there.
0:46:45 > 0:46:52What is it that people bring fresh to cemeteries with great regularity?
0:46:52 > 0:46:54It's flowers.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58And they are a tasty morsel for the hares.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02So from the hare's point of view, this is a place where they can find
0:47:02 > 0:47:09shelter, safety and a fantastic salad of fresh carnations.
0:47:19 > 0:47:25Now then, I don't believe in ghosts, but I have had the pleasure of watching a creature which you
0:47:25 > 0:47:28could say has an almost spectral quality,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32and when you see one of these things gliding over a misty meadow,
0:47:32 > 0:47:36it lends an almost dreamlike quality to the experience.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41And although they're incredibly popular with humans, and pretty much always have been,
0:47:41 > 0:47:46if you're a smaller mammal, then they're the stuff of absolute nightmares.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Barn owls.
0:48:00 > 0:48:06Their screeching sounds, heart-shaped faces and snowy white underparts are unmistakeable.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10They were recently voted Britain's favourite farmland bird.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14But they haven't always been top of the pops.
0:48:20 > 0:48:26Since Roman times, barn owls were surrounded by superstition.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31Their old names include demon owl, death owl, and hobgoblin.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35They were often nailed to barn doors to ward off other owls
0:48:35 > 0:48:38and even to protect against thunder and lightning.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43During the Middle Ages, barn owls thrived,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46partly due to poor sanitation and a high rat population.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54This taste for rodents transformed barn owls into a farmer's friend.
0:48:58 > 0:49:05And in the 20th century, owl windows were built into some stone barns to encourage the birds to nest.
0:49:05 > 0:49:12It paid off, because barn owls eat lots of small mammals, their favourites being field voles.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16To most human eyes, a grassy field is a grassy field,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18but I've got to tell you there are succinct differences.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21And this one, we could call voleville,
0:49:21 > 0:49:22field voleville,
0:49:22 > 0:49:28because this grassy field is what we call rough tussocky with a deep litter layer.
0:49:28 > 0:49:33Well, here are the rough tussocks, and the deep litter layer I can show you down here.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36If I just part the grass like this,
0:49:36 > 0:49:40you will see that at the bottom of it, there's all of this dead grass.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44And this forms because at the end of every year the grass like this
0:49:44 > 0:49:47grows up, and then it falls over in the winter,
0:49:47 > 0:49:51and then new grass grows through it next year.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Let's see if we can find any evidence that there are voles living in here.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57I bet you we don't have to go too far.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Oh, yeah, look at this, look.
0:50:04 > 0:50:09Here's an area where an animal has been active in that litter layer.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11It's come out, it's cleared a patch here.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14You can see all of the seeds that it's been feeding on.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17And here - it's been dragging a piece of grass down its hole -
0:50:17 > 0:50:23is...my finger going down in there, a field-vole hole.
0:50:23 > 0:50:28Now, the difference between this type of grassland and heavily managed grassland
0:50:28 > 0:50:31is that there, in farmland, they cut the grass, harvest it,
0:50:31 > 0:50:39take it away, and then they rake or chain-harrow the field, so you don't get this essential litter layer.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42And as a consequence, you only get about 15 voles per hectare,
0:50:42 > 0:50:46whereas in grassland like this you can get up to 250.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50And when they reach plague proportions, it goes into the thousands.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Now, given that the average pair of barn owls
0:50:53 > 0:51:01with a healthy brood of youngsters needs 10,000 voles a year, this is the habitat they require.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10And because a barn owl's prey is hidden down in all that long grass,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13it needs sharpened senses to find it.
0:51:18 > 0:51:24Its sense of hearing is its most important hunting sense, not its eyesight.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27And I'm going to demonstrate that... BLEEP, BLEEP
0:51:27 > 0:51:28..using a bleeper.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Now, I'm going to hide this out here...
0:51:32 > 0:51:35..right down underneath the vegetation,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37like that.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41And there's no way that that could be seen by anything flying over here.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46And previous to this, I've already hidden two other bleepers in the clearing just up here.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Next up, I'm going to take the control box.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53HIGH-PITCHED BLEEPING That one's bleeping.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I can just hear that one.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59BLEEPING And I think I can hear that one.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01And I'm going to stand stock still here
0:52:01 > 0:52:03against the tree,
0:52:03 > 0:52:08and in five minutes' time, a barn owl is going to fly round that corner and come up here.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09I'm really confident of that.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13FAINT BLEEPING
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Superb!
0:52:26 > 0:52:30Five minutes? Bang on cue, what did I say?
0:52:30 > 0:52:35The reason I was confident is that this isn't a wild bird, this is a captive bird that's flying free
0:52:35 > 0:52:41and has been trained to come to these bleepers, rewarded with a small piece of meat.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44But nevertheless, she can't see them.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47BLEEPING She's got to pick them out just
0:52:47 > 0:52:52by listening to them. And that's what she's doing. Her name is Kenza.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57And she can hear this above the sound of the traffic, the wind in the trees.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00I mean, I can only just hear these sounds,
0:53:00 > 0:53:02and, of course, these sounds are artificial.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07What she's especially attuned to are the high-frequency calls made by
0:53:07 > 0:53:12small mammals that we can't hear but these owls can.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17Her acute hearing is down to the shape of her face.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Under the feathers, a barn owl's faces works like a satellite dish,
0:53:21 > 0:53:26capturing and channelling sound down to its incredibly sensitive ears.
0:53:26 > 0:53:33BEEPING I'm going to try and bring her from that one back to that one,
0:53:33 > 0:53:36and then I'm going to try and get her to go back to that one.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38Oh, this is unbelievable.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43It's like a radio-controlled owl, except that I'm using sound,
0:53:43 > 0:53:49and she's able to locate that precisely, literally on the button.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Absolutely amazing.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59But it's no use having great hearing if you make lots of noise yourself.
0:54:00 > 0:54:07Barn owls have super-soft feathers so they don't make a sound in flight.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11That means their own wing beats don't drown out the sound
0:54:11 > 0:54:15of their prey and the voles can't hear them coming.
0:54:15 > 0:54:20Hunting in this way requires them to fly low over the ground, listening for the voles.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27But in modern Britain, this awesome hunting technique is getting them into trouble.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39Barn owls are so vulnerable to vehicles that any birds
0:54:39 > 0:54:45living within three kilometres of a major road are likely to be killed.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48When you think about it, kestrels can successfully hunt for voles
0:54:48 > 0:54:52along road verges, but that's because they're hovering up here.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55The barn owls are quartering lower down,
0:54:55 > 0:54:59in the vehicle zone, in the death zone.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02And in fact recent studies have shown that major roads
0:55:02 > 0:55:09have removed barn owls from 40% of their available habitat in Britain.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10That's disastrous.
0:55:15 > 0:55:21So are humans doing anything to make things better from a barn owl's point of view?
0:55:21 > 0:55:26Well, some councils are planning to plant trees and hedges along roadsides
0:55:26 > 0:55:31to force the owls to fly higher, above the danger zone.
0:55:36 > 0:55:43But there's another requirement of barn owls where humans are finding it much easier to help -
0:55:43 > 0:55:46places to nest.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Old farm buildings, well, they're perfect.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54Lots of entrance holes, lots of nooks and crannies inside.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58On the other hand, modern farm architecture, like this,
0:55:58 > 0:56:01well, there's not much provision for barn owls there.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04But humans have come to the rescue, come and look at this.
0:56:04 > 0:56:09Now, initially, this would have been useless for barn owls, but by putting up a box there,
0:56:09 > 0:56:13it's completely transformed it, it's absolutely perfect.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15And this has been a great conservation initiative,
0:56:15 > 0:56:23because I can tell you that 50% of British barn owls now nest in artificial boxes like this one.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25It's hats off to the humans for a change.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34And most importantly of all, some humans are working to create
0:56:34 > 0:56:38vole habitat and therefore more food for these birds.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44We've known the farmer here for many years.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48He's created so much habitat for barn owls, we've put up nest boxes.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51But look, this is fantastic. He's created rough grass field margins,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54both sides of a really nice thick hedge.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58I can see them stretching around all of the hedges here.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02Yeah, kilometres just on the one farm. Several kilometres of these grassy margins.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05And they're not just grass, they're rough, that's the key.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07They've got to be rough, have that litter layer
0:57:07 > 0:57:11so they provide the cover that the voles and shrews and mice need.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15It's good to see not just conservationists, you know, understanding the world
0:57:15 > 0:57:19from a barn owl's point of view, but people who are managing the landscape, too.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Yeah, and if consumers choose food from farms like this,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25there will be even more farms like this, so everybody needs to understand.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32You know, taking a look at Britain's grasslands
0:57:32 > 0:57:36through the eyes of other animal species has been truly revealing.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39And one thing's for sure, we humans would only have
0:57:39 > 0:57:44to change a few things to make life dramatically different for many grassland species -
0:57:44 > 0:57:48a few less pesticides, a few more rough field margins,
0:57:48 > 0:57:52and a few changes in the way that we harvest our crops.
0:57:52 > 0:57:59Because, you see, one thing is absolutely certain, we humans are the governors of grasslands.
0:57:59 > 0:58:05We make them wherever we go, and because we have the power to shape and control them,
0:58:05 > 0:58:12then we have the power, too, to look after all of those grassland animals.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16Next time on the Animal's Guide To Britain,
0:58:16 > 0:58:18it's the turn of woodland animals.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Why our biggest insect prefers the capital...
0:58:21 > 0:58:22Superb!
0:58:24 > 0:58:29..and the phenomenal skills that make this bird, the goshawk,
0:58:29 > 0:58:31our top woodland predator.
0:58:38 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:42 > 0:58:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk