0:00:04 > 0:00:07Britain. The history and the culture.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Born of a landscape that we know and love.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14But hang on a minute...
0:00:16 > 0:00:19That's just how WE see Britain.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21We humans are in a minority.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26We share our land and our shores here with hundreds of thousands of 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 > 0:00:49Where are their favourite places in these crowded islands?
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Oh!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56How do their senses affect their view of our country?
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And what do they make of us?
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Off you go!
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This time it's the turn of our coastal animals to have their say.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Prepare yourself for great cuteness.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14What do they need from Britain and its humans?
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Ouch! That's my finger, not the chip.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Why do many prefer these islands to anywhere else?
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Well, I'll show you. Come with me.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29Together they'll reveal our country as we've never seen it before.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Welcome to the Animal's Guide To Britain.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54Britain has 19,500 miles of coastline.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00I know some people think the British Isles are a bit puny, but that's a lot more than Italy, it's twice as
0:02:00 > 0:02:05much as Spain and an astonishing three times as much as France has.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And, you know, we Britons have a great affinity for our coast.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12We love it, but we come down here to the shore
0:02:12 > 0:02:19and we look out there at the sea and it's terribly inaccessible to us and it all looks the same.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24But, you know, it doesn't to coastal animals, and if we can look at the world from their point of view,
0:02:24 > 0:02:30then I think that we can radically change the way that we think about our coastline.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32In fact, I'll stick my head on the block.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I guarantee you, by the end of this programme, the next time
0:02:35 > 0:02:38you go to the beach you'll be looking at a different world.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02First up, a truly British animal.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08I mean, you can forget the British bulldog, the lion, as symbols of our national heritage.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12If you want a mammal to fly the flag for Britain then this is your animal.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Seals, seals, and more specifically, the grey seal.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I'm sure that many humans have seen these animals, either
0:03:28 > 0:03:32bobbing around in the sea or lounging about on the rocks.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36But few realise that Britain is internationally important for this species.
0:03:36 > 0:03:43I can tell you that nearly half of the world's population of grey seals lives here in Britain.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45So the big question has to be why?
0:03:45 > 0:03:49From the seal's point of view, what's the big deal about Britain?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Well, I mean to find out.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01Grey Seals were the first wild mammal in Britain to get their very own Act of Parliament -
0:04:01 > 0:04:04the Grey Seal Protection Act of 1914.
0:04:06 > 0:04:13But that's because Britain hasn't always been a great place for seals.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Back in the mists of time, some believed that seals were part human.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Children who had been turned into animals by a jealous stepmother.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28But that didn't put the humans off hunting them for food, blubber and for their fine fur.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36Used, for example, to make the furry sporran of a Scotsman's kilt.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46By the 19th century, they were on the verge of vanishing from Britain's waters.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49They're now protected.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54There are colonies from the north of Scotland to here -
0:04:54 > 0:04:57the Isles of Scilly in the far southwest.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01But grey seals are a truly oceanic animal.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04They can swim to almost anywhere they want to and if that's the case,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08why do they choose to swim to Britain? The Isles of Scilly?
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Well, to find that out, I'm going to have to get closer to the seals.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Seals may be clumsy on land, but just look at them now.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37They're so agile, and confident, even in the company of a human.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49There's no way they'd let me get this close to them on the shore.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55I'm loving the seals, but not the water.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I'm freezing!
0:06:00 > 0:06:03A seal, though, can reduce its loss of heat in water
0:06:03 > 0:06:08by diverting blood from its skin to its vital organs.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12And they have six centimetres of blubber.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18But the downside of all of this insulation is that they're prone to overheating.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24They only live where the sea averages between 2 and 12 degrees.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31So clearly the water temperature has to be just right,
0:06:31 > 0:06:38and I suppose you could liken the seal's insulation to us putting on a really thick, heavy winter coat.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42You'd clearly be very picky about where you spent your time.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49British coastal waters average at a perfect 11 degrees.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54But our seals also come here for the fish.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Now, not all of Britain's seas are as crystal clear as this.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So how do seals manage to catch anything?
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Well, their secret weapon is these fabulous whiskers.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22They're so sensitive. They can detect fish even in zero visibility.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Goodness knows what they make of me.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37Their whiskers pick up the minute disturbances that a fish makes in the water...
0:07:40 > 0:07:44..and hunt it down by simply following its invisible wake.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00So seals are superbly adapted for this marine environment and
0:08:00 > 0:08:04they come here for the rich fishing and they can put up with the cold,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07which is something that I can't. I can't wait to get out!
0:08:07 > 0:08:13But have you ever wondered why the last time you took a walk on a beach you didn't see lots of seals,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17the fact that they are not evenly spaced all around our coastline?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19There's a very good reason for that and to demonstrate it,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I'm going to haul out onto one of these islands.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Almost all of our 100,000 grey seals are found on islands.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45In fact, one of the reasons that seals like Britain so much
0:08:45 > 0:08:47is the sheer number of islands.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Here on the Isles of Scilly there are 140,
0:08:55 > 0:09:00but Britain as a whole has a staggering 6,346 islands.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04But why are islands so important to these seals?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Well, I'll show you. Come with me.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I can just see what I'm looking for here.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Look at that.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29This is a grey seal pup.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35One of the main reasons that seals need islands is to give birth.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39And this one is only a few days old.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It's at the very beginning of the pupping season now in September and
0:09:42 > 0:09:45it will stretch all the way through to December.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50In fact, it's not just this youngster here that I can see.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56There are another couple just down in front of me here, hiding in the rocks.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01When they're born, they're almost a bag of skin and bones,
0:10:01 > 0:10:06but they're fed by the females on an incredibly rich milk.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10They're able to put on two kilograms in weight every day.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15The females will be giving them that milk for just over two weeks.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21At the moment, the cows, the females, are just waiting offshore.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Every now and again they will come in and the young will suckle.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30This is why they need secluded spaces, islands like this one,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34because these creatures at the moment don't have enough blubber to survive in the sea
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and would be vulnerable to predators on the mainland.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Adults may not be as vulnerable as baby seals, but out of water
0:10:50 > 0:10:53they're still very wary, especially of humans.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59And it doesn't take much to scare them back into the water.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Surely no harm in that, you might think.
0:11:07 > 0:11:14In fact, going back into the water can have some quite serious consequences for these seals.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21It's all down to the change in their blood flow when the seals get back into the sea.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29You see, each year seals moult their fur.
0:11:29 > 0:11:36In order to grow new fur, they need to supply the hair follicles in their skin with blood.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41If a moulting seal gets frightened into cold water, blood is withdrawn
0:11:41 > 0:11:46from their skin and that can stop them growing a new coat of hair.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53So seals need long periods on land to moult successfully.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57But there is another reason to come ashore -
0:11:57 > 0:12:00to digest their food.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06Imagine this. You're a seal, you're out here foraging for five or six days, you come back
0:12:06 > 0:12:10with a bellyful of food and you haul out and start the digestive process.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Then all of a sudden you get scared into the water.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Well, that's a recipe for indigestion at the very least.
0:12:18 > 0:12:26And more importantly, if it happens repeatedly, seals can't actually digest enough food to survive.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32From a seal's point of view,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36disturbance is clearly a big issue.
0:12:42 > 0:12:49So perhaps even more important than our cool waters and the huge quantities of fish they contain.
0:12:49 > 0:12:55Yes, it's our thousands of islands and their quiet, secluded coastlines
0:12:55 > 0:13:00that make Britain a favourite home for grey seals.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Few humans visit any of these remote places, yet they are one of the main
0:13:11 > 0:13:17reasons that our coastline is internationally important for many coastal creatures.
0:13:28 > 0:13:34For one group of animals, Britain is a very special place indeed - our seabirds.
0:13:34 > 0:13:42Gannets, razorbills, puffins, guillemots and many more besides are found here in vast numbers.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Britain's remote islands and coastlines are not only ideal for seals.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01From a seabird's point of view, the UK is one of the best places in the world.
0:14:11 > 0:14:18And amongst them, there is one species of seabird that is perhaps more British than all of the others.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Although perhaps surprisingly, few humans have ever heard of them
0:14:23 > 0:14:28and only a tiny percentage of those humans have probably ever seen one.
0:14:37 > 0:14:4190% of them, that's the full 9-0 percent
0:14:41 > 0:14:47of the world's population are nesting in Britain right now -
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Manx shearwater.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51The Manx shearwater.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54But don't get your hopes up, because I can't show you one straightaway.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02Just seeing one is hard enough, let alone getting its verdict on Britain.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09This elusiveness has led to them being misunderstood in the past.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20The first people to encounter them were marauding Vikings.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25The shearwaters' nocturnal noises scared them so much,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29they refused to land on some islands.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32THEY CALL NOISILY
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Once humans had got the courage to land on these islands, they
0:15:36 > 0:15:41discovered shearwater chicks were full of precious oil.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45They used them to burn in oil lamps.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49They were also used as fertiliser
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and lobster bait.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57Their oil was even used to stop armour going rusty.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Nowadays, humans get their oil from other places
0:16:03 > 0:16:08and our understanding of shearwaters has improved...a little.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14We do know that they're extremely fussy birds...
0:16:17 > 0:16:20..and only nest on a handful of special islands.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31In the UK, the best places are Rum in Scotland,
0:16:31 > 0:16:38Skomer Island in Wales, but also here on the magical Copeland Islands off Northern Ireland.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46It's 9:29 precisely and the island is taking on a completely different feel.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50The light has fallen, you can see Belfast twinkling over there,
0:16:50 > 0:16:5517 miles away in the distance, and it's getting close to shearwater time.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57There's just one thing.
0:16:57 > 0:17:04They don't like the light, so we're going to have to switch from our normal camera into infrared.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07This is going to be great.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12MANX SHEARWATERS CALL NOISILY
0:17:20 > 0:17:22You know, those old Vikings had a point.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26That really is a very strange sound.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36All of that mystique just adds to the excitement of actually meeting them.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Ooh, look at that.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Manx shearwater.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Wonderful.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Well, wonderful but also terribly clumsy on land.
0:18:08 > 0:18:15Like seals, they're designed for a life at sea, which is where all of these birds are coming from.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19They can fly vast distances over open ocean,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24migrating 20,000 miles to and from the coast of South America.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31Their webbed feet, set right at the back of their body, are perfect for swimming on water.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35But when they're on land, it means they're left to scrabble about and
0:18:35 > 0:18:39this makes them really vulnerable to predators.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44In their case, almost anything can grab them, especially gulls.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48So they only come ashore in darkness.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50They won't even land if there's a full moon.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Of course, the reason it's come to land is to get to its nest.
0:18:57 > 0:19:05On summer nights they return, not only to the same island, but to the very same burrow.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Away from this island, we have very little idea of what they do.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14We don't even know exactly where these birds go during the day.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24Which is why, on Copeland Island, humans have made some alterations to their burrows.
0:19:28 > 0:19:34Above the chamber of every single burrow, scientists have placed a numbered paving slab.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40The birds can still come and go from the front entrance,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44but these viewing hatches give us a unique opportunity.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- Hi, Kerry.- Hi, Chris.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Right, what's beneath the concrete, then?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52This is one of our study burrows.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Oh, wow, what a fantastic thing.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01So, Kerry, this is a known bird, then.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Presumably it's got a ring on here somewhere?
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Absolutely. We can have a look at the ring number here
0:20:06 > 0:20:12so we can identify that bird from our records, and if it was ringed as a chick we would know what age it was.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16But ringing in some ways is becoming an old technology
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- because of a new fad gadget. - Absolutely.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22This is a little GPS device.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It weighs approximately 15 grams.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31That device will go on the back of the bird and it will generate GPS fixes every five minutes
0:20:31 > 0:20:35by using satellites, and that will allow us to track the
0:20:35 > 0:20:40movements of this bird when it leaves the burrow and the chick and goes out to sea to forage for food.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It will let us see exactly where it's been.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Because this is not transmitting remotely.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- You've got to get it back again. - You have to get it back.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It's a benefit, then, that you know this bird has got to come back
0:20:50 > 0:20:52because it's got a chick underneath this paving slab.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- Absolutely.- You take the bird, let me take that.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57What a fantastic little piece of kit.
0:20:57 > 0:21:05This little device is going to give us a shearwater's view of Britain
0:21:05 > 0:21:08in daylight for the first time.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- How much was it, Kerry?- £50.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12£50? I'll have three.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15It's going to be priceless.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16I just hope the bird comes back.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Yes!
0:21:22 > 0:21:27The following day and there's not a shearwater to be seen on the island.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31The adults left before dawn and now they're far out at sea.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36They get their name from this banking and shearing flight.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43It's so efficient, it enables them to cover huge distances.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48But where do they go during the day?
0:21:48 > 0:21:50And where do they catch their fish?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Somewhere out there, our study birds with their geo-locating
0:21:58 > 0:22:03gadgets, are collecting data that should give us some answers.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Meanwhile, safely ensconced in the burrow number 37, is a chick.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14I can have a peep at it because the adults are away. Now, look at this.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Prepare yourself for great cuteness.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Look at that. Ha ha!
0:22:21 > 0:22:23What a wonderful little chick.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28The adults lay an egg, which is about 20% their body weight.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's a huge egg in proportion to their body size.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35They then incubate it, both male and female, for about 55 days.
0:22:35 > 0:22:43Then this little chap or chapess will remain in the nest here for up to 76 days.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46So this is a very long and protracted breeding process.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48But what you can't appreciate - I'll just
0:22:48 > 0:22:52to lift him up very gently - is how tubby the little chick is.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53Full of fish oil.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01And to feed this fat chick, the parents need to spend a lot of time catching a lot of fish.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Oh, my goodness. Right, better pop it back in.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12But where do they get all of that fish?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Hopefully, we'll soon find out.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29For the first time, we'll be able to build a complete shearwater's guide
0:23:29 > 0:23:34to Britain, their favourite spots, both on land and at sea.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Speaking as an impatient kid, how long is it going to take to download?
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Ah, Chris, just a few moments to download the data and then we'll be able to look at a map
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and see where the bird that was wearing this backpack has gone.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Oh, here we are, look.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09No, it's a bit skewy there. What's happening here? That's where we originated, then.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Yep, that's Copeland. So this bird started off in Copeland.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17It's travelled down to the south end of the Isle of Man around
0:24:17 > 0:24:21the Calf of Man, and then out to a location northwest of Liverpool.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24It spent several days feeding in this area before coming back to
0:24:24 > 0:24:31the northern end of the Isle of Man, a little stop off, and then straight back to the colony very directly.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Kerry, from this data can you tell how far that bird has flown to chart this course?
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Yes, this particular bird has flown 700 kilometres in just four days
0:24:41 > 0:24:43to gather food to bring back to feed its chick.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47700 kilometres, four days.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Amazing. It's got to have been worthwhile, though.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54And they can find it straightaway. They're flying straight to it and then flying straight back again.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58There's no messing about. The bird knows where it's going and it knows that's a potentially
0:24:58 > 0:25:01good area where it can forage to bring food back for its chick.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05It's brilliant. We took this little thing off the back of a bird and
0:25:05 > 0:25:07it's told us exactly where it's been for the last four days.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10It's intrinsically fascinating, or it is for me.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14What does it offer the shearwaters? What are the long-term benefits of
0:25:14 > 0:25:16this project from their point of view?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Well, Chris, a lot of the nesting sites like this island
0:25:19 > 0:25:24are very well protected, but the marine areas that these birds are utilising
0:25:24 > 0:25:26to feed in are not protected at all.
0:25:26 > 0:25:32So this kind of data, built up over a number of years, is going to
0:25:32 > 0:25:37help to piece together the picture of the life of the shearwater at sea and help to protect it.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41The results have only just started coming in,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45but they're already making us aware of the needs of these birds.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54It seems that shearwaters are feeding on fish over a massive area of British waters.
0:25:58 > 0:26:04Almost all of the world's Manx shearwaters nest on a mere handful of British islands.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12You could say that they've put all their eggs into one or two precious baskets.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18In Britain, those baskets are pretty safe,
0:26:18 > 0:26:23but out at sea their vital feeding areas have no protection.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Humans, naturally, have a very land-based view of the coast.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40But for coastal animals,
0:26:40 > 0:26:46it's the combination of sea and land that is so important.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Think back to your childhood seaside trips.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06Vauxhall Viva, Mum navigating, Dad getting really angry, nowhere to park.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Finally get to the beach, some bigger kid kicks sand in your face.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Your sister drops her ice cream.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14There are tears. But at least for me,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19I could lay back on my towel and listen to the sound of the seaside.
0:27:19 > 0:27:25- That iconic British coastal animal. - SEAGULL CALLS
0:27:25 > 0:27:30I have to say, though, in recent times this creature's gone through a bit of an image change.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Some people now consider them to be a bit of a nuisance.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38And I have to say, at the moment, I couldn't disagree myself.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Ouch! That's my finger, not the chip.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55At least learn how to take the chip.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I'm talking about seagulls.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03Seagulls. And one thing we've got to be clear about from the start, is there's no such thing as a seagull.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08There are gulls and there are 24 of these things on the British list.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10These are herring gulls.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Looking down there on the beach I can see... There you go!
0:28:13 > 0:28:18I can see black-headed gulls and I can see a couple of common gulls.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20They're not seagulls. They're gulls.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27And their view of Britain is totally different to a shearwater's.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Although it's a view that has changed drastically in recent years.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I'll show you.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38That's it. You've eaten everything.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44So what is the gulls' side of the story?
0:28:49 > 0:28:55Well, the answer might lie in their natural history, or more precisely their physiology.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00You see, gulls don't have too many specialist adaptations.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I mean, compare them with owls which have extraordinary nocturnal
0:29:03 > 0:29:07vision, great hearing, talons for killing their prey.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12Or swallows - swept-back wings for aerodynamic flight.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17These are specialist, but the gulls, if you like, are more of a generalist.
0:29:17 > 0:29:23A sort of jack of many trades. And a jack of many trades is what makes them such a success.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30Gulls are used to looking out for new feeding opportunities.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35Unwittingly, that's exactly what humans are providing them with here.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Now, the curious thing is that we've always had
0:29:44 > 0:29:50loads of rubbish in Britain but we haven't always had loads of gulls coming to pick through it.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56But why? When did they first start coming to our rubbish tips?
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Well, you see, rubbish isn't just rubbish.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Rubbish has changed.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Time for a bit of a history lesson.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14100 years ago, humans threw away much less rubbish.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19They used to recycle food, compost it or feed it to animals.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23The gulls' menu was exclusively coastal.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Then after the Second World War, food rationing stopped.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36As Harold Macmillan said, humans never had it so good.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Humans started throwing away much more food
0:30:44 > 0:30:49and gulls started to move inland to take advantage.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56But perhaps the biggest change took place in 1956.
0:30:56 > 0:31:02And let me tell you, if you were a gull, 1956 was a big year for you
0:31:02 > 0:31:06because parliament passed the Clean Air Act.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11Now, you might wonder what's clean air got to do with gulls and rubbish? Well, I'll tell you.
0:31:11 > 0:31:18Up until that point, we were allowed to burn all of this, but after that point we weren't allowed.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23Now it has to be collected and brought here to these landfill sites. And the gulls?
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Well, they just love that.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35But gulls do have other needs besides just eating.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Like somewhere to nest.
0:31:43 > 0:31:50In Bath, one man has being trying to understand why this city is so attractive to a seabird.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54It requires taking a gull's-eye view of things.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Peter, this is a great collection of man-made structures.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Gulls view these rather differently, don't they?
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Because there are many parallels with the gulls' natural environment of course.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Absolutely. This roof - nice and flat.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Lesser black-backed gulls breed on dunes.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Over there, in amongst all of those thousands of chimney pots,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17that's where the herring gulls breed.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19It's a tendency, but what's interesting
0:32:19 > 0:32:23is that those innate tendencies that you see in the wild
0:32:23 > 0:32:24are being echoed here in town.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28- We've built them cliff tops, haven't we?- Yes, we have.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33In some respects this is even better than their natural nest sites.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35I mean, surely there's fewer predators up here?
0:32:35 > 0:32:40You know, there aren't any foxes scaling the lifts and the stairs to this rooftop.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42And better - hardly any disturbance.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45There's nobody up here. Why would they want to come here?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Except to repair all this equipment, but that's infrequent.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51No ramblers and dog walkers. It's very peaceful.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- This is gull heaven, really. - What about population, though?
0:32:54 > 0:32:57In Bath as a whole, just short of 1,000 pairs.
0:32:57 > 0:32:591,000 pairs?
0:32:59 > 0:33:04That's a good, healthy population of birds these days, isn't it?
0:33:04 > 0:33:08- But in the grand scheme of things, Bath is actually a fairly small colony.- Is it?- Bristol - 2,500.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Gloucester - over 3,000.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11Cardiff - over 3,000 pairs.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13This is a lot of birds.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17So what we're looking at here is an ideal opportunity for them.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25The gulls' favourite places in Britain are no longer confined to the coast.
0:33:25 > 0:33:31They now include the entire country, even the middle of the Midlands.
0:33:32 > 0:33:38So is that it, then? If you're a gull, is Britain a Utopian paradise where you're spoilt for choice?
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Well, not exactly, because conditions here on the coast are changing.
0:33:51 > 0:33:58These days, there are far fewer commercial fishing boats in British waters than there used to be
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and humans have, by and large, stopped throwing away fish guts.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Instead much of it is kept and used as fishmeal fertilizer.
0:34:10 > 0:34:16Gulls might hang around fishing boats in hope, but human handouts have dwindled.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Consequently, most coastal gull populations are now drastically declining.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30Herring gulls have actually declined by 50% since my childhood.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38Even accounting for their increase in cities, numbers have halved across the whole of Britain.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48So there are several reasons why gulls are moving inland and taking up residence in our cities.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Firstly, we're providing them with lots of food on those rubbish tips
0:34:51 > 0:34:56and also high-quality accommodation on the tops of our buildings.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00But at the same time, we're driving them away from the coasts
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and what these creatures are actually doing
0:35:03 > 0:35:07is changing their habits to cope with a change in ours.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10But look at this... I can't entirely agree with it.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Firstly, they're not strictly seagulls,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16as I've explained, and they're not vicious either.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21I would argue that they're opportunists, just like us.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Now, let's get back to our seaside holidays.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Whilst I admit it isn't everyone's idea of a great summer wildlife encounter to have their sandwiches
0:35:32 > 0:35:39stolen by gulls, there is a creature that provides an altogether more therapeutic experience.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43You can find them on every single stretch of the British coastline.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49They survive in salt water, brackish water, thankfully, even out of the water.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52And all of these people here have come to encounter them.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Gosh, you've done well. You've got a bucketful!
0:36:08 > 0:36:12Is it all right if I have a look at one? Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16And the creature that we're talking about here... Here it is,
0:36:16 > 0:36:21the shore crab - nature's equivalent to the Swiss Army penknife.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26Armed with a couple of formidable pincers here, good for manipulating
0:36:26 > 0:36:31their food or warding off predators, eight legs and a really tough shell.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Eyes on stalks which can fold down so they're protected.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38In fact it's got appendages for every occasion.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41But for all of this fortitude, I've got to tell you
0:36:41 > 0:36:46that lying beneath the shell is a very sensitive animal.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51The question is, what do the crabs make of Britain?
0:36:56 > 0:37:01Shore crabs have found something of a sanctuary in Britain.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05While crabs have been eaten in Britain for centuries,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08these were mostly the larger, edible crab.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Shore crabs were pretty much ignored.
0:37:13 > 0:37:19That was until the Victorian era and the rise of the seaside holiday.
0:37:19 > 0:37:25Since then, shore crabs have had to endure the annual onslaught of children's nets.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32Today they're also sought-after by fishermen who use them as bait -
0:37:32 > 0:37:35fish can smell them a mile off.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37British shore crabs are still better off
0:37:37 > 0:37:40than their cousins on the continent though,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43where they're an essential ingredient in some soups.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47They're known there as "le crabe vert", because they're green.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51In Britain they're called shore crabs, because...
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Well, because of where they're found.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00But why do shore crabs live here on the shore and not out there at sea?
0:38:00 > 0:38:04To answer that we need to understand the crab's world -
0:38:04 > 0:38:08a world of smells, odours and pheromones.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15But what has smell got to do with where crabs live?
0:38:16 > 0:38:21Well, if I have a rummage around in here, I should be able to answer that.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24This may look like a dead crab to you.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's largely complete.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28It's got most of its limbs.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29You can see the carapace here.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33But this is a crab's shed skin.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39Shedding their skin is something they need to do every few months in order to grow.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44When they shed their skin, initially the new one is very soft.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48But what's especially dangerous
0:38:48 > 0:38:51is that it gives off a very distinctive odour.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56This makes them very vulnerable to predators, all sorts of things - fish, octopuses, cuttlefish,.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Just imagine that - when you're at your most vulnerable,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03you've got to hide, not just out of sight, but out of smell.
0:39:03 > 0:39:11And that's why down on the shore these animals are always hiding beneath the weed and the rocks.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Crabs themselves have an amazing sense of smell -
0:39:17 > 0:39:23they can detect a single drop in a billion of sea water.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25But they don't have noses.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Instead, they smell with their feet.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37They use smell in almost all aspects of their lives -
0:39:37 > 0:39:42caring for eggs, choosing a home, and of course, finding food.
0:39:47 > 0:39:53But when it comes to smell, from these crabs' point of view, the most important thing is that of mating.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56To illustrate that I'm going to need to go to the lab.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03I love a little demonstration.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Now, in this tank here
0:40:06 > 0:40:11there are four female shore crabs and over here is a male.
0:40:11 > 0:40:18I have to tell you that this is the Clark Gable, the Johnny Depp, the Taylor Lautner of crabs.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23Let's just see what happens when I drop him in with these females.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Now, come on.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Four females - a great opportunity.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34HE WHISTLES
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Shall we just save a lot of time?
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Because I can tell you nothing is going to happen in here.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47There's a very simple reason for that
0:40:47 > 0:40:51and it's down to the protective exoskeleton of these female crabs.
0:40:51 > 0:40:58It's brilliantly designed to protect them from predators, but it makes it very, very tough to mate.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02In fact, the female, if you'll forgive me, has to get her kit off in order to mate.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05She has to shed her skin.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09So how does the male know that the female is going to shed her skin?
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Well, it's down to smell.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Now, in this second tank, there's another female.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20I know it looks identical to those in here, but it's not.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25It's actually about to shed its skin.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29In this state she's giving off a very distinctive chemical smell.
0:41:29 > 0:41:35I can show you using a bit of harmless food dye.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38If I introduce this around the female...
0:41:40 > 0:41:43..you should be able to see it in the water
0:41:43 > 0:41:48and therefore see the currents moving due to her fanning.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53Look at that. She's wafting her scent into the water.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57So in truth there's only one thing she's short of - an interested male.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00And I think I know where I can find one.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Here we are.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Now, come on, this is your big chance to perform.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Remember, the only difference with this female is her smell.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21He can detect it immediately.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27He's using smell receptors on his feet,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30smelling that there's been a female in there.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35Now the male is beginning to approach her.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43He's responding to her smell.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44He's cornered her there.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54And he's caged her with his legs
0:42:54 > 0:42:58and he'll keep her there until she sheds her skin
0:42:58 > 0:43:02and then she'll turn over and they'll mate. Look at that...
0:43:06 > 0:43:09That's fantastic, absolutely fantastic.
0:43:09 > 0:43:16So as you've just seen, all of that, all of that behaviour, is governed by one thing - smell.
0:43:20 > 0:43:28'On the coast, this smell means that mating pairs need to be the best hidden of all shore crabs
0:43:28 > 0:43:31'and take some finding.'
0:43:31 > 0:43:33I'll look underneath this stone.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Ah, here they are.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Now, this couple aren't hiding because they're bashful,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44they're hiding because of those female pheromones.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49You see, when the female gives off her pheromones, it's not just crabs that detect it.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Predators such as fish can do the same.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57So for that reason, the females move onto the beach out of the open water.
0:43:57 > 0:44:03But then all of these crabs that I found down on the shore here, milling around at the moment,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06are males, waiting for a sniff of that pheromone.
0:44:06 > 0:44:11They're going to sweep up the beach here looking for the females.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Of course, once they find one, they don't want to lose it
0:44:14 > 0:44:18to any of these other roaming crustaceal Romeos.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23So they take the females to the top of the beach, well out of their reach.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30The crabs' view of Britain is dictated almost entirely by odours.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37Males need to keep the fragrant females to themselves and the whiff
0:44:37 > 0:44:41of a shedding skin makes all crabs vulnerable to predators.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45We humans don't give a second thought
0:44:45 > 0:44:47to the way Britain smells underwater,
0:44:47 > 0:44:53but then we don't see the world through a crab's eyes, or rather their feet.
0:44:53 > 0:44:58And you've got to admit, that is an unusual way of looking at Britain.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07Our islands are surrounded by rocky shores,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11so when it comes to hiding places, shore crabs are spoiled for choice.
0:45:16 > 0:45:22If there's one creature that maybe has the most unusual view of Britain
0:45:22 > 0:45:29then perhaps it's our most enigmatic and exotic coastal resident.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34Now technically, you can see these animals anywhere around the British coastline, although,
0:45:34 > 0:45:39to be honest with you, I think you're going to be needing to look for them outside a few key areas.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43It's not that they're small, they can be absolutely huge.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47And it's certainly not that they're dull, because they're magnificent.
0:45:47 > 0:45:52In fact, they're top of many people's zoological pops.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07Dolphins!
0:46:10 > 0:46:16Eight species of dolphin have been recorded in UK waters.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20Two places, Cardigan Bay in Wales and the Moray Firth in Scotland,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24have resident populations of the largest species -
0:46:24 > 0:46:26the bottlenose dolphin.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33I'm in Scotland to find out what they think of Britain.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36We're heading out into the Firth and do you know what?
0:46:36 > 0:46:39I'm unnaturally confident that we're going to see dolphins.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42I know that's the kiss of death, but look - conditions are perfect
0:46:42 > 0:46:46and this really is a very good place for them.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Historically, much of our coast was good for dolphins.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58In the 19th century, dolphins were seen near many of our rivers and estuaries.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06But this changed with the Industrial Revolution.
0:47:06 > 0:47:11Rivers became polluted and dolphins moved away.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16In the 1970s, the place to see them
0:47:16 > 0:47:19was in one of Britain's 36 dolphinariums,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21or travelling dolphin shows.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28But dolphins are highly intelligent.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35And their captive conditions were... Well, unsuitable.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40So in 1990, some humans launched a campaign to save them.
0:47:42 > 0:47:48Just one year later, the last captive British dolphin was released into the wild.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Ha, ha-ha! I said I was confident.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56This is superb, honestly. Absolutely superb.
0:47:56 > 0:48:01For me, it's not the Flipper thing, it's not the spiritual thing, it's the...inaccessibility
0:48:01 > 0:48:07of these animals in the ocean and then the unpredictability when they just suddenly surge up.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11You can't help but be totally drawn into the excitement of the moment,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13but I've got to try and stay calm.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15- There are about 190... - SPLASHING
0:48:15 > 0:48:18..of these animals in this population here
0:48:18 > 0:48:22and you will normally find between 80 and 130
0:48:22 > 0:48:24in the inland part of the Firth here.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Although during the summer,
0:48:26 > 0:48:31most of the others will come in here to exploit the rich source of fish.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Pretty much the same thing is going on down in Cardigan Bay.
0:48:34 > 0:48:40So that's there and here, as it were, but why don't we find these animals elsewhere?
0:48:40 > 0:48:43'It's down to that rich fishing.'
0:48:45 > 0:48:48Their favourite fish are salmon and sea trout.
0:48:48 > 0:48:55They intercept them where rivers meet the sea, before the fish migrate upstream to breed.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59But a single salmon river isn't enough.
0:49:00 > 0:49:05Dolphins need lots of salmon rivers in one small area of the coast.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11That's exactly what they've got in Wales -
0:49:11 > 0:49:14ten salmon rivers flowing into Cardigan Bay.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25In Scotland, more than 30 rivers flow into the Moray Firth.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40And crucially, the timing of the salmon migrations is different
0:49:40 > 0:49:45for each river, so there are salmon here almost all year round.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Ho-ho!
0:49:57 > 0:49:59But that's only part of the story.
0:49:59 > 0:50:05To really understand it, we need to know how dolphins see Britain.
0:50:07 > 0:50:12Well, when I say see, I actually mean hear.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Dolphins, you see, experience the world through sound,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19using both echo location, which I'll come to,
0:50:19 > 0:50:21and fantastic conventional hearing.
0:50:21 > 0:50:27Under the waves, they can decipher the intricate soundscapes of our coasts.
0:50:33 > 0:50:39Most humans don't give a second thought to what Britain sounds like underwater.
0:50:39 > 0:50:47That's a bit of a problem for dolphins because we've unthinkingly added a lot of new noises.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49RUMBLING
0:51:01 > 0:51:04So what do the dolphins make of all this?
0:51:09 > 0:51:11- Barbara.- Hi, Chris.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- What can I say? It was amazing! - Amazing.- They're still going.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17They're still there, we'll get very distracted.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Can I ask you about their acoustic abilities
0:51:20 > 0:51:23because they're profound, aren't they?
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Very advanced acoustics that they have.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27It's something that we're still working on
0:51:27 > 0:51:29and learning about all the time.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32It's well above anything that humans could ever have.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35What do we think about the problems that we cause?
0:51:35 > 0:51:38Because we make so much noise in the water.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43Noise is one of the things we're worried about and we want to find out more about.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46One of the major things dolphins have is communicating through whistles.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49They can communicate with each other that way
0:51:49 > 0:51:52and then they can actually keep in touch over kilometres of distance.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55If it's very noisy, how can they keep in touch?
0:51:55 > 0:51:57They wouldn't be able to hear members of their group
0:51:57 > 0:52:00and wouldn't be able to find those members of their group.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Is there any evidence that they avoid areas
0:52:03 > 0:52:05where there's a lot of boat traffic or anything like that?
0:52:05 > 0:52:10There's been research done elsewhere, where if boat numbers increase,
0:52:10 > 0:52:14dolphins can move out of the area, which is really sad and worrying.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17But it's not just boats,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21drilling and oil exploration make loud bangs underwater.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28Fish farms emit sounds to scare off seals, but they also scare off dolphins.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33And submarines can emit extremely powerful low-frequency sound.
0:52:35 > 0:52:41The Dolphin's Guide To Britain would be a minefield of noisy areas that dolphins should avoid.
0:52:45 > 0:52:50But conventional hearing isn't the only thing that affects a dolphin's view of Britain.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53They also have another super-sense - SONAR.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57Sound, Navigation And Ranging, at least that's what we call it.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01In the natural world, it's called echo location.
0:53:02 > 0:53:10Dolphins can use reflected echoes of their own sounds so they can build up a visual picture of their world.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14That sounds pretty complicated, but come with me and I'll show you what I mean.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Excuse me, Bill. Can I just take a look at your SONAR device?
0:53:18 > 0:53:20This is it, and remember,
0:53:20 > 0:53:24this is a visual representation made up by sound.
0:53:24 > 0:53:30Beneath my feet is a small device that's emitting a pulse of sound out into the water.
0:53:30 > 0:53:35It's being collected by another and analysed by the computer. It's producing this.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39When I look at this, I can learn to understand the world through sound.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43Here is the surface, there's a bit of noise there made by the waves breaking.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47And look, here is the bottom of the sea. I can even see some seaweed.
0:53:47 > 0:53:53Look, here's potentially some fish here, a little shoal of them above the rocks.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56It's amazing, isn't it? I bet it cost Bill quite a lot of money too.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01I equally bet that if I was a dolphin using echo location,
0:54:01 > 0:54:06my sonic picture of the world would be much better than that.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13Dolphin echo location is so good
0:54:13 > 0:54:18that they can identify not only the whereabouts of fish,
0:54:18 > 0:54:24but also the species, even at a distance of 200 metres.
0:54:24 > 0:54:30They can also read the shape and features of the seabed, even in the murkiest of British waters.
0:54:34 > 0:54:40Once they've found their salmon, they can chase them into the perfect ambush position.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Chanonry Point in the Moray Firth.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58CHEERING
0:54:59 > 0:55:05The reason they come here is all down to the architecture of the beach just out here.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08It makes it a perfect place for them to come fishing.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15From a human perspective, there's nothing particularly special about this place.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20Above the waves, the sea looks much like anywhere else.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25A dolphin's view of the beach though is rather different.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30In open water, salmon aren't easy to catch.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34But here, the land juts far out into the Firth,
0:55:34 > 0:55:38allowing dolphins to trap the fish against the slope of the beach.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47With a year-round supply of fish, somewhere to catch them,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50and relatively free from noise pollution,
0:55:50 > 0:55:55this is probably the best place in the whole of Britain for dolphins.
0:56:17 > 0:56:23It strikes me that only by looking at our coast as a dolphin or as another coastal creature would,
0:56:23 > 0:56:28can we start to understand it and truly appreciate its value.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51When you think about it, Britain is a collection of islands surrounded by some fantastic coastline.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56It's our least-known habitat, but as we've learned, it's also our most important.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00So it's a bit of a paradox that it's also our least protected.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04We only have three marine nature reserves, whereas on land,
0:57:04 > 0:57:08we've got tens of thousands of protected areas for wildlife.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13The good news though - we do have a new Marine Bill, so the future is looking good, generally.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17But what about our particular group of coastal creatures?
0:57:17 > 0:57:20What might they ask us for to improve their lot?
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Well, the crabs - they're hiding for a reason.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28If you find them, don't blow their cover.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30Dolphins - they want the noise turned down.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33That is something that we might consider.
0:57:33 > 0:57:38The gulls? Well, I'm afraid to say, it looks like they're coming to a rooftop near you.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42If they've already arrived and are leaving deposits on your car,
0:57:42 > 0:57:44get soapy water and show some tolerance.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46That just leaves the shearwaters and the seals.
0:57:46 > 0:57:52Well, both of these animals have globally important populations here in Britain.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56So I guess if they're asking for something, it's to remind us
0:57:56 > 0:58:00that their future security is in our human hands.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:14 > 0:58:17E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk