0:00:04 > 0:00:08All this week, we're bringing you the top Countryfile stories
0:00:08 > 0:00:10that define our British summer.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15The team has been travelling the length and breadth of the UK... Wow!
0:00:15 > 0:00:18..discovering the seasonal stories that affect you.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20My goodness me! What's that?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23It's a bad day if these are falling out of the sky.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Whoa!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28How old is she?
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I have to admit, I was expecting to see armed guards
0:00:31 > 0:00:33considering you are growing a drug.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Hey presto! The best slug trap in the world.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This is Countryfile Summer Diaries.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And here's what we've got for you on today's programme -
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Margherita's in a top-secret location on the hunt
0:00:56 > 0:01:00for one of the world's most expensive and elusive foods...
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And how long did this tree take to give you that first harvest?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06This took six years. A six-year wait for a harvest.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08That seems quite a while.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12..and conservationist Roy Taylor will be giving us the lowdown on
0:01:12 > 0:01:16plants that are officially bad for your health and the environment.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Beautiful though it may be,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21this is one of the most dangerous plants in Great Britain and once it
0:01:21 > 0:01:25starts taking over, drastic measures need to be taken to stop it.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And find out why these tiny eggs from the latest addition to our
0:01:31 > 0:01:36smallholding can make you a pretty penny in your local restaurant.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40We've been here all week on the Gower peninsula in south Wales.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43As well as being outstandingly beautiful, it's a place that
0:01:43 > 0:01:47is also still traditionally farmed with livestock and crops.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53And summer is a particularly crucial time for arable farmers here,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55harvesting the fruits of their labour.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02But countrywide, 50,000 hectares of farmland have been devoted
0:02:02 > 0:02:06to another very British vegetable - the pea.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11On average, we eat around 77 million kilos of them every year and
0:02:11 > 0:02:16harvesting them is like a military operation, as Keeley now reports.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21This summer, two billion portions of peas will be harvested in Britain.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22That's 45,000 tonnes.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25And to put that into some kind of perspective,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28if we lined up all the little peas side-by-side,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32it would wrap around the world 24 times.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35In each handful of these perfect little pearls,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39you'll find more vitamin C than you would in two apples.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42They're jam-packed with nutrients and protein and their sweet
0:02:42 > 0:02:46flavour makes them one of Britain's favourite veggies.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48But the second that you pick and pop a pod,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52the goodness begins to fade, so farmers have to get it
0:02:52 > 0:02:56from the field to the freezer in just 150 minutes.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58It's a military operation.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Farmers line up on the starting blocks like Formula One drivers
0:03:02 > 0:03:05ready to go on the sound of the starting pistol.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08But the final go-ahead belongs to professionally-trained fieldsmen.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Men like Anthony Kitchen.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14So, for Anthony, the burning question...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Do you actually like peas?
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I absolutely love peas. Right!
0:03:18 > 0:03:21You'd need to really, wouldn't you? I eat them every day in the harvest.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I eat them every day at home and I have them in any form or shape
0:03:24 > 0:03:26you can give me them in terms of food mixes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29So, Anthony, you're in this field this morning to make a decision
0:03:29 > 0:03:32as to whether it can be harvested. What are you looking for?
0:03:32 > 0:03:34I'm looking for the very soft, tender ball,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37the really squashy, very full of juice, soft, small peas
0:03:37 > 0:03:40which is exactly what we want for our products.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42And what do you look for in the field in your hands?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I'm looking for the perfect peas. Let's have a look, then.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51So, what exactly are you looking at? Pop them open.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56I want to see these touching in the pod. The inside is quite structured.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59They're quite tough inside, but they're still full of juice.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02And you actually eat them. OK. Try them...
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Mm! What do you think? Sweet? Perfect.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07You should find them very sweet... Mm!
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Very tender and soft.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15It's an anxious wait to find out if these peas are perfect to pick.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22And we're on!
0:04:27 > 0:04:33MUSIC: Ride Of The Valkyries by Richard Wagner
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Why is there such a rush?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Once the pod is open, the level of vitamins,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40the level of sugar, starts falling fast and the optimum time
0:04:40 > 0:04:43for that deterioration is about 150 minutes.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48There's just a 150-minute window from the second the pod is picked
0:04:48 > 0:04:51until the peas are processed and frozen.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54So, the clock is ticking.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59To maximise efficiency, the picking process is completely automated.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04These mammoth-sized machines pick and split the pods, keeping hold of
0:05:04 > 0:05:08the precious pea cargo and leaving a trail of shredded waste behind.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Despite their size, these harvesters are a "peas" of cake to drive,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16controlled entirely by GPS.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It's that easy, you can drive it. Really?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Yeah, off we go. OK.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Swap over and go. Yeah. And it'll steer itself.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30So, you don't touch it? No, not at all now.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35How am I doing, then? You're doing very well. Yeah?
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Could be a pea farmer?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Yeah, I'll get out and go for a drink! Please don't!
0:05:39 > 0:05:40LAUGHTER
0:05:40 > 0:05:4520 minutes gone and we are ready to unload, but there's no time to stop.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46It all happens on the move.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51After an anxious 30-minute drive, the peas arrive at the factory
0:05:51 > 0:05:54where they are processed as quickly as possible.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We're now 125 minutes in and the peas have only just gone in
0:05:59 > 0:06:01the processing plant.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It should take 20 minutes from beginning to end
0:06:04 > 0:06:07to process the peas, so, providing there aren't any glitches,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10we should be done with a whole five minutes to spare.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I just hope there haven't been too many "esca-peas"!
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Each pea follows the same path through the plant where
0:06:18 > 0:06:20they are graded, washed and blanched.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22The final freezing process
0:06:22 > 0:06:25takes the temperature down to minus 25 degrees.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The clock is stopped with minutes to spare,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32but there's still one key question.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33How do they taste?
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Amy Dawson's in charge of quality control and that means
0:06:38 > 0:06:39it's her job to eat...
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Well, a lot of peas.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43How many do you eat a day?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46I eat 16 plates of peas three times a day,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49so I eat 16 plates of peas for breakfast in the morning.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Don't you get sick of peas? Never sick of peas.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I even eat them when I get home of an evening. Really?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I certainly do, yes. I'm surprised you're not glowing green!
0:06:57 > 0:06:59So, Amy, when you come in here to check the peas,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01what are you looking for? What makes the perfect pea?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04So, a perfect pea... We like a nice even green.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So you're looking for consistency of the colour green.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10You're looking for a pea which is lovely in flavour,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14nice and sweet, the skin mustn't be too hard or too soft. OK.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Why don't we try some? OK.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Mm! Now...
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I'm not an expert, but they do taste nice. They are perfect. Yeah?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Perfect peas. And do some peas not make the grade?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29It happens very rarely.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Once the peas are beyond 150 minutes, the klaxon goes off and the
0:07:33 > 0:07:36peas go into another pallet so they can't make it into our products.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39So, Amy, I suppose there's only one important question left and that's
0:07:39 > 0:07:42are you "ha-pea" with the peas we picked this morning?
0:07:42 > 0:07:43I'm certainly happy.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49So, this summer, spare a thought for the frantic pea farmers
0:07:49 > 0:07:52racing against the clock to make sure Britain's famous little
0:07:52 > 0:07:55veggie tastes absolutely "pea-fect".
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Now, summer isn't just good for harvesting, it's also the perfect
0:08:01 > 0:08:07time of year to see some of our most charismatic marine life.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Just three summers ago, I couldn't resist heading to the North Sea,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14off the Northumberland coast, to take it all in.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Today, I'm going in search of a creature out there whose life
0:08:18 > 0:08:20we know very little about.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Underwater cameraman Ben Burville is at the start of a five-year
0:08:27 > 0:08:31project to learn more about the life of this elusive mammal.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35What are the chances of seeing this creature?
0:08:35 > 0:08:39With nature, you never know, John. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Our high-speed rig will take us far out to sea
0:08:45 > 0:08:48to an area where they've been spotted in the past.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53So, what exactly is it that we're looking for?
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Well, what we're looking for today, John, is this -
0:08:57 > 0:08:58a white beaked dolphin.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The most abundant dolphin in the North Sea with about 8,000-10,000
0:09:02 > 0:09:05of them in there, but one that very few people know much about.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Why is that?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It's really the fact that it tends to be in deeper waters and
0:09:10 > 0:09:11tends to be offshore.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Is it important, do you think, to find out more about these dolphins?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It is important for their conservation and also to find
0:09:17 > 0:09:21out whether activities that we do can affect them in an adverse way.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We're passing close to the Farne Islands so I want to make
0:09:31 > 0:09:34a short stop to catch up on an important project there.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38For just a little while, our quest for white beaked dolphins
0:09:38 > 0:09:39is put on hold.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Ciaran, good to see you. Graham.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Welcome to the Farne Islands. Thank you very much. Nice to be back.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Lovely weather at the moment, isn't it?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I was here right at the start of a crucial puffin count.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Let's hope your egg is... Oh! Ha!
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Let's hope your egg hatches OK this year. Indeed. Good luck!
0:10:01 > 0:10:04What the count showed is that puffin numbers had collapsed.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Ornithologists were fearful for the future.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Five years on, was the picture any better for the puffins?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15In 2008, the population had declined by about
0:10:15 > 0:10:17a third from the last census.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Also, this winter, it was a very, very tough winter.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21It was a cold winter,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23a lot of onshore winds and we had a big puffin wreck.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25What do you mean by wreck there?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28So, a puffin wreck basically involves birds washing up on the coast.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31So, people were finding birds all along the north-east coast
0:10:31 > 0:10:33from northern Scotland down to Yorkshire.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35There were about 3,500 birds involved.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38That sounds a lot and it was the biggest wreck for about 60 years.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42All dead? All dead. So, what about this year's census, then?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44This year's census is good news.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46We've gone up to around 8% on top of what we had
0:10:46 > 0:10:50to around 40,000 pairs of puffins on these islands.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52The census may be over,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57but work goes on to discover more about these colourful birds.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58You're a brave man, Graham.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I've done that once and I got a very nasty bite.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02They are pretty vicious.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04I hope it's a chick. I've got a bit of a nibble.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It feels like a chick, so I'll just bring it out now.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08You've got a few hundred of these to do?
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Indeed. A few hundred.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12A few hundred bites and scratches.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15So here he is. And there we are. Little fellow here.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18How old will that chick be? Ah, he's probably around the 35 days' mark.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19He's pretty much ready to fledge.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22He's got his head pretty much clear of any down whatsoever.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Just a little few tufts left here.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26So now you're going to put a ring on him? We are indeed.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29So we'll get a ring and hopefully we'll get some good data.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And what information do you hope to get from the ringing?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35The basic thing you can learn is how long they're living for.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So, if this bird comes back in future years and we re-catch it,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40we know when it was ringed, we know the exact ring number,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44so it's got its own identity, and we know exactly how old it is.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Pop him back in again. Back in the hole and he'll be happy as Larry.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49And he'll hopefully be out in a few days
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and head out into the Atlantic Ocean.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52And when will he come back again?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Maybe in around about four years' time usually
0:11:54 > 0:11:57to get mature and start breeding for their first time.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00But, until then, he'll just be floating around.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10So, it's nice to know there's good news for the puffins here -
0:12:10 > 0:12:14photogenic, approachable little birds, whose numbers are on the up.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Later in the programme, we continue our quest to capture on camera
0:12:19 > 0:12:22the elusive white-beaked dolphin
0:12:22 > 0:12:24for the first time on British television.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30During our Spring Diaries, we met conservationist Roy Taylor
0:12:30 > 0:12:33in East Yorkshire, where he showed us the result of his campaign to
0:12:33 > 0:12:37make the countryside more accessible for people with disabilities.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I get so much pleasure from this.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I find it inconceivable that other people wouldn't enjoy it.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Now Roy's gone back to where his passion for wildlife began, to report
0:12:47 > 0:12:51on a battle that's being waged against some countryside invaders.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57This might be one of the most striking-looking flowers
0:12:57 > 0:12:58you'll see in the summer.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01But there's a sinister side hiding beneath its beauty.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03It's taken over our countryside.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10This is probably my favourite place in Britain.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12This is Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve near Cheshire.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I've been a keen birder since I was a boy.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20I first started coming to Woolston with my dad over 40 years ago,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24and it's those visits that sparked a passion which has seen my love
0:13:24 > 0:13:27of birds and wildlife turn into a career in the RSPB.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31One of the great conservation success stories
0:13:31 > 0:13:35of this remarkable wetland is the black-necked grebe.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38It's got the most piercing of red eyes, and at this time of year
0:13:38 > 0:13:40the male will be diving around,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42popping up with lots of insect larvae.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44And it's an incredibly rare bird -
0:13:44 > 0:13:46less than 50 pairs in the United Kingdom,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50of which a quarter of them breed on this wetland here.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Now, birds have been the central plank of my life
0:13:54 > 0:13:57for as long as I can remember. Look at the view,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59listen to the sounds of that black-headed gull colony.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04When you immerse yourself in wildlife and in all these birds,
0:14:04 > 0:14:05it's uplifting.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07So this site is incredibly important to me,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11but it's incredibly important to a lot of other people as well.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18But all of this is under threat by an invasion of non-native plants,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21which threaten to wipe out some of our native species.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Brian's a member of the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30He's taking me to see an infestation of a plant that can grow
0:14:30 > 0:14:33up to six metres in height and it spreads like wildfire.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Wow, Brian. That's a lot of giant hogweed.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42It's like a forest of triffids. How much of the reserve is it covering?
0:14:42 > 0:14:46It is, Roy. It covers acres and acres of the reserve.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50And it's an increasingly invasive species.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Each plant has got about 1,000 seeds
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and there's thousands and thousands of plants.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The Victorians imported giant hogweed as a garden ornamental,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02but the dainty white flowers give a false impression.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05This plant is poisonous to touch.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09If you touch it with your bare skin, you break out in blisters,
0:15:09 > 0:15:10which can be very serious,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and people have been taken to hospital because of it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16So, from a conservation perspective, Brian, what's the problem?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Well, the problem is that it grows so tall and so dense
0:15:19 > 0:15:23that all the undergrowth is shaded out completely.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So it's virtually a monoculture of giant hogweed.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28All the native species get removed
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and it's just a dead area, basically.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33How would you normally treat this plant, then?
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We can bulldoze the whole area, trash it and then flood it.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39So when we come back here next year,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41this is going to be a wetland full of black-necked grebes?
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Indeed, that's exactly what we are hoping to achieve.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48We're hoping to create a really worthwhile nature reserve.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52But this is not the only invasive species here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55The reserve has another invader advancing into its wetlands.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01This is the Himalayan balsam. And this individual's only a tiddler.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03They grow much bigger than this.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Now, this plant comes from the Himalayas.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It was introduced to Great Britain in the 1830s.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And the idea was that the ordinary people
0:16:12 > 0:16:14could afford to buy a packet of seeds,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19and growing these plans would rival the rare orchids owned by the rich.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Fantastic for bees. Incredibly great pollen for bees.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24But that's not the problem.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28The problem is this plant grows so rapidly, it's so dense,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30it literally shades out our native flora.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Warden John Langley is trying to tackle the problem.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Hi, John. Hi, Roy. So, how bad's the problem here?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Well, it's pretty bad.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46We've got this Himalayan balsam all round the wetland site here.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48It's a really simple plant to pull up.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51It's got a small root system on it. Can I give you a hand? Yeah, sure.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Fantastic. I've got some gloves here. Let's get stuck in, then.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59What do you do when you've pulled it, John?
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Normally when we pull it, we snap it. Snap it at the base?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Snap it at the base and then put it in the pile.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08We've cleared a fair amount of the stuff.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Mainly, we're concentrating around the reed bed area, where it has
0:17:11 > 0:17:15the biggest detrimental effect on the breeding black-necked grebes
0:17:15 > 0:17:16that we have on the site. OK.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18At the moment, we're pretty much just holding the line and just
0:17:18 > 0:17:22stopping that advancement into the reed bed, and then hopefully
0:17:22 > 0:17:24this time next year there'll be a lot less.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31The battle against Himalayan balsam isn't unique to Woolston Eyes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34This plant is right across the country.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Now, it might be foolish to think we can eradicate it entirely,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42but what we can do is get rid of it from our most special places,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44from our nature reserves.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And it's the hard work and sweat which will achieve that.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48You can see that going on behind me now.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52So my plea to you is become a conservation volunteer.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Go down to your local nature reserve and, bit by bit,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57let's get rid of this balsam.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Now, yesterday, we saw Paul collect a dozen quail
0:18:09 > 0:18:12to raise on his Wiltshire smallholding.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And today, he's going to show us how to make them earn their keep.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Earlier this summer, I took on a healthy covey of quail.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Oh, he's laid an egg! He's laid an egg!
0:18:28 > 0:18:30That's our first quail egg, Dylan.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35The tiny but tasty eggs from these birds are incredibly sought-after,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38so I'm going to show you how you can make them pay their way.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Now, since they've arrived, we've had to move the quails
0:18:42 > 0:18:46into the field with the sheep and rig up an electric fence
0:18:46 > 0:18:50because we've spotted a fox in the garden on two occasions.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51It's a little bit too enclosed.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Do you know, they've been absolutely no problem since they've arrived.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58It's basically just like looking after chickens.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Make sure they're shut in the night box every single night,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03they've got plenty of food and water,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and let them out in the morning.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And take a look at this!
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Quails' eggs are the smallest commercially produced poultry eggs.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Now, they're a quarter of the size of a chicken egg,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18yet nutritionally they're four times greater.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20There's only one today.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Gram for gram, quail eggs have three times more B vitamins
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and five times more protein and potassium.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32But they're not the easiest things to cook - or crack!
0:19:36 > 0:19:38How do you do it? Do you know?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42It's a mess, isn't it?
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Let's try that again.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Oh! I can't do it, I don't know how to do it.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Their daintiness makes cooking with these eggs tricky.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And that's another reason why trendy restaurants love them.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Well, naturally I'm keen to find out what the experts make of my eggs.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Hopefully there's a market for them.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Top chef Peter Vaughan runs The Bistro down the road,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10and also owns a local cookery school -
0:20:10 > 0:20:12the perfect place for me to learn
0:20:12 > 0:20:14how to cook with these delicate eggs.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Hi, Peter. Hello, Paul. Good to see you.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22You're the man I need to speak to. Are these your quails' eggs?
0:20:22 > 0:20:26They are. I've ruined five, trying to learn how to crack them open.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They're very delicate, aren't they, quails? But they're fresh. Yeah.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I think we should do some lessons on cooking classic quails' eggs.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35So why don't you get an apron, wash your hands,
0:20:35 > 0:20:36I'll put a frying pan on.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40First off, how to improve my egg cracking skills.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43With the knife, it's just a little click
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and then rub the knife through.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48It's like a saw mark? Just like a saw mark.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50And drop it down. Isn't that beautiful?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Have a go yourself. A little tap. That's it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55And then just crack the egg in gently
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and close to the pan.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Look at that. Wow! How easy was that?!
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Next, hard-boiled eggs.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07You want to take something like a little sieve like that,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09and then for two minutes you'll get a nice soft-boiled egg,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and if you want it hard-boiled, no more than four minutes.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13Three to four minutes.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Can I have a go? Absolutely. Off you go.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Yeah, nice and gently. Perfect. They're absolutely delicious.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20The interesting thing is
0:21:20 > 0:21:22in other countries, like Asia and the Caribbean,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24they eat these, like, every day.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Because the birds are more frequently out there.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Absolutely. But they're very tasty.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29They're much more tasty than a hen's egg,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32even a good-quality hen's egg, and the yolks are much bigger.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34So they are nutritional beauties.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38I've always thought they were the height, you know, of luxury, really.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Up there with caviar!
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Traditionally served with caviar in Russia and a bit of sour cream.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Yeah, it can be an expensive meal. Doesn't have to be.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Well, we're nearly there, aren't we? Yeah, we're just about there.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52If we just take those out
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and into water, about 30 seconds.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58So that's a good tip, out of the boiling water, into cold water.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Straightaway. It goes for all eggs.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Is there anything else you can teach me, any recipes?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Oh, there's infinite ways you can serve quails' eggs.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I shall teach you many different ways. Please, yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12One of Peter's favourite quail recipes
0:22:12 > 0:22:14is a classic Filipino street dish.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19They basically have crispy quails eggs and they call it kwek-kwek.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I'll go for one of those.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22I'll go quackers for that.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25That's just plain seasoned flour, OK? Yeah.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27You can do this gluten-free as well. Yeah.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And then drop that into some egg wash.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32That's just some beaten eggs, OK?
0:22:32 > 0:22:35A little tip is keep one hand wet
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and one-hand dry, OK?
0:22:37 > 0:22:39So my dry hand into some breadcrumbs.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42So I'm going to start frying those.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44If you want to have a go at paneing, OK?
0:22:44 > 0:22:48And then they literally just cook in about sort of 30 seconds.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50That's a really quick fry.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Just to get outside nice and crispy.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53You'd serve it with a dip.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I've done you a little tomato dip.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56It could be anything you like.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57This is very good.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06That is delicious. Do you like them? That is delicious.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07So simple, aren't they?
0:23:07 > 0:23:12So, how much will I get for a dozen quail eggs on a regular basis?
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Yeah, about between ?2-?3... OK.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19..is a good price for really good quality. Absolutely.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24And there really aren't many producers doing what I would call
0:23:24 > 0:23:26artisan quail's eggs so we are really interested.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Can we supply you regularly? Oh!
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It's a deal. How much? ?3.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Brilliant. Done. Yes!
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Considering there's no middleman,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39that's not a bad price for your quail eggs
0:23:39 > 0:23:40especially when you think
0:23:40 > 0:23:45that the average poultry farmer gets just six pence per chicken egg.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I'll be getting 25p each for these quail eggs.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Now that I've got my first repeat customer, I'll need to expand
0:23:54 > 0:23:59our quail empire and, for that, I'll have to rear my own chicks.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03And here's the last one.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05There we go. Look at that.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10It's incredible to think that after 17 days in an incubator,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15a fertilised egg will hatch into one of these tiny, little things.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I'll send her to sleep cos my hands are so warm.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21And they just need a brood box. That's all they need.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24We got an old hamster cage which will do.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26We've cleaned it out, put some sawdust in it
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and you're the last one to go in. There you go, girl.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30Look at that.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Absolutely incredible.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Also we've got a heat lamp just to keep them warm
0:24:35 > 0:24:37but they won't stay chicks for long.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41After six weeks, they'll be egg-laying adults themselves
0:24:41 > 0:24:43and now I know how to cook the eggs.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56I'm off the coast of Northumberland with Ben Burville.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Ben's a GP by day
0:24:57 > 0:25:00but away from the surgery, he's an underwater cameraman.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09We're in search of one of the North Sea's best kept secrets -
0:25:09 > 0:25:11white-beaked dolphins.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16We head further out into the North Sea to continue our search.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Why have we stopped, Ben? Because nobody's seen a dolphin or anything.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25No, no, we just stopped because there's quite
0:25:25 > 0:25:27a few puffins over there in the water.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Is that a sign that maybe there are dolphins around?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It's a sign there may be food in the water. Big sand eels or...
0:25:32 > 0:25:36And there could be dolphins. And there could be dolphins there as well, yeah.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40To use an old landlubber saying,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Now we're rendezvousing with Newcastle University's
0:25:45 > 0:25:48marine research ship, the Princess Royal.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Today, Ben is working alongside Simon Laing,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55whose team is hoping to find out what effect the construction of
0:25:55 > 0:25:57wind farms at sea has on dolphins.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Simon is using sound, not pictures.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04What have we got here, then, Simon? This is a towed hydrophone.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08So it's a special type of microphone that listens... Microphone? Yeah.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I've seen lots of microphones in my time
0:26:10 > 0:26:12but never one that looked like this.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Yeah, this is a special microphone that listens for sounds underwater.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19But the really clever part is in here.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Now the microphone's in the water, we can come over to the computer
0:26:23 > 0:26:26and, as soon as we press record, what we'll start to see is some of
0:26:26 > 0:26:29the sounds that we're hearing right now popping up on the screen.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31That's background noise that you're seeing on-screen.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35What sort of symbol would you see if it was a white-beaked dolphin?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Well, we would hopefully see a red triangle popping up on screen
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and that would mean we're recording something in real time
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and it would be about 200 metres behind the vessel.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Can you actually hear the sound of the dolphins?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Well, dolphins make two types of sounds.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49They make whistles and they make clicks.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51We can hear the whistles but we can't hear the clicks.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54In fact, I've got a recording here of some white-beaked dolphin
0:26:54 > 0:26:56whistles if you'd like to have a listen.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00DOLPHIN WHISTLING
0:27:00 > 0:27:02That really as a whistle, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05One of the things we're trying to determine with this project,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08do the dolphins in the north-east of England
0:27:08 > 0:27:10have a different whistle to those in Scotland?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Cos that would indicate those
0:27:12 > 0:27:14two populations are very separate if that is the case.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16What's the research telling you? That they might?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18The research at the moment is
0:27:18 > 0:27:20telling us they may well have different whistles, yeah.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23So you could well have, in this bit of the North Sea, Geordie dolphins,
0:27:23 > 0:27:24with a Geordie accent.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Potentially, yes, you could have Geordie dolphins in the north-east.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Whatever the accent, there's not a whistle right now from
0:27:31 > 0:27:35the white-beaked dolphins so we're obviously in the wrong place.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37I'm going to try my luck again with Ben.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42There you go. Oh, done it. Whoops.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Ben reckons our best chance of seeing the dolphins
0:27:47 > 0:27:50lies 18 miles out in the Farne Deeps,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54where the sea floor will be around 100 metres below us.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57That's equivalent to the height of St Paul's Cathedral.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13We've arrived at our destination.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16All we can do now is keep our eyes peeled and hope.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Oh, there we are. Look, straight there.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Yeah. 15 metres from us.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37OK, here at the front of the boat. Over the front of the boat.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41I see them there. Can you see it? There you are. Wow.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44So this is a white-beaked dolphin and it's choosing to bow ride.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49One, two, three, four, five,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52six, seven, eight, nine. Wow.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Goodness me.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00A beautiful sight, John. Isn't it an amazing sight?
0:29:00 > 0:29:04And I can see their white beaks so clearly now.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10What's incredible to me is that these wild creatures want to
0:29:10 > 0:29:13come so close to our boat and just play around.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Now, it's illegal to disturb dolphins so Ben's been granted
0:29:16 > 0:29:19a special licence to dive close to them.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23This is a massive pod, isn't it? This is a big pod.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26It's an aggregation here. Several pods, you think? Without a doubt.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29All gathered together. Mixing, yeah. See what you find.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00John, I am surrounded by dolphins.
0:30:00 > 0:30:01What an experience.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05When they're under the water, John,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09they're using their echolocation and they're using clicks and whistles
0:30:09 > 0:30:12and the whistles really are to communicate with each other.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20The maximum we can hear is about 20 kilohertz and...
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Here we go. I'm just going to have a quick look at that one. OK.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Quite amazing to see, isn't it? What did you get, then?
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Without doubt, some identification of males and females.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50What do you notice about their behaviour?
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Their behaviour is that they're inquisitive.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57There are amazing wildlife just off our shores here, you know?
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And these dolphins... That we know so little about. So little about.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02The information you gather underwater could be vital
0:31:02 > 0:31:04for the future protection of these creatures.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08It certainly could for the future protection of these creatures. Yes, John, you're right.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Well, it's been a real privilege spending some time here in
0:31:16 > 0:31:19one of the deepest parts of the North Sea with these
0:31:19 > 0:31:23wonderful creatures and now, thanks to the underwater footage
0:31:23 > 0:31:27that Ben's being collecting, we should know a little bit more
0:31:27 > 0:31:29about their, up till now, secret lives.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Well, now let's go from underwater to underground.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Margherita's been given special access to
0:31:41 > 0:31:44a top-secret location in Leicestershire,
0:31:44 > 0:31:46where she goes in search of a food
0:31:46 > 0:31:48that's as elusive as it is expensive.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55And it's been kept under a veil of secrecy for seven years
0:31:55 > 0:31:59because this is the first farm in Britain to grow the delicacy
0:31:59 > 0:32:04black truffle commercially and it's said to be worth its weight in gold.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Bringing the truffle back to the British countryside is
0:32:11 > 0:32:15something Paul Thomas is particularly passionate about.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17It's been an uphill battle for Paul.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21We're looking for an investment of ?75,000.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Mycorrhizal Systems is a company based around the production
0:32:24 > 0:32:26of black truffles.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29But he managed to secure some pretty impressive backing...
0:32:29 > 0:32:31If you're happy, it's a deal.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Yeah. Done.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38..to fund his dream of cultivating the truffle under home soil.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Paul, great to see you. Hi there. Nice to see you.
0:32:40 > 0:32:4412 years later, I've come to see how he's getting on.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Truffles used to grow over quite large swathes of England, really.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50We used to have markets in the south-west.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51Mrs Beeton wrote about them.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53When we lost a lot of our natural woodland,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55we lost a lot of our wild truffles
0:32:55 > 0:32:58so, at the moment, there's not that much produced in the wild so we're
0:32:58 > 0:33:00cultivating them to try and bring that industry back. And of course,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03there's a financial incentive cos they're worth quite a bit of money.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07But it's not a harvest for the faint-hearted.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Unlike more common crops that produce each year,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Paul has to wait longer, much longer,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15before his fungus comes to fruition.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19So, is this it? Is this the tree that gave you the first truffle?
0:33:19 > 0:33:20Yeah, this is the tree which produced
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Britain's first cultivated truffle.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25I was digging around the base of the tree, just looking for roots
0:33:25 > 0:33:28to sample, and then unexpectedly just hit this truffle.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29Incredibly exciting day.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32And how long did this tree take to give you that first harvest?
0:33:32 > 0:33:34This took six years.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37A six-year wait for a harvest, that seems quite a while. Yeah, but it...
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I mean, once they're producing, they produce every year,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41so it's worth it. But it is...
0:33:41 > 0:33:43You've got to wait for the tree to mature,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45for the fungus to mature, so it takes a good few years.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49And how do you get trees to give you truffles?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Well, we start from a seed, and all these trees you see around you,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54actually, are seeds that I've planted myself,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57so we'd start from a seed, we clean them up,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59we grow them in a very clean, sterile environment in the lab,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01we culture up the truffle fungus,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03and then we introduce them to each other.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06And we get the fungus to bind with the root system of the tree.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08And it covers the root system like a glove covering a hand,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11and then we take that young plant, we plant it into the ground
0:34:11 > 0:34:14in carefully controlled soil conditions, and then they grow up,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and six years later, produce wonderful truffles.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Sought after by some of the world's best chefs,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25they're prized for their earthy taste and distinctive aroma.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28And demand is on the rise,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32even though they cost over ?400 per kilo.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Although traditionally harvested in the autumn months,
0:34:36 > 0:34:37because of the milder climate,
0:34:37 > 0:34:41English-grown summer truffles can be unearthed as early as June
0:34:41 > 0:34:44without compromising their flavour or fragrance.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53But finding truffles has always proved a little tricky.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Traditionally, pigs were used, as they're attracted to a chemical
0:34:57 > 0:35:01released by the underground mushroom.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03But they had a horrible habit of eating them.
0:35:05 > 0:35:06For that reason, dogs are now
0:35:06 > 0:35:09the truffle hunters' companion of choice.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12This is Freddy.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Truffle hunting is new to him, and although he's been in training
0:35:16 > 0:35:20for some time, today, the pressure is really on.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Let's hope Freddy can come up trumps with the truffles!
0:35:25 > 0:35:26FREDDY SNIFFS
0:35:26 > 0:35:30So, we've been out for a few minutes now. Freddy's off doing his thing.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32What's he actually sniffing out?
0:35:32 > 0:35:36Yeah, so Freddy's looking for, obviously, the truffle scent.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39(Where's the truffles?) FREDDY SNIFFS
0:35:39 > 0:35:40Freddy's got quite a difficult job,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43because it's such a windy day that that scent column...
0:35:43 > 0:35:45If you imagine, if you lit a candle and you blew it out,
0:35:45 > 0:35:46that little plume of smoke,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48if you imagine that going off with the wind,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50that's kind of what's happening to the scent,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53so it's really hard for Freddy to locate that, follow it,
0:35:53 > 0:35:54and pinpoint where the truffle is.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56And how will we know when he's found something?
0:35:56 > 0:35:59He'll hopefully put his paw by it, and he will lie down,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01so that's what we're waiting for.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05He looks quite in the zone.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07You know, he's concentrating, so that's good.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10He's got his nose to the ground, and he's moving across,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12looking for those scent columns.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16He may have his nose to the ground, but right now...
0:36:16 > 0:36:19BACKGROUND MUSIC SLOWS DOWN
0:36:19 > 0:36:22I'm not so sure Freddy's head's in the game.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Philip, how's Freddy done?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I think he's had a great time, and certainly,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31he was picking up some interesting smells.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35I've no doubt that there's truffle activity going on.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38You find them at the most unexpected times,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42and when you're sure you're going to find one, you don't.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44I guess that's why they're such a valuable harvest.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Quite mysterious, I guess.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52Freddy might not have struck gold, but it looks like Paul may have
0:36:52 > 0:36:55in his effort to bring the black truffle
0:36:55 > 0:36:56back to Britain's forests.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01It's amazing to think that this tiny little lump
0:37:01 > 0:37:04goes for such high prices, but now,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06having discovered what goes into nurturing,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09cultivating and finding it,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12I can truly appreciate why the truffle is known as
0:37:12 > 0:37:14the black diamond of the kitchen.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17BEES BUZZ
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Nothing is more important to bees than pollen,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25so how do they let the rest of the hive know
0:37:25 > 0:37:27when they've found a really good supply?
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Well, they do a waggle dance, of course!
0:37:31 > 0:37:35And Ellie has been to a research project that's trying to decode it.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It may be a risky job, but it's a crucial one,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45not just for the survival of the bees, but for humans too.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Bees are our most important pollinating insects.
0:37:48 > 0:37:5375% of the world's staple crops rely on pollination by bees.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54So research projects to understand
0:37:54 > 0:37:57more about their foraging habits are essential.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00The pollinating work they do is estimated to contribute
0:38:00 > 0:38:02?26 billion worldwide.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06That's why there's been so much concern
0:38:06 > 0:38:10about the recent decline in global bee populations.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12If we're going to reverse this trend,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16first we need to understand more about exactly where bees feed.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20The best way to do this is to get the bees themselves to tell us.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25And to do this, Professor Ratnieks has devised a way of
0:38:25 > 0:38:28eavesdropping on the way bees communicate with each other
0:38:28 > 0:38:29in the hive.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32What we're seeing is live action in a beehive.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35What we're particularly interested in is the waggle dance,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38or the dancing behaviour, and we've got some of that going on too,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41because it's a lovely day today, and the bees are foraging.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44The waggle dance is the bees' unique way of communicating
0:38:44 > 0:38:47to each other where they can find the best source of pollen and nectar
0:38:47 > 0:38:49that they need to make honey.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The amount of time that she spends waggling her body
0:38:52 > 0:38:55gives the distance, and the angle of her body
0:38:55 > 0:38:58while she does that gives the direction,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00so that bee is pointing with her head
0:39:00 > 0:39:03more or less down in this direction here.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04Yes, OK, I can see that.
0:39:04 > 0:39:09And that means that the food are this angle from the sun.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12So it's really in the opposite direction to the sun.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16The worker bees understand this language of the dance innately,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18but for us to interpret its secrets,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20hours of footage have to be carefully decoded.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22That takes time,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25but you can get a rule of thumb idea from the live dances.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27What can you tell me about this bee?
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Where is it pointing its head when it makes its waggle run?
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Oh, it's pretty much straight up. Straight up.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34In the direction of the sun, is it?
0:39:34 > 0:39:36A little bit to the left of vertical.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38A little bit to the left. So, sort of ten degrees, say?
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And roughly how many seconds is it waggling its body for
0:39:41 > 0:39:44before it breaks off? About two?
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Yeah, maybe one or two seconds, so that's just done very roughly,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50but we can already tell that the bee is telling the other bees
0:39:50 > 0:39:51in the direction of the sun,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53actually a bit to the left of the sun,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56cos the bee is dancing a bit left of vertical,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58and roughly 1 or 1.5km.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00And this is something you can actually plot on a map over here?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03We can plot it on a map, and we can go and look for it as well,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07if we want. So if we go to the map, let's just see over here.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11This is the university, marked with an X.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Now, if you put the protractor on there and get it lined up
0:40:14 > 0:40:19so that the zero is pointing north, we know that at this time of day,
0:40:19 > 0:40:23the sun is at a position of 166 degrees. OK.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26And the bee was dancing a little bit to the left of vertical,
0:40:26 > 0:40:30which means that we have to go a little bit left of the sun,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33so this is the angle - roughly 146 degrees.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35That is to the south-east.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37What about distance? And distance...
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Well, the distance was of approximately 1km,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44and that's roughly here.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48So what we need to be doing is taking this... very conveniently,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50the bee is foraging in the direction that a road is leading.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53We can take this road down, we can jump out of the car here,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56we can walk along this footpath here,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59and we can explore around and see what the bee might be foraging on.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01So we can actually go to where the bee has been
0:41:01 > 0:41:03pointing towards right now? That's fantastic.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07So, taking a look at the map, we've got down here,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09which is pretty much where we are now. Yes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13So, more accurately, where are we looking at for the bees?
0:41:13 > 0:41:17Well, we marked a point here just by this place marked Loose Bottom,
0:41:17 > 0:41:18and there it is over there,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21and you can see a mass of white flowers and yellow flowers.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Half of that field seems to be full of flowers,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26so I think we should check it out.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31The bees have led us to what seems to be an ideal spot to find pollen.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35So this is a field that a farmer grazes his animals in, and yet,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38it's also a field which is good for nature, and, you know,
0:41:38 > 0:41:39lots of flowers, lots of insects.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43So this is a good example of where farming and wildlife
0:41:43 > 0:41:45are kind of coexisting quite happily.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Hugh Passmore is already putting that theory into practice.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53He sows his pasture with a mixture of wild flowers,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55specifically to attract the bees.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59So, Hugh, have you always farmed with half an eye on bees?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Yes, the family have always sort of farmed in a very traditional way.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06We're a mixed farm. As you can see here, we've got grass crop,
0:42:06 > 0:42:10we have clover and trefoil flowering in it. Oh, yeah.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Which is obviously very good for bees.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15So, yeah, the bees are very important to us.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18But in a way, we're also very important to them, you know,
0:42:18 > 0:42:20for the pollen, nectar for them.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22And does it increase your yields by making sure
0:42:22 > 0:42:24you have bees on the land? Yeah, definitely.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28They're pollinating the plants, so you're getting much better yields.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30The Government are now providing incentives to encourage
0:42:30 > 0:42:33other farmers to plant pollen and nectar mixes in their fields
0:42:33 > 0:42:36as well as wild flowers at the edges,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39and it's at one of these pollen-rich margins on Hugh's farm
0:42:39 > 0:42:43that beekeeper Ray Chandler looks after his hives.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Hi, Ray. How's it all going? Oh, hi. Oh, very well.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49The bees are doing extremely well this year.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51I mean, it's an ideal position, of course, and they're doing...
0:42:51 > 0:42:53They're responding to it. Excellent.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Why is this such a good place for your hives?
0:42:55 > 0:42:59This farm has such a variety of forage for the bees,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02but not all agricultural land is good.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05That which is more intensively farmed than this
0:43:05 > 0:43:10produce gluts of nectar when the crop is in bloom,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13and then go for ages without any.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Here, because of that rich mix of natural,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20wild and cultivated crops, there's a lot of different nectars
0:43:20 > 0:43:23and pollen is available over a much extended period.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27With both Professor Ratnieks' work and the government incentives,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30steps are being made to ensure the decline in our bee population
0:43:30 > 0:43:33is reversed, while simultaneously creating
0:43:33 > 0:43:36a more diverse natural habitat for all kinds of other animals.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Well, that's just about it, I'm afraid.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45It's time to close our Countryfile Summer Diaries,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47from the Gower Peninsula.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52It's been a spectacular place to explore the wonders of the season.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54So, enjoy the rest of the summer,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56and we hope that you'll be able to join us again
0:43:56 > 0:43:59when we open our Autumn Diaries. Bye for now.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33Join me, Patrick Kielty,
0:44:33 > 0:44:37in a brand-new BBC Two quiz show, Debatable,
0:44:37 > 0:44:41where a team of celebrities put their debating skills to the test