0:00:25 > 0:00:30The glorious coastline of Southport on Merseyside has it all...
0:00:30 > 0:00:35Golden beaches, rolling sand dunes and fertile farmland.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37For generations, people round here
0:00:37 > 0:00:40have harvested nature's bounty on the land
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and as I'll experience, at sea.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I'm going to be using Puzzle here to take an old cart
0:00:46 > 0:00:50out of a museum and into the surf for one last time and it's
0:00:50 > 0:00:53all in search of the culinary delicacy, Southport shrimps.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Are you looking forward to this?
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's going to be great! "Yes", he says!
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Ellie's just across the border,
0:01:02 > 0:01:03in Lancashire.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06This is potato country
0:01:06 > 0:01:10and I'll be helping to get the ground ready for this year's crop,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13but these aren't heading for our plates,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17they're destined to become crisps with a unique local flavouring.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Tom is doing a spot of birdwatching.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36In the last 50 years, farmland birds from the skylark to the
0:01:36 > 0:01:38turtledove have been disappearing.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43So, why are they dying out and what can we do to bring them back?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I'll be investigating.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51And spring is definitely in the air for Adam.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54We help manage our neighbours lovely heard of Hereford cattle here
0:01:54 > 0:01:56and after a long winter of being in the sheds,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58today is a great day
0:01:58 > 0:02:01cos they're going to go out onto the spring grass.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13The coastline of Southport,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15in England's unspoiled north-west,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18where stunning beaches stretch for miles.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Fringed to the north by the Ribble Estuary
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and south by the Mersey, and the city of Liverpool.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Here, the westerly wind whips across the Irish Sea,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36building mighty sand dunes grain by grain.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Well, today I'm not exploring the vast dune system.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45I'm hoping to find a local delicacy that is hiding in the sand -
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Southport shrimp. I'm taking a tractor to go fishing.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51- This is Christian. Good to see you! - Hello, Matt - how are you?
0:02:51 > 0:02:54- Really well. I'm quite excited about this!- Are you, really?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Give us an idea, why is this area so good for the shrimps?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Well, as you can see, we've got loads of golden sand that
0:03:02 > 0:03:04runs from the Pinfold Channel up near the River Ribble
0:03:04 > 0:03:08all the way down to Formby and up to the River Mersey and the shrimps
0:03:08 > 0:03:11wash out of the rivers and they finish up here,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- along Southport beach.- Right.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19To catch a shrimp, Christian has adapted an old
0:03:19 > 0:03:24Leyland 272 tractor into the ultimate shrimping machine.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Up we go.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30We're just going to...
0:03:30 > 0:03:33empty the contents into there...
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Oh, yes, a few in there! - Nice little... We call them slips.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38That's a little Dover sole.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40My wife is from Thailand,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43she deep-fries those and they taste absolutely delicious.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46That's my wife sorted for the morning.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48These are the bad boys, what we're trying to catch.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Beautiful Southport brown shrimps.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- What we'll do now is sieve out the Dover sole and crabs...- Yes.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And we'll see how many shrimps we finish up with.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Hopefully we'll get enough for a sandwich!
0:03:59 > 0:04:01This is called a taut riddle -
0:04:01 > 0:04:05we still do things the prehistoric way here. This is the old way.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Everything is done by hand.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09If you just want to tip half the contents into there...
0:04:12 > 0:04:13That's enough.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16That's weird stuff, that, isn't it?
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- Those are whelk eggs.- Are they?- Yes.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22So we just gently shake side to side...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The little shrimps will drop through the bottom into the basket.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31We've got a few - they're the ones were after - really nice big shrimps.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Some big ones there, as well.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I think we've just about got them now, Matt, so...
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- One more little wiggle. - One more little wiggle.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- A couple of big ones there...- Is there?- Look at that one!
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Wahey!
0:04:48 > 0:04:52You're a good fisherman, you've got better eyesight than me!
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Sling them over the side, Matt.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Champion.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Is this the good bit of the day for you?- This is the best bit, yes.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00The fun starts when we get home,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02cos they've all got to be hand-peeled.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05That's not a bad little harvest for ten minutes or so.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Like I say, we've got enough for a butty, that'll do us, won't it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:09That's good.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Shrimping still remains something of a cottage industry.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Christian and his wife hand-shell and cook the shrimps
0:05:18 > 0:05:22in the same way that would have been done here decades ago.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Little has changed, but in shrimping's glory days,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27horse-drawn carts would be used
0:05:27 > 0:05:29instead of tractors to pull the nets.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Gerald Rimmer was one of the last on this coast to use
0:05:32 > 0:05:35a horse-drawn cart, more than 40 years ago.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36In your opinion,
0:05:36 > 0:05:41how do these relatively modern jobs compared to the old horsepower?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- Well, I made more money with a horse. - Right...- Didn't break down.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Right!
0:05:46 > 0:05:47The horse what I had
0:05:47 > 0:05:50was nearly 18 hands tall, you're talking up here,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and it would wade that deep.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56You could go where you couldn't go with a tractor.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58How dangerous is it out there?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Well, I've had the horse winched out on one occasion,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03by one of the amphibious ducks.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06If I got in difficulties, I was in deep water,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08I would jump on the horse's back,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11cut the hames and I'd come out on his back.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15A bit hair-raising, but I was only a young fellow then.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17How many times would that happen?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Oh, I've only done it about twice.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And so how old were you when you started?
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- I started when I got demobbed at 21. - Right.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I'm now 85, now.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- I just do it a bit as a hobby now. - Why can you not let this go?
0:06:33 > 0:06:34My father did it,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36my grandfather and great-grandfather.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38And I do like a bit of pocket money!
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Over the last few years,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49there's been a worrying decline in the number of birds out
0:06:49 > 0:06:52here on the coast, but it's not just places like this.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Further inland, some of our favourite farmland birds have
0:06:55 > 0:06:58been suffering, too, as Tom has been finding out.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The British Isles are home to a rich variety of wildlife
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and one of their most important habitats is the farm.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17This year, the people who tend our agricultural land have been
0:07:17 > 0:07:20asked to find out exactly what's there.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22In the first week of February,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27the Big Farmland Bird Count asked farmers across the country
0:07:27 > 0:07:30simply to record the number of birds on their land.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Andrew Pitt counted the birds on his arable farm in Northamptonshire.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Hi, Andrew.- Hi, Tom. Welcome to the Grange.- Thank you.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- I gather this is called broadcasting?- It is indeed.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- Teach me a thing or two about how to do it.- Grab a handful,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49just swing your hand forward and flick with your wrist as you go.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51What kind of things have you been seeing out here this morning?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Linnets, yellow hammers, skylark singing in the background,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57we've got finches of various sorts -
0:07:57 > 0:08:00greenfinches, chaffinches, goldfinches...
0:08:00 > 0:08:04So tell me about this Farmland Bird Count you got involved in.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I picked a morning when it actually wasn't raining for a change
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and just walked down the track and put the seed on the ground
0:08:09 > 0:08:14much as we're doing now and then stopped to look what was there.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16In the course of the half an hour it took,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- I counted about 1,300 different birds.- 1,300?
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- Yes, we've been feeding through the winter...- Why did you get involved?
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Because it's really important that we show to the public how much good
0:08:27 > 0:08:29farmers are doing to the environment,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32how we're trying to improve it and raise the bird numbers again.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35We've been told for years that farmers are rubbish at looking after
0:08:35 > 0:08:39land, it's time to stand up and say actually, we're doing a lot for it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'The Big Farmland Bird Count
0:08:41 > 0:08:45'was organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust,
0:08:45 > 0:08:46'partly to draw attention
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'to the good work done by farmers like Andrew.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53'Dr Alastair Leake is the trust's director of policy.'
0:08:53 > 0:08:55So what is this?
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Well, this is one of our farm birdfeeders.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03This, obviously - as you can see - is an exceptional one, because
0:09:03 > 0:09:05this is the Guinness Book Of Records'
0:09:05 > 0:09:06biggest bird feeder in the world!
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Are you expecting pterodactyls to perch on here or something?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12'Here on the trust's farm in Leicestershire, I'm getting
0:09:12 > 0:09:16'an exclusive insight into the survey results.'
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Tell me - you decided to organise this big bird count, why February?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Seems a bit of a hostile month.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25That's part of the reason for doing it, actually.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29We can find birds feeding on areas of good habitat where there is
0:09:29 > 0:09:31seed and secondly, it's a time of year
0:09:31 > 0:09:33when farmers are not particularly busy on the land
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and so have got time to go out and do something like this.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- And what results did you get? - Well, they've been staggering.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44We had 160 different species spotted and some of the species,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46particularly song thrushes and starlings,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51are known to be on the red list and suffering serious decline.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53There are a lot of farmers out there who are very
0:09:53 > 0:09:56passionate about their farmland birds, want to know what they've got
0:09:56 > 0:10:01there and indeed want to know what more they can do to encourage them.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03But while the number of birds spotted is certainly
0:10:03 > 0:10:08encouraging, after just a single year, this count can't tell us
0:10:08 > 0:10:12whether we're seeing more or fewer farmland birds.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The long-running surveys that DO make unhappy reading.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20The British Trust for Ornithology has been documenting bird numbers
0:10:20 > 0:10:22since 1962.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26What's happened to farmland bird numbers in the last 50 years?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29A large, long-term decline started in the 1970s,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31continued through the '80s and '90s.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36These days, average numbers are much more in the... Much more stable.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38But some species are still going down,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and generally the pattern across the whole community is still that
0:10:41 > 0:10:44they're going down and certainly they haven't recovered.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- Has it been the same across all species?- Not at all.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51There are species like wood pigeons have done very well over time,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54probably because they like the sorts of management you get
0:10:54 > 0:10:58in intensive farming, such as lots of wheat in the winter.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00What's been hardest hit?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The species that have done worst are the ones that depend on crop
0:11:04 > 0:11:06habitats, on the actual centres of the fields
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and the places where the crops are grown.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10In particular,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14it's things like skylarks which would have declined 60, 70, 80%
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and things like corn buntings, tree sparrows
0:11:16 > 0:11:19have declined by even more than that.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Then there are species such as turtledoves which may well
0:11:23 > 0:11:25be on the verge of extinction in the UK.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30So, it's a mixed picture - bleak for some and better for others.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34But certainly, overall, the decline hasn't reversed.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Modern agriculture must carry some of the guilt for the declining
0:11:38 > 0:11:39bird numbers,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44but as Andrew's proved, you can combine birdsong and bumper crops.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48So what is the recipe for this kind of level of birds
0:11:48 > 0:11:49across the country?
0:11:49 > 0:11:52That's what I'll be investigating later.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Just across the border from where Matt is in Merseyside,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04is Lancashire - a county of contradictions.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's home to great manufacturing towns,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11but it's mainly a rural county where the rugged, yet beautiful
0:12:11 > 0:12:15landscape rolls into the Irish Sea.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20And it was in that very sea, back in the 17th century that a ship
0:12:20 > 0:12:23carrying a cargo of these - potatoes -
0:12:23 > 0:12:26from Ireland, was wrecked.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29That's according to this bestseller,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The History And Social Influence Of The Potato.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37According to this book, the items that were wrecked included potatoes
0:12:37 > 0:12:42and that meant this became the first potato-growing region of Lancashire.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Whether it's true or not, Lancashire, with its rich, peaty
0:12:48 > 0:12:53and fertile soils, has long been associated with this versatile veg.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58On this family-owned farm on the outskirts of Ormskirk,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00they've been growing spuds ever
0:13:00 > 0:13:04since farmer Robert Fiddler planted his first seed potato
0:13:04 > 0:13:06back in the 1950s.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09'Keeping the family tradition going are his grandsons,
0:13:09 > 0:13:10'Robert Jr and John.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:15So you and your family have been in the potato business for a while,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- then?- Three generations, yeah.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I can always remember
0:13:19 > 0:13:21me and my grandad harvesting spuds.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Yeah?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I was about ten years old.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I was always in all sorts of trouble with my grandad,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30throwing rotten spuds at him!
0:13:31 > 0:13:33So what's happening out the back, there?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- We're going to plant Rosetta. - What are the Rosettas good for?
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- For crisping.- They turn into crisps?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Is there a particular way you need to grow them to make them
0:13:42 > 0:13:44good for crisps?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47We plant them a little bit closer together so they don't get too big.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Tennis ball size is perfect. Right.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- Gorgeous soil, isn't it? - It's beautiful soil, yes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Lovely and light.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Once the whole field is ploughed,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Robert then has to plant his seed potatoes. But not quite yet.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11It's just a little bit too early to put in the ground at the minute.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13We like the ground conditions to warm up
0:14:13 > 0:14:16so we can put them in a nice warm, fluffy seedbed.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- When will that be, then?- Another two or three weeks.- Not long.- Not long.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Once they're in, how long until they're fully grown and harvested?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- About four months.- Once they're harvested, where do they go?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28All the way to the crisping factory.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- Where's that?- 500 yards that way.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- The crisping factory is right here? - Yes.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Fantastic! Shall we go and take a look?
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Like many farmers, the Fiddlers were looking for ways to diversify
0:14:41 > 0:14:43and grow their business
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and what better way than making crisps right here in their backyard?
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Thank you very much for showing me the field.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Good stuff, we'll see you later! Shall we take a look inside?
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Roger's brother John is giving me
0:14:54 > 0:14:57a flavour of what it takes to make a crisp.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Today, he's making them from Lady Claire potatoes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02So this must be the most important bit,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- then - the cooking? - Yes, very important.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08This is the part where the potato slices are transformed into crisps.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13But the most important thing of all is the potatoes.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- The sugar content, the dry matter... - Why do they matter?
0:15:16 > 0:15:17What's that about?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20They want a very low sugar content potato
0:15:20 > 0:15:24because it's the sugar in potatoes that would make the crisps go brown
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and you don't want much moisture in the potatoes
0:15:26 > 0:15:28because it takes much longer for them to cook.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30This can't be good for a lady's complexion,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32standing over a big fryer like this!
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It does you good, this job - keeps you fit!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40So what was it that got you into making crisps in the first place?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Because marketing potatoes was getting more difficult over
0:15:43 > 0:15:48the years and as small farmers we found it harder work to make
0:15:48 > 0:15:52money out of the acreage we grew. So we wanted to try and add value.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55It was my grandfather about 30-odd years ago that
0:15:55 > 0:15:58thought about making crisps.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I suppose it was him that gave us the idea to do so.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Where do you begin?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- Did you even know what you had to do?- Not a clue, really.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It was very difficult - there was a lot more to making crisps
0:16:07 > 0:16:09than I originally thought.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I first started in my house, in the porch, trying different
0:16:11 > 0:16:14varieties of potatoes, turning them into crisps.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- They was dreadful to begin with! - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Then I started looking at different varieties of potatoes
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and started doing my research.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27And then yes, I started to make a decent crisp.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31And you keep it in the family?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Yes, it's my sister Alison and my father Robert.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And I've even named my two daughters after potatoes,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40- Charlotte and Annabel! - Not Maris Piper?- No!
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Now the exciting bit - the flavouring.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- Try one, see what you think. - Straight off here? There we go.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Mm!
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Wow!
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- That's really unusual!- That is Lancashire sauce flavour.- Wow!
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- That's a new one on me - how did you come by it?- Funny, really.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Me and my wife went out to a pub for a meal
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and Lancashire sauce was on every table.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I tried a teaspoonful of it
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and thought, "This would work really well on a crisp".
0:17:28 > 0:17:31So here we go, Lancashire potatoes turned into Lancashire crisps
0:17:31 > 0:17:35with Lancashire sauce flavour on them, cooked by a girl from...
0:17:35 > 0:17:39- Gloucestershire!- Yeah! Let's hope I haven't ruined the flavour!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- You deserve one of those. - Thank you very much.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Here we go. Unique Lancashire flavour, right here.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- Beautiful.- Very nice.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01The vast open sands of the Sefton coastline have been inspiring
0:18:01 > 0:18:03artists for centuries.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Their ambition is to capture the essence of a place,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10whether on canvas, film or in sculpture.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Keen photographer Shauna Lowry has presented programmes at home
0:18:14 > 0:18:18and abroad, but in her heart, it's the British countryside she loves.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20So we asked her to grab her camera
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and see what she could make of Merseyside.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I've been lucky enough to visit some amazing landscapes whilst filming
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and when I get a few spare moments, I like to capture the local flora
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and fauna using my trusty camera.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38These are a couple of my favourites from the last few years -
0:18:38 > 0:18:42a baby buck in County Tipperary, Ireland
0:18:42 > 0:18:46and a coyote in Yellowstone National Park in the USA.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Today, I'm taking inspiration from Sefton's marshland reserves
0:18:52 > 0:18:53and sandy beaches.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58But I'm not the only one enjoying the scenery.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Meandering along the coastal path is a group of artists. Inspired
0:19:03 > 0:19:08by this landscape, they're capturing its spirit in different disciplines.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Led by Mike Collier, his brother, photographer Tim Collier,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14together with signed artist Rob Strachan
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and natural historian Dave Hardaker, they're preparing for an exhibition
0:19:18 > 0:19:23that showcases artwork made whilst undertaking journeys on foot.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26So, Mike, how would you describe art walking?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28When you walk through a landscape,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31you're engaging with all different aspects of your body,
0:19:31 > 0:19:36it's not just about thinking, but feeling, touching,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39so you get the wind, you engage all your different senses.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42What I'm really interested in is getting people to engage
0:19:42 > 0:19:45emotionally with the landscape and hopefully in doing that,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49they'll care more about it and will be able to help conservation.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53What is it about the Sefton coastline that you find so inspiring?
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It's a unique landscape. It's also a fantastic atmosphere.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59When you look around, it's kind of bleak,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01it's open, it's wild,
0:20:01 > 0:20:03the sounds here are fantastic as well.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05This is my home patch, I grew up here.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I used to come out here with my brothers.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11This is where I really got my interest in natural history.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Mike uses colourful pastels to make his bold and graphic art work.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18This one describing the sounds of the birds.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25But his younger brother Tim uses the medium of wildlife photography...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28to capture the essence of this stunning coast.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:20:31 > 0:20:36And he's promised to give me a few tips at the local marshside reserve.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39There's actually some nice teal down here, really quite close,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- which we should get some good stuff from.- Oh, yes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44First of all, make the composition
0:20:44 > 0:20:46as if you were just doing a landscape.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Maybe move so you're getting the actual teal more to the left
0:20:50 > 0:20:53of the image and then you play with this a lot,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56so you're actually framing it as a landscape image.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59That way, you're saying something about where you are,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02what the context of the bird exists within.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Mm-hm.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Is not about photographing rare birds,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- it's about photographing birds. - Anything.- Yes, anything.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Down at your local pond or park, they're there.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It's a patience thing, just waiting.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- It does take a while sometimes, doesn't it?- It does.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- But then you have to love the waiting.- Yes.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25'This is an exhilarating landscape,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29'aching to be captured in one art form or another.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31'Twice a day, the sea at Crosby Beach
0:21:31 > 0:21:34'reveals a remarkable man-made artwork.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39'As the tides ebb and flow, a small army of iron men appear
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'and are then submerged by the sea.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:46This is the work of world-famous sculptor Sir Antony Gormley.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51100 cast iron statues strung apparently randomly along this
0:21:51 > 0:21:53immense beach.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Same size, same stance,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58silently staring out to the horizon.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02This internationally renowned art work, Another Place,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04wasn't always meant to be a permanent fixture here,
0:22:04 > 0:22:09but since taking up residence in 2005, Antony Gormley believes
0:22:09 > 0:22:13this landscape has given his work new meaning and poignancy.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18In coming to Crosby, I think it gained in potency.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23I was delighted to find a beach that had this rugged sense of...
0:22:24 > 0:22:30..I guess an industrial, but elemental world.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34The point of the work is really as a form of acupuncture to allow
0:22:34 > 0:22:36what is there the dialogue -
0:22:36 > 0:22:39the sky, the sea, the waves,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42the people, the boats - everything
0:22:42 > 0:22:48that is there is catalysed by these iron body forms.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Since they were installed nearly ten years ago,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55the natural world has been slowly reclaiming them.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Dr Leonie Robinson from the University of Liverpool isn't
0:23:00 > 0:23:02just here to appreciate the sculptures,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04but to study how this artwork has
0:23:04 > 0:23:08provided an unlikely new home for a special crustacean -
0:23:08 > 0:23:12the Austrominius modestus - that's a barnacle to you and me.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- Hi, Leonie.- Hi!
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Coming up behind this glorious Gormley bottom,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- it's pretty encrusted, isn't it?! - It certainly is!
0:23:21 > 0:23:22It's a work of art in itself.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Absolutely amazing.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28So tell me, what is so special about these barnacles?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Well, this is actually a non-native species of barnacle that
0:23:32 > 0:23:36originated from Australasia, so they've come a long way to be here.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38How do they get here, then?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40They've travelled in the ballast water of ships.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45This beach here is a completely unsuitable habitat to them normally.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48If these weren't here, they just wouldn't live on this beach,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51it's given them basically another place, a new home to live.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52How do they work?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Barnacles are basically a crustacean,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58so they're like a shrimp, if you can imagine, on its back,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02stuck to the surface by their head and then their legs are kicked
0:24:02 > 0:24:04up above them
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and modified into what you see as a fishing net, really.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13So when the water comes in, they'll open up and stick their legs out
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and basically fish for food in the water.
0:24:16 > 0:24:22What was a statue of a man is now like a monster from the deep, really.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Do you think the encrustation has added to the artwork?
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Well, maybe I'm biased, but definitely, yes.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32From afar, you just see the men, and that's a beautiful
0:24:32 > 0:24:35sight in itself and then you get up close and think actually,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39these are living, and I think that adds a really exciting angle to it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44When it comes to taking photos, exploring the natural world
0:24:44 > 0:24:49along the Sefton Coastal Path has certainly inspired me.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52My favourite shot of the day? Well, you can't beat a good sunset.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Now, earlier we heard about the dramatic decline in farmland birds.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09But what's causing their loss and what can we do to bring them back?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Here's Tom.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19A century ago, Vaughan Williams wrote this much-loved
0:25:19 > 0:25:22tribute to the skylark, The Lark Ascending.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25100 years on and skylark numbers
0:25:25 > 0:25:28have plummeted. Though I can...
0:25:28 > 0:25:31just hear their song today, that is
0:25:31 > 0:25:33becoming much, much less familiar
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and they are far from the only feathered cultural icon
0:25:36 > 0:25:40that's in trouble. To honour the 12 Days Of Christmas in
0:25:40 > 0:25:44the 21st-century, my true love would struggle to find me two turtledoves.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49They're one of the hardest hit species of farmland birds,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52along with corn buntings and tree sparrows.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55So what exactly is causing their demise?
0:25:55 > 0:25:59The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, who conducted the Big
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Farmland Bird Count, has a farm in Leicestershire where they
0:26:03 > 0:26:08researched the impact of farming on wildlife and the environment.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I guess you can't blame the bad weather for bird decline -
0:26:10 > 0:26:14that's been the same over the last few...many, many decades.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- So what has changed?- Well, it's not just the weather, is it?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20We've changed the way that we farm and that's made a big difference.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Our wheat yields have quadrupled in the last 40 years
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and that means that the space for birds have been really tightened
0:26:27 > 0:26:28and they've been squeezed out.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So productivity has gone up, but explain to me
0:26:31 > 0:26:36a few of the changes in farming that have actually harmed the birds.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Traditionally, we would have planted many of our crops in springtime,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42which meant the stubbles of the previous year's crops were left
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and the weed seeds and spilt grain was left on the surface
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and that provided food for the birds during the winter time.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Now, our land is cultivated and those seeds have either germinated
0:26:51 > 0:26:55or been buried and that means that it's a much more hostile environment.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58As well as the grains, have other foods been lost?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Yes, we know now that insects are incredibly
0:27:01 > 0:27:03important for farmland birds,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05particularly at the chick stage,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07the first two weeks of their lives.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09So some of the insecticides, for instance, if you're
0:27:09 > 0:27:12killing off the insects, you're not helping the birds larder?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14That's certainly not going to help.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18For more than a decade now, farmers have been offered
0:27:18 > 0:27:21subsidies for environmentally friendly measures like restoring
0:27:21 > 0:27:26hedgerows and setting aside land specifically for wildlife.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29But even with almost ¾ of farmers signed up,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33the expected recovery of farmland birds hasn't happened.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34The explanation?
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Well, that's about as murky as the weather here on the RSPB's
0:27:38 > 0:27:39farm near Cambridge.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Ian Dillon is the farm manager.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45So what are we coming up on here, Ian?
0:27:45 > 0:27:49So this is one of the skylark plots that we have on the farm.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52This is specifically in this field to help
0:27:52 > 0:27:55skylarks during the breeding season.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59The skylarks are able to nest more successfully, but more importantly,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04the plots provide a great place for the birds to actually feed.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Around 70% of farmers are in these schemes that are supposed to
0:28:07 > 0:28:10help wildlife, so why is it not working?
0:28:10 > 0:28:11The current schemes, there is
0:28:11 > 0:28:15a wide range of options that a farmer can choose.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Some of those are very, very helpful to wildlife,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and some of those are less helpful to wildlife.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Unfortunately,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26the majority of farmers have chosen the options which are less helpful
0:28:26 > 0:28:32to wildlife but which are easier for them to do and are more convenient.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Let's use this as an example.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36You've rolled this out and made it clear to farmers years ago -
0:28:36 > 0:28:38what's the uptake been like?
0:28:38 > 0:28:40The skylark plots are incredibly successful for skylark
0:28:40 > 0:28:45and yellow wagtails, but uptake has been incredibly poor.
0:28:45 > 0:28:51Only 2% of farmers in England have taken up skylark plots
0:28:51 > 0:28:56and my colleagues reckon that we need at least 20% of farmers
0:28:56 > 0:28:58to be doing this.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01I have to stop you there, there's a deafening skylark up above us!
0:29:01 > 0:29:03He's liking what you're saying!
0:29:03 > 0:29:06SKYLARK SINGS LOUDLY
0:29:06 > 0:29:07That's beautiful.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13The National Farmers Union insist farmers choose environmental
0:29:13 > 0:29:18schemes that best suit an increase in the biodiversity on their farms.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21However, the fact remains that despite their efforts,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24the overall number of farmland birds is still falling,
0:29:24 > 0:29:29although that fall has slowed significantly in recent years.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32But there are some in the farming community whose solution to
0:29:32 > 0:29:36this problem is rather more - how shall I put it? - lethal.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40And their arguments really do throw the cat among the pigeons.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44The Countryside Restoration Trust thinks that in addition to
0:29:44 > 0:29:47increasing habitat and food supplies for birds,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50there needs to be greater control of their predators.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Come on! Come on!
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Robin Page is the trust's chairman.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01- So is that the first time they've been out this year?- Yes!- Wahey!
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Look! They gave us a covering, look!
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Yes!
0:30:05 > 0:30:08To help bring back our farmland birds, what other animals do
0:30:08 > 0:30:11you think we need to tackle, in effect, kill more of?
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Magpies, jays, foxes, badgers,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17grey squirrels,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20crows have risen 100%
0:30:20 > 0:30:22since 1970.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Buzzards have increased over recent years by 500% and they say
0:30:27 > 0:30:31they make no impact. What planet have they come from?
0:30:31 > 0:30:32With the kind of control that you want to see,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34you need a change in the law.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39Yes, because it's illegal to disturb nesting birds of prey
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and I think that is one of the keys.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46You don't have to kill the bird of prey, you just move it on.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51It is species management, it is habitat management and then
0:30:51 > 0:30:57you can get a balance and a wide range of wildlife back on our farms.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03You know, there is a huge myth that you can get a natural balance.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05You can't get a natural balance
0:31:05 > 0:31:09because the whole of the landscape is unnatural, it's man-made
0:31:09 > 0:31:13and so we must intervene to get back
0:31:13 > 0:31:18and protect the vulnerable species that we want.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Aside from the heated row over much more aggressive predator control,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25there is much agreement on how to increase farmland birds.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30Principally, more room to live and more food to eat.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34European farm subsidies paid for out of our pockets are helping
0:31:34 > 0:31:37British farmers to do that, but with less money to
0:31:37 > 0:31:40go around in the future, will we make the investment needed
0:31:40 > 0:31:45to stop the decline of our precious farmland birds once and for all?
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Today, I'm in Southport on Merseyside.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Twice a day, the receding tides transform this landscape.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Vast expanses of sandy beaches are revealed.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07And with them,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11come the opportunity to catch the area's famous brown shrimp.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Now harvested by adapted tractors and amphibious vehicles, it's more
0:32:15 > 0:32:20than 40 years since a horse-drawn cart last took to the coastline.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The only traditional shrimping cart left in Southport is on show at
0:32:24 > 0:32:26the local Atkinson Museum.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30But later on, I'll be taking this museum piece off display and
0:32:30 > 0:32:35out into the sea, would you believe, for one last shrimping trip.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Mind you, judging by the look of these wheels, we've got
0:32:38 > 0:32:41quite a bit of restoration work to do first!
0:32:45 > 0:32:49This 18th-century cart is being given a new lease of life
0:32:49 > 0:32:52thanks to a local lad and master wheelwright, Phill Gregson.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58- Phill, how're you doing?- You OK? Nice to see you.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01I understand that you are the man to be breathing new life into this
0:33:01 > 0:33:04cart, because it's been in the family quite a while, this trade?
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Yes, fourth generation. It goes back to my great-grandfather.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10It was my grandfather as well,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12and my mother and father were both wheelwrights.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- So it's definitely in the blood! - Where does it all start then, Phill?
0:33:15 > 0:33:18You always start from the centre, so you work your way out.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21- You turn a nave...- Is that what this is?- Yes, this is the nave.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23That's quite an old-fashioned style.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28They're called a different name in every county. Naves, naffs, hubs,
0:33:28 > 0:33:33knots, knurls, burrs... Absolutely all sorts of names up and down.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37- These are called the fellies... - OK. That's amazing.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41There's obviously different types of wood in this wheel.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Yes, you've got elm for the naves, oak for the spokes
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- and ash for the fellies. - And why the difference in wood?
0:33:48 > 0:33:52The elm is very strong under compression, it doesn't split,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54it's got very interlocking grain structure,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57so when you drive the spokes in - they're driven in with
0:33:57 > 0:34:00a sledgehammer - they don't split the nave apart.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02The oak is very strong under compression again,
0:34:02 > 0:34:03it doesn't distort or twist
0:34:03 > 0:34:07when it's got the weight of the load and the tyre on it.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10And the ash is very springy, so it absorbs shock on the road.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- That's your suspension? - Yes, basically.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Everything is made tight,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17"there's no room for glue" is the old wheelwright's saying.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18So there's no nails or anything?
0:34:18 > 0:34:21No nails, no screws, no glue.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23It's all done by the compression of the tyre.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25So are you going to show me how this tyre thing works?
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Yes, let's get on and get these tyres on before brew time!
0:34:29 > 0:34:31- Everything works around brew time! - It does round here!
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Before the hoop or tyre is put onto the wheel, it needs to be heated.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44- So we've got the two hoops for the shrimping cart.- Yes.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48We're heating them up so they get cherry red so they expand.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I guess what's lovely is in today's day and age, everybody's
0:34:51 > 0:34:54looking at temperature gauges to make sure everything's just right...
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- If it looks right, we're ready to go. - The metal itself, is this iron?
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- It's steel, nowadays.- OK.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Traditionally, going back into the 1800s, it would have been iron.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- I bet you always have jacket potatoes, do you, for lunch?- Yeah!
0:35:08 > 0:35:11With the steel tyre heated to "cherry red",
0:35:11 > 0:35:14it's time to fit it onto the wooden wheel.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Keeping it in the family, Phill's fiancee Emily is on hand to help.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- So about here then, for me?- Yeah. - Is that high enough on my tongs?
0:35:29 > 0:35:32- Perfect.- Hang on, two secs.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34And yes, good.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Right, tongs out.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49Oh, like a glove, this. You want water? Here we go, water, water.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51- Am I just going round?- Water.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55HAMMERING
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Oh, look at that, it's lovely!
0:36:06 > 0:36:09If you're ready, without touching the tyre...
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Get hold of the opposite spokes from me... That's it.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16And put it on the floor. Watch the metalwork, because it's still hot.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Now wheel it over to the tank.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22- Just there, that's it.- Into the tank?- Into the tank, lift it in.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24- All the way in?- Yes, lift it straight in.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33- And then just keep turning it in the tank until it's cool.- Wow.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36And so, because that is contracting at such a rate,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38it then tightens up all the joinery work.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39Compresses everything down to the centre.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42That's where the strength of the wheel comes from.
0:36:42 > 0:36:43What a beautiful creation that is.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Yes, they look fantastic when they're freshly hooped.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed that.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50You can come again - you're getting the hang of this!
0:36:50 > 0:36:53We know who to call up the next time we're short of people! Well done.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Thanks, man.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Now it's off to the museum to get the shrimping cart
0:36:59 > 0:37:01back on the beach.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07- Is it a long walk? - Couple of miles.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08Soon be there!
0:37:08 > 0:37:11This is the next traditional technique -
0:37:11 > 0:37:13- rolling your cartwheel down the country roads!- It does me good.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Ooh! Hang on, I've gone a bit wonky!
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- ELLIE:- After a long winter,
0:37:27 > 0:37:31the countryside is finally coming alive with the sounds of new life.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34BLEATING
0:37:37 > 0:37:41For farmers, the seasons bring varied challenges - as Adam knows
0:37:41 > 0:37:43only too well.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57The bit of warm weather we've had lately has been very welcome.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00This time last year, there was snow on the ground, so we've got
0:38:00 > 0:38:03ewes and lambs out on the grass and later on we'll be turning out
0:38:03 > 0:38:06some cattle that have been shut in all winter, so they'll be delighted.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08I really feel like spring has sprung.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Because the weather hasn't warmed up sufficiently yet for the grass
0:38:16 > 0:38:19to grow properly, we are having to supplementary feed the ewes -
0:38:19 > 0:38:22we're giving them some ewe nuts, but also some of this -
0:38:22 > 0:38:25fodder beet, that farmers grow to feed cattle and sheep.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27We've bought it in.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31It's full of carbohydrate and sugar and a bit of protein
0:38:31 > 0:38:33and they love it.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59A tasty meal that will keep this lot going
0:38:59 > 0:39:02until the grass starts to green up in the coming weeks.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09But it's not just about the animals.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13It's also a time when momentum builds out in the arable fields.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21All the crops on our farms are annuals,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23completing their life cycle within 12 months.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28The seeds are sown and during spring and summer,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30the crops put on most of their growth.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36They produce flowers and towards the end of their life cycle,
0:39:36 > 0:39:37they set seed.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Finally, when the time is right, they are harvested,
0:39:42 > 0:39:43ready to be stored.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52This is one of our oil seed rape fields that we planted
0:39:52 > 0:39:53back in August.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55It established very well
0:39:55 > 0:39:57and it's come out of the winter looking lovely.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00This time last year, the equivalent crop was absolutely atrocious
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and some of it was just a few centimetres tall
0:40:03 > 0:40:06and we ended up having to take it out, but this is almost
0:40:06 > 0:40:09growing in front of your eyes as the weather warms up.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12It's got great potential.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16'Over the next few months, this oilseed rape will shoot up,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18'making the most of the spring conditions.'
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Although the crops are looking pretty good,
0:40:21 > 0:40:23they still need looking after.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25We need to be vigilant about pests and diseases,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27we need to be right on top of the weeds
0:40:27 > 0:40:30and also they need feeding with fertiliser,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33so the crop husbandry, right from planting to harvest,
0:40:33 > 0:40:34has to be very good.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And today we are fertilising this crop of oilseed rape.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44This is what is known as Kieserit.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It's sulphur and magnesium.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50And let's cut the bag and out it comes.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53And we used to get plenty of sulphur from the atmosphere
0:40:53 > 0:40:54because of the power stations,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56but now they have all cleaned their act up,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58we are having to apply it to the crop.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00A little bit ironic, but there we go!
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Martin, our arable manager, is driving the machine
0:41:14 > 0:41:17and in the cab with him is Dave, who is one of the tractor drivers
0:41:17 > 0:41:19and he is learning how to use the fertiliser spreader
0:41:19 > 0:41:21because it is quite complicated.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23What we have done is taken a soil sample
0:41:23 > 0:41:26across the whole of this field, in fact, across the whole of the farm.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28We then get a soil map,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30which tells you the nutrients in that soil.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32We then make a calculation
0:41:32 > 0:41:35and put it into the on-board computer on the tractor.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37It has a satellite navigation dish on top of the tractor.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40As it drives up and down the field, it knows exactly where it is
0:41:40 > 0:41:44and speeds up or slows down the amount of fertiliser
0:41:44 > 0:41:46it is applying to the ground.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50And that should then optimise the potential yield of this crop.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51Incredible technology!
0:42:03 > 0:42:05With the fertiliser well under way,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09I am heading off to help turn out my neighbour's Hereford cattle.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12On the way, I am passing the seed drill working in the field.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18I'm just pulling alongside now. It is an incredible machine.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19It's planting spring barley,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23so that barley goes for malting for making lager,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26so when you're in the pub, drinking your pint of lager,
0:42:26 > 0:42:27this is where it all starts.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31The tractor has an on-board satellite navigation system,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34so it is driving in a dead straight line.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36It's talking to the drill behind
0:42:36 > 0:42:39and the seed hopper holds all the seed
0:42:39 > 0:42:41that gets blown down tubes by a big fan
0:42:41 > 0:42:44and then delivered into what is called a coulter,
0:42:44 > 0:42:46where it goes into the soil at the perfect depth
0:42:46 > 0:42:51and we want the seeds going in at 425 seeds per metre squared.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54It has to be very accurate. There is a reader on the drill
0:42:54 > 0:42:58and if it goes faster, it speeds up the amount of seed
0:42:58 > 0:43:01that gets delivered into the lovely tilf of the seedbed.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15A couple of miles down the road from the farm,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17Mike, our livestock manager,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21is helping to look after my neighbour's herd of Hereford cattle.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25- Hi, Mike.- Hi, Ad, how are you doing? - They look really lovely, don't they?
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Yes, they are getting on really well.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29- So, how many calves have you had so far?- About 45 so far, yes.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33- What sort of age as these ones? - These are just a couple of weeks old.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- Your dad has some back home, hasn't he?- He's got a few, yes.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37So you grew up with them as a boy?
0:43:37 > 0:43:41Yes, little bit, but I have not worked with this many before.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44So, how many have you got to turn out then, Mike?
0:43:44 > 0:43:46There's two here and another 13.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50- And who is this one?- This was our first bull calf born here.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53We've called him Legend, so hopefully he will go on and do great things.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56- OK, well, shall I pull him out of the way while you get the cow?- Yes.
0:43:56 > 0:44:02A young bull like this could be sold to a pedigree breeder
0:44:02 > 0:44:06or go on to dairy herds to make beef animals
0:44:06 > 0:44:09or it might even get exported to somewhere like France
0:44:09 > 0:44:11and he has got great potential,
0:44:11 > 0:44:13really smart-looking fellow.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- Shall I just slip the halter off him, Mike?- Yes, go for it.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'It's Legend's first taste of freedom.' Right.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22'Time to let some of the others out to join him.'
0:44:22 > 0:44:24- So, this is the young bull you bought?- Yes.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26BULL BELLOWS
0:44:26 > 0:44:30- All right, all right, calm down! - This is Jones.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Come on, girls!
0:44:34 > 0:44:37ADAM WHISTLES
0:44:40 > 0:44:42'No sooner have we got the last few out,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44'they turn and head straight back into the shed.'
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Go on, out of it! Go on!
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Go on! Go on, then! Go on!
0:44:52 > 0:44:54They have been stuck inside all winter
0:44:54 > 0:44:55and now they don't want to go out.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58They haven't realised they've got all that spring grass to go to.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Go on, then! Go on!
0:45:00 > 0:45:01Go on, then!
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Go on, then! There's a good girl!
0:45:06 > 0:45:08'Hooray! Success!'
0:45:08 > 0:45:10Takes some doing, doesn't it?
0:45:11 > 0:45:15'And as soon as they see the fresh green pastures ahead,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17'there is no stopping them.'
0:45:27 > 0:45:30They are all charging around now, calling to their calves
0:45:30 > 0:45:32and calling to the other cattle back in the shed.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Really tucking into this log and itching themselves.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39The bull's getting very excited. Full of the joys of spring.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41There's quite a lot of time and effort feeding cattle
0:45:41 > 0:45:43when they are in the sheds, but when they come out
0:45:43 > 0:45:46onto lovely grass like this, they can just live off it.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49We may be giving the calves a bit of extra feed,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52but apart from that, they will be self-sufficient.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55There is something very special about turning cows
0:45:55 > 0:45:58and calves onto fresh grass like this in the spring.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01A wonderful sight, something I never get bored of.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19- ELLIE:- The Sefton Coast,
0:46:19 > 0:46:22a beautiful and stunning coastal landscape.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25But, like much of the country, it has recently witnessed
0:46:25 > 0:46:29just how powerful and damaging extreme weather can be.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Last year's storm gave the coast here a real battering
0:46:33 > 0:46:35and the damage is still evident.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43The vast expanses of sand dunes above Ainsdale Beach
0:46:43 > 0:46:45are some of the largest in the UK.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Last December 5th,
0:46:47 > 0:46:51they suffered four years' worth of erosion in just one day.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54Wildlife and their habitats were devastated
0:46:54 > 0:46:58and many buildings and structures were severely damaged.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02This boardwalk, which forms part of the coastal path,
0:47:02 > 0:47:06was practically washed away, but instead of being written off,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09it's being saved and repaired, incredibly,
0:47:09 > 0:47:13using some of the trees that were lost in the storm.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Just a short distance inland,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25this pine woodland was ravaged by the gales,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28but most of the fallen trees are being salvaged
0:47:28 > 0:47:31through a project run by Sefton Council.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Ian McAlvey is one of the team leaders.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37So, tell me about these trees. Are these, the ones you are cutting,
0:47:37 > 0:47:38the ones that came down in the storm?
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Yes, 12 in this little area here alone came down in the storms, yes.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45And these planks you've just cut, where are they destined for?
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Well, they are destined for the workshop down at Ainsdale,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50which is part of Natural Alternatives,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53which is an inclusion programme that we run,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56which we aim to improve the quality of lives for everybody in Sefton -
0:47:56 > 0:48:00young people who are disengaged, excluded from mainstream education.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03We've got adults with learning difficulties,
0:48:03 > 0:48:07anybody who wants to come here and gain work experience with us.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11'One of Ian's apprentices is Martin Rogers,
0:48:11 > 0:48:15'a local lad who joined the scheme just under a year ago.'
0:48:15 > 0:48:18So, Martin, what was it that got you into this in the first place?
0:48:18 > 0:48:19Well, I grew up around here
0:48:19 > 0:48:21and I've always known about the Ranger Service
0:48:21 > 0:48:24and, when I got into year ten, I was looking for something to do
0:48:24 > 0:48:27for work experience and I had two weeks great work with them,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30so, when I'd finished college,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33I decided to apply here for an apprenticeship scheme.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37And what do you think you would have done if you weren't doing this?
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Probably would've been working in a shop or a factory
0:48:40 > 0:48:41or something like that,
0:48:41 > 0:48:44but I have always wanted to work outdoors and I've never seen myself
0:48:44 > 0:48:48in an office, working nine to five, stuck in a cubicle.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49I've always been an outdoor person.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53I love my chainsaw, I love the woodchipping, everything about it.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00'The team learns a whole range of skills.'
0:49:00 > 0:49:03I'll be careful with this, this has been lovingly produced.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05'We are dropping by their workshops
0:49:05 > 0:49:07'to pick up some signs that they have made.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10'We are going to install them in a special habitat
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'they have created for one of the dunes' warty residents,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16'the very rare natterjack toad.'
0:49:26 > 0:49:30'I'm giving Martin and Lewis Saunders a hand.'
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Ready?
0:49:32 > 0:49:33Good job.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37There we go.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42That is there. Nice one! Lovely! So, these natterjacks then,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45they are really rare, I've only ever seen them a handful of times.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48- It's quite exciting working with them, isn't it?- Yes, it really is.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50You don't see them that many times of the year,
0:49:50 > 0:49:52- it's only towards the summer.- Yes.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54But when you do see them, they are nice to look at.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- You came from a pretty inner-city area, didn't you?- Yes.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59I didn't really have much to do, basically,
0:49:59 > 0:50:03so I started hanging around with lads and sort of stuff
0:50:03 > 0:50:06and got myself into a bit of trouble at times,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09but eventually I had come across a job on the internet
0:50:09 > 0:50:11and applied for it
0:50:11 > 0:50:14and a couple of weeks later I got an interview with Sefton Council.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16And, yeah, it was good.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18What do you reckon, if you think about it now,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21you would have been doing had you stayed where you were?
0:50:21 > 0:50:25I could be on the wrong path now, like, a real wrong path, but...
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I am made up that I actually have got this job,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31to sort of channel me off that and put me back on the right path.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32Yeah.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39'With Martin and Lewis's help,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42'the natterjacks should have a good chance of survival.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44'And hopefully the boardwalk
0:50:44 > 0:50:47'is going to benefit from their skills as well.'
0:50:47 > 0:50:49So, things have come full circle now.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52This is the timber that was blown down in the storm
0:50:52 > 0:50:54- mending the storm damage. - Yes, it is, yes.
0:50:54 > 0:50:55How long is it going to take you?
0:50:55 > 0:50:57We're hoping to have it open by the summer,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- but it's all down to weather and a few other conditions.- Fabulous.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Today we are on the unspoiled coastline of Southport
0:51:12 > 0:51:13in England's northwest.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Twice a day, the retreating tide leaves Sir Antony Gormley's
0:51:17 > 0:51:20iron men gazing wistfully to the horizon.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25And low tide also reveals
0:51:25 > 0:51:28this landscape's shallow, sloping beaches,
0:51:28 > 0:51:33perfect for harvesting the famous local delicacy - Southport shrimp.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39'Now harvested by tractors, it's more than 40 years
0:51:39 > 0:51:43'since the traditional horse and cart last took to the sands,
0:51:43 > 0:51:47'but after some careful restoration by wheelwright Phill Gregson,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50'it is time to get this one off display
0:51:50 > 0:51:53'and back into the surf for one last shrimping trip.'
0:51:53 > 0:51:55And look at these!
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Absolute beauties!
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Wow!
0:51:59 > 0:52:02It's the equivalent of getting a brand-new pair of shoes, this.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06Yes. And if all goes to plan, they should just slide on.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09As a wheelwright, what does this moment feel like for you, Phill?
0:52:09 > 0:52:10Greasy, at the moment!
0:52:10 > 0:52:12MATT LAUGHS
0:52:12 > 0:52:13This is the end of the job,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16you know, and actually getting to see the wheels go on
0:52:16 > 0:52:18and take them out on the shore,
0:52:18 > 0:52:21it's going to be absolutely brilliant today.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26- It's working, Phill!- Yes, it runs lovely. The wheels are running true.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29- It's a nice moment.- Happy boy? - Yeah, just a bit!
0:52:29 > 0:52:31I can't wait to see it on the beach.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33- Don't let it overbalance you.- No.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Oh, hang on! Excuse me, my dear. Sorry.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38That's the green man, let's go!
0:52:38 > 0:52:41'Now that the wheels are on, all we need is a horse.'
0:52:42 > 0:52:46- Hang on. That's it, brakes on. Spin around.- Aye, go on.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Into horse mode. Ready?
0:52:48 > 0:52:49Giddy-up!
0:52:53 > 0:52:57'It was way back in the 1970s when a shrimping cart like this
0:52:57 > 0:52:58'last took to the coast.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01'Gerald Rimmer, who I met earlier,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03'was the last of the horse-drawn shrimpers.'
0:53:03 > 0:53:06The horse what I had was nearly 18 hands tall.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09You are talking about up here.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11- And it would wade that deep.- Right.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13And you could go where you couldn't go with a tractor.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17'Just what is he going to make of this?'
0:53:17 > 0:53:22- This is Puzzle.- Puzzle?- Isn't he an absolute bobby dazzler?- Lovely.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25- He looks almost as excited as you do, Gerald!- Yes.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27THEY LAUGH
0:53:29 > 0:53:31'Puzzle is a cob horse.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35'With a steady disposition, he is perfect for driving in the surf.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37'After trotting a mile out over the sand,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40'it's time to see our shrimping cart back where it belongs.'
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Well, the wheels are still on anyway!
0:53:43 > 0:53:45That's what it's all about.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49No doubt, this is bringing a smile to Gerald's face.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52- Are you all right, Gerald?- Yes. - So, what do you make of this?
0:53:52 > 0:53:54What is it like to see this cart now?
0:53:54 > 0:53:58It brings back memories from when I used to go with the horse and cart.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01I never thought I'd see it again.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05It's so lovely to be sat here and look behind, you know,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08from the old to the new.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10What a day!
0:54:14 > 0:54:17Gerald! Are you a happy boy?
0:54:17 > 0:54:21- Yes, spot on!- Spot on! - How about that?
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Cheers, lads. Thank you very much indeed.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25- Well, bad news and good news.- Go on.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27The good news is I've had a wonderful time.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29The bad news is we didn't get any shrimp.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32Well, don't worry because Christian suspected that might happen
0:54:32 > 0:54:33and he's brought an alternative.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Christian has got the old shrimp! Lovely stuff!
0:54:36 > 0:54:38- Shall we hand them out? - Yes, there's one for you.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40- Lads, come here, come on. - Get yourself a fork.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Well, that is just about it from the potted-shrimp party in Southport.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Next week we are going to be on the Isles of Scilly.
0:54:46 > 0:54:47- Are they good?- These are beautiful!
0:54:47 > 0:54:49I'm going to be looking after
0:54:49 > 0:54:51a precious cargo of newly hatched ducklings.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54I am going to be finding out how they've managed to eradicate rats
0:54:54 > 0:54:56on one of the islands in the hope of tempting back sea birds.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59- See you then.- See you later. Did you bring anything for a horse?
0:54:59 > 0:55:02ELLIE LAUGHS