0:00:30 > 0:00:32Majestic.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Hypnotic.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Unruly.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45They babble and burble.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Tumble and fall.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Rivers are nature's veins and arteries.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Here in Britain,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01we are blessed with rivers -
0:01:01 > 0:01:04maybe because we're cursed by rain.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Whatever their mood, rivers touch people's lives.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13They're a life source for wildlife,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15a place for recreation,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17and a source of inspiration.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Today, I'll be bringing you tales from the river bank,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24meeting some of those who live,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27work and play on the banks of the mighty River Severn.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32'As I meander along the Severn,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34'I'll also be looking back at the sights...'
0:01:34 > 0:01:38- Oh, they're amazing!- I never get fed up of watching them.- Look at them!
0:01:38 > 0:01:42They are just such special animals.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43'..the sounds...'
0:01:43 > 0:01:45It's a bit of a wet slap sound.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46- It's not the most romantic of sounds.- No.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49BATS CALL
0:01:49 > 0:01:51'..and the stories our rivers tell.'
0:01:52 > 0:01:54I've done lots of harvesting in my time,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- but never like this before.- Not in the river? No!
0:01:56 > 0:01:58THEY LAUGH
0:02:09 > 0:02:11The magnificent Severn.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16At a whopping 220 miles,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18it's Britain's longest river,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20with many tales to tell.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28It snakes its way from the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34before surging towards the sea.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41And that's where I start my journey...
0:02:41 > 0:02:44by the tidal waters that once provided a living for local people.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Just there, rising up out of the mud,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52are relics from a forgotten way of fishing
0:02:52 > 0:02:56that have somehow survived the brutal Severn tide.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03These stakes that stand tall and proud like the bridge behind
0:03:03 > 0:03:06were the foundations for salmon traps that lined these shores
0:03:06 > 0:03:07for centuries.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Known as putchers, they were made from willow,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19their distinctive shape designed to capture travelling salmon -
0:03:19 > 0:03:22a valuable haul for people making a living form the river.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Just like the woman I'm on my way to meet.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Christabelle Tymko has lived alongside the River Severn
0:03:34 > 0:03:35her entire life.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Her father was a fisherman.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Her uncle was a fisherman.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Fishing, and this river, are in her blood.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Christabelle.- Oh, hello.- Hello!
0:03:53 > 0:03:55This is a lovely hut we're in.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Yes, this is an old fishing hut,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59giving a bit of shelter to the fishermen.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01That's what we need, isn't it, when there's a bit of a wind out there.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- So, this is a putcher?- Yeah, this is a putcher.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07One of the baskets made to fish for salmon.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09And they'd be laid on their side in ranks,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and the rank is out there, the stakes,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and there'd be anything from 200-700
0:04:15 > 0:04:17of these putchers in one rank.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18How does it work?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Well, the fish would just circle, and they'd swim in,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and they'd be trapped.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26And when the tide went out, you went and you got your catch out.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29You could see if you had a fish cos they'd be shining in the sunlight.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Christabelle learned to fish this way from her father, Tom Jones.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39He started fishing along the Severn during the 1940s.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46These are the ancient deeds that told him
0:04:46 > 0:04:48where he could set his putchers.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Do you have any record of how successful your dad was?
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Well, I found one of his old account books, dating from 1941.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03There's the weight of the salmon, that's quite interesting. Look...
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- How heavy?- 27 lbs.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- Big ones.- Yeah, that was a big one.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Did he catch enough fish to make a decent living?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Well, he supported two families.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14He used to supply two or three of the local pubs,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and they would have something like, you know,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19one dozen 20 lbs salmon every week.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23It was a small country living.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I wouldn't say he made his fortune doing it.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Like the woven putchers that awaited the salmon,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32the community that fished here was close-knit.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37The River Severn not only providing financial reward,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41but also fun and laughter, and a lifetime of memories.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50We had lots of people down here helping us all the time.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Any opportunity for a party! We had loads of cider.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- Everybody used to sing and joke. - Oh, did they? Singing as well?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I don't know how other people did it, but that's how we did it!
0:06:00 > 0:06:03That's how you guys did it. You did it the party way!
0:06:05 > 0:06:07While the mud here is precarious,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10the community that fished the river was as solid as a rock.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But the good times gradually came to an end.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17As catches became smaller, putcher fishing on the Severn
0:06:17 > 0:06:19died out.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22What brought it to an end? Why did it stop for you?
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Well, we just had no money. We caught so few fish, we had no money.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29We couldn't afford to invest in the next year,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32because the licences were quite expensive.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Yeah.- And the putchers were getting a bit broken cos we couldn't afford
0:06:35 > 0:06:36the time to make them.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39And there wasn't the fish that there had been in the past?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41There wasn't the fish. So, we stopped doing it.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44This is Christabelle's final catch,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47pulled from a putcher in 1984.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49She hasn't fished since.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51It doesn't bother me, actually.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I mean, I loved doing it,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56but you've got to sort of think of the bigger picture,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and I think the salmon have such an amazing life cycle.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I'd like to come down the river in the summer and think,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- "Oh, the fish are swimming up, and nothing's stopping them."- Yeah.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- Free to swim, now.- Yes. It's lovely.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Christabelle remembers fishing on the river like it was yesterday.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26But would all those people who drive across the Severn Bridge
0:07:26 > 0:07:30every day know anything about the history of the river below?
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I doubt it.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Christabelle tells an incredible tale.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41But then rivers have always been inspirational.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44In fact, the River Test in Hampshire was the setting for the BBC's
0:07:44 > 0:07:48first-ever wildlife film to be shown in glorious technicolour.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It proved such a hit that it was repeated eight times.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55'The river is home for many creatures.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'Water rat paddles for the safety of the home bank.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:04'A telltale shell dropped by a kingfisher, now a parent.'
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'And the birds are busy delivering tiny fish to tiny offspring.'
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Screened in 1967,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17this pioneering film was the first for husband-and-wife team
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Ron and Rosemary Eastman,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and it changed the way we saw the natural world.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Matt met their daughter Liz Bayliss to find out more.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32So, how did your mum and dad start making films, then?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- How did it all begin? - It was my dad.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36My dad was a projectionist
0:08:36 > 0:08:38at the cinema in Whitchurch.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40He used to sit there watching films that somebody else had made,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43every day, thinking he could do better himself.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Basically, he went off and bought a camera, and having kingfishers
0:08:46 > 0:08:49living on the River Test, he used that as an opportunity to film them.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Right. And then your mum, then? What was her role in the whole thing?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- She was the sound recordist.- OK!
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Luckily, she had an interest in wildlife,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and particularly in birds, so they did everything together.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Ron and Rosemary's vision was to reveal the intimate world
0:09:05 > 0:09:08of one of the river bank's most elusive creatures - the kingfisher.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13But as no-one had done it before, no-one knew how to do it,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15or even if it could be done.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Every step of the way was a test,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20not only of their skill and patience,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22but also of their ingenuity.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Well, Liz and I are now going to have a go at recreating some of
0:09:28 > 0:09:31the tricks and techniques that Ron and Rosemary
0:09:31 > 0:09:33used to get the kingfishers
0:09:33 > 0:09:37in exactly the right position, and it all starts with these jars.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And, Liz, some bait.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- Let's have a look in there and see what we've got, shall we?- Yeah.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Oh, right. Yes.- There is.- There's a stickleback in there, isn't there?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Yeah. There's a stickleback,
0:09:48 > 0:09:49and there's definitely a bullhead.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Yeah!
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'These fish are going to be the stars of our show,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'but as they're from a protected habitat,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59'we'll be releasing them back into the river once we're finished -
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'and we've checked that we're OK to do this.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:04'It's into this flickering,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'quiet world that the hero of our story makes his entry.'
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'The kingfisher - the most beautiful bird in Britain.'
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- This is a mock replica of what they would have done.- Yeah.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Mum and Dad would have used a...
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I think it was a ceramic ceiling light, turned upside down,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- covered in cement and then gravel. - Ingenious.- Yeah.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- We went to the charity shop, just got a glass fruit bowl.- Mm-hm.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Chicken wire, cement...
0:10:32 > 0:10:34So that it basically looks like the riverbed,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- so that the kingfisher isn't put off by it.- Yeah.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39And then you need to place it in the river
0:10:39 > 0:10:41so that the water
0:10:41 > 0:10:44doesn't completely overflow it,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- but can...- Trickle in.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50..trickle in. Basically, the fish goes in the middle.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- There we are, then.- Little fella.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54'Inspired as this was,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'nowadays kingfishers are protected by law,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59'and you'll need a licence from Natural England
0:10:59 > 0:11:01'to photograph them near a nest.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- It's ingenious.- It's just a way to make sure that, when you're filming,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07you know where they're going to be.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10'This set, constructed within the river, did the trick,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'allowing the couple to capture detailed footage of
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'kingfisher behaviour for the first time.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19'She's got one.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22'But she's accidentally speared it with her upper mandible,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24'instead of grasping it between the mandibles.'
0:11:27 > 0:11:31But Ron and Rosemary were far from content.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33They wanted to get quite literally beneath the surface
0:11:33 > 0:11:37of what they saw, filming a kingfisher capture its prey
0:11:37 > 0:11:39under water - another first.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42So, how did they film underwater
0:11:42 > 0:11:45with a camera that was designed to be on land?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Well, to help us shed a little bit of light on the subject,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52I've got one of the top wildlife cameramen around today, Hugh Miles.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Hugh, thanks for sorting us out with the first bit of that. Lovely.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57And Liz has got Rosemary's book.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59So, what did she say, Liz?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Well, she documented everything, so she's basically said,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04"To film underwater properly, we needed an aquarium.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07"We made one two foot long, one and a half foot wide and deep,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10"with Perspex front and sides, loaded it with fish,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11"put it in the river."
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Right. So, we've got two tanks down here, then.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And, Hugh, we're going to do a bit of old-school underwater filming.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Right. We'll just pop those in there, then, shall we, Hugh?
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Yeah, that'll... Hopefully, they've got plenty of oxygen.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29It's a kingfisher's feast, that. OK, right.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31So, we've got another tank there, Liz, haven't we?
0:12:31 > 0:12:33And just give us an idea of how this comes in, then, Hugh?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Well, one way of filming it, of course,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- is to put another tank by the side and then a camera in that tank.- OK.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44A plastic tank enables you to operate the camera easily...
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- Absolutely.- ..and get the shots you want.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49We've got the camera, which is good news. Have you got that as well?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Sorry, Liz. You've turned a camera assistant, all of a sudden.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53THEY LAUGH
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- Quite right. She's been that before, I'm sure.- Yeah.- That's right! Yeah.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58There you go. So, the camera goes in there, then.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01We know where the kingfisher is going to dive,
0:13:01 > 0:13:02because they're in there,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and that is all pretty contained.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Look at that.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10'In ultra-slow motion, we follow him into the water.'
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'But if at first you don't succeed...
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'He's got it!'
0:13:23 > 0:13:25They set the bar really high.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28They were pioneers, and they did some wonderful films.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Obviously inspiring you, then, to do what you're doing today.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Oh, certainly, yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's similar to how we're
0:13:36 > 0:13:40still striving to show new things in new ways
0:13:40 > 0:13:43to inspire the audience to love wildlife.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The Eastmans went on to make many, many films
0:13:49 > 0:13:52in a career spanning more than 30 years.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55They brought nature into the nation's living rooms...
0:13:58 > 0:14:01..and they revolutionised the way we saw the world around us.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05'Well, there's our kingfisher.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09'Charming in manner, and graceful in its arrow flight.'
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'The bird which Tennyson described as
0:14:12 > 0:14:14"The secret splendour of the brooks".'
0:14:22 > 0:14:25ELLIE: I'm exploring the River Severn.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Today, it's peaceful and tranquil,
0:14:29 > 0:14:30but when the waters rise,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34it can be unforgiving, causing floods that drown the Severn Vale.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Though, when they recede, traditional hay meadows,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43like this one at Coombe Hill in Gloucestershire, thrive.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46It's a magnet for birds,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and I'm hoping to catch a sight of a rather special visitor.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55I've come here late in the day because I've heard that curlews
0:14:55 > 0:14:59like to pay Coombe Hill a visit at dusk.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But times are tough for the curlews.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06They're an endangered species and have been added
0:15:06 > 0:15:08to the RSPB's red list.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13That means curlews are in dangerous decline around the world,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17and their breeding population has dropped by at least 50%.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20But despite the worrying statistics,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22they're still finding their way to Coombe Hill,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and have plenty of admirers.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Oh, he's walking over towards the other one.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Mike Smart has been watching curlews since he was a boy,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34and for Del Jones from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36this is work.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Hello, there. Any sign of the curlew?
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Yeah, there's four or five come in to roost. Perhaps more.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48There's a lovely one on the island,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51standing on one leg and cleaning itself.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Beautifully silhouetted against the water.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Incredibly long bill.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59That's a nice sight.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Mike, you've been watching birds for years,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and you've been watching the curlew in particular.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05What is it that impresses you about them?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08They're just fantastic birds.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The song. They're the biggest wader. The long beak.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14There's just something wild and natural about them.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19What do the curlews get from places like this?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22The tall grass gives them protection.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24They're nesting in the hay meadows round about here,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26and here in the evening,
0:16:26 > 0:16:27they're coming for a wash and brush-up
0:16:27 > 0:16:29and a bit of rest and recreation.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33When we stop talking, the curlews take over.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35BIRDS CALL
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Oh, there's one bubbling now.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40It's gorgeous, that song.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46It's the perfect soundtrack for the setting sun.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48But with the curlew fighting for survival,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52will hearing their song become a rare treat?
0:16:52 > 0:16:53We've certainly seen a decline.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56One of the reasons, we think, may be because of the loss of
0:16:56 > 0:17:00traditional hay meadows, and the floral diversity in those,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03there's not as much of a food source for the actual chicks
0:17:03 > 0:17:05to feed on and, hopefully, fletch.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Lovers of the curlew, like Del and Mike, are desperate for them
0:17:11 > 0:17:13to breed in bigger numbers.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Oh, he's walking over towards the other one.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Maybe that's a little of bit of courtship chasing going on there.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24So, what can be done to boost breeding?
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- Curlews nest on the ground...- Mm.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30..and so they're very vulnerable to early haymaking.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33So, here along the Severn,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35if we can maintain the late hay cuts,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38which look after the hay meadows and the butterflies
0:17:38 > 0:17:42and the insects and the curlews, and everything.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45So, it's very much getting everybody pulling together on this.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Curlews aren't the only ones who enjoy the fading light of day.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59Last summer, Naomi went to Cambridge in search of some high-flyers
0:17:59 > 0:18:02that visit the River Cam under the cloak of darkness.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Britain's bats are at their busiest in the summer months,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13increasing our chances of spotting these nocturnal mammals.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17With the insect population reaching a peak,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19and with young pups to feed,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21bats must make the most of the available banquet.
0:18:22 > 0:18:28And that seasonal insect feast comes from an unlikely source.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31So, I'm calling on my very own "Batman", Iain Webb
0:18:31 > 0:18:33from Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust
0:18:33 > 0:18:36to explain the link between bats and cowpats.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41So, Iain, what are we doing in a cow field?
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Is this prime bat habitat?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It's producing prime bat food.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49It's full of what cows produce plentiful amounts of, is cowpats.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53We'll be looking for beetles and flies, etc, in the cowpats.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- There are loads of bugs in there? - There are. This is a perfect pat.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Lots of holes, so all the beetles or whatever in there, and a nice crust.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02We just scoop it you, dump it in the bucket,
0:19:02 > 0:19:03and see what floats to the top.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- All right. The whole thing?- This whole thing.- Oh, this is gross!
0:19:10 > 0:19:12So, you sort of rummage it around a bit like that...
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- And they'll all come floating to the top?- Yeah, yeah, yeah. Break it up.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- It won't kill them, this.- No, no, no. They're perfectly fine.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- There's one.- Where?- There's two.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Absolutely crawling, isn't it?
0:19:21 > 0:19:25That's Aphodius fossor. One of the larger dung beetles.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Good meal for a bat.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I must admit I'm quite surprised a bat would eat a beetle of this size.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Not just bats. Hedgehogs, owls...
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Everything loves dung beetles.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36So, how does a bat get to one of these?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Well, it doesn't do what we're doing.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41These dung beetles would be flying to other piles of dung at night,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and the bats will be flying past seeking their prey,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49and will find them and pick them off and eat them.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50- Everything loves to eat them? - Oh, exactly.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Who wouldn't like to eat a dung beetle?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'Well - I wouldn't, for a start.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57'It's fascinating to see what they might eat,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'but to see the bats themselves,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01'we'll need to wait until after dark.'
0:20:04 > 0:20:07We're taking to the water for a nocturnal safari,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and I'm keeping my fingers crossed
0:20:09 > 0:20:12for a close encounter of the FURRED kind.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Iain has the technology to help us.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19He's brought along detectors which convert the bats'
0:20:19 > 0:20:23echolocation calls, which we humans can't normally hear,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26into low-frequency sounds which we can,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28allowing us to tune in to their world.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30DETECTOR HISSES
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- What will we hear?- Well, the pipistrelle bat,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34which is the commonest bat we have in Britain,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36there's sort of a wet slap sound.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- It's not the most romantic of sounds.- No.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41BAT CALLS
0:20:41 > 0:20:43There we have one. That was a pipistrelle.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Quite loud, whereas the Daubenton's, which we'll hopefully see later,
0:20:47 > 0:20:48they have a more rapid,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50quiet, and a drier sound.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52BAT CALLS
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- Ah, there you go.- Oh, yes, there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- Oh, I saw it. There.- Yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04There's Daubenton's and pips.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- So, we've got both here.- Yeah.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11So close to us!
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'I can't believe our luck at spotting bats already,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19'but there are even more in store.'
0:21:22 > 0:21:25There's about ten of them, aren't there? That is phenomenal.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Whoa! Look at that!
0:21:31 > 0:21:36- I've never seen this number before. It's amazing.- Really?
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Pretty fantastic. A highlight of my year so far, for bats.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- So, these are all Daubenton's? - Daubenton's bats,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45also known as the water bat. Quite a distinctive flight pattern,
0:21:45 > 0:21:46just a couple of inches above the water.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48I was going to say - just skimming.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50And they'll be catching insects either in their mouth,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53or they catch them sort of in their feet and in their tail membrane.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56And as they go up and down, they're sort of following the flight
0:21:56 > 0:21:57of the insects, are they?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Yeah, they've focused in on an insect, they've followed it,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01and try and catch it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04And you can see all the insects around for them.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- Yeah.- That's why there's so many bats under here.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17How many insects, then,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20might one individual bat take on a summer's night like tonight?
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Well, a pipistrelle could eat up to 3,000 midges a night.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27So, they really are making quite a contribution to keeping the
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- insect numbers down, then? - Definitely. Definitely.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Without them, there'd be far more little insects flying around
0:22:32 > 0:22:34now around our heads.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Somebody described it as... "They're like flying bowties",
0:22:39 > 0:22:41which I think is really quite appropriate.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43They really do!
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Summer really is a frenetic time for bats, isn't it?- Oh, definitely.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Certainly for the females.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55They're having to feed up so they can
0:22:55 > 0:23:00feed their pups before they're ready to wean in a couple of weeks' time.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Oh, look at those pips.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'Feeding here on the outskirts of the city,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10'these bats have given me the most atmospheric and unexpected
0:23:10 > 0:23:12'of wildlife encounters.'
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I can't think of a better way to spend a mid-summer's night.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- Thank you, Iain.- Pleasure.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Ours is a landscape shaped by rivers,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33carving their way through the hills and dales.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35And in the valleys of the Peak District, Anita found
0:23:35 > 0:23:38something surprising lurking by the river bank.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Fierce, elusive, and famously playful.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It's the otter.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- Hello, Carol.- Hi!- How are you?- I'm very well.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Carol Heap has been caring for otters most of her life.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Why otters, Carol? How did your love for otters begin?
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Well, it began by reading Tarka The Otter at school.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And it wasn't a very big step to start volunteering
0:24:10 > 0:24:12at the Otter Trust.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16We were then fortunate enough to buy this land in the early '80s,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and, as they say, the rest is history.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It just grew and grew.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26It wasn't long before the otters became part of the family.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- What type of otters are these?- These are Asian short-clawed otters,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32which are the smallest of all the otters.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- And what other otters do you have here?- We have four species.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Asian short-clawed,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40the North American river otter, the Eurasian otter,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and that's our otter, the one that lives in England.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47But then we have the most amazing otter, the giant otter.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51The exotic cousins of our native otters.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Giant otters come from South America,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57where they live on the flood plains of the Pantanal
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and the Amazon River.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06So, Derbyshire is a long way from home.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Right, entering the giant otter enclosure.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Can't see any from here, though.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- Hi, Kirsty.- Hiya.- Can't see any giant otters,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- and are we safe if they were here? - You're perfectly safe,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20they are all locked in, yeah.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24'Kirsty Lee has been looking after the giant otters for 15 years.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Just going to replenish the sandpit, so if I pass you some over...
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- Please.- If you could just open them up and tip them out for me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35No problem. Why do giant otters require a sandpit?
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Um, basically,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39this is to simulate what they would have naturally in the wild.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42They will come out of the water, they will play, they will dig,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45they will fight, then on sunny days,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48they'll just bask in here and enjoy the sunshine.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49OK, shall we get out
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and let the otters out to enjoy their new sandpit?
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- I think that's a great idea. - OK.- Let's do it.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57'With the sand in place, it's time to release the otters,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'and beat a hasty retreat!'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Here they come.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Oh, they are amazing!
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- They are enormous, aren't they? - Enormous!
0:26:07 > 0:26:12- But they are so cute, Carol!- Well, I never get fed up of watching them.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15They are just such special animals.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18- Oh, look, it's on its hind legs. - Yes.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23- Here comes one. Hello!- Hello! This is Panambi.- Hello, Panambi.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Have you come to say hello?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27She's come to say, "Can we have some fish, please?"
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- So, they are hungry?- Very hungry. - What have we got here?
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- These are roach. - Here we go, who wants it?
0:26:34 > 0:26:39- In we go!- Oh, well done, you. - Yes!- Off they go.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43How are they different to the otters we have, native otters?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46They are huge, I mean, these are coming up to nearly two metres,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50tip to tail, they have much stronger whiskers on them,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54so that they can feel the fish in the water.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55They look like seals, don't they?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Well, that's what I thought when I first saw them,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02I was surprised at how they looked.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03What are they doing here?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06These are native to a tropical climate, South America,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- why are they in Derbyshire? - Conservation. Absolutely.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14These otters are now endangered and their numbers are decreasing,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17through loss of habitat,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21- deforestation, the usual things. - The usual.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25'Carol's giant otters are part of a captive breeding programme,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27'designed to boost numbers.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29'It is hoped that their offspring
0:27:29 > 0:27:32'can one day be released back into the wild.'
0:27:32 > 0:27:34So, have they had cubs?
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Yes, we are very, very proud to say that we were the first
0:27:39 > 0:27:44collection to breed giant otters in the UK, and this pair,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Panambi and Manoki, have had two sets of litters.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53- Are you positive about their future? - You've got to be.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55If you weren't positive, you wouldn't do it.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58And you just keep chip, chip, chip away.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Eventually, something will happen
0:28:01 > 0:28:02and we will be able to get them back.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Giant otters face an uncertain future,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12but this family, at least, have found a safe haven here.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17And perhaps one day, their cubs will return to their natural habitat.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33ELLIE: 'The river bank and its residents all have tales to tell,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37'but none spin a yarn as old as the shores of the Severn,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40'where extinct creatures hide in the mud.'
0:28:40 > 0:28:44- Nice day for fossiling!- Yes, perfect weather conditions for fossiling.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46- Better than last time.- It is.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52'This is Hock Cliff in South Gloucestershire,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54'and this is my old friend
0:28:54 > 0:28:57'and award-winning palaeontologist, Dean Lomax.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01'This stretch of the Severn is a hot spot for fossils.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04'Some are more than 200 million years old.'
0:29:06 > 0:29:07What sort of things might we find along here?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11You'll find an entire ecosystem of fossils here,
0:29:11 > 0:29:15from squids and bivalves,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19in fact, something like this, that's bivalve.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- Oh, yeah, that's a devil's toenail. - That's it, yeah, Gryphaea.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26And even rarer still, we can find fish, or things like this.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28This is a vertebra of a marine reptile.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30You'd have to be pretty lucky to find that.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Be very lucky to find something like that. But, you never know.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35'Dean's right.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38'He is currently researching the origins of this ichthyosaur fossil,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42'a marine reptile that swam in the world's oceans when dinosaurs
0:29:42 > 0:29:47'walked the Earth, and he believes it came from here, Hock Cliff.'
0:29:47 > 0:29:49People always think of the Jurassic Coast, don't they,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51when they think of fossiling?
0:29:51 > 0:29:53But actually, there's plenty of finds along here.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Yeah, the River Severn's fantastic.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Because the tide is so high here, it erodes away the cliffs,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00erodes the foreshore, and it's revealed lots and lots of fossils.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02And is that true of lots of rivers?
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Yeah, pretty much across the UK, there's lots of different
0:30:05 > 0:30:08fossil sites which are exposed because of rivers.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- Yeah, that's good. OK, let's get looking.- Let's go!
0:30:13 > 0:30:17'When the tide is low, the slippery mud waits to claim victims.'
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Oh! Skiddy!
0:30:20 > 0:30:24'That could have been embarrassing. But I'm not put off that easily.'
0:30:24 > 0:30:26- What's that? A fossil?- No.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28No!
0:30:28 > 0:30:29'Dean may be the expert,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32'but I'm certain I can find more fossils than him.'
0:30:32 > 0:30:36- Oh, I've got a Gryphaea.- Oh, yeah? - Devil's toenail.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38There's loads of those here.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41'But Dean is hot on my heels.'
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Here's one here.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46'But the first big find of the day is all mine.'
0:30:46 > 0:30:51- Oh, Dean, what's this?- What have you got?- I think it's an ammonite.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56- Really?- Yeah.- Oh, wow.- Nice?- Yeah! - What animals would these have been?
0:30:56 > 0:30:57How would they have looked?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Actually, it's close living relatives to squid,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03octopus and cuttlefish. So, it looked a little bit like a squid.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06But Gryphaea is an oyster, so it would have lived inside its shell,
0:31:06 > 0:31:08and looked a little bit like a mussel.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11And describe the environment when these were alive.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14So, the UK was a series of islands at this time, in the early Jurassic,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18and this would have been a tropical sea, just teeming with life.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20OK, let's keep on looking.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27There's another Gryphaea. Just down there.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30But I'm not going to take that one, because it's embedded in the rock.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33So we can't be chipping things out of the cliffs or the foreshore,
0:31:33 > 0:31:35- and break any rules. - You can only pick them up?
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- You can only pick them up, only the loose ones.- Oh, right.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44'Fossil-hunting is muddy work, but rewarding.'
0:31:44 > 0:31:46I've got four right here.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'And it's amazing how many you can find in a row.'
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Why would there be so many on the same sort of plain, like this?
0:31:52 > 0:31:54There's a couple of different theories.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- One is potentially that it's a big mass death.- Yeah.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Whether it was a big tsunami or something like that.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Or potentially, and most likely, is that lots of them just died
0:32:02 > 0:32:05- independently and just sunk to the bottom.- OK.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08- I kind of like the tsunami idea. - I do!
0:32:08 > 0:32:11'While a tsunami probably won't hit the shores of Gloucestershire
0:32:11 > 0:32:15'today, the tide will soon start to rise, which means I don't have
0:32:15 > 0:32:19'long to add to my haul, although I'm confident of coming out on top.'
0:32:19 > 0:32:21- There's another one, Dean. - Another one?
0:32:21 > 0:32:25- How many have you got?- Yeah, yeah, I've just got the one.- Just the one?
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Yeah, it's a nice one, though. I'm quite particular!
0:32:27 > 0:32:30'That sounds like an excuse to me.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33'Although I might quit while I'm ahead.'
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Shall we take a look at what we've got?
0:32:35 > 0:32:39- Let's do it, all my two fossils! - You've got two?
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- I've got more than two, Dean! - You have.- I've got...
0:32:42 > 0:32:45- I've got quite a few nice Gryphaea in there, look.- Lovely.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- You only pick up the really mint ones.- That's pretty big.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Yeah, that's about the same size, fair enough.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54SHE CHUCKLES How old are these likely to be?
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Well, this material is from the earliest part of the Jurassic
0:32:57 > 0:33:00period, about 200 million to 190 million years old,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02so long, long, long before humans even appeared.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05If people want to get into fossiling, how do they do it?
0:33:05 > 0:33:08They need to plan ahead, do a little bit of research about
0:33:08 > 0:33:12the location they go to, have patience and go out expecting
0:33:12 > 0:33:16the unexpected, but above all, be safe and have fun.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18You know what, the tide is coming in, we'd better get out of here.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22- Yeah, I'll get all my two fossils here.- It's been a good day.- It has!
0:33:24 > 0:33:27'The fossils found here are gifts from the river.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30'Historic reminders of an ancient world.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33'But when John visited the River Waveney in East Anglia
0:33:33 > 0:33:36'last summer, he was making history,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40'helping out with the first bulrush harvest in 50 years.'
0:33:43 > 0:33:46JOHN CRAVEN: 'Anna Toulson owns and runs Waveney Rush,
0:33:46 > 0:33:51'a local company that makes baskets and carpets out of bulrushes.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56'She's determined to really bring the river's harvest back to life.'
0:33:56 > 0:33:58- Hello, Anna.- Hello there, John.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01I've done lots of harvesting in my time, but never like this before!
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Not in the river, no?
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Well, why is it that it's been such a long time since these have
0:34:07 > 0:34:08been cut back?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10We always used to get our rushes from the local area,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14but unfortunately, in the 1960s, the water quality just deteriorated, due
0:34:14 > 0:34:19to farm run-offs, and the quality of the rushes deteriorated as well.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21So where did you get them from then?
0:34:21 > 0:34:22So, then we had to look abroad,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26because we just have to get the best rush possible for our customers.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28'But now, with the health of the river improving,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31'thanks to better farming practices,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35'the company can reap the benefits of the river once again.'
0:34:35 > 0:34:38So, if you take the sickle and you're aiming to get as close
0:34:38 > 0:34:42- to the river bed as possible, but not disturbing the roots.- Right.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43So, you make a clean cut.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48So, I'll just bring one of those rushes up to show you here.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Oh, yeah.- Nice, clean cut.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53And you can see how pithy - it stores
0:34:53 > 0:34:56a lot of water in there and it's lovely and soft. It's, like, spongy.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- So, perfect for weaving, then? - Yes, lovely.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03'The natural flow of the river lends a hand with the hard work.'
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Well, you take that and I'll take this.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Right, here we go. And as far down as possible?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Yes, as close to the river bed as possible.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25- You don't wear waders, do you?- No!
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- Why not?- I don't get cold at all.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31I find the temperature lovely, actually, and refreshing,
0:35:31 > 0:35:32especially if the sun is out.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Well, my legs feel cold, inside the waders!
0:35:36 > 0:35:40'Anna's plans to harvest came along at just the right time,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42'as this stretch of river was causing concern
0:35:42 > 0:35:44'for the Environment Agency.'
0:35:44 > 0:35:47It's a lovely, sustainable way of harvesting,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50and it maintains the river in a sustainable way as well,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53which is one of the key points for the Environment Agency.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57This particular stretch of river is quite narrow and it's very shallow
0:35:57 > 0:36:01in parts, so it's always been very difficult for them to manage.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05It was really choked with the rush and with weed, and also, you have a
0:36:05 > 0:36:09lot of debris coming downstream into a very narrow and shallow channel.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Anna, other people will be very grateful as well, I mean,
0:36:12 > 0:36:14the kayakers use this river a lot, don't they?
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Well, yes, and a few completely got stuck,
0:36:16 > 0:36:18and it becomes a danger, because as you see,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21even from the central channel, the rushes are in the middle,
0:36:21 > 0:36:26and if you get caught up, it can cause the kayak to overturn.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33'With the morning's work completed, the rushes are taken downstream.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43'Before arriving at a converted malt house
0:36:43 > 0:36:45'on the edge of Oulton Broad.'
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Here, the warm conditions and the cooling breezes make summer
0:36:51 > 0:36:55the perfect time of year for preparing the rushes for weaving.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00They are left out to dry and turned every day.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05The vivid green changing to reveal different tones of beige and honey.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13'Between them, the craftswomen here
0:37:13 > 0:37:16'have more than 100 years of weaving experience,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20'and the technique hasn't changed in living memory.'
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Millie, this is like stepping back in time, isn't it?
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Yes, it is.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28'Millie Baxter is the workshop manager and today she is
0:37:28 > 0:37:31'weaving with Dutch rushes until the local ones are ready.'
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Once the rushes are collected, what happens then?
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Firstly, they've dried for storage,
0:37:37 > 0:37:42then we re-wet them and put them through the mangle
0:37:42 > 0:37:43to get the excess water out of them.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46So, they are softened up, basically...
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- Yes, yes, they are.- ..before you start weaving?- They are, yes.
0:37:49 > 0:37:50And what are you doing here?
0:37:50 > 0:37:53This is nine-ply, which is used for the carpets.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55And why is it called nine-ply?
0:37:55 > 0:37:57- You have nine ends...- Uh-huh.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02..and you're just braiding them into three-inch strips, and then
0:38:02 > 0:38:06three-inch strips will be cut off at the end and they will be sewn up.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10- Sewn together, to make a big carpet. - To make a big carpet, yes.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13'The carpets furnish some of the most notable properties in the land,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17'from Hampton Court Palace to even the Tower of London.'
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- I've got my gloves on.- Right. Here we go, then.- Yeah. Goodness me!
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- What a responsibility. So, how do I start?- You bring that one forward.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Yeah, and over?
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Push the one back, yes, and then, the next one forward,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33- that's correct, lovely.- Like that. - And the next one back.- And back.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35All back and forth, isn't it?
0:38:35 > 0:38:38- And then you bring the other one through. Unless...- Which one?
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- Unless you've lost it! - THEY LAUGH
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Where is it? Oh, I'm getting in a heck of a mess here!
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Fantastic.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58ELLIE: 'Our rivers are generous,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01'providing gifts like the bulrushes John harvested.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04'But it's what lives amongst these plants that Anita went
0:39:04 > 0:39:07'looking for on the River Wey in Surrey last year.'
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Golden in colour, lighter than a penny,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18the little harvest mouse will tell us big things about our environment.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I just have to find one, now!
0:39:22 > 0:39:25'Here, beside the River Wey, the Surrey Wildlife Trust is working
0:39:25 > 0:39:28'with local volunteers in a pioneering study that is
0:39:28 > 0:39:33'looking for genetic links between harvest mice populations.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36'Jim Jones from the trust is leading the project.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39'We are looking for disused harvest mice nests,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41'the best proof that mice are around.'
0:39:43 > 0:39:47- If we come down here...- How do we know...- What you're looking for...
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Does it have a little red door? THEY LAUGH
0:39:49 > 0:39:52It doesn't have a little red door, but what you'll find is,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54it's a tennis ball sized nest,
0:39:54 > 0:39:58commonly in what we call the stalk zone.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03If it's there, your eyes will see it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Anything there?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Patience is the key with this one.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- Ah-ha!- Have you got something? - Anita, I've got one over here.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21It's a bit old, but nevertheless, we can really see it.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23- Oh, look at that! - Isn't that wonderful?
0:40:23 > 0:40:27- That's fantastic. - So, this is a harvest mouse nest.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30You can just see, actually, there is a front door...
0:40:30 > 0:40:33It's not usually like that, and it's not red, or...
0:40:33 > 0:40:35It's not red, but there is a little space.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38There is a little space for the animal to get in.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42'Fur samples are sent for DNA analysis.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45'The results are helping build a picture of genetic
0:40:45 > 0:40:48'similarities between spread-out populations,
0:40:48 > 0:40:52'and this matters because closely related populations show that
0:40:52 > 0:40:55'important wildlife corridors are doing their job.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57'To collect fur samples,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01'Jim's team have placed live traps at various points along the river.'
0:41:05 > 0:41:08So, it's up high - I was expecting to see it on the ground.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Well, what we have here is, we've got a trapping station,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16we've got two traps, so there's one on the floor and one on the post.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19So, what we normally do first is we just check if the trap
0:41:19 > 0:41:22is open or closed, so you can just look in there,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25and if the door is down, that means that you've got an animal inside.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- No, it's open.- If you want to have a look at that bottom one?
0:41:28 > 0:41:29The door is down!
0:41:29 > 0:41:31So you can just pick it up and we can take it back
0:41:31 > 0:41:34to the processing station, because it's so wet out here,
0:41:34 > 0:41:39we need to get all the traps right back to the processing station.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41What's in there? That's the question!
0:41:42 > 0:41:45So, this is live trapping, using Longworth traps.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48This doesn't hurt the mammal at all inside.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51It's important to have this bedding in there... Aah!
0:41:51 > 0:41:53- And you can just see...- Ohh!
0:41:53 > 0:41:57So, you can see this animal has got a very whiffly nose -
0:41:57 > 0:42:01we like to call it whiffly, anyway. So this is a shrew.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05This is an insectivore, and he's absolutely beautiful.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09Very common for this part... for this kind of wetland habitat.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12What we are going to do now is, we're going to weigh him.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Can you just read off the number there? If you just let him go.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- 19.- Yep? 19, fantastic.- Yeah.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22So, then, I hand it over to Lucy, who is going to go and release that.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24- Right, thank you, Lucy. - And we'll process the next one.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34'The rain hasn't dampened the spirits
0:42:34 > 0:42:35'of these two young volunteers.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38'They've just caught another river bank resident.'
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- So, what did you find in your trap? - A wood mouse.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44- Shall we have a good look? There we go.- Isn't that fantastic?
0:42:44 > 0:42:45Isn't he fantastic?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47So, you can really tell that this is different from the shrew -
0:42:47 > 0:42:50look at those massive great ears.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52We need to release the mouse as quickly as possible,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54so we'll process it, get it out.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57The welfare of the animal is really important to us.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02'The creatures found today all offer valuable data,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05'but it is the elusive harvest mouse that's key to the study.'
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Should we be worried that we didn't find any harvest mice?
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I don't think we should be worried this time.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14We've monitored this site before,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17we know there are good harvest mice populations on the site.
0:43:17 > 0:43:22What could be happening is that populations this time may not
0:43:22 > 0:43:24have established over winter.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28A big die-off over winter, difficult to come back this year.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32But next year, we'll have harvest mice coming in to this site,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34and we'll have a new site re-established.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37'I'm leaving Jim and his team now
0:43:37 > 0:43:39'to head to the British Wildlife Centre,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42'where there is a special harvest mice breeding programme.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45'The centre's Matt Binstead will tell me more.'
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Matt, it's absolutely adorable. Is it a he or a she?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51This one's a little male.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54He's one that we use for photographic sessions and things,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56so he's perfectly used to being out in front of a camera.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I wasn't expecting the tail to be quite so elaborate,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- and the feet look quite big as well. - They really are amazing animals.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04For such a small size,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06there is so much adaptation packed into this one.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09So, the tail you mention there is prehensile,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11so they can use that tail almost like a fifth limb,
0:44:11 > 0:44:14to help anchor themselves as they climb through the barley,
0:44:14 > 0:44:16such as he is here, and those hind feet,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19the thumbs and toes of his hind feet are opposable, so just like we
0:44:19 > 0:44:22would use our thumbs to grip onto things, they can use that as well.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26- Why breed them?- Well, they are very important for biodiversity.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29We have a 26-acre nature reserve here, that we created from
0:44:29 > 0:44:33redundant farmland, and so we breed over 200 of these mice every
0:44:33 > 0:44:37year, release them out there, and they are a good indicator species.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Why should we care about the harvest mouse?
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Well, because they are lovely, they are lovely little things.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46We find here, even with people that have a slight fear of mice,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48they still fall in love with the harvest mouse,
0:44:48 > 0:44:52because it's smaller, it's arguably cuter, softer features,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55nicer colour, and so, it's lovely to be able to do something
0:44:55 > 0:44:57with them and put them back.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01An incredible little creature, isn't it?
0:45:01 > 0:45:06And this one's so cute! And I just think it's wonderful that they're
0:45:06 > 0:45:08part of our Great British countryside.
0:45:10 > 0:45:11Hello!
0:45:20 > 0:45:24It's not just the animals on the river bank that tell a tale.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27There are many wonders beneath the waters, too.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33As I found out last year, when I took part in a spring tradition
0:45:33 > 0:45:36here on the Severn that's rarely seen outside the south-west.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Elvermen, netting one of the oldest species on Earth -
0:45:44 > 0:45:47elvers, or baby eels.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51It's the height of the elvering season.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56Eel larvae drift 3,000 miles from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda
0:45:56 > 0:45:59to grow up in these waters.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01But the eel is critically endangered.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Only 1% survive the long journey.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09'Here on the River Severn, they're getting a helping hand.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12'Elvermen, the fisheries and conservationists
0:46:12 > 0:46:14'are all working together to net them safely
0:46:14 > 0:46:17'and carry them over man-made obstacles.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22'Bill Burley from the Environment Agency patrols the river bank
0:46:22 > 0:46:24'to make sure everything's above board
0:46:24 > 0:46:27'to keep both the elvers and elvering alive.'
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Tell me about the nets. They're quite traditional, aren't they?
0:46:30 > 0:46:32They are traditional, and they're called dip nets,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34elver dip nets or box nets.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36They're made of an aluminium frame nowadays, but years ago,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39they'd have been made of timber, wicker.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41- In those days, they were catching them for food.- Yeah.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44Nowadays, they're going for restocking, and we need them alive
0:46:44 > 0:46:46and in top condition.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48The River Severn's becoming the model for Europe
0:46:48 > 0:46:51on how to catch elvers in this condition.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54And the elvers from the Severn will all go for restocking.
0:46:54 > 0:46:55Some will go to fish farms.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58Most will go either into the UK or the rest of Europe.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01They've got to be absolutely pristine elvers for that.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04So, it's a nice, high tide tonight. Are we going to get many people out?
0:47:04 > 0:47:07- Oh, it's going to be a good tide tonight.- I'm excited to be out!
0:47:07 > 0:47:10It's the first time for me. I'm a local girl, but I've never seen it!
0:47:10 > 0:47:12BILL CHUCKLES
0:47:14 > 0:47:18It's amazing, it's like a secret world underneath these road bridges.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22People drive past, they've got no idea that all this is going on.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27'The elvers linger on the river bed and under the cloak of darkness
0:47:27 > 0:47:32'ride the high tide to make a move upriver...
0:47:32 > 0:47:35'where they'll end their 3,000-mile journey.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38'After a night's netting,
0:47:38 > 0:47:41'the elvers are then sold to Peter Wood at the local eel station.'
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Wow! So small, and yet they've come so far!
0:47:48 > 0:47:53In terms of their size to our size, it's really like us trying to walk
0:47:53 > 0:47:56to the Moon. It's a very, very long way.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00'40% of Peter's eels are sold on for agriculture,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03'but the rest go into restocking rivers all over Europe.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08'And he provides many free of charge to help restock local rivers.
0:48:08 > 0:48:13'I'll be finding a new home for these youngsters later on.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15'But before I release them,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18'I'm taking a look at the work of the Sustainable Eel Group.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22'They've built 600 eel passes,
0:48:22 > 0:48:26'which help eels swim upstream and over man-made barriers.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30'Andrew Carr is the chairman.'
0:48:30 > 0:48:35Well, what you've got here is a stainless-steel tray,
0:48:35 > 0:48:40and in the main channel you've got lots and lots of baffles,
0:48:40 > 0:48:46and these create the effect of a slow current and a fast current.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50And then here, on the right-hand side, you have got two sets of
0:48:50 > 0:48:53ceramic tiles in a vertical channel,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56so the river can go up and the river can go down.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58The studs act as a lever for
0:48:58 > 0:49:03the eels to crawl through as they head upriver.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10'We're putting our young eels back upstream of any man-made
0:49:10 > 0:49:13'barriers to give them a fighting chance.'
0:49:13 > 0:49:16- It's a good spot. - This is ideal, yeah, absolutely.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17What makes it so good?
0:49:17 > 0:49:22Well, this is the perfect habitat. We call it nursery habitat,
0:49:22 > 0:49:26because when they're in the river, there's a shortage of food.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Here, it's full of the little insects and
0:49:29 > 0:49:32all the other detritus that they want to eat.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36Their chances of surviving here are so much greater than only
0:49:36 > 0:49:39a few hundred yards into the River Severn.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- All looking super-ready to go. - Let me take that.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46- Some going already!- Yeah. - Right, are we ready for this?
0:49:46 > 0:49:47Off you go.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51Brilliant! Look at them go.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53'All these years of living in Gloucestershire - I'm
0:49:53 > 0:49:57'so happy to have finally seen this centuries-old spectacle and
0:49:57 > 0:50:01'how today it's offering these extraordinary animals a future.'
0:50:07 > 0:50:10In a moment, I'll be taking to the Severn again,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12but this time in a very special canoe.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15But first, will it be perfect weather for messing about on
0:50:15 > 0:50:18the river or nice weather for ducks?
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Time to find out with the Countryfile forecast for this week.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19ELLIE: As I've been finding out, every river tells a tale.
0:51:19 > 0:51:25They carve up the country, providing sustenance, livelihoods,
0:51:25 > 0:51:29homes for wildlife and an escape for us...
0:51:29 > 0:51:33because where you find rivers you'll find people enjoying them.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38'And these two are no exception.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42'Meet Tim Jeffree and fiancee Kathryn Skipp,
0:51:42 > 0:51:46'both of whom are new to all things canoe.'
0:51:47 > 0:51:51- Hi, there! Tim and Kathryn, how are you? And who's this?- This is Daisy.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Hello, Daisy! Hello!
0:51:54 > 0:51:57- What a beautiful boat! - Well, we made it, actually.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59That's absolutely fantastic.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01And this is our first attempt at building a boat.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03What made you decide to do this?
0:52:03 > 0:52:05It started on a weekend away in Hay-on-Wye.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09We were strolling along the river bank in beautiful sunshine
0:52:09 > 0:52:11with lots of people canoeing past us,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and we decided that we'd like to do the same thing. And Tim said,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16"I've always wanted to make a boat, so let's make one."
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Why go for the easy option of buying one?
0:52:18 > 0:52:21- Absolutely! - Anyone can do that.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25'But only someone with 28 years on the clock as
0:52:25 > 0:52:29'a carpenter can entertain making a Canadian canoe from scratch.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34'Tim's award-winning carpentry skills are usually put to work in
0:52:34 > 0:52:36'churches around the country.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38'But since September,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41'he's squeezed canoe-building into every spare moment.'
0:52:42 > 0:52:43It was quite challenging.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46The actual way of building it up was quite different to anything
0:52:46 > 0:52:49we've ever done before.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54Because you build it upside down on a mould, until you take it
0:52:54 > 0:52:57off the mould, you just don't know what you're going to get.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05It's got a special place in our hearts.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10This is something different.
0:53:14 > 0:53:20'She's a 17-foot labour of love, but I'm curious about the name.'
0:53:20 > 0:53:22How do I pronounce this? Phil...
0:53:22 > 0:53:24- "phil-OR-ee-oh". - Phil-OR-ee-oh!
0:53:24 > 0:53:27- What does that mean?- It means... Erm... What's it mean?
0:53:27 > 0:53:28THEY LAUGH
0:53:28 > 0:53:31The "philo" bit is Greek for "the love of" and "rio" is Spanish for
0:53:31 > 0:53:34"river". So all together it's "the love of the river".
0:53:34 > 0:53:36That's a very beautiful sentiment.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42'And it's their love of rivers that inspired Tim and Kathryn to
0:53:42 > 0:53:44'sign up for an epic challenge,
0:53:44 > 0:53:48'canoeing 100 miles for a local cancer charity on the
0:53:48 > 0:53:49'neighbouring River Wye.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54'But the Severn is their training ground.'
0:53:54 > 0:53:57We intend to paddle that over a course of five days,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00taking all our camping equipment with us and
0:54:00 > 0:54:05a dog and doing roughly 20 miles a day, then pitching the tent
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and repeating until we get to the end.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12I know that when we paddle down the River Wye, people will go,
0:54:12 > 0:54:14"Wow, that boat is different."
0:54:14 > 0:54:17So, how many times has she gone out on the water?
0:54:17 > 0:54:20- Erm, this is the second! - TIM LAUGHS
0:54:20 > 0:54:24- This is the second time?!- Yes! - THEY LAUGH
0:54:24 > 0:54:26'So they'd better make today's trip count.'
0:54:27 > 0:54:30So, how much training have you done?
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Erm, you're witnessing most of it today.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42It feels incredibly smooth.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44I think you're ready for your five-day challenge.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Well, I think Philorio's ready. I'm not sure that we are!
0:54:47 > 0:54:50I think we might need to put some more work in.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54'It's incredible that after a riverside walk,
0:54:54 > 0:54:58'Tim and Kathryn chose to embark on such an adventure.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02'It just goes to show how inspirational our rivers can be.'
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Well, this is bliss. And that is it
0:55:10 > 0:55:12from me on the River Severn.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Next week, Matt and I will be in Suffolk hearing about
0:55:15 > 0:55:17a brand-new nature reserve
0:55:17 > 0:55:19to bring back wildlife to the Broads.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Hope to see you then. Bye-bye.