0:00:27 > 0:00:29Animals are a big part of our lives.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Whether at play...
0:00:34 > 0:00:35..or at work.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41They are our companions and co-workers.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43And we both reap the benefits.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46In this programme, I'll be looking at the way animals,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50large and small - very small - work alongside us.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53From the people keeping alive past traditions to the new ways we're
0:00:53 > 0:00:57using animals to manage the landscape. And even teach our kids.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01We started domesticating animals thousands of years ago,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and even today, in a world of hi-tech farming,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07they're helping us to work the land and protect the countryside.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14I'm headed for South Wales to learn more about the bonds we form.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Meeting a man who's made it his life mission to work in harmony
0:01:17 > 0:01:20with our wild, and not so wild, friends.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And I'll be looking back through the archives of some of the working
0:01:23 > 0:01:25animals we've featured before.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Like the time Anita met the rescue dogs being taught new tricks
0:01:30 > 0:01:33to help protect wildlife.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- She's found it.- Yeah.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40- That's her indication.- Look at that wagging tail. You are a genius.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43A little genius. Yes, you are.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47And when Adam stepped back in time to help restore a special landscape.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49The lake would have been dug out by hand.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And the spoil carted with horse and cart.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56There was no other way of doing it. The JCB came a long while after.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57ADAM LAUGHS
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And also the time Ellie got her hands dirty,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03meeting some of the hardest working creatures of all.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Worms, they do a lot for the planet.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10If you love the planet, you've got to love these guys.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23High on a sunlit hillside in Carmarthenshire, I'm meeting
0:02:23 > 0:02:27one of the world's greatest experts on birds of prey.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Dr Nick Fox.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35With your elbow, drop your elbow in nearer your body.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37OK, and then float it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It's only a little bit that's fallen out.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Nick's been involved in birds of prey all his life and was awarded
0:02:48 > 0:02:53the OBE for services to falconry, and to the conservation of raptors.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55A passion he combines with a love of horses.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Say I want to ride this horse fast,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I've got to be able to hold this hawk really smoothly.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- The aim of the game is to keep the cup very still...- Yeah.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Clench your fist.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Even the falcon, if you watch a kestrel hovering,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15the body moves, but the head's still.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Jimmy, let's see how you're doing. How are you?
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Do you want to take the...?
0:03:22 > 0:03:23You've done really well there, half a cup.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Not too bad, I've got a bit of a wet knee.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30I can see a few dribbles down your leg. That's the water.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33That looked really hard, didn't it? Does Nick make it easy?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Yeah, he does, yes. Unfortunately he does make it look very easy indeed.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- What do you think Nick will give you, a B+? C-?- I don't know.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Probably less. - THEY LAUGH
0:03:41 > 0:03:43In all honesty.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- I'll have a word with him. - No problem.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Part of Nick's skill is employing different methods for
0:03:49 > 0:03:51training different types of working animal.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54And these two are poles apart.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The horse is a herd animal, while the falcon works alone.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Only herd animals can understand the punishment.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Dominance hierarchies are a herd thing, a group thing.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07This is a solitary predator.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10If I tried to punish her, she'd just clear off,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14she'd think that was an attack. So I can't do that.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And it was a training for a knight in the old days,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22the falcon wouldn't obey him, he can only ask her to do things.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24He can't force her to do things.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28So you have to control your temper and train something without
0:04:28 > 0:04:29any punishment.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Can you imagine training your children without being able
0:04:32 > 0:04:35to growl at them and say, "No!" No, you can't do that,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37you can only go through rewards.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Gosh, my kids would not respond to that, that method, I have to say.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- OK, we better let you get on with your work.- OK.- Off you go.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52From horses and falcons, to man's best friend.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Dogs can make great working companions,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and, as Anita found out, even become wildlife heroes.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Don't be fooled by these cute pooch-like faces. This is not an
0:05:03 > 0:05:08ordinary team of dogs, this crack team of canines are sniffer dogs.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Their noses are trained to sniff out everything from drugs to
0:05:11 > 0:05:14explosives, and that's just the start of it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25These dogs do more than just police work, they sniff out wildlife, too.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Everything from bats to pine martens and newts.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32With building projects encroaching on the countryside, it's more
0:05:32 > 0:05:37important than ever to detect and protect vulnerable species.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Good dogs. Well done.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Professional dog handler Aaron Klein trains these remarkable dogs.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Hi, Aaron.- Hi, Anita. - Who are these two?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49This is Phoebe, and this is Bryn.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51What is it about dogs that makes them
0:05:51 > 0:05:54so good at being able to sniff out wildlife?
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Well, first of all, it's their nose.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I mean, dogs have got millions and millions of scent receptors,
0:05:58 > 0:05:59and also their drive.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Working dogs, especially labradors, spaniels, cocker spaniels,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05their drive is incredible. And they love to please people.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- Do you breed them specially here? - No, we try and rescue all our dogs,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12so we either go to rescue centres or we go to pet homes that are
0:06:12 > 0:06:15looking to re-home their dog, because there's plenty of dogs
0:06:15 > 0:06:18in the UK already, we don't need to breed, we don't need puppies.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20We might as well give a dog a second chance.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23So, is this pretty much the last chance saloon for these dogs?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25For some of these dogs, yes, there have been dogs that are ready to be
0:06:25 > 0:06:28put to sleep, and we've said, "No, we'll take that dog on,
0:06:28 > 0:06:29"we'll train it up."
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- OK, let's go.- Lead the way. - Come on, guys.- Wow. Good jumping.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- So, who is this, Aaron?- This is Ned, and he is our bat detection dog.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Why would you need a bat detection dog?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Well, it's to do with wind turbines.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53So, obviously more wind turbines are going up,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and there needs to be a method to detect the mortality rate of
0:06:56 > 0:06:58bats being struck by the turbines.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02There is human methods, and it's just people walking through a field,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04looking for a bat that is literally that big.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06But we found out that dogs can be way more effective.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Right, then, Aaron, how do you go about training Ned to detect bats?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Well, it all starts with a tennis ball. So, what we do is,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18we start to hide the tennis ball and get Ned to search for the ball.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Then once we're happy he's doing that,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23we then put the ball with the bat.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25And every time he finds the ball, he smells this bat.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And then all we do is, we then take the ball away, and then once he gets
0:07:28 > 0:07:30to the smell of the bat, he's like,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32"All right, I usually have my ball here."
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And then that's when you throw the ball in.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37So it's all about association for the ball with the smell.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42So this is what we are looking for, and it's as small as that.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Time for Ned to follow his nose.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49Earlier on, a bat was hidden somewhere in this five-acre field.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Now it's his job to find it and point out its location to Aaron.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Good lad, Ned.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Good boy.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Good lad. Find it. Good boy, Ned.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Good boy.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Is that it?
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- I think he might have got it. - Do you think?
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Where is it, bud?
0:08:19 > 0:08:20- Has he found it?- I think he has.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23He's giving me his indication to tell his dad that he's found it.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28So what he'll do now is, I'll click him, and he gets his reward.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- And that's it, he's happy now. - He just wants his tennis ball.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32That's right, that's all it's about.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Isn't that incredible, man's best friend and this
0:08:34 > 0:08:36amazing sense that means,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39in this huge field, he's managed to find that tiny little dead bat?
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Exactly. And to you and me, it just looks like a tiny leaf.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45You know, you'd never spot that. But Ned, there's no fooling him.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54These clever canines don't draw the line at dead bats,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57they're trained to sniff out and search for other rare creatures,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02like pine martens and dormice, even great crested newts.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05These creatures are fairly widespread in the UK,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08but their habitat is under threat,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10so knowing where they are is helping conserve them.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- OK, so here we have a newt, and we have another dog.- Yes. This is Kim.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18She is still in training currently.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Because we have to think about the newts as well,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- it has to be kept in a jar.- OK. Shall we test it?- Yes, let's do it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- I'll go off and hide, and you can put it out for me.- OK, off you go.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Fantastic. Come on, Kimmy, let's go. Come on, sweetie. This way, Kim.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Come on. Kim, this way.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Now, I can hide this anywhere in this field.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I'm going to put it somewhere in the logs.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Let's see if I can really test Kim the dog.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51And don't worry, it's OK for me to handle these animals.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53There you go.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55How about that?
0:09:58 > 0:10:03- OK, Aaron and Kim, I'm ready. - Let's go. Good girl.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06This way, sweetie. Through you go.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Good girl, Kim. Kim. Are you ready?
0:10:10 > 0:10:15Ready for it. Go find the newts.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Fetch!
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Good girl, Kim.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Skills like Kim's are in demand.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Any new building project is obliged by law to seek out
0:10:31 > 0:10:36great crested newts on site, and if necessary, relocate them to safety.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Good girl, Kim. Good girl.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Good girl, Kim. Good girl.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- Oh, I think she's found it. - She's found it?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Yeah. That's her indication. - ANITA LAUGHS
0:10:51 > 0:10:56- Look at that wagging tail.- I'll just give her a reward. Good girl.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- Show me where, sweetie. Good girl. Well done, Kim.- Well done!
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Let me just check.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06There we go. There's our newt.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Kimmy, you are a genius. A little genius.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Yes, you are. Yes, you are.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Good girl, sweetie.- My goodness me.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Their sense of smell, that you could train, it's fantastic.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Oh, I know. They are incredible. - So, what does the future hold?
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Well, in terms of conservation, this is just the beginning.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27You can teach a dog to detect anything.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So, the future looks bright.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40I'm in Carmarthenshire,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45where bird of prey expert Dr Nick Fox trains falcons.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46But he's not just flying them,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49he's supplying birds to enthusiasts around the world.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55And he's giving the natural process a major boost by breeding and
0:11:55 > 0:11:57rearing these little cuties.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Well, more like ugly duckling at the moment,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03but believe me, when they grow up, they turn into stunners. Don't you?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Falcon chicks can fetch £10,000 on the black market.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12So these legally bred ones are helping curb demand for
0:12:12 > 0:12:14birds taken from the wild.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18It's hard to imagine that this will grow into
0:12:18 > 0:12:20a magnificent bird of prey.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But they do. How long does it take, and how old are the these ones?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26These ones are around about five, six days old.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Well, their feathers and wings have hardly developed.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30When will this one fledge?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34This one that will be fledging in about six weeks.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- Gosh, he's got a lot of growing to do, hasn't he?- Yes,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38they do grow quite quickly.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40Over in the nursery,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43it's feeding time and there's a tasty treat in store.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49This is... It looks like a sort of beef mince but very rich.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- What is it? - This is actually rat mince.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53HE LAUGHS You are joking!
0:12:53 > 0:12:54- No.- They eat rat's mince?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57And they've got a couple of things to go with it. What's that?
0:12:57 > 0:13:01We have a probiotic here and this one's a calcium supplement.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So sort of like yoghurt and a glass of milk.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Katie, this one is desperate to have some food. Can we give him some?
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Yeah, we can feed him.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I've got some rat's mince for you! Yes, I have.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13- So, you're Mum today.- I am, yes.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Oh, Mum's got a surprise for you...
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Ooh!
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- Bit overbalanced there.- Yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Calm down. Can I have a go?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Yeah, of course.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24So they just keep eating more and more of this
0:13:24 > 0:13:25until they're full or...?
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Well, they will keep screaming past the point that is really
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- good for them. - Yeah, so you have to monitor them.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34We have to limit, which is why we weigh them
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and keep a monitor of their weight.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39You must get to know them and their different characters.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Do you have names for them?
0:13:40 > 0:13:42We don't name them, just because we have too many,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46but we know exactly which chick comes from where.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50VOICEOVER: But Katie has a special relationship with this one's mum.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52I worked with her this year
0:13:52 > 0:13:58and built a sort of pair-bond with her, so she looks to me as her mate.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- Mm.- And so I can inseminate her and this little guy is the result.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03So you're sort of like the daddy.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Yes, I am the daddy for that one.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09These chicks have all been hatched from eggs that were removed from
0:14:09 > 0:14:12their mothers and then hand-reared, but that means some
0:14:12 > 0:14:16mother birds have to be taught how to be a good parent again.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18And it's all done with a dummy egg.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's called a born-again egg and we use it with inexperienced
0:14:23 > 0:14:25mothers who've never seen a chick before
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and we can put a chick in.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I'm not sure he will fit.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32But if I can just get a smaller one...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38So, this...
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- Oh!- ..will just sit over the top.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46This will go into the nest with inexperienced parents
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- so they can see him hatch out.- Yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And they think it's their baby.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Yeah, it makes the connection between egg and chick.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01If they actually see one hatch, then it makes the connection that this
0:15:01 > 0:15:04is why they've been incubating the eggs all along,
0:15:04 > 0:15:05this is what it's for.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And it looks like Balooka the saker falcon
0:15:10 > 0:15:12has bonded perfectly with her chick.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23We've been training falcons in the UK for about 3,000 years,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26but these guys, alpacas, are something of a newcomer,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and they're not just about soft woolly scarves and hats, as Ellie
0:15:30 > 0:15:33found out in the Leicestershire countryside the winter before last.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Beneath these wide-open skies and not too far from the M1,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43some colourful foreign visitors have found a new home,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47bringing the taste of South America to Leicestershire's rolling hills.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Oh-ho-ho! Hello.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I was working in industry and I was looking to do something different.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56We had the opportunity of some land
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- and I took the plunge and I bought three or four alpacas.- Right.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And then very quickly after that I ended up going from the four to
0:16:03 > 0:16:05about 55 in the space of about three months.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11And his flock continues to grow.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Chris now farms around 80 alpacas.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17As a bloodstock breeder,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21he's always aiming to improve the quality of his herd.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- This fleece is what it's all about, isn't it?- It is indeed.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Beautiful! I can have a little feel of that.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Soft, soft, soft, soft.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And there's a grading system, isn't there?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Yeah, they are graded, and they're graded one to five, and it's
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- a number of traits that are taken into account.- Mm.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40The staple length, the crimp here, going from end and to end like that,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43the uniformity of that length, and all of these things produce
0:16:43 > 0:16:46a very, very fine, very, very high quality product.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49They're pretty placid, aren't they? Are they quite easy to look after,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- would you say?- They're used to that hardy environment in the Andes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- Yeah.- So they're low-maintenance but, like all animals,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- it needs a lot of care.- Absolutely.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Alpaca fleece goes for more than eight times the price of sheep wool.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But Chris has discovered that their gentle nature has even more value
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- for those who really need it. - See the boys over there?
0:17:09 > 0:17:10- We're going to feed those first.- OK.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Pupils from Maplewell Hall special school visit the farm once
0:17:15 > 0:17:19a week to enjoy the therapeutic benefits that interacting
0:17:19 > 0:17:22with these placid, affectionate creatures can bring.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23Yeah!
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Mel Ison is the assistant headteacher.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32What are the different special needs of your pupils?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34We have a range of different needs.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Our children are classed as moderate learning difficulties.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Within that we have visual impairment, we have some physical,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45just general learning needs, to different behaviour needs, as well.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And what do they get out of coming to somewhere like this?
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It helps them to understand that they can look after somebody else.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55It helps to regulate their emotions, to talk and communicate
0:17:55 > 0:17:56using the animals.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It helps them just to talk about what is going on in their
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- minds and what they think about different things.- Yeah, yeah.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05And how about their behaviour once they get back to the classroom?
0:18:05 > 0:18:06How is that different?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08They're a lot more settled,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10they're a lot more engaged in what they're doing and that helps
0:18:10 > 0:18:13them back in the classroom to make progress, too.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- It's incredibly rewarding to see. - Yeah, definitely,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- and they really enjoy it and they come back buzzing.- Wonderful.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22So, yeah, it's really nice to see them and really proud of what
0:18:22 > 0:18:23they've done with the animals.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- Lovely.- Come on, then.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27There's another Ellie here today.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30She's 12 and has autism.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34I'm joining her in taking two alpacas called Seraphino and Michael
0:18:34 > 0:18:35for a walk.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38What are the different jobs that you've got to do?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Feeding them is the main one we do. - Yep.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Which is your favourite job?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Taking them for walks.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Is that nice? What about your least favourite?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Probably picking up the poo.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Poo-picking!
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Fair enough.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- And do you look forward to coming here?- Yeah.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- Is it the best part of your week? - Yeah.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Cos I get to miss lessons.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00THEY LAUGH
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Ellie's dad, Nigel, has seen a noticeable change in his
0:19:05 > 0:19:09daughter's behaviour since she's started coming here.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12She's always much calmer when she gets home from this.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17And it's all about helping Ellie to cope with her anxieties, because she
0:19:17 > 0:19:24doesn't express nerves or fear or frustration the same way that we do.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Why is it that looking after alpacas has had this effect on her,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30do you think?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33You do the right thing by the alpacas and they give the comfort
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and the relationship back.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39We have to work on trying to get Ellie to be able to cope with
0:19:39 > 0:19:42everyday life, and that's tough enough for all of us,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46let alone somebody with Ellie's challenges.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Hopefully, what she's doing here will help her to cope with that.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51Lovely, it's great to see.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Alpacas may be prized for their valuable fleeces but to Chris
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and the children of Maplewell Hall,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02the value of these animals is beyond price.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11We're taking a look at some of our working animals,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and the places they work can often be surprisingly grand...
0:20:16 > 0:20:19..as Adam found out when he visited the Capability Brown-designed
0:20:19 > 0:20:22gardens at Euston Hall in Suffolk last year.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Capability Brown was responsible for changing the landscape
0:20:30 > 0:20:32of 18th-century England.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36He moved hills, created lakes and shaped the countryside.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43He worked on some of the most famous estates in the country,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45such as Blenheim Palace
0:20:45 > 0:20:47and Stowe.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50He was highly sought after by the aristocracy.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54It's thought that Brown worked on more than 170 gardens
0:20:54 > 0:20:55across Britain.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59I'm at one of them, Euston Hall in Suffolk,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01discovering one of his remarkable landscapes.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06To celebrate the anniversary,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09these grounds are being transformed to their former glory
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and what's really exciting is that the heavy work is being
0:21:12 > 0:21:17carried out by a magnificent team of Suffolk Punch horses, just as
0:21:17 > 0:21:19they would've done 300 years ago.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21I can't wait to see them in action.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30There's only one man in this country that has the horsepower
0:21:30 > 0:21:31to take on such a task.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35I met Nigel Oakley earlier this year.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37He breeds Suffolk Punch horses
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and it's not often I meet anyone so passionate about a rare breed.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Nigel's picking me up in style
0:21:43 > 0:21:46to see these beasts of burden in action.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Hello there.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51- Hello, Nigel. - HE LAUGHS
0:21:51 > 0:21:53How are you?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- Good to see you.- Lovely, thanks. Lovely to see you.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I should be calling you sir, shouldn't I?
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Something very similar, though not spelt quite that way!
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- Can I jump on?- Yeah, please do.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- What a wonderful way to travel. - Lovely, isn't it?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11And to think we've got a Suffolk horse, category one of the
0:22:11 > 0:22:14rare breeds, pulling us along - it's a privilege for all of us.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15It really is.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23So, the lords and ladies would've been taken around estates,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25in fact this would have been their transport, wouldn't it?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Well, it would've been the only form of transport available
0:22:28 > 0:22:29in that time.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33You know, you're talking the 1700s - that's 300 years ago.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Horses were only really just coming into it, cos it'd have
0:22:35 > 0:22:37been oxen prior to that.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40But in your mind, the Suffolk is one of the best?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42The Suffolk is indeed the best, yeah.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44What we're here for today with the gardens,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46they would've been horsepower.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51The lakes would've been dug out by hand and the spoil carted
0:22:51 > 0:22:54with horse and cart, there was no other way of doing it.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56You know, the JCB came a long while after!
0:23:04 > 0:23:07To find out more about the restoration, I'm meeting with
0:23:07 > 0:23:10the Countess of Euston Hall, Lady Clare.
0:23:12 > 0:23:1630 years ago, Brown's original plans for the estate were uncovered,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20which means the grounds can now be renovated to his original design.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25How exciting was it when you found Capability Brown's drawing of
0:23:25 > 0:23:26- your estate?- It was so thrilling
0:23:26 > 0:23:29because the whole thing had been lost.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34The river had silted up, there was nothing to be seen of these
0:23:34 > 0:23:37glorious lakes and broad waters.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And now you've brought it all back to life.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Yes, in the last sort of two years it's been totally opened up again.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48We had to move 60,000 tonnes of smelly mud from the river -
0:23:48 > 0:23:5060,000 tonnes - which...
0:23:50 > 0:23:53That must have meant in the old days that would've been
0:23:53 > 0:23:55about 120,000 journeys.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Quite incredible, isn't it,
0:23:57 > 0:23:58when you think of the scale of it,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01how many horses must have been working on the place.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Just remarkable.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06- And today, you're celebrating the Suffolk Punch horse...- Yes.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08..but getting them to do some practical work
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- in the boggy areas, too.- It couldn't be better.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13They couldn't be better suited for parkland work.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15They've got fairly small feet,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and tractors make such a filthy mess.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Everything had gotten so overgrown.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23We had to cut down all the old trees and pull them out,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- and horses are far better than tractors for that.- Yeah.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30And I think they have got a great future in parkland restoration.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36These Suffolk Punches have such incredible power.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39They drag the logs to the edge of the woodland with ease,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43where they're then loaded onto a timber cart for transportation
0:24:43 > 0:24:44using an ingenious method.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48How do you think we would load this log on here
0:24:48 > 0:24:51without the aid of any mechanical means?
0:24:51 > 0:24:53So, we've got to get it up onto this beam.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Up onto here, without Paul Daniels or anybody else.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58ADAM LAUGHS
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I don't really know. I'm not sure.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I don't know how you're going to lift it off the ground.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Oh, I see, so they're using those
0:25:05 > 0:25:08logs as a bit of a ramp.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Yeah, and then the endless rope comes over to the wippletree.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14The wippletree's the spreader bar on the back of the horse
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- which keeps the chains from his hocks.- Yeah.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19The endless rope, we'll just twizzle it up.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21There we go. Wow, look at that.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- That's so clever, isn't it? - Isn't it?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Marvellous, really, when you consider - a very, very simple
0:25:31 > 0:25:35technique, and very little equipment to carry around with you.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36A rope doesn't weigh too much.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So, how many trunks would you get on here?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Well, with a single horse pulling it and in these wet conditions,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45where the ground's not that solid,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48probably five of those sort of diameter, length logs.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52And then you'd obviously take them to your depot, roll them off,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54and then come back for another load.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Incredible, the work of Capability Brown, but even more
0:26:02 > 0:26:05amazing, the men and the horsepower
0:26:05 > 0:26:08that created these beautiful views.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Without the horses and the men, it could never have happened.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12We have a job to imagine it now.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16We've had, I don't know, 10 or 12 horses here today, and this estate,
0:26:16 > 0:26:21even in the memory of Lady Clare, had 40 horses working here then.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23And that was the intersection between horsepower
0:26:23 > 0:26:24and mechanisation.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So, in the days of genuine horsepower,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- there must have been hundreds of them.- Yeah.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Well, it's been a real treat to see them all coming together.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Thank you for inviting me along. - Not at all. Thank you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It's been a spectacle for me, although I work with them every day.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39ADAM LAUGHS Thanks very much.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46At Dr Nick Fox's farm in South Wales, they're rearing
0:26:46 > 0:26:50falcon chicks to help meet the worldwide demand for birds of prey.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54But once they fledge, the falcons need lessons in how to hunt,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and Nick has an ingenious way to teach them.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08They're not just breeding birds here - they're building them.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Years of experiments and field trials have resulted in
0:27:11 > 0:27:15robotic birds that fly like the real thing and mimic live prey.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21This is an eerie place.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Scores of robobirds, like some invading force.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Factory manager Matt Aggett is going to show me how one goes together.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Well, Matt, this is a fascinating place, if a little spooky,
0:27:34 > 0:27:35I have to say.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- And you're the Victor Frankenstein putting it all together.- Yep.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- So, tell us what you do? - So, it's a little bit bizarre,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44but these are the key components of our rocrow.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Here, we have his body. And he's powered by this fan.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51This is an EDF, and this is a fan that blows air through the model,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and it's really important for this sort of design that we have
0:27:54 > 0:27:57something that a hawk couldn't reach.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59It's not a dangerous thing - it blows air through the middle.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01This is the other half of his body.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04We spin it round and we have his tail fin,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and this keeps the model straight to make sure it flies
0:28:07 > 0:28:08in a lovely straight line.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11That looks very creepy.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13It's like something out of Alfred Hitchcock's Birds film...
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- It's a bit strange in the eyes. - A modern-day version of it. It is, isn't it?
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- And it's a soft head as well, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22This is designed to take the impact of the falcon.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24It's also designed to take the impact from a pilot who makes
0:28:24 > 0:28:27a mistake, and puts it nose-first into the floor.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30But it's sacrificial. It's designed that, when it gets damaged,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33we can take it off, we can peel it away, glue a new one in there,
0:28:33 > 0:28:34and the falcon doesn't mind.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- And the falcon can get his talons right into that.- Absolutely.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- It's very satisfying to watch. - Yeah, yeah.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Here he is together with his wings and all body parts joined together.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- And I think that looks quite lifelike.- You fooled me.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48These birds don't just fly,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50they are packed with hi-tech kit -
0:28:50 > 0:28:53altimeters, GPS, even cameras.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56The starting price for a basic model is £400.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Now, Nick, I know you like birds,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02but this is taking it a bit too far, isn't it?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Well, we hunt crows for pest control,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08and I needed something,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11an artificial crow for training our falcons,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14one which I could fly under my control.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17This is a handmade prototype.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19The falcons have attacked it and wrecked it,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22and we've glued it back together.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25So, this is an old friend, actually.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Nick soon realised that these decoy birds could serve
0:29:30 > 0:29:32an important conservation role, too.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Falconers in the Middle East love to hunt houbara,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40a wild bird the size of a chicken.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43But they're endangered, so Nick invented the robara,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46a dummy bird they could hunt instead.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50We got a captive-bred adult male,
0:29:50 > 0:29:55anaesthetised him, laid him out on the lab table,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58photographed him, so we knew the exact shape,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02and we can print all the feather pattern.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Everything's exactly the same as the real bird, but half the weight.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10This was a prototype pheasant.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11Hand-painted.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13The finished one will all be printed.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16- You've even got feathers on the back.- We've got tail feathers
0:30:16 > 0:30:18on the back, and that really gets the hawks excited.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20That really turns them on.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23So, we can make the same model
0:30:23 > 0:30:25look totally different.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30But these are all being used for prey for falcons.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31On the other hand,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34we can equally turn the model into a falcon itself,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36this is a peregrine,
0:30:36 > 0:30:39and we can fly that,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43and pest birds like seagulls on airports
0:30:43 > 0:30:45think it's a falcon,
0:30:45 > 0:30:50and you can clear the airfield or landfill site with one of these,
0:30:50 > 0:30:54and if you use it in combination with your trained falcon,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57the birds don't habituate to it.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00If I was a little boy again and I had enough money,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03I think I would buy one, because they look like a lot of fun.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05You still are a little boy, it's all in the mind!
0:31:05 > 0:31:07SEAN LAUGHS
0:31:07 > 0:31:10And later, I'll be having a go at flying one of these
0:31:10 > 0:31:11little boys' toys,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15and seeing how it fares against a real-life falcon.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17It could be a one-sided battle.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Now, they may lack the majesty of falcons in flight,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29but bees are one of our most important working animals,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31and here at this school in North Wales,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33they're helping with lessons, too,
0:31:33 > 0:31:37as Matt found out when he paid a visit a couple of years back.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39- MATT: Morning, everyone.- Good morning.- How are we all doing?
0:31:39 > 0:31:41All right? Now, this is a good school uniform.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Goodness me, this is absolutely extraordinary.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48So, we're talking bees, here, Ian. Usually bees and children...
0:31:48 > 0:31:49They don't generally mix, do they?
0:31:49 > 0:31:52No. But it's such a great topic, because everything fits into
0:31:52 > 0:31:56the bee topic - literacy, numeracy, and not only that, it's a business.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59So, hopefully, the aim is to sell some of the honey in
0:31:59 > 0:32:03the Conwy Honey Fair, which is the oldest fair in Wales, I think.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Every penny made from selling their own hens' eggs last year
0:32:06 > 0:32:09has been spent on the bees.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12But it hasn't been plain sailing.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14We bought two nucleus,
0:32:14 > 0:32:16and then they started swarming as soon as we got them.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18When they started swarming, did you think,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20"This is such a bad idea to have them in a school."
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I did question the sanity of having bees on a school site, definitely, yeah.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Particularly when I came back from a course and the teaching assistant said
0:32:26 > 0:32:28"The sky went black and they all flew over the vale."
0:32:28 > 0:32:31And I thought, "Yeah, bad idea."
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Time to see what all the buzz is about,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36and help check on the hives.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38But do the children know their stuff?
0:32:39 > 0:32:41- Will we see if we can find the queen, then?- Yes.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43We'll remove this, then.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Now, who knows what the key to spotting the queen is?
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- What does she look like? Why is she different?- She has...
0:32:48 > 0:32:50She's bigger,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52and we've put a blue spot on her.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55These ones are workers,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57cos they're much smaller.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59And how are you all feeling at the moment, because these bees,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02they've flying around us quite closely, aren't they, now?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- And you can hear them. I mean, that wonderful buzz.- I'm fine with that.
0:33:05 > 0:33:06- You're happy with that, Yeah?- Yeah.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10I was terrified, then I just realised
0:33:10 > 0:33:12that they weren't going to hurt me
0:33:12 > 0:33:14unless I annoyed them or anything.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17And if we look after them, they'll give us honey in return.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19And they help the environment.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22I cannot believe how much you know in just a few months.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24And this must be really interesting for you, Ian,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26because you're discovering so much.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28- I mean, you're not a beekeeper, are you?- No, no, no.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29In the olden days,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32the teacher was the lead and everybody followed the lead.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- Now, it's more of a partnership.- Absolutely.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36We need to find the queen. Oh, there she is!
0:33:36 > 0:33:39That's so vibrant, that blue. It's a good job it's there, that spot.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Yeah.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44As these bees are all part of the school business,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47the children are going to have to learn how to harvest
0:33:47 > 0:33:49the honey for when the time comes.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Julian Thompson is a warden of a nearby nature reserve.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55He's going to show these budding beekeepers
0:33:55 > 0:33:57how he extracts his honey.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02We're going to take the caps off the honey.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04You slide it in like that.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Take a thin slither off the top.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Keep the lids off, there.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12We won't waste these cappings that we're taking off.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15A quick spin in the centrifuge.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17How are you feeling about the fact that next year
0:34:17 > 0:34:19you'll be doing this with your own honey?
0:34:19 > 0:34:21I'm very proud of the school,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23and all the bees have been working really hard.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Whilst the children weren't looking, I went back to the hives,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31and it turns out there was just enough honey for them to get a taste.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32This will be a surprise.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Right, listen up, everybody,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37because you're all focused on that honey, right, but the honey
0:34:37 > 0:34:41that we're going to be trying and tasting is actually your honey.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43GASPS
0:34:43 > 0:34:44OK?
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- What's your opinion? Is it good? Is it good?- Your face says it all!
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Oh, wow, got lots of honey there.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- Really nice.- Really nice, isn't it?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58- What does it taste like?- Jam.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Jam!
0:35:00 > 0:35:04I have tasted a lot of honey from lots of different producers
0:35:04 > 0:35:05all over Britain...
0:35:09 > 0:35:12..and that is one of the finest.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Beekeepers of the future. Here we go.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18The honey business will be great fun for the pupils,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and it's educational, too.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26A creative and tasty way of teaching the importance of the natural world.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33SEAN: Worker bees aren't the only creatures we can learn from.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37In spring, two years ago, Ellie was in Worcestershire meeting a man who
0:35:37 > 0:35:41is an expert in an everyday animal that does a very important job.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47The 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin is best known for his
0:35:47 > 0:35:50theory of revolution, as set out in his book
0:35:50 > 0:35:52On The Origin Of Species.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57But what is less well known is his deep admiration for
0:35:57 > 0:35:59the humble earthworm.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03"It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have
0:36:03 > 0:36:07"played so important a part in the history of the world as
0:36:07 > 0:36:10"these lowly, organised creatures."
0:36:11 > 0:36:15But Darwin isn't the only person to recognise the attributes of
0:36:15 > 0:36:17these humble invertebrates.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Ken Nelson is a farmer with a difference.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22He farms worms.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Ken farms on a two-acre site in Worcestershire,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34where he breeds worms for sale.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Supplying gardeners looking to improve the quality of their
0:36:37 > 0:36:41soil, and fishermen out for the catch of the day.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- Hello, Ken.- Hi.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46I think this must be the first worm farm I've ever been to.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- Well, it's your lucky day. - It is my lucky day.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51What was the appeal for you with worms?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54What made you think, "Yeah, they're going to be what I work with?"
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Well, worms, they do a lot for the planet.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59If you love the planet, you've got to love these guys.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05And they really do play an important role,
0:37:05 > 0:37:10breaking down dead organic matter in a process called decomposition.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The process releases nutrients from dead plants and animals,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16making them available for living plants.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Oh, it's completely different! Wow.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26These are what you would call the backbone of the planet.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Their function is to aerate the soil.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Keep the water from... The drainage and stuff like that within the soil.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35So all these tubs are full of worms, are they?
0:37:35 > 0:37:38They've got loads of worms in them. Quite a lot of worms.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41You've got hundreds of thousands here? It's hard to say, isn't it?
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Well, look, I could say you'd find ten or more thousand in a bin.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48And the great thing about farming worms is they don't need much
0:37:48 > 0:37:52- looking after.- Food waste.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53- In the top.- In the top.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58- And then the worms...- You just top that up with organic...?
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Waste, yes. Shredded food waste, veg waste and shredded paper.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04A bit of paper.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08The dead matter the worms eat passes through their systems and
0:38:08 > 0:38:10produces an amazing by-product.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13This, the good stuff.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16Worm cast, black gold, worm poo, whatever you want to call it.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20- And is it worm poo?- Well, yes, it is, because it comes from a worm.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22And this is really the good stuff for gardeners.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26Yeah, 100%, 100% organic.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29There's ways you can use it to make just fertiliser to put
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- over the plants.- If I was a gardener, I would be all over this.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35I've got terrible gardening fingers, unfortunately.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36Well, trial and error.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Maybe I need more of this, this is what I need in my life.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40There you go.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49The importance of worms can't be overstated in decomposition
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and the structure of our soils.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54It's unlikely they're going to become the nation's favourite
0:38:54 > 0:38:57pet any time soon, but really, we should cherish them and ask
0:38:57 > 0:38:59ourselves, where would we be without them?
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Now, it's hard to believe, but just a few years ago,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15this used to be a field full of cattle.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Now it's a stunning lake and home to wildlife, from beavers to
0:39:19 > 0:39:23water voles and greylag geese. What a picture!
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And for this year's photographic competition,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28we want you to heed your call of the wild and get snapping.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34It'll be down to you, the viewers, to pick your favourite.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Not only will the winner's picture take pride of place on the
0:39:37 > 0:39:40cover of our Countryfile Calendar for 2018,
0:39:40 > 0:39:45they'll also get a voucher for £1,000 of photography equipment.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47The judges will also choose their favourite photo,
0:39:47 > 0:39:53and that winner will receive a £500 voucher for photographic equipment.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55So, if you've got the focus to take great pictures worthy of
0:39:55 > 0:39:59exposure in our calendar, then why not enter our competition?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Please write your name, address and a daytime and evening phone
0:40:03 > 0:40:08number on the back of each photo, with a note of where it was taken.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Then send your entries to...
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Or you can enter digital images online via our website,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22where you'll also find full terms and conditions.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27The competition closes at midnight on July 21st.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35We've been looking at the role of working animals in our countryside.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38But some take a bit more handling than others,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41as Anita found out when she visited the Isle of Wight.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45They're fast, they're wild, it's going to take all of us to
0:40:45 > 0:40:51round them up, and they're very smelly. I am talking goats.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55There's been a herd of old English goats on the island since 1993.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58They were brought here from Devon to help deal with the spread of
0:40:58 > 0:41:01invasive holm oak trees.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05But oh, boy, could we have picked a better day!
0:41:05 > 0:41:08There's driving rain and thick mist,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10which is going to make the task all the harder.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14So, we're here to track these goats.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19We're on the steepest hill I've ever had to try and navigate,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21really, to try and find goats.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24And the goats, so far, are nowhere to be seen.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31There are between 30 to 40 goats and their kids somewhere out there,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33but there's more than 200 acres of gorse,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37bramble and dense woodland they could be hiding in.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40See here, there's one of their nests. That's their beds.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- How do you know?- They scrape the leaves off,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46and you've got this sort of slightly shiny bit of ground.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50- And a little bit of poo there as well.- Goat trekking.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55- Right, to find the elusive... - OK, on top, Robin, we'll carry on.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57- OVER RADIO:- Righto. Out.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01I'm stepping away from the round-up for
0:42:01 > 0:42:04a few minutes to find out precisely why these holm oaks
0:42:04 > 0:42:06are such a problem.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10So, Tony, the holm oak seems rather nice to me,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12being in this lovely shady forest.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13Yes, and that's what the Victorians thought.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17They filled their gardens up with them after they had been on
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Mediterranean holidays. And they spread like fury.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22They liked the chalk, they liked the climate.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26And so we ended up with all our lovely chalk grassland being
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- covered in this holm oak. - And why is that a problem?
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Because the grassland is very rich in lots of species,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Adonis blue butterflies, chalk hill blues, and floristically,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39these wonderful flowers. And it was disappearing.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44- And so that's why the goat cavalry have been brought in, is it?- It is.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45They actually eat the bark of the tree.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48And eventually, the smaller trees, they'll kill.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50So the goats are doing their job, it's working.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Is it bringing back the lovely chalk that you want to see?
0:42:53 > 0:42:54It's wonderful.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57You can look across the landscape, it's completely different.
0:42:57 > 0:42:58So it's working.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05This uneven ground might be easy climbing for goats, but the steep
0:43:05 > 0:43:09slopes and wet leaves are making it slightly harder for us humans.
0:43:13 > 0:43:18There they are. There they are, spotted. Fantastic. They exist.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23Push across towards Sean. On the far side. As quick as you can!
0:43:41 > 0:43:46Wow. Look at those fellas. Aren't they fantastic? Oh, yeah.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Pfff! They smell amazing.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59- This isn't the most glamorous task I've had to do.- It's quite tough.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Oh, that's horrible. There you go.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07Well, I've never cut any other creature's toenails before.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10A goat pedicure is a first.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15God, this one has got really long nails. Crikey.
0:44:18 > 0:44:2432 billies, nannies and kids have been trimmed, tagged and recorded.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28I'd say a successful day's wrangling.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31And this is it, the goats are about to be released for another year.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34Here they come.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44There they go. Taking that very distinct smell along with them.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Here at Dr Nick Fox's farm, they are using some industrious
0:44:58 > 0:45:01creatures to help maintain the landscape.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Three years ago, Nick set up the Bevis,
0:45:06 > 0:45:10a charity to promote his vision of farming and wildlife in harmony.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13They released three groups of captive bred beavers in
0:45:13 > 0:45:17fenced lakes, so they could study their long-term impact.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- That looks like something.- Yes, there's actually quite a few here.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- So we've got some footprints.- That's a big foot, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28That's the hind feet, and they're webbed.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31So you've got the pad and you've got the webbing.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Alicia Leow-Dyke is from Wales Wildlife Trust.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38- You look a bit further down, you see that hazel.- Oh, yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42So you can see they've taken out some of the main trunks for food and
0:45:42 > 0:45:46for construction, but they've left some of the smaller shoots.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48The perception is that you think, "Oh, beavers,
0:45:48 > 0:45:50"they'll just come and wipe out the whole forest."
0:45:50 > 0:45:53But what they've done is left many of these. Managing the forest.
0:45:53 > 0:45:54Yeah.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57VOICEOVER: If we take a closer look, we can really see the power
0:45:57 > 0:45:59of these creatures.
0:45:59 > 0:46:04So, the reason they coppice trees, the herbivores,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07they like the bark of the tree and the cambium layer behind the bark.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10That contains all the sugary goodness for the tree,
0:46:10 > 0:46:12and that's what the beavers are after.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14We can see the evidence of what they've been up to.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Here's some beaver chips, so they don't like the heartwood,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20they spit that out, it's got no nutritional value for the beaver.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24But each line is actually where they bit into the tree itself.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29- So here we have a beaver skull. - Look at the teeth on that!
0:46:29 > 0:46:30So you not only get...
0:46:30 > 0:46:34- You wouldn't want to get your finger stuck in there.- Definitely not.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38They have... It's really hard enamel on the outside, and soft inside.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41So as they chisel away at the tree,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43it keeps the incisors nice and sharp.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46So they basically lock on their top jaw, the top incisors.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Then using powerful muscles on the skull,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52bring up their bottom jaw and that provides the bite.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57And each line within the chip and on the trunk is one bite.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00So it's the bottom jaw, the bottom teeth, that really do the work?
0:47:00 > 0:47:01Yeah, definitely.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04It takes them a few days or a few weeks to fell a tree,
0:47:04 > 0:47:07but if they were to go at it constantly, a tree this size,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09they could fell it within half an hour.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11- Really?- Yeah.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Of course, beavers are best known for building dams,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17and this is where they're working to help manage the landscape.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Wow, this is quite a construction, it's a feat of engineering.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24What they would have done is,
0:47:24 > 0:47:28they would have felled a tree across a small stream and then woven
0:47:28 > 0:47:32branches and tree trunks into that, packed it with mud.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34They've braced it with other tree trunks,
0:47:34 > 0:47:35there will be stones in there as well.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38- They've thought about this, haven't they?- Yes, they have indeed.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40How long would it take them to build this?
0:47:40 > 0:47:41It can take them about two or three weeks.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43About two weeks to get the basic structure.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46And then they'll keep adding to it until they're happy.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49When you see how they've done this, you feel like they're at home here.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51- Are beavers at home in this country? - Yes, they are.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55They went extinct around the Middle Ages due to unsustainable hunting.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57But other than that,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00they are native and it's been shown in Britain and right across Europe
0:48:00 > 0:48:04that beavers can be reintroduced, and they are very much at home.
0:48:04 > 0:48:09But how can we use beavers to help maintain the environment around us?
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Where you have beavers, as we've seen, some of the evidence,
0:48:12 > 0:48:13they've coppiced some trees.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16That opens up the canopy, lets more sunlight come down to the
0:48:16 > 0:48:19ground, which lets the ground floor regenerate.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23That can benefit small mammals, invertebrates.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25So we can really learn from the beavers and use them as
0:48:25 > 0:48:27a management tool.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29The beavers are generally seen as a good thing,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31but they do need some management.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Just mind your step down here, Sean, it's a bit slippy.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38Just downstream, I'm meeting farm manager Drue Love-Jones.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43- Nice and sticky, the mud.- Yeah.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47I can see the beavers have been busy at work here. Eager beavers.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52- Blocking up this culvert.- This pond needs to flow through a culvert.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54But as you can see, the beavers have blocked the culvert.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- It's a real mess, isn't it? - It's a real mess.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- So, we need to clear this blockage. So, it's time to do some work.- OK.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02So, just getting this out of the way?
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- Yeah, just rake it out, chuck it up on the bank.- So this...
0:49:07 > 0:49:11..will get the water going through. But the beavers will be back.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14- The beavers will be back and have another go.- Yeah.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19- So this last bit, this should do it. There we are.- Well done, Sean.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22We could build a fence around the culvert,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25and on a bigger watercourse, yeah, we'd probably do that.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27But in this instance, it's only a 12-inch pipe,
0:49:27 > 0:49:30so we'll put this four-inch pipe down it. Feed it in.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32But don't let it go because it'll just vanish.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33THEY LAUGH
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Yes, it's quite a strong current, isn't it?
0:49:35 > 0:49:37And then that's about enough.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40Yeah. OK, now drop it in the water and let it fill up.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46And once it's filled, it will stay in a position itself.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48It's like there's a lot of misconceptions about beavers,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50and sort of scaremongering.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52And actually, you know quite a bit about them and how they live
0:49:52 > 0:49:56- and where they live.- I think there's a balance sheet with beavers.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59And in my opinion, beavers come out on the plus side.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01The good they do, like the floodwater empowerment.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04For instance, we've got a village just down the road.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06We'll be stopping a lot of water going down in flood conditions
0:50:06 > 0:50:10like this, when the village is down on the flood plain. So that's
0:50:10 > 0:50:13going to reduce the impact of the water going through the village.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15We've lived with beavers on the farm now for three years,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19and we've seen the fantastic work they do in habitat creation.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21They're not going to go off half a mile up a hill and start
0:50:21 > 0:50:24killing trees up there. They'll stay here. They like willows.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Willows are their preference.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29So, where the willows are, it's where the water is.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34We've seen them build caches of food and then, a few months later,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36there'll be a kingfisher sitting above that cache of food
0:50:36 > 0:50:39because it provides a matrix for all the little sticklebacks and
0:50:39 > 0:50:41things that the kingfishers feed on.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43We've seen dam chicks nesting in the lodges,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45we've seen moorhens nesting in the lodges.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48They're really creating a huge amount of habitat for other
0:50:48 > 0:50:49creatures.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52We're getting absolutely soaked here.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54Now, if you're heading out to the countryside this week,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56you'll want better weather than this.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Here's the Countryfile five-day weather forecast.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11My visit to Dr Nick Fox's farm in Carmarthenshire is about to
0:52:11 > 0:52:13reach its climax.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17A duel between robobirds, like the ones I saw in the factory, and
0:52:17 > 0:52:20a real-life falcon reared here on the farm.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25First, chief technician and expert Rocrow pilot Remy Van Wijk
0:52:25 > 0:52:27is going to give me a flying lesson.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30So, this is a yummy meal for a falcon.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34- Yes, they love it.- This one's had a bit of wear and tear, hasn't he?
0:52:34 > 0:52:36- Been caught by a few falcons. - Oh, yes, many times.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Let's put him aside, because we practised with this one.
0:52:39 > 0:52:40Because you've got dual control.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42It's a bit like me learning to drive,
0:52:42 > 0:52:45- but you've got controls just in case I go wrong.- It's exactly the same.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Yes, absolutely. I hit the switch, and then you're in control.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50And I can release it in case we are about to crash.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- Think like you're in the middle.- If I crash, can I blame it on the wind?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- Because it is quite blowy today, isn't it?- You can blame it on me.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58- Don't worry.- Should we get this thing up into the air, then?
0:52:58 > 0:52:59All right.
0:53:01 > 0:53:02MOTOR WHIRS
0:53:04 > 0:53:08- It really does look like a crow in the air, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09It's amazing.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12It's gone really high.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16At which point do you hand over the controls to me?
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Well, we are now about 50 metres high, so I will line it up,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23put it left, and there you go. Three, two, one.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- You're in control.- This is me?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27OK. I can feel that. I can feel that.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32- Oh.- Up, up, up, up, up, up.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35- Now to the right.- Right? - Have you got it?- Yeah.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36THEY LAUGH
0:53:38 > 0:53:42- There we go. I take over.- Was that the bit where you rescued me?
0:53:42 > 0:53:43I've almost got it,
0:53:43 > 0:53:47but Remy's a real expert and can even manage a precision landing.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49You could literally catch the thing.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54REMY LAUGHS But you dropped it.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58These models are sold around the world to replace live prey in
0:53:58 > 0:54:00falconry competitions.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04Remy's job is to outfly the real falcon, flown by Nick.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09So it's Team Remy versus Team Nick. I think I know who's going to win.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Yeah, I think so, too.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- Ready?- Yeah.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20MOTOR WHIRS
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Oh!
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Doing all right. You're evading her. She's closing in now.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35I think your time is up.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Absolutely gruesome.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Round one over, and we're ready to launch again.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56This cat and mouse chase is exhausting for the falcons.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00So each one can only do two or three flights.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03But they seem to be winning.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05She's trying to cut me in the corner.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Oh, she's getting close now.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Ruthless.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13You can see, they just take over control now and they just
0:55:13 > 0:55:17land safely. So she's trying to look for a landing spot right now.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20- That was absolutely awesome, wasn't it?- Yes, it's good, it's good fun.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Well, these guys deserve a breather, particularly that falcon,
0:55:24 > 0:55:29after all that exercise. And it's time for us to call it a day, too.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Next week, we're in Worcestershire,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35where elderflower champagne corks are popping for Ellie.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Oh, I love elderflower.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43Oh! That's lovely. I could drink that for a whole picnic.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46And Matt's being led a merry dance by some curious pigs.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50The reason I am in here about to get covered in mud is because
0:55:50 > 0:55:52I'm going to bring you the curly tail of these little pigs
0:55:52 > 0:55:55that could have come straight out of the Ambridge archives.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57I should have worn wellies.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01But until then, from the hills of south-west Wales, hwyl fawr.
0:56:01 > 0:56:02Goodbye.