:00:28. > :00:33.Hello and a very warm welcome to Landward, your essential guide on
:00:33. > :00:36.what's happening in the Scottish countryside. In a moment, I'll be
:00:36. > :00:42.joining a research project looking at behaviour of ravens. Here's
:00:42. > :00:47.what's coming up. The photo of dolphins that scooped an
:00:47. > :00:51.international award. I moved up to the North East coast, saw the
:00:51. > :00:54.dolphins and fell in love right away. I went off on a dolphin
:00:54. > :00:58.journey which has been going for 20 years. We meet a university
:00:58. > :01:00.professor with a passion for weather statistics. Former
:01:00. > :01:04.colleagues in Cambridge said, you're moving to Scotland, the
:01:04. > :01:11.weather must be terrible there - raining all the time. I realised
:01:11. > :01:15.there was a huge ignorance. Sarah meets a commercial goat farmer.
:01:15. > :01:24.just wondered why no-one did it in Scotland. I told my friends at
:01:24. > :01:29.In recent years, the number of ravens in Scotland has been on the
:01:29. > :01:32.increase. At the same time, there has been a call to issue more
:01:32. > :01:35.licences to cull ravens that attack young livestock. I joined the
:01:36. > :01:45.raptor study group as they set out on a project to discover more about
:01:46. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:49.Steeped in myth and folklore, the raven is a fascinating bird. It's
:01:49. > :01:57.the largest member of the crow family and arguably the most
:01:57. > :02:01.Today, I'm at a secret location in the Trossachs, where members of the
:02:01. > :02:11.Scottish raptor study group are hoping to tag some raven chicks.
:02:11. > :02:15.Getting to the nest is not going to The raven is protected under the
:02:15. > :02:19.Wildlife and Countryside Act and numbers are steadily increasing.
:02:19. > :02:29.There are now an estimated 12,000 pairs of ravens in the UK but,
:02:29. > :02:34.
:02:34. > :02:42.surprisingly little is known about We've got two ravens. There you go.
:02:42. > :02:45.Quite big birds. They are quite big, aren't they? Take me through the
:02:45. > :02:48.process. What are you hoping to learn from this survey? We're
:02:48. > :02:52.hoping to find out how long these birds live, where they move, how
:02:52. > :02:56.their productivity is faring. Basically, we want to look at the
:02:56. > :03:00.longevity of these birds. Are they causing an issue - are they causing
:03:00. > :03:10.a problem within the wider countryside? Obviously, people see
:03:10. > :03:10.
:03:10. > :03:14.the raven's success as not a good thing. Ravens are the ultimate
:03:14. > :03:19.opportunists and will take a meal wherever they can find it. The
:03:19. > :03:29.majority of time, they feed on carrion. Sometimes their prey will
:03:29. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:36.bring them into direct conflict There's one that's been done by the
:03:36. > :03:41.ravens. Had her eye pecked out.At birth. Quite often, six, seven
:03:41. > :03:49.ravens at one sheep as it's lambing. If you're unfortunate enough not to
:03:49. > :03:52.be there at the time, this is the result. This is the result.It's
:03:53. > :03:59.not uncommon to find seven, eight, nine on the one sheep. On one
:03:59. > :04:05.occasion, there were actually 14 ravens on the one sheep. You have
:04:05. > :04:11.no chance with that number. Absolutely no chance. This is only
:04:11. > :04:14.one lamb. There have been several others. Is it worse this year than
:04:14. > :04:18.it has been in previous years? the worst I've known. I've been
:04:18. > :04:21.lambing for a long time now. It's by far the worst I've ever had.
:04:21. > :04:25.With raven numbers on the increase, incidents like that could become
:04:25. > :04:35.more common. Farmers will be left with little option but to apply for
:04:35. > :04:36.
:04:36. > :04:39.There is a facility for farmers that are suffering agricultural
:04:39. > :04:42.damage and can prove it to get licenses from Scottish Natural
:04:42. > :04:50.Heritage for lethal control. But, rightly, you had to use nonlethal
:04:50. > :04:53.methods before you use the lethal tool. The raven population is
:04:53. > :04:58.actually doing pretty well. The population has increased by around
:04:58. > :05:03.60% in the last 15 years. Not good news for everyone. There are some
:05:03. > :05:07.less happy about more ravens being around. The raven causes
:05:07. > :05:10.controversy in some places, particularly with farmers. What we
:05:10. > :05:13.also need to remember is that the raven population is recovering.
:05:13. > :05:16.This bird retreated back to the West through human persecution and
:05:16. > :05:26.is now gradually returning to its former haunts in the east of the
:05:26. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:38.Despite its macabre reputation, the raven's quick wit and intelligence
:05:38. > :05:48.makes it one of our most iconic birds. Finding out as much about
:05:48. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:52.them through projects like this is We'd like to get some evidence-
:05:52. > :05:56.based research. If we're going to be issuing licences to control
:05:56. > :06:06.these birds, then we really need to know, are they having an impact on
:06:06. > :06:07.
:06:07. > :06:10.the countryside? Are they having an If you go to most countries in
:06:10. > :06:15.Europe, the raven is a fairly common species and it should be
:06:16. > :06:20.rightly a common species here as well. They're a really difficult
:06:20. > :06:30.bird to actually study, to find out the impact they can cause.
:06:30. > :06:32.
:06:32. > :06:37.Hopefully, over the next coming As a nation, we are obsessed with
:06:37. > :06:39.the weather. Some more so than others. Over three weeks, BBC
:06:39. > :06:49.Scotland weather presenter Judith Ralston will be even meeting
:06:49. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:13.amateur meteorologists to find out I'm here in Dundee to meet a
:07:13. > :07:16.
:07:16. > :07:20.professor of bioinformatics, who What is bioinformatics and how does
:07:20. > :07:25.it relate to weather? In biology, we're generating huge amounts of
:07:25. > :07:29.data now. Probably the best known of these is things like the human
:07:29. > :07:34.genome project, sequencing DNA. In the human, we have maybe 3 billion
:07:34. > :07:38.letters in one human genome. The problem is how to manage that data
:07:38. > :07:48.and make predictions from it. That's essentially what we do in
:07:48. > :07:48.
:07:48. > :07:51.bioinformatics. It's not just genome sequences, it's all kinds of
:07:51. > :07:54.data and biology. How does it relate to weather? In terms of
:07:54. > :07:58.weather, it doesn't at all. Not directly. Except in as far as its
:07:58. > :08:03.data. I guess my interest is always in collecting and analysing data.
:08:03. > :08:06.How did you become interested in selecting weather statistics?
:08:06. > :08:08.real inspiration was moving to Scotland and moving to Dundee.
:08:08. > :08:12.Former colleagues in Cambridge said, you've moved to Scotland, the
:08:12. > :08:16.weather must be terrible there, raining all the time. I realised
:08:16. > :08:24.there was this huge ignorance. I wanted to point them at something
:08:24. > :08:27.and they say, what's the weather like? Just look. What we decided to
:08:27. > :08:31.do was pick a date earlier this year when there was some extreme
:08:31. > :08:34.weather in the area and take a look at my forecast for 22nd of March
:08:34. > :08:40.and compare it to the data that Geoff's collated for the Dundee
:08:41. > :08:44.Some wintry showers in the East, particularly up to Angus and the
:08:44. > :08:46.north-east but quite a different story in the north-west. A lot of
:08:46. > :08:53.dry weather, even some brightness coming through and also for the
:08:53. > :09:03.Bitterly cold everywhere in that strong to gale force south-easterly
:09:03. > :09:04.
:09:04. > :09:09.So, time to find out how accurate my forecast was for 22nd March.
:09:09. > :09:15.Let's have a look. OK. So, I looked first at temperature. Temperature
:09:15. > :09:21.was quite moderate. We looked at the solar radiation. Again, that
:09:22. > :09:25.didn't change very much. So, not much in terms of sunshine or
:09:25. > :09:29.temperature but my forecast did show high winds. We get to 21st,
:09:29. > :09:37.maybe a few high wind gusts but then 22nd it really goes crazy.
:09:37. > :09:40.We've got very high wind speeds. it was an unusual day. Around this
:09:40. > :09:49.period of March was much windier than it's been at that period for
:09:49. > :09:59.Next week, I'm going to be meeting a man who grew up in the tropics of
:09:59. > :09:59.
:09:59. > :10:07.Australia, where the extreme Still to come: Nick finds out about
:10:07. > :10:13.herbal remedies at the Royal And the Aberdeenshire couple
:10:13. > :10:23.promoting the qualities of goat meat. After studying it, it proved
:10:23. > :10:23.
:10:23. > :10:29.The Scottish Nature Photography Awards are open to anyone from
:10:29. > :10:32.around the globe, as long as the images were taken here in Scotland.
:10:32. > :10:40.For the first time, the award has been won by a home-grown
:10:40. > :10:44.Capturing an amazing image of the landscape or natural environment is
:10:44. > :10:48.about being in the right place at the right time and having a lot of
:10:48. > :10:52.patience. Scotland's diverse environment has a lot to offer the
:10:52. > :11:02.photographer. If you're lucky - really lucky - you can get an image
:11:02. > :11:03.
:11:03. > :11:10.Three years ago, a photographic competition was launched to
:11:10. > :11:17.celebrate nature, wildlife and And the most recent winners have
:11:17. > :11:19.It's the Scottish Nature Photography Awards. Anyone can
:11:19. > :11:29.enter. It is open to amateurs and professional photographers from
:11:29. > :11:32.What makes a good entry? Sometimes it's simplicity. A local knowledge
:11:32. > :11:39.sometimes, when you're judging the images. There's always a picture
:11:39. > :11:45.that stands out. You keep going back to that time and again. The
:11:45. > :11:47.more you look at it, the more This year, the winner of the
:11:47. > :11:55.wildlife category and overall winner of the Nature Photographer
:11:55. > :12:05.He can usually be found looking for his subjects here, on the Moray
:12:05. > :12:06.
:12:06. > :12:10.Charlie... Morning, Euan, how are you? Tell me about your award-
:12:10. > :12:13.winning photograph? What was it? was very lucky. I was out with my
:12:13. > :12:18.friends from Aberdeen University on the very last survey boat trip of
:12:18. > :12:23.the year. We had sea conditions which are more like the Maldives
:12:23. > :12:26.and the north-east of Scotland. This one young dolphin was
:12:26. > :12:29.surfacing beside the boat - very close - and I was able to track the
:12:29. > :12:39.dolphin under water for quite a distance and actually get it just
:12:39. > :12:50.
:12:51. > :12:55.Here we are, low tide. Probably the best place to see dolphins. What's
:12:55. > :13:05.the chances? We actually have a dolphin just surfaced just now.
:13:05. > :13:13.
:13:13. > :13:17.So, what makes this place so good for dolphins? Well, we're actually
:13:17. > :13:21.right at the end of a peninsular. This peninsular drops off. There's
:13:21. > :13:25.a big, deep shelf out there. Where these dolphins are at the moment,
:13:25. > :13:30.you may be looking at about 40-odd feet. Tell me about your work with
:13:30. > :13:34.the dolphins? What do you do? many years, I was consultant to a
:13:34. > :13:40.marine charity called the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. I'm
:13:40. > :13:49.now field officer. I am always out and about photographing dolphins in
:13:49. > :13:51.the water or here. Maybe along at Spey Bay. Are you looking for
:13:51. > :13:55.pretty shots of dolphins or something more specific? First of
:13:55. > :14:03.all, I need to take shots of the dorsal fins. They are unique to
:14:03. > :14:06.each animal. We have a catalogue of recognisable dolphins. How did you
:14:06. > :14:11.get involved with this? A long time ago, I moved up to the north-east
:14:11. > :14:14.coast and I immediately saw the dolphins. I fell in love right away
:14:14. > :14:24.and I had to know more about them. I went off on this dolphin journey
:14:24. > :14:29.which has been going on for 20 years. Right behind us. Is that
:14:29. > :14:33.Scoop? Yes, that's him. The way he's moving at the surface. Also,
:14:33. > :14:38.Zephyr is getting a fish as well. We've actually got one of the
:14:38. > :14:42.dolphins there. It's got the tail of the fish sticking out of its
:14:42. > :14:46.mouth. My heart is beating that bit faster, not just because I'm
:14:46. > :14:50.carrying gear like this. Every time I see a dolphin, I start getting
:14:50. > :14:57.really switched on. I want to know who I'm looking at, what condition
:14:57. > :15:07.are you in? Are you hunting? Are you feeding? Is your baby OK? You
:15:07. > :15:14.
:15:14. > :15:20.get caught up in this big soap What was it about Charlie's image
:15:20. > :15:24.that grab you? It was that moment in time. It was just super. All the
:15:24. > :15:27.judges loved it. It was one of these moments where we all wished
:15:27. > :15:30.we were there. It was fantastic. The more we looked at it, the more
:15:30. > :15:38.detail we saw. Every time you looked through the shortlist of the
:15:38. > :15:41.overall category winners, it was an outstanding image. It was fantastic.
:15:41. > :15:46.There will be an exhibition of the photographs entered in the awards
:15:46. > :15:50.at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre in July. If you have
:15:50. > :15:57.anything to say about the programme or have a great story you want to
:15:57. > :16:02.share with us, please get in contact with us. Now, the weather
:16:02. > :16:12.here on the banks of the silvery Tay is nice, but a bit overcast.
:16:12. > :16:18.
:16:18. > :16:22.What about the forecast for the Spring and may have been one of the
:16:22. > :16:29.coldest on record, up but the recent weather has made up for it.
:16:29. > :16:35.It has been dry and bright with warm spells of sunshine and that is
:16:35. > :16:40.how it will stay. There will be plenty of dry and bright weather.
:16:40. > :16:46.There will be some cloud tomorrow and some missed, but that will burn
:16:46. > :16:52.off and we will see good spells of sunshine. By the middle of the
:16:52. > :16:57.afternoon, lots of sunshine across the country. There will be some
:16:58. > :17:04.cloud over the borders that might produce some light showers. It is
:17:04. > :17:14.looking good across the central belt. Thicker cloud over it in
:17:14. > :17:16.
:17:16. > :17:23.learned Aberdeenshire. Some cloud possible for the Highlands. Through
:17:23. > :17:29.the rest of the afternoon, we might have if you like showers over
:17:29. > :17:34.higher ground, but overnight it will be try it with clear spells.
:17:34. > :17:40.It will feel similar to recent nights in that it will be mild for
:17:40. > :17:45.most of us do with their be little wind. Into the weekend and there is
:17:45. > :17:50.that area of high pressure, anchored across us. It will not
:17:50. > :17:57.budge throughout Saturday and Sunday. A fine weekend that will be
:17:57. > :18:06.settled and dry. Good spells of sunshine. Way you do have the Sun
:18:06. > :18:10.it will feel pretty warm. That is certainly the case on Saturday.
:18:10. > :18:16.Slightly cooler around the coast, but apart from that, temperatures
:18:16. > :18:22.in the high teens and low twenties. A similar picture for Sunday. Then
:18:22. > :18:29.maybe the odd shower, but for most of us it will not spot what will be
:18:29. > :18:33.another lovely day. The best of the sunshine in the West. Next week and
:18:33. > :18:38.the area of high pressure will still dominate. This low in the
:18:38. > :18:43.Atlantic will try to work its way up, but we will hold on to the dry
:18:43. > :18:50.conditions on Monday. Good spells of sunshine and very little in the
:18:50. > :18:58.wake of wind. Temperatures up to 21 Celsius in the West. Tuesday brings
:18:58. > :19:06.a change. This area of low pressure will get its act together. There
:19:06. > :19:16.will be a slight freshening it in the south easterly wind. For most
:19:16. > :19:24.
:19:24. > :19:26.of us it will stay dry and settled In the third part of his series on
:19:26. > :19:32.the work of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, Nick learns
:19:32. > :19:35.about some weird and wonderful herbal remedies.
:19:35. > :19:37.The roots of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh were well and
:19:37. > :19:40.truly embedded in the ancient practice of herbal medicine when it
:19:40. > :19:43.was founded as a Physic Garden in the 17th century. Herbology draws
:19:43. > :19:50.together several connected branches of botanical science to investigate
:19:50. > :19:57.the remarkable therapeutic qualities of plants. But I am also
:19:57. > :20:01.hoping they have some culinary use as well. So, Catharine, this is a
:20:01. > :20:04.wild corner of the garden, but are there things in here that of
:20:04. > :20:07.particular interest to you? Absolutely. We bring our students
:20:07. > :20:09.into this particular corner to gather the wild native herbs, which
:20:09. > :20:19.she would necessarily find in an abundance elsewhere in the
:20:19. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:26.Britannic. It is verdant. What things will we find? We have our
:20:26. > :20:30.most potent green herbs here. They are ripe for the picking. It is the
:20:30. > :20:37.perfect time of the year to put them into medicines and use them in
:20:37. > :20:41.culinary dishes as well. This nettle is a natural antihistamine.
:20:41. > :20:49.If you suffer from hay fever, you make lots of nettle tea for
:20:49. > :20:56.yourself. It is a superb preventative medicine against that.
:20:56. > :21:06.I recognise this. This is wood sorrell. Another lovely little
:21:06. > :21:12.woodland floor covering plant. Taste a little piece. It is quite
:21:12. > :21:17.sour. It really is.But it has a lemon flavour to it. Anything else
:21:17. > :21:26.I can eat? There is an even more intriguing plant I would like to
:21:26. > :21:28.show you. Catherine, why am I it waist deep in a bog? Well, because
:21:28. > :21:38.we want to talk about this particular beautiful aquatic plant
:21:38. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:46.called bog bean. There is a lovely Gaelic tradition in Scotland. This
:21:46. > :21:52.herb is prepared by boiling it for eight hours. It is a bitter tonic
:21:52. > :21:59.and helps the body to cleanse and detox. Super for this time of year.
:21:59. > :22:04.Would you like to take some? Once I get out of the water. This is going
:22:04. > :22:10.to improve my liver? It will generally make you feel energised
:22:10. > :22:17.and cleansed from within. That is minging! It is pretty bad, but
:22:17. > :22:23.incredibly good for you. Really?! Is it true that things that taste
:22:23. > :22:28.as buyer as that of good for you? That is generally the case in
:22:28. > :22:31.herbal medicine. I feel so much better already. I am off for a cup
:22:31. > :22:41.of tea. Next week, I will be finding out how the Botanic Garden
:22:41. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:46.is helping conserve the world's Goat meat has never been
:22:46. > :22:48.particularly popular in Scotland, but one young Aberdeenshire couple
:22:48. > :22:52.are convinced they can create a market for it. They have
:22:52. > :23:02.established a goatherd and they are about to start serving the meat to
:23:02. > :23:02.
:23:02. > :23:06.the public. Sarah went along to see Goat is a staple protein in many
:23:06. > :23:09.parts of the world, including Africa, South America and Asia. But
:23:09. > :23:17.it has never really caught on in the UK, apart from in fine dining
:23:17. > :23:19.restaurants. Victoria and Adam are hoping that if they can get Scots
:23:20. > :23:28.to try the meat, they will be converted, especially as goat meat
:23:28. > :23:34.is lower in calories and saturated fats than beef and lamb. It would
:23:34. > :23:38.be fair to say you are the first goat farmer I have met. Where did
:23:38. > :23:41.the idea come from? I had to find a dissertation topic at college and I
:23:41. > :23:48.read about someone down south rearing goat meat and I wondered
:23:48. > :23:54.why no-one in Scotland was doing it. People laughed at me, but I ended
:23:54. > :24:02.up doing it. It was not just Victoria's peers who sceptical
:24:02. > :24:09.about the business. Her partner Adam had his doubts. I was on the
:24:09. > :24:12.bandwagon like everyone else. Farmer's son, thinking you just did
:24:13. > :24:19.cattle and pigs. But after getting involved with Victoria's
:24:19. > :24:25.dissertation, it seemed viable. was her idea, but you kick-started
:24:25. > :24:29.it. It was her 21st and I thought I have to get her something that was
:24:29. > :24:39.different. I thought about jewellery and then I thought I am
:24:39. > :24:44.
:24:44. > :24:47.Adam and Vicky have got big plans for the business and so far, the
:24:47. > :24:57.breeding operation is going well. This little cutie was born this
:24:57. > :25:05.
:25:05. > :25:15.We cross the different breeds, so you get the milk factor and the
:25:15. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:32.meat factor, which is South African How easy are they to keep? Good
:25:32. > :25:42.grass and clover is necessary for cattle, but the goats don't mind
:25:42. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:48.what they have. We have quite a lot of views on our website and
:25:48. > :25:53.although we have not got any meat to sell yet, people have left their
:25:53. > :26:03.details so that we can get back to them. A shop in London has asked us
:26:03. > :26:13.to send down a carcass. The first of Victoria and Adam's goats has
:26:13. > :26:17.
:26:17. > :26:24.been cut. We've left the bone in on the shoulder. We did the legs and
:26:24. > :26:30.the two racks of lamb. You mean goat? Yes. I will be cooking it as
:26:30. > :26:36.lamb, but because of the fat content, cooking times will vary.
:26:36. > :26:45.It will be an experiment. You are going to be cooking some for me and
:26:45. > :26:48.I hope it will be tasty. So do I. We have got a lot of companies
:26:48. > :26:57.asking if we can give them a constant supply of meat, so that
:26:57. > :27:00.will be the next area that we look at - continuity. We will have to
:27:00. > :27:07.build up our breeding stock. We need more nannies and hope to get
:27:07. > :27:13.that continuity for supply. first ever goat meat. Right, boys
:27:13. > :27:17.and girls, before we delve in, explain how healthy the meat is.
:27:17. > :27:25.Compared to lamb and pork and beef, it is lower in calories, low in
:27:26. > :27:35.sodium as well. It is high in fibre and iron. Forks at the ready. It is
:27:35. > :27:39.a first for me, and you guys? That is surprisingly good. It is
:27:39. > :27:45.tasty. I did not think I would like it, but it is actually very nice. I
:27:45. > :27:49.will have another bit. Good luck with the Scottish Goat Meat Company
:27:49. > :27:52.and thank you for talking to us. Sarah there with an Aberdeenshire
:27:52. > :27:56.couple looking to re-educate our palate. Now, I've just got time to
:27:56. > :28:02.tell you what's on the menu next week. As midsummer approaches, I go
:28:02. > :28:07.in search of the perfect sunset. is pleasant enough, but it is not
:28:07. > :28:11.spectacular. I prefer it a little bit more dramatic. The Scottish
:28:11. > :28:14.invention that protects plants and crops from slugs and snails.
:28:14. > :28:18.Obviously, if you are not going to eradicate them the only other way
:28:18. > :28:23.is prevention. And conserving Scotland's native bee population.
:28:23. > :28:31.What kind of bee will we need in the future? We need to have as big
:28:31. > :28:36.diversity of bee as possible. Please join us for that if you can,