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0:00:10 > 0:00:13- I've been birdwatching - and observing wildlife all my life.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- But pressures on nature - due to man's intervention...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24- ..have seen some species decline - or disappear altogether in Wales...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- ..over the past half a century.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- I'm travelling to England, to - locations teeming with wildlife...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- ..to rediscover species - no longer found at home.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- When you think of Dartmoor, - you think of a historical place...
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- ..the backdrop for Sherlock Holmes - and the Hound of the Baskervilles...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- ..misty, precarious - uplands and moors...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- ..where people lose their bearings.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- Well, that's my destination - for this programme.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- Dartmoor is one of - Britain's oldest national parks...
0:01:24 > 0:01:29- ..spanning more than - 400 square miles of Devon.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- This is the most sprawling - expanse of land in southern England.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- Most of it is deserted moorland.
0:01:37 > 0:01:43- The loftiest hills in these uplands - stand 600 metres high...
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- ..2,000 feet above sea level.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51- Many of these hills are capped - with large rocks called tors.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- There are more than 160 of them...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- ..which give Dartmoor - its distinctive character.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- I'm in Dartmoor - during the second week of May...
0:02:11 > 0:02:14- ..as the warmth of spring - begins to wake the marshland.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25- It's an important habitat for birds - who nest in bushes or on the ground.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- When you come to an marshland - where trees are scarce...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- ..you see many different birds...
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- ..perching on the same tree to sing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- It's not often - you see a blackbird...
0:02:42 > 0:02:47- ..a greenfinch and a yellowhammer - singing from the same tree.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- It's delightful - hearing the three of them.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- I'm on Holne Moor here...
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- ..and I'm heading to Bench Tor...
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- ..where I hope to get a good view - of the Dart Valley.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24- I've spotted a meadow pipit - over there in the gorse.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29- He or she wants to go its nest.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- It has lots of insects and so on - in its beak.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38- It's difficult finding their nests. - They're hidden in the vegetation.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- It's just gone now. It falls down.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- But then it runs through - the vegetation for quite a while.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53- The nest might be five or six metres - away from where it's fallen down.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58- The nest's tucked in - beneath the undergrowth.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- It's a nest full of chicks.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- They must feed...
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- ..but they mustn't draw attention - to the nest at the same time.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- You see them rising regularly.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- Another thing it's doing...
0:04:14 > 0:04:19- ..is carrying the chicks' droppings - away from the nest.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- If it left them there, - the nest would smell in no time...
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- ..and the stench would attract - the attention of the weasel or fox.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- They keep the nest very clean...
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- ..in order to give the chicks - enough time to hatch.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- I've almost reached the top, - with the Dart Valley below me.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- I can hear the river. - There are oak trees on either side.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58- This area reminds me of - the Rheidol Valley near Ponterwyd.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Dartmoor takes its name - from the River Dart, of course.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11- The river runs through - the centre of the national park.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- What a view!
0:05:17 > 0:05:21- All this forestry - is a nature reserve.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26- Next, I'm going down the valley - and exploring around the corner.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- Many of the valleys beneath - Dartmoor's uplands are wooded.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- This is Holne Woods, - with the River Dart...
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- ..running through it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- It's a wonderful spot in spring.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56- You'll see the brimstone - feeding on the bluebells' nectar.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- And the majestic grey wagtail - feeding on insects.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- It has a nest next to the river.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- The slopes above the river - are an ideal habitat.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- Though it looks ordinary - with gorse and ferns...
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- ..similar to that which you'll find - in many places in Wales...
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- ..it attracts very rare butterflies.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- I was hoping I'd see this here.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- It's called - the pearl-bordered fritillary.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- You can see it on the fern there. - It's beautiful.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- It's an orange colour - with dark spots.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49- They were relatively common - during my childhood in Llanwddyn.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- They're exceedingly rare nowadays.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- This is an ideal habitat for them - - a south-facing slope...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- ..which makes it - a very warm environment.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- It's covered with ferns, - but not too densely.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Among the ferns are small violets.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- That's what this butterfly needs.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- She lays eggs on those...
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- ..and the caterpillar - feeds on the plant.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- This section of the Dart Valley...
0:07:23 > 0:07:28- ..has Britain's highest population - of pearl-bordered fritillary.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31- The reason for that...
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- ..is because the land - is tailored to their needs.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- There's a small patch - of bugle here...
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- ..which are these purple flowers.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- It's important food - for the fritillary.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- The flowers - are shaped like a trumpet.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03- Not every insect - can reach the nectar...
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- ..but these can.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10- They produce a lot of nectar too. - It's very important food for them.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Dartmoor's - a great environment for them.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20- There are plenty of south-facing - terrain and it's also controlled.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25- Their numbers are dwindling - throughout Wales and England...
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- ..but in this area, - they seem to be holding their own.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47- With Dartmoor - so remote and deserted...
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- ..it's famous - for its legends and folklore.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- The ambience of this woodland - has inspired many a tale.
0:08:55 > 0:09:01- Large black dogs with blood-red - eyes and large yellow teeth...
0:09:01 > 0:09:05- ..hunt here - for human flesh and souls.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13- The woodland was also an important - location for the Celtic druids.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- Look at this place.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- There's a carpet - of thick moss all around.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- It even covers - the stones on the ground.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- The lichen hangs from the branches - like an old man's beard.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35- This place is called Wistman's Wood, - not far from the town of Tavistock.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- It's a rare habitat.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43- There are only three woods - like this left in Dartmoor.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- The trees are remarkably short.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- You'd think they're young trees but - they're not, they're centuries old.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- There are records...
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- ..dating from 1632 which state - that the trees back then...
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- ..were only - as tall as a person's height.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- We were in the middle - of a short ice age back then.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Since then, there's been - global warming and it's wetter.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- The trees have grown slightly - but they're still quite short.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22- The oldest trees here today - are around 400 years old.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32- There's an old Bronze Age village on - the site, dating back 2,000 years.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- This isn't the best forest - in the world in terms of wildlife.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- I've seen better in Wales.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Perhaps because it's so isolated.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- Perhaps it's because it's so high - up, over 1,000 feet above sea level.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- However, it's May - and there are a few birds singing.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- The robin and the willow warbler, - who's also looking for food.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- A pair of chaffinches - have finished building a nest...
0:11:18 > 0:11:23- ..on a branch down below and - they've built it on top of the moss.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- The nest is almost entirely made - from moss.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- It blends - into the background perfectly.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- She comes down now and again - and sits in her nest...
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- ..to make sure it's the right size - for her to lay her eggs.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- It looks very comfortable.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- Overseeing the female's handiwork...
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- ..is the male.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- Sometimes it's nice to be idle.
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0:12:09 > 0:12:13- This is the River Dart, - or the East Dart, to be precise.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- It meets the West Dart further down.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- The water is crystal clear.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- This bridge - is called Clapper Bridge...
0:12:22 > 0:12:24- ..which refers to...
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- ..these large, flat rocks.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- Each one weighs eight tons. - Imagine that.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37- What's pleasing for me is looking in - the water and seeing a brown trout.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- There aren't many places...
0:12:40 > 0:12:44- ..where the rivers are so clear - that you can spot a brown trout.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- The bridge - was built 700 years ago...
0:12:52 > 0:12:57- ..for pack-horses to transport tin - from Dartmoor to Tavistock.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- You can imagine the horses - being led over the bridge...
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- ..with bags on their backs...
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- ..and the drovers being greeted by - the same sight I'm seeing today.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23- Stone crosses can be found - in many places in Dartmoor.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- The oldest, - such as Bennett's Cross...
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- ..date back 1,000 years - to the Middle Ages.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Most of them are boundary markers.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- It's a good place - to meet a local Welshman.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43- Before he retired, Tegwyn Harris - was a lecturer at Exeter University.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- Today he's taking me to a hill - above the cross to see another tor.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- Birch Tor this time.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- Tegwyn, I understand - you live in Exeter.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59- The Welsh name for Exeter - is Caerwysg, if you don't mind!
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- You've been coming to Dartmoor...
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- ..fairly regularly.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- I used to come quite regularly - with students from the university.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- From what I remember - of coming here as a boy...
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- ..it's a deserted place...
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- ..it's always cold, it's - always raining and always foggy.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- Yes, and it can be dangerous - because of the fog.
0:14:23 > 0:14:29- What people don't realize - is that we're on top of a mountain.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- Dartmoor is a mountain.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- If you'd driven with me from Exeter - today, you'd realize that.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40- Parts of Dartmoor - are 2,000 feet above sea level.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- What exactly are these tors?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- Most of them are slabs of granite.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- They've been formed from the land - over a long period of time.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- This is a small tor.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- Some of them are huge and reach the - heavens, like the Tower of Babel.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- Whilst chatting to Tegwyn, - I noticed a cuckoo was singing.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- This is a perfect habitat for it.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- There are at least two calling - further down the valley.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- I was walking along the mountain - and heard the cuckoo calling.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32- I haven't seen a cuckoo this year, - so I tried to get near it.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- I thought - this was a natural ravine...
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- ..but that's not what this is.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43- The landscape's been scarred - from the days of tin mining.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- They've excavated - the earth and the rock...
0:15:47 > 0:15:50- ..in order to get to the tin.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55- I came up the ravine - and saw the cuckoo from afar.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- It was on the rock in the heather - on the left-hand side.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- I crept up, - thinking it had gone...
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- ..but then I realized all it'd done - was move to the other side...
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- ..to stand - on the heather on that side.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- This is the closest - I've ever come to a cuckoo.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- It's a very shy bird. - Getting close to it is difficult.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- I could see everything from here.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- Its yellow legs - and its body bobbing up and down.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- I'm thrilled.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- The weather's changed. - The rain's moving in.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- It's not too bad, nonetheless.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56- This is a quiet spot. It's a nature - reserve called Emsworthy Mire.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- It's a mixture - of marshland and trees.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- I'm going down to see - what I can find.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16- There are thick layers of peat - on much of Dartmoor's marshland.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- This instantly absorbs the water - and retains it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- In some areas, water collects, - creating dangerous bogs.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- There's not as much wildlife - as I thought on this bog.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- If you're on the lowlands...
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- ..in the middle of May...
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- ..it's a great time to come and see - flowers, snakes and birds and so on.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- I tend to forget...
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- ..that I'm close to - 1,000 feet above sea level.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54- A fortnight later would be the best - time to visit a place like this.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- At the end of May, - beginning of June.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- Here's something amusing. - This is a bog, of course.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- The local name - for an area like this...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- Let me show you first. - Look, it's springy, like a bed.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- The local name for it is shaker.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- It's easy to see why.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- There would've been - a lake here years ago...
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- ..but the vegetation - has grown over it, the bog moss...
0:18:21 > 0:18:22- ..and the sundew.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27- It can be very dangerous - but it isn't too bad here.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Hopefully!
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- Though much of Dartmoor - is deserted uplands...
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- ..there are woodlands - teeming with birds in spring.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- The best can be found in - the eastern section of the park...
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- ..a few miles from Newton Abbot.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56- This is Yarner Wood. - It's a national nature reserve.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01- It was the first of its kind - to be designated in England in 1952.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- It's very different from - Wistman's Wood, where I was before.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10- Look at these oak trees. - They're very tall.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- They're around 80 or 90 feet high.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- It goes to show - that the soil is far richer.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- There are fewer stones here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- It gives you an idea of how - England and Wales would've looked...
0:19:24 > 0:19:26- ..4,000 years ago.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- It would've looked - something like this...
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- ..with berries growing everywhere.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- In a habitat like this, you - nearly always find field cow-wheat.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- A pretty yellow flower.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04- As it's the middle of May - and a fine day...
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- ..the leaves - have newly blossomed...
0:20:08 > 0:20:12- ..which means - it's much harder to spot the birds.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- But there are a number of them here.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- I've spotted a pair of nuthatches - on the oak tree.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26- They have a nest and they're going - back and forth to feed their chicks.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- You can see it - with a beak full of insects...
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- ..disappearing inside.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- It's impossible to say...
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- ..exactly - how many of them there are.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- I can see - the chick's beak popping out.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- In a forest like this, there's - plenty of food for them here.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- Of all the forest's birds, - my favourite is the pied flycatcher.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- When the male sings, he tends - to sing from a prominent position...
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- ..so it's easy to spot him.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- He's a very smart bird.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- While the male sings...
0:21:25 > 0:21:30- ..the female will sit on her eggs - in a nest in one of the trees.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- Hay Tor is one of - the biggest tors on Dartmoor.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- It's only - when you come close to it...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- ..that you appreciate its size.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- It's fitting - that I finish my journey...
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- ..next to one of these tors, - which make Dartmoor so famous...
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- ..throughout the world.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11- Talking of Dartmoor, the terrain - extends for miles behind me.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- I've come here in May, but it - doesn't matter when you come here...
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- ..it's a wonderful place.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- Next time, - I begin my journey closer to home.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- I set out from Formby, - opposite the North Wales coast...
0:22:32 > 0:22:36- ..and travel - through the Lancashire countryside.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- It's a vast county, stretching from - the Mersey to the Lake District.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- And it's teeming - with exceptional wildlife.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:17 > 0:23:17- .