Dorset, New Forest Natur Gwyllt Iolo

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-I've been birdwatching

-and observing wildlife all my life.

-But pressures on nature

-due to man's intervention...

-..have seen some species decline

-or disappear altogether in Wales...

-..over the past half a century.

-I'm travelling to England, to

-locations teeming with wildlife...

-..to rediscover species

-no longer found at home.

-The British coastline

-can be breathtaking.

-There are some glorious places,

-aren't there?

-This is a natural limestone arch.

-The weaker stone has been

-gradually washed away by the sea.

-This is Durdle Door

-on the Dorset coast.

-Ahead of me you can see Portland...

-..and these white cliffs...

-..which remind me of those in Dover.

-My journey

-takes me from Durdle Door...

-..through the county of Dorset...

-..to the New Forest in Hampshire.

-Though it's

-a densely populated area...

-..it has a beautiful countryside

-and a diversity of habitats...

-..teeming with wildlife.

-I begin my tour in Arne,

-opposite Poole and Bournemouth.

-This is an RSPB reserve...

-..that is a sprawling 1,400 acres.

-Within it are several good habitats.

-I'm here in August...

-..a good time to search for spiders.

-This is

-what I've been searching for.

-It's called the wasp spider.

-An appropriate name,

-considering its colour.

-It's a very handsome spider.

-It was introduced

-from the continent...

-..and has bred, though it's

-only found in the south of England.

-I'm sure it'll be

-with us in Wales before too long.

-This is a good environment for it.

-It's just caught a fly in its web.

-It's wrapped it up like a parcel.

-I'll sure he'll eat it later.

-Most people who come to Arne

-come here to see birds...

-..though it's a great place for

-spotting insects and rare spiders.

-This is the second spider

-I'd hoped I'd see here.

-This is a big one.

-I'm sure it'll scare some of you.

-This is the female

-great raft spider.

-She's brown and yellow.

-She's recently spun a web

-in the undergrowth...

-..and placed her eggs inside

-for protection.

-That's why she stays outside,

-to ward off potential predators.

-She's very rare and Arne is one of

-the best environments for her.

-August is a quiet month for birds.

-Most that roost in bushes and woods

-have stopped singing since spring.

-But there's plenty of other wildlife

-to be seen in summer.

-There are

-several deer in the woodland here.

-These are sika deer, which

-aren't native to this country.

-In the Victorian era, they were

-imported in large numbers...

-..and have fled into the wild.

-The last time I saw one was in

-winter and it was a greyish brown.

-They're wearing

-their summer coats now...

-..which are reddish brown

-with white spots.

-They're large deer.

-They're around the same size

-as a red deer...

-..though they're sturdier...

-..with rounded ears.

-They're native to Japan but thrive

-here in the south of England.

-There are a few in Wales.

-The largest collection

-can be seen near Cardigan.

-They're attractive deer.

-They're completely wild here.

-If you stay far enough away,

-they're fine.

-They're grazing.

-The females are this side.

-Further over there,

-I've spotted at least two males.

-As well as sika deer, Arne is one

-of the best reserves in England...

-..to see water voles.

-It's evening and I've come

-for a walk to one of the pools.

-I waited for a while

-but saw nothing.

-I then three a few pieces of apple

-into the corners.

-In no time at all, one appeared...

-..swam over to the apple,

-picked it up...

-..and took it

-into a hidden hole somewhere.

-That's a good tip for you

-if you're ever in their habitat...

-..and want to catch sight

-of a water vole.

-Lure it with an apple!

-I'm climbing up to the hills now.

-This is called Purbeck Ridge.

-The ruins you see are Corfe Castle.

-The castle was built

-in an ideal location.

-When it was erected...

-..it looked out

-over Poole Harbour, the sea...

-..at the incoming ships.

-This was also

-an important trade route.

-The castle was looking down on that

-and ruling the entire region.

-The ruins

-are all that remain of it...

-..after it was blown up

-during the Civil War...

-..in the 17th century.

-At the time,

-the family supported the king...

-..who was defeated

-by Oliver Cromwell.

-This was his way of seeking revenge.

-A steam train

-operates beneath the castle today.

-There are plenty of places of

-historical interest in the area...

-..but the main appeal for me

-is its hidden wilderness.

-I've ventured further inland

-from the Arne Peninsula now.

-This is the Great Ovens reserve...

-..run by the Amphibian

-and Reptile Conservation Trust.

-It's mostly moorland.

-I've come to see

-an incredibly rare snake...

-..and one that

-I've only ever seen once before.

-The weather isn't perfect today

-but what the wardens do...

-..is lay down sheets of metal...

-..so the snakes can

-go underneath them to keep warm...

-..out of sight

-of buzzards and so on.

-I've been given

-special permission to search.

-It's been so cold and so wet...

-..the best place to look is under

-these sheets, where it's warmer.

-Here we are. Look!

-A smooth snake. Goodness me!

-This is only the second time

-I've seen one of these.

-It's curled up tightly...

-..in order to keep warm.

-It's a dark snake.

-It has no pattern like an adder.

-It's gone.

-I'll put the metal back down.

-If it warms up, it'll be back

-before going out to hunt.

-There are plenty of metal sheets

-dotted around the reserve.

-It's a way of monitoring

-the population numbers.

-Let's see what's under this.

-I need to lift it slowly.

-There's another one here.

-Can you see its body? There's

-a slight pattern on its back.

-It's very different from the adder.

-What's interesting is that they

-squeeze their prey, like a python.

-They eat lizards and other snakes.

-It's rearing its head very slowly.

-That's why

-this place is so important.

-They're a very rare species.

-They can only be found in Dorset,

-Hampshire and parts of Sussex.

-The minute the sun comes out

-and heats the moorland...

-..the moor's creatures awaken.

-This is great news, since there's

-another rare reptile I want to see.

-They say

-this is a great place for reptiles.

-A metre in front of me

-is a special lizard.

-It's the very rare sand lizard,

-and a female one at that.

-She's found a quiet spot

-out of the wind...

-..where she catches the sun.

-If you thought

-the female sand lizard was pretty...

-..just look at this.

-This is the male.

-He's starting to lose

-that green colour now...

-..but he's

-very attractive in spring.

-He's starting to lose that

-but he's still handsome.

-His head is bigger...

-..than the common lizard

-found at home.

-He's sturdier and more muscly.

-It's no wonder

-the smooth snake thrives here.

-Once the sun came out,

-these lizards were everywhere.

-Plenty of food for the snake.

-This is the historic Hambledon Hill.

-If you look carefully,

-you'll notice the ridges behind me.

-That was once an Iron Age hill-fort.

-To give you an idea of the sheer

-scale of it, just look over here.

-Those are its walls,

-rising all the way up.

-It measures 47 hectares.

-It's an enormous place.

-They've discovered

-more than 300 huts here.

-We call it a hill-fort,

-but in actual fact...

-..an entire town

-was housed within these walls.

-This is one of the best examples

-in the whole of Europe.

-Next, I'm venturing

-across the valley...

-..to the peak

-you see on the horizon...

-..where there's

-a valley teeming with wildlife.

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-I've come to the north of Dorset,

-to Fontmell Down...

-..overlooking

-Blackmore Vale in the distance.

-This is Dorset Wildlife Trust's

-nature reserve.

-It's famous for its flowers,

-but more than anything...

-..it's famous for its butterflies.

-There are

-more than 35 different species.

-I've seen quite a few butterflies

-of the blue genus.

-It's a large group...

-..to which the common blue

-and the rare large blue belong.

-But the most vibrant of them all

-is this, the Adonis blue.

-When it opens its wings...

-..the blue colour

-is astoundingly bright.

-When it flies through the air...

-..blimey, it's colourful!

-It's a small butterfly

-but it's incredibly pretty.

-I've left Dorset

-behind me in the distance...

-..and I've travelled

-a few miles east...

-..to England's

-most famous National Park...

-..and one

-that covers over 200 miles square.

-The New Forest.

-I've come here at dawn. You have to

-take your chances with wildlife.

-It's during the first golden hour...

-..that you see the best sights.

-One of the animals

-I wanted to see in the new Forest...

-..though it's not easy to spot...

-..is the fallow deer,

-and there are two males here now.

-They look very smart indeed.

-They're approaching rutting season

-in a month's time.

-They put on weight, build muscle

-and then they fight.

-They're friends at the moment.

-Interestingly, the pair

-look like two different species...

-..when, in fact,

-they're the same species.

-One is reddish brown

-with white spots...

-..while the other is very dark.

-They do vary. I've seen

-white ones and grey ones too.

-They come out at night to feed...

-..and when the sun rises and people

-come here to cycle and walk...

-..they disappear into the woods.

-Rarely do you see them in daylight.

-If you want to see them, you either

-have to rise early or come at dusk.

-Of course,

-this is called the New Forest...

-..but in this case,

-the name doesn't mean a forest.

-It means a hunting site.

-The Normans established the forest

-back in the 11th century...

-..so the king could hunt.

-Back then, he hunted deer...

-..and wild boar.

-It has a special ambience.

-It feels primitive.

-You can imagine people

-in the Middle Ages coming here...

-..to feed the pigs with acorns.

-Even before then,

-the wolf would've hunted here.

-Little has changed since then.

-The way they manage the area

-is refreshing.

-They leave it alone.

-Trees have fallen.

-Lots of ancient trees are rotting

-all around. It's a rich habitat.

-This is an interesting place.

-It's called Buckler's Hard.

-One street and two rows of houses

-make up the village.

-They were

-purpose built for shipbuilders.

-This is part of the Beaulieu Estate.

-It's a wooded area...

-..with the River Beaulieu

-flowing down to the sea.

-Three centuries ago,

-this was an ideal location...

-..for the construction

-of large wooden ships.

-They say that 40 acres

-of century-old wood is needed...

-..to build one large warship.

-That's a lot of trees.

-But there's plenty of forestry

-and trees to hand.

-This is where they built them,

-and on top of that, at high tide...

-..it was possible to transport

-the ships to the sea via the river.

-Between 1745 and 1815...

-..they built 50 large ships here...

-..three of which

-were in Admiral Nelson's fleet...

-..in the Battle of Trafalgar.

-This is

-an important place historically.

-People think of the New Forest

-as a vast forest...

-..but there are plenty

-of exposed areas such as this.

-This is moorland

-with a stream running through it.

-I've come here looking for

-dragonflies and damselflies.

-It's far from perfect conditions.

-It's still cold.

-The sun's trying to come out

-but it's not warm yet.

-The wind is a pain too.

-It's not helping at all.

-But I've seen a couple of species.

-The beautiful demoiselle for one.

-She was behind me near a pool,

-where the water flows slowly.

-They like slow-flowing water.

-I saw the common darter too -

-the male...

-..as well as the female.

-They were in vegetation sheltering

-from the wind until it warms up.

-The male is very smart.

-He's a vibrant red...

-..while the female

-is an insipid brown colour.

-She was camouflaged perfectly

-in the vegetation.

-Do you know what else I like

-about marshlands such as these?

-You'll often see bog myrtle growing.

-If you break the leaves...

-..and crush them,

-they emit a beautiful aroma.

-They say if you rub it on your skin,

-it keeps insects at bay.

-It's useful

-and smells lovely at the same time.

-I can't leave the New Forest without

-mentioning the ubiquitous ponies.

-There are 3,000 of them.

-They're free to graze

-wherever they can...

-..in line with

-the Common Rights of the New Forest.

-You'd never expect to see something

-like this in the National Park...

-..but this is

-the southernmost point.

-This is Hurst Spit,

-a peninsula created from gravel...

-..which extends

-over a mile and a half out to sea.

-Once you reach the end, you're

-only three quarters of a mile...

-..from the Isle of Wight.

-And here's where my journey ends.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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