0:00:02 > 0:00:07Hello. I'm Chris Packham and welcome to a brand new series, Nature's Top 40.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12It's a countdown from 40 to one of the UK's greatest wildlife spectacles.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16We've been out scouring the countryside for the very best shows
0:00:16 > 0:00:19that our birds, our mammals, our insects and our plants put on.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Before I tell you what's straight in at number 40, here's a flavour
0:00:33 > 0:00:36of some of the things you really should see once-in-a-lifetime.
0:00:36 > 0:00:43- Whoa!- Hold on to your hats for a roller-coaster ride of the very best of British wildlife.- Ow!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47- Goodness me!- Myself and three other wildlife experts have devised
0:00:47 > 0:00:51a chart like no other, packed with thrills and spills.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53What a brilliant spectator sport.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57We've taken ideas from listeners to BBC local radio and TV,
0:00:57 > 0:01:02added a few of our own and ranked them in order of brilliance.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06You would think it doesn't get any better than this,
0:01:06 > 0:01:07but believe me it does.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13Scored for size, sheer numbers, rarity and wow factor,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18these are the 40 wildlife spectacles we think you can't afford to miss.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24So here we go. Here's the first of our spectacles. And what about her!
0:01:24 > 0:01:29It's a story that has got epic journeys, a smattering
0:01:29 > 0:01:33of hanky-panky and, above all, these creatures can sing.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36At number 40, it's our amazing amphibians.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46"Ah, toads," I hear you think. What are they doing in the top 40?
0:01:46 > 0:01:52This is an animal that fully deserves its place. I mean, just look at this!
0:01:55 > 0:01:59But before we get down to this little songster, here's his remarkable cousin.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Ladies and gentlemen, meet the resident of Toad Hall,
0:02:02 > 0:02:07aka Bufo bufo or, to me and you, the common toad.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Aren't they wonderful little critters?!
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Look at him sitting in the palm of my hand there.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The first thing you notice, completely unlike common frogs,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20check out the skin - it's a warty all over.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25The warts, particularly behind their eyes, have what's known as a parotid gland and that houses
0:02:25 > 0:02:30toxins or venoms that come out when he's picked up in the mouth of a dog
0:02:30 > 0:02:35or a fox or something like that and he's dropped pretty soon afterwards, let me tell you.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40The other incredibly characteristic thing about him is he's totally dry.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Not wet, not slimy in the slightest.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48That's because this little beast spends 10 months of the year away from water.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53He's in your garden, in the woodlands feeding away, hiding
0:02:53 > 0:02:57under stones and roots, only coming down to the water behind me to breed.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Lastly, look at his lovely little golden eyes.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Aren't they brilliant?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Toad in the hands certainly beats the toad in the hole.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15But something beats both of those, a real toad spectacular, only happens at night.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24Common toads actually migrate. It's a perilous journey each spring as they head for fresh water to breed.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30It's made more dangerous as many ancient migration routes now involve crossing busy roads.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36But help is at hand, with volunteers who get them to their breeding grounds safely.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43After you put them in the bucket, how far have they got to get down to the breeding site?
0:03:43 > 0:03:48About 500 or 600 yards to get down to the water courses in the bottom of the valley.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50How many are likely to be down there?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52We get about 1,000 a year,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56so at some time, most of the 1,000 will be down in the reens.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00They'll all tend to mate together over a period of a few days,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05so it's like a mass orgy of mating and spawning when it happens.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Thanks to the Clevedon Toad Patrol near Bristol, and others working
0:04:10 > 0:04:15with the charity Frog Life, thousands of amphibian lives are saved each breeding season.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19TOADS CROAK
0:04:19 > 0:04:23That croaking you can hear is the males, and they use that for two reasons.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26One is when they're on the back of a female to say, "Get away,"
0:04:26 > 0:04:31to the other males that are coming near. The other reason is, if a male accidentally jumps on
0:04:31 > 0:04:35another male's back, it's like, "Please, get off now. "I'm not a female."
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Terrific!
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Make sure you grab those, Andrew.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46This is fantastic. Look at the difference.
0:04:46 > 0:04:52Andrew, here, has got a really small male. Look at the size difference!
0:04:52 > 0:04:54This is a female. They're much larger.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Look at the size of her belly, her flanks. She is gravid.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Her flanks are absolutely chock full of eggs waiting to be fertilised
0:05:03 > 0:05:06by a little fellow like this when they're down in the ponds.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Safely across the road, the toads can now get down to the serious business of mating.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Come on, lad. Don't stop now. There we go. There we go.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Well done, young fella!
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Males arrive at the ponds first and wait for the females.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28They climb on to their backs and cling on for dear life
0:05:28 > 0:05:31using their nuptial pads on their fingers for extra grip.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It's a posture known as amplexus.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Sometimes there's huge competition for females,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40resulting in a seething mass of writhing bodies.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43This is the end result -
0:05:43 > 0:05:46strings of toad spawn with up to 600 eggs laid.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50But only a few will make it to adulthood to repeat the cycle all over again.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56This is our second and much rarer species of toad.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Some call it the natterjack.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05Although, up in Merseyside, they call him the Bootle Organ or the
0:06:05 > 0:06:09running toad, because wait till you see how fast he moves. Look at that.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14That's because this little critter runs after his insect prey.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Isn't he wonderful?!
0:06:15 > 0:06:20Incredibly distinctive because they're much smaller than common toads,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22but their most distinguishing feature of all is,
0:06:22 > 0:06:27look right down between his eyes all the way down to near his hind legs,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29there's a big yellow stripe.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Like a Do Not Park Here sign, I suppose you could say.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36What's really impressive about these is their vocal abilities.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39CROAKING
0:06:39 > 0:06:42This is the sound of the tropics right here in the UK.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It's the male natterjack that are making that noise.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53It's the breeding season and the males emerge from their hiding places at night to give it some welly.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Natterjacks are a protected species as habitat loss has meant numbers are low.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04But there are still hot spots on the coastal heaths and dunes
0:07:04 > 0:07:07in Lancashire, Cumbria and the Solway Firth.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The sound is something else,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12but seeing how they do it is stunning.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17On warm, still nights, the male inflates his throat sack
0:07:17 > 0:07:21and forces air over the vocal chords, making them vibrate.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26That loud ratchet sound can be heard up to a mile away.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It's a calling card to bring the females in.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36The natterjack toad, a bubblegum-blowing singing sensation.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Great song from the natterjack, but I'm a fan of the common toad.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49A bit more accessible. I'll tell you something remarkable about them.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52They can live to be 40 - four zero - years old.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56This little toad could live to be 40, nearly as old as me!
0:07:56 > 0:07:59We're gonna stick with small animals now.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02They might be tiny, but they're nevertheless impressive.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Iolo Williams is getting to grips with these master house builders.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Scurrying in at number 39, it's the humble northern hairy wood ant.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20This forest contains one of the most magnificent structures known to the animal kingdom.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's got living accommodation, road links, food stores.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It's even got solar panels.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35It's a massive insect city right in the middle of the countryside.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41As a result, these nests can be enormous.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Just like this one.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48This is much more than a simple community of animals.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51It's a thriving and busy metropolis.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57Welcome to the amazing world of the northern hairy wood ant.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02This is Coed y Brenin forest near Dolgellau.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07It's here you'll find some of the UK's biggest ants' nests because these northern hairy
0:09:07 > 0:09:11wood ants are master builders, and these ants really are hairy.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Although, you'd need a microscope to see the hairs over their eyes.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19As you can see, this structure is made from woodland debris - leaves,
0:09:19 > 0:09:26pine needles, twigs - all weaved together to form this massive mound.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But there's more to this thing than meets the eye.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33You could say these ants are pretty smart,
0:09:33 > 0:09:38because what you've got here is the perfect natural heating system.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Today, the air temperature is a fairly chilly 12 degrees.
0:09:42 > 0:09:49But with some high-tech equipment, I'm going to find out just how warm it is deep inside this nest.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54This is an infra-red thermometer and if I point it at the nest here -
0:09:54 > 0:09:59the southern facing bit of the nest, which is the warmest bit - I can tell you that it's 13 degrees.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05But, here I have a digital thermometer with a deep probe.
0:10:05 > 0:10:11If I put that right into the heart of the nest, incredibly,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15the temperature there is 25 degrees.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19The ants will sometimes, on really hot days, bring the eggs
0:10:19 > 0:10:23up near the surface where it's at its warmest
0:10:23 > 0:10:28so that metamorphosis is speeded up and they develop that much faster.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Amazing creatures.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Graham Stringer, you're a man who knows his ants.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I've got to say this is probably one of the most impressive ants nests I've ever seen.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46Yeah, me too. I think it's probably the biggest nest that we've got in Coed y Brenin.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52There's quite a lot of activity at the minute with the workers bringing in bits of material,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57bits of food back to the nest and actually building up the thatch and doing repairs as they go along.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It must be, what, three metres wide?
0:11:02 > 0:11:03It is. It's huge.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07They're busy little things. There's definitely a movement of ants
0:11:07 > 0:11:11going down that way following a path along here. It's completely bare.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15It is. It's almost like a motorway supplying a city.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Have they eaten everything around here?
0:11:17 > 0:11:22Probably over time, it's been trampled with passage backwards and forwards over the years.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26The path keeps going all along there and then just about here, it forks
0:11:26 > 0:11:30and some of them are going up and coming back down from this tree.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35That's the ants heading up to the canopy where they milk honey dew
0:11:35 > 0:11:38from the aphids which feed up there on the leaves.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42It's very sugary, just a by-product from the cellulose which the aphids feed on.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44So they're more or less farming them?
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Yes. Like dairy farmers running a big production.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59There are nests dotted all over the forest,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03but they favour woodland edges where they get full access to the sun.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13We've seen the biggest. Now, have a look at the busiest one.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17This nest is in the perfect location.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It's underneath some branches, so it's sheltered from the rain.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And yet, it's facing the full force of the sun.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26On surface, it's an amazing 33 degrees.
0:12:26 > 0:12:32Because of that, the ants are all swarming over it in their thousands.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34They're acting like little solar batteries.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40They'll absorb the energy of the sun and they'll take that back into the nest with them.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44These ants, one of the biggest in Britain,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46they have a fearsome reputation.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And quite right, too, because they have got huge mandibles.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54There's one here trying to cut his way through my skin at the flesh.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Luckily for me, though, the mandibles are not big enough to penetrate.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02But if I was a caterpillar, by now, I'd probably would have been cut in half.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09If the jaws don't get you, these tough guys have another weapon.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They can squirt formic acid from their sting.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16They position their bottom between their legs, take aim, and fire away.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And if you annoy enough of them,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22the volley of acid can turn a piece of litmus paper red.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30So there we have it! Super structure, fantastic insect.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33To the northern hairy wood ant, I say...
0:13:35 > 0:13:37..respect!
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Iolo was actually one of our judges.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46He's famous for being a pretty obsessive bird watcher, so it's good to see him getting into ants.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51Please don't think that we're going to be totally obsessed with creepy-crawlies, because we've had
0:13:51 > 0:13:54plenty of other suggestions from local radio stations.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59We asked for your favourites and they flooded in via the web and from television, too.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Here's one that came in time and time again - otters.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Just look at them! They're absolutely fantastic.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09So how did we decide what got into our charts?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Iolo, myself and the two other judges from Scotland and Northern
0:14:13 > 0:14:19Ireland gave everything a score, and you can find out more about all of that by logging on to our website:
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Did the otter make it? You'll have to wait and see.
0:14:26 > 0:14:34But one that didn't make it was the fantastic chough, despite the pleas for listeners to BBC Radio Cornwall.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Apparently, there weren't enough of them.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Wasn't my opinion, I have to say.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Anyway, let's get on to something that did make it into the charts.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47At number 38 is one of my favourites, which should have been higher up the charts.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Look get this fantastic landscape.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55These are the hills above Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and I've come here to see one of my favourite natural spectacles.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Now, it's not big, but it's very clever.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09A little bit later on when the natural light comes down, the little lights will come out
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and nymphomaniac neons will be climbing up in the grass.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Little street walking street lights will be glistening.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Sparks will fall from the moon. It's a fairyville here.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24It's a place where a little bits of magic can really turn you on.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I'm talking about glow-worms.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Not worms at all, but a beetle related to fireflies.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37It spends almost two years as a lavae, feasting on slugs and snails
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and once it pupates and emerges as an adult, it stops eating altogether
0:15:41 > 0:15:43and starts glowing.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47That's what I'm looking for with the help of John Tyler.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50John, a bit of a fool's errand really, isn't it?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Well, there's not much chance of seeing them during the day,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57but they will be under here, waiting to come up after dark.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01If you can't see colours, it's worth looking for glow-worms.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- It's going to be half 10, isn't it? - I think so.- That's a clarion call for the pub.- I think so.- Come on.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12# Never, never knew what the night would bring... #
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Must be nearly time, John. What is the time now?
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Well, it's...ten past ten. So, yes, any time now, I think.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21It's getting nice and dark.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25We didn't go to the pub though, you know. Look at this.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Red helleborine. Species of orchid, and I photographed it
0:16:30 > 0:16:33on my mobile phone, so look at the size of this smile!
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Red helleborine and glow-worm in the same night!
0:16:36 > 0:16:40The potential is an order of magnitude unknown to naturalists the world over!
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I'm really, really pleased, John.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Imagine a glow-worm on a red helleborine...No, lets not go there.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Shall we have a look round?
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Apart from a few faintly glowing fungi and a millipede,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58this is the only creature in Britain that can turn on its own light.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- John.- Yep, there's one.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- What about that?- Another one round here, just lighting up now.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07What a little sweetie.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Bang on cue.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Absolutely. Another one down here.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15They're all starting up now, aren't they?
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Yeah. Hopefully all they need are males to turn up.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23The wingless female uses her light to attract a male to mate
0:17:23 > 0:17:27and once that happens, she immediately grows dull again.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33I can't remember seeing this many this close together.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39It's not a vast site and yet in total there must be thousands of them, I should think, here.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Come on then, let's kneel at the altar.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51The glow worm's light is produced by a chemical reaction between two substances -
0:17:51 > 0:17:55luciferin and luciferase and it's incredibly efficient.
0:17:55 > 0:17:5998% of its energy is produced as light.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03A typical electric light bulb only manages 5%,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05the rest being wasted as heat.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- I read that even the eggs glow though.- Yeah, every stage glows.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11The pupae glows, the eggs glow. Everything.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17In fact it's reckoned that the glow first evolved in the lavae as a
0:18:17 > 0:18:21way of warning off predators and it was only later that it was actually
0:18:21 > 0:18:22used as a way of attracting a mate.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27So the light is an attraction to males, but a warning to predators.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30What about that? That's good strategy.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33One thing that strikes me as a bad strategy, John,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36is the fact that the females can't fly, so therefore they can't
0:18:36 > 0:18:40move to lay their eggs in a new site, so they're pretty restricted.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Yes, once they're lost from a site they never find their way back
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and even just a busy road would be quite an obstacle.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52The females just don't move more than very often a yard or two
0:18:52 > 0:18:54in their entire adult life.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02I've got a book here which I bought in a second-hand bookshop years ago
0:19:02 > 0:19:06and it was written by Henri Fabre. He's a great French entomologist
0:19:06 > 0:19:11and it actually says in the book that the light is beautiful, calm
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and white, but not very bright.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18In fact it's the only bright enough to illuminate a few letters
0:19:18 > 0:19:20of a word at any one time.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23So the glow worm would need to crawl laterally across the page
0:19:23 > 0:19:27for you to use it as a reading aid.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31I have to say at the moment that to be quite honest,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33he's absolutely spot on.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39I can literally only read one word at the time, and this word is dim.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Henri Fabre called them sparks fallen from the moon.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Wordsworth, earth-borne stars,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53and for countless generations, hundreds of years,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57they've inspired poets and artists and romantics.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59They are really very special.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Glow-worms, should have been higher, should have been higher,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08but if you'd like to look after creatures like that
0:20:08 > 0:20:12then you can, and you can do so by checking out our website:
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Click on the Breathing Places link and you'll find out
0:20:17 > 0:20:22how you can actually look after creatures that live near you.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Anyway, time now for our first mammal.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Loved by some, hated by others. Foxes don't naturally constitute
0:20:29 > 0:20:34a spectacle, but some things they do are absolutely magic
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and push them into our charts at number 37.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43The fox.
0:20:43 > 0:20:49Probably no other animal in Britain provokes so much emotion and debate.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53You either love them or you loathe them, and certainly
0:20:53 > 0:20:57people who keep livestock and game animals often see them as the enemy.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02But today we're going to look at the pleasure these animals can bring
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and the magical encounters people have with them
0:21:04 > 0:21:06right on their own doorsteps.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12If you live in the countryside this might be a familiar sight -
0:21:12 > 0:21:17a fox at first light on the hunt for food.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Just occasionally, you might stumble across something extra special -
0:21:27 > 0:21:31fox cubs playing outside their den.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Within months they will be off hunting themselves, but until then,
0:21:38 > 0:21:39every day is party time.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52Foxes are widespread and abundant, despite centuries of persecution.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56One of the reasons for that is their opportunistic ability to adapt
0:21:56 > 0:21:58to available food sources,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02and it's that adaptability that's brought them right into the heart
0:22:02 > 0:22:04of our towns and cities.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12The urban fox has learnt to make full use of our man-made environment,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17living right on top of us, scavenging for scraps.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Up and down the country they make themselves at home in our back gardens,
0:22:21 > 0:22:26giving us front row seats for the daily show of fox family life.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32For many residents this is such a joy a they lay on five-star
0:22:32 > 0:22:34treatment for their outdoor guests.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40So, Dot, what's on the fox a la carte menu for today?
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Fresh chicken and pork with nuts and dog biscuit.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- I fancy a bit of that, actually. - No, no, no.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I don't like the leg or the wing.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53I like the breast.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Now Dot here is a city fox's real best friend, because
0:22:56 > 0:23:00rather than leave them to scavenge around bins and things all winter,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03every day she puts food out and gives them a helping hand,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and she even gets cubs in the spring.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10- I'm not surprised, actually, if she's giving them fresh chicken. - That's it then.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15It looks fantastic, so we should go and put it in place really, shouldn't we?
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Dot, why do you put it on the shed and not just somewhere down here on the patio?
0:23:21 > 0:23:25I think it's cos it's got a flat roof and it's easily accessible
0:23:25 > 0:23:29from where their den is.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Ooh, you need a big, tall stretch.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33I'll tap the tin.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- A bit like ringing the dinner bell really, isn't it?- That's right.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45So, it's chicken a la Dot more than the bird feed that's
0:23:45 > 0:23:48bringing in all sorts of wildlife.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57I'm amazed, Dot, that they're going to come out in daylight rather than
0:23:57 > 0:23:59evening dusk or very early dawn.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I don't think it matters to them, the time.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07- I thought they were nocturnal, but I don't think they are.- They just come when they're hungry?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Yeah. They come when they're hungry and supplement what food they catch.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15So is this your top thing of the evening rather than sitting down
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and watching a good show on the telly?
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Yeah. I used to do a lot of knitting,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25but now I do like to watch them, and it's not repetitive.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30There is always something different to watch and...
0:24:30 > 0:24:33it's just...therapeutic.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Light is fading, but still no foxes.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Dot assures me they come every day.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45This was filmed from her bedroom window the week before my visit.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52But so far tonight nothing, except time to kill.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54- Look, Janet. - That's them up on the roof.- It is.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- Where they're not at the moment. - Where they're not.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59All right, I'm convinced.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I'm glad.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Into the front, round, pull up.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Dot consoles me with a lesson in the intricacies of knitwear.
0:25:07 > 0:25:13Round, pull it through and you've done a plain stitch.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I don't actually know what's more thrilling -
0:25:15 > 0:25:20watching you knit or watching an empty shed roof.
0:25:20 > 0:25:27Just when I'm about to go knit crazy, in the twilight a head appears. Ooh!
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- Come through the side entrance. - The other side.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34He's seen the food though.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Amazing how it suddenly appeared like that.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- See the little white tip on his tail?- Yep.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- He's approaching very cautiously though, isn't he?- He's not sure.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51There's some chicken in there.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Go on.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58You were right, Dot. He's taken one of the chicken legs.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- You said they'd go for the big pieces.- Yeah, they do.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04When he's finished that he'll probably come back for another.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10Other foxes soon follow to take their share of Dot's plate of goodies.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14I tell you what though, a lot more hesitant than I expected.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19It does remind you that they're genuine wild animals, not pet dogs.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I think it's since the first one was one of the younger ones.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25The older ones have got more use to us.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Here he comes again.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32He's been, so he knows...
0:26:32 > 0:26:34- He knows it safe.- Yeah.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- He knows he's OK.- I can't believe you get to see this every day.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Yeah, every day.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Some more than others.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Do you think we've seen two or three different ones there?
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I think we've seen three different ones.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- They are all quite distinctive though, aren't they?- Yes.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56- All got different markings. - I can see how you can start to pick them out.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I can see how this could get really addictive!
0:27:00 > 0:27:02It is. It is really.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Because each day is a new and different experience.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- You never know what you're gonna get, do you?- No, you never do.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- A bit like having an extended family, isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14Back again.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22How would you feel if you didn't have them in your life any more?
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Well, it would be a bit empty now.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I'd have to go back to watching telly.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Foxes, right up there in the beauty stakes, if you ask me, with tigers,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36but if you want to get to grips
0:27:36 > 0:27:39with one of Britain's most ferocious predatory mammals,
0:27:39 > 0:27:44you've gotta go smaller and you've gotta go fast forward to weasel.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47And just look at this. This is the best view of a weasel
0:27:47 > 0:27:53that I've ever, ever had at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It's fantastic. Just look at it. You wouldn't want to be a mouse in here, I can tell you.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Sadly, these creatures didn't make it into our list,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05but if you'd like to find out what did, join us again for another of Nature's Top 40.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Until then, goodbye.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:29 > 0:28:33E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk