0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hi, I'm Chris Packham with Nature's Top 40.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09The biggest, the best, and the most magical wildlife encounters you can have in the UK.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24It is the definitive list of Britain's greatest wildlife spectacles.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28It is the 40 things you can't afford to miss.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Today we will compare the sheer magic of a moving carpet of birds
0:00:33 > 0:00:34with an underwater hug.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39- I was literally in an embrace with that seal.- So, how did we rank them?
0:00:39 > 0:00:42We took suggestions from the public,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44sprinkled in some of our own, then our panel
0:00:44 > 0:00:48scored them based on numbers, rarity, colour and noise.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53The result is an extraordinary wildlife chart.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's a UK nature programme like no other.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01The very best of our wildlife spectacles ranked from 40 down to number 1.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We have already had foxes, toads,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and one of my all-time favourites, glow-worms.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10What is coming up next? Moths.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15This beauty here is Poplar Hawk and this one resting on my thumb is Swallow Prominent.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20Getting to grips with these can be a fantastic experience for any naturalist.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Straight in at number 36, it's moth-trapping.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30They're seductive, romantically named,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and they dance around bright lights like this.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I have come to Wareham Forest in Dorset for an evening's entertainment
0:01:37 > 0:01:42that beats all the discos and bright lights down the road in Bournemouth.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46If you want to be blown away by a mind-boggling array of bright colours
0:01:46 > 0:01:51and patterns, I reckon a night's moth-trapping is just what you need.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56# Why'd you have to be so cute?
0:01:56 > 0:02:02# It's impossible to ignore you... #
0:02:02 > 0:02:05From extreme camouflage to extreme beauty,
0:02:05 > 0:02:10the sheer range of moths makes them endlessly fascinating.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14This is White Ermine. The designer teddy of the moth world.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18This one, the most dramatic of our many day-flying moths.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20The Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24When I first saw these as a five year-old lad in my garden
0:02:24 > 0:02:28in mid-Wales, I thought we had been invaded by hummingbirds.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Beautiful, yes, but for me,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34the real excitement lies in revealing the secrets of the night.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Attracting moths is easier than you might imagine.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43You can, of course, get yourself a moth trap.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48There are lots of different models on the market. I've got a couple here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51The cheapest one will probably set you back about £100.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57Or you can leave the bathroom light on, open the window, and go in in the morning to see what you have caught.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59But there are one or two tricks you can use as well.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01First of all, there's the wine rope.
0:03:01 > 0:03:08Soak an old rope in a mixture of wine and sugar. Hang it up and that will attract moths from miles around.
0:03:08 > 0:03:14The other one is to boil up a little bit of brown ale and sugar.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Add treacle and then
0:03:17 > 0:03:23put that on a post or a tree and that is irresistible to moths.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Sticky work, this.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Let's have a closer look at these two traps. This is the Robinson trap.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The Rolls-Royce of moth traps.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37It's about £230 but works on the same principle as all the others.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39A big light bulb attracts in the moths.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43They fall down the chute and get stuck in here until you inspect it in the morning.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46This is a Heath trap. Much cheaper.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49This you can pick up for under £100.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Back to the brown ale and the wine.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55As the light fades, within minutes, we get a result.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06It is only a Large Yellow Underwing, but I told you it worked.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09One of the wonderful things about moth-trapping is that
0:04:09 > 0:04:14we can leave this now and come back at a sensible hour in the morning to find out what we have caught.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Kelly, what have we got here?
0:04:21 > 0:04:26Well, we have got a Pine Hawk-moth, this one.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29A Poplar Hawk-moth is the one flapping its wings and a Buff-Tip.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34Perfectly camouflaged so if it was sitting on a birch twig, you wouldn't be able to see it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- That's incredible, isn't it?- Yes.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43What else have we got here? We have got a beauty down here.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- The Elephant Hawk-moth. - Yeah. He's stunning.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51He's beautiful, isn't he? Lovely pink and green colours
0:04:51 > 0:04:53and great big green eyes as well.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56They have got really noticeable eyes.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59A whole variety on here. Kelly, what are these?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03A beautiful one, there, yellow with dark bands across it.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- That's a Black Arches. - Black Arches?- Yeah. That's a male.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08He's got really feathery antennae.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09I can see that. This one here?
0:05:09 > 0:05:14- That's a Coxcomb Prominent.- They've fantastic names, haven't they?
0:05:14 > 0:05:19Moth names are unique, compared to dragonflies and that type of thing.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Moths were named over 300 years ago by the early moth recorders.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29A lot of them have really romantic names which is part of the fascination about studying them.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31All these amazing names. It's really lovely.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34What is this intricate patterned moth down there?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37That is another one with a romantic name. That's a True Lover's Knot
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- A True Lover's Knot? - It is a common moth around here on the heathlands in Dorset.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44That is a lovely name, I do like that. True Lover's Knot.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46That will be another True Lover's Knot?
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- Yeah.- One of the fantastic things is that everybody can do this,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- it doesn't matter where you live. - No. Wherever you live.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56In the city or in the countryside.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01moth-trapping is really enjoyable and interesting but is also really valuable information for people
0:06:01 > 0:06:04recording moths and send that data in,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it actually adds to the picture of what is going on in Britain.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Where moths are, where they are disappearing, that type of thing.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- There is another nice one here. - That is a Drinker Moth.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Why is it called that?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20It is called that because the caterpillars need to drink on dew.
0:06:20 > 0:06:27- So that's why they're called that. - Oh. Why are moths important?
0:06:27 > 0:06:32I think moths are important just because they are amazing, beautiful and really interesting.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But they are a really important part of our food chain.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38They are important for birds to feed on and bats to feed on.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42They're also really good pollinators of plants, like bees.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45They are important for all our plants as well, to survive.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It's a bit like Christmas. You just don't know what you're going to get.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52That is the exciting part.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58I know people who have been recording moths for 40 and 50 years because it is so fascinating.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03You never know what is going to turn up. There's species that migrate here...
0:07:03 > 0:07:07We get moths that come all the way from Africa, Southern Europe.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09They travel all this way and could turn up
0:07:09 > 0:07:12in your moth trap in your garden. It is fascinating.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14They are incredible little creatures.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20With more day-flying moths around than butterflies,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22how do you tell the difference?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Well, sometimes you can get a clue from the antennae.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Moths' tend to be flat or feathered,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31while butterflies' often have clubbed ends.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34However, it doesn't always work.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41So, why should moths be in the top 40 wildlife spectacles?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Well, there are over 2,500 species in the UK.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49You can find them from mountain top to seashore and you can get dozens in your back garden.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54When they are this beautiful, for me, that really is a wildlife spectacle.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Now then, if moths don't float your boat, I bet these guys do.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Lots of people love seals.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09For many of them, this is as close as they will ever get.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12This is the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It is a top place to see seals but you can have a truly wild experience, too.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19At number 35, it's swimming with seals.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I've come to the Isles of Scilly
0:08:31 > 0:08:35to enjoy at very special wildlife experience.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Where the animals put on such a performance,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41you could be forgiven for thinking they are not wild at all.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I'm going underwater with animals who come to play,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47not because they are trained to,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51but simply because they enjoy the encounter as much as we do.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56The Isles of Scilly nestle 28 miles off the south-west corner of Britain
0:08:56 > 0:09:02and are home to around 300 Atlantic Grey seals.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05If you come during the breeding season in autumn,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07you might see young pups.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11They are so cute in their fluffy white coats.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12SEAL CROAKS
0:09:13 > 0:09:19But despite the aww factor, there is something even better in store.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24I've joined husband and wife team, Susie and Mark Groves, to find
0:09:24 > 0:09:29one of the places where the seals haul themselves out onto the rocks.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34With a bit of luck, they'll be ready to play.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- Mark, this is Eastern Rocks? - These are the Eastern Isles.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45This particular group of rocks are called Rennie Brow, and the large island is Many Weathen.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47It is a very popular spot for them to haul out.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50There's absolutely loads of them up there now.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Have they been there since the tide went down?
0:09:53 > 0:09:56As soon as the tide drops, they haul out and it's nice and sheltered.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Now the tide's coming in, you see how they lift their heads up?
0:10:00 > 0:10:01They are hanging on!
0:10:01 > 0:10:04They have to give in eventually and they just float around then.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07When the tide drops, they'll haul out again.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09They are making quite a lot of noise,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12is that the breeding season or something?
0:10:12 > 0:10:16No. It is mainly because they are all trying to get on the same rock.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18When they haul out, there are all these rocks,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22you'd think they'd have one each but they all to go for the same rocks
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and the one who is already on there complains.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- It is like fighting over the armchair at home!- Exactly!
0:10:30 > 0:10:34The noise is very loud and you can imagine 300 or 400 years ago,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36you were a sailor here wrecked,
0:10:36 > 0:10:41if it was thick fog now and you suddenly heard that noise,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46you can see how these sort of myths about sea monsters arise.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47It is a very eerie sound
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and if you couldn't see them, you would wonder what it was.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Oh, yeah, it is quite spooky. A sort of, "Ooooooh"!
0:10:54 > 0:10:58SEAL KEENS
0:10:58 > 0:11:01We're amazingly close, aren't we?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05But, I mean, we're all kitted up to get even closer, I guess.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09We will, in a minute. When we get in the water, we will swim over to them
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and all being well, they will come right up. They are very curious.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16They're as curious about us as we are about them.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Susie, you must have done this loads of times,
0:11:19 > 0:11:20do you ever get tired of it?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Not ever. It is always different.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25We always see different seals.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26That makes it even more exciting.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I just love swimming with the little ones, particularly
0:11:29 > 0:11:33cos they are really curious, the way they look at you as if
0:11:33 > 0:11:35they are not quite sure
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and then when they approach really close to you, that is so exciting.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Sometimes they'll just come up to your fin,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45almost touch it and then, "I'm not going to do this",
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and whiz off again!
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Whereas, the adults are a little bit more, "I've done this before.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52"This is cool"!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55'Well, enough talking...'
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Ready to go!
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'..It's time to take the plunge and experienced it myself.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07'Occasionally, on land, seals may bite a human.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10'But the water is their territory.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12'I'm the guest in their world.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17'And if I swim calmly and wait for them to approach me, they will.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21'Seals may be ungainly on the rocks,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'but under water, they are fast and agile,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28'performing a graceful aqua ballet.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35'Soon, they are all around us getting more and more inquisitive.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38'They are full of fun and mischief
0:12:38 > 0:12:42'and just love to come up to our fins and nibble them.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- That was fantastic.- Pretty good!
0:12:54 > 0:13:00I had to pinch myself, to remind myself they are genuine wild animals
0:13:00 > 0:13:05- cos they are so playful!- Exactly. You have to cos they are really...
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Today was fantastic.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10They were just there on your fins and doing everything,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13as though they are like little puppies, really.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16But you're quite right, they are wild, totally wild,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19which is what makes it such a fantastically unique experience.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21It is such a privilege.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26You're right there and they come up to you and interact with us as well.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28But it is their deal.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Some days, they might not want to play and then that's fine.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- But today, they were very, very, very good.- I am so lucky, aren't I?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40You were lucky. You hit it right today.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'With so many seals about,
0:13:42 > 0:13:47'I couldn't resist one more swim and I'm so glad I did.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53'One decided to get really, really close,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57'giving me one of my best wildlife encounters ever.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:05It came up to my face and I kept still because I thought,
0:14:05 > 0:14:06I don't want to frighten it away.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10And it put its face on my mask. I could feel its whiskers on my cheeks.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And then, it put its flippers on my shoulders.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18I was literally in a hug, in an embrace with that seal!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It was quite funny cos I was trying to look at them
0:14:21 > 0:14:25factually and scientifically but basically, the human response is,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- they are adorable, aren't they?! - Absolutely. We love them!
0:14:32 > 0:14:37'Hugged by a grey seal in its own wild environment.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41'In my opinion, this should have been top of the charts.'
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Playful as puppies but sorry, Janet, not our number one.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54Our wildlife panel put seals in at number 35.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58I don't want to get ahead of myself, we are barely in the series,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01but already, we are reaching a high point for me.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The first mass-gathering of birds.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05And one of them, in its summer plumage,
0:15:05 > 0:15:06can have a brick-red breast.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12It's a real Bobby Dazzler. And this, the north coast of Norfolk, is the place to see it.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15In at number 34, the high tide roost.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22As far as I'm concerned,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25when birds get together, it's a super-sexy sight.
0:15:25 > 0:15:32When they get together and you get great views, that is just nirvana.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36An unlikely place for a park bench, you might think,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40on this very windswept beach on the edge of The Wash.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45But birders like me are drawn back here like iron filings to a magnet.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48This is Snettisham, an RSPB Reserve
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and it's miles from my home, absolutely miles.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55And yet, I have come back here maybe 8 or 10 times in my life.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01At this time of year, in August, it is the place to come and see Red Knot when they are red.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Cos they arrive back here in their breeding plumage and they are red -
0:16:05 > 0:16:12pumped up red, with this lovely tomato soup stain wash down their chest.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16People flock here because The Wash is a pit stop for tens of thousands
0:16:16 > 0:16:21of migrating waders, bulking up on food lurking within the rich mud.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Come when there is a spring high tide,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25and you will have another treat.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30The rush of water as the tide comes in leaves the birds with no mud to stand on.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33OK, it is bad news for them but it's great news for us because
0:16:33 > 0:16:35that lack of land means there is
0:16:35 > 0:16:38going to be a top-notch wader flypast.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42A few of them have started to lift now, off the end.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Stacks of birds out there, though. Even at this time of year.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49There is a flock here now coming in.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53You can see them turning white against the blue.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58Look at this number here. The thing is, this is one flock of...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00..well, hazard a guess,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03in the region of about 400 birds.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08But this has been going on now for the last half hour.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It is not one great movement.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13These animals have been moving around
0:17:13 > 0:17:16for at least half an hour, 40 minutes or so.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20So huge numbers of birds have been moving around here.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The wind might be playing havoc with these birds.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Look over here. Here they come.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30A few more Godwits moving across here.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Some of these are still in their summer plumage.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36They've got lovely red chests, just like the knot.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38More Godwits coming in.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41They're nice against the blue but they're high.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44There's a good number of birds. Look at this little lot here.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48There's more over here. They're swirling around.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54The whole point of their movement is that they are coming in off of the exposed mud which was being covered
0:17:54 > 0:17:56by the water and they need somewhere
0:17:56 > 0:18:00to find a safe roosting site until the tide goes out again.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04They choose this gravel pit behind us. The wind is pushing
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and there's a few more Oystercatcher coming in here.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09The wind is pushing the birds in all sorts of directions.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13That is a lovely sight, these birds up in the sky there,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17but an equally lovely sight is this group of people behind me
0:18:17 > 0:18:21because it makes me feel less of a sad geek for being out here
0:18:21 > 0:18:25in this freezing wind looking at these birds!
0:18:25 > 0:18:30It's heartening that I'm not the only lunatic on this part of the planet at this moment!
0:18:30 > 0:18:32What do you make of it, then?
0:18:32 > 0:18:36It is very wonderful. It really is wonderful.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37I don't know what to say...
0:18:37 > 0:18:41It is just the way the light catches the birds
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and you can really get the outline and see the colours.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46It is nice and sharp in this early morning sunlight.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. - I love it.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55It's great because at first when we came here, we were told about 10,000 Knot had already gone
0:18:55 > 0:19:00and we came over and wave after wave were just coming at us, it's amazing.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03To see Knot when they're all souped-up
0:19:03 > 0:19:05would normally involve a trip to the High Arctic.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Come here in August, and the birds come to you.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13It's a great site and the RSPB's Kieron Nelson is a big fan.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Every now and again,
0:19:15 > 0:19:20one turns around and you can see it has got a good red chest, hasn't it?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Yes. It is the perfect time of year for that.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25These birds have done their breeding now.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28They're finished looking smart for the summer
0:19:28 > 0:19:31but they hold onto that beautiful colour for a bit longer.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34They do look special.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36We've got a spectrum here because
0:19:36 > 0:19:41there is a small percentage seem to be fully red and there are some
0:19:41 > 0:19:44clearly getting washed out and there are even a few grey birds
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- in their winter plumage.- Yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47It is a difficult time of year.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53- If you have never seen these birds before, you might think there are different species in there.- Yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55But it's also a great time to look at them side-by-side
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and you can imagine what they would look like
0:19:58 > 0:20:02up on their breeding grounds when they were in full colour.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06We have got, give or take, 3 or 4,000 birds here right now.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10That's nothing compared to what we might expect to get in the middle of winter.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Numbers will build up to 60 or 70,000 birds.
0:20:14 > 0:20:20This whole bank here can be entirely coated in birds and you barely see the ground beneath the birds.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- It really is impressive. - Funny you should say that. I've brought the laptop here
0:20:25 > 0:20:30and I'm going to show you some pictures that we got in the winter last year.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34This was filmed from this very hide.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40That bank is just a seething mass of birds. We can't see the ground.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's like a thick carpet of birds, yeah.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44'So, when do you come?
0:20:44 > 0:20:49'November and see the masses of Knot or August to see the dandies?'
0:20:49 > 0:20:53I think if you can bear the cold, if you can stomach a brisk northerly in-your-face,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57then get down here for the first tide in November and come and see
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- this because it really is outstanding.- It is outstanding.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06Although, I have to say, an individual Knot in November
0:21:06 > 0:21:07is not a lot of Knots, is it?
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- There's one down there at the moment has got a lot!- Yeah!
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Now, Ragwort is unlikely to win a botanical beauty contest
0:21:19 > 0:21:21unless you are a Cinnabar Moth or its larvae
0:21:21 > 0:21:26as these things are one of the few animals that eat Ragwort.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30But it's time now for our first flower extravaganza.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It's not Bluebells and it's not a classic English haymeadow.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35It is a bit of Celtic flower-power.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Straight in at number 33, it is the Scottish Machair.
0:21:45 > 0:21:52These are the Western Isles. One of the UK's last great wildernesses.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Mainland Scotland is 100 miles in that direction. Over here is
0:21:56 > 0:22:00the North Atlantic and there is pretty much nothing between me
0:22:00 > 0:22:04and North America, 2,500 miles away.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08I guess what I am saying is that this place is pretty remote
0:22:08 > 0:22:10but there is something so special here,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14you've just got to come and check it out yourself.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Isn't this just stunning?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It is no wonder that one poet
0:22:24 > 0:22:27called this the land of the smiling coloured flowers.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33This is the Machair. It is one of the rarest habitats in Europe.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38And the secret of the landscape lies in the soil.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41This is a really good example of how the Machair works.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46What it is, is all this sand is made up of ground-up shells.
0:22:46 > 0:22:52That neutralises the acid in the peat and allows all these lovely flowers to flourish.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57From May onwards, this landscape explodes into colour.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01It is an event which local naturalist, Joanne Ferguson,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03looks forward to with relish.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06When we were up there looking down at this field,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09it just looked really uniform, totally yellow.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Now we are here, you can see there are loads of different species.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Just looking around you,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18there are Buttercups, Yellow Rattle, Nipplewort.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Nipplewort, that's the dandelion-like one?
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- That's correct. - Loads of Lady's Bedstraw here, too.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We do and some Ragwort and Thistles.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Now that we're down here, you can clearly see the edge of the field.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34You know, where the crop has started growing
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and there's a completely different set of species there?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39You get this intense edge effect
0:23:39 > 0:23:43where flowers like marigolds and poppies are quite dense
0:23:43 > 0:23:45just at the edge of the crop, there.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48'These aren't garden flowers but wild pansies,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51'also known as Heart Seeds as they were used
0:23:51 > 0:23:54'in medicines and love potions.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'This flower spectacular
0:23:56 > 0:24:00'only occurs because the land is managed in a non-intensive way.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03'The crofters use natural fertilisers,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07'crops are rotated and fields are grazed and then left fallow.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10'All this gives flowers their chance to shine.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:13This is incredible, Joanne.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18We've just come a few metres away from the other field and the flowers are almost completely different.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Yes, because it is a wee bit damper.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24We've got a couple of Orchids here - these are really pretty.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28This one here is Early Marsh Orchid, a Hebridean sub-species.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's actually called Cochinea, based on the colour, cochineal.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Oh, right. It is a really lovely colour.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38This one that is next to it looks to me like a Marsh Orchid?
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Yes, but again it is a Hebridean sub-species.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45See all the spotting on the leaves? That is a common orchid.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50It is brilliant. Just surrounded by orchids. There are so many of them!
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Look around us, there are thousands of orchids in this field here.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00'What the Western Isles may lack in its variety of orchids,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04'it certainly makes up in sheer numbers.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:11It's amazing and although there are quite a lot of buttercups,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13the overall colour has changed to purple.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15The pinks and purples are really coming through.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19You can see some of the other species are starting to flower.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23There's some Ragged Robins flowering over there.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Yeah, it's gonna be really, really colourful the next couple of weeks.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30We tend to take it for granted but this sort
0:25:30 > 0:25:35of habitat occurs right throughout the Uist. It is quite amazing.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38'These islands are a wildlife paradise throughout the year
0:25:38 > 0:25:42'but it's flower-power that holds sway in the summer,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'providing a rich source of food
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'for one of the UK's most threatened sets of insects.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52'There are 25 species of bumblebee in the UK
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'and some of the rarest can be found here.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59'They are a favourite of artist, Bill Neill.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Hi, Bill.- Hello.- Nice to meet you. - Good.- I love your bee pictures.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04They're so good!
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Why bees, what has drawn you to bees?
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I think I have always quite liked bumblebees.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11They are interesting little things, aren't they?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And I just slowly got more and more interested in them
0:26:15 > 0:26:16and like a lot of these things,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20the more you find out, the more interesting they become.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23They have that intrinsic link with the flowers here.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24They do, they do indeed.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Some bees have longer tongue lengths than others and therefore
0:26:28 > 0:26:31they specialise on certain sorts of flowers
0:26:31 > 0:26:35that you need a long tongue to get right down to the food.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38For that, some flowers provide more nectar to encourage them -
0:26:38 > 0:26:41their use by these bees.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45There are some species that don't have the long tongue so they just
0:26:45 > 0:26:49nick nectar through a little hole in the bottom of the flower?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Yes, the Short-Tongued Bumblebee, the White-Tailed Bumblebee,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56cheats its way by nibbling a little hole in the top.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01'But how do you get to grips with a subject that won't sit still?
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'Well, Bill makes a beeline
0:27:03 > 0:27:06'for casualties that have been hit by cars.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14'This landscape is a reminder of what much of the UK used to be like before
0:27:14 > 0:27:18'intensive farming and fertilisers drained the land of its colour.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'It is a place that simply mustn't be missed.'
0:27:24 > 0:27:28The islanders are rightly proud of the Machair. You can see why.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Because it's just got everything. You've got these really cute
0:27:31 > 0:27:34but common plants like buttercups
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and thousands of exotic gems like these orchids.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42As a wild flower spectacle, it is just stunning.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49That is all we have got time for today. Look at what we've had.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51A myriad of moths.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54A bird that looked like it had tomato soup spilled down its chest.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Swimming with seals and a flower-filled meadow
0:27:57 > 0:28:01that looked like an explosion in a paint shop.
0:28:01 > 0:28:09All of that and we're still at number 33 in our list of Britain's greatest wildlife spectacles.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13So, join us again next time when the countdown continues. Goodbye.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:33 > 0:28:36E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk