0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello. I'm Chris Packham, and this is Nature's Top 40.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10From flowers to butterflies, from reptiles to mammals,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13we set out to find the number one wildlife show in the land.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27It's simple really, it's the UK's top 40 wildlife spectacles,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30ranked in order of total magic.
0:00:31 > 0:00:37Meet the head bangers - it's the battling billys of Wales.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41There, there. You'll see him, you'll see him!
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And as ranked by our panel of wildlife experts,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46the otter enters our charts.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I've never known anything like it. My heart started to go...!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We've taken suggestions from the public,
0:00:53 > 0:00:54and thrown in a few of our own.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00Every idea has been scored for beauty, scale, excitement
0:01:00 > 0:01:06and rarity in our search for the UK's number one wildlife show.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Today, our charge up the charts continues.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15You'll recognise these rather boisterous animals as goats -
0:01:15 > 0:01:17one of nature's lawnmowers.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23They've got a voracious appetite for everything, including the paper bag.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Now, they're also, obviously, farm animals,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and sometimes they make great pets,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31but in the wild, when they put these horns to their proper use,
0:01:31 > 0:01:36they can provide one of the greatest fighting spectacles that you can see
0:01:36 > 0:01:39in the wilds of the UK, outside of this encounter!
0:01:39 > 0:01:42At number 32, rutting goats.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48It's not quite the badlands,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52but there's trouble brewing in these hills.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Big trouble.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I'm on the trail of rutting goats, and this is
0:01:57 > 0:02:02one of the best places to see them, the Nant Gwynant Valley in Snowdonia.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04How impressive is that?
0:02:06 > 0:02:07They're not everyone's cup of tea,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12but here's why I think these animals deserve their place in our Top 40.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17You can forget rutting deer, all that namby-pamby pushing and shoving.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21That's what I call having a proper head-to-head!
0:02:28 > 0:02:30At least now I know the goats are here.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32The best part of 30 up there, I think.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33There are billy goats,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35there are nannys and kids.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The trouble is, the goats are up there and I'm down here,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40so there's quite a bit of walking to do yet.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43GOAT BLEATS
0:02:43 > 0:02:44Now, tracking goats isn't easy,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47so I've called in an old friend, Howell Roberts,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51a man who spends most of his spare time up in these mountains.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Sometimes the goats will come down into the valleys,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57but today, they're making us work hard.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58Oh, that's a climb!
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But well worth it.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Ravens? Yes. A pair of ravens.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Yes, we're in their environment here now.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08These high crags and open mountains, ideal places for them to nest.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10And plenty of food for them up here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Fantastic. I like ravens.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Howell, you know your goats. What are the chances of seeing them,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and even better, seeing the rut today?
0:03:23 > 0:03:25There should be plenty of chances of seeing goats,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28especially now that we're almost reaching the skyline here.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31You will be able to look down and across the valleys.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33The chance of seeing the rut,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36well, that's a bit more of luck involved in that.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39But if you keep on looking, you never know what you'll see.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The rut happens every September and October,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45when the billys that have been living separately in the hills
0:03:45 > 0:03:49look for groups of nannys who are now in season.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51This is just the one herd here, Howell, is it?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Just the one herd on this part of the mountain,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56but if you went on the other side,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58you'd see more goats there, as well.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So is it just the one billy leading this herd?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Billys don't tend to lead herds.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's an adult nanny that leads the herd.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10The billy just hangs on afterwards, as part of the group.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13If you have a look, you'll see that there are two billys,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15but there are a large number of nannys,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and a number of youngsters there, as well, last year's young.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21So you've got a good cross-section.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And this is just one dominant billy we've got here,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and he's the one with the huge, huge horns.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Very distinctive horns, almost like handlebars on a bike.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Very, very large horns.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Have a look carefully at the horns,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36you can see the growth rings on them, in other words,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40as to how, each year, there's a little bit of growth on the horn,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42and you can age an animal from the horns.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I think that billy is about seven or eight years old.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48What signifies the beginning of a rut, then?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I think you've noticed it already today, it's the smell.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54You can smell the adult males, very strongly,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57very strong body odour that they've got,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00probably from the urine that they pass out.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But it's very, very distinctive.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07I could actually smell the goats before we saw them, even,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10it's like strong, strong goat's cheese.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Yes. That's usually the first indication.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14At other times of the year,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16you can come across them accidentally,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and you're unaware that you're gonna come across a goat.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23But in this time of the year, you've got plenty of warning.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28When males clash, it's not about inflicting damage, but dominance.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It's a constant round of battles as young billys,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36driven by the desire to mate, come into conflict
0:05:36 > 0:05:41with established males who will defend their nannys with gusto.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Ouch!
0:05:44 > 0:05:45Why now, then, Howell?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Well, it's this time of the year they start breeding.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53They are probably in their best condition now, after a good summer,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and then they will be kidding in the early spring.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58In other words, in February or March.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03I must confess, I like goats, I like the fact that we've got goats here,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06but I know that some naturalists do get a little bit touchy,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10a little bit sniffy with the fact that they're not true wild animals.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Well, they're the nearest you can get in Snowdonia
0:06:13 > 0:06:16or even in Britain, I think, to wild animals.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Yes, they're domesticated animals, domesticated about 3,000 years ago,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Neolithic times, that have gone wild,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and all these animals are descendants of those,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28perhaps with some more recent introduced blood
0:06:28 > 0:06:30from farms or smallholdings
0:06:30 > 0:06:32where animals have escaped,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34or perhaps the practice of keeping goats
0:06:34 > 0:06:36is not so popular now as it was.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Look at how close we are today,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41look at the way they're not really moving away from us,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43they've got quite used to us by now.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46If you went closer and made noise, perhaps they would move.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49But it really is quite a thrill to see them here.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Today, however, our billys were playing it cool
0:06:52 > 0:06:55on a rather hot autumn day.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I tell you what I have got is some footage here
0:06:58 > 0:07:00that a member of the public took,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02pretty high up the mountain, actually.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- Two billys here, here we are...- Yeah.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- And that's what we hoped to see today, wasn't it?- Did you hear that?
0:07:08 > 0:07:14- Yeah.- That bang, it really is full-on, 100mph stuff,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- they go up on their hind legs and they crash...- And again!
0:07:17 > 0:07:19No. No head-banging that time,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21but at least he reared up on his hind legs,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and he's obviously got the message.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Bang! That was a bit painful, wasn't it?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You can hear that clash of horns, even from, I would imagine,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33on a still day like this, from half a mile away.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35You certainly would,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38you'd know that there was some activity going on up there,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and quite aggressive activity, as well.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43There you go, I told you it was good.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Fantastic scenery and dynamic animals,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48what an explosive combination!
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Now for a creature that's a surefire sign of summer -
0:07:57 > 0:08:00well, if you've got more than one of them, of course, that is.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I've got to say they're one of our greatest migrants,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06in the springtime, they tend to arrive in dribs and drabs,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09but when they're ganging together in the autumn, to leave,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12they can be really spectacular.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15At number 31, it's swarms of swallows.
0:08:18 > 0:08:25One swallow doesn't make a summer, but does a swallow make a spectacle?
0:08:25 > 0:08:30I'm going to show you why swallows and their close relatives
0:08:30 > 0:08:33deserve to be in the Top 40. And what's more,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36we're going to see two wildlife spectacles for the price of one.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40There are dozens of types of swallow,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43but the ones that we have are barn swallows.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46They're part of the hirundine family of birds -
0:08:46 > 0:08:50along with house martins and sand martins.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56Swifts are a separate family, similar in flight, but bigger and darker.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Our swallows have that distinctive long forked tail.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04The real spectacle is when they gather in huge numbers.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08And the swallows will do that at the end of summer,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12when they get ready to migrate back to Africa.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14And I'm hoping that I'll go to a site
0:09:14 > 0:09:17where they literally roost in their thousands.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But there is another member of this family
0:09:19 > 0:09:23that provides a spectacle which is a little bit less time-critical.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30These are sand martins.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32We see huge seabird colonies,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36but it's unusual to have a large breeding colony inland,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and that's what makes these birds special.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46This is wonderful, I'm surrounded by sand martins.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48They're all living in this cliff here.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52It's like the avian equivalent of a high rise block of flats.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00In North America, these birds are known as bank swallows,
0:10:00 > 0:10:08and along this cliff, there are 300 nests, each with parents and young.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13I'm going to get closer to them with the RSPB's Mark Thomas.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16They're great birds, they're absolutely magnificent things.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18One of the key things is
0:10:18 > 0:10:21they're one of the first birds back in the spring.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24You've spent the whole winter dreaming of migrant birds,
0:10:24 > 0:10:25and it gets to late March,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and you hear this chirping, look up in the sky,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31there's seven grams of feathers, and it's flown 3,000 miles!
0:10:33 > 0:10:36They've got razor sharp, very, very thin claws,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39and they begin to excavate when they arrive in late March.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41It takes them two to three weeks,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43but after a while, they get the burrow,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46it goes back about this far, and there's a chamber,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and in the chamber is a cluster of feathers and that's the nest,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53and it's home for the next three to four months!
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Sometimes, birds die in the nest.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59And when early naturalists found them,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02they thought that hirundines hibernated.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07But with modern tracking and ringing, we now know they migrate to Africa.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The females have spent the whole time in the burrows
0:11:10 > 0:11:11incubating eggs and chicks,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15so what they've got is they've got a very bare patch of skin here
0:11:15 > 0:11:16to keep the chicks and eggs warm.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18So if we blow gently on the stomach of the bird,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21it will either be very fleshy, or it will be covered in feathers.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23If it's feathers, it's the male,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25cos he doesn't spend very much time in the nest.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27And if it's fleshy, it's a female.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- That's a female. - That's a definite female!
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Would you like to let this one go? - Yeah, I'd love to.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Just place your hand out flat. I'll just pop it on there...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Oh, brilliant! I hope she makes it to Africa and back!
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Yeah, fingers crossed!
0:11:43 > 0:11:48In August, the flow of swallows and martins back to Africa begins,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52from Scotland down to the English Channel.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56The first sign is when they gather on telegraph lines.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01It's now mid September, and I've come to the south coast of England,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03to Icklesham in East Sussex.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And the reason I'm here are these.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09This reed bed is the final stopover point
0:12:09 > 0:12:12for tens of thousands of swallows and sand martins
0:12:12 > 0:12:16before they leave the country for the winter.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The reeds are a safe roost for the night,
0:12:19 > 0:12:20and the sky is full of food
0:12:20 > 0:12:25for a final meal before crossing the Channel.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29In the late afternoon, the swallows start to gather over the reed beds.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32But even if you watch them every day,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35it's impossible to predict how many will arrive.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The reserve is run by Phil Jones.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39I love watching it.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I mean, I can sit and watch it every night.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It's just a mass, the sky can be absolutely full of them.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48They tend to take the evasive actions
0:12:48 > 0:12:51as the birds of prey come through. Hobbies and sparrowhawks
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and even merlin will come and pick off
0:12:54 > 0:12:56the odd young, inexperienced bird.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00It sounds like they're just a little snack for all sorts of predators.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05Unfortunately, they are. Hobbies, we think, follow the flock,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and a hobby is actually a bird of prey that is a migrant in itself.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So they're going to Africa, as well.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17It's very spectacular to see,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21cos they'll come in huge groups of 100, 200 at a time.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23It's just incredible to watch.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And how do you feel when you see the last lot of swallows
0:13:30 > 0:13:31departing our shores?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Very depressed!
0:13:33 > 0:13:37It's a sign of winter, it's a sign that autumn is really here and gone.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40You know winter has arrived once your last swallows have gone.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- Still, it's a fantastic spectacle to usher in the winter.- Brilliant.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Absolutely brilliant, and we enjoy it ever year.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Superb, absolutely superb.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Now, just think of this.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59You're up in your grandfather's loft, you find an old lamp.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01You've got to rub it, haven't you?
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And a genie comes out, and it grants you one of your fantasies.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08One of mine clearly would be to just be a swallow
0:14:08 > 0:14:10for just a couple of minutes.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I mean, imagine it. Wings of burnished blue,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17careening across the water surface like some sort of avian jet fighter.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It would undeniably be fantastic!
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Now, we're a quarter of the way through our Top 40.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Let's see what's scored points so far.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31At number 40, what a songster! Noisy natterjack toads.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35In at 39, supercharged ants' nests.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Lighting up our countdown at 38, it's glow worms.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And how cute are these?!
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Number 37, urban foxes.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48At 36, our marvellous moths.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52And when they're this beautiful, that really is a wildlife spectacle.
0:14:52 > 0:14:5535, swimming with seals.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00And here's a favourite of mine, at number 34, the high tide roost.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03That's a lovely sight, these birds up in the sky there.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08And 33, the stunning colours of Scotland's machair.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11High impact combat at 32, with rutting goats.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And 31, you sexy thing, it's swarms of swallows!
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Time for a joke, always fancied myself as a comedian, here we go!
0:15:27 > 0:15:31My local Indian restaurant has started serving chicken tarka.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36it's like chicken tikka, only it's just a little 'otter!
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Boom boom!
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Terrible joke, but fantastic animal absolutely fantastic,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45and if ever you're lucky enough to catch just a glimpse of one,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47I promise you'll be in seventh heaven.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I can still remember the first moment
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I came face to face with a wild otter.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59A magic moment, that will stay with me forever.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02And today I plan to relive that excitement
0:16:02 > 0:16:04through someone who's never seen one before.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07And it's not in some wilderness either,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09but right under the nose
0:16:09 > 0:16:12of Newcastle's busy international airport.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I've come today to meet an otter virgin,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16local lad and actor Tim Healy,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18a man who has not yet seen an otter.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Never seen one in my life, no. Only on the TV.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23But I'm really looking forward to it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25If we do see one, it would be fantastic.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- If, if?! This is the place!- Yeah?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I didn't think it would be round here,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I thought you were going to take me right over
0:16:32 > 0:16:34to the wilds of Northumberland.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Right next to the airport seemed a bit strange.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Any minute now, a jet will be whanging overhead.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42What I want to do now is to introduce you
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- to a dark side of Tales From The Riverbank.- Really?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Tim, this, you can squeeze in here,
0:16:49 > 0:16:54- is an otter sprainting point. - Really?- Yeah.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Now, spraints, there's no polite way to say it, are otter poo.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- Otter poo!- Cop a sniff of that.- Yeah.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08I can't believe... "What did you do today?" "I was sniffing otter poo."
0:17:08 > 0:17:12What that tells me is obviously that there are otters here,
0:17:12 > 0:17:13but also, this is fresh,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16this has been put down in the last couple of days or so.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18So, I mean, there are otters in this area,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- and they're here now, basically. - Brilliant.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25All WE have to do is find them.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28So time to call in the help of Kevin O'Hara
0:17:28 > 0:17:30from the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33He knows every inch of the Big Waters reserve.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40While we waited, there was plenty of other stuff knocking around,
0:17:40 > 0:17:41giving us great views.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Water rail, snipe and kingfisher.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47But not a sniff of an otter.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49And things were getting desperate.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Would Tim remain an otter virgin?
0:17:59 > 0:18:00There you go.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02You got it?
0:18:02 > 0:18:07- Yep.- Yeah, there it is, it's come out again to the right.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Just going into the water there.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13..its tail as it flicks over.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- Yeah.- There it is.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23- You've got two together.- It's two together, isn't it?- Brilliant.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Otters are well suited for aquatic hunting.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31They can close their nostrils and ears whilst under water,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34using their long whiskers to find fish, frogs, water voles.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37They'll even take small wading birds.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41And whilst they're mainly active at dusk and at night,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44here at Newcastle, daylight views are pretty much guaranteed.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- It's shiny like a seal, you wouldn't think it was fur, would you?- No.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53It looks like skin, doesn't it?
0:18:53 > 0:18:57It does, like a wet suit, innit? With the sun shining on it, as well.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Yeah.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Even at this distance,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03you can appreciate how superbly adapted they are
0:19:03 > 0:19:05for the aquatic environment,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- quicksilver in the water.- Yeah.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10When they catch these fish,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13you just catch a glimpse when they come to the surface,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15then they're down, they're swallowing whole,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19a couple of crunch to kill them. Then they flip over on their back.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23And the other thing that they do which endears them to us
0:19:23 > 0:19:26is that they use their hands to hold their food,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30- particularly if they bring it out on their back.- Yeah.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33This one's come a bit closer, that's what we always want.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- Yeah, you want one down here. - We do. Never satisfied!
0:19:36 > 0:19:40You want them singing and dancing, jumping through flaming hoops!
0:19:40 > 0:19:42You want them playing together.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Well, little then did we know what was to follow!
0:19:45 > 0:19:48The otters we had been watching came closer and closer
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and entered the reed beds right in front of us.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- Oh!- Brilliant, brilliant!
0:19:57 > 0:20:00They give away here with the moorhens.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04One of these birds climbed right to the top of one of the bulrushes,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and was peering down into the reeds.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Then, there was a little moorhen stampede,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and about four or five of the birds
0:20:12 > 0:20:15have moved from one side of the reeds to the other.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18We can hear the otter splashing around,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22so they are literally a few metres in front of us.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26What we are hoping is that they are going to cross this canal
0:20:26 > 0:20:28that has been cut through the reeds in front of us.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33There, there, there... See, see...
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Can you see the otter?
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Can you believe it? I've never known anything like that.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53When it came out there, my heart started going.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54- There it is.- I know.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Then it came out and put its head up,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- and looked right at us, didn't it? - Yes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00A little head came up ever so slightly.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02"Yeah, I know where you are."
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I dunno, it takes some beating, doesn't it, really?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- What do you think then, Tim? - Fantastic, man.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Points out of ten?- Ten.- Ten.- Ten.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Ten.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Top banana.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Though otter populations remain fragmented,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24it's now heartening to see these animals doing well,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and just like Tim, you never know.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Your first otter experience could happen much sooner than you think.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Now, you've been sending in your ideas via local radio and on the Web
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and Radio Norfolk came up with a particularly interesting set.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45There were common crane, definitely on my list, otters, and, of course,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47the pink-footed geese here.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50There was one thing they were absolutely dead set
0:21:50 > 0:21:52had to be the best local spectacle.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56At number 29, it's the rook roost.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01OK. Rooks.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07You're thinking unremarkable, if not to say boring, black, farmland birds.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08A bit like crows.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I reckon I can make you change your mind,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and possibly even blow your socks off.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22The spectacle is about a gathering storm, a tidal wave of birds.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29At dusk, rooks and jackdaws head for a wood outside Norwich,
0:22:29 > 0:22:36a communal roost, an urban jungle in the country with 40,000 inhabitants.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Before they roost up, the birds gather nearby,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45and when numbers are sufficient, they leave as one giant life force.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Oh, check out here, come round.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Look at this against the setting sun.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56A swirling mass, it's like someone has shaken a snow dome,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59only all the flakes are black rather than white.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02They are all whizzing up and flying over a trees,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04some of them are landing.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I can see, for as far as my eye,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10right from this tree all the way round,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14all the way round to the wood is rooks and jackdaws.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Listen to the sound.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17ROOKS AND JACKDAWS CAW
0:23:23 > 0:23:27You can see, as well, there are bigger dots, the rooks,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and little dots, which are the jackdaws.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34The really high pitched call is the jackdaws,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38and the lower one, the "caw, caw, caw" is the rook.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40They are everywhere!
0:23:40 > 0:23:43ROOKS AND JACKDAWS CAW
0:23:50 > 0:23:52What a sight, unbelievable.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57A whole wall, cathedral of sound, birds everywhere. Just unbelievable.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01You know what, I've loved it so much, I'm gonna go to bed now,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04and I'm coming back before dawn to see them leave tomorrow morning.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I want some more.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Early morning, and the birds are stirring, ready to leave the roost,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24but not before they've put on another breathtaking aerial display.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42What an incredible sight. 30, 40,000 rooks and jackdaws up in the air.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46It looks like a bonfire, and someone's bashed it,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and they're all tiny little pieces of ash.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52HE CHUCKLES
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Of course, this is only really a winter phenomenon between November and February.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02After that, they will split into their separate colonies or rookeries to start breeding.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04They are a very early breeder.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07But for now, what an amazing sight.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Look at them, just spiralling,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12dropping down off the trees, taking off again.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16This site has been used for hundreds of years.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19They are very, very faithful to this particular woodland.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Coming back every November, doing this, every night.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Come on, if you are looking for a spectacle,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31this has to be one of the best I have ever seen. It's so impressive.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38No one really knows why the birds gather in such numbers.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40It could be for security,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43or even a way of exchanging information
0:25:43 > 0:25:45about potential feeding areas.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Ploughed fields are a favourite haunt.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51To some, rooks remain a farmland pest.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54They have been persecuted for centuries.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55As far back as Henry VIII,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58there were serious attempts at extermination,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00but numbers now are on the up,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03with well over a million pairs nationally.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06This spectacle gets under your skin,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09so I'm back again for the evening display
0:26:09 > 0:26:13in the company of author, naturalist and rook fan, Mark Cocker.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It's the calm before the storm, isn't it?
0:26:15 > 0:26:20It is. That's one of the wonderful things about it. It is like a drama.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23You are actually able just to wait,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and let it build up, and it does build up.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30It's that fantastic sense of anticipation that you have.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Every night, you have success.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36And as the light falls, the birds arrive.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38You can see them coming now, look.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40They're up, yes, they're up.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41Oh, wonderful.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Fantastic. I often think of them,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46because you can't see them very clearly,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49that they remind me of a shoal of fish or something.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51They don't even really look like birds,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53apart from this fantastic sound that you can hear.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56ROOKS CAW
0:26:56 > 0:27:01- The decibels have gone through the roof.- Yes. Fantastic.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04This is only a tiny part. If you look across there,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07- you've still got them pouring off the fields.- Yes.- It's fantastic.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It's like a river of birds.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15Yes. 40,000 birds, that's lot of a stress on this tree.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Yes, well you're talking, eventually,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22about 25 tonnes of birds in the air at one time.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- It's amazing, looking at it like that.- Yeah.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Do you think they have special places where they go each night,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30each individual bird or pair?
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Yes. What's extraordinary,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36to us it looks like a maelstrom of 30,000 birds,
0:27:36 > 0:27:41yet every couple ends up sitting next to one another
0:27:41 > 0:27:43at the end of the night.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45They snuggle down.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48That shows that, amongst all this seeming chaos,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51there is a kind of order taking place,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54which is pretty special in itself.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I think of it as a kind of alchemy.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00I think of it as making gold from base metal.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Here's this bird, this incredibly ordinary,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and in many ways, despised bird,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and yet out of it, they create this fantastic spectacle,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13which happens here every night. I think it's wonderful.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17I think that's 24 carat gold. I have to agree with you, sir.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Fabulous, but I've got to tell you, there's better to come.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Do join us again next time for some more of Nature's Top 40.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk