Island The Nature of Britain

"This precious stone, set in the silver sea.

"This other Eden...

"..a fortress built by nature."

Shakespeare's words to describe the glories of his homeland.

And who wouldn't agree that the hundreds of islands

that make up Britain are individual jewels of great beauty?

This is a place we should all be proud to call home,

somewhere with which we can all feel a very personal connection.

I don't know about you, but for me a walk on the beach

always brings back fond memories of childhood adventures,

fishing in rock pools with a net and a bucket bought on the prom.

We've all got treasured moments like these.

Watching frogspawn turn into tadpoles in a jam jar on the classroom windowsill,

or just feeding the ducks in the park.

For many of us, they're the start of a love affair with the nature of Britain.

And there's plenty to fall in love with.

You'll be amazed at the spectacular wild sights that Britain has to offer.

Most of us only ever scratch the surface of our rich heritage

and see just a fraction of the natural wonders we can call our own.

In this series, I'll be travelling to every corner of our islands

in search of the very best of British wildlife.

To celebrate the remarkable animals and plants

with which we share our home.

All these living things have their own incredible stories to tell...

..that reveal an intricate web of extraordinary relationships between

animals and plants, the landscapes they live in, and our lives, too.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be exploring and uncovering these relationships

to piece together the jigsaw that makes up the nature of Britain.

But for all our natural wonders, the truth of the matter is

that we don't have the tallest mountains in the world,

or the hottest deserts, or the deepest seas,

and yet we all feel that there's something special,

something uniquely, well, British about our countryside.

So, the first question to answer is - is it more than just a feeling?

Or is there something truly special about our countryside

and our wildlife?

Let's find out.

And to begin the search for what might make our island home special,

I'm heading to the far North.

These are the remote Shetland Islands,

closer to the Arctic Circle than they are to London,

and I'm about to risk life and limb for my first clue.

The creature I've come to see is known locally as a Scooty Allan.

It's no relation. It's got a fearsome reputation...

BIRD CALLS

..so I'm walking slowly and rather tentatively!

Oh! BIRD SWOOSHES

Oh! HE LAUGHS

Crumbs!

These angry aerial acrobats are skuas,

and I'm trespassing on their patch.

Dive-bombing's their way of letting any intruders know

they're not welcome.

And it certainly does the trick!

See why they call them skuas.

One false move and you're skewered!

SKUA SCREECHES

Whoof!

They're big birds, aren't they?!

Talk about your life in their hands!

They come at you from all angles!

Oh, charming.

And what are these skuas defending?

Well, that's what I've come here to see.

It's a chick, about a week old, and it's very precious,

not just to its parents,

but also to us, cos this is one of just

a handful of breeding sites in the British Isles.

It's not just any old skua, it's an Arctic skua, whose breeding grounds

are mainly on the Arctic tundra,

and this is the very southern-most point of its breeding range.

Most Arctic skuas nest much nearer the Arctic Circle,

in places like Iceland, but in the far north of Scotland

it's just close enough to allow them to breed.

Only because our long, thin chain of islands stretches so far north

are we lucky enough to have this bird and other Arctic species breeding here.

It's a good example of our geography and our position on the world map influencing our wildlife.

But I think, for now, I'd better give its parents a bit of peace and get out of here.

SKUA CALLS

It's time to head from one extreme to the other -

To the hot sun and warm sand of our most southerly outposts.

Because what makes us really special

is we've also got our very own miniature Mediterranean...

..complete with some exotic-looking wildlife.

Egrets, for example.

And who'd have thought these vibrant green lizards lived in Britain?

There's even a Mediterranean creature

you might see in your own back garden.

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a regular visitor to the South,

and in a warm year can be found as far north as Scotland.

If you're lucky enough to catch sight of one, it's worth stopping a while

to appreciate quite what a remarkable creature this is.

Slowed down 40 times, its precision flying abilities become clear

as it sips nectar from each individual floret.

The muscles that power these aerial manoeuvres

can only operate in a warm climate,

so Britain is about as far north as it can breed.

So the British Isles sit across a boundary.

We have one foot in the cold Arctic north and the other foot

in a warmer, more Mediterranean south giving us a special mix of wildlife.

And the importance of our position

in shaping the big list of British plants and animals doesn't end there.

Our prime location, sitting at the edge of Europe

and looking out at the rest of the world,

has made Britain a global crossroads

for human explorers, traders and invaders for thousands of years.

And they've brought with them their own contributions

to the animals and plants that you can find in modern-day Britain.

Pheasants - they were brought over by the Normans, 1066, and all that.

Fallow deer came with the Normans too.

Grey squirrels were brought from America in 1876,

and no-one's quite sure who let the parakeets out,

though they've made themselves quite at home.

But I'm here to see an animal brought to Britain by the Romans.

A bright spring morning near Cambridge,

and the inhabitants of this field are beginning to gather.

For brown hares, there's love in the air.

But the girls are playing hard to get.

This female uses fisticuffs to let the male know

his attentions are not welcome,

or perhaps to test that he's strong and healthy enough

to be a worthy mate.

For us, catching sight of the mad March hares on a cold, crisp morning

is something to gladden the heart.

A magic, natural moment

to treasure for ever.

It seems that this time, the male's persistence has paid off.

The animals and plants brought here by people passing through our shores

all help make up our unique mixture of wildlife,

found nowhere else in the world,

and which owes a great deal to where we sit on the global map.

And there's one final way in which our position

helps give the British countryside its unique character.

A British woodland in winter.

CROWS CAW

It seems lifeless...

..barren.

Very little stirs.

But it's all about to change.

Because of our position on the globe,

this woodland and the entire British countryside

is about to undergo a dramatic transformation,

all driven by the power of the sun.

Because Britain sits well above the equator,

the amount of sun we get varies enormously through the year.

Winter days are short,

and the sun sits low in the sky, weakening the power of its rays.

But as the sun rises higher,

more and more life-giving energy is beamed onto Britain.

The moment of change is approaching,

and when I say change, I mean change.

In one of the most dramatic transformations on the planet,

the dead, dark woodland becomes a lush, green wonderland.

CUCKOO! CUCKOO!

As the forest is reborn, its animal inhabitants also spring back to life.

Flowers burst open to greet the sun that fuels their growth.

Their vibrant beauty,

a celebration of the life which has so quickly returned.

It's a floral extravaganza to match any on Earth,

and it's right here, on our doorstep.

The seasons dictate the calendar of natural events

that give our countryside so much of its character.

And, for me, there's nowhere else in the world

that can quite match the glories of a British spring.

So, Britain's position on the face of the Earth

definitely helps to make us special.

It gives us our distinctive seasons,

and it defines our uniquely British mix of wildlife.

It's clear that where we are influences what we are.

For the next clue as to what makes Britain special,

it's time to head back up North.

This time to a very particular beach, not far from Inverness,

which is home to a quite remarkable coastal performance.

Every day throughout the summer, crowds of people gather here

in the hope of witnessing something rather wonderful.

Scanning the ocean, they hope to catch a glimpse of movement,

which might be the first sign of a sight few would expect in Britain.

Our coast is home to some of the largest bottlenose dolphins in the world,

twice as long as a grown man and eight times the weight.

This is one of the few places on Earth where you can reliably see them

quite so close to dry land.

And having quite so much fun!

They've come here to catch salmon,

which are heading back into the rivers to spawn.

But they're not above playing with their food first!

And maybe it's just me

but the dolphins seem to enjoy their fishing

at least as much as we enjoy watching it.

And to really see how rich our coastal waters are,

I need to take a look beneath the waves.

This is the first dive I've ever made.

I can tell you, it's a whole new world down here.

I can't quite get used to the feeling of breathing underwater!

There are things here

I've never seen before.

Oh, look,

I think that's a pipe fish.

He's a relative of the seahorse.

I never thought they got this big!

It's pretty murky down here, but that's actually a good sign.

It's countless millions of microscopic plankton

that are clouding the water.

And they're thriving thanks to the plentiful nutrients in our seas.

The tentacles of this snakelocks anemone

are catching the plankton as they drift past.

Seeing it like this, it looks like some sort of alien.

There's nothing like this up there on land.

I can only explore the very fringes of this underwater world,

but head out into deeper water and the sea is full of surprises.

# Somewhere beyond the sea

# Somewhere waiting for me

# My lover stands on golden sands

# And watches the ships

# That go sailing by... #

This kaleidoscope of marine life is only here

because Britain's coastal waters are so rich in nutrients.

In fact, our seas are among the most productive anywhere on Earth.

And if you want final proof of just how productive they are

then there's no better place to find it than here.

The remote Monach Isles off the west coast of Scotland...

..home to another British speciality.

Our coastal waters support more grey seals than anywhere else in the world,

and this is the largest breeding colony in Britain.

All fed by our rich and productive seas.

The mothers convert their diet of fish

into an incredibly nutritious milk to fuel the growth of their young pups.

And the youngsters need it.

In just 18 days,

they have to build up the strength to face the cold Atlantic waters alone.

Peace does not reign on the Monachs for long, though.

Soon after the females give birth, they're ready to mate.

Rival males eye each other up.

All looking for a chance to take over a prime piece of beach

full of willing females.

SEAL GROWLS

Snarls and posturing will see off lesser rivals.

But sometimes there's no alternative but to fight.

Battles break out all along the beach.

These two-ton leviathans don't hold back.

Fights are vicious, bloody, and sometimes fatal.

This is nature in the raw.

It's a desperate battle for the all-important chance

to father the next generation.

Our rich coastal waters are a great and undervalued national treasure,

but the sea isn't just important because of the wildlife that lives in it,

on it and around it, it also has a more dramatic role to play in our story,

and that's because it has an enormously powerful influence on our weather.

Love it or loathe it, Britain just wouldn't be the same without rain.

Whether it's April showers, sudden summer downpours at Wimbledon,

cold autumn drizzle, or freezing sleet in winter,

sometimes it seems as though it never stops raining in Britain.

In fact, we do get far more rain than most of continental Europe,

and that's because so much of our weather sweeps in across the sea that surrounds us.

It picks up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean on the way,

creating rain-laden clouds that then drop most of their contents on us.

But far from complaining about the rain, we should take pride in it

because it, too, goes a long way towards making Britain special.

As any gardener knows, plants like nothing more than a good soak,

and all this rain creates a lush carpet

that makes our land so green and pleasant.

Rain feeds rushing streams and rivers,

and the power of these waterways

has carved away at Britain's bedrock

for thousands of years to create some of our most dramatic countryside.

Rain has shaped the landscapes,

which have inspired so many of our great artists and writers.

After all, where would the Lake District be without a regular refilling from the heavens?

One way or another, all that rain, which we spend so much time talking about,

plays a huge part in making Britain such a special place.

And our plentiful supply of rain also has some rather surprising effects on our wildlife.

Take badgers, for example.

British badgers are special,

much friendlier than their relatives on the European mainland.

I've come to a badger sett in south-west England to see it for myself and to find out why.

And I've put out a few peanuts to give them something to nibble on

and hopefully to give us a better view.

It's wonderful to see them so close,

but they're so intent on what they're doing,

if I keep me voice down,

they won't even notice.

Can hear them chomping away.

That's quite a goodly number

here on one patch of ground

and that's why they're different from European badgers.

On the continent they tend to be much more solitary in ones and twos.

Here they're in much larger groups and believe it or not

it's all because of our weather that our badgers

are so much more sociable than their continental cousins.

To find out exactly what's going on

we need to follow the badgers out of the forest

to where they find their food

and that's going to need some pretty serious technology.

This is an amazing bit of kit.

It's a full military specification image intensifying camera.

It doesn't use infra-red, instead it has the capacity

to multiply the available moonlight to between 12 and 15,000 times

and that means that it can reveal a mysterious night-time world

that most of us never see.

And that looks like a hungry badger to me!

He'll be using his sense of smell to sniff out a meal from the moist soil,

because moist soil means worms and there are lots of worms here.

Worms make great badger food - plentiful, packed full of protein

and easy to dig up from the damp earth.

On mainland Europe, where it's generally a bit dryer and food can be harder to find,

a single badger needs a much bigger territory.

Our mild, damp and drizzly climate, on the other hand,

is perfect for worms, so there's a lot more food easily available

and badgers can live more sociable lives in much larger groups.

So there we are.

Because we're surrounded by sea

that means we get lots of rain, lots of rain means lots of worms

and that means we can sustain large groups of badgers.

Sorted!

But there's one more way the sea adds something special to Britain.

Christmas Day on Brighton Beach.

And in the great spirit of British eccentricity, dozens of people take part in a seasonal splash.

# It's the season

# Love and understanding

# Merry Christmas... #

You wouldn't catch me in there!

But it's not quite as cold as it looks and for two very good reasons.

The temperature of our sea is raised by warmer water

brought to Britain from the tropics on the currents of the Gulf Stream.

And, during summer, the shallow sea soaks up

the warmth of the sun, releasing it slowly through the winter.

So the sea can actually be warmer in December that it is on May Day.

and that's important to more than just the Brighton swimmers.

Even when we do get a white Christmas

the warmth from the sea keeps Britain from getting too cold.

It boosts the temperatures across the whole of the British Isles,

only by a couple of degrees,

but enough to give us milder winters than much of continental Europe.

And that attracts millions of wild visitors to Britain each year.

Believe it or not,

many of the apparently familiar birds visiting your back garden in winter

are actually foreigners.

Our winters may seem bitter,

but compared to where some of these birds have come from,

it's positively balmy

and that's all thanks to the warming effects of the sea.

There's one of these winter visitors that arrives in such numbers

that it creates what's arguably the most mesmerising natural spectacle in Britain.

You catch a glimpse of a single bird,

perhaps a small flock of three or four.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the flocks build and as birds fly in

from all directions, the groups merge and grow in number.

Then, quite suddenly, it seems as if the sky is full of starlings.

But this is only the beginning.

Numbers can be truly staggering

with up to seven million birds in a single flock.

A swarm of biblical proportions...

..all waiting for someone to be the first to fly down

into the reed bed below.

Sometimes the whole flock drops down quickly into the reeds

but sometimes they perform an extraordinary aerial dance

that leaves you breathless.

It's like a living sculpture in the sky.

A perfectly choreographed natural ballet.

And then, all at once, the birds begin to plummet into the reeds

and the magic moment is over.

STARLINGS CHATTER

The silence of the aerial dance is replaced by the noisy chatter

of the roosting birds as the day draws to an end.

So far, we've gone a long way to discovering what makes the British Isles such a special place.

We've seen how our position on the planet influences the animals and plants that live here

and gives us our distinctive seasons.

How the incredible productivity of our coastal waters makes them among the richest in the world

and how the sea that surrounds us

gives us our unique British weather

and shapes our countryside and our wildlife.

But there are two important bits of the puzzle missing

and I've come here to the island of Alderney to find one of them.

MUSIC: "Pink Panther theme tune"

Alderney, one of the smallest of the Channel Islands,

is the perfect place to see how being stuck on an island can make you...

well, special.

CAT MEOWS

There's an animal found here which has changed,

developed,

evolved,

to become a ghost-like mutation of its mainland relatives.

And here it is, a blonde hedgehog.

It's blonde because of a genetic quirk that means there's no pigment in its spines,

a bit like blondeness in humans, but much, much rarer.

Hedgehogs like this are one in a million on the mainland,

but here on Alderney there are hundreds of them

and all because they're stuck on an island.

Let me explain...

Hedgehogs were introduced to Alderney

and the original animals just happened to have that blonde genetic quirk.

And with such a small population on this isolated island,

inbreeding has helped blonde hedgehogs

become more and more common.

The residents of Alderney have really taken these blonde hedgehogs to their hearts.

For a start, they get fed most evenings

and they have other benefits over normal hedgehogs.

For one thing, nobody seems to know why, but they don't get fleas.

And when it comes to road safety they have a distinct advantage.

It's always been easier to spot a blonde in your headlights.

CAR SCREECHES TO A HALT

Alderney isn't the only island

to have its own unique race of a familiar animal.

In fact, we've got lots of island specialities - the Skomer vole,

the St Kilda wren,

even a Lundy cabbage found nowhere else in the world...

..all because Britain is an island of islands...

..more than 6,000 of them in all from Muckle Flugga to the Isle of Annet.

Our island character is essential in giving us

some of our most memorable natural treasures.

BIRDS SQUAWK

And top of the list are some of the largest, noisiest and most

spectacular seabird colonies found anywhere in the world.

More than two thirds of the world's gannets nest in the British Isles

and this colony on St Kilda is the largest on Earth.

The isolation of islands like this one provides sanctuary

from mainland predators like stoats, weasels and foxes,

which would devastate the nests and young of these seabirds.

And that's why these birds come here in such numbers.

Razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes -

every nook, cranny and ledge seems to be home to somebody.

The precious isolation provided by our thousands of offshore islands

is another vital part of what makes us special.

But for the final, and perhaps most important piece of the puzzle,

I need to look further inland...

..in one of our most beautiful and majestic landscapes.

With over 800 square miles of some of the most unspoilt countryside in Britain

this is Snowdonia National Park.

For me this is journey's end

but I'm not here just to admire the view.

I'm looking for something on a much smaller scale which can help me

explain the most special thing of all about the nature of Britain.

And for me, it's the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.

It's something I've wanted to see for many years

and this is its ideal habitat,

but it's not exactly my idea of a perfect place to live.

These north facing slopes get no sun at all.

There's hardly any soil in these cool dank crevices, but they're home to lots of specialist plants.

Things like the roseroot with its succulent leaves, the miners used to use this as a cure for toothache.

And here we've got the feathery, foliaged thalictrum.

Down there, thyme.

There appears to be nothing here, but when you look closely

you find lots of things that are adapted to dwelling here.

Living in these harsh conditions

means plants have to put up with a lot.

Rarely seeing the sunlight and enduring winter temperatures which can plummet to minus 20.

There's one that's tougher than all the rest

and that's what we've come all this way to see and here it is -

the Snowdon lily.

This one's just beginning to go over now and it's so rare, it grows nowhere else in Britain

except in Snowdonia and then only in these little isolated crevices in rock where it's shady and cool.

It was discovered in the 17th century by a local man

called Edward Llwyd and named after him, Lloydia serotina.

It's taken me to my mid 50s to set eyes on it in the wild.

Quite a thrill!

The Snowdon lily certainly isn't the most spectacular British plant,

though it has a certain simple charm, but it's a great example

of a living thing perfectly adapted to very specific conditions.

However harsh this environment is, the Snowdon lily grows here

not despite the conditions, but because of them.

Some plants and animals are generalist and can thrive almost anywhere

but others, like the Snowdon lily, are specialists

and need particular conditions in order to thrive

and that's the final key

to understanding what makes Britain so special,

because we have such an incredible number of these different habitats,

that are home to different combinations of plants and animals,

the British Isles are unique.

We might not be the biggest country in the world,

but when it comes to diversity of landscapes

we really do take some beating

and all these habitats have their own special blend of wildlife.

We've begun to explore some of them in this programme,

but there's so much more to reveal

and over the coming weeks that's exactly what I'll be doing.

From the lonely wilderness to the ever changing coast,

through forests, lakes and rivers,

to the landscapes we've created ourselves.

We'll seek out the most beautiful wildlife,

the most spectacular scenery

and the most remarkable stories

to discover the unique qualities that make each one so precious.

There's simply nowhere else in the world

that has quite so much quite so packed into such a small space.

Final proof, if any were truly needed,

that the British Isles really are a special place.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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