0:00:05 > 0:00:09Right now, about 4,500 miles away,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12the Wild Alaska Live team are witnessing
0:00:12 > 0:00:14the world's biggest feast.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17After months of being frozen,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21the arrival of summer brings a four-month rush to feed and breed,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25attracting eagles, sharks, bears and wolves -
0:00:25 > 0:00:30all triggered by the annual arrival of Pacific salmon to this vast wilderness.
0:00:30 > 0:00:36Wild Alaska Live is capturing this incredible spectacle on TV and online.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The Alaskan wilderness may seem a world away,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44but we're here every day this week to reveal the wilder side
0:00:44 > 0:00:47closer to home, right here in the UK.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52As a wildlife cameraman, I've travelled all over the world,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56but the wildlife and wild landscapes of these islands hold a special place
0:00:56 > 0:01:01in my heart and are full of surprising wildlife stories.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02As a zoologist,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I love getting out and about to the wilder parts of the UK
0:01:06 > 0:01:10to check out the inspirational conservation projects that keep places
0:01:10 > 0:01:13like this, Glen Coe, wild.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Over this series, we're travelling from rivers to mountains,
0:01:16 > 0:01:21from forests to seas and even celebrating some of our wildest cities
0:01:21 > 0:01:24to bring you the best our country has to offer.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The UK is a lot wilder than you might think.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This is Wild UK.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Each day this week, we'll be looking at a different wilderness in the UK.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Today, we're revealing the wildness of mountains.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I love mountains, they're just so epic,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12the way that they remind you of the huge geographical forces that shape
0:02:12 > 0:02:17the planet and, of course, if you can be bothered to climb one,
0:02:17 > 0:02:22you get rewarded with spectacular views of the Earth.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Not quite sure how long we're going to have this particular view today
0:02:25 > 0:02:28cos there's a great big cloud above our heads that feels like it might
0:02:28 > 0:02:31descend upon us at any moment.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33But, you know, you don't have to climb very far to feel like
0:02:33 > 0:02:35you've entered a very different world.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Yeah, we've got our heads in the clouds.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40You always do, Lucy!
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Later in the show, Colin travels to Snowdonia to discover the landscape's
0:02:44 > 0:02:46surprising past.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It really feels very isolated,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and I've just realised I can't see another living soul.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57We're joined by some familiar faces sharing their best past mountain experiences.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00I can't believe how big it is!
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I'm in awe of that animal.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And I'm on the trail of a much misunderstood bird,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09the king of the corvids - the raven.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10So, if they're always watching,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14does that mean it will be hard for us to watch them today?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16We just need to wait and see, see what the ravens say.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22First up, we're going to give you a snapshot of Britain's mountains.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Mountains and upland areas, such as moors,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33cover almost a third of the UK's land area.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41Ten of the 15 UK's treasured national parks are considered mountains
0:03:41 > 0:03:42or upland areas.
0:03:44 > 0:03:50Of the 120 mountains in the UK over 2,000 feet, 600 metres high,
0:03:50 > 0:03:5382 of them are found in Scotland,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57creating some of the most dramatic scenery anywhere in the country.
0:03:59 > 0:04:05The Cairngorms is the largest, coldest and snowiest plateau in the UK,
0:04:05 > 0:04:12where, in winter, temperatures as low as minus 27.2 centigrade have been braved,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17and where winds as fast as 170mph have been recorded.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23This arctic landscape is home to mountain specialists,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25such as ptarmigan and mountain hare.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Wales' highest peak, Snowdon, is a remnant of a long extinct volcano.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39Its bleak and difficult terrain was the training ground for Sir Edmund Hillary
0:04:39 > 0:04:42before his successful ascent of Mount Everest,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46its peak rising into the clouds at over 3,500 feet,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48over 1,000 metres.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57There's a real sense of isolation and solitude in places like this,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01particularly when the cloud descends.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05All you can hear is the wind, but it's beautiful, really.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08But just occasionally,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13you can hear that iconic call that I associated with the mountain tops,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and that's the sound of the raven.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Just a few weeks ago,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Lucy headed off to the mountains on Mull to track them down.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I've enlisted the help of bird expert Matt Wilson.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36So what is it about mountains that attracts ravens, do you think?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Well, I think it's because...
0:05:38 > 0:05:43One of the reasons is they're so well adapted and so adaptable
0:05:43 > 0:05:46to every habitat, really, we have here in Scotland.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47And...
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Yeah, they've just got this capability of surviving
0:05:50 > 0:05:53where a lot of other birds probably wouldn't.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57This is a tough environment to live in and you need to be a smart bird
0:05:57 > 0:05:59in order to survive it.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Especially going through the winter,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and sometimes you realise, when you're up in the tops,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07the only bird that you can hear is a raven in the distance,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11and their voice carries a long way, but you know they're watching.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12So, if they're always watching,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17does that mean it will be hard for us to watch them today?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Oh, we'll just need to wait and see, see what the ravens say.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Here's hoping the ravens say, "Yay"!
0:06:22 > 0:06:23THEY CHUCKLE
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Ravens are considered to be amongst the most intelligent animals.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Their brain to body mass ratio is comparable to whales and apes.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Their problem-solving abilities are amazingly sophisticated.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42This is Bran, he's a tame raven.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46His prize is inside this ball but, to get to it,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48he needs to first open two boxes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55And within a few minutes, he works out how to solve the puzzle.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Because ravens are clever, they are also suspicious of anything new,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05so that makes them surprisingly difficult to observe.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11To try and see a raven close up, we've employed a few tricks of our own.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14We've brought along Jim, a specialist wildlife cameraman.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18He's built a hide that promises a good view of a deer carcass
0:07:18 > 0:07:19that's on the mountain.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23It's not big enough for the three of us,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27but Matt and I will try and find a vantage point a little further up,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29but, as is often the case in mountains,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32weather conditions can rapidly change.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36So, would they nest up here?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38They nest on crags, in the hill environment, you know,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41where there's a bit of shelter, usually with an overhang.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43On a day like this, you can see why they need an overhang.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Yeah. And ravens are one of the earliest nesting birds.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Are they able to protect their chicks from this incredible weather?
0:07:50 > 0:07:54They lay, as you say, early, one of the earliest layers in March
0:07:54 > 0:07:57and, as we know, we can get a lot of snow in March.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58And they're just very well insulated.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00They do line their nests with wool.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03What else are they foraging for up here?
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Well, at this time of year, there's a lot of food around -
0:08:06 > 0:08:09various chicks of various kinds, lots of beetles.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10They eat a lot of beetles.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- Really?- Yeah, yeah.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And there's natural deaths on the hill as well.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20I feel like they're hiding from us today, though, with good reason.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Yeah, and it's low cloud,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24just not a good day for spotting them from a distance.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29With the elements against us, we head back to the safety of the car,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32where Matt has some interesting raven artefacts to show me.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34This is a full skull.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36As you can see, look at the size of the brain cavity
0:08:36 > 0:08:40and that very large, powerful, deep beak.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I believe it's bigger than the other corvids, isn't it?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46It is, and that's what enables them to break into carcasses
0:08:46 > 0:08:48and also hold large pieces of meat, really.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53When they pull them out, they carry them and put them into caches,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57they cache them away, and this gives them a food supply
0:08:57 > 0:08:59when the weather's not so good or there isn't food available.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Well, this is my raven treat.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03THEY CHUCKLE
0:09:03 > 0:09:08I understand how hardy and resourceful the raven is for having experienced
0:09:08 > 0:09:11its world - for an afternoon, anyway.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Shame I didn't see them today!
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Well, I might not have seen a raven, but I do feel like I got a really
0:09:22 > 0:09:25good sense of their struggle for survival
0:09:25 > 0:09:27because that was July I was up that mountain.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Imagine it in the middle of winter - it'd be covered in snow,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35so hard to find food, but the raven survives by being so smart.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37And they are clever birds.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I know that as a cameraman because, when you're trying to film at the nest,
0:09:41 > 0:09:42you have to be really careful.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45A standard technique that we use is to put up a little hide and then you
0:09:45 > 0:09:49get someone to come along with you, you disappear into the hide,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52they walk off and the animal thinks you've gone.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55But you don't fool a raven like that cos they can count
0:09:55 > 0:09:56and they know you're still inside.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Wow. That's amazing, isn't it?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Yeah.- And, of course, you're trying to hide yourself in order to film the animals,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04but there are plenty of animals that need to disguise themselves
0:10:04 > 0:10:07so they don't get eaten, like the mountain hare.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14They're another mountain specialist and they're Britain's only native hare,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18and they camouflage themselves by going all white in winter,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22but, at this time of year, they've got a kind of mottled brown coat.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27They're found throughout the Highlands of Scotland,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30but no-one has ever known exactly how many there are.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34But right now, a team of scientists are trying to figure out what
0:10:34 > 0:10:35their population really is.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37But catching them can't be easy.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41That's right. That's why they've had to have a three-year study,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44just to assess how best to count them.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46And in 2015,
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Michaela Strachan went along to meet the scientists testing the various counting methods.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59The Cairngorms provide a perfect habitat for mountain hares.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05And yet, the last census suggests that numbers have declined
0:11:05 > 0:11:11a staggering 43% between 1995 and 2013.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16The problem for ecologists studying this native species
0:11:16 > 0:11:18is obtaining accurate numbers.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Dr Scott Newey from the James Hutton Institute is trying to get to grips
0:11:24 > 0:11:26with this surprisingly tricky problem.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Do you have any idea of population numbers?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32We don't particularly have a very good idea.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37There's one estimate from 1995 which suggested there were about 350,000
0:11:37 > 0:11:41hares in the UK, but that estimate was plus or minus 50%.
0:11:41 > 0:11:4350%?! That's huge.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47That's right, yes. That's from, what, 175,000 to half a million hares.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50But that was the best information available at the time.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Some people are concerned that there is an overall decline
0:11:53 > 0:11:56in the population of mountain hares in Scotland.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57What would have caused that?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00We can speculate that there's a land use change.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Heather moorlands are being lost,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05sometimes due to forestation or woodland regeneration.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Certainly, in some areas,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10it appears the mountain hare numbers are being deliberately reduced
0:12:10 > 0:12:13for tick control to benefit red grouse.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17There's this virus called the Louping-ill virus which can have devastating effects
0:12:17 > 0:12:23on red grouse, and it's carried by the tick, and mountain hares carry the ticks.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25But probably not as many as other mammals,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28particularly red deer that are a far more important tick host.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32However, we need to remember that mountain hares are a traditional game species.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35They've been hunted for hundreds of years for sport
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and recreation and sometimes mountain hares
0:12:37 > 0:12:39can be very numerous locally,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and there may be reasons where the numbers need to be reduced.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51But counting this secretive species in this tough terrain is a real challenge.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Scott's currently involved in a trial that aims to find
0:12:54 > 0:12:56the most effective way of counting the mountain hare.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03His technique involves trapping hares, marking them,
0:13:03 > 0:13:08releasing them and then seeing how many marked hares are caught again.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11This method results in strong, reliable data,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but is very labour-intensive.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Scott's working with Dr Kathy Fletcher
0:13:19 > 0:13:22from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27who's testing another technique, and that means going on a night hike.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- We're just going to head up, are we, and hope for the best?- Yes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Everything crossed.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Kathy, it's a good job it's not cold and dark or anything like that, hey?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37No! Well, hopefully, it will be dark soon.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Obviously, we're doing this in the dark because they're nocturnal.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Yes. During the day, they'll lie up in this long heather but, at night,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47they'll start moving around, looking for their food.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And how do we do it, then? Do we shine this lamp and just basically
0:13:50 > 0:13:51- look for them?- Yes, yes.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53On these surveys, we walk straight lines,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57so we have the GPS and the paperwork and then we start on that transect
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and swing the lamp from left to right.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And both of us can watch in the beam and, hopefully,
0:14:02 > 0:14:03we'll spot some hares.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I don't know how much looking I'm doing, Kathy. I'm looking more at my feet.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15So, Kathy, how far do we have to walk?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Well, these transects are 2km, and then we go along
0:14:19 > 0:14:21to the next transect and come 2km back again.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- Oh, look! Grouse.- Oh, look!
0:14:26 > 0:14:27What a grouse!
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I should come out at night more often!
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- There's a hare up there. - Oh, is there?
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Oh, yes! Oh, fantastic!
0:14:41 > 0:14:45- We've got one!- You can see its eye shine really clearly, can't you?
0:14:45 > 0:14:50Yes. Hares have quite a red eye shine, and they're a different colour to
0:14:50 > 0:14:53if you see deer or sheep out on the hill.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Well, the hare's not bothered by the rain, is it?
0:14:55 > 0:14:56No, they don't seem to be.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59We can do these surveys in the rain, as long as there's good visibility.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05'Kathy plots the location of each sighting using GPS
0:15:05 > 0:15:10'so she can later calculate the total number of hares in each square kilometre.'
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Kathy, is that another one?
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- Yes.- That's great, isn't it?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Yes, that's a bit closer, so you can see the nice long ears.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Oh, look, it's going onto the heather.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25That's a great view, isn't it?
0:15:25 > 0:15:27You can see its shape really clearly.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Yeah.- When will you finish your population survey?
0:15:30 > 0:15:35We've got another winter survey season to go, so we'll finish...
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Hopefully, summer of 2017, we'll be reporting back.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43And if you find that there are far fewer than you estimated,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I presume that will affect the management of them?
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Yeah, yeah. When we find a robust, reliable method of counting,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54we can roll that out across various areas of Scotland and get a really
0:15:54 > 0:15:57good handle, and that will feed into management plans for the estates.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11The project is hoping to have the results by the end of this year,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and it's going to be interesting to find out how many there are.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Yeah, I'd like to know.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Well, if you were watching Alaska Live last night,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22you would have seen the intrepid Steve Backshall abseiling
0:16:22 > 0:16:25all the way down an enormous glacier.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Alaska has hundreds of these rivers of ice amongst its mountain ranges,
0:16:31 > 0:16:36each one slowly moving down to the sea and each one quite literally
0:16:36 > 0:16:39shaping the Alaskan wilderness as they travel.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43There are no glaciers here in the UK today,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47but that's not to say that they haven't left their mark on these islands.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Now, back in June, I travelled to North Wales to discover how the past
0:16:51 > 0:16:56has helped shape what we consider today as one of our truly wild places.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Snowdonia is one of the most stunning national parks in the UK
0:17:03 > 0:17:09covering 823 square miles of North Wales.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11This is a land of snowcapped peaks,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13untamed valleys and breathtaking scenery.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Traveller and author George Burrow toured Wales in 1854.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24He wrote of Snowdonia, "Perhaps in all the world,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26"there is no region more picturesquely beautiful."
0:17:30 > 0:17:34To unravel what makes the wild landscape so special,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I have come to Cwm Idwal,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39one of Snowdonia's most beautiful valleys
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and also one of the best places
0:17:41 > 0:17:44to find clues to its geological past.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50One of the first clues was discovered here 186 years ago
0:17:50 > 0:17:54when a young Charles Darwin came here on a geology field trip.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Now, he discovered rocks like these
0:17:56 > 0:17:59that contained fossilised sea creatures,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03so he immediately recognised their significance.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It meant that this entire area was once at the bottom of the sea.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13We now know that this was over 400 million years ago
0:18:13 > 0:18:17when the volcanic mountains erupted out of the Irish Sea.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23But it was a more recent chapter in Snowdonia's geological history
0:18:23 > 0:18:26that carved out this distinctive landscape -
0:18:26 > 0:18:28the Ice Age.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33I've asked Dewi Davies from the National Trust
0:18:33 > 0:18:36to recreate that moment in miniature.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43So let's use the available resources to demonstrate, shall we?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So, first of all, you've got to build yourself a mountain.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49In four seconds, we'll do the work of 400 million years.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Excellent.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55And then you'd normally have streams coming off the mountain
0:18:55 > 0:18:59running down, cutting nice deep channels in a V-shaped valley.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02So it's, you know, it's the sort of narrow gorges
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and that kind of thing, typical of what you'd see
0:19:04 > 0:19:07in any river system, but reduce that temperature significantly
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and you get snow accumulating, and it actually starts eroding
0:19:11 > 0:19:14these higher valleys, or the cwms up at the top.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18The ice then cascades down here into the lower valley,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21so effectively it bulldozes everything in its path,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25so what was a normal V-shaped valley
0:19:25 > 0:19:27has now become a U-shaped valley.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And all of these steep sides are still to be seen today,
0:19:30 > 0:19:31so the ice isn't there anymore,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33but there's a lovely example that I could show you
0:19:33 > 0:19:35just five minutes away from here.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- Oh, terrific.- You want to have a look?- Yeah, you bet.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It's so classic, isn't it?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Yeah. I mean, it is the classic textbook U-shaped glacial valley.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57You know, it features in textbooks, so it literally does.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00And it just shows you the pure physical power
0:20:00 > 0:20:02that was here once upon a time
0:20:02 > 0:20:05to just carve away those mountains. Can you imagine?
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And you can just about make out Anglesey in the distance there.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Now all of this stuff, all of this material,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13would have been carted out to the Irish Sea
0:20:13 > 0:20:15probably over Anglesey and that way.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18When you see a glacier now, if you ever go to the Alps or something,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20they look like static things,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- but of course they are rivers of slow-moving ice, effectively.- Yeah.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27It's only 10,000 years or so ago that the ice actually left,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30which given the timescale of Cwm Idwal, you know,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32almost 500 million years, it's nothing, is it?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34It's just the blink of the eye.
0:20:36 > 0:20:43Back up at Cwm Idwal, Dewi takes me to a monument to the power of ice.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49These are pretty impressive looking boulders, where do they come from?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Well, they appear to have just landed from space, don't they?
0:20:52 > 0:20:55But if you were to analyse the chemistry of the rock,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57you'd find that they actually belong way up there
0:20:57 > 0:21:01in one of those hanging valleys, so they will have been transported,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03but no river of water could carry these down,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06so it had to be something bigger, more powerful,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and obviously we know now that that was the ice.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12It just is amazing, isn't it, when you look around this landscape,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15everything has been gouged and scraped and weathered,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17and it just makes you, when you see these rocks,
0:21:17 > 0:21:18they're so big.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21It just shows you how powerful those glaciers must've been
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and how much more powerful ice is than water.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Absolutely.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35It's really beautiful up here in the evening light.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Very little sound except for the wind and the odd call of a raven
0:21:40 > 0:21:43or meadow pipit singing in the distance.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Voice being carried on the wind.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I can't see another living soul.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50It really still feels wild.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Well, that looked absolutely stunning
0:22:01 > 0:22:05and it is incredible to think that a glacier
0:22:05 > 0:22:07managed to carve that valley out of rock,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10it's sort of mind-boggling, really.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I know, the power of frozen water is pretty amazing,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and you know, I've passed through that landscape
0:22:15 > 0:22:18many times over the years, but never really quite appreciated
0:22:18 > 0:22:21what I was seeing. But the next time I'm there, I'll be able
0:22:21 > 0:22:23to look at it with a new set of eyes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24Did you take any photos?
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Have you got any photo tips for taking photos in the mountains?
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Well, don't take them on days like this.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Because they're not very inspiring, to be honest.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Well, luckily, our viewers have done much better with the weather
0:22:37 > 0:22:41than we have and they've sent in some glorious mountain scenery
0:22:41 > 0:22:44via our social media hashtag #mywilderness.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57All this week as we celebrate our UK wilderness,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01over in Alaska, Matt Baker, Steve Backshall and Liz Bonnin
0:23:01 > 0:23:04are exploring the most remote parts of that region.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And earlier in the week, on the live show, you will have seen
0:23:07 > 0:23:10the man mountain that is Steve Backshall
0:23:10 > 0:23:14approaching an animal mountain that is the walrus.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Now, I wonder, how did they manage
0:23:17 > 0:23:20to get that close to an animal like a walrus?
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I wonder.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24The crew travelled to Round Island
0:23:24 > 0:23:27where hundreds of male walruses gather each year
0:23:27 > 0:23:29on its small, steep-sided beaches.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39The boat trip is the last leg of their four-day journey
0:23:39 > 0:23:42to this remote part of Alaska,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and as they arrive, it doesn't take long for Steve and the team
0:23:45 > 0:23:47to get their first sighting.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53That is insane.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59It's a great initial encounter,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01but the team have got a lot more filming to do
0:24:01 > 0:24:03and they've only two more days here.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Their first job is to get onto the island to set up camp.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Director Rosie Gloyns is pleased to have seen the locals.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18So we've arrived on Round Island to a welcome of walruses
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and we've just ferried all our kit up to the top
0:24:21 > 0:24:23over some boulders, scrambled up.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25So there's hundreds of walruses on the beach,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28which is amazing because the walrus leave the island
0:24:28 > 0:24:31for sort of three or four days to go feeding,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and there was a possibility we would get here
0:24:33 > 0:24:34and there would be no walrus,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36which would be awful considering we've travelled
0:24:36 > 0:24:39about four days to get here.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42So we're just chuffed the walrus are here!
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It's really quite a remarkable place.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I could almost hear in the back of my mind the theme tune
0:24:48 > 0:24:51to Jurassic Park playing in my head, you know?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It is a perfect stage for an animal like this.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Once all the tents are set up, the team turn in
0:24:58 > 0:25:01with high expectations for the next day's filming.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08But overnight, the weather takes a turn for the worse
0:25:08 > 0:25:10as heavy clouds descend on the island.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14It's a bit miserable, innit?
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Didn't order this, I ordered the blue sky and sunshine.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Take it back.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23We don't have very long on this island,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25we're only here for a couple of days.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29And it is an incredible privilege, not many people get to come here,
0:25:29 > 0:25:30get to see this.
0:25:30 > 0:25:36We are just cast adrift in the middle of the North Pacific
0:25:36 > 0:25:39in a very, very wild place.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41And so we're going to make the most of it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The change in weather has caused the walruses to move
0:25:45 > 0:25:47to the furthest point on the island,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50so now the team have to make a long trek with all their heavy gear.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55On their way, they're rewarded with other amazing wildlife
0:25:55 > 0:26:00the island has to offer, including an unexpected encounter.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09Totally and utterly fearless.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Not many places you can just wander up
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and have a red fox taking you out for a walk.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Think he wants me to go this way.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32After an hour of heavy trekking,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35the team finds just what they're looking for.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And you get up high and get a real sense
0:26:40 > 0:26:43of quite how many walrus there are here on Round Island.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It really gives you a sense of quite how rich
0:26:46 > 0:26:49the waters of Alaska are at this time of year.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Despite the poor conditions, they finally get what they need,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57some amazing footage of walruses.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I love walruses, they're such crazy looking animals,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10and not one that you'd expect to find on our shores
0:27:10 > 0:27:15but back in 2013, there was a freak event when a male walrus
0:27:15 > 0:27:19was found basking on the beach of one of the North Orkney Islands.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22It was North Ronaldsay island
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and it appeared in seemingly good health, so no-one's really sure
0:27:27 > 0:27:30how it ended up so far from its normal Arctic home.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32A pretty unusual sight, to be sure,
0:27:32 > 0:27:37and not one that's probably going to be repeated anytime soon.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But here on Wild UK, we would really like to encourage you
0:27:41 > 0:27:43to get out to wild places
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and see as much wildlife as you can for yourself.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And here is a brief guide to where the wild things are.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57The mountains of the UK are home
0:27:57 > 0:28:00to some of our hardiest and most enchanting wildlife.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07In spring and summer,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11the hen harrier can be found on upland heather moors.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12They nest in dense vegetation
0:28:12 > 0:28:15which protects their chicks from the elements.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Red deer can be found in many parts of the UK,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31but mountainsides can offer a great vantage point
0:28:31 > 0:28:32to view their behaviour,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35especially during the rutting season in the autumn.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39On the northern edge of the Cairngorms
0:28:39 > 0:28:43is ancient Caledonian Forest where you can go in search
0:28:43 > 0:28:46of one of our rarest and shyest creatures,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48the capercaillie.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53During the spring breeding season, listen out for the distinctive calls
0:28:53 > 0:28:56as rival cocks show off to impress the females.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02The proximity of the sea to the mountains of Snowdonia
0:29:02 > 0:29:05means moist air collects in the valleys
0:29:05 > 0:29:09creating perfect conditions for lichens and mosses.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14Three quarters of all British species of lichen can be found here.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19And in fact, Wales is the most diverse lichen environment on earth.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Mountains are often hard to reach and can be quite tough to explore,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30but if you do get a chance to get up one,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32then the rewards can be fantastic.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35They really can. Particularly in this part of the world,
0:29:35 > 0:29:40you have a chance of spotting one of our most iconic birds of prey,
0:29:40 > 0:29:41the golden eagle.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43It's a seriously impressive bird,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46with a wingspan of over two metres.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Since the 1960s, the population has been steadily on the rise.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54It's mostly restricted to Scotland, but when they did a survey in 2015,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58there were actually 508 recorded pairs.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01That's really good news, and it's really the results
0:30:01 > 0:30:05of some serious conservation efforts by a variety of organisations
0:30:05 > 0:30:07that have taken place over the years.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10But even with the numbers increasing,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12spotting one in the wild is not all that easy,
0:30:12 > 0:30:17as Gordon Buchanan realised when he set himself the challenge
0:30:17 > 0:30:22to find and film them within just 48 hours in the Scottish mountains.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37For me, there is nothing more rewarding
0:30:37 > 0:30:41than seeing this iconic and majestic bird in the wild.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55They have to be one of the country's most elusive creatures.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00I've set myself a challenge.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05I've got less than 48 hours to find and film a golden eagle.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09But I've got a promising tip-off.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Eagle expert Roy Dennis has satellite-tagged eagles
0:31:12 > 0:31:15in this part of the Cairngorms, and says that, right now,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18there could be at least four eagles within striking distance.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21So, with conditions like this, how difficult is it going to be?
0:31:23 > 0:31:26You know, sometimes I'll walk up here or drive up here,
0:31:26 > 0:31:27and I see two or three immediately.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30And other days I never see any.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34At present time, this is very much a nursery, a learning area for eagles.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Because you're getting a succession of immature
0:31:38 > 0:31:39and juvenile eagles here.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43That's amazing, you've got young birds coming here
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and really honing their skills on these hills?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Yeah. A lot of it is learning how to live.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50A bit like what you're going to do today,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53learning how to get across these bogs.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Even though several juveniles use this area,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01they can range over hundreds of miles,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03so they're not going to be easy to find.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08This wind is quite, quite incredible.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10This backpack acts like a sail,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14so the wind just pushes you all over the mountaintop.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16This is big country,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18inhospitable to man
0:32:18 > 0:32:21and accessible to only the hardiest creatures.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24After a few hours of hard slog,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28I find proof that there are young eagles in the area.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Oh, look at this.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33We have a pellet.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39And I would say, at that sort of size, this is from a golden eagle.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Like other raptors, golden eagles regurgitate a pellet
0:32:43 > 0:32:46full of hair and bones that they can't digest.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49This one is full of the fur of mountain hare.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55After several more hours of being battered about,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57I see another encouraging sign,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01and find myself face-to-face with the eagle's favourite food,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03already in its white, winter coat.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10A mountain hare, just hidden down there.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15You can imagine a golden eagle soaring over this hilltop
0:33:15 > 0:33:20and seeing a white hare running across the hilltop,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22it just makes for a really easy target.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Oh, there he goes!
0:33:32 > 0:33:34A disappointing day.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36No eagles.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39They'll be looking for some place to rest up for the night.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42For me, this bothy offers shelter
0:33:42 > 0:33:44and somewhere to recharge my batteries
0:33:44 > 0:33:46for another day.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I set off again.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54The going seems tougher today.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57And with every step, I become more and more disheartened.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03I'm finding it hard to keep my spirits up.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07I spend the rest of the day without a single sighting of an eagle.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14There's only an hour left before I'm due to leave this mountain.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Once the light goes, my time is up.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Then, in the gloom, I catch a glimpse of something.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27Hang on...
0:34:28 > 0:34:31There we go, we have an eagle, yay!
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Let's try and stay on it.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36Wonderful.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44OK, it's just...
0:34:46 > 0:34:48..stopped on a rock there.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51How about that, OK.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Wow!
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Great.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02Now, it's very distant.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06We're about to lose the sun.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16A glimpse like this is all the reward that I really need.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23They are the ultimate emblem of nature in this country,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25the ultimate symbol of the wild.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Mountain areas like these are perfect habitat for golden eagles.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43They like these big, wide, open spaces.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46They can soar over them and search for food.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47And they like those cliff edges,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50because that's where they like to build their nests,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52as opposed to trees. I guess as large birds,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54it's easier for them to get in and out.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56It's actually quite striking, isn't it,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58the lack of trees on these mountains,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00which makes it great for eagles,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02but it wasn't always that way.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05And they would have been the perfect habitat for one of Britain's
0:36:05 > 0:36:06long-lost beasts.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08And, earlier this year,
0:36:08 > 0:36:10The One Show's Mike Dilger went to find out
0:36:10 > 0:36:14about the chance of this particular animal to make a comeback.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Hundreds of years ago, a supreme predator stalked the UK.
0:36:22 > 0:36:28The lynx - a cat the size of a Labrador that hunts by stealth.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Deforestation, a decline in prey species
0:36:31 > 0:36:35and human persecution are all thought to have contributed
0:36:35 > 0:36:39towards the lynx extinction in Britain by the late Middle Ages.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43But now, could the cat be on the verge of a comeback?
0:36:44 > 0:36:48The potential reintroduction of lynx is now being publicly raised,
0:36:48 > 0:36:53in what could be one of the most ambitious rewilding projects
0:36:53 > 0:36:55ever attempted in the UK.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57The Highlands of Scotland have been put forward
0:36:57 > 0:37:00as one of the most appropriate places for a reintroduction.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03But what might this mean in practice?
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Peter Cairns is a founder of Scotland - The Big Picture,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09a conservation initiative supporting rewilding.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12There's a moral obligation, in my book.
0:37:12 > 0:37:13We got rid of these animals,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15and now we sit in judgment over other countries.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17We're asking India to look after their tigers,
0:37:17 > 0:37:19we're asking Africans to look after their lions,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22but we're not prepared to have large predators here in our own backyard.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Aren't you just trying to kind of wind back the clock
0:37:25 > 0:37:28to a halcyon period when great beasts were roaming these forests?
0:37:28 > 0:37:29No, I don't think so.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32I think rewilding, as it's often referred to,
0:37:32 > 0:37:33is very much about looking forward.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36It's about setting the clock back in motion.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39So how would lynx reintroduction affect the wildlife
0:37:39 > 0:37:41in these beautiful pine forests?
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Well, lynx predominantly prey on medium-size woodland deer.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48So in Scotland's case, that would be roe deer, it would be sika deer,
0:37:48 > 0:37:49potentially red deer calves.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52And of course, what that does is reduces the grazing pressure
0:37:52 > 0:37:55that these herbivores bring to the forest.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57I'd like to think that, given time,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00the public would come to love this animal once they know more about it
0:38:00 > 0:38:04and to see the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Scientific analysis has suggested that a viable population
0:38:07 > 0:38:11of around 400 lynx could survive in the Scottish Highlands,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14with smaller numbers possible in southern Scotland
0:38:14 > 0:38:18and some of the wilder areas of England, like Kielder Forest.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21But not all are convinced by the arguments for rewilding
0:38:21 > 0:38:26with livestock farmers like Alastair MacLennan remaining sceptical.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29I think we should look after the species that we have here.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33We've got capercaillie, black grouse, red squirrel, wildcat.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36We spent a lot of money on these species to try and maintain them.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39My understanding is, this is an animal that's very shy
0:38:39 > 0:38:41and it's essentially a woodland animal.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Here in your farm, you're grazing open lands.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Mm-hm, but if you look around,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48we've got quite a lot of woodland around our fields,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and there's nothing going to stop it nipping out of the wood
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- to take sheep. - It's a complex picture.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55Yes, absolutely.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00I've heard arguments for and against reintroducing lynx to the UK.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03But to really get an understanding of what it might be like
0:39:03 > 0:39:06to bring these animals back to our landscapes,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09I need to go to somewhere where they've already done it.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12So next, I'm headed off to the mountains of northern Germany.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Wild lynx are incredibly shy, so realistically,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23the only way I'm going to see one
0:39:23 > 0:39:25is in the enclosure of the Harz lynx project.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29I'm under the guidance of project leader, Ola Anders.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33I have to say, it's quite unnerving,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35cos I know there's a big animal here
0:39:35 > 0:39:39that's almost certainly looking at me at the moment.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Here it is, here it is.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Wow! Look at that.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Sharpening his claws, the killing weapons.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57I can't believe how big it is.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59I'm in awe of that animal.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01It's beautiful, it's powerful
0:40:01 > 0:40:06and it's totally at one with this incredible environment here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Since the project began in 2000,
0:40:08 > 0:40:1224 lynx have been released back into the wild.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14They appear to be thriving here,
0:40:14 > 0:40:16but I'm eager to seek out those
0:40:16 > 0:40:19whose livelihoods could be impacted by lynx.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Jan Tierling keeps fallow deer close to the Harz Mountains.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Well, I lost seven deers,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27and it was horrible for me to see all the dead animals around.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31But we got in contact with the Harz project,
0:40:31 > 0:40:36and so we got our money back and got help to build up the fence.
0:40:36 > 0:40:42If the lynx gets in conflict with people or with deers or sheep,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44I think we have to control them.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48In the Harz Mountains, the image of the lynx is everywhere,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and it has become a mascot for the area.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54The lynx enclosure is a focal point that draws in the tourists.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- Are you happy?- Yeah.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Feeding time is a highlight at the enclosure,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02and Ola has devised a lynx challenge to help us capture
0:41:02 > 0:41:04their athletic prowess.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09Oh!
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Lynx are ambush hunters,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17attacking their prey from behind cover rather than chasing it down.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21They're capable of jumping over two metres in the air.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26But what do the tourists make of this impressive predator living here?
0:41:26 > 0:41:30It's a good idea to take them back in the forest we have here, yes.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33It's amazing that we've got a big predator back in Germany.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36And I think it's amazing for the Harz.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38It shows our good nature here.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42This project has worked hard to keep people onside.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46We would have to do the same if we are to have any chance
0:41:46 > 0:41:50of seeing Britain's lost big cat return to our own wild places.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00The reintroduction of any predator is always a little controversial,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03but I, for one, hope it happens here.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Because I would predict that even if there was
0:42:06 > 0:42:09a substantial lynx population once again,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11that few of us would even know that they were here.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14That's right, and there could even be unforeseen benefits,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17like there have been with the reintroduction of other predators,
0:42:17 > 0:42:18like wolves, elsewhere.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21And so I think what's really encouraging
0:42:21 > 0:42:25about this German project is that you can reintroduce an animal
0:42:25 > 0:42:29like the lynx back into its original environment.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Tomorrow, on our final Wild UK,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35we turn our attention to our wild cities,
0:42:35 > 0:42:40and the wildlife that has made our urban landscapes their home.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Colin discovers a sea bird surprise in the heart of Newcastle.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49I associate them with isolated islands and abandoned headlands,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51but they've made themselves at home here.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Lucy meets Dr Dawn Scott to discover
0:42:54 > 0:42:58how our cities have become the playground for the red fox.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02And we go behind the scenes with the Wild Alaska team,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06as they follow the life of a fisherman who makes a living
0:43:06 > 0:43:07in the wilderness.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11You can keep up with all the news from the Wild Alaska team
0:43:11 > 0:43:13all this week online.
0:43:13 > 0:43:19And join us again, tomorrow, 9:15pm, BBC One, for more Wild UK.