:00:00. > :00:16.On this cold dark night, the stars of Winterwatch are truly shining.
:00:17. > :00:22.We have news of a clash of carnivores in the Highlands and in
:00:23. > :00:27.this the weirdest of winters we will discover the secret of some of the
:00:28. > :00:31.most elusive animals. I am in the forest watching the waters rising
:00:32. > :00:55.yet again. It is wet, it is wild. It is Winterwatch.
:00:56. > :01:01.Hello and welcome to Winterwatch 2016. We are coming to you live from
:01:02. > :01:04.the National Trust for Scotland's Mar Lodge in the heart of the
:01:05. > :01:09.Cairngorms in Scotland. We have had a fabulous week so far,
:01:10. > :01:12.lots of exciting wildlife. Lots of change of weather and tonight let me
:01:13. > :01:16.tell you we have a bit of a change of plan. My lovely co-presenter
:01:17. > :01:21.Chris Packham has unfortunately come down at the last minute with a bit
:01:22. > :01:24.of a stomach bug. I will spare you the details so tonight, it is me and
:01:25. > :01:30.Martin, we are holding the fort Martin. It is a Michaela and Martin
:01:31. > :01:34.show. The mick and Mart show. I think he is watching boxed sets.
:01:35. > :01:39.This really is a fabulous place to be, and a great place to film. It
:01:40. > :01:43.has dramatic wildlife, scenery and this week dramatic weather. This is
:01:44. > :01:49.what one of our cameramen filmed last night. This is on a thermal
:01:50. > :01:52.camera. This is where you were on the slopes of the Cairngorms. This
:01:53. > :01:57.is where I was, this was filmed just after we left. You can see the snow
:01:58. > :02:03.whipping across the hill. Red deer, running up the hill there. This was
:02:04. > :02:07.absolutely as I Mag. I wanted to show you a ptarmigan doing this.
:02:08. > :02:13.Look in the picture. There is movement there. That is a ptarmigan.
:02:14. > :02:17.It has flown in and used its wings to bury itself in the snow. I read
:02:18. > :02:23.about this, never thought I would see it. When it is under the snow it
:02:24. > :02:27.conserves 50% of its body heat. This is one of its incredible adaptations
:02:28. > :02:31.to living up there in the snow. Look that the. That is amazing to see. I
:02:32. > :02:35.never dreamed I would see that. I wanted to talk about it, but I
:02:36. > :02:40.thought we will never see it. There it was. It is probably easier to
:02:41. > :02:44.film it on a thermal camera because they are so well camouflaged. That
:02:45. > :02:48.was fabulous. We have had a lot of changes of weather up here, what is
:02:49. > :02:52.the weather been doing over the last 24 hourses? It continued to snow
:02:53. > :02:57.last night. So this morning, once again, we woke up to a rather
:02:58. > :03:02.beautiful Winter Wonderland. Lots of animals out in the snow. Red
:03:03. > :03:06.squirrel, we haven't featured them much yet. They are out and about.
:03:07. > :03:10.There is a good population here. There are no grey squirrels and they
:03:11. > :03:15.have to be out in the snow foraging, as have the red grouse, pecking away
:03:16. > :03:19.there at the heather. Animals will get used to the snow but the sun
:03:20. > :03:23.came out and started to melt it. It all started to head down to the
:03:24. > :03:27.river, with those rivers full. That is where you are going to be later?
:03:28. > :03:35.I will be sploshing round in the water. Are you sploshing? Yes. We
:03:36. > :03:38.have had a bit of an eagle fest. We really wanted to enjoy eagles this
:03:39. > :03:43.Winterwatch. The last couple of year, we have been putting carcasses
:03:44. > :03:48.out and having cameras and really hoping to get golden eagles. . This
:03:49. > :03:52.year we have been extremely lucky. And we showed you yesterday, that we
:03:53. > :03:56.filmed two golden eagles on a carcass up in the Trossachs. This is
:03:57. > :04:02.the male. If you look closely as we said yesterday, it is a ringed male,
:04:03. > :04:07.with a satellite tracker on it. This is its mate, the female. Martin, you
:04:08. > :04:13.can see the difference in size. She is about 40% bigger than the male.
:04:14. > :04:20.She is. She is a lot more chunky. She is. This is a tagged bird, and
:04:21. > :04:26.the thing that it has on its leg, is 007. That is the male. And the
:04:27. > :04:32.researchers that put the 007 on, they named it James. It has to be.
:04:33. > :04:39.007 James Bond. But the female is so far unnamed. So we thought, if he is
:04:40. > :04:43.James Bond the female has to be a Bond Girl. So we threw it out to you
:04:44. > :04:49.and said come up with name, you have come up with truly fabulous names. I
:04:50. > :05:04.will give you a couple. Gold Winger. I like that that is good. That is
:05:05. > :05:11.from Heather. Solitaire. The winner was from Idris Scott Wade on Twitter
:05:12. > :05:17.and it is Feathers Galore. That is excellent. I like that. If you
:05:18. > :05:22.remember, that yesterday, not only did we show you the two eagles on
:05:23. > :05:26.the carcass we showed you lots of other animals including a fox. What
:05:27. > :05:30.we have to show you is really amazing footage. It is very
:05:31. > :05:40.exciting. It has never been filmed before. Have a look at this.
:05:41. > :05:46.So, this is the golden eagle. This is the female, Feathers Gal more.
:05:47. > :05:49.Look what happened. The fox came in, and chased that female off. Came in
:05:50. > :05:53.at such speed it probably took her by surprise. She hasn't gone
:05:54. > :05:57.completely away. She is perched off there. Keeping her eye on that
:05:58. > :06:04.carcass, she wants to come back and feed. What happens next? Fabulous Mr
:06:05. > :06:10.Fox comes back, look at the tail It is very erect. Held up like a flag.
:06:11. > :06:15.What will happen next? Will the two meet at the same time? This is the,
:06:16. > :06:18.look at that. That is the male that is in there now. That is James the
:06:19. > :06:24.male. I mean it happens so quickly. It was so fast that. Can we see that
:06:25. > :06:29.male coming in again, because I think it is just bluff, this. I
:06:30. > :06:33.think he is not giving the eagle time to react in a defensive way. S
:06:34. > :06:35.just bluff, this. I think he is not giving the eagle time to react in a
:06:36. > :06:38.defensive way. The eagle thinks "What is that? " And leaves the
:06:39. > :06:44.carcass. Again. He has turned round a bit there. I think, the eagle...
:06:45. > :06:47.It is such a surprise to the eagle. You saw the eagle turn, it is
:06:48. > :06:52.beginning to think, what is this, can I defend myself? But very
:06:53. > :06:59.interestingly, we saw the fox do this. Watch it come in. That tail,
:07:00. > :07:02.that brush is held very erect. He is puffing up all his fur to make
:07:03. > :07:06.himself look as big as he possibly can, because I think the eagle is
:07:07. > :07:11.still round, and that fox wants to make himself look as big, huge as he
:07:12. > :07:16.can, to try to stop the eagle coming in. This isn't for fun, this is a
:07:17. > :07:20.very serious game. They both need the meat that on that carcass to see
:07:21. > :07:25.them through the winter. Also, with should say the red foxes you find on
:07:26. > :07:30.the mountains up here are a lot bigger than the urban foxes, about
:07:31. > :07:34.40% I think isn't it. That fox could be anything from ten kilos up. They
:07:35. > :07:39.are a good match. Similar sort of weight. The eagle is probably a bit
:07:40. > :07:46.lighter but also in the winter it has to fluff up. So probably a bit
:07:47. > :07:50.intimidating. Yes. Evenly matched. The weight is different. The fox is
:07:51. > :07:55.a bit heavier, but they both have tremendous armament. The fox's teeth
:07:56. > :08:00.and the talons on that golden eagle. Let me tell you, it didn't stop
:08:01. > :08:06.there. The action continued. We will save that for later on. It really is
:08:07. > :08:11.amazing footage. Now, I know that a lot of you out
:08:12. > :08:14.there feed your garden animals, in the winter especially, to help them
:08:15. > :08:18.out. I don't think many of us put a carcass out there. Most of us put
:08:19. > :08:24.bird food out. But it is a pleasure to sit there and see what turns up.
:08:25. > :08:33.But for some people, what turns up can be really special.
:08:34. > :08:40.Two years ago, Richard decided on a life change.
:08:41. > :08:44.I have worked in the building trade all my life and there comes a time
:08:45. > :08:49.when enough is enough, you know, your back is going, your knees are
:08:50. > :08:54.going, I decided time was right to drop out the rat race and move the
:08:55. > :09:00.Wales. It is remote, it has a nice piece of
:09:01. > :09:06.odd land we use as a haven for wildlife. -- woodland. I could set
:09:07. > :09:17.up little feeding stations and attract the wile life from inside
:09:18. > :09:24.the woodland, to photograph. I use 15ml wide angle lens. That allows me
:09:25. > :09:28.to get in close. I use a PIR sensor, similar to how a security light
:09:29. > :09:32.work, when that is triggered that fires the camera and it will fire
:09:33. > :09:37.two flashes. It started off photographing birds,
:09:38. > :09:43.you get grass snakes predating on the frogs.
:09:44. > :09:46.I was putting out a bit of dog food. I notice hedgehogs were coming in so
:09:47. > :09:53.I kept the food going out, because we were coming into autumn. Then, as
:09:54. > :09:59.winter approached, an unexpected visitor emerged from the woods. A
:10:00. > :10:03.polecat. I was shocked really. I couldn't have dreamed that a polecat
:10:04. > :10:11.was going to show up. Coming from Bedfordshire it is not something you
:10:12. > :10:15.are likely to see. Close Kosens of stoats and pine marten, polecats
:10:16. > :10:19.were almost, terminated by gamekeepers in the last century.
:10:20. > :10:23.Nocturnal and secretive, spending much of their time below ground,
:10:24. > :10:27.hunting rabbit, they are very rarely seen.
:10:28. > :10:32.We were lucky, we didn't know, this is a stronghold for polecats. It is
:10:33. > :10:33.a wonderful opportunity, really, that I couldn't miss to set up
:10:34. > :10:50.camera traps and photograph them. Each morning, it is like a kid at
:10:51. > :10:53.Christmas. Come out, and see how he has trayered the camera and what
:10:54. > :10:59.shots you have got. -- triggered the camera. I normally get the shot, but
:11:00. > :11:05.like any photographer, you never happy with what you end up with.
:11:06. > :11:09.It is always, I can do something belter necks time. Maybe the
:11:10. > :11:13.lighting is too much. Not enough. Maybe it is not quite looking the
:11:14. > :11:21.right way. This continuous effort to try and
:11:22. > :11:26.get the shock shot I am happy with. Incredibly, Richard has never seen
:11:27. > :11:30.his polecat in the flesh, but he has pieced together an idea of his
:11:31. > :11:36.character. I grew up watching Jonny Morris, so
:11:37. > :11:40.I know it is totally unscientific and unreally tips, I think every
:11:41. > :11:44.animal has a little character. I think a polecat is like a bolshy
:11:45. > :11:50.kind of character, he is not really bothered by anything.
:11:51. > :11:54.He stomps in, picks up the scent of anything I have left for him. If it
:11:55. > :12:00.is in a rotten log, it gets ripped to pieces and he is is like a mini
:12:01. > :12:07.Wolverine with his claws as he rips into stuff.
:12:08. > :12:11.Then one night last spring, Richard's polecat stopped coming.
:12:12. > :12:15.To begin with, I was a bit concerned maybe something has happened to him,
:12:16. > :12:25.speaking to an expert polecats march April time they look for a mate.
:12:26. > :12:30.Happily this winter he was back. Have grown attached to hill now. It
:12:31. > :12:36.was a relief when he turned up. I was pleased to see he made it safely
:12:37. > :12:40.through the summer. Wile he wants to visit, there will be little titbits
:12:41. > :12:44.waiting for him and weather permitting I will be photographing
:12:45. > :12:48.him. A polecat is something I could never
:12:49. > :12:53.have photographed back in Bedfordshire and most people haven't
:12:54. > :12:57.got that opportunity, so it has made the move worthwhile.
:12:58. > :13:01.Polecats are such exciting creatures. And I think polecats are
:13:02. > :13:09.doing quite well, they are making a come back, if you want to know more
:13:10. > :13:13.about polecat, stay round for Unsprung 1 we have Lizzie Croose who
:13:14. > :13:19.will tell us more about the life history and what is happening to
:13:20. > :13:23.polecats right now. OK. Where am I? Have a look at this. I am down in
:13:24. > :13:28.the flooded forest. I have had all sorts of weather. At the beginning I
:13:29. > :13:32.had the wind whipping through. We had snow yesterday and today it is
:13:33. > :13:38.starting to flood again. Just behind me there, is the River Dee, about 50
:13:39. > :13:43.metres away. Look at this, it is all started to flood, pour into the
:13:44. > :13:47.fields yet again. It is quite disturbing to see. Look, this is
:13:48. > :13:54.forest where I am standing, here is the water. It is like a Souness
:13:55. > :14:00.pouring in. Imagine if you were a vole or mouse, this would be
:14:01. > :14:05.devastating. -- Tsunami. This is because it is
:14:06. > :14:10.pouring over the bank, behind me into the forest. It is is like the
:14:11. > :14:16.rainforest, only colder. What happens to some of the animals that
:14:17. > :14:21.depend upon that river to live, and survive? Something like a
:14:22. > :14:24.kingfisher. Now, of course, kingfishers need
:14:25. > :14:30.clean clear water, they need to see the fish they are going to dive down
:14:31. > :14:34.and feed on. If that water is rough, they can't fish, and they have to
:14:35. > :14:39.fly away. What they tend to do, that one was filmed on the River Dee
:14:40. > :14:43.here, what they do is they go downstream, and they may even end up
:14:44. > :14:46.on the coast. That is the kingfisher, they have to move. But
:14:47. > :14:51.what about another wonderful little bird that you get on the rivers up
:14:52. > :14:56.here? The dipper. Last year, we were lucky enough to film the dipper, it
:14:57. > :15:01.is a very unlikely looking bird, to actually go under water. But that is
:15:02. > :15:06.where it hunts. It has powerful little wings that drive it under the
:15:07. > :15:12.water, and it goes underneath, looking for Larrivey. Incredibly
:15:13. > :15:15.their eyes have muscles that pull the lens so they can see as well
:15:16. > :15:27.under water, as they do above it. What is it going to do when the
:15:28. > :15:30.river goes into spate? If it is really, really rough, the dipper
:15:31. > :15:35.simply cannot feed like we've seen it doing, so what is it going to do?
:15:36. > :15:39.I spoke to locals here and the camera boys went out and they were
:15:40. > :15:44.looking for dippers and there were none on the river. Where on earth
:15:45. > :15:49.have they gone? We set out to find out. They weren't in the river so
:15:50. > :15:54.the camera team crossed the river and disappeared off, and then they
:15:55. > :16:01.discovered the dipper not in the river - that is a flooded field.
:16:02. > :16:05.There it is. As its name suggests. And it was actually hunting in the
:16:06. > :16:11.field. It is never going to find its normal prey here. Little Fish, and,
:16:12. > :16:15.as I say, insect larvae. What is it feeding on? We cannot really see. We
:16:16. > :16:23.think that is probably a worm wrapped around its beak. So it just
:16:24. > :16:27.shows how amazingly adaptable they are in their behaviour that they can
:16:28. > :16:31.adapt even to this tremendous flood going on. Extraordinary, that! And
:16:32. > :16:34.they are very loyal to their territories, and what they will do
:16:35. > :16:38.is go away from there into the fields, and then, as soon as is,
:16:39. > :16:45.they will come back into the river and start nesting. -- as soon as
:16:46. > :16:48.possible. So those are two birds that have been given problems
:16:49. > :16:53.because of the rivers. Have a look at this. All around me here, there
:16:54. > :17:00.is all this debris that has been washed up. All of this sort of stuff
:17:01. > :17:04.has been pushed down, all the way down to the sea down here, and we
:17:05. > :17:08.went down to the harbour to have a look at what was going on there when
:17:09. > :17:14.all this stuff turned up on the beach.
:17:15. > :17:23.This is 50 miles away in Aberdeen. Look at all this debris. A bird in
:17:24. > :17:27.the background. Look - pine needles, pine cones. These things have been
:17:28. > :17:38.washed down from write-up in the Highlands and it a fantastic
:17:39. > :17:47.opportunity for these. Turn -- turns. Here is a bird that is taking
:17:48. > :17:51.opportunities. Some things would be very opportunistic and they will
:17:52. > :17:55.benefit from the flooding. Now, I think we may have live animals on
:17:56. > :18:01.our thermal camera right now. Let's have a look. They are just behind
:18:02. > :18:09.me. They are deer. That is a huge herd. Of red all snuggled down. It
:18:10. > :18:17.is actually quite warm now. The wind has died and there they are. There
:18:18. > :18:21.must be 30 of them just behind me. So, despite the weather, despite the
:18:22. > :18:26.conditions, life carries on for the wildlife around here. Now, we have
:18:27. > :18:35.had a wide range of conditions this winter. And it's had a massive
:18:36. > :18:39.affect on all the wildlife. But Mr Williams went up to Cambridge in
:18:40. > :18:44.search of a very curious, strange looking animal.
:18:45. > :18:52.A small relic of a weedy marshland that once covered hundreds of square
:18:53. > :18:56.miles of eastern England. The swampy refuge of a strange and mysterious
:18:57. > :19:01.mammal. I've come down here to the friends
:19:02. > :19:07.in search of this bizarre looking animal. Just look at that skull.
:19:08. > :19:13.These canines. Huge teeth! And you might say, surely that belongs to a
:19:14. > :19:16.sabre toothed tiger?! But, it doesn't, it belongs to an animal
:19:17. > :19:22.that is alive today and is out there somewhere right now. It is the
:19:23. > :19:26.Chinese water deer. It is notoriously secretive and few people
:19:27. > :19:32.know anything about it. A primitive deer looking like a cross between a
:19:33. > :19:37.vampire and a teddy bear. Doctor Arnold Cooke has been
:19:38. > :19:42.studying them for nearly 40 years. He has gained a tantalising insight
:19:43. > :19:47.into their private lives. His remote camera footage from last
:19:48. > :19:53.winter provides clear evidence that this is where they normally breed.
:19:54. > :20:00.Well, this courtship, so this is a female feeding. You can see the eyes
:20:01. > :20:06.coming in. That is the buck. He has followed her scent and wondering
:20:07. > :20:13.whether she is in season. She's not. Knowing trust whatsoever. Now, she
:20:14. > :20:18.is in season. The buck comes in but then another comes in and he is
:20:19. > :20:24.dominant, so he chases the other one off. And there we have a pair who do
:20:25. > :20:27.mate. In the distance. That lucky but isn't the territory-older. So
:20:28. > :20:35.that could well be the one that was unlucky before. So am I here at the
:20:36. > :20:40.right time of year? Normally it is but it has been such a mild autumn
:20:41. > :20:50.that the deer has barely started to rot. There is caution going on. --
:20:51. > :20:55.rut. The tall reeds make the deer almost impossible to spot. The find
:20:56. > :21:02.any sign of these elusive beasts, we are taking an aerial view. -- to
:21:03. > :21:07.find. Let's see if we can get it over the
:21:08. > :21:10.reed bed. I'm hoping to pinpoint the best
:21:11. > :21:16.place to witness the deer's breeding behaviour. Wow! This gives us an
:21:17. > :21:20.amazing perspective, looking right down at the reed beds and the clear
:21:21. > :21:26.areas here. And every now and again... There is one. You can see
:21:27. > :21:31.these Chinese water deer motorways where they go into a well worn path
:21:32. > :21:37.and then they go through these other parts as well. I can't see any deer
:21:38. > :21:40.yet and that just goes to show you how secretive they are. They are
:21:41. > :21:47.lying somewhere in there by day but we can't see them.
:21:48. > :21:51.This reveals plenty of activity around one of the larger meadows but
:21:52. > :21:55.I noticed something else, too. We have gone right to the edge of
:21:56. > :21:58.the reserve now, and what's interesting is there are quite a few
:21:59. > :22:02.paths leaving the reserve and going out onto the farmland, so it may
:22:03. > :22:06.well be would be worthwhile having a look at there, seeing whether the
:22:07. > :22:10.deer me here and go to feed and then come back into the reserve.
:22:11. > :22:17.That's where I had first, and immediately strike lucky. --
:22:18. > :22:22.headfirst. Look at that!
:22:23. > :22:30.When I first saw them I thought they were hares but they are Chinese
:22:31. > :22:34.water deer. Probably a buck looking for a doe who is not interested. I
:22:35. > :22:39.wasn't expecting to see that at all. That's fantastic.
:22:40. > :22:40.According to Arnold, my best chance of seeing them properly is that
:22:41. > :22:57.night, so I'll be back after dark. Just bizarre looking animals, aren't
:22:58. > :23:03.they? With fangs! Not what you would expect on a deer. So what are these
:23:04. > :23:08.four? They use them for display and fighting. Remember, they haven't got
:23:09. > :23:12.an close, so they are using those particularly in the rotting season.
:23:13. > :23:18.These fabulous photos sent in by Mike, who took photos from Norfolk.
:23:19. > :23:22.These are two males, it is just the males who have those fangs, chasing
:23:23. > :23:26.each other. And they are using those fangs to fight each other during the
:23:27. > :23:34.rut and it is at this time of year they are rotting in a cold winter.
:23:35. > :23:41.You cold? It looks pretty cold out there! Were you slashing? It's gone
:23:42. > :23:53.down even today. About a couple of feet. -- were you splashing around?
:23:54. > :23:58.It is a bit like Jurassic Park! One of the things we've been hoping to
:23:59. > :24:01.see here is to find out more about the population of pine marten is
:24:02. > :24:07.they have. This is what they look like in the day. They are fabulous.
:24:08. > :24:14.-- pine martens. A rustic coat. Fabulous. And just the distillation
:24:15. > :24:17.of naughtiness in animal form. There is something very, very naughty
:24:18. > :24:22.about them! And up here you would be very lucky to see one out in the
:24:23. > :24:27.daytime. They are nocturnal up here in the Ken forms. But we wanted to
:24:28. > :24:32.know where they stash all cash their food. --" Mountains. We have been
:24:33. > :24:36.staking out a log and putting eggs on the top and they've been coming
:24:37. > :24:45.up and taking those eggs and cashing them. At, as I say, we wanted to
:24:46. > :24:48.find out where they do that. -- but. We made this incredible radio
:24:49. > :24:52.transmitter egg. And they smeared it in egg yolk so it's not the same as
:24:53. > :25:00.an egg, and we planted them. And this is what we saw last night.
:25:01. > :25:05.The pine marten comes into the tree and you really get a sense of size
:25:06. > :25:09.with the head relative to the egg. They are not small animals. They are
:25:10. > :25:15.quite a large creature. About the size of a domestic cat. Yes, and you
:25:16. > :25:20.don't realise that until you see it. And it is carrying all that
:25:21. > :25:24.electronic equipment in the egg! They covered it in egg yolks so it's
:25:25. > :25:28.not the same. I was going to ask you... They didn't figure it out
:25:29. > :25:33.because we had normal eggs in there so we already know that is a -- they
:25:34. > :25:38.know it is a good place to get food so it goes back. That's what I
:25:39. > :25:46.think, anyway! That's signs according to Michaela Strachan! --
:25:47. > :25:50.science. If you've just joined us, Chris Packham has a stomach bug so
:25:51. > :25:56.that's why he's not joining us the night. Anyway, we put another radio
:25:57. > :26:02.transmitter egg in the tree. The pine marten is climbing up the tree
:26:03. > :26:11.to the top... I think it has a little wobble and in he goes. Look
:26:12. > :26:15.at that! Amazing close-ups! This is an incredible shot, Martin, and it
:26:16. > :26:21.is sniffing that egg out. And this is what I find remarkable. How does
:26:22. > :26:24.it not crack that egg? Those teeth are absolutely little razor points
:26:25. > :26:28.so you would think it goes straight through the shell. Of course, it is
:26:29. > :26:31.very important for it not to break a real egg because then it would have
:26:32. > :26:38.to eat it immediately and it wouldn't be able to store it up
:26:39. > :26:42.against future hunger. Somehow, it has got fabulously fine control of
:26:43. > :26:45.the pressure it is applying to that radio-controlled egg. I never
:26:46. > :26:55.thought this was going to work, Taylor! -- MacIver! Now we have two
:26:56. > :27:01.radio-controlled egg is out in the forest. So we got up very early to
:27:02. > :27:09.see if we could find them. This is it, Chris. This is where it
:27:10. > :27:15.got the first egg from, down here. And then we saw it. It came out here
:27:16. > :27:20.and went around there. And then the second one, of course, it took from
:27:21. > :27:25.the top. So I think if we stop radio tracking that way... Might as well
:27:26. > :27:30.go on the path because it's easier. Switch your gadget on and we can go.
:27:31. > :27:37.It's getting really strong now, Chris. It's definitely around
:27:38. > :27:42.here... Ooh! I wonder if it's down here. That's going to be quite hard
:27:43. > :27:46.to find, isn't it, if it's down there? Would it have taken it down
:27:47. > :27:52.there? It might have done. It could be a den, couldn't it? Put my hand
:27:53. > :27:59.down and risk my fingers... Hang on. It's actually getting much stronger
:28:00. > :28:06.over here, Chris. I think I've seen it! Look! My word! Look at that!
:28:07. > :28:13.It's right under the Moss. It is. Look at that. Definitely the radio
:28:14. > :28:17.egg. You can see the end of it here. I think we should take this and put
:28:18. > :28:22.it back in the tree and replace it with this nice fresh egg. It's only
:28:23. > :28:28.fair. It deserves its egg, without a shadow of a doubt. This hides it
:28:29. > :28:33.even better! Slip this back in the tree and you can look for the other
:28:34. > :28:37.one. OK, right. I love the way you get it back a
:28:38. > :28:43.real egg in case, so it wouldn't go hungry! I'm amazed we found that
:28:44. > :28:47.egg, though. And I love how you let Chris put his arm right down the
:28:48. > :28:51.hole before you told him it wasn't there! Did you find the other one?
:28:52. > :28:55.We didn't because we couldn't find it in the time baht a camera team
:28:56. > :29:00.continued to look for it. This one was actually very well hidden. -- at
:29:01. > :29:06.the camera team. There it is. That is the second radio-tracked egg. We
:29:07. > :29:10.took it out and put both of them back in the trees. But, as we said,
:29:11. > :29:16.amazing. We really didn't think that would work. How far away did they
:29:17. > :29:21.take the eggs? I can tell you that, Martin! The first was 50 metres away
:29:22. > :29:25.in the Moss. The second was 35 metres away. And they were in
:29:26. > :29:30.different directions. Is that interesting? Would you expect them
:29:31. > :29:34.to cash all their eggs in one place? All your eggs in one basket! Why
:29:35. > :29:40.would you do that? I don't know whether they do that. And how many
:29:41. > :29:44.would they cash and would they find them all again? So many questions!
:29:45. > :29:48.But you have started the whole, we know where they are, we know how to
:29:49. > :29:53.find them. But an amazing bit of science there. They can cash them
:29:54. > :30:00.for up to six months. Don't they go off?! Well, they could come back to
:30:01. > :30:03.look for them, and in case they do, we actually put cameras out by the
:30:04. > :30:07.eggs they've cashed. We might not see anything because it's our last
:30:08. > :30:12.programme tomorrow, but if we do, we will certainly show you. And I also
:30:13. > :30:15.wonder whether they put lots of eggs together or one... Anyway! We might
:30:16. > :30:19.sound out more before the end of the together or one... Anyway! We might
:30:20. > :30:24.series. But let's have a look at the camera now. -- we might find out.
:30:25. > :30:30.That's just see if the pine marten is there. But there's every chance
:30:31. > :30:35.he might show up before the end of the show and if he does, we
:30:36. > :30:39.certainly cut to it live. Wonderful! Such a naughty animal! I had no
:30:40. > :30:44.idea! Of course, it has been a very, very
:30:45. > :30:47.wet year but also it has been remarkably warm, and that warmth has
:30:48. > :30:51.had an affect on migratory birds, because many of them that would have
:30:52. > :30:56.migrated from very cold areas up in the North have not arrived, to the
:30:57. > :30:59.disappointment of many bird-watchers. But that includes
:31:00. > :31:03.starlings, because lots of those migrate to us and that's one of the
:31:04. > :31:06.reasons you get those immense murmur ration is, those wonderful
:31:07. > :31:12.spectacles, and one of the places you get fabulous groups is down in
:31:13. > :31:17.Somerset, and two weeks ago it did get very cold, the starlings arrived
:31:18. > :31:19.and Gary, our sound recorder, went down not just to see the starlings
:31:20. > :31:32.but also to listen to them. I have been obsessed with the
:31:33. > :31:36.starlings on the Somerset Levels for at least seven years.
:31:37. > :31:39.Before I lived here I used to make a pilgrimage every youer to see the
:31:40. > :31:42.starlings. It really is a highlight of my
:31:43. > :31:48.winter months. -- year.
:31:49. > :31:56.People probably think the starring is a brown bird, dull, noisy, even a
:31:57. > :32:00.nuisance. When the sun shines on the starlings
:32:01. > :32:04.they are so many colour, they are not brown, they are not dull. They
:32:05. > :32:09.are irdissent, when you get close up you can see they are covered in tiny
:32:10. > :32:15.dots that look like little love hearts.
:32:16. > :32:16.But for me as a sound recordist it's the depth and variety of calls I
:32:17. > :32:29.find amazing. During the day, you can find them
:32:30. > :32:34.feeding in the fields, having a little wash and a preen in the
:32:35. > :32:38.puddles. But one of the key areas where they
:32:39. > :32:46.get most of the food from is on the farms.
:32:47. > :32:57.Even when they are feeding the sound is fantastic.
:32:58. > :33:03.We know that the starlings eyes are positioned in such a way that when
:33:04. > :33:08.it opens its beak, it can see inside it.
:33:09. > :33:12.So when it feeds, it sticks its beak into the ground, opens it and it can
:33:13. > :33:14.see inside the hole it has just made. If there is anything worth
:33:15. > :33:25.taking it eats it. Towards the ends of the day, as the
:33:26. > :33:33.light starts to fade, they make their way to the area where they are
:33:34. > :33:36.going to roost. The murmuration is stunning but for
:33:37. > :33:41.me it would be nothing without the sound.
:33:42. > :33:47.As the birds first start the fly yoifr can pick out individual birds,
:33:48. > :33:53.but as more arrive you loose it as the numbers build and build.
:33:54. > :33:57.-- fly over. As the birds change direction in the
:33:58. > :34:17.sky, the sound is unbelievable. It is like waves breaking on the shore.
:34:18. > :34:23.The murmuration is truly amazing but for me, there is still one sound
:34:24. > :34:31.scape that is missing and that is the early morning lift off.
:34:32. > :34:35.The cover of darkness allows me to get much closer.
:34:36. > :34:41.When I get there in the morning I get into the edge of the reed bed
:34:42. > :34:47.just as the birds started to make the first sounds.
:34:48. > :34:51.At first there is like a very low chatter, a low bubble.
:34:52. > :34:59.You can pick out the odd call and start to tell they are starlings.
:35:00. > :35:02.First they start to move round in small group, flitting across the top
:35:03. > :35:08.of the reeds, then you can hear a pulse of wing beats as they change
:35:09. > :35:13.direction. Then you can see black shapes and
:35:14. > :35:15.forms and dark patches in the reeds. As it starts to get lighter you can
:35:16. > :35:37.see they are starlings. Many Every time I see them, I just
:35:38. > :35:40.cannot get my head round how many birds there are. I don't know how
:35:41. > :35:51.you go about counting then and I don't know if anybody does.
:35:52. > :35:54.Sometimes it is just too much. It is like a wall of white noise, I have
:35:55. > :36:29.to fade my recorder down. It is a bit spiritual. When the
:36:30. > :36:32.birds have left the reed bed you can feel your heart is lower. You feel
:36:33. > :36:36.like you could face anything that day.
:36:37. > :36:45.And there is nothing like it in the UK. It is just the best place to be.
:36:46. > :36:50.In January. What an amazing spectacle. It is a
:36:51. > :36:55.real sight and sound spectacle and Gary was so passionate about it. But
:36:56. > :36:59.it is something that is definitely worth getting up early for if you
:37:00. > :37:03.are going to see the dawn rise or see the murmuration in the evening.
:37:04. > :37:08.If you live anywhere near one of the Starling roosts. It will go on until
:37:09. > :37:13.February, that March, if you have never seen one get out there it is
:37:14. > :37:19.fabulous, have a good listen to the sounds of the starlings are making.
:37:20. > :37:25.I will be doing that, I am lucky enough to level near the levels. The
:37:26. > :37:31.spectacle is amazing, you have to be there, to hear them coming over you.
:37:32. > :37:36.And there is no other sound like it it is astonishing. My friend old
:37:37. > :37:40.fashioned Tom said we are to blame, there is about 2,000 people down
:37:41. > :37:45.there and he can't park anywhere. Go down by bike or something. Of
:37:46. > :37:48.course, in the middle of the worst of the flooding, the Environment
:37:49. > :37:53.Agency said a curious thing to me. They said if we had to choose
:37:54. > :37:56.between wildlife and people, we will, of of course, always choose
:37:57. > :38:02.people. At the time I thought that is rather an odd statement to make.
:38:03. > :38:07.Is that a genuine choice? Well, not always. Not long ago, I was just
:38:08. > :38:12.down there with all those fallen down trees, but living treeings can
:38:13. > :38:13.have a very important role to play in helping to control floodwater. --
:38:14. > :38:25.trees. This open treeless view is how many
:38:26. > :38:30.people believe Britain's Uplands should be. Soon after the last ice
:38:31. > :38:36.age, say 9,000 years ago, this land would have been blanketed in forest.
:38:37. > :38:40.Demand for wood, the expansion of farming and the desire for open
:38:41. > :38:45.hunting land meant over the last couple of thousand years the UK's
:38:46. > :38:51.forest cover has declined from over 80 to just 13%.
:38:52. > :38:57.Here in central Scotland, there is a project trying to redress the
:38:58. > :39:01.balance. Trees for life have already planted
:39:02. > :39:05.well over a million trees. Doug, the operations manager is
:39:06. > :39:14.taking me to see the Scots pines they planted in 2003.
:39:15. > :39:20.Gosh, this is a wild vista. It is quite good isn't it. Fantastic. So
:39:21. > :39:23.what is the main objective of the project We have a vision for a
:39:24. > :39:28.thousand square miles of continuous forest in this part of Scotland. We
:39:29. > :39:32.want to work with landowner, and the forest commission but plant trees
:39:33. > :39:35.ourself, to create a big forest. And you are started. The trees all round
:39:36. > :39:44.us here, that is part of the project. It is, yes. These trees are
:39:45. > :39:49.on an estate where Trees For Life own the line. It a boost for
:39:50. > :39:53.biodiversity, animal life will feel the benefit.
:39:54. > :40:02.But it could also be great news for the people in the valleys below.
:40:03. > :40:07.The recent terse remember shall rain showed how easily water spills off
:40:08. > :40:12.the hills. -- It It puts enormous pressure on
:40:13. > :40:18.the streams and rivers with inevitable consequences.
:40:19. > :40:24.Planting trees on the high ground could alleviate the risk of flooding
:40:25. > :40:28.in many different ways as Doug explains The rain is falling from
:40:29. > :40:31.the sky. It is not reaching the ground, so the foliage of the tree
:40:32. > :40:37.will trap water and the bark itself as well is able to absorb water, and
:40:38. > :40:42.swells up. OK. Of course, we know the roots of some of the tree is at
:40:43. > :40:45.least as big and extensive as the above ground parters so all those
:40:46. > :40:51.roots are creating channels for water to run down into the soil, the
:40:52. > :40:56.sub soil and woodlands are 60 times better as absorbing rainfall than
:40:57. > :41:01.pasture land and Moorland. Blimey! All of that is happening. The trees
:41:02. > :41:04.when they do their thing, their chemical thing growing, they use
:41:05. > :41:09.water, so they are sucking it out of the ground, as they do that. That is
:41:10. > :41:14.reducing the chance of the soil becoming water logged and runs off.
:41:15. > :41:18.So all together they are amazing. And also, Doug, down here there is
:41:19. > :41:25.all sorts of other, there is grass, liken. I suppose these things are
:41:26. > :41:28.helping absorb the liquid. There is vegetation that will trap water
:41:29. > :41:32.here. The rain is not just hitting the ground and running straight off
:41:33. > :41:37.again. This is really important. This is a living sponge here, the
:41:38. > :41:40.whole thing, it will gradually let that water trickle down the hill. It
:41:41. > :41:45.won't rush away immediately. That is right. So if you can imagine that
:41:46. > :41:52.over the whole landscape, the small streams here don't go so big and
:41:53. > :41:57.fast, and that has downstream effect into the big rivers and the towns
:41:58. > :42:02.below us. Given that most of the rain we get
:42:03. > :42:08.in the UK falls on Uplands areas, and we have a great natural flood
:42:09. > :42:13.defence available to use there. Is it time we gave Britain back its
:42:14. > :42:19.trees? Your dream, one day, would be that
:42:20. > :42:24.all the hills round here will be covered in Scots pines and other
:42:25. > :42:33.trees. Not just Scots pines but a lovely mix of trees. Aspen, Rhone,
:42:34. > :42:38.birch, all sorts of things. -- rowan. Fascinating. Trees are
:42:39. > :42:42.surely part of the solution, here is some interesting research. This is
:42:43. > :42:48.from the centre of ecology and hydrology. They say that water
:42:49. > :42:53.penetrates the ground 67 times faster when there are trees on it,
:42:54. > :42:56.as opposed to not having trees. 67 times faster. That is astonishing.
:42:57. > :43:02.They probably know what they are talking about. I am going to do
:43:03. > :43:06.something now I have wanted to do since I got on the Watches about
:43:07. > :43:10.four years ago. Because Chris is unwell and not with
:43:11. > :43:13.us, I am on the touch screen. He never lets me touch this thing. I
:43:14. > :43:17.have come here just to show you the different cameras we have got based
:43:18. > :43:21.round the Mar Lodge Estate. This is the pine marten camera we showed you
:43:22. > :43:26.earlier with the pine marten and the eggs. We haven't featured that
:43:27. > :43:30.camera. This is the hare camera. The otter camera is over here. Carcass
:43:31. > :43:35.cam there. That is not the one with the eagles on, that is the one we
:43:36. > :43:40.saw the owl on. Near the lodge, we have the mouse maze. That is in a
:43:41. > :43:48.little shed. I am just going to write on here, for when Chris comes
:43:49. > :43:53.back I was here. There we go. Any way, moving on to the mouse
:43:54. > :43:58.maze. Now we have set up this mouse maze to see how intelligent the
:43:59. > :44:02.local rodents are, and how quickly they learn, and use their memory,
:44:03. > :44:07.and we have had, we had mice in there and voles and well. We asked
:44:08. > :44:13.you to vote who, which animal did you think would solve the new maze
:44:14. > :44:19.quickest and first? So, this was a vote online. This is the result of
:44:20. > :44:23.the votes. 5% of you thought that the mouse would crack the maze
:44:24. > :44:27.first. 45% of you thought the vole. What do you think? What did you say
:44:28. > :44:31.yesterday? I said the mouse. I am going with the mouse, I think the
:44:32. > :44:36.audience are right. I said the vole. I actually said the vole. Let us
:44:37. > :44:41.look. This is the maze. This is mouse maze three.
:44:42. > :44:45.We have done too simpler ones. The mouse comes in, and he can't go the
:44:46. > :44:53.route he has learned, he is now trying to find those nuts. This is a
:44:54. > :44:57.very complicated maze. Obviously he doesn't crack it straightaway.
:44:58. > :45:01.Fascinating this. You have to remember it is pitch black in there,
:45:02. > :45:05.so he or she is going round sniffing away, 26, that is a dead end there.
:45:06. > :45:13.Martin, that is the route it used to take. It is. And it is exploring
:45:14. > :45:21.everything. Look at this, it is persistent this mouse. It goes in,
:45:22. > :45:29.and after 64 seconds it finds the nut. Something spooks it! And it is
:45:30. > :45:34.off. Can it find find its way out. I would be frightened. It is dark in
:45:35. > :45:38.there. It does find its way out. We should
:45:39. > :45:45.mention at this point these mice are doing it of their own accord. Look
:45:46. > :45:50.at this now. Eventually, it worked out and independent in end it was
:45:51. > :45:54.able to do the maze after 15 tries in just five seconds. Incredible
:45:55. > :46:05.that it could do that. That is incredible. That
:46:06. > :46:17.Firstly let's look at the foal. He is going the route that he knows.
:46:18. > :46:21.It's a dead-end! But it is interesting it did the route that it
:46:22. > :46:27.exactly remembered from the night before but now you can see the vole
:46:28. > :46:32.is truly lost. It makes a valiant attempt but it gives up. It has
:46:33. > :46:39.another go and goes to the dead-end. Then it just explores the left eye
:46:40. > :46:43.and -- left-hand side of the maze. So it hasn't cracked it like the
:46:44. > :46:56.mouse, and I hate you, after that, it gave up! But it might come back
:46:57. > :47:00.tonight. -- I hate to tell you! So, if you won and voted for the mouse
:47:01. > :47:06.online, reward yourself with a bit of cheese or some nuts or even a
:47:07. > :47:11.glass of wine! Could have been a particularly thick vole and a very
:47:12. > :47:14.clever mouse! Don't like that! We noticed something fascinating about
:47:15. > :47:20.what the mouse was doing inside the maze to find its way. This was the
:47:21. > :47:28.first route it took on simple maze. And while it was doing it, noticed
:47:29. > :47:35.it was keeping its whiskers touching the right-hand wall. Watch it go. It
:47:36. > :47:40.has always got the whiskers on the right-hand wall. Touching them.
:47:41. > :47:46.Every single time. And then it gets the nut. When it goes back out, all
:47:47. > :47:52.it does is keeps its whiskers on the left-hand side. We change the maze
:47:53. > :47:57.and it does exactly the same thing. Keeping the whiskers on the right
:47:58. > :47:59.until there... Suddenly the left-hand whiskers are touching the
:48:00. > :48:05.side and it got quite confused and it took it quite a while to work
:48:06. > :48:08.that last bit out. But amazingly inventive. And once they've learned
:48:09. > :48:14.that route, they go at it like a bullet, don't they? Why do you think
:48:15. > :48:18.the mice are better than the voles? Mice tend to spend more time in
:48:19. > :48:24.trees at night. The voles on the ground. The mice have longer, more
:48:25. > :48:28.complex whiskers and they are used to finding their way using those.
:48:29. > :48:39.That's all very well but I think the vole might come back because we are
:48:40. > :48:46.doing Mouse Maze Mark numeric form. -- Mark four. We are giving them
:48:47. > :48:51.both another chance. This is a much more complicated maze. I think we
:48:52. > :48:56.should scale it up. Put all three of us in and see how we get on!
:48:57. > :48:59.Crystals well, when he is better. I think it would be quite
:49:00. > :49:09.intimidating, bumping around the dark. -- Chris as well. Now, we have
:49:10. > :49:12.been looking at wildcats but a team of scientists has been looking into
:49:13. > :49:20.the breeding and trying to solve the problem.
:49:21. > :49:28.The ultimate aim of the project is not just to captive-breed pure
:49:29. > :49:32.wildcats, but eventually to release them back into the wild. But how do
:49:33. > :49:39.you get captive, reared animals to relearn their hunting skills? Well,
:49:40. > :49:46.for a start, you creating closures that simulate the wild. -- you
:49:47. > :49:51.create enclosures. David gave the tour. Do they climb trees? I was
:49:52. > :50:00.imagining it is a tourist real cat. They are, but they are very partial
:50:01. > :50:04.to going up trees. If they are harassed by another animal they will
:50:05. > :50:10.seek safety. It is a nice enclosure. If I were the wildcat, I would move
:50:11. > :50:17.in. It's a bit rustic, I've got to be honest! But I like it. It's good.
:50:18. > :50:24.It's very naturalistic. It is. We've tried a combination of features and
:50:25. > :50:28.we can get natural species flying in as well, so the chance for the
:50:29. > :50:33.wildcats to predate naturally. Yes. So they can find their own dens as
:50:34. > :50:41.well? Yes, lots of rocks, lots of Juniper. And other cats could get
:50:42. > :50:48.in, so there is a constant recruitment of prey which they can
:50:49. > :50:51.learn to catch themselves. Yes. They've not lost any of their
:50:52. > :50:55.natural instincts in captivity but what we need to do is find tune
:50:56. > :51:04.them. If I've not ridden a bike for 20 years, I know how to ride it but
:51:05. > :51:08.I've just got to get my skills going again. So when we release them, the
:51:09. > :51:12.survival rate will be good and the hunting rate will be good if we
:51:13. > :51:19.retrain them, and it will lead to sustainable populations. The
:51:20. > :51:25.wildcats we have got 30, 40 years ago have become an invaluable asset,
:51:26. > :51:31.and without them, we might not have the richness and the purity you need
:51:32. > :51:35.today. Certainly. You go back 30, 40 years when these cats came into
:51:36. > :51:38.captivity. We went doing it because we could see in the future they
:51:39. > :51:42.would become critically endangered and on the edge of extinction, but
:51:43. > :51:49.boy are we thankful, and, as you say, a lot of these capital that --
:51:50. > :51:54.captivity fantastic. And better than some out of the so-called wild? Yes.
:51:55. > :52:00.And we have to ask ourselves, it is -- if it is all individuals and
:52:01. > :52:03.frequented populations, what then? If we have no back-up population
:52:04. > :52:07.there will be no wildcats in the future, so we want to harness this
:52:08. > :52:11.population of captive cats, and should we want to harness it, we
:52:12. > :52:16.will have wildcats in Scotland for future generations. This scheme
:52:17. > :52:23.represents the first tentative step on the road to restocking the
:52:24. > :52:30.population of wildcats. And today, we get to release two captive-bred
:52:31. > :52:36.animals into a brand-new enclosure. This can be a waiting game quite
:52:37. > :52:39.often. It could be. Not only are they very timid, we have chosen one
:52:40. > :52:44.of the coldest days in their lives so far! We could be here for ages.
:52:45. > :52:53.Why don't we go and get a cup of tea? Not a bad idea. After we've
:52:54. > :52:58.gone, the cats begin to explore, and, like a true wildcat, the male
:52:59. > :53:04.bolts in and immediately blends in with the background. Whilst the
:53:05. > :53:14.female is far more cautious. Far more wary. These cats and others
:53:15. > :53:19.like them could provide the best hope in securing and protecting the
:53:20. > :53:30.future of this enigmatic and very beautiful creature.
:53:31. > :53:35.Now, you be asking yourself, when are they going to do that release?
:53:36. > :53:39.And also, what's the point? Because when those pure genetic wildcats
:53:40. > :53:43.simply interbreed with feral cats again? Very good questions. They
:53:44. > :53:48.have to try to find places where those wildcats can go where maybe
:53:49. > :53:53.there aren't populations of domestic cats, or they might have a programme
:53:54. > :53:59.of neutering feral cats. That's also been discussed. But some people
:54:00. > :54:01.think as well there might be other populations of wildcats out there
:54:02. > :54:09.already. But fabulously beautiful animals. Probably 3-5 years, isn't
:54:10. > :54:13.it? Yes. But thank goodness there is that genetic reservoir. Very
:54:14. > :54:16.exciting. We've got something very, very
:54:17. > :54:20.exciting for you now! Early on we showed you what happened when two
:54:21. > :54:24.carnivores arrived at a carcass at the same time. The fabulous Mr Fox
:54:25. > :54:31.and the male golden eagle which we've named 007, James Bond. Well,
:54:32. > :54:37.the hunger games continued. Look at the fox now.
:54:38. > :54:44.Completely different posture. Its head is down, its ears are back and
:54:45. > :54:50.tail down. Now this is the female eagle that comes back. This is
:54:51. > :54:56.Feathers Galore. And what's going to happen now? They are more evenly
:54:57. > :55:01.matched. There's a lot of state, is there? A huge amount. That carcass
:55:02. > :55:07.could represent 40% of the food that eagle needs for the winter. She's
:55:08. > :55:12.not whacking off. Notice how she's lunging at the fox with those seven
:55:13. > :55:16.centimetre long talons. Both of them are superbly armed. The fox has
:55:17. > :55:22.teeth and claws. She has talent and feet. Ooh! Look at that! Both of
:55:23. > :55:26.them could do serious damage to each other. They do want to risk that.
:55:27. > :55:36.They are desperate for food but they don't want to risk injury. The
:55:37. > :55:41.tension! Neither backing off. The fox doesn't want to turn its back on
:55:42. > :55:47.the eagle... Because that would be a huge... Look at that! These are both
:55:48. > :55:54.top editors. They will never be cowardly. But the risk is enormous
:55:55. > :55:59.for both of them. Ah! We did cut the camera than on purpose. The camera
:56:00. > :56:03.filming that, it only runs for a certain amount of time, and it
:56:04. > :56:09.stopped dead at the crucial moment! But which one triumphed? Was that
:56:10. > :56:13.the fabulous Mr fox or was it Feathers Galore? We want you to have
:56:14. > :56:23.a vote online and we might just let you know tomorrow. Indeed. Now what?
:56:24. > :56:26.It is a buffer? We asked you to send in your photographs of what we had
:56:27. > :56:32.winter events were going on around you. And, thank you, you did! Look
:56:33. > :56:38.at this! A blue tip nesting in January! What's that all about?
:56:39. > :56:41.Here's a red admiral. They should be hibernating now. That's a butterfly
:56:42. > :56:46.that hibernates in sheds and garages. And here is a male teal
:56:47. > :56:52.mating with a female. You can just see her underwater. That's way too
:56:53. > :56:59.early. Please, keep your photos coming in. Hashed tag we had winter.
:57:00. > :57:07.Keep those photos coming in. They are fascinating to see. -- hash tag.
:57:08. > :57:12.This is what we filmed earlier with our mountain hare camera. Fantastic
:57:13. > :57:18.shots of this mountain heron. We've put apples out. The snow has covered
:57:19. > :57:24.the apples over but the hare manages to sniff the apples out. This is a
:57:25. > :57:33.nice, juicy treat for the Heron which is, well, at the moment, just
:57:34. > :57:38.eating heather. -- the hare. That is a real glucose hit, isn't it? That
:57:39. > :57:45.bit of sugar. Well, that's it for tonight. Unsprung will be on to
:57:46. > :57:51.light on the Red Button. We are back at 9pm tomorrow. When is it? Nine
:57:52. > :57:57.o'clock! Make sure you know that! Lots coming up, including this.
:57:58. > :58:03.We find out what these Chinese water deer get up to after dark. And we
:58:04. > :58:08.will get the latest results from our increasingly complicated maze. It's
:58:09. > :58:13.getting ridiculous! Are not content with looking at them from the
:58:14. > :58:17.ground, we put two cameras on some gorgeous eagles with spectacular
:58:18. > :58:22.results. All that and more tomorrow. And hopefully Chris will be feeling
:58:23. > :58:28.better and he will be joining us. I don't know! I think I've rather
:58:29. > :58:33.enjoyed it doing it without him! Seed tomorrow at the different time
:58:34. > :58:36.of 9pm. For now, goodbye. -- see you tomorrow.