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Springwatch 2025 episode 5
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00:00Life Waggery.
00:04In the quiet of a shady garden, the hungry impatience of youth
00:09tests the wise patience of maternal experience.
00:13Mum knows best.
00:16Life's a riot, and what one of us hasn't gnawed the ear of a sibling to make a point?
00:22Foxcubs. So playful. So beautiful.
00:25Foxcubs. So, so Springwatch.
00:30Hello, and welcome to Springwatch 2025.
00:55It's week two coming to you live from the National Trust Longshore Estate up here in the Peak District National Park.
01:02Massive thanks to David Hatley for those Foxcubs. Did you see that?
01:05How beautiful were they? I'd be chuffed to have those in my garden.
01:09So, so good.
01:10Now, girls and boys, there's no other way to spend a Monday night.
01:13You've got your coffee and TV, and we're going to dive into the chemical world of insect vesicants.
01:20Insect vesicants?
01:21Yeah, and also a practical demonstration of esophagal peristalsis.
01:27Are you sure you said that correctly?
01:28I just was thinking about esophagal peristalsis. You're going to demonstrate it. I don't know why you're laughing.
01:33I'll look forward to that then, as I'm sure all are auditing.
01:36You don't get that stuff on Casualty, and you don't get that sort of stuff on Doctor Who, do you, really?
01:39You only get it here on Springwatch. That's what you pay your licence fee for.
01:43You know what we're particularly excited about today, though, don't you?
01:46Look at that. Look at that.
01:47The sun's out. The sun.
01:48The sky's blue. There's no wind.
01:51It's been a beautiful day here at Longshore Estate.
01:54Why are we here? Well, it's not just for the varied weather.
01:58It's for the varied habitats, and there are plenty of them here,
02:02predominantly grasslands and moors grazed by deer and hare,
02:06and, of course, home to plenty of small mammals, too,
02:09providing food for birds of prey like that kestrel.
02:12Cutting through the landscape, stunning rivers and streams
02:15surrounded by woodland, providing the perfect nesting sites
02:18for lots of species of birds,
02:21and we've got our beady eyes on some of those nests.
02:25Yes, we introduced you to the cameras last week.
02:27We didn't have a lot of fledging.
02:28Shorthead owls were fidgety, but our small birds were staying foot.
02:32Saying foot. They were staying put.
02:34They were staying put. Put, put.
02:35It's going to be one of those nights, isn't it?
02:36They were staying put up until the weekend.
02:38This is what happened in our Redstarts nest.
02:41Now, Redstarts, very beautiful woodland birds.
02:44There were six of them in this tiny hole,
02:46and as you can see, it was very, very crowded.
02:48I'll be honest with you, we kind of lost one of them
02:51because when we went back to them, there were only five.
02:53We're not entirely sure what happened to it,
02:55but nevertheless, over the course of the weekend,
02:57the adults were continuing to feed those youngsters,
03:00and they were definitely getting fidgety.
03:02And by Saturday, 9.43 in the morning,
03:05the first one of the young Redstarts leapt into the outside world.
03:10The adults were teasing.
03:11Oh, I say they're teasing them.
03:12There's probably not much room to get back inside that nest,
03:15but we know that some birds will do that.
03:16That's a bit of involuntary fledging from that one.
03:19And here you can see their plumage.
03:20They look a bit like a young robin with that scalloped, tawny plumage there,
03:24quite closely related to robins too.
03:26That one just drops out.
03:27Not very imaginative in terms of a fledging event, that one.
03:30And then at 9.10, this one left.
03:34But it wasn't until Sunday morning, just after five o'clock,
03:37that the very last Redstarts popped out of that hole.
03:40Female went back, just to check they'd all gone.
03:44Now, they dropped down into that woodland floor.
03:48They might be difficult to spot from our point of view,
03:50but they've got that little contact call,
03:52which means that it's easy for the adults to find them.
03:54And they've continued to feed all of them down on the ground.
03:58And there we have it.
03:59And there you can hear that little call, the little contact call.
04:02And that little bird is looking up at that male in the trees,
04:04and it's thinking, one day, that could be me.
04:07That paragon of beauty.
04:09I could be that.
04:11That little ugly duckling, obviously it's not a duck,
04:13but could grow into that beautiful bird.
04:15One of your favourites.
04:16You love that bird, don't you?
04:17I love that bird.
04:18I love that bird.
04:18What about our pied fly catchers?
04:20Again, they were in a nest box.
04:22We were watching those last week.
04:23There were definitely six of these birds.
04:26On Friday, lots of wing flapping.
04:28Exercise taking place, a prelude to fledging, of course.
04:31And as you can see, those feathers are growing down.
04:34A very busy nest.
04:35Both the adults were coming in and provisioning them
04:38with lots of different insects.
04:41Although they didn't seem to bring very much in on that occasion.
04:44Yesterday, Sunday, 8.49.
04:47One of them has a peep.
04:48This is the bravest and the boldest.
04:51Likes the look of the outside world.
04:53Doesn't like the look of its siblings and that stinky nest.
04:55And thinks, I'm out of here.
04:58Wise move.
04:59Now, under normal circumstances,
05:01we would expect the rest to leave,
05:02if not during the rest of the day and the evening.
05:05But then certainly today.
05:07But I can tell you that none of the rest have left.
05:09They're still all in the nest.
05:11It's unusual, that, isn't it?
05:12Five youngsters, plus the two unhatched eggs,
05:15which are in the bottom of that nest.
05:16But lots of the nests, as you say, have been fidgeting.
05:18The birds have been fidgeting.
05:20Yeah.
05:20When do you reckon they're going to go, then?
05:21Oh, no, listen.
05:22We're so rubbish at guessing.
05:23What did we say about the red starts?
05:24The red starts, we got completely wrong.
05:26Completely wrong.
05:27I said Wednesday.
05:28I said Friday.
05:29Frankly, it was kind of Saturday, Sunday.
05:32Don't listen to us.
05:33Anyway, we've got fidgeting short-eared owls.
05:36Let's take a look at what happened over the weekend.
05:39This is where they're nesting, in open moorland.
05:42They're down in the heather.
05:43It's a ground-nesting bird.
05:45May the 25th, we saw five chicks and one unhatched egg.
05:50They were all doing very well and all being fed.
05:53Now, they hatch at intervals, so the oldest is more than a week older than the youngest.
06:00So, very noticeable size difference.
06:03And if times were tough, often the smallest would suffer.
06:06It would either be ignored or bullied and eventually perish.
06:10But as you can see, not in this case.
06:12The smallest chick is doing pretty well.
06:15Largest of the five branched out, started exploring the outside world.
06:20And then two others came and went.
06:21And at the end of last week, it was just two left.
06:25On the 1st of June yesterday, those two were still being brooded.
06:30Look how cute that one looks.
06:32The adults still diligently tidying the nest,
06:35making it far too comfortable for the two youngsters to want to leave.
06:40A familiar story for many parents, I'm sure.
06:44And you can see they're very happy sitting in their cosy nest.
06:48Not only do they have a cosy nest, but they are continuing to be fed.
06:53We've seen lots of food being brought into them.
06:54But look at this one.
06:55This is the adult flying in with a vole.
06:59He's pinpointed where the nest is and he's going down into the heather to land in that nest.
07:06There he goes.
07:08And those two chicks are begging for that food.
07:13But it's a tantalising tease by the adult because it then walks away with the vole still in its beak.
07:21What's it trying to do?
07:21Perhaps lure them off.
07:23Because we have seen today that they've gone, but they've come back, they've gone, they've come back, they've gone, they've come back.
07:30They're basically boomerang kids.
07:32They're staying stubbornly in that nest for now.
07:35But as I say, you can't blame them.
07:36It's a cosy nest.
07:37They're being brought food.
07:38Who wouldn't want to stay?
07:39Let's have a look now at our live cameras to see if they're still there.
07:43Oh, interesting.
07:45Can we go and have a look closer?
07:47Is that just one left?
07:48Oh, look, there we go.
07:50So we've just got one chick left.
07:52Or is the one behind it?
07:54I think the small one's behind it.
07:54It's teasing us.
07:56But yeah, we have just been told, actually, that there are two still there.
07:59So when are they going to go?
08:01Oh, look.
08:01Oh, look at that.
08:03I mean, it obligingly stepped aside so we could see that there were definitely two.
08:08Interesting.
08:08It's cooling.
08:09Yes, cooling repeatedly, isn't it?
08:10I wonder if they are now hungry because the adults are provisioning all of those other young which have dispersed into the heather.
08:16Are you going to guess when it will go?
08:17Because I don't think they'll be there tomorrow.
08:19I think they will have gone.
08:20What?
08:20Branched off.
08:21I think they're going to go and come back.
08:23Do you know what I'm saying?
08:23Sunday.
08:24Sunday.
08:24They're still going to be there on Sunday.
08:25Don't be ridiculous.
08:26I think they will.
08:27I think they're going to hang out for another week.
08:29I would if I was there.
08:31Nice cosy patch in the moss.
08:33You know, someone bringing me some voles.
08:34Can't think of anything finer.
08:36Other than going to Northern Ireland to meet Yolo Williams.
08:39And I have to say, he's gone to one of the most remarkable places in the UK to see seabirds.
08:45Absolutely fantastic.
08:46I'm rather envious, except that I understand that the weather has turned.
08:55Yes, envious you should be.
08:57Not so much of the weather, maybe, Chris.
08:59Yeah, the weather's just broken here.
09:01And I'm afraid we've got more wind and more rain.
09:04But welcome to the RSB's Westlight Seabird Centre.
09:09And to this, the biggest seabird colony in the whole of Northern Ireland.
09:14Just look at that vista.
09:16And I tell you, the cacophony of sounds and smells here is truly amazing.
09:23There are seabirds.
09:24Tens of thousands of them packed onto those steep cliffs and these stacks.
09:31Absolutely amazing spectacle.
09:33And the smell, I have to say, I know you haven't got smell-o-vision, but...
09:37Oh, the seabird guano.
09:41Just what aftershave should really smell like.
09:44But let's have a quick look live.
09:46We've got our wildlife cameraman, Steve, over here stood in the range.
09:50Steve, what have you got for us?
09:51Oh, a fulma.
09:54We have a fulma.
09:56Oh, that's quite nice.
09:57Yeah, these are lovely.
09:58But I don't think that's got an egg yet.
10:00It's been fiddling around on that nest right up at the top of the cliff.
10:04And these are the sort of Irish albatrosses.
10:08They fly on these long, thin wings.
10:12Superb aerial masters.
10:15But, well, apart from the very obvious, why have we come here?
10:19Well, we've come here because Rathlin Island really is the green jewel
10:25in the Northern Ireland crown.
10:29Rathlin Island lies six miles out from the mainland port of Ballycastle
10:34on Northern Ireland's northeast coast.
10:38Situated where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea,
10:42it needs three lighthouses to guide the ships
10:45round its L-shaped coastline.
10:47The quirkiest of the trio being the upside-down lighthouse in the west.
10:54The island itself is four miles long and two-and-a-half miles wide
11:00and is Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island.
11:04But there's plenty of wildlife, too.
11:11That's a nice welcome, aren't there?
11:13It's a lovely harbour and you've got male and female aided ducks
11:16and a few chicks, too.
11:21Beyond the harbour,
11:23several lochs of varying sizes dot the landscape.
11:26Ooshet in the south is one of the largest,
11:31but they're all a haven for bird life.
11:35A lot of grey lag geese out there.
11:39One or two coot as well.
11:43There's quite a nice number of tufted duck to see.
11:45I love these wet hollows they've got here on the island.
11:57They're full of amazing wetland plants.
12:00But my favourites are the dark pink flowers you see here and there.
12:06That's called ragged robin.
12:08Beautiful name and an amazing flower.
12:11But I mustn't overlook the small but very pretty
12:16heath-spotted orchid and lady smock.
12:21The surrounding farmland supports a good number of Irish hares
12:25who outnumber the island residents by almost four to one.
12:30Despite its small size,
12:33rathlin doesn't disappoint,
12:35boasting 23 miles of coastline,
12:38which is home to marine mammals
12:41and, of course,
12:44the spectacular seabird colonies.
12:49Yes, indeed,
12:50it is a great place for wildlife
12:52and a superb place for seabirds.
12:55And if you look at those cliffs
12:57and those stacks out there,
12:59well, they are dominated by one bird,
13:02the common guillemot.
13:04There are tens of thousands of them out there.
13:07They are all along the steep cliffs
13:09and all on top of the stacks.
13:11Look at them,
13:12crammed in there.
13:14And the reason they do this,
13:15well, they'll be incubating a single egg there.
13:18They lay their eggs usually around late April.
13:21And they are mass ranks
13:23in order to defend themselves.
13:24A passing gull or a passing raven
13:27could swoop in,
13:28steal an egg.
13:29But with all those beaks pointing upwards,
13:32they haven't got a chance.
13:35They sometimes come back
13:37on a mild day
13:38in late January, early February,
13:40but they don't really
13:41come back to their breeding sites
13:44until early April.
13:46And as I said,
13:46they usually lay late April.
13:48And the more experienced birds
13:49will be the ones back first
13:51because they are the ones
13:52that will get
13:53the best nesting areas
13:55right in the middle.
13:57They'll be surrounded by other birds
13:59and they're much, much safer in there.
14:02We'll come back
14:03and see some more seabirds later on.
14:07Now, wildlife gardens.
14:08I hope you've got some at home.
14:10I hope you're looking after wildlife
14:11in your garden.
14:12Certainly in mine,
14:13I take out a cup of tea
14:14and a bit of cake
14:14and stare at my pond
14:16for hours on end.
14:18But for some people,
14:20they take it to another level.
14:22And Robert E. Fuller
14:23is one of those.
14:24He's put cameras everywhere
14:27on his paths,
14:29on his tracks,
14:29on his trees,
14:31in his nest boxes.
14:32He beams that back into his house
14:34so that he can keep an eye on things.
14:37And the most drama he's had
14:39comes from a little scene
14:41of very elusive mammal.
14:48Deep in the undergrowth
14:49of this Yorkshire garden,
14:51a collection of hidden cameras
14:53have been carefully positioned
14:54to capture the young lives
14:56of these tiny leverets.
14:59The pair are only a day or so old,
15:02snuggled in the scrape
15:04in which they were born,
15:05trying their best
15:08to remain concealed
15:09with their mother
15:10nowhere to be seen.
15:12She's out searching
15:18the nearby fields
15:20for sustenance.
15:22Grazing on vegetation,
15:24she builds up the calories
15:25she needs
15:26to pass on to her young.
15:31But like clockwork,
15:33every evening
15:34under the cover of darkness,
15:36she returns.
15:37Tonight,
15:43the scrape is empty.
15:46But it's not long
15:48before her leverets
15:49also return.
15:53Now,
15:54a few days old,
15:56they often disperse
15:57during the daytime
15:58to hunker down individually.
15:59It's thought this strategy
16:04increases their chance
16:05of survival.
16:10The leverets feed
16:12for just five minutes
16:13per night.
16:25Before their mother hops away
16:27to reduce their chances
16:28of detection.
16:33And the leverets
16:35disperse once more.
16:51Leverets survive
16:52on these nightly feeds
16:53for the first few weeks
16:55of their lives.
16:57passing their days
16:59hidden away.
17:05But one evening,
17:07the mother returns
17:09to find only one leveret
17:11waiting to feed.
17:15The other has disappeared.
17:21She searches desperately
17:23for over an hour,
17:25but there's no trace
17:26of her missing youngster.
17:32It's gone.
17:41Over the next few weeks,
17:43she puts all her efforts
17:44into rearing her one
17:45remaining leveret.
17:49Now,
17:49over two weeks old,
17:51it's starting to eat
17:52more solid food
17:53and becoming more
17:53and more adventurous.
17:59But out in the open,
18:00it's exposed
18:02and vulnerable.
18:06This stoat
18:07has picked up the scent
18:08of the young hare
18:09and it's hungry.
18:10the chase is on.
18:18The chase is on.
18:19Losing this race
18:20would be lethal
18:20for the leveret.
18:25Luckily,
18:26the mother
18:26is not far behind.
18:27With a top speed
18:29of 45 miles an hour,
18:31she quickly intervenes
18:32to bravely see off the stoat.
18:34After a close call,
18:39the youngster waits
18:40to meet its mother
18:41on the driveway,
18:42using a car for shelter.
18:45But there's more
18:46than one pair
18:47of hungry eyes here.
18:49The young hare
18:50would make a tasty treat
18:52for this tawny owl.
18:53The mother
18:55entering the driveway
18:56is the cue
18:58for the leveret
18:58to break cover.
19:04This is what
19:05the owl
19:06was waiting for.
19:08It swoops low
19:09past the mother,
19:10the leveret
19:11in its sights.
19:12But she gives chase
19:14and the owl
19:15decides to find
19:16an easier meal.
19:20Saved once again
19:22by its dedicated
19:23mother,
19:24the leveret
19:24can feed in peace.
19:38The leveret
19:39is now five weeks old
19:40and fully weaned.
19:43In just a few weeks,
19:45independence looms.
19:48Adult hares
19:49need space to roam.
19:53And the surrounding
19:54fields are beckoning.
20:04What amazing footage.
20:06Nail-biting footage.
20:07Amazing.
20:08Isn't that incredible
20:09just to get that
20:10on your CCTV
20:10and your front garden.
20:12I know.
20:13Fantastic stuff.
20:13I was never into hairs.
20:14I'm into hairs now.
20:15I read a great book.
20:16It's called Raising Hair
20:17by Chloe Dalton.
20:18I mean, other hair books
20:19are available,
20:20but they're not as good
20:20as that one.
20:21It's an amazing book
20:22about hairs.
20:23It really drew me
20:23into the hair.
20:24Oh, really?
20:25Yeah, you shall get it for you.
20:26I'll give you my copy.
20:27Good recommendation for our audience.
20:28OK, well, our live nest.
20:30We've had lots of
20:31coming and goings.
20:32We've had curly chicks.
20:33They've gone.
20:34We've had red starts.
20:35They've gone.
20:36Three out of five
20:37of the shorted owls.
20:38They've gone.
20:39Up until,
20:40a few minutes ago,
20:41one pied flycatcher gone.
20:44Let's have a look
20:45at our live nest now.
20:47Where is it?
20:48Middle,
20:49on the left.
20:50Go to that.
20:50We can see
20:51there's only
20:52four chicks left.
20:55We did have five
20:56at the start of the programme.
20:58So what's happened
20:58since the start
20:59of the programme and now?
21:00Well, this has happened.
21:02We've had another fledging.
21:03Can you believe it?
21:04Isn't that great?
21:06If only we'd got that
21:06actually happening live,
21:08that would have been brilliant,
21:08wouldn't it?
21:08We were probably talking
21:09about them whilst it was happening.
21:11Yeah, we probably were.
21:13Eight minutes past eight,
21:14wasn't it?
21:14Yep, and it takes a while,
21:15doesn't it?
21:15It's sticking its little beak out,
21:18having a look
21:18into the big wide world
21:19and off it goes.
21:21Will the others go
21:22before it's dark?
21:23Unlikely that they'll go
21:24once it gets dark,
21:26but we've got,
21:27oh, another, what,
21:27hour before that happens?
21:29Yeah, one and a half,
21:29I guess, yeah.
21:30If I were there,
21:31I'd hang on to the morning now
21:32and we'll have them
21:32jump out into the,
21:33you know,
21:33in coming dark.
21:34If I was a pied flycatcher,
21:36I'd do the same, Chris.
21:37Excellent.
21:37OK, let's go back
21:38to that nine way
21:38and see what other nests
21:39we've got there.
21:40We can catch up
21:41with our song thrush.
21:42Look at that.
21:43Bottom left,
21:44what a bird.
21:46Oh, song thrush.
21:47Good song.
21:49Great song, actually.
21:51But also a very
21:52good-looking bird.
21:54Now, we introduced you
21:55to these last Thursday.
21:57Both of the adults
21:58have been feeding
21:59the young in that nest.
22:01Typical sight
22:01for the song thrush.
22:02They're a bush nester,
22:04basically.
22:04This one's a couple
22:05of metres off the ground.
22:06What you can't appreciate
22:08is that from the outside
22:09that nest looks like
22:10a pile of grass.
22:10From the inside,
22:11it's a beautiful,
22:12dished, smooth,
22:14muddy cut.
22:14And it has those
22:16youngsters in
22:17and they're being fed
22:17on a diet of,
22:19what should we call them,
22:19soft invertebrates,
22:20otherwise known as slugs
22:22by the looks of it.
22:23And here you can see
22:24they've still got those
22:25down tufts on their head.
22:27This was on Friday.
22:29Gait flanges there,
22:31those yellow sides
22:32to the beak
22:32which advertised
22:33that massive gape
22:35that they've got,
22:36saying to the adults,
22:37food here please,
22:38food here.
22:38And yet more slugs
22:39are being generously
22:41dispensed by the adults
22:43into there.
22:45It's a fantastic bird,
22:47Songfrush.
22:47It's a beautiful nest.
22:48I find that very calming,
22:50watching that nest,
22:51which I'm not sure
22:52we can say about the nest
22:53I'm going to show you now,
22:55which is the long-eared owl nest.
22:57Let's have a look
22:57at that live.
23:00Beautiful bird,
23:02beautiful chicks.
23:03But that has been
23:04a little bit of a drama
23:06over the weekend.
23:07So here we go.
23:08This is the nest.
23:10High up in the tree
23:11it looks like
23:12an old corvid nest.
23:14And on the 29th of May,
23:15last Thursday,
23:16we got a peek
23:17at the three chicks.
23:19All very fluffy,
23:21all being fed,
23:23all looking adorable.
23:26Nocturnal birds,
23:27so they're active
23:27obviously after dark.
23:30So on the 1st of June
23:31we saw a feed.
23:34In comes the male
23:36with small mammal,
23:37gives it to the female.
23:39We then pick bits out
23:41to feed all three chicks.
23:43You can see
23:44all of those chicks there.
23:46Now notice,
23:47one is much smaller.
23:48That's significant
23:49to the rest of this story.
23:52And that's the last time
23:53we saw all of the three chicks
23:55popping their little heads up.
23:56This morning when it was still dark,
24:00there was another feed.
24:02And once again,
24:04some prey is brought in
24:05and the female
24:07picks little bits off
24:09to feed the chicks.
24:10We see one head pop up
24:12and then we see
24:14the other one come out.
24:17But our nest watchers
24:18couldn't see
24:20the third chick.
24:21So what happened
24:23to that third chick
24:25which was the one
24:25that was significantly smaller?
24:27Well, this morning
24:28when it got light,
24:30this is what they saw.
24:31Sadly, that chick
24:31didn't make it.
24:32and the mother
24:35pulls the head
24:36off the dead chick
24:37and then proceeded
24:39to feed little bits of it
24:41to the siblings.
24:43Now we've seen this before.
24:45Nothing goes to waste.
24:48And that's what
24:49nature's all about.
24:51So one chick
24:52doesn't make it.
24:53And I say it's not wasted.
24:54It's made the most of.
24:56And two chicks left.
24:57But they're looking good.
24:59Two chicks are looking good.
25:00What can I say?
25:00Looking good.
25:01You might be thinking
25:01that this is a low
25:02but let's turn it
25:03into something positive
25:04and think about the way
25:05that these owls
25:05consume their food.
25:07Now, they are swallowing
25:09their prey whole
25:10and sometimes
25:11it definitely
25:11looks uncomfortable.
25:14Here is a tawny owl
25:15with a small mammal.
25:17Always goes down
25:18head first.
25:18Follow the line
25:19of the fur.
25:20That's going to make it easier.
25:21That was quite a small
25:23prey item for that owl
25:24but oh my goodness
25:26look at this.
25:27I mean, this is
25:27bordering on the horrendous
25:29and the grotesque, isn't it?
25:31Look at the size
25:31of that vole.
25:32It's a field vole
25:33but it's one of the
25:34shorted owl chicks
25:35when they were much,
25:35much smaller.
25:36It's colossal
25:37in relation to the size
25:39of its head,
25:40its neck
25:41and its body.
25:43So how on earth
25:44do the owls
25:45manage to swallow
25:46their prey like that?
25:48Well, I'm very pleased
25:50to say
25:50that we have a diagram
25:51here
25:52of a short-eared owl.
25:54Now, the first thing
25:55to say
25:55if I remove the head
25:56of the owl
25:56is that
25:57they have quite
25:59long necks
25:59so I would suggest
26:01that the shorted owl
26:02can stretch its neck
26:03up about this far.
26:03That helps.
26:04They've also got
26:05quite a wide
26:06esophagus.
26:07Their throat
26:08is very wide.
26:09That aids
26:09when it comes
26:10to swallowing
26:11their prey whole
26:11and let's be clear
26:12it's not just the chicks
26:13that swallow
26:13their prey whole
26:14it's the adults
26:15as well.
26:16So here
26:16I've got a vole.
26:18What happens here
26:19is that they swallow
26:20the vole
26:21through their
26:22very wide beak
26:23and it goes
26:24into the esophagus
26:26and it's then
26:27esophagal peristalsis
26:29it's a wave-like
26:30contraction
26:31of the muscles
26:32which allows
26:33the vole
26:34to go down
26:35into the owl's stomach
26:37and if I reveal
26:38here
26:39we can see
26:41that the vole
26:42goes down
26:42through the bird's throat
26:43and it goes
26:44into this
26:45which is the
26:45proventriculus
26:46or the glandular stomach
26:48and it's here
26:49that all of the
26:50digestion is done.
26:52So here
26:52the bones
26:54and the fur
26:55are stripped
26:55from the meat
26:56the meat
26:56is digested
26:57and then after that
26:58it goes into the
26:59ventriculus
27:00or gizzard
27:00or muscular stomach
27:02and it's here
27:02that all of those
27:03bones and fur
27:04are compacted
27:05into the pellet
27:07and this process
27:08takes about
27:0910 to 12 hours
27:11and then
27:12if you remember
27:12those Haynes manuals
27:14when you were
27:14fixing cars
27:15when cars could be fixed
27:16do you remember
27:17when refitting
27:18was the reversal
27:18of removal
27:19well that's exactly
27:20what happens here
27:21because you get
27:22reverse peristalsis
27:24of the pellet
27:25not the vole
27:25but the pellet
27:26and it comes up
27:27and within about
27:288 to 10 seconds
27:29the owl manages
27:31to egest
27:32that pellet
27:33and it has to do that
27:34before it can eat
27:36again.
27:37One other thing
27:37you might be wondering
27:38how does the owl
27:40manage to swallow
27:40something as large
27:41as that vole
27:42that you saw
27:42in that film
27:43without choking
27:44to death?
27:45well by shifting
27:47its glottis
27:48its epiglottis
27:48and its larynx
27:49around
27:50it stops breathing
27:51down through its throat
27:52and breathes
27:53through its nostrils
27:54and that's how
27:55they're able
27:56to swallow
27:57those sorts of things
27:58Mick
27:58esophagal peristalsis
28:00have you tried it?
28:01No I haven't
28:02but I think
28:02you know
28:02we look at those pictures
28:04of them shoving down
28:05a vole whole
28:06and we think
28:06it looks uncomfortable
28:07because we judge it
28:08by the way that
28:09we eat food
28:10and swallow food
28:11well I've seen you
28:12eating
28:12no I've never
28:14eaten a vole
28:14Chris
28:15I'm a vegetarian
28:15no but I've seen you
28:16doing unspeakable
28:17things with a baguette
28:18you know
28:18no but when you
28:19explain it
28:20it obviously makes
28:21so much more sense
28:22doesn't it
28:22but still
28:23I thought it was
28:24quite interesting
28:24that you took
28:25the head off
28:25which is exactly
28:26what you did
28:26I know I know
28:27I felt a bit
28:27uncomfortable about that
28:28and now you've
28:29drawn attention to it
28:29move on swiftly
28:30move on
28:31nothing to see here
28:32anyway time to join
28:34Hannah Stipple
28:35who many of you
28:36will know from
28:36Watch Out
28:37which is on our
28:37digital channels
28:38well she's with us
28:40live on the programme
28:41now
28:41and she's down
28:41by the river
28:42to see if she can
28:44spot one of her
28:45favourite birds
28:45Hannah
28:46that's right
28:49I'm about 10 miles
28:51from Longshore
28:52along a stretch
28:53of the beautiful
28:54River Lathkill
28:55here in the
28:56Derbyshire Dales
28:57and this is a
28:58hot spot
28:58for one of my
28:59favourite bird species
29:01the dipper
29:02now I love
29:03the challenge
29:04of going out
29:05finding and filming
29:06them
29:06and one of my
29:07top tips
29:08on how to locate
29:09them
29:09is to listen
29:10out for their
29:11very high pitched
29:12distinctive
29:12call above the
29:14noise of the river
29:15oh
29:15do you hear that
29:19stunning
29:20but hearing them
29:22and filming them
29:23are two very
29:23different stories
29:24as I found out
29:25over the weekend
29:26now this to me
29:30looks like a perfect
29:31spot for dippers
29:32number one
29:32I'm on a bridge
29:33so I'm high up
29:34I can see down the
29:35river
29:35I can see up the
29:36river
29:36excellent perching
29:37spots
29:38and the water
29:39is so clear
29:40I can see the
29:41insects
29:41however dippers are
29:43known to be pretty
29:44fast and pretty
29:45tricky
29:45you just need to
29:47be patient
29:47I was looking
29:53the wrong way
29:53there's one behind
29:54me in the
29:54waterfall
29:55right
29:56there it is
30:01doing its
30:01dipping
30:02can I get it
30:05now you can see
30:10here
30:10it's dipping
30:11underneath
30:12it's feeding
30:12on all those
30:13tasty aquatic
30:14invertebrates
30:15incredible to see
30:18it live feeding
30:19right here
30:20once you've
30:23found a good
30:24dipper spot
30:25you can be
30:26pretty sure
30:26you'll see them
30:27year on year
30:28as if the river
30:29is still clean
30:30enough
30:30they will use
30:31the same site
30:32for generations
30:33I mean there
30:35was one dipper
30:35site found
30:36it was 123
30:36years old
30:38oh
30:42it's flown
30:43right
30:44we're going to
30:45move locations
30:46up around the
30:46corner
30:47once I was at my
30:51local patching
30:51corner I got there
30:52at 4.30am in the
30:54morning and I stayed
30:55till 3 o'clock in the
30:56afternoon
30:57didn't even see a
30:58dipper
30:58it's just flown down
31:01there
31:01this is the problem
31:05with dippers
31:06because their range
31:08can be 2.5km of the
31:10stretch of the river
31:11so when you're out
31:12filming them you do
31:13spend a lot of time
31:14walking along as they
31:16whizz past your head
31:18so the dipper is back
31:22on the left hand side
31:24of the rapids
31:26come on
31:29it's preening itself
31:31it's doing its
31:32dipping
31:32it's up on a
31:33beautiful mossy
31:34bank
31:34but it's behind
31:36a branch
31:37this is the problem
31:39with wildlife
31:40it doesn't read the
31:40script
31:41I mean that dipper
31:47certainly gave me
31:49the runaround
31:49I don't think it
31:50was quite ready
31:51for its full face
31:53having a spring
31:54watch cameo
31:55but I did manage
31:56to find another
31:57bird over the
31:59weekend and this
32:00time it was a
32:01juvenile
32:02now you can see
32:03here it's still got
32:04that grey mottled
32:06plumage and kind
32:07of a dirty bib
32:09unlike the adults
32:10where we see it
32:10it's bright white
32:12isn't it
32:12and if you look
32:13closely along the
32:15wings you can see
32:16some of that soft
32:17downy like feathering
32:19that it still has
32:20there
32:20now juvenile
32:21dippers they won't
32:22actually get their
32:23adult plumage until
32:24they're around six
32:26weeks old
32:27so I would hazard a
32:28guess that this
32:29particular bird is
32:31probably about four
32:33to five weeks old
32:35but it was quite the
32:36little star turning
32:37its head looking to
32:38camera stunning
32:40but this entire area
32:42is fantastic the
32:43dippers and it's
32:44got a lot to do
32:45with this beautiful
32:47landscape that I'm
32:48currently stood in
32:49and that's because
32:50underneath it is
32:51limestone
32:52now oh look at that
32:55the views up here
32:56are absolutely
32:57stunning
32:58now as the rainwater
33:00it percolates
33:01through the landscape
33:02it's then purified
33:04creating this
33:05beautiful crystal
33:07clear oxygen rich
33:08river water
33:09now this is the
33:12perfect conditions
33:13for some of the
33:14tiny creatures that
33:16dippers depend on
33:17I mean honestly
33:19when you put your
33:19hand in it you can
33:20see the bottom
33:22and that is why
33:23I'm stood in the
33:25river right now
33:26as hopefully
33:28we're going to find
33:30some of these
33:30aquatic insects
33:32that the dippers are
33:33feeding on as if
33:34by the magic of live
33:35TV
33:36right let's get
33:37these up
33:38so let's have a
33:40look in here
33:40my hair's gone in
33:41oh here we go
33:44let's have a look
33:46here
33:47aha see
33:49this is what
33:51they're after
33:51so these
33:52these tubes here
33:54they're caddisfly
33:55larvae
33:56now caddisfly
33:58they're one of our
33:59ancient insect
34:00species
34:01you know
34:01they're actually
34:03about 230 million
34:06years old
34:07they were one of
34:08the first insects
34:08to be seen in the
34:09fossil record
34:10and that is the
34:12Triassic era
34:14which is the first
34:15age of the
34:16dinosaurs
34:16but what's really
34:18interesting about
34:20this rock
34:20is if you look
34:22on the bottom
34:22so this is the
34:23bottom of it
34:24this is limestone
34:26and then this
34:28on the top
34:29this is the
34:31sediment
34:32and this is what
34:32the caddis
34:33larvae
34:34absolutely love
34:36now the team
34:37said it looked
34:38almost like
34:39coral
34:39I think it looks
34:40a little bit
34:41like broccoli
34:41but this is
34:42kind of porous
34:43spongy
34:44and this is
34:45what they love
34:46to build
34:46their intricate
34:47homes out of
34:49and it's actually
34:50because of this
34:51porous rock
34:52which is called
34:53Tufa
34:53this is why
34:55there are so
34:55many
34:56dippers here
34:57so I'll pop
34:59that back down
34:59in there
35:00don't want to
35:01ruin their
35:02homes
35:02there we go
35:03but this river
35:05doesn't just
35:06support dippers
35:07it supports a
35:08whole host
35:09of other
35:10species
35:11but there is
35:12another iconic
35:13man-made structure
35:15that's on the
35:16hills all
35:17around here
35:18and many
35:19creatures call
35:20that home
35:20and I do
35:21believe that
35:21Chris and
35:22Michaela are
35:22stood by one
35:23right now
35:24we are indeed
35:26Hannah
35:26and it is
35:27this
35:27the humble
35:28the hardy
35:30stonewall
35:31do you know
35:31I like a stonewall
35:32because I like
35:33the texture of it
35:34it's really
35:34interesting texture
35:35and I'm just
35:36fascinated about
35:37how they build it
35:38and get all the
35:38stones and not
35:40to make it
35:40fall over
35:40so not only
35:42that but it's
35:42also a great
35:43ecosystem for
35:44all sorts of
35:45wildlife
35:46including these
35:47creatures
35:48look at that
35:49little weasel
35:50peeking its nose
35:51out that's taken
35:52by Jenny Jones
35:53common lizard
35:54taken by
35:55Graham Hall
35:56you often see
35:57them basking
35:59on these stone
35:59walls
36:00little owl
36:01by Lisa Clark
36:02so you've got
36:03birds
36:04mammals
36:04reptiles
36:05all making the
36:06most of these
36:07stone walls
36:08and they certainly
36:09are a feature
36:10of the peak
36:11here
36:11there were 26,000
36:13miles of dry
36:15stone walls
36:16just in the
36:17peak park
36:18that's enough to
36:18circumnavigate the
36:20earth
36:21remarkable
36:22and you know
36:23what
36:23they're quite
36:24old
36:24most of those
36:25here
36:25have been here
36:26since the 18th
36:27or 19th centuries
36:28when the commons
36:29were stolen from
36:30the people
36:31and the enclosures
36:32act came in
36:33but there are
36:33some of them
36:34in Orkney
36:35at Scarabray
36:36which are
36:37neolithic
36:38stone walls
36:39like these
36:40which are
36:405,000 years
36:42old
36:43what about that
36:44and the key
36:44to their success
36:45as a wildlife
36:47habitat
36:47is this
36:48basically
36:49they've got
36:50no mortar
36:51in them
36:51they're not
36:52a solid
36:52structure
36:53they're essentially
36:54porous
36:55which allows
36:55all sorts
36:56of things
36:56to get in
36:57amongst them
36:58and do you
36:58know what's
36:58interesting
36:59is there's
36:59obviously
36:59two sides
37:00to the wall
37:01and each side
37:02has its own
37:03microclimate
37:04and its own
37:05micro ecosystems
37:07so let's start
37:08with this
37:09this is the
37:10south facing
37:11wall
37:11now that's
37:12facing the sun
37:13it's going to be
37:13warmer
37:14it's going to be
37:15drier
37:15so what have we
37:16got on the wall
37:17here we've got
37:17specific plants
37:18thyme and stone
37:20crop
37:20you get
37:21basking reptiles
37:23because that stone
37:24will keep the heat
37:25so you've got
37:26lizards and slow worms
37:27and you've got all
37:28sorts of insects
37:29like bees and wasps
37:30and beetles as well
37:32also butterflies
37:34make the most
37:35of a stone wall
37:36you've got this
37:36tortoiseshell butterfly
37:37there
37:38it's really
37:39thermoregulating
37:40it's warming up
37:41getting those wings
37:42nice and warm
37:43before it flies off
37:45for the day
37:45so all sorts
37:47of creatures
37:47use this
37:48south facing wall
37:50which is different
37:50to the
37:51okay let's go
37:52north of the wall
37:54north facing
37:54north of the wall
37:55we know what to do
37:56if we have to go
37:56north of the wall
37:57don't we Michaela
37:58no what do we do
37:58we have to take the
37:59dragon stone with us
38:00is that right
38:00yeah
38:01never mind that
38:02north of the wall
38:03look
38:03lots of moss
38:05on here
38:06things like this
38:07heart's tongue
38:08fern
38:08and of course
38:09this is a perfect
38:10habitat
38:10in fact let's refer
38:11to the real wall
38:11over here
38:12with this moss
38:13and lichen on
38:14this is great
38:15at keeping the
38:16environment moist
38:17because this is on
38:18the wet side of the
38:19wall
38:19and when the moss
38:20grows it keeps it
38:21moist
38:21the lichen which is
38:22one of the first
38:23things that starts
38:24growing on and
38:24continues to grow on
38:25the wall for
38:26hundreds of years
38:26is also important
38:27when it comes to
38:28soil formation
38:30so that means it's
38:31great for all of
38:32these soft bodied
38:34invertebrates
38:35and I'm talking
38:35about slugs
38:36I'm talking about
38:37snails
38:38and of course
38:38things like woodlice
38:40so if we were to
38:40dive in here
38:42now this is the
38:43sort of thing
38:43that we would
38:44probably find
38:45all you want
38:46slugs
38:47eggs
38:48with the young
38:49slugs emerging
38:50and sliming
38:51all over them
38:53and of course
38:54these are a
38:55fantastic food
38:56source for all
38:56sorts of animals
38:57there are small
38:58mammals able to
38:59live in here
38:59lots of birds
39:00nest in these
39:01walls
39:01things like
39:02robins and
39:03wrens
39:03even larger
39:04species like
39:05little owls
39:06at times
39:07and talking of
39:07mammals if we
39:08turn this back
39:09round
39:09we've got a
39:11sneaky little
39:11bit here
39:12if we open
39:13it up
39:13look at that
39:15I love that
39:15I absolutely
39:16love that
39:17it's like an
39:19advent calendar
39:20isn't it
39:20you've got a
39:21little stoat
39:22peeking out
39:23and if you
39:24remember back
39:24to Sherborne
39:25we filmed a
39:26stoke really
39:27making the most
39:27of one of
39:28these stone
39:29walls
39:29our camera
39:31crew managed
39:31to follow it
39:32running along
39:33the stone wall
39:34using it
39:35almost like a
39:36corridor
39:36also using it
39:39to hide
39:40before it
39:40ambushed its
39:41prey
39:42for shelter
39:43as well
39:43and then you
39:44can see it
39:44bouncing along
39:46because not
39:46only that
39:47but in the
39:48wall in one
39:49of those holes
39:49it had its
39:50den and you
39:51can see two
39:52of the kits
39:53poking their
39:54little heads
39:55out
39:55and we've
39:56followed that
39:56stoke for
39:57quite some
39:58time
39:58so you know
39:59we're showing
40:00you all the
40:01wildlife that
40:02you can find
40:02in these stone
40:03walls
40:04and do you
40:04know what I
40:04love about that
40:05it's usually
40:06when we do
40:07something that's
40:07man-made
40:08it's a disaster
40:10for wildlife
40:10isn't it
40:11it has a negative
40:12effect
40:12and yet these
40:13that have been
40:14up for thousands
40:14of years
40:15have had a really
40:16positive effect
40:17for wildlife
40:18fantastic stuff
40:18talking of
40:20positive effects
40:20for wildlife
40:21we've covered a
40:22number of
40:23exciting reintroductions
40:25to the UK
40:25of course we've got
40:26our red kites
40:27back here
40:27the storks
40:28are breeding
40:28really well
40:29now in the UK
40:30but one that we
40:31focused on in
40:31particular over the
40:32last few years
40:32has been the
40:33return of the
40:34sea eagle
40:34birds of Paul
40:35Harbour when we
40:36were down in Arne
40:37were involved in a
40:38project there
40:39I met Roy Dennis
40:40from the Roy Dennis
40:40Foundation
40:41but you see
40:42putting these animals
40:42back into the
40:43wild is one thing
40:44it's when they're
40:45in the wild
40:45that they also
40:46need nurturing
40:47and looking after
40:48and there is
40:49one man up on
40:50Mull who has
40:51devoted a lifetime
40:52to that
40:52an absolute
40:53you know
40:54bastion
40:55a paragon
40:56of conservation
40:57the one and only
40:58Dave Sexton
40:59absolutely stunning
41:06this is eagle
41:07country
41:08white-toed eagles
41:11have just been
41:11part of my life
41:13since I saw my
41:14first one here
41:15there was something
41:17about the bird
41:17the fact that we'd
41:19caused its extinction
41:20we'd then brought it
41:21back and we're now
41:22working to restore it
41:23to all its four
41:24haunts and I just
41:25wanted to be part of
41:26that
41:28it's given me a life
41:30and a career
41:30my family's lived here
41:33and grown up with
41:34the eagles
41:34I owe them everything
41:35really
41:36as Mull officer
41:38for the RSPB
41:39I worked with the
41:40sea eagles for 21
41:41years
41:41but I recently
41:43retired from that
41:43role
41:44the problem is
41:46I just couldn't
41:47give up on these
41:47birds
41:48so I now watch
41:49over them
41:49as a volunteer
41:50spring is a crucial
41:53time when they
41:54rear their young
41:55so right now
41:56we have to keep
41:57an extra close
41:58eye on them
41:59so I can see
42:00the nest
42:01all you get
42:02at this time
42:02of year
42:03and the sort
42:04of range
42:04I'm looking
42:05is just the
42:06nearest little
42:06glimpse
42:07of the top
42:08of a head
42:09so I can now
42:10rest easy
42:11because I know
42:11things are still
42:12on the go
42:13and yeah
42:13I can head off
42:14and check
42:15somewhere else
42:15one of the most
42:19well-known pairs
42:20on Mull
42:20and especially
42:21here on
42:22Lock Freezer
42:22are Skye
42:23and Freezer
42:24they had their
42:26first chick
42:26in 1998
42:28and have had
42:3025 chicks
42:32now over the
42:33years
42:34so incredibly
42:34productive
42:35fantastic pair
42:37of birds
42:38real ambassadors
42:39for the species
42:40really
42:40in fact
42:42it was this pair
42:43that featured
42:43on the first
42:44ever episode
42:45of the first
42:46ever series
42:47of Springwatch
42:4720 years ago
42:49if there's a jewel
42:50in the crown
42:51for me
42:52it has to be
42:53the sea eagle
42:53terribly rare
42:55just over 30 pairs
42:56nesting around the country
42:57and we have our cameras
42:58trained on the nest
42:59as I speak
42:59I remember
43:00Simon King said
43:02okay let's go live
43:03to the nest
43:04these are live images
43:05of the female
43:07I believe
43:08yes it is
43:09there was the most
43:10gorgeous shot
43:12of Freezer
43:13just taking little
43:14bits of meat off
43:15and daintily
43:15offering it
43:16to the chicks
43:17how gorgeous
43:19is that
43:19and we're just
43:21thinking oh please
43:21don't fly off
43:22in the middle
43:23of the shot
43:23and she didn't
43:24she just looked
43:25serene
43:26and wonderful
43:27the chicks already
43:29have names
43:29they're called
43:30Itchy and Scratchy
43:31both of them
43:32behaving like
43:33babies at the moment
43:34with their mother
43:34nearby
43:35what a glorious scene
43:36before Itchy and Scratchy
43:40fledged
43:41we tagged them
43:42and included their
43:43initial to help
43:44us track them
43:44in the autumn
43:47of that year
43:48Scratchy went
43:49north
43:50but then we
43:51lost track of her
43:51and we don't know
43:52what happened to her
43:53Itchy 2 then
43:54disappeared quite quickly
43:56and then a few years
43:57later
43:58somebody reported
43:59a sea eagle
44:00adult
44:01and this bird
44:02had a red wing tag
44:03with the letter
44:04I on it
44:05I absolutely
44:08had to go
44:09and see if it was
44:09Itchy
44:10and I invited
44:11Yolo along
44:11for the big reveal
44:13I think that's
44:16they're both there
44:17are they
44:18oh yeah wow
44:19it is Itchy
44:19I can see the tags
44:20oh you can see the tags
44:21wow
44:21the one flop
44:23the second one flop
44:23yeah
44:24so that's Itchy
44:25it's Itchy
44:25oh wow
44:26fantastic
44:27he's come back
44:35oh wonderful
44:37wow
44:38welcome back to
44:39Springwatch Itchy
44:4010 years on
44:41and he's still got his tags
44:42he's still got his tags
44:44wow
44:44for him to have
44:47survived all those years
44:49and now paired up himself
44:51it's a lovely
44:52full circle story
44:54as for Itchy's parents
44:58Sky and Frieza
44:59they went on to have
45:01many more chicks
45:02today
45:03Sky is 31 years old
45:05and Frieza
45:06would be 33
45:08but I'm afraid
45:10there's some
45:12not good news
45:13about Frieza
45:14she's been a star
45:16on this lock
45:17for so long
45:18but earlier this year
45:20we did get a very good view
45:22and Sky is now
45:24with a new female
45:25and I'm sorry to say
45:26Frieza is missing
45:27and she's probably
45:30not coming back
45:30we don't know
45:32what happened
45:32but very likely
45:34she has died
45:36the positive news
45:37is that Sky
45:38has repaired
45:40he is now
45:42with a new
45:43younger female
45:43and they are sitting now
45:45and hopefully
45:46in the next few weeks
45:47might hatch
45:48and that will be
45:49a whole new generation
45:50I will really miss
45:53seeing Frieza here
45:54but you know
45:56she had the most
45:57phenomenal life
45:58probably the oldest
45:59white tailed eagle
46:00in the UK
46:01she raised so many chicks
46:03the best eagle mum
46:05out there
46:05and those chicks
46:06are now scattered
46:07far and wide
46:08across Scotland
46:09and nesting themselves
46:10so the spirit
46:12of Frieza
46:12lives on
46:13and I'm happy to say
46:15there are now
46:16around 200 pairs
46:18of breeding
46:19white tailed eagles
46:19in the UK
46:20I just feel so lucky
46:23really
46:24and privileged
46:24to have been out
46:26to spend a large part
46:28of my life
46:28working on this project
46:30working with this
46:31incredible bird
46:33and seeing it go
46:34from strength to strength
46:36welcome back to
46:45Gale Force
46:46Rathlet Island here
46:48the wonderful Dave Sexton
46:49RSPB legend
46:51and a true gentleman
46:52actually my association
46:54with white tailed eagles
46:55and Mull
46:56goes back
46:57quite a long way
46:58in 1991
46:59I took two weeks leave
47:01from my job in Wales
47:02to go up there
47:02to help warden
47:03a pair of golden eagles
47:05one of only two
47:06on the island
47:07and one of only half of us
47:08in the whole country
47:09at that time
47:10and I returned
47:11to help ring
47:12a white tailed eagle chick
47:14in 2007
47:15and the parents
47:17of that chick
47:18were the very
47:19same birds
47:20that I warden
47:2116 years before
47:23absolutely cracking birds
47:25now what's nice to see
47:28is that
47:29here on these cliffs
47:30kittywakes
47:32are actually doing
47:33quite well
47:34and I say that
47:34because
47:35throughout the UK
47:36kittywakes have
47:37declined by 56%
47:39since the mid-1980s
47:41they're having a really
47:42hard time
47:43now these birds
47:44they spend
47:45the winter months
47:46right out at the open sea
47:48returning to
47:49the nest sites here
47:50in spring
47:52the first thing
47:54they have to do
47:55is to renovate
47:56their nests
47:58they arrive back
47:59in sort of May
48:01April May time
48:03they tear up
48:04bits of turf
48:05bits of soil
48:06build up
48:07last year's nest
48:08which might have been
48:09destroyed by the wind
48:10and then they start
48:12to tamp it down
48:13with their legs
48:13with those black feet
48:15before they start
48:17egg laying
48:17they lay
48:18one, two
48:20sometimes
48:20three eggs
48:22very
48:23good
48:24parents
48:25sometimes
48:25winter storms
48:26will rip their nests
48:27away
48:28but there we are
48:28they're now
48:30incubating
48:31their eggs
48:31lovely birds
48:32really nice
48:33species
48:34that
48:34let's have a
48:35quick look live
48:36and see what we can
48:37pick up on the cliffs
48:39there
48:39a lot of activity
48:40going on
48:41despite the weather
48:42a row
48:43of guillemots
48:45look at that
48:46do you know what
48:47well well
48:49well that's a great spot
48:50one of those
48:50is a bridled guillemot
48:52it's the one with specks
48:53see that
48:54white
48:55stripe around the eye
48:57but bridled guillemots
48:58are a variant
48:59of the common
49:00guillemot
49:01and there's only
49:02about 2%
49:03of the birds here
49:04are bridled guillemots
49:05so well done Steve
49:06that's a
49:07that is a
49:08brilliant find
49:09and actually
49:10the cliffs here
49:11are dominated
49:12by orcs
49:13and here
49:14in the UK
49:15we have
49:164 species
49:17that nest
49:18let's name them
49:19for you
49:19the puffin
49:20everybody I'm sure
49:21recognises the puffin
49:23single one there
49:23waiting by its burrow
49:25and of course
49:26they have this
49:26incredibly
49:27unfeasibly
49:28massive beak
49:30that's why
49:30they're often called
49:31sea parrots
49:31black guillemots
49:32we saw these
49:34last week
49:34in Belfast
49:36harbour
49:36they nest singly
49:37around the island
49:38common guillemots
49:40as well
49:41we've just
49:42saw these
49:43earlier on
49:43mass rank
49:44tens of thousands
49:45of them nest here
49:46and the razorbill
49:48excellent birds
49:50I like the razorbill
49:51black and white
49:51proper black and white
49:53with that huge bill
49:54and they get
49:55the name razorbill
49:56because that bill
49:57is said
49:58to resemble
49:59a cutthroat razor
50:00and these nest
50:01sort of singly
50:02all around the island
50:04here
50:05now it's difficult
50:05to tell the size
50:07of those orcs
50:08from this distance
50:08so let me show you
50:09we have a prop here
50:10that I'm going to
50:11hold on to
50:12because it might
50:13fly off at any minute
50:14starting from the
50:15smallest
50:16over here
50:17the puffin
50:18everyone recognises
50:19the puffin
50:2026 to 29 centimetres
50:22tall
50:22these are roughly
50:23life size
50:24then the black
50:25guillemot
50:26slightly bigger
50:2730 to 32 centimetres
50:30then the razorbill
50:32with this huge bill
50:3337 to 39 centimetres
50:36and finally
50:37the guillemot
50:3838 to 45 centimetres
50:43but there used to be
50:45a much much bigger
50:47orc here
50:47on Rathlin Island
50:49it's now
50:50unfortunately
50:51extinct
50:52I'm talking about
50:53the great orc
50:55this is a life size
50:56model
50:56they were 85 centimetres
50:59tall
50:59and they weighed
51:00up to 5 kilograms
51:02they were hunted
51:02for their feathers
51:04for their meat
51:05for their eggs
51:06and because they were
51:06flightless
51:07they were an easy target
51:09the last birds
51:11in the world
51:12were killed
51:12on an island
51:13off Iceland
51:14in July 1844
51:16and the last birds
51:18here in the UK
51:19were killed
51:20on St Kilda
51:21in 1840
51:24and actually
51:25there are records
51:26passed down
51:27from great grandfathers
51:28to grandfathers
51:29to fathers
51:30to sons
51:31of a great orc
51:33that used to hang around
51:34out here
51:35with these orcs
51:36and I have to say
51:38Chris, Michaela
51:39wouldn't it be fantastic
51:41if all those years ago
51:42we'd looked after
51:43this bird better
51:44and I could now
51:45gaze down
51:46and see these
51:47huge birds
51:49breeding
51:50on some of these
51:51stacks down here
51:52that would be
51:53absolutely amazing
51:55I really hope
51:56I'm going to say this
51:57sincerely
51:57I hope the weather's
51:58better for you tomorrow
51:59because look at
51:59what we've got here
52:00it's absolutely fantastic
52:02sorry about that
52:04anyway
52:05we are now
52:05going to focus
52:06on some
52:07micro marvels
52:09that you find
52:09here in the peak district
52:11and they particularly
52:11favour
52:12rich meadows
52:13with flowers
52:14right on the edge
52:15of the woodland
52:15and they are oil beetles
52:17and we're specifically
52:18going to talk about
52:19these
52:19violet oil beetles
52:21they look black
52:22but they're actually
52:22this beautiful
52:23violet colour
52:24and they have
52:25a large abdomen
52:26they're often referred
52:27to as looking like
52:28waistcoats
52:29that can't quite
52:29button up
52:30because the abdomen
52:31protrudes from their
52:32wing cases
52:33they're about
52:3430 millimetres
52:36in length
52:37now
52:38we have five species
52:39of oil beetle
52:40in the UK
52:41and their presence
52:42typically indicates
52:43a healthy ecosystem
52:44and they feed
52:46on leaves
52:46and petals
52:47of flowering plants
52:48and grasses
52:49and they're really
52:50interesting beetles
52:52and you can see
52:53a fabulous
52:54close-up
52:55of that one there
52:56and we're going to
52:57explain what is
52:58particularly interesting
52:59about them
52:59yeah well we're going
53:00to start off
53:00identifying males
53:01and females
53:01if you look to the
53:02antennae there
53:03you might see
53:03that some of them
53:04are slightly more kink
53:05a little bit more
53:05kinky than the other
53:06the males are on
53:08the left
53:09the females on
53:10the right
53:11but aside from that
53:12they've got the most
53:12remarkable life cycle
53:14the female lays
53:15about a thousand
53:16eggs into the soil
53:17and they hatch
53:18into larvae
53:19called triangulins
53:20they then climb up
53:21onto the petals
53:22of flowers
53:23where visiting bees
53:24come to collect
53:25the pollen
53:25they adhere to the bees
53:27and they're taken
53:28back to the solitary
53:29bees nest
53:29where they then
53:30parasitise the pollen
53:32and pupate
53:33and emerge the next year
53:34so a remarkable
53:35lifestyle
53:36but also
53:37an incredible way
53:38of repelling predators
53:40they certainly have got
53:41a fantastic
53:41defence mechanism
53:43so
53:44this is a kestrel
53:45this is a predator
53:46coming in
53:47and if they feel
53:49threatened
53:49they do something
53:50quite remarkable
53:52they ooze blood
53:54from their leg joints
53:57can you do a bit of
53:58oozing for me
53:59well I can
53:59oh I'm loving that
53:59the substance
54:00go on
54:00the substance is called
54:02a cantharidin
54:03and it's an odourless
54:04fatty substance
54:05oh look at that
54:07so good isn't it
54:08which is capable
54:08of causing burns
54:10and if it's ingested
54:13in large amounts
54:13it can also be
54:15very poisonous
54:15I mean if you saw
54:16that coming out
54:17of the knees
54:18of an insect
54:19you'd run a mile
54:20wouldn't you
54:20and it does come out
54:21of the knees
54:21not the beetle bum
54:22look that's the key thing
54:24I'm going to get a bit
54:24excited now
54:25oh come on
54:26oh my goodness me
54:28sorry
54:28oh my goodness
54:29sorry
54:30it doesn't happen
54:31like that
54:31in real life
54:33now the other
54:34interesting thing
54:35about this
54:36substance
54:37is that it's used
54:38by the males
54:39when they're mating
54:40with the females
54:41what they do
54:43is they get together
54:44a package of this
54:45in a sort of
54:45spermatophore
54:46and when they
54:47get together
54:48with the females
54:49there's a bit of
54:49tender mating
54:51and they pass
54:52this over
54:53and it's extraordinary
54:55because what she
54:56then does
54:57with this extra
54:58caustic substance
54:59is that she
55:00coats her eggs
55:02with it
55:03to protect
55:04her eggs
55:05what about
55:06that
55:07so these
55:08animals
55:09are using
55:09this
55:09cantharadine
55:10which is
55:11a vesicant
55:12it's something
55:12which causes
55:13blistering
55:14that's another
55:14thing that gives
55:15them their name
55:15blister beetles
55:17it protects
55:18them oozing
55:18from their legs
55:19and then the
55:20females use it
55:21to protect
55:21their eggs too
55:22it's fascinating
55:23isn't it
55:24but this is
55:24really quite
55:25revolting
55:25this sort of
55:26this dripping
55:27stuff that's
55:27going on there
55:28do you know
55:29what if I had
55:30an oil beetle
55:30on my hand
55:31you know
55:31I'd be tempted
55:32to agitate it
55:33to get that
55:34to come out
55:34and then have
55:35a little taste
55:35this isn't a
55:36scale by the way
55:37they are really
55:37really tiny
55:38anyway we've had
55:39exciting news
55:39we've had another
55:40fledging
55:41let's have a look
55:42pied flycatcher
55:43this is the third
55:45one that's gone
55:47oh this is the
55:48live shot
55:48so there's only
55:49two left
55:49I was beginning
55:50to lose count there
55:51with my pied flycatchers
55:52but let's have a look
55:55at what happened
55:55just minutes ago
55:57this is the third
55:59one leaving
56:00they all do the
56:01same thing
56:02don't they
56:02they just peek
56:03their little heads
56:04out
56:04and off they go
56:06oh look
56:08is the fourth one
56:09leaving
56:09is it leaving
56:10right now
56:11let's have a look
56:11let's have a look
56:12at our live
56:13let's go in
56:14here we go
56:15fourth one leaving
56:17so that means
56:18that there's one
56:18left in there
56:20hasn't got long
56:21before it's going
56:21to get dark
56:22is it going to go
56:23tonight
56:23better hurry up
56:24you better stick
56:25your little head
56:26out and get out
56:26there
56:27well look
56:27there's one left
56:28in there
56:28we did say that
56:29they wouldn't go
56:30tonight
56:30our finger is not
56:31on the fledging pulse
56:33this year
56:33we are way out
56:35way out
56:36we are coming
56:37towards the end
56:38of the programme
56:38though so have a
56:39look at this
56:40now this is the
56:41little bird with
56:42the big voice
56:43the wren
56:44but here is the
56:45little bird with
56:45the big attitude
56:46I can only presume
56:48that these two
56:50birds are male
56:51wrens that are
56:53definitely arguing
56:54about the territory
56:55but look at that
56:56they are just
56:56not going to give
56:57up are they
56:58what an extraordinary
57:00bout from such a
57:02tiny little organism
57:03that's amazing
57:06isn't it
57:06so so good
57:08do keep sending
57:09in your videos
57:10and any questions
57:11that you've got
57:11as well
57:12we'd be very pleased
57:13to try and answer
57:13those
57:14that brings us
57:15to a beautiful
57:16end of the
57:17Monday night show
57:18but plenty
57:19going on tomorrow
57:21we will bring you
57:22the very gorgeous
57:23kingfisher
57:24glamorous pair
57:27of kingfishers
57:28absolutely stunning
57:29bird
57:30and I'm going to
57:33be going out
57:34to listen for
57:35one of Rathlin
57:36Island's rarest
57:38birds
57:38for tomorrow
57:40we've also got
57:41the water shrew
57:42that mercurial
57:44mammalian predator
57:45which is actually
57:46venomous
57:47yes one of the
57:47only venomous
57:49animals that we
57:50have
57:50look at that
57:51so what an evening
57:53lots of live
57:55fledging
57:55which is always
57:56a treat
57:56insect vesicants
57:58esophical
57:59peristalsis
58:00really is top
58:01stuff
58:01you can watch
58:02our cameras
58:02from 10 to 10
58:03other than that
58:04of course
58:04we'll see you
58:05tomorrow night
58:05at 8 o'clock
58:06for some more
58:07Springwatch
58:08goodnight
58:08bye
58:08the Open University
58:13have designed
58:13an interactive
58:14online hike
58:15which allows you
58:16to explore
58:17some of the
58:18habitat changes
58:18that have taken
58:19place since
58:20Springwatch first
58:21aired
58:21to find it
58:22scan the QR code
58:24on your screen
58:24now
58:25or visit
58:25bbc.co.uk
58:27forward slash
58:28Springwatch
58:29and follow the
58:29links to the
58:30Open University
58:31Open University
59:01Sean the Sheep is back with
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