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00:00You're doing some DIY on your shabby nest and you take a look next door.
00:07There he is, frisky Phil.
00:09Good looking, massive house, irresistible to the opposite sex.
00:14How on earth can you compete?
00:18Well, spineless Psy never gave up hope.
00:22And it paid off as he became a legend on Springwatch.
00:50Hello and welcome to Springwatch.
00:52Coming to you live from the Longshore Estate in the Peak District National Park.
00:56And we've got smiles on our faces because today we've had a...
01:00Sunrise!
01:02Oh my goodness me, it's good, it's good, isn't it?
01:04And we've got a great show coming up for you tonight.
01:07Well, I say a great show. We're going to be featuring one of the animals that I can guarantee that
01:1199.9% recurring of you positively loathe.
01:15But we are going to big it up. We're going to show you that it can use electro-reception and
01:21tribo-electrification to get onto you.
01:24And you don't get that on Countryfile. In fact, you don't get that on Attenborough.
01:29You only get that on Springwatch and that is what you pay your licence fee for.
01:34Just be ready for it. It's sensational. Seriously. And the demonstration is going to be amazing, isn't it?
01:38Well, I tell you, that is what we do here. We change people's attitudes. We make you appreciate the underappreciated.
01:45But anyway, as Chris is saying, we have had a stunning day here and our wildlife crews have been out
01:51and as the sun rays warmed the woodland floor, they saw this summer spectacle.
01:56Look at that. These are yellow-barred longhorn moths. Longhorn by name, longhorn by nature. Look at that.
02:04That's balmy. It's not balmy with an L, but balmy with an R. Because they're three centimetres long, those antennae.
02:11And they're all males and they're basically performing to try and attract a female.
02:18You've heard of lecking with birds. So this is a moth leck.
02:22And they do this dance to try and impress any passing females.
02:28I mean, it is absolutely beautiful, isn't it? They're daytime flying moths.
02:32So obviously the females can see that display, unlike nighttime flying moths, which use pheromones.
02:38But really stunning, isn't it? Stunning.
02:40Those males know how to party hard, don't they? But you know it goes further than that.
02:45People think that they may have seetie, bristly little hairs, and scales at the base of those antennae, which actually
02:51produce sounds.
02:52They're having their own little Disco 2000 out there trying to attract those females.
02:57So they really are all dancing, all singing moths.
03:00They certainly are. I like those moths. They're my kind of moths.
03:03Amazing stuff. Amazing stuff.
03:04I tell you what though, without further ado, let's take a look at our live nest and see what we've
03:08got there.
03:09Still plenty of nests there, despite all the fledgings that we've been looking at over the past few days.
03:14My eye is drawn to the bottom right to that white blob. What is that white blob?
03:18Well, it's a white blob in the form of a long-eared owl chick.
03:25And there you can see no flies on us, but there's a fly on the chick.
03:28And there on the left hand side, you can see its beak.
03:32There were two young in that nest and we've been keeping a close eye on you.
03:37You said the adult Chris was grumpy, but just look at that adult long-eared owl.
03:43It is absolutely stunning. It's been feeding those chicks and they've certainly been growing.
03:49You can see the grey feathers beginning to come through. They're losing the white down.
03:54And if we look at their faces, this is where you can see things have really developed.
03:58Look at the eyes. See that orange, that flash of yellow and orange, which is very distinctive of the long
04:04-eared owls.
04:05And I was looking and thinking, have they grown? But then if we go back seven days, they certainly have.
04:11Look at them. They're tiny. They're very white downy chicks. And it's great to see them develop.
04:17But there's been quite a lot of action in that nest.
04:19Some trials and tribulations because they've had some unwanted visitors. Yes.
04:23Listen. That's the clicking beep of the female. It's part of her threat display.
04:31You'll also notice she's got her long ears fully erected and she's glaring with those bright orange eyes up at
04:38the top of the nest.
04:39Because who's arrived?
04:42The carrion crow. Potential predator of those chicks, of course.
04:46And here, trying to intimidate the owl.
04:49The owl is doing what many owl species of about this size.
04:54Well, I'll say that. In fact, eagle owls do it the same.
04:56What they do is they try and make themselves look much bigger than they are.
04:59In reality, and you can see some scale there with the crow in the image,
05:05that long-eared owls are no bigger than a wood pigeon.
05:07So what they do is that they roll their wings forward, erect their secondary feathers to make those wings as
05:14big as possible,
05:15and then fluff out all of their other feathers, again to expand their size, put up their ear tufts and
05:21then glare at any potential intruder whilst clicking that beak.
05:26Look how smart the crows are. They're breaking up twigs and dropping them through the roof of the nest.
05:31They're doing everything they can to intimidate this female.
05:35And I'm sure that what they're trying to do, working in a pair, is to get her to lose her
05:41temper, bolt off of that nest and chase one of them,
05:44and then the other will be straight in there to nick those chicks.
05:48Would it be successful? Well, we looked at a study published in 2000,
05:53which showed that, in fact, long-eared owls were always able to overcome carrion crows.
05:59Where they met their match and lost was if a buzzard tried to steal the chicks.
06:05But just look at that to wrap up with. Look at the eyes now.
06:08Look. Look at that. When she looks right down the lens. Look. Look. Oh, yes.
06:12That's not a grumpy owl, is it? That's an angry owl.
06:15What an amazing thing to see, though. Amazing action, isn't it?
06:19I really hope that those chicks are safe.
06:22And obviously you can carry on watching our live cameras on the website and the iPlayer, too.
06:27OK, let's go over to Northern Ireland to Strangford Loch, where Yolo is.
06:31And I'm going to give you a clue to what he's hoping to see,
06:34because just to prove that I don't throw my wardrobe together.
06:37Oh, no, no, no, Chris, because the clue is on my T-shirt. Look at that.
06:41What's that? Yesterday's lunch? No.
06:42All right.
06:47Yes, indeed. A lovely shirt, Michele. A beautiful shirt. And it is a beautiful evening here as well.
06:54No clouds in the sky, no wind at all.
06:57Welcome to Mount Stewart, owned and managed by the National Trust.
07:02And we've moved location from the very wet woodland we were in last night to the centre of the estate
07:08and to the beautiful old buildings of the home farm here.
07:12Dates back to the 1700s. Some of these buildings got a walled garden and an orchard that would have fed
07:19the occupants of the big house.
07:22Also, some of it would have been put over to the quarters of servants. Some of it would have been
07:28for farm animals.
07:29And much of it would have been stabling because they kept stud horses here as well.
07:35But as much as I like my history, I've not come to admire the old buildings.
07:39No, I've come to look for the beautiful birds that is the harbinger of spring, the swallow.
07:46Now, we were told by the rangers that usually they arrive about the length of April.
07:50But it's been an odd year. This year, the first pair arrived at the end of March and the others
07:56didn't arrive for over a month after that.
07:59But when they arrived, look at what is waiting for them. An old building with doors open.
08:04Beautiful birds as well. Iridescent blue and that red cheek.
08:08Now, on the whole estate, they reckon there's upwards of 50 pairs.
08:12Now, that is a fair population associated with humans, of course, nesting in old ruins and in barns like this.
08:21And that mud cup nest. Well, they reckon up to 1450 mud pellets goes into building that.
08:29Then they line it with bits of grass and feathers.
08:32They lay their five or six eggs in there.
08:36Then a couple of weeks later, they hatch out to these lovely little chicks.
08:39They'll be in there for about three weeks.
08:43Now, some have well grown chicks in the nest.
08:46But for others, the chicks have already fledged.
08:50And they've been out and about feeding them on the wires.
08:53Now, speaking of Toby Edwards, who is the head ranger here, and he maintains that they used to have pairs
09:02that would rear three broods.
09:05If they start egg laying in early April and finish in early September, they could rear three broods.
09:10But that hasn't happened now for over four years.
09:13What's going on?
09:14Well, Toby thinks it's the changing weather patterns here.
09:18You'll get cold, wet weather at the wrong time, and it'll suppress the invertebrates.
09:24And that is a knock on effect on these birds.
09:27But there's no doubt that they are aerial masters.
09:30But to really appreciate that, you need to watch them in slow motion.
09:35We've slowed this down 40 times.
09:39Otherwise, you'd see nothing but a flash of blue.
09:42Stunning birds, long wings, long fork tail.
09:47And females choose the males for the length and the symmetry of those long tail streamers there.
09:57That's how they choose their partners.
09:59And just look at the way they're going in and out of that building there.
10:05Brilliant.
10:06Now, the building in question, we saw them going in and out of there, is over here.
10:10Come with me and I'll show you.
10:11There's one calling above my head as I speak now.
10:14This is the building they're going into and out of here.
10:18That's all well and good.
10:19Plenty of room in there.
10:21But what happens when the staff have to go home and lock up this building at night?
10:27Well, let's close the door.
10:31Lock up that.
10:33They padlock it as well, of course.
10:35But what they've done is the way that they've hung the doors has left a small entrance.
10:41Just a tiny little entrance up there.
10:43Now, it doesn't look big enough to allow a swallow to get in.
10:47But believe me, it is.
10:49Again, we've slowed this right down 40 times again.
10:54Swallow comes in.
10:56Beautiful tail.
10:57And in it goes.
11:00Briefly.
11:00Then it comes out again, feeding the chicks.
11:03There's two pairs nesting in there.
11:05So sometimes you get a little bit of a fracker, a little bit of falling out as they tumble away.
11:10But they've been coming in and out all day from there.
11:15Absolutely.
11:16It's a joy to watch.
11:17And what's been brilliant is coming somewhere like this where you've got so many pairs.
11:21And you can hear them chattering all around you.
11:25Now, from birds now to butterflies.
11:28Now, have you ever pondered as you're at home with your cup of tea and your favourite cake,
11:32Victoria's sponge maybe.
11:34Have you ever pondered about the courtship of the small blue butterfly?
11:39Ponder no more.
11:46On this Dorset hillside, the spring sunshine has sparked the final transformation of our
11:55smallest resident butterfly, the small blue, no bigger than a thumbnail.
12:05Its Latin name, cupido minimus, means the smallest desire.
12:12A moniker never more appropriate than now, when it's time to find a mate.
12:22In his new aerial form, this male surveys his patch.
12:29Its name is deceptive, as although its colouration hints at blue in certain light, in reality,
12:36he wears more of a dusky colouring, much like the female he's trying to attract.
12:46But to do that, he's going to need to refuel.
12:51A bounty of birds' foot trefoil will certainly do as an appetiser.
12:58He probes his proboscis into the flowers, drinking nectar through it like a straw.
13:07But while nectar fuels his flight, it can't provide all the nutrients small blue males need.
13:17For these, he'll need to follow in the footsteps of foxes.
13:26This is a magnet for males, who make the most of the salts and minerals it provides.
13:37Feeding on mud, excrement and even rotting flesh in this way is known as puddling,
13:43and it's thought to be essential for successful breeding.
13:50Now fully fortified, he can resume his hunt for a female.
13:58He's chosen a tall stem of grass to search for his soulmate.
14:06At the merest hint of an invader, he launches from his perch.
14:13Small blue males are fiercely territorial and will chase away anything that comes their way.
14:23Unless, of course, it's a female small blue.
14:28With a perfect match in his sights, he wastes no time in acquainting himself,
14:35joining his abdomen with hers.
14:40And from here, he takes his time.
14:44Small blue mating can last for hours.
14:50Only after he's transferred his sperm packet into the female's body do they separate.
15:01While he heads off to find a spot to roost for the evening, her work is just beginning.
15:11She must find a spot to lay her eggs.
15:15And only one place will suffice.
15:21Kidney vetch is the sole food plant of her young.
15:26Here, she carefully lays a single egg.
15:33Protected inside the fluffy petals, it will emerge within a week as a caterpillar to its first energy-rich meal.
15:46She will continue this process across the hillside, one egg at a time.
15:56Planting seeds of future generations across the Dorset hillsides.
16:07Beautiful, beautiful little butterflies like sapphires flitting about on the vegetation.
16:12And I have to say that if you've got a patch of wasteland, even in the heart of our cities,
16:15you can see those little blue butterflies.
16:18Keep your eyes peeled. Last year, butterflies had a terrible time.
16:21Of course, butterfly conservation's big butterfly count is starting pretty soon.
16:24You might want to get involved with that and spot yourself a blue. They're stunning.
16:27They really are pretty little things, aren't they?
16:29Now, this series, we've had a little bit of an owl fest with our live cameras.
16:33We've had shorted owls, we've had longed owls, and we've had tawny owls.
16:37And I don't think I've really made it a secret, have I?
16:39The tawny owl is my favourite. The little single chick that we've called Spud.
16:44Let's take a look at that live. He's obviously not in the nest anymore because he's come out of the
16:49nest.
16:49Oh, my goodness. I'm sure he's grown since yesterday.
16:52Look at those feathers that have started to come through.
16:55That is amazing how quickly that has happened.
16:59He's been hanging around in the tree in the day, but at night he starts to move about,
17:05branching from one branch to another, exploring his immediate surroundings.
17:10He's not alone there, though. There's the adult.
17:13The adult still watching the chick and provisioning.
17:16And this will continue for some time until Spud develops his flight feathers and perfects his flying.
17:23We've seen him flapping a bit. We saw him take a little bit of a flight yesterday.
17:28Didn't end up too well. He landed, crash landed on the ground.
17:31But he's certainly branching out to those higher branches.
17:36And there's our Spud doing exactly what we'd expect him to do.
17:39But as I say, it's amazing how those feathers have changed just in a day, isn't it?
17:43So he might not be around for much longer, but great to see him.
17:48He obviously started off in a nest box, so the safety of a nest box.
17:52But what about the nests that we featured that are ground nesting birds?
17:56It's unbelievable where you find these nests.
17:59But I wanted to show you, so I went out earlier to show you exactly where our tree pippets are.
18:09It really is amazing where this nest is.
18:11I mean, this is the road. This is the woodland edge.
18:15I mean, it could be anywhere in there. Ground nesting birds.
18:21See the foxglove? That's where the nest is.
18:25So when those chicks fledge, they'll just wander around through the grasses.
18:31I mean, I cannot believe how vulnerable they're going to be.
18:35Anything could stand on the nest or on them.
18:39You know, people, dogs, predators.
18:45Look, there's the adult. Looks like it's got a cricket taking into the nest.
18:52You can hear it. It's alarm calling.
18:54That's actually probably because we're here. So let's leave it alone.
19:02So when you see where that nest is, it's quite amazing that anything survives, isn't it?
19:07But they have survived and they've been doing very well.
19:11Here they are, all the chicks. That was six days ago.
19:14Just look how quickly these chicks develop.
19:17That was three days ago. That's our tree pipette chicks.
19:21And then this is today.
19:23I mean, that is astonishing, isn't it?
19:26Look how much they've developed.
19:28I mean, they are squashed in that nest now.
19:30Look at all those little faces.
19:32They are flapping and ready to go.
19:34And off one of them went at 10.29.
19:37I love the other chicks' faces looking on.
19:39Where are you going? Where are you going? Wait for me.
19:41Then another one decides to join its friend, its sibling.
19:46And then there's the adult.
19:47Still with food in its beak.
19:50Flies down.
19:50It's interesting when they fly down because they don't go straight into the nest.
19:54They go on the ground nearby and then they run in, often run straight through.
20:01One decides to follow.
20:03So we've got three left.
20:04Now there's two left.
20:06Oh no.
20:07What's going on, they say.
20:08We've got 11.20.
20:10Just one little scruffy chick left in the nest.
20:14The adult comes in with some food, tempts it and says, come on, follow me, follow me.
20:20Come on, off we go.
20:20You're the last one.
20:21I need you out of here.
20:23Oh!
20:24Just about manages to stumble off.
20:26And it really is stumbling off.
20:27They semi-fledge.
20:28They don't just fly out of that nest.
20:31They stumble out into the grass.
20:34Adult comes back in to check they've all gone.
20:36And then the adult will continue feeding them.
20:39Which is quite a challenge when you've got six chicks in that grassland to try and find all six of
20:46them
20:46and make sure they're all fed.
20:48They are extremely exposed.
20:52Now you know the sort of vegetation that that nest is in.
20:55As I say, it is amazing that any of them manage to survive.
20:59Our cameras probably won't be able to follow them now.
21:02So in my little head, they lived happily ever after.
21:05Well, fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
21:07But the devil's always in the detail.
21:09When the tree pipit was running through there, did you notice its toe?
21:13Yeah, its toe.
21:14I'm talking about its toe and the claw on that toe.
21:15Look at them.
21:16They are very, very long.
21:19They've got these massively long toes because they spend quite a bit of time running around on the ground.
21:26They're essentially bipedal birds, of course, but they're also spending a lot of time on the ground.
21:31Now we've got a little diagram here.
21:33And I've got the two pipits.
21:34They're relatively similar in shape and size, as are their feet.
21:38But there are some differences.
21:39So let's go to the tree pipit first.
21:40Those are ours.
21:41So their toe's 20mm long and the claw on it is 7.5.
21:45Now the meadow pipit has got a toe of the same length, but its claw is 10.5mm long.
21:51These are massive claws in proportion to their body.
21:55Now, in fact, when we measure from one side of the foot to the other like this, they represent 28
22:01% of the body length of the bird for the meadow pipit and 23% for the tree pipit.
22:07Probably a little bit smaller on the tree pipit because they spend a bit more time in the trees.
22:12Now, our feet, if you measure ours in proportion to our height on average, about 14%.
22:17And we've got quite big feet.
22:19And that's because we too are bipedal, spending a lot of time walking around on the ground.
22:24With the pipits as well, they spread their toes out a bit like snowshoes.
22:28So when they're walking over soft grass, it allows them to balance on that whilst they're probing down for their
22:34insect prey.
22:36There we are.
22:37Fantastic stuff.
22:38Let's see it in action.
22:39We've got a meadow pipit here.
22:41Remember, this is the one with the longer toe.
22:44So keep your eyes peeled there for the toe on there.
22:47You can see it sticking down on the back of its foot as it balances on the bracken,
22:51but then does a much better job of walking along on the ground,
22:55which is where it spends most of its time foraging for its insect food.
23:00What about that?
23:02Do you know, I often look at my feet because I've got quite small feet, size 4.
23:05I often wonder why I don't fall over.
23:07I don't think it's enough surface really.
23:09Size 4?
23:09Yes, very small feet.
23:11Those are children's feet, aren't they?
23:12Those are children's feet.
23:14We've known each other for 35 years.
23:16I've only just noticed you've got tiny feet.
23:18I've got very small feet.
23:20It's a good job I'm not a tree pipit.
23:22What about that?
23:23Now, if you were watching yesterday,
23:25Lira Valencia went out into Sheffield
23:27and found something pretty special,
23:29a nesting Alexandrine parakeet.
23:32She was very, very excited about that.
23:33We couldn't hold her back.
23:34She's passionately keen when it comes to urban wildlife,
23:38particularly bird life.
23:38So she headed off to Sheffield again to look for some spring arrivals.
23:46There are around 150 miles of rivers and canals in Sheffield,
23:52which provide a vital habitat for urban wildlife.
23:56And one river in particular offers a tale of hope for us all.
24:02The River Don was once infamous for being declared biologically dead
24:06because of pollution from industry.
24:11But thanks to targeted efforts to clean it up,
24:14things have changed.
24:16And now there's a range of different wildlife here.
24:21And in the last two decades,
24:22San Martins have moved in to take advantage of the urban landscape.
24:27Oh, there's so many! Look at them!
24:32They skim the water so closely, feeding on aquatic insects.
24:39In all honesty, I've never been so close to them.
24:42I have seen them at my local wetlands, but nothing like this.
24:45They're literally skimming over my head.
24:49These birds have made the epic migration over from Africa
24:52to spend the breeding season on our shores.
24:57And it's crazy to think that a bird that weighs only around 14 grams,
25:00which is the same as a two-pound coin,
25:03can do this large migration around 2,500 miles.
25:07I can barely navigate through London without getting lost.
25:11And they are making the most of their urban setting.
25:15San Martins are burrow-nesting birds,
25:17and naturally, you'll see them nesting in riverbanks and sandy cliffs.
25:21But here, they're using the old walls.
25:28People often think of the swallow as the first sign of spring,
25:31but actually, these guys come first,
25:33a week or two ahead of them.
25:36In fact, they are often confused for swallows and house Martins.
25:40And they do all look very, very similar.
25:42But the San Martins is the smallest,
25:45has a pale belly, round feathers,
25:47and has a distinctive collar on its neck.
25:52Considering the rivers chequered past,
25:54it's so great to see them thriving here once again.
25:58Seeing them feeding and breeding here
26:00is a good sign of river health.
26:04And this is a really good example
26:06that if we just look after and care for our rivers,
26:09nature will recover.
26:10I mean, just look at this.
26:11Look at them go.
26:15Look at them go indeed.
26:17Fantastic, those San Martins,
26:18right in the heart of Sheffield.
26:20And doing something I've never seen them do before,
26:22because typically, they nest in soft, sandy banks.
26:25There, they were on those brick-lined banks of that river.
26:28Fantastic.
26:29They've managed to adapt, haven't they?
26:30Yeah.
26:31I think we have mentioned
26:32that it's our 20th anniversary this year,
26:35but it's great, isn't it?
26:35Because it's given us the chance to look back,
26:37to reminisce.
26:38And today, we're going to celebrate the rare sightings
26:42that we've seen.
26:43And the first one we're going to look at
26:44is because of the advancement in thermal cameras.
26:47And this has allowed us to see things at night.
26:51And if you remember back to Wild Ken Hill, 2022,
26:54this is on the wetland using our thermal camera,
26:57lots of widgeon.
26:58And you can see the thermal camera
27:00has picked up the heat of a stoat.
27:02And the stoat is going out hunting,
27:05looking at those widgeon,
27:06thinking that they would make a nice meal.
27:09Then we thought maybe it had cached something,
27:11and that's what it's doing there.
27:13But then, as we continued to watch on our camera,
27:16it wasn't the only predator.
27:17A fox came along.
27:20A fox perhaps also looking at the widgeon.
27:23But then the fox spots the stoat.
27:27And this is what we saw.
27:29As I say, this amazing footage,
27:32a fight between the fox and the stoat.
27:36We weren't quite sure what had happened here.
27:38We held our breath.
27:40And unfortunately for the stoat,
27:44it didn't win the battle,
27:45and the fox carried it off.
27:47But just amazing.
27:49I mean, that's the sort of thing
27:50that we just wouldn't have been able to see years ago
27:53before we got those thermal cameras.
27:54Astonishing, absolutely astonishing.
27:56Let's go to 2011 now.
27:58Martin Hughes-Games and I got very excited
28:00when we found a veritable medusa of grass snakes
28:04on a compost heap,
28:06which was very, very close to the studio
28:08where we were working.
28:09Here they are.
28:10Shall we go across here?
28:11Because we can actually see the place
28:13where the snakes are.
28:15This is the snake...
28:17What would you call it, Chris?
28:18Well, this is where they've all come to lay their eggs,
28:21I think, Martin.
28:22Now they're in bed.
28:24Have a look at what this looked like earlier as well.
28:28Have a look.
28:28Now you can see the snakes.
28:30This is a time lapse.
28:31Not one, Chris.
28:33Not two.
28:34Loads of snakes.
28:35Look at it.
28:35It's not masses against the grasses here.
28:37I think what we've got here is a huge number of female grass snakes
28:41that have come to this compost heap to lay their eggs
28:44because as it ferments there, it generates heat
28:46and it's that that they use to incubate their eggs.
28:49Let's take a look at this
28:49because here's a closer view of these snakes.
28:52Now the females are generally a bit more robust.
28:55Their heads are a little bit wider.
28:57There might be some males in here too.
28:59They might have come along being inquisitive,
29:01but they do return to these egg-laying sites traditionally
29:04and they're very important these days.
29:06And they travel enormous distances, grass snakes, don't they? Relatively.
29:10The most mobile of all of our snakes.
29:11They might have come half a kilometre at least to get to this site.
29:18Fantastic. I love grass snakes.
29:19I've always loved grass snakes.
29:20That was a real treat to see so many in one place.
29:23And I'm going to give you a random grass snake fact now.
29:25Nothing to do with the fact that they lay up to 40 eggs.
29:28They're about three centimetres long.
29:30They're covered in a sort of a leathery white covering
29:32and they hatch at the end of summer.
29:33Not that at all.
29:33The fact that in Latvia they were revered as symbols of fertility.
29:39And when people got married they would put grass snakes under their bed.
29:44Really?
29:44Oh yes.
29:45And in fact they were so sacred that they had a saying,
29:48he who kills a grass snake kills his happiness.
29:52Do you think they still put them under their bed?
29:54Not now, no.
29:55Latvia's moved on.
29:56It's moved on.
29:57Can I just say as well, you look so young in that clip.
30:00I'm not supposed to say that, am I?
30:01I'm supposed to say, gosh, you haven't changed at all.
30:05You've got a portrait up in your attic.
30:07I can't wait to the end of the programme now.
30:10Guess what's going to happen the minute we're off air.
30:12Let's go back to Wildcane Hill to 2022 because we had a night jar nest.
30:19I mean, it's a real treat to be able to put a camera on a night jar nest.
30:24Most of the time in the day it just sat still.
30:26But then we saw it do this.
30:28Look, look.
30:30It starts to move its head.
30:32Look.
30:34It's amazing, isn't it?
30:35It looks completely robotic.
30:39It almost, well it does, it turns its head more than 180 degrees.
30:43Then it turns it back.
30:44If you didn't know better, you could think that that was a model with some sort of remote-controlled camera
30:50inside it.
30:51I mean, that was an astonishing thing to see in the day.
30:55Frankly, it's bonkers, isn't it?
30:56It's good.
30:57Barmy.
30:57It's Barmy.
30:58Barmy with an R.
31:00And then, of course, it's a nocturnal animal.
31:03So, we had our infrared cameras on it and we saw something really astonishing and really surprising and, well, quite
31:10frankly, shocking.
31:11So, there it is on the nest and it's feeding one chick.
31:16That's what it's doing.
31:18It's got the beak in the beak of the chick and that's feeding.
31:23And then, as it stood up, we saw the egg of the second chick that had hatched.
31:29So, it's got two chicks in there as it flies off, flying off to get some food to bring back.
31:35And we were watching these chicks and it was absolutely delightful to watch them.
31:39And then, as I say, we saw something really shocking.
31:42When the adult came back, we thought it was feeding the chick.
31:47And then we saw the chick being picked up.
31:48It's still alive.
31:51And then the night jar swallowed the chick alive and whole.
31:56That had never been seen before, never been recorded.
31:59No one could quite believe that it had done that.
32:02None of us could work out why.
32:04But again, you know, it's a rare sighting and we only saw that because we had those amazing infrared cameras
32:09on that nest.
32:10Amazing.
32:11And to this day, people have conversations about that.
32:14I've met them in car parks around the world.
32:16And no one knows why that night jar did that.
32:19But listen, we've got live badgers at the moment on one of our cameras.
32:23We can go to them live.
32:24Here we are.
32:25The one on the left is called YOLO.
32:28And the one on the right is called Williams.
32:30YOLO and Williams out live now on our screens.
32:34Isn't that amazing though, Chris?
32:36I mean, we haven't seen much of the badgers because the weather's been so bad.
32:39That's exactly right.
32:40And as soon as the weather changes, out they come and they're active.
32:43And don't they look gorgeous in that light going past the fox club?
32:47What they don't like, Nick, is the wind.
32:48I've noticed this in my years of badger watching.
32:51If it's really windy, they can't hear anything.
32:53And because their eyesight's not good and also the wind is going to blow all the scents around
32:57because they're relying really on their sense of hearing and smell.
33:01They hate it when it's windy and they generally don't come out until it, you know, drops a little bit.
33:07Anyway, listen, what about the mountain blackbird?
33:09Do you remember the ring-oosal in week one?
33:11We were fortunate to have a camera on a nest and we showed you that.
33:14Well, I fancied seeing the mountain blackbird myself.
33:17I see plenty of blackbirds, of course.
33:18They're easy to see.
33:19They're on all of our lawns.
33:20They're on our rooftops singing away.
33:22But the mountain blackbird is much, much harder.
33:26Nevertheless, I set off with an intrepid team in tow.
33:33This is it.
33:37Prepped, prepared, stimulated, fascinated.
33:40I'm on the great ring-oosal hunt.
33:43Oh, yes.
33:45Where are you?
33:48Birding up here is hard at work.
33:50You see, I'm on a piece of moorland rather than being in a woodland.
33:55And when you're on moorland, there's less spaces for life.
33:59There's less productivity.
34:00And as a consequence, all of the things that are living here are fewer and further between.
34:05Of course, when you find them, they're great because they're specialist species.
34:09And that boulderscree there, that's pretty oozily.
34:12I'd say that was very oozily.
34:16Having a pair of binoculars is great, but what I only need is some sort of monster telescope.
34:25I'm here with Mark Yates, our long-lens cameraman.
34:28Morning, Mark.
34:28Morning.
34:29I'm pleased to be with you.
34:30Do you know why?
34:31No, I'm always pleased to be with you.
34:33Oh, OK.
34:34Because you've got the James Webb.
34:35It's got the James Webb of lenses here.
34:41What's that?
34:45That's nothing.
34:50If at first you don't succeed, become impatient.
34:58Can you smell a little bit? There's a black something.
35:01I got it.
35:03Well, you couldn't make it up.
35:04It's actually a blackbird, not a renewal.
35:07Yes, it is.
35:08It's got an orange bill and it's got no attractive white gorgette.
35:13What's a blackbird doing out here?
35:16What an imposter.
35:17Oh, goodness me.
35:19I want an ornithological refund.
35:22Come on, who's those?
35:26Soon, I've roped the whole team in.
35:29See the yellow in the rocks at the top there?
35:31See the rocks there?
35:32Go all the way to the top.
35:34See it?
35:34It's just on top of this rock.
35:36It's perched there at the moment.
35:37See it?
35:39It's a pigeon.
35:41Oh, Tim.
35:43Tim.
35:44Tim.
35:44He's watching his eye, aren't he?
35:47Brilliant.
35:47Brilliant on sound.
35:51Pigeon.
35:52I've got a nice shot of it, though.
35:54Stoke.
35:55Stoke.
35:55Shut up.
35:56No, just there.
35:57Just there.
35:57Just got into the bushes there.
35:59Don't be ridiculous.
36:03Very well pointing on the top of a hill into the distance of another one.
36:09Oh, oh, no, no, no.
36:16Stone chat on top of that.
36:17Is that stone chat?
36:18No.
36:19Could be.
36:21I mean, essentially, we're looking at a bird which is closer to Sheffield than it is to us.
36:30Is there any cafes around here?
36:34There.
36:34There.
36:34I see it.
36:34On top of that rock there.
36:35Good job.
36:36Straight on.
36:37Is that on the rock there?
36:38Right ahead.
36:38Yeah.
36:39Yeah, we've got it.
36:40You've got it.
36:41You've got it?
36:43On the skyline?
36:44Yeah.
36:45Oh, the oozle.
36:47Let's do it.
36:48Yeah.
36:49Oh, I saw the oozle.
36:51I saw the oozle.
36:52I saw it for about 1.27 seconds before it flew off.
36:57Yes.
36:58Did you get a shot of it, Mark?
36:59Got a shot, yeah.
37:00Excellent.
37:01Oh, my goodness me.
37:02Lunch!
37:07The oozle.
37:08The oozle did pop out again.
37:09It did.
37:10And I saw it for the sum title of about 9.32 seconds.
37:14It was really in and out.
37:15But anyway, massive thanks to the Eastern Moors Partnership who managed that part of the landscape up there.
37:20Not just ring oozles.
37:21Tree pipits they've got up there.
37:23Occasionally hen harriers shorted owls as well.
37:25So, top spot.
37:25It was very funny, that.
37:27But I'll tell you what it did do.
37:28It made us really appreciate how much work goes into, and time, goes into spotting wildlife.
37:34I think it's made us appreciate Yolo Williams and his team a bit more in Northern Ireland.
37:39Oh, yeah, definitely.
37:39Yeah, Yolo, we appreciate you, mate.
37:44Yeah, that's enough sympathy.
37:45The badger is very much yesterday's mammal.
37:48We've moved on.
37:49We've moved on.
37:51Welcome back to Mount Stewart.
37:52And you might notice a big, mature sycamore tree here has been blown over.
37:57And the winter storms have a devastating effect on a lot of the mature trees here.
38:01I'll be looking at that and its effect on the wildlife tomorrow.
38:05Now, earlier on, I was looking at swallows.
38:07And I often have quite a few people ask me, what's the difference between a swallow, a house martin, and
38:13the birds we saw earlier on, the sand martin.
38:16When all three are in the Hirondine family.
38:19So let's have a look.
38:20I'll point out some of the distinguishing features here.
38:23I'll even throw in a swift for good measure.
38:26Not in the same family, but a similar type of bird.
38:29And we saw these, of course, in Belfast.
38:31That is a swift, more or less life-size.
38:34Very dark brown.
38:36When it's up in the sky, it looks almost black.
38:38If you look, you'd see it fairly close.
38:40You'll see it has a pale chin.
38:42So that's the swift.
38:43And then the swallow, the one we've been looking at here.
38:48Iridescent blue, beautiful bird.
38:51And the distinguishing feature are these long, long tail streamers.
38:56Longer on the male than it is on the female.
38:59And then underneath, of course, you've got that bright red chin.
39:04Stunning, stunning bird.
39:06Now the two martins.
39:08And these may be the hardest ones to tell the part, especially in the sky.
39:12The house martin nest underneath our eaves.
39:16Blue, dark blue back and tail.
39:19And a bright white rump.
39:21That is quite visible from a distance.
39:24Turn it over, it's quite pale.
39:25With little bits of blue on a short forked tail there.
39:30That is the house martin.
39:32And finally, the sand martins that Lyra was looking at before.
39:36And from above, it looks kind of a sandy brown gull.
39:40Quite a small bird, short, chunky forked tail.
39:44And underneath, it's got that brown band across its chest.
39:50So that's how to distinguish these four apart.
39:54And actually, even at a distance.
39:56Often, if you watch swifts feeding, as we did in Belfast,
40:01they'll feed quite high up, gathering small insects.
40:04They'll form this bolus of food in a neck pouch, in a throat pouch.
40:09And carry that back to feed the youngsters.
40:12Swallows, on the other hand, they tend to use the features of the landscape.
40:17Trees, hedgerows, and of course, open farmland.
40:21Now, I went for a walk earlier.
40:23Walking through the very field where you see these birds feeding.
40:26There were invertebrates everywhere.
40:28Frog hoppers, cuckoo spit, swallow came.
40:32Picked off the invertebrates as I was walking around there.
40:37And the National Trust, of course, trying to restore flower-rich meadows.
40:40Brilliant for these birds.
40:43And then if you've got cattle, they'll often feed around cattle.
40:46Because cattle do exactly the same thing.
40:50In that they'll kick the vegetation, the insects come up,
40:53the swallows come down and feed.
40:55So that's not always the case, but it often is.
41:00Now, yesterday you saw that we set out a remote camera in a woodland
41:04on the other side of the estate here.
41:06We had quite a bit of activity, red squirrel activity there.
41:10But two nights ago, we had another mammal turned up.
41:13And we were very, very excited about this.
41:17Yes, it's a pine marty.
41:199.38. Very wary, this.
41:23Neophobic is a term they use for creatures that are afraid of new things.
41:28And, of course, we put up a camera, we put infrared lights.
41:31All new to this animal.
41:33So it was wary.
41:34Didn't stay for long.
41:36Had a look at the food.
41:37And then left.
41:38And then, just before quarter past ten, when it was dark,
41:42our infrared lights caught this.
41:44Another pine marting coming in.
41:47Stayed long.
41:48Still wary.
41:48But less wary than the first one.
41:52And it fed a little short wild.
41:55They are omnivores, opportunistic.
41:56They'll eat, yes.
41:57They eat grease squirrels, of course.
41:58They eat mice.
41:59And they'll eat voles.
42:00But they will eat seeds and fruits and berries as well.
42:05Fantastic.
42:06The fact that we had two different pine martins on the one night.
42:10And, of course, we'll keep our eye on that camera
42:12right up until the end of Springwatch.
42:15And if we see any more, we will let you know.
42:19Now, some people have incredibly interesting jobs.
42:23And forensic scientist Professor Patricia Wiltshire is certainly one of them.
42:29From botany to microscopy to helping to solve a wildlife crime,
42:35she's done it all.
42:42I was brought up in the country, in the open air, always in the open air.
42:47There was so much wildlife around us.
42:51I was very close to my grandmother,
42:53and she taught me an awful lot about wildlife.
43:00I love small things.
43:02I love bacteria, fungi.
43:05I like pollen.
43:08For Patricia, there's magic in the microscopic.
43:13It's a teeming, teeming massive activity.
43:18And you can't see it, and you can't hear it, and you can't feel it.
43:22This passion led to her becoming an ecologist,
43:26specialising in a field called palynology,
43:29which is the study of microscopic particles like pollen and spores.
43:36So here we have a birch pollen grain.
43:39It's about 40 microns across, I suppose.
43:46This is grass.
43:48A little round ball with one paw.
43:53It was her expertise in this that led her to a life of crime.
43:58On the right side of the law, in forensics.
44:02Every crime scene has to be sampled.
44:06These samples determine the likelihood of a suspect having been there or not.
44:13Pollen spores are very difficult to avoid.
44:16And once they get in your fabric, on your clothing and your footwear,
44:19you can't get them out.
44:22This is a prunus.
44:23If someone bumped up into all this, they'd be covered in prunus pollen.
44:28Tremendous marker.
44:30Funnily enough, I did have a case where someone fell into a prunus hedge
44:35and said they'd never been there.
44:37And actually, they were covered in prunus.
44:41Airborne pollen can travel long distances.
44:44So, each sample of soil is unique to a location containing traces of plants near and far.
44:55You have to identify and count everything.
44:59When you get all the quantities, you've got a profile.
45:04Knowing about all the plants, I can conjure up these pictures from a sheet of numbers.
45:12The more samples you have, the better the visualisation.
45:23Nature provides the clues, but revealing and interpreting them can be painstaking work.
45:32This area here shows you how complicated any pollen profile could become.
45:38We have a tangle of bramble with bluebells coming up.
45:43So, there'll be pollen from bluebells coming up through there.
45:45I turn round, and what do I see?
45:48No anemones, and no bramble, and wonderful new fronds of bracken coming up.
45:56If someone had committed a crime down there, the profile I would get from them,
46:02from their shoes, their clothes, whatever, whatever, would be different from if they'd done it up there,
46:08and they hadn't gone into that.
46:10It's fantastic.
46:17Having loved animals from her early years, Patricia was honoured to be asked to help in a case of wildlife
46:23crime.
46:25It was an example of the so-called sport of badger-baiting,
46:29where they send dogs down a badger set to find a badger, dig it out, and kill it.
46:36The RSPCA caught someone and managed to confiscate their vehicle and some spades.
46:44Were those spades used to dig the hole to dig out the badgers?
46:50That was the question.
46:54Well, we got back to the lab.
46:56Lo and behold, the profile was tremendously similar.
47:01And on top of that, we got fungal spores, and it was a truffle.
47:07Now, this truffle grows on the roots of oak trees,
47:11and there were oak trees about 100 metres from the set.
47:15This badger had been taking the truffles back to its set,
47:19and the spores were in the set.
47:21They were on the spade, they were on the set.
47:25The court felt the evidence was overwhelming, and the man was convicted.
47:33They'd never managed to convict anyone for this before.
47:36I was so pleased.
47:40The idea that nature is storing evidence,
47:43and that it can help bring evildoers to justice, is just amazing.
47:50The soil holds secrets for everyone.
47:54It is magical.
48:01I love that.
48:02I love that a lot.
48:04What I love is you can think you're a criminal mastermind, okay,
48:07and you're pulling off some hideous crime out in the woods,
48:10doing something unspeakable out there.
48:11But then when you get back, you've got the mark of the devil on you
48:13in the form of tiny little pollen grains,
48:16and it's that that is going to get you found out.
48:18A bit of biology is going to bury you in prison for a long time.
48:22I love that.
48:23I loved her knowledge.
48:24I mean, Professor Patricia's pollen knowledge.
48:27I see that as a book, don't you?
48:29It's a great title for a book.
48:30She should write a book.
48:31Yeah.
48:32Now, you know, one of the things we do on The Watches
48:34is try and make you appreciate the underappreciated.
48:37To make popular the unpopular.
48:40And we've really set ourselves a little bit of a challenge tonight
48:43because we're going to try and make you fall in love with the tiny tick.
48:48I'll tell you, this is something I'm trying to make the whole of our crew
48:51fall in love with ticks because they have had quite a few of them
48:54attach themselves to their legs.
48:56Every day.
48:56Every day it's a tick-a-thon.
48:58Everyone's on about the ticks.
48:59I've found a tick.
49:00I've got a tick on my sock.
49:01I've got a tick on my nose.
49:02I've got a tick in other places.
49:04You know, every single day.
49:06But we are going to tell you something astonishing about ticks tonight.
49:09First of all, let's have a look at a tick.
49:11We've got a little macro studio going on here.
49:14We've got James on the camera.
49:15Let's just put the 20p in there so you can see just how small it is.
49:20There it is in close-up.
49:22It's got eight tiny legs.
49:24You can see that.
49:25It's a red upper body.
49:2620 species in the UK we have.
49:28And they all have different hosts.
49:30Now, this one is Exodes ricinus.
49:33It's a deer or sheep tick, but it also attaches itself to dogs, cats, and yes, us humans.
49:40But there's some recent studies that are going to tell you something that is incredible about the biology of these
49:47ticks.
49:47OK.
49:47Imagine you're a tick.
49:49You're out in the woods, OK?
49:50You need to get onto your host.
49:51Why do you need to get onto that host?
49:52Well, you need a blood meal.
49:54You've got to grow, and ultimately in the end you've got to mate and you've got to produce your eggs.
49:58You need protein, you're going to get it from normally a mammal, as Mick says.
50:02His deer, it could be us as well.
50:04But then you've got to find your host.
50:06What tools have you got at your disposal?
50:08Well, the senses are being able to detect carbon dioxide.
50:12Yes, when we breathe out, ticks can sense that.
50:15You can also be detecting body heat.
50:18They can detect our body heat.
50:20Then, of course, there's the vibrations we make whilst we're moving through the woods.
50:24Now, look, I've got a deer leg here and some woods.
50:27And what's interesting is the deer is going to be mincing through the woods like this.
50:31Now, if the tick is at the bottom of the grass like that, it's never going to get onto the
50:36leg, is it?
50:37No.
50:37So what the tick does is it comes to the top of the grass like this and it starts doing
50:42something we call questing.
50:45And what it does is it flexes.
50:47If I can just get hold of the little bead here.
50:48There we are.
50:49Look.
50:49It flexes its forelimbs like that.
50:53Back and forth.
50:54Back and forth.
50:55Back and forth.
50:55Because they are tipped with microscopic but highly effective little hooks which will cling on to anything that brushes against
51:03it.
51:03So here's the deer mincing through the woods.
51:06It comes too close to the tick.
51:08And the tick is on the deer.
51:11It gets carried away.
51:12And, of course, it buries down underneath the pellage, underneath the fur, finds a safe little spot and starts sucking
51:19the blood.
51:20Nice.
51:21Now, we have always thought that you would have to brush past, physically brush past a tick for it to
51:28be able to actually attach itself to you or the deer or whatever, the sheep.
51:33Recent studies are proving otherwise.
51:36And it's all to do with static electricity.
51:38And I'm going to demonstrate with a balloon.
51:41I mean, this is something you've probably all done.
51:44Rubbed your hair with a balloon.
51:46Come on.
51:46Yeah, only yesterday, Mick.
51:47Something you do all the time.
51:47Only last night, in fact, I was doing that.
51:49And I'm going to create an electrical charge.
51:51And when I take the balloon away, if we go in close-up, you should see that my hair is
51:56attracted to the balloon.
51:58There's a positive and negative charge.
52:00And that causes this attraction.
52:03And there we go.
52:05OK.
52:06Well, what's interesting is that when two insulators are rubbed together, like Mick's hair and the balloon, it generates that
52:14charge, can be positive or negative.
52:16And it's a process called tribo electrification.
52:19And curiously, when the deer is walking through the woods like this, rubbing its fur, an insulator, against the grass,
52:26another insulator,
52:27it too becomes charged, tribo electrified, with static electricity.
52:33When it approaches the tick, what is extraordinary is that when the questing tick is at the top here, the
52:40deer approaches it like this.
52:41And bear in mind that the tick can't jump.
52:44It doesn't have that capacity.
52:45But the static electricity causes it to flip across onto the deer's leg and then it's carried away.
52:54And the process begins as it did before.
52:56It finds somewhere safe to burrow in and it starts to suck its blood.
52:59So it can't jump, but it can defy gravity.
53:03A tick.
53:04That's top work.
53:05And now we are going to demonstrate that.
53:07You may be wondering what I've been doing.
53:09I've been trying to get an electrical charge with this blanket and the balloon.
53:13We're going to go back to our macro studio.
53:15We're going to show you a close-up of the tick.
53:19OK.
53:20There we go.
53:20You can see the tick.
53:22I'm going to come in with my balloon.
53:23Just watch the shadow of the balloon as it comes in.
53:28And we should see the tick.
53:34Oh, no.
53:35This works so well.
53:36It works.
53:37Fibro-electricate, Nick.
53:38Nick.
53:39I'm going to give it another go.
53:39Fibro-electricate.
53:41Passively.
53:42It really did.
53:43I promise you it worked really well.
53:45Come on.
53:45OK.
53:46Let's try again.
53:46Come on.
53:46Come on.
53:48Here we go.
53:49It's coming in.
53:50It's coming.
53:54Oh.
53:58It worked.
54:00Just at the last second.
54:03It worked.
54:05We did do that earlier.
54:07So let's have a little replay of that.
54:10Let's see.
54:12Let's see that because it is amazing.
54:14You see that?
54:15You see that?
54:17That's the one we did earlier.
54:19Yeah.
54:19I think that tick might have been dead actually.
54:22I think that maybe that's why it didn't work.
54:25The tick is fine.
54:27Listen, mate.
54:28I know.
54:28They've made a fool of you.
54:29I'm going to take you outside and you'll find a nice deer tomorrow.
54:43We're going to release it back.
54:47You just jumped.
54:48One of us is probably on my hair or something.
54:51But actually, that is a serious point to make.
54:54I mean, if they do attach themselves to you, then you do need to get them off.
54:57Much as we now love the tick, don't let it hang around sucking your blood.
55:02And there are details about how to get them off you if one does attach on our website.
55:06What's even more extraordinary, and it's just happened, is that the tick may have the capacity to basically detect the
55:15electricity in the passing host as it comes by.
55:19Basically, it's got electro-receptors.
55:21And what happened there was it detected Mick, or myself, and I think somewhere the tick is on one of
55:26us now.
55:27Oh, my goodness me.
55:28That was good, wasn't it?
55:29I'll tell you.
55:29I think we all need to calm down.
55:31I'm loving it.
55:31I think that was quite exciting.
55:32I think at this point we need to be a bit more mindful.
55:35Let's be mindful.
56:12Let's go.
56:12Say bye.
57:00Are we feeling calm or are we actually scratching because we're still thinking about the tick?
57:06It's definitely in either my hair or on you somewhere. Anyway, that's brought us to the end of tonight's show.
57:13We'll see you tomorrow. And this is what we've got coming up. We will be delving into the curious world
57:20of a plant with a trick to trap unsuspecting visitors to the cemetery.
57:26And I'll be having a more detailed look at Mount Stewart's wonderful red squirrels.
57:32We'll also be heading up onto the moorland to look at one of the most enigmatic species that we have
57:37here, the beautiful male hen harrier. What about that?
57:42Now then, do stay tuned to BBC at the moment because if you go to iPlayer or our website, you
57:50can join Lyra, who's going to be there with Hannah Stuitfield for Watch Out, which will be great.
57:55Remember, keep your eyes on those lists. 10 till 10, you can watch those. And of course, we'll be back
58:02tomorrow night at eight o'clock.
58:03Oh, we found the tick. Bye.
58:08The Open University have designed an interactive online hike, which allows you to explore some of the habitat changes that
58:15have taken place since Springwatch first aired.
58:18To find it, scan the QR code on your screen now or visit bbc.co.uk forward slash Springwatch and
58:26follow the links to The Open University.
58:55The Open University.
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