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00:00We're here, we're live, it's day three.
00:04We have got red kites.
00:07We've got glowing snails.
00:10And we've got dolphins.
00:13So don't go anywhere, because it's time for...
00:16Winter Watch!
00:39..and welcome to Winter Watch 2026,
00:43coming to you live from the National Trust, Mount Stewart State,
00:46on the sides of Strangford Lock.
00:48If you were watching yesterday, you'll know that we travelled across the sea
00:50and we're basing ourselves here for the first time.
00:54Plenty of wildlife in our first two shows, plenty more coming up tonight.
00:57The highlight could be YOLO getting to grips with a pair of bulla.
01:01Oh, yes.
01:02What about that?
01:03What about that?
01:04But before we get started, let's answer a question I frequently ask myself.
01:08Where the hell am I?
01:09Have you got to that age, Chris?
01:10This is where we are.
01:12This is where we are.
01:13So there we are, Northern Ireland, on the east side.
01:16East of Belfast, in fact, on the edge of the wonderful Strangford Lock,
01:18as I've said.
01:20Now, before we move on,
01:22the music that you've just heard in the title sequence
01:24will be the last music that you will hear in tonight's programme.
01:28Yes, this is one of those for all of the people
01:31who are not so keen on the music that we use.
01:33So tonight, it is natural sounds only from this point now.
01:39So let's focus on the sounds of nature.
01:42Have a listen to this.
01:46What do you think that is?
01:47Well, it's a sound that we've been hearing every day
01:51while we're working in our production village.
01:53It is the sound of chattering starlings.
01:57And they're all lined up on the wire.
01:59And as I say, they're right in our production village.
02:01It's a lovely distraction for us all.
02:04Come rain or shine, they're there.
02:06You can see there's a couple of starlings looking very dampened,
02:10all sort of trying to keep warm.
02:12Lots of them are around.
02:14They make a right old racket.
02:15They've been flying through, past the trucks, into the wall.
02:19What are they going there for?
02:21Are they looking for food, maybe?
02:23Are they looking for shelter?
02:25Or are they prospecting for nest sites?
02:28What do you think, Yolo?
02:30Yeah, they're very gregarious to stick to that.
02:32I think that individual was actually having a look and seeing,
02:35hmm, this looks like quite a good nest site
02:37for the forthcoming season.
02:39It's early.
02:39It is early, it is early, but I suspect that's what it was doing.
02:43You know what they say, though?
02:44The early bird catches the worm.
02:45That's the same.
02:46I don't think it was that at all,
02:47because I went over to the wall early
02:49and I tried to crawl in that hole
02:50just to get out of this terrible weather,
02:52to be honest with you.
02:54Now, you've been sending in some of your footage,
02:56which we're very pleased to receive,
02:58and we're going to show you something now
03:00that starts with the sound.
03:01So it's geckering.
03:02This is the sound.
03:03It's called geckering, OK?
03:07Look at this.
03:08This was sent in by Michael Batley in Bradford.
03:11Two foxes fighting.
03:13And they're fox-trotting.
03:15That's what behaviourists call it
03:17when they stand up like that
03:18and body-shove one another.
03:20Fox-trotting.
03:21The dance is not named after the foxes.
03:23That was named after an actor,
03:24Henry Fox, in 1914.
03:27Now, what was going on there?
03:28Well, typically when foxes fight,
03:30at which they're loathe to do so
03:31because they're very well-armed,
03:32so only at the end of all of their posturing
03:34will they finally get stuck in.
03:36It's typically female versus female
03:38or male versus male.
03:39But this is the breeding season.
03:41So it could be that they were a couple of males
03:44fighting over a female.
03:46I can see it.
03:46Strictly come fox-trotting.
03:48It would be a good programme, wouldn't it?
03:49But lots of people are hearing that sound.
03:52I mean, you can't not hear that sound.
03:54It is so loud.
03:56Have a look at this
03:57because this was footage taken on a door camera.
04:02And look at them.
04:03Well, listen.
04:07And Martin took that.
04:09I mean, imagine
04:09if you're trying to get to sleep in your bedroom
04:11and you've got that racket going on
04:13right outside your door.
04:17Interesting, though.
04:18There's obviously a lot of testosterone going on there.
04:20You could clearly see one of them was a male.
04:22Dominant male.
04:23Yeah, the one on the left was cowering down, submitting.
04:25Didn't want to get involved, did it?
04:27I don't blame it.
04:28Gee, that really is a racket, isn't it?
04:30Yeah, that was fantastic.
04:32But have a look at this.
04:32This was sent in by Mike Turtle from Mid Wales.
04:35Pine Martin's recovering nicely in Mid Wales now.
04:38But keep your eye up in that tree.
04:40The left-hand side.
04:41Two eyes there.
04:43It's a tawny owl.
04:44In it comes.
04:45Thwacks that Pine Martin off the log.
04:48Happened quickly.
04:49Let's have a look at that again.
04:51In it comes.
04:52Bang!
04:54Look at that.
04:56And actually, it wasn't just once.
04:58The owl came back time and time and time again.
05:02Now, a tawny owl is not going to predate a Pine Martin.
05:06If we were in Europe and we had eagle owls, an eagle owl will eat them.
05:10But I think what's happening there is that tawny owls are very early nesters.
05:14They're incredibly territorial at this time of year, calling.
05:18And that owl just did not like that Pine Martin anywhere near its perspective nest.
05:24It's incredible footage to get.
05:26I mean, that's what you call being knocked off your perch, isn't it?
05:28But please keep sending those videos and any pictures in as well.
05:32Because that was really brilliant.
05:34And send them into our website.
05:35Now, our thermal camera really has delivered this week.
05:40As has the camera operator, Mark Yates.
05:43We've seen badgers at night looking for earthworms in the fields.
05:47We had live Pine Martin last night.
05:51Well, we thought we'd up the ante.
05:53So we are sending Mark and his camera off in his vehicle
05:58to wander around the estate throughout the next hour.
06:04Now, if he sees anything, we will go over to him and have a look
06:08and see exactly what he is watching.
06:11That is a challenge and a half.
06:13We'll also be keeping our eyes on all of the cameras we've got out there
06:16remotely around the estate.
06:19We can take a look at those here now.
06:21You can see in the bottom corner there, it's our wheel,
06:24the big wheel that we're hoping that a Pine Martin or Badger
06:27will do some exercise in.
06:28Nothing there at the moment.
06:30But over the past few nights, we've had plenty of activity
06:33at the Badger set.
06:35And again, just going back to the sound,
06:36since we're focusing on that tonight,
06:38what we've been hearing are badgers kekering.
06:41Yes, one difference there, one letter.
06:46It's a grumbly sound, isn't it?
06:48It's a remarkable sound, isn't it?
06:51It's a sort of curmudgeonly old badger
06:53moaning about the state of the set.
06:55The Chris Packham of the badger world, if I may.
06:58It is the Chris Packham of the badger world,
06:58because, frankly, someone's moved the toys.
07:03There we are.
07:04Now, we were watching the behaviour of the animal making that sound,
07:08and it was quite unusual.
07:10We were postulating that it could have been a badger
07:12from a close-by social group that had come in
07:16and was trying to sneakily mate with one of the females there.
07:19But we continue to observe this,
07:21and this is what we've seen.
07:23The badger's been there very frequently,
07:25so we're going off the idea of the fact that it's an intruder,
07:28because we think it would have been chased away by now.
07:30But it keeps coming back to this particular hole and...
07:33Listen.
07:36Kekering.
07:39Something in that hole it finds intimidating,
07:42because it doesn't want to go down there,
07:44and yet it can't resist being curious.
07:46It keeps going back.
07:49It's been around on the set quite a lot, scent-marking.
07:53Finally, though, it finds some courage and approaches the hole.
07:59Still grumbling.
08:01It goes down into the hole.
08:03But it doesn't go very far before it's forced to back out.
08:08It doesn't even go far enough in to be able to turn around.
08:11Because here, look, it shuffles backwards out of the hole.
08:17The theory that we're finding favour with at the moment
08:20is that this is a badger from this social group,
08:23and that in that part of the set is a female that's come into oestrus.
08:27Maybe she's given birth to the young.
08:29That could possibly happen.
08:31And it's interested in mating, but clearly she isn't.
08:35But, look, this is even more unusual.
08:37This is the middle of the winter.
08:39And that badger finally seems to run out of energy and lies down.
08:44Now, at this point, we thought, well, could it be ill?
08:47But it doesn't appear to be injured.
08:49It's not underweight.
08:50It's quite mobile.
08:52It lied down for a little while.
08:55Seemed to take a rest.
08:57Lovesick, maybe.
08:58Just lovesick.
08:59Before it got up and then started trotting around
09:02and continued to scent mark the set.
09:04So, strange going on with the badgers there.
09:07You can keep your eye on those cameras
09:10from 10 in the morning until 10 at night.
09:13And you can do that by logging on to our website
09:16or, of course, on the iPlayer.
09:18Actually, it makes me feel quite sad watching that badger
09:20because it makes me think it is really old
09:23and maybe not feeling very well.
09:24It makes me think of Grizabella the glamour cat
09:26in the musical Cats.
09:28I think it's going to burst into a verse of memories.
09:30Oh, yes, so do I.
09:31That's exactly what I was thinking.
09:34So, were you?
09:34I know you love a bit of Andrew Lloyd Webber, don't you?
09:37Yeah, I do. Andrew who?
09:39Anyway, moving on.
09:40Because there has been extraordinary behaviour
09:42from some of the badgers, some of the other badgers.
09:44Look at this one.
09:45Because this is, I mean, this isn't unusual.
09:47It's on top of a log.
09:48It's found something to eat.
09:49It's making the most of it.
09:51It's munching away at night.
09:53But then it decides it's time to get off the log.
09:56And it seems to be finding that remarkably difficult.
10:00You look at the height of that log.
10:01It's not very high at all.
10:03I know they haven't got good eyesight.
10:05Their eyesight is poor.
10:06They use their sense of smell and hearing.
10:09But really?
10:11Can it not even see the ground?
10:13The ground is wet.
10:14But again, we know that badgers don't mind water.
10:16We've seen them swimming.
10:18So I'm not quite sure what this behaviour is all about.
10:22But it took ages.
10:25I mean, we thought maybe it was going to be stranded up there all night.
10:28And look, it's going round and round and round.
10:31We've sped this up a bit because it took so long.
10:34Eventually, it comes down.
10:36You know what that is?
10:37That's making a mountain out of a tree stump.
10:40Extraordinary behaviour.
10:41Really odd.
10:42But as Chris says, keep an eye.
10:43You're on form tonight, aren't you?
10:45You're really going for it tonight, aren't you?
10:47Keep an eye on the cameras because you never know what strange behaviour you might see.
10:52Now, we have enjoyed hearing this week about the increasing populations of red squirrels on Pine Martin here in Northern
11:00Ireland.
11:00And a few days ago, our wildlife researcher, Jack Baddams, went out with a researcher who's working on the recovery
11:08of one of our iconic birds of prey.
11:16Ema, hello.
11:17Hi, Jack.
11:18Hi.
11:18Lovely to meet you.
11:19It's an absolute pleasure to be here.
11:21Oh, it's fantastic, isn't it?
11:25I just heard the call.
11:26I love the call.
11:27The whistle of a red kite.
11:30I've never actually seen a red kite winter roost.
11:32Oh, no, Jack.
11:33Well, welcome to Northern Ireland and welcome to our premier roost site.
11:36I'm very excited for it.
11:37Oh, brilliant.
11:40They're cool birds, aren't they?
11:42They're class.
11:43So they're a big bird of prey, five and a half to six foot wingspan.
11:46And you can see the way they fly, Jack.
11:48It's just effortless.
11:49Totally.
11:49You know?
11:50They've got one of the most iconic shapes in birds.
11:53They really do.
11:55And this is a relatively recent thing you've been able to enjoy back in Northern Ireland, isn't it?
12:00Exactly, yes.
12:01So the birds were reintroduced into Northern Ireland across 2008, 9 and 10.
12:05And before that, it was 300 years before you'd have seen a red kite here.
12:08Why did we need to get involved to bring them back?
12:11Wouldn't they have come here naturally?
12:13Yeah, well, the red kites that we have in Western Europe aren't migratory, really.
12:18So we would have got the odd bird coming over and seen from maybe the Scottish population,
12:22but we were only getting one or two a year.
12:25So really to give them that kickstart, that's why the reintroduction was needed.
12:29So what's your role in that?
12:31So I work for the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group, and part of our role is to monitor the birds.
12:35So we might mark them as chicks, and then we're trying to look for their survival and their movements and
12:40where they go.
12:41And we work with volunteers to come out and count how many birds there are.
12:45And how are they doing now?
12:47Well, at the minute, it's a real success story.
12:49So we have about 150 birds.
12:51We've got about 30 nesting pairs.
12:53But they are very slow to spread, and that's just part of their ecology.
12:57They can live over 20 years, and they can only have maybe one or two young every year.
13:01And 50% of those young won't make it through their first winter.
13:05All the juveniles who were born last year, and those non-breeding juveniles, they'll have come together, big numbers.
13:10So it's a teenage hangout.
13:11Teenage hangout.
13:12We might get the odd adults if we're very lucky.
13:15Well, I can already see, I think there's one in the far tree over there.
13:20Oh, yeah, just on the left-hand side of it.
13:23We call this behaviour at the minute pre-roosting behaviour, so just before it gets dark.
13:28So the birds just begin to come, they'll circle over the roost site.
13:31Oh, they're really nicely circling over these trees now.
13:35Yeah, it looks like there's about 20 birds, Jack.
13:41It's a properly inspirational success story, this.
13:44What is your hope for the future?
13:46Well, I would love to see the birds continue to spread and be found breeding in all six counties of
13:51Northern Ireland
13:52and get to a point where we don't need to be monitoring them anymore,
13:55that they're just a daily spectacle in everyone's lives.
13:57So rather than a, oh, it's a red kite, it becomes just another red kite.
14:04And maybe a little bit biased, but they're a great colour.
14:07Oh, they are?
14:08They're a great colour, the red kite.
14:10Indeed, indeed.
14:14Great conservation success there.
14:16Not only the birds integrating into the ecology, but into the lives of all of the people that are living
14:20here.
14:21And we should also say there's been a successful reintroduction of white-tailed eagles in Northern Ireland as well,
14:26which is something to celebrate.
14:28What we can celebrate, though, is going live to our thermal camera.
14:31Mark Yates has set off early in the evening, and he's found these deer currently at rest, chewing a bit
14:38of cud.
14:39These are seeker deer.
14:41There's two of them there, you can see.
14:42Oh, there's more.
14:43Oh!
14:44Four.
14:44Four in all.
14:45There they are.
14:46It's probably the four we saw the other night.
14:47It could be.
14:48Yeah, it looks like it, yeah.
14:49I wonder if we could see the antlers, because one of them had a broken antler, didn't it?
14:52It did, it did, yeah.
14:53Two stags and two hines, wasn't it?
14:54It's very difficult on a thermal camera to see that.
14:58Let's have a look.
14:58Let's have a look.
14:59Can we see it?
15:00Well, that one's got antlers, hasn't it?
15:02We're all looking.
15:04Yeah, it does.
15:05Yes, it is.
15:05Look, it's the one at the back.
15:07It's the same four.
15:07It's the same individual.
15:08Well done, well done.
15:10Well done, Mark Yates, yeah.
15:11Anyone that doubted Mark, he delivers, doesn't he?
15:14He delivers.
15:14Well, hang on, no.
15:15Just four deer.
15:16We need to keep going.
15:17We need more.
15:18Keep going, keep going.
15:19Fine, Martin, that's what you've got to get us.
15:21Anyway, that is the wildlife that we're seeing here at Mount Stewart.
15:24Yesterday, we looked at lots of the wildlife around Stranford Lock,
15:27in particular those macro marvels that you get in the mudflats and the waders as well.
15:32But now we're going to show you a real crowd-pleaser that's been spotted in the lock,
15:38and it's this.
15:39Look closely, and you can see a pair of bottlenose dolphins.
15:45Now, these first appeared in the lock in 2023,
15:49and they've been seen regularly ever since.
15:52It's two males, very different.
15:54There's one dark male, and there's one very light one.
15:58They've been affectionately named Squishy, also known as Squiggle.
16:03I don't know which one to go with, so I'm going with Squishy.
16:05The other one is called Squashy.
16:07Now, remember that Stranford Lock is open to the Irish Sea, so it's very accessible.
16:12But for anybody that's been out on a boat and seen wild dolphins,
16:17you know that you get so excited when you spot them,
16:21particularly when they start performing like that.
16:23You can't help but smile, just like that lady is there.
16:28I mean, it really is.
16:29It's fantastic to see them in the lock, isn't it?
16:32It is, yeah.
16:33Absolutely amazing.
16:34Now, let's have a look at a photograph of Squishy's dorsal fin.
16:40If you look careful at that, you'll see that there is a notch near the top there.
16:45Now, that might have been caused by fighting, by some courtship.
16:51And people sending photographs like that in means that scientists are able to identify them as individuals.
16:58A lot of those are collated by the University of Aberdeen's lighthouse.
17:04I've got to get this right.
17:05University of Aberdeen's lighthouse field station.
17:08They're able to identify individuals and then follow their history.
17:13So, what's the history of Squishy?
17:16Well, with the help of my able assistant here, I should be able to tell you that.
17:21Okay, now then, we know that Squishy here.
17:25Let's get him right in there.
17:26Where's my magnet?
17:28It's a great name, isn't it?
17:29I love that name, Squishy.
17:31Squishy.
17:33But it's not going to come across the land.
17:34No, no, no, no.
17:36I'm trying to get him into the Murray Firth here.
17:38He was born in the Murray Firth in 2016 there.
17:44Actually, am I in the right place?
17:46That's not the Murray Firth.
17:47No, no, no.
17:48The Murray Firth is up here.
17:50We'd left him in the wrong place.
17:52Sorry about that.
17:53He was born in the Murray Firth in 2016.
17:56So, he is nine years old and then he was next seen amongst a pod of 25 dolphins up here
18:05of the north of Scotland in March 2019.
18:10And then, he went all the way around here to the Firth of Clyde.
18:17I will get there, don't worry.
18:19Yes, he can't go over land.
18:21Come on.
18:22The Firth of Clyde in a pod of six dolphins.
18:26Can my assistant please stop shaking?
18:29Come on now.
18:29I've never seen a map.
18:31It takes so long.
18:32And that was in 2022.
18:33And then, finally, in 2023, he made his way down up the Isthmus into...
18:42Up the Isthmus.
18:43...Sprugford Longman.
18:44And the crowd did that.
18:45Thank you very much.
18:46That whole thing's gone up the Isthmus, if you ask me.
18:51Brilliant.
18:53Let's take a moment.
18:54Let's just take a moment.
18:55Okay.
18:55It's not the only dolphins that have been seen in Strangford Lock, though.
18:59Take a look at this.
19:00These were very different dolphins because they have in accompaniment there a youngster.
19:06Look at that.
19:07Beautiful sight.
19:08Loved a young dolphin.
19:09Now, it's not a newborn, so we can't suggest that they're coming into the shelter of the lot to give
19:13birth.
19:14But what a delightful thing that is to see.
19:16Look at that.
19:18Sensational.
19:19Clearly a body of water that's providing perhaps shelter and perhaps some safety from other animals,
19:26because we know that they can be quite aggressive in some of those pods.
19:31But also, of course, plenty of food in the lot, as we've said yesterday.
19:35Exciting to see dolphins in the lot.
19:37But what about this?
19:38In 2020, orcas were seen.
19:42There were two orcas that were seen.
19:45And we know which ones these are because, again, they have very distinctive dorsal fins.
19:50Jonco and Aquarius.
19:52So, they were spotted.
19:53You actually know one of those quite well, don't you?
19:55Well, I know both of them quite well.
19:57Yes, I go to Mull a lot.
19:57Personal friends of yours, aren't you?
19:59I went to dinner last week.
20:01No, I've seen them off Mull several times.
20:04And Jonco is an old male with a huge dorsal fin with a very prominent kink in it.
20:11Amazing to have it in the lot.
20:13And it's really important that if you do see any cetaceans, dolphins or whales,
20:18then please do report them,
20:19because the more knowledge that the scientists have,
20:22the more they know how to protect them.
20:23And details of how to do that are on our website.
20:26Yes, Need.
20:27Now, sometimes just being out in nature
20:29is all it takes to spark a lifelong interest.
20:32And that's what happened to wildlife guide Kay Blake
20:36when he visited an urban wetland site near Hull.
20:46Wetlands are incredibly vibrant and full of life at this time of year.
20:56When a lot of other habitats feel a little bit empty,
21:00wetlands in the winter,
21:02there's just a whole different cast of characters.
21:08All these new arrivals from the continent,
21:11the waders, the wild fowl.
21:16I'm here on the River Humber,
21:18just a stone's throw away from where I went to university in Hull.
21:23This nature reserve holds a very special place in my heart.
21:32Lovely little moorhen just creeping around.
21:37It's always amazing seeing them forage on the grassy margins.
21:44They're full of character,
21:47flicking those white tail feathers,
21:49letting any predators know that they are alert
21:52and if they need to escape, they can.
21:58Growing up just north of London,
22:01me and my mates would just play football
22:02and not really think about wildlife.
22:06I used to think you'd have to go to these far-flung exotic places
22:09to see interesting wildlife.
22:13I got to university as a friend of mine
22:16brought me here to Farings Nature Reserve
22:18and that first day bird watching
22:21was a real defining moment for me.
22:23It was coming here that really opened my eyes.
22:28All this wildlife is just beneath the bridge
22:31and you just wouldn't know
22:32unless you come and experience it for yourself.
22:38I think I've seen a marsh arrow just flying in here.
22:43Just quartering really low over the reeds.
22:47She's going to be looking out
22:49for any small birds, rodents, amphibians.
22:54Seeing what she can catch.
22:56A lovely sort of chocolatey brown
22:58colour, her golden crown.
23:02I remember on my first trip to this reserve
23:06I saw my first ever marsh arrow
23:09and it's a bird that I didn't even know existed growing up.
23:14Watching through the knuckle has just transported me.
23:17It was incredible.
23:19It just took me to a place
23:21I'd never really been before.
23:25Marsh areas are a lot more communal in the winter
23:28so they can roost communally
23:31in a dense reed bed like this.
23:33They can often come in in good numbers in the evening.
23:37Just her out there at the moment.
23:43It's amazing just the air and agility
23:45when she looks like she's seen something
23:47and she just flips back around on herself.
23:53She's clearly still very hungry.
23:55She's not got anything just yet.
23:59The inspiration I felt that day
24:00had a profound effect on my career choices.
24:03I decided at that point
24:05I wanted to work with UK wildlife in some way.
24:09So after I graduated
24:10I went into ecology
24:11and spent the next four years
24:13working for different organisations
24:15and learning as much as I possibly could.
24:21Finally in 2024
24:22I landed my dream job
24:24as a wildlife guide on mole.
24:26Showing people eagles, otters,
24:29harriers for the first time
24:30it's one of the best places
24:31to watch wildlife in the UK
24:33and I'm very privileged
24:34to live on the island for half the year
24:37and show people
24:38some of these amazing species.
24:41But having discovered this obsession
24:43with British wildlife myself
24:44is something I'm keen to share
24:46so other people aren't missing
24:48what I used to miss.
24:51Things are getting tasty here now
24:53on our black grouse.
24:55Next, with hens arriving back on the lock
24:57our males are having to ramp up
24:59a whole other level
25:00here to impress
25:01any potential mates.
25:05It's amazing to showcase that
25:08on social media
25:09because maybe more people
25:10are being encouraged
25:11to go out there
25:12and see it for themselves.
25:16However much I love Scotland
25:18coming back to Farings
25:19the place where it all started
25:21for me is a reminder
25:22that everywhere
25:23has its wildlife wonders
25:25waiting to be discovered.
25:29It's so accessible
25:31there is some fantastic species
25:33to enjoy
25:34on our doorstep
25:35in these pretty urban areas.
25:42I'm evidence that
25:43if I can get into birds
25:45I didn't ever think
25:46about birds growing up
25:47that anyone can
25:49and if the world's feeling
25:50dark and gloomy
25:51in the winter months
25:52definitely get yourself down
25:53to a local wetland.
25:55I did once
25:56and it changed
25:57my life.
26:04Great to see Clay's enthusiasm there
26:07but we always like to see
26:08a new bird
26:09on our patch.
26:11Well
26:11that comes to mind
26:13when we think about ourselves
26:14as a nation
26:15and our love for birds.
26:16In fact we call ourselves
26:17a nation of animal lovers
26:18and one of the ways
26:19we might measure that
26:21is in the way
26:21that we feed our birds
26:23and we've certainly
26:24been feeding the birds
26:25on our watches
26:26for the last X years.
26:28Here are some of the feeders
26:29we've had out.
26:30Classic peanut feeder there.
26:33Sunflower seeds as well.
26:35We put them up
26:35so that we can get
26:36cracking views of the birds
26:37also see what's there
26:39as soon as we arrive
26:40we can put them up.
26:42In fact though
26:42we are not alone
26:44because when it comes
26:45to feeding birds
26:46in the UK
26:47we really take it seriously.
26:4964% of all households
26:52feed the birds.
26:53That's 17 million homes.
26:56And get this
26:57we spend
26:58250 million pounds
27:00collectively
27:01on no less
27:02than 150,000
27:04tons
27:05of bird food
27:06every single year.
27:08That's a lot
27:09of bird food.
27:10Now
27:11if we think about
27:12that spread
27:13between the 10 species
27:14which are the most
27:15frequent visitors
27:16to our feeders
27:17that means
27:18that we don't just
27:19provide enough food
27:20for them
27:20if they didn't eat
27:21anything else
27:22for an entire year.
27:23In fact
27:24for each individual
27:26of those 10 species
27:27we feed
27:28three times
27:30the amount of food
27:31that they would need
27:31to eat
27:32to get through the year.
27:34That's a colossal
27:35amount of food.
27:37And quite clearly
27:37this is going to have
27:38an impact
27:39on the ecology
27:40and the behaviour
27:41of these birds.
27:43And recently
27:43we've become
27:44increasingly concerned
27:46that it might have
27:47a negative impact.
27:48To discuss though
27:50this with me
27:50is Jack Badams.
27:52Jack, thanks for coming along.
27:53So let's get down
27:54to the potential negatives
27:55the first of which
27:56is disease.
27:57Absolutely.
27:58So disease is something
27:59that people who feed
28:00the birds are going
28:01to be very familiar with.
28:02It's talked about
28:03quite a lot.
28:04But this is driven
28:06by the fact
28:06that bird feeders
28:07are actually
28:08incredibly artificial.
28:09They're incredibly unnatural
28:10and there isn't
28:10anything in nature
28:11where multiple
28:13different birds
28:13potentially hundreds
28:14of different birds
28:15are all being forced
28:16into tiny little areas
28:18to get their food
28:19and unlimited supply
28:20of food
28:20over and over again
28:22for potentially weeks,
28:23months or even years
28:24at a time.
28:25And that creates
28:26an environment
28:27that's perfect
28:27for spreading some diseases.
28:29And some of the species
28:30that have suffered
28:31are our finches.
28:33Now, I've got to tell you
28:34the figures are quite staggering.
28:35We know that
28:37avian trichomoniasis
28:38has spread from pigeons
28:39to wild finches
28:40via the bird feeders.
28:42It was first reported
28:43in 2005.
28:44And get this,
28:45there's been a 66%
28:47decline in green finches
28:49in the past 10 years.
28:50Three million,
28:52three million
28:53green finches
28:54have died.
28:55And more recently,
28:56chaffinches have dropped
28:57by 30%
28:58and bull finches
28:59have declined
29:00by nearly 40%
29:01in the last five years.
29:04So disease transmission
29:05amongst these birds
29:06is very, very serious.
29:07And of course,
29:08it's not just trichomoniasis
29:09we've had.
29:10Avian flu.
29:11Yeah, avian pox as well.
29:12Avian pox as well.
29:13And we've said
29:14it's great
29:15if you clean your bird feeders.
29:18Of course it is.
29:18Everyone should be
29:19cleaning their bird feeders.
29:20But the fact is,
29:21is that enough?
29:22If you hang that bird feeder
29:23back up
29:23and a diseased bird
29:24lands on it
29:25within five minutes,
29:26that risk is there again.
29:27That risk is there.
29:28But we've got to quantify this
29:29and we've got to qualify it.
29:30And that's why we need
29:31some good science.
29:33I'm very pleased to say
29:34that the RSPB
29:34have invested in that good science
29:36and they're preparing
29:37their report
29:37which they're going to release
29:38in the spring.
29:39And of course,
29:40that's going to be
29:40very eagerly anticipated.
29:42But look,
29:42it's not just disease,
29:43is it?
29:43There are other factors.
29:44There is.
29:45So this next one
29:46is one that's gaining traction
29:47within sort of
29:47conservation thinking.
29:49And this comes down
29:50to the amount of bird food
29:52you referenced there.
29:53We feed the birds,
29:55but are we feeding
29:55all birds equally?
29:57Do all of them benefit?
29:58So we know
29:59that we've certainly
29:59helped some populations
30:00of birds.
30:01Birds like
30:01great spotted woodpecker
30:02and particularly birds
30:03like blue tit
30:04and great tit
30:05have done very,
30:05very well
30:06out of the bird food
30:07that we've put out.
30:09But could that potentially
30:10have a negative impact?
30:12Let's take some
30:12of our rarer species
30:14because if the populations
30:15of birds like blue tits
30:16and great tits
30:16spill out into woodlands,
30:18into good remnants
30:19of habitats,
30:20then birds like
30:21these pied flycatchers,
30:23birds like these willow tits.
30:24Pied flycatchers,
30:25of course,
30:25don't benefit
30:26from bird feeders.
30:26Willow tits like
30:27to stay in one territory
30:28more or less
30:29their entire lives
30:30and they won't travel
30:31to find feeders
30:32in the same way
30:33that blue tits
30:33and great tits will.
30:34Species like
30:35lesser spotted woodpeckers,
30:36well,
30:36their nests
30:37are predated a lot
30:38by greater spotted woodpeckers.
30:40So the question is,
30:41if we artificially
30:42inflate populations
30:44of some of these
30:44more aggressive
30:45generalist species
30:46like blue tits
30:47and great tits
30:47as they spill out
30:48into natural habitats,
30:50could it have
30:50a negative effect
30:51on some of the birds
30:52that really do need our help?
30:53And there is some evidence
30:54that's certainly the case
30:55when it comes to
30:55more fragile species
30:56that are in critical decline
30:57like the willow tit.
30:59OK,
31:00that's the birds.
31:01What about the human impact?
31:02Because let's be fair,
31:03a lot of people
31:04connect with nature.
31:06People living in the hearts
31:07of cities
31:07and in urban areas,
31:08you know,
31:08they connect with nature
31:09through their feeders.
31:10They enjoy seeing the birds
31:11through the kitchen
31:12and the lounge window.
31:13Also,
31:13we know
31:14that it pays dividends
31:15in terms of people's mental health.
31:17Absolutely.
31:18So there are other factors involved,
31:20but ultimately,
31:20we've got to make a decision.
31:22Now,
31:22I've got to say,
31:22at the moment,
31:23my feeders are still up.
31:24I am cleaning them regularly.
31:26And in the past,
31:27when we've seen sick
31:28or dead birds in the garden,
31:29we've taken them down
31:30for a couple of months.
31:31But you've taken
31:32a different route.
31:32I have, yeah.
31:33Having,
31:34this has been racking
31:35my brain around this
31:36for the last few years.
31:37And for me,
31:38I've decided that
31:39I've had to take my feeders down.
31:40Feeders are down.
31:41Now, look,
31:42one thing we should say straight away,
31:43don't fear for all of the birds
31:45that you were previously
31:45feeding in your garden.
31:47Because again,
31:47good scientific research
31:48has been conducted
31:49in the United States
31:51looking at chickadees
31:52like tits.
31:53And what they found was
31:54that when they were
31:54on the feeders,
31:55they were only taking
31:5650% of the food
31:57that they required.
31:57The other 50% was natural.
31:59And when those feeders
32:00were taken down,
32:01they very rapidly adapted
32:03to going back
32:03to a natural diet.
32:04So no starving birds out there
32:06if you take your feeders down.
32:08And I think it's important
32:09to remember
32:09that these birds
32:10have evolved
32:11over thousands of years
32:12to follow food
32:13that is very transient.
32:14It's a relatively recent thing
32:16that we've had
32:17these never-ending supplies
32:18of food in our feeders.
32:19So naturally,
32:20they will roam around
32:21and look for other food sources.
32:22And there are alternatives.
32:23There are, yes.
32:24So me personally,
32:25in my garden,
32:26I might have taken
32:26the feeders down,
32:27but I've not stopped
32:27providing for the birds.
32:28For me,
32:29it's all about building
32:30an ecosystem
32:30and not just a fast food restaurant.
32:32Thinking about
32:33what sort of plants
32:34we can provide
32:34to build that ecosystem
32:36from the bottom up
32:37that can provide homes
32:38for insects
32:38for the birds to eat
32:39and natural sources of food.
32:40Seed heads,
32:42berries, fruits, nuts,
32:43things like that.
32:44Yeah, well,
32:44we put together
32:44a little collection
32:45that you can see here.
32:46We're not suggesting
32:47that you do this
32:48in the garden.
32:48This is merely
32:49to demonstrate the point.
32:50And what you can see
32:50there are some sunflower heads.
32:52You can plant sunflowers
32:53in your garden,
32:54even in a window box.
32:56Leave the ivy
32:57if you've got it
32:57because the berries
32:58on that are very important.
33:00Teasels there,
33:00as you can see,
33:01magnet for finches,
33:03undoubtedly.
33:04So there are
33:04a whole range of things
33:05that we can put
33:06into a garden like that.
33:08And, of course,
33:09the key thing is
33:09that's not just
33:10about attracting birds.
33:11If you plant things like that,
33:12you're going to attract
33:12lots of insects,
33:13the pollinators,
33:14the caterpillars
33:14that are going to eat those.
33:16I mean,
33:16mammals will come as well.
33:18Here we've seen
33:19red squirrel
33:20nibbling on those
33:21sunflower seeds.
33:22But also, Jack,
33:23earlier this week
33:24I heard a report
33:25about a study
33:26that's been done
33:26on hedgehogs
33:27and found a larger
33:28number of hedgehogs
33:29in gardens
33:29when they were feeders,
33:30perhaps scavenging
33:32underneath that feeder
33:33as well.
33:34So it's quite a complex thing.
33:35It's a really complex thing.
33:36It's a really nuanced thing.
33:37But I think
33:37I'd love us to get to a place
33:39where our first thought
33:40when it comes to helping the birds
33:41is not what bird feeder
33:42can I buy,
33:43not what food can I buy,
33:44but what native bush
33:45could I plant,
33:46what flowers could I grow,
33:48what natural sources
33:49could I produce.
33:50Can I tell you
33:50my favourite bird
33:51I've had in my garden?
33:52My favourite bird
33:52on my garden list.
33:53Go on, go on.
33:54So I let a part
33:55of my lawn grow long
33:57and I stood washing the pots
33:58and I was looking out the window
33:59and I saw the ragwort
34:00trembling as a bird
34:01was hopping through.
34:02Go on.
34:03What popped out?
34:04Common white fruit.
34:06That's a good garden bird.
34:07For me,
34:08I've got a pretty average
34:09sized garden.
34:09That was a great garden bird
34:10and no amount of food
34:11that I could have gone
34:11to a garden centre
34:12and bought and put out
34:13would have fed that bird.
34:14It was there
34:15because I'd built the ecosystem,
34:17there were aphids there
34:18and it was feeding on those
34:19and that just gave me
34:19so much joy.
34:20I bet it did.
34:21That's a top bird
34:21for the garden.
34:22But look,
34:23let's be clear.
34:23We are not telling you
34:25what to do here.
34:26What we're trying to do
34:26is present you
34:27with some information
34:28to start a conversation
34:29so that you can think
34:30about how you want
34:31to address this issue
34:33and of course
34:33we'll be constantly updating
34:34that as more science comes in.
34:36But let's also be very clear,
34:38you know,
34:38feeding birds in the UK
34:39as I said with those figures
34:40at the start
34:41is a cultural institution.
34:43It's also big money.
34:44There were economics here.
34:45There were companies out there
34:46selling bird food
34:47with their employees
34:49and we've also got to be clear
34:50that the whole thing
34:51is more complex.
34:52Not all of these birds
34:53are declining
34:54simply because of bird feeding.
34:55We know that the biggest
34:57driver of biodiversity loss
34:58in the UK
34:59for all of these species
35:00and many more
35:01is intensive agriculture
35:02and forestry
35:03so we need to address that too.
35:05And then there's
35:05the thorny issue of cats.
35:07We know that they take
35:0955 million birds a year
35:11so it's a complex thing.
35:13What we'd like you to do
35:14is just think about it.
35:15Well, one thing's for sure
35:16and you pointed it out
35:17is that we've got to change.
35:19If we wanted a canoe
35:20to live in a world
35:21which is rich
35:21and full of the things
35:22that we as a nation love
35:24we've got to change
35:25our habits.
35:27So please think about that
35:28and have that conversation.
35:29Now I think we might
35:30have a thermal
35:31if we've got a little
35:32a little robin.
35:34Look, here we are.
35:37That's nice to see, isn't it?
35:38Look at the eye
35:39radiating the heat there, Jack.
35:41The only place
35:42that you can really see.
35:43So that proves, doesn't it,
35:44that on these winter nights
35:45these little birds
35:47are quite good
35:47at insulating themselves,
35:49aren't they?
35:49Absolutely, yeah.
35:50I mean, you can barely see
35:51any other part of it
35:53radiating heat
35:54other than straight out
35:55of those eyes
35:55which, of course,
35:56it'll tuck under
35:56for most of the night
35:57and keep nice and warm.
35:58Excellent.
35:59Now, we're very pleased now
36:00to make the company
36:02of Mr Ronald Surgeoner.
36:04Ronald found a rooster birds
36:0640 years ago.
36:08He still visits it today
36:09and we had the privilege
36:10of going with them
36:11and I've got to say
36:11they're a very,
36:12very special bird.
36:20It is nice to have
36:21your own patch
36:22that you know so well.
36:24This is my downtime.
36:25I can come out
36:25and go for a dander
36:26through the woods
36:26spend a couple of hours
36:27and just switch off
36:28and just walk around
36:29look for the owls
36:30have a quick head count
36:31on them
36:32see how many there is
36:32in the roost.
36:34Last weekend
36:35I had four owls
36:35in one tree
36:36and then a couple
36:37of third outliers
36:37so I had eight owls here.
36:39You can get some
36:39lovely photographs
36:40of them as well.
36:42Video footage and stuff.
36:45I grew up in this area
36:46so pretty much
36:47we've been following
36:47these owls since I've been 12 years old
36:49which is quite a long time ago now.
36:52They actually had them
36:53at the bottom of the garden
36:55and used to sit in my bedroom
36:56at night
36:56watch them out the window
36:58and now I'm still watching them
36:5940 years later
37:00up around the same woods here.
37:07Must be a really good indication
37:09that there's something
37:09sitting up in this tree.
37:11There's almost 10 pellets.
37:13Pellets are only the stuff
37:14that the owls can't digest.
37:15They cough them back up
37:16when it comes up
37:17like a cat's furball.
37:24These couple of trees
37:25are normally fairly good for them.
37:28Just takes a wee while.
37:32They're so well camouflaged
37:33when they're sitting
37:34round the trunks of the trees.
37:39I like to be able to walk past them
37:40with no idea.
37:42I've got to the point
37:43where nobody are
37:44and I'm quite secretive about it.
37:47Yeah, I got him.
37:54He's not enjoying that rain.
37:58He's sitting looking down at us now.
38:02It's been a while
38:03it's just sort of struck a chord with me
38:04whether it's just because
38:05they are quite
38:06probably a bit like myself
38:07they're quite quiet
38:08and they just go about their business
38:09and get on with doing their own thing.
38:10They're also a bit of a challenge.
38:12Some stuff's easy to find.
38:14You do get to know them really well.
38:16You get to know
38:16different personalities.
38:18There's ones that prefer
38:19they'll stay up high in the trees.
38:21The young ones are quite curious
38:22so they'll come and have a wee look at you.
38:24One in particular a few years ago
38:26just every night
38:26came to the same branch.
38:28When they come up close to you
38:29it's lovely.
38:31It's just
38:31no better feeling
38:32than knowing that something
38:33sort of nearly trusts you enough.
38:35It knows you're no threat.
38:36It'll fly over
38:36and quite happily fly past you.
38:39I think it's nearly time
38:40for a cup of coffee
38:41for me
38:41now that rain's getting heavier
38:42I can go home
38:43somewhere nice and warm
38:44leave them sitting
38:45on their treetops.
38:50Top bird
38:50top bloke
38:51I absolutely love that
38:53I love the fact
38:53that he found them
38:54all of those years ago
38:55still goes there
38:56still enjoys them
38:57not surprised
38:58they've got these special birds
38:58but that was fantastic.
39:00I wonder if he knows
39:01any individually
39:01he probably does
39:03doesn't he?
39:03He would get to know them
39:03if they have any
39:04distinguishing features
39:05well guess what we've seen
39:07on our live camera
39:09in our wood
39:09have a look
39:11you probably guessed it
39:12yes it is
39:13a long-eared owl
39:15we were really chuffed
39:16with this
39:17because actually
39:18it might surprise you
39:19to hear
39:20that you don't often
39:21see owls
39:22in Northern Ireland
39:23and you only see
39:24three of the species
39:25so long-eared
39:26short-eared
39:27and barn owl
39:29so this is a good
39:30tick for us
39:31and you can see
39:31that it's
39:32it's on that log
39:34it's looking round
39:35it's hunting
39:36seeing if it can see
39:37anything to swoop down on
39:39taking its time
39:40it's got its eye
39:42on something
39:43is it going to go
39:44yes
39:44down it goes
39:46into the undergrowth
39:47the undergrowth
39:48flies off
39:49and enjoys
39:50whatever it was
39:51probably a mouse
39:51or a vole
39:52or something like that
39:52not the only thing
39:54that we've seen
39:54there that we've been
39:55looking out for
39:56look at this
39:57a bat dropped in
39:58now this is a little
39:59bit unusual
40:00quite often we do see
40:01bats active
40:02in the wintertime
40:02if it's mild
40:03they may move
40:04from one roost
40:05to another
40:06feeding en route
40:07if there's any food
40:08about but listen
40:08it's been cold
40:10and wet
40:10and windy here
40:11I fear that this
40:12might have been
40:12an animal that's
40:13been disturbed
40:13and now it's
40:15woken up
40:15it's doing a bit
40:16of foraging
40:17trying to find
40:18some food
40:18before hopefully
40:19it gets back
40:20to a roost
40:21but it's not been
40:22alone
40:22take a look
40:22at this
40:23Lisa O'Craft
40:24took this
40:25remarkable photograph
40:26I've got to say
40:27look at the mallard
40:28looking up at the
40:28duck
40:29in daylight
40:30sorry the mallard
40:31looking up at the
40:31duck
40:33mallard looking up
40:34at the bat
40:34in daylight
40:35so again
40:36this was taken
40:37in December
40:38it was quite mild
40:39at points in December
40:40so this could have
40:41been one of those
40:41animals that was
40:42moving from roost
40:43to roost
40:43which isn't
40:44too unusual
40:45that's an amazing photo
40:47to get though
40:48isn't it
40:48I mean bats
40:49are really fast
40:50and not only that
40:51just take a quick look
40:51at it again
40:52if we can
40:52because actually
40:53the bat
40:54looks enormous
40:55doesn't it
40:56I mean it looks like
40:56it's half the size
40:58of the duck
40:59look at that
41:00what an extraordinary
41:01picture
41:02and the fact the duck's
41:02looking up at it
41:03I know
41:04that's brilliant
41:05we love photographs
41:06like that
41:07keep sending them in
41:08now we have sent
41:09Mark Yates out
41:10with his thermal camera
41:11he's still looking
41:12to see if he can
41:13tick the box
41:13of a pine marten
41:14but over the few days
41:16he's been here
41:16he has got some
41:17great stuff
41:18and look at this
41:18we saw the owl
41:20early that was
41:20the first tick
41:21but now we're getting
41:22this animal
41:23for the first time here
41:24a fox
41:25and the fox is out
41:27hunting
41:28oh look
41:29I think he's spotted
41:30the camera
41:31he's staring
41:32right down the lens
41:33could be a she
41:35of course
41:35he or she
41:36off it goes again
41:37you can see
41:38the camera's picked up
41:40the heat of a bird
41:41it seems to walk
41:42straight past that bird
41:43you thought you knew
41:43what that bird was
41:44well like the shape of it
41:45I thought it could be
41:45a stone chap
41:46but I mean
41:46and the position of it
41:47but I mean
41:48that's a wild guess
41:49it ignores the bird
41:50it goes off
41:51probably looking for a mouse
41:53or a vole or something
41:54spots it
41:55pounces
41:57did it get it
41:59well I don't think it did
42:00because the next shot
42:01it's still running along
42:02and look
42:03rather extraordinary
42:04runs straight past
42:05a rabbit
42:06it needs to tune
42:07its senses in
42:08a little bit more
42:09doesn't it
42:12mark also
42:13spotted this
42:13and this will answer
42:14a question you may
42:15have asked
42:15why do birds
42:16put their heads
42:17under their wings
42:18well look at the head
42:18of this buzzard here
42:19and you can see
42:20the brightest part
42:21that radiating the most
42:22heat
42:22is around its eye
42:24and its nostrils
42:25and its beak
42:26but when it puts its
42:28head under its wing
42:29which is the way
42:29that many birds
42:30sleep at night
42:31you can see none
42:32of that heat
42:32it's insulating
42:34the place where all
42:34the heat was being
42:35lost
42:36makes perfect sense
42:37do you know what
42:37I call that
42:38that's a bonkers buzzard
42:39from a bonkers buzzard
42:41to a quackers
42:42yolo
42:43yolo
42:45yes indeed
42:46I will be going
42:47quackers over the
42:48ducks of
42:48Frankfurt loch
42:49here
42:50now we've seen
42:51that the loch
42:52is internationally
42:53important for
42:54habitats
42:54like the
42:55seagrass beds
42:56for the
42:56pale bellied
42:58brent geese
42:59for the bottomless
42:59dolphins there as well
43:00of course
43:01but it's also
43:02a great place
43:03to see a variety
43:04of duck species
43:06that includes
43:07my favourite
43:08of all of them
43:08the pintail
43:09look at that
43:10what an elegant
43:11bird that is
43:12the male
43:13with a long neck
43:14chocolate coloured
43:15head
43:16and that long
43:17erect tail
43:18there
43:19the females
43:19are beautiful
43:20as well
43:20because they're
43:21not the only
43:22ducks out there
43:23we also get
43:24the black
43:25bottomed
43:26gadwall
43:28there
43:28another
43:29absolute
43:30stunning duck
43:31that one
43:31really
43:32really smart
43:34now
43:34first
43:35I'll ask you
43:35out there
43:36what noise
43:37does a duck
43:38make
43:38and I bet
43:39that nearly
43:40everybody
43:41from the age of
43:414 to 40
43:428 to 80
43:43is going to go
43:43quack quack
43:45quack quack
43:46quack quack
43:46no
43:47no
43:48no
43:48no
43:49no
43:49well
43:51sort of yes
43:52one duck
43:53does quack quack
43:55and that duck
43:56is the female
43:58mallard
44:02isn't that brilliant
44:03oh whenever I hear
44:04that I always think
44:05they're laughing
44:05at me
44:06so it's the female
44:07mallard
44:08that goes
44:09quack quack
44:09but
44:10how about
44:11the male
44:12what noise
44:12does the male
44:13make
44:18okay
44:19it's a series
44:20of sort of
44:20sort of grunts
44:22really
44:22but why
44:23the difference
44:24what causes
44:25that
44:25well it's all
44:26going to do
44:27with the bird's
44:28syrinx
44:29we are mammals
44:30we have
44:31a larynx
44:32what we call
44:33our voice box
44:34but birds
44:36they have a
44:37syrinx
44:37now let me
44:38show you
44:39here
44:40this
44:42is
44:43the syrinx
44:44of a female
44:45mallard
44:46and a male
44:47mallard
44:47now the female
44:48note that it
44:49divides there
44:51into
44:52what are known
44:53as
44:53bulla
44:53and in the female
44:54they're quite
44:55narrow tubes
44:56and it's
44:57that
44:58that causes
44:59that
44:59kind of
45:00high pitched
45:01quack
45:01but
45:02look at the male
45:03yes the male
45:04again
45:05has two
45:05bulla
45:06but there is
45:07a large
45:08protrusion
45:09on the
45:10left hand
45:11bulla
45:12here
45:12and this
45:13one
45:14acts
45:14as a kind
45:15of resonator
45:16and this
45:17is what
45:18allows the
45:18male
45:19to do
45:20those
45:20deep
45:21grunts
45:21and that
45:22accounts
45:23for the
45:24difference
45:24in the
45:25calls
45:25between
45:26the male
45:27and the
45:27female
45:28mallard
45:28okay
45:29so now we
45:30know what
45:30noises the
45:31mallard make
45:32let's have a
45:32look at some
45:33of our other
45:33ducks
45:34let's start
45:35with a group
45:36of widgeon
45:36listen to this
45:42now it's mainly
45:43the males
45:44you can hear
45:44there
45:45those sort
45:45of piping
45:46two notes
45:47those are
45:48widgeon
45:49before you go
45:49on to the next
45:50one I'm going
45:50to mimic it
45:51right you've
45:51got to guess
45:52what this
45:52one is
45:53here we go
46:00now okay
46:01okay
46:01let's listen
46:02to the bird
46:03itself
46:03it's a male
46:04eider duck
46:10isn't that
46:11great
46:11and now
46:12let's listen
46:13to the
46:13female
46:14eider
46:17very different
46:19you can hear
46:20some males
46:21in the
46:21background
46:21but the
46:22female
46:22does that
46:23kind of
46:25noise
46:25isn't that
46:26remarkable
46:26so the
46:27female
46:27mallard
46:28is the
46:29only
46:29duck
46:30that goes
46:30quack
46:31quack
46:31quack
46:31so very
46:32well
46:32hearing
46:32them
46:33as
46:34individuals
46:35but let's
46:36now
46:36I'm going
46:36to give
46:37you a
46:37mini
46:37mindful
46:38moment
46:39all right
46:39we're going
46:40to have
46:40a symphony
47:10of ducks
47:21isn't that
47:22lovely
47:22isn't that
47:23absolutely
47:24beautiful
47:25noises
47:26now ducks
47:27well they like
47:28to show off
47:28their finery
47:29but some
47:30creatures like
47:30to hide
47:31their light
47:32under a
47:33bushel
47:33now if you
47:34ever venture
47:35into one
47:36of a wonderful
47:36temperate
47:37rainforest
47:38well before
47:39you is a
47:40whole world
47:41of bio
47:42fluorescence
47:43that the
47:43human eye
47:44can't usually
47:45see
47:46so we sent
47:47our researcher
47:48Seth and
47:49our cameraman
47:50Ben
47:50to investigate
47:56this temperate
47:57rainforest
47:58in Pembrokeshire
47:59Wales
47:59is a
48:00camera team's
48:02dream
48:06mossy rocks
48:07there's a lot
48:07of mossy rocks
48:08big fan
48:09of moss
48:10I've wanted to
48:11visit temperate
48:12rainforest in the
48:12UK for so long
48:13and never actually
48:14done it
48:15it is exciting
48:16and like
48:16they are super
48:18rare
48:18as photogenic
48:20as it is
48:21Ben and Seth
48:22are here to
48:22capture a
48:23natural phenomenon
48:24known as
48:26bio fluorescence
48:28it's happening
48:29all around us
48:30all of the time
48:32but we can only
48:33see it by using
48:34special UV
48:35torches
48:36which makes
48:37the invisible
48:38visible
48:38but only
48:40under the cover
48:41of night
48:44one medium
48:45step for Ben
48:46one giant
48:47step for Seth
48:50you reckon
48:50this stump
48:51here
48:51could be a good
48:53place to start
48:54it all looks
48:56incredibly green
48:57right now
48:57but once the
48:59lights are on
49:00it's going to be
49:00like a little
49:01disco
49:08I feel like
49:09the majority
49:09of macro
49:11filming in the
49:11wild
49:12is just trying
49:13to get your
49:13tripod in the
49:14right spot
49:15the amount of
49:16things I've
49:16cable tied
49:18duct tapes
49:22ready
49:23yeah
49:23three
49:23two
49:24one
49:26wow
49:27look at
49:28that
49:28that's awesome
49:29completely changed
49:30colour
49:30that's insane
49:31wow
49:33look at that
49:34and look at all
49:34the different
49:34like textures
49:35as well
49:36yeah
49:36I kind of feel
49:38like I'm
49:38stepping into a
49:39parallel world
49:42biofluorescence
49:43is when living
49:44things absorb
49:45UV light
49:46and then
49:46re-emit it
49:48in a whole
49:48spectrum
49:49of different
49:50bright colours
49:52this re-emitted
49:54glow
49:54isn't bright
49:55enough to be
49:56seen in the
49:56day
49:56but in the
49:58dark
49:58under pure
49:59UV light
50:00it's suddenly
50:01revealed
50:04so far
50:05the forest
50:06flora has
50:07dazzled
50:07but
50:08invertebrate
50:09enthusiast
50:10Seth
50:10wants to
50:11try and
50:11see
50:11biofluorescence
50:12on the
50:13move
50:16oh
50:16look at
50:17this
50:17I reckon
50:18this tree
50:19here
50:20is going
50:21to give
50:21us a lot
50:23well that's
50:24some blue
50:24glowing
50:25fungi
50:25is it
50:27ooh
50:28woodlice
50:29and look
50:30at him
50:30glow
50:33why
50:33invertebrates
50:34like woodlice
50:35biofluoresce
50:36is still
50:36unknown
50:37it could
50:38simply be
50:38the chemical
50:39properties
50:40in their
50:40body
50:40reacting
50:41with the
50:41UV light
50:43but some
50:44species
50:44are thought
50:45to use it
50:46as a form
50:47of communication
50:48to help
50:49with courtship
50:49or confuse
50:50predators
50:51whatever the
50:53reason
50:53it makes
50:54for a
50:55spellbinding
50:56sight
50:58even in the
50:59most unassuming
51:00places
51:01like a pile
51:03of leaf litter
51:04I wonder
51:05if there's
51:06some tiny
51:07little critters
51:08in there
51:08that are just
51:09going to light
51:09up
51:11there we are
51:12what do you think
51:13that is
51:13Seth
51:14little
51:14my money's
51:15on a
51:16springtail
51:16springtail
51:17yeah
51:18oh
51:19there we go
51:21look at that
51:23I can't believe
51:24how bright it is
51:25to be honest
51:25it's like
51:26a little glow
51:27in the dark
51:28star
51:28isn't it
51:29yeah
51:30it's still a
51:31mystery why
51:32springtails fluoresce
51:33but they do eat
51:34a lot of
51:34biofluorescent
51:35fungi
51:36which could
51:37contribute
51:37to their
51:38super bright
51:39glow
51:41they'd be like
51:42impossible to
51:43spot in the
51:44daytime
51:44because they're
51:46grey
51:46and then now
51:47they're fluorescing
51:48like
51:48makes it so easy
51:49to spot
51:53amazing
51:54I think that's
51:55probably the
51:55brightest thing
51:56we've seen
51:56all night
51:57yeah
51:58I want a
51:59glowing rhino
52:04next
52:04fascinating
52:05isn't it
52:05fascinating
52:06and we've
52:06looked at this
52:07before
52:07we've seen
52:08scorpions
52:09biofluorescing
52:09and a few
52:10years ago
52:10we looked at
52:11fungal fruiting
52:11bodies
52:12toadstools
52:12and they were
52:13biofluorescing
52:14too
52:14I attempted to
52:15get myself a
52:15little torch
52:16and go out
52:16and have a
52:16look
52:17you'll be
52:18searching for
52:18one of those
52:19won't you
52:19asking for
52:19it for your
52:20birthday
52:20I thought it
52:21was very
52:21very beautiful
52:22and the fact
52:23that we don't
52:23see that
52:24typically using
52:25our eyes
52:25there's another
52:26whole visual world
52:27out there
52:27isn't there
52:27you know
52:28Mark Yates
52:28is out with
52:28this thermal
52:29camera
52:29we asked him
52:30to find us
52:30a pine
52:31martin
52:31well he
52:32hasn't found
52:32a pine
52:33martin
52:33but he has
52:33found this
52:35now what do you
52:35reckon that is
52:36Chris
52:37well
52:37it's clearly a bird
52:38yes it's a bird
52:39it's got quite a
52:40long tail
52:40and look at the
52:41eye
52:41that's the shape
52:42of it
52:42oh no look in
52:43profile
52:43look at the crest
52:44oh
52:45lapwing
52:46it's a lap
52:46when it moved
52:48we can see
52:48that crest
52:50that's not
52:50it's not a
52:51clearly not a
52:52pine martin
52:52but it's not a
52:54bad spot
52:54is it
52:55well done
52:55well done
52:56Mark
52:56keep looking
52:57you never know
52:57he might get us
52:58a pine martin
52:59by the end of
52:59the programme
53:00now you may
53:00remember on
53:01Tuesday we sent
53:02Yolo to the
53:03Temple of the
53:04Winds
53:04this is what it
53:05looks like
53:05it's a temple
53:06on top of a hill
53:07which has the
53:07most incredible
53:08view of the
53:10lock
53:10look at that
53:11and if you go
53:12up there with
53:12your binoculars
53:13you get a real
53:14view of the
53:15bigger picture
53:16but what happens
53:17if you want to
53:17look at the
53:18detail
53:19the detail
53:19of the temple
53:20where you've got
53:21a head
53:21underground
53:23this is what
53:24you might see
53:25you go through
53:26the tunnels
53:26you know where
53:27you go to
53:27Chris
53:28you go to
53:28the dungeon
53:29I love a dungeon
53:30you go to the
53:31dungeon
53:31what are you
53:32going to see
53:33in the dungeon
53:34what do you
53:34think it might
53:35be
53:35yes
53:36moths
53:37these are
53:37herald moths
53:39and there are
53:39over a hundred
53:40of them
53:41down there
53:42and they're
53:42overwintering
53:43as adults
53:44which is
53:44quite interesting
53:45because only 2%
53:46of our butterflies
53:47UK butterflies
53:49and moths
53:49overwinter
53:50as adults
53:51so great
53:52to have them
53:53here
53:53one of the
53:53largest
53:54overwintering
53:55sites
53:55in Northern
53:56Ireland
53:56of those
53:57particular moths
53:57and they are
53:58very very
53:58beautiful moths
53:59you take a look
54:00at them in
54:00close up
54:01that rich
54:02colouring
54:02there
54:03rusty colouring
54:04with the orange
54:05and the stripe
54:05on the wing
54:06now some of
54:06the other species
54:07that do overwinter
54:08are equally
54:09rusty
54:09on their
54:10underwings
54:11if you think
54:11of things
54:12like peacock
54:12butterflies
54:13or small
54:14tortoiseshell
54:14butterflies
54:15red admirals
54:16and very often
54:16they will rest
54:17I guess not
54:18on rusted
54:19corrugated
54:20iron roofs
54:21they'll go
54:22into your shed
54:22and they love
54:23to rest there
54:23for the winter
54:24using that
54:25as a means
54:25of camouflaging
54:26themselves
54:27for many potential
54:28predators
54:28they will get
54:29nibbled by mice
54:30and of course
54:30they could get
54:30caught by spiders
54:31as well
54:32lovely to see that
54:34when they go
54:34into that dormant state
54:35apparently they don't
54:36age
54:36and it's months
54:37isn't it
54:38that they're there
54:39that would be
54:39amazing
54:40if we could
54:40harness that
54:41ability
54:42I think I have
54:44over the last week
54:44it's been so cold
54:45here that I haven't
54:46aged at all
54:47you don't look
54:47any different
54:48if it's any colder
54:48I'll be going backwards
54:49by the end of the series
54:50I'll be four years old
54:52now we know that this week
54:53it's been
54:54well it's been
54:55damp
54:55it's been windy
54:56and look at my trousers
54:58it's been muddy
54:58it's been like being
54:59at some sort of festival
55:00but earlier on
55:02in the winter
55:02it was snowy
55:04and it was frosty
55:05so let's all sit back
55:06relax
55:07and enjoy
55:07some proper
55:09snowy winter scenes
55:23so
55:26so
55:26so
55:26so
55:26so
55:53So, let's go.
55:56So, let's go.
56:42Oh, I love seeing those red berries in the snow there.
56:46It made me feel cold, actually, looking at that.
56:48But if you want a sign that spring is actually on the way, take a look at this.
56:53This was captured by one of our long-lens camera operators down on the shore of Strangford Loch.
56:59Two rooks.
57:00Tell us a rook by the baggy feathers on the legs and the bear base to the bill there.
57:06But they're showing some courtship display.
57:09The male is feeding the female.
57:12Female begging for food.
57:13She now needs to build up her fat reserves, her energy, to lay her eggs.
57:18They're fairly early nesters.
57:20Probably early March up here, I would imagine.
57:22And a bit of courtship.
57:24Look at that.
57:25Finding the feathers up on top of their heads, bowing down.
57:29Lovely to see, isn't it?
57:30Spring is on the way.
57:31Spring is on the way.
57:33Spring is on the way.
57:34It's making me feel all lovely and warm.
57:37We'll be back tomorrow.
57:38Do you know, it's our final show.
57:40It's gone quick, hasn't it?
57:41We will continue to explore the wildlife here, but we'll be going further afield as well.
57:46Lira Valencia will be looking at the rich wildlife of the Isle of Mule.
57:51And we'll be taking a glimpse into the lives of Stokes in winter.
57:57And, of course, we'll be keeping our eyes on all of those live cameras and our thermal camera here.
58:02You can keep watching those live cameras.
58:04We've got scattered across Mount Stewart from 10 in the morning until 10 at night.
58:09Tomorrow, lunchtime, Instagram Live.
58:12Jack Baddams and Hannah Stitfall will be there.
58:14And, of course, we'll be hoping that the Badger comes back so we can answer one of the greatest mysteries
58:18in Badger history.
58:19What is going on with all of that kekering down at the set?
58:24See you tomorrow night.
58:25See you tomorrow.
58:26Bye-bye.
58:27Bye-bye.
58:40Bye-bye.
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