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00:18Across the British Isles, there are magical places, our pride and joy, our gardens.
00:30Yet many of us are completely unaware of the wild world, right under our noses.
00:47Amazingly, some British gardens are almost as diverse as a tropical rainforest.
00:55And when our backs are turned, they come alive.
01:14From the wilds of Scotland to a metropolitan oasis.
01:22In each episode, we'll reveal the extraordinary dramas playing out within a single garden.
01:33Welcome to a hidden world right on our doorsteps.
02:00Hidden away in a Welsh woodland, at the bottom of a steep-sided valley,
02:09an old cottage.
02:13Home to Robin and Laura.
02:18We fell in love with this prophecy because it was just nestled in this sea of green.
02:24And we just discovered it all bit by accident, didn't we?
02:27And just bumped into this secluded little valley hidden in the Welsh countryside.
02:37Robin is a wildlife cameraman and spends much of the year filming abroad.
02:44Sort of quite ironic that you probably observe wildlife around the world more than he does here in his own
02:50backyard.
03:02So this is our vegetable garden. It's in the sunniest spot.
03:08Here we've got a brook that comes along here, goes under the house and then runs down into the river
03:13at the bottom of the valley.
03:15And then either side of us, we are absolutely surrounded by woodland.
03:22This is one of the most biodiverse parts of Britain.
03:33But this woodland garden keeps its secrets close.
03:39Its wildlife goes largely unseen by Robin, Laura and their two young boys.
03:50And there is one feature of this valley that sets this garden apart.
03:56It's quite a unique garden in that the light isn't here all the time.
04:01The sun doesn't come up over the trees.
04:05As the light changes from month to month, each garden resident must await its moment in the sun.
04:24Late winter.
04:27And direct sunlight hasn't reached the valley floor for four months.
04:36Shiltering from the cold, damp conditions.
04:42Under a protective pile of leaves.
04:50One of our most elusive little mammals.
04:55A hazel dormouse.
05:01Her body temperature is barely about freezing.
05:06Her heart rate and breathing is reduced to 10% of its summer rate.
05:14She'll remain in deep hibernation until spring.
05:20Wake up too early.
05:23And she risks hunger.
05:27And being hunted.
05:30These trees are haunted by tawny owls.
05:43The garden is an excellent hunting ground for them.
05:49Bare branches make very good observation posts.
05:58Owls have exceptionally good night vision.
06:07An acute hearing makes this male a top predator.
06:20Bird feeders attract rodents.
06:30Among them, wood mice.
06:40He just has to pick his moment.
06:44He just has to pick his moment.
07:11Each rodent he catches is more than just a meal.
07:17It's proof that he is a reliable hunter.
07:23And a worthy partner for his long-term mate.
07:31She calls two wits.
07:33She calls two wits.
07:35And he responds...
07:37to woos.
07:47Few of us realize...
07:49that this is a duet.
07:56If they're going to have a family,
07:58they will need a home.
08:04Even in a woodland like this,
08:06tree hollows are in short supply.
08:11So Robin and Laura have installed a large nest box,
08:16three meters up.
08:23Tawny owls breed early.
08:26So that their chicks hatch in time for the abundance of spring.
08:32But the weather has to be right.
08:45Tawny owls breed early.
08:47It reaches deep into the valley for the first time.
08:52The garden finally awakens.
08:59In March, the leafless trees allow the sun's warming rays
09:04to reach the forest floor.
09:20The flowers bloom quickly.
09:22Woodland flowers bloom quickly
09:23before the canopy closes overhead.
09:42For Laura,
09:44the emergence of wild garlic means that spring is well underway.
10:18In the woods at the top of the garden,
10:23the undergrowth conceals a growing family
10:27that has spent winter deep underground.
10:33There could be 400,000 of them in Britain,
10:36but few of us have ever seen one alive.
10:46Badgers.
10:49The mother cautiously leads her three-month-old cubs
10:53out of their set for the first time.
10:57They rarely come out during the day.
11:03But in an undisturbed woodland,
11:06they seem to feel secure enough to do so.
11:15Badgers may be Britain's largest land predators,
11:20but their diet consists mainly of small delicacies.
11:28invertebrates such as worms, slugs, and snails.
11:36The forest is crawling with them at this time of the year.
11:42But badgers are learning that gardens can offer bigger rewards.
11:51The forest is more than one of the year's cubs.
11:52One of last year's cubs is eager to explore.
12:11He cathers his courage...
12:16...and sets off down a well-trodden path...
12:21...towards the garden.
12:32Here, there is an abundance of food, including a hive of around 40,000 honeybees, but this
12:50hive, has strange guardians, better to come back after dark.
13:19A thorough spring clean ensures that by late summer there will be enough honey for both
13:26bees and humans to share.
13:32Beekeepers, like Robin and Laura, know their honeybees well.
13:41But the wild bees in the garden are easily overlooked.
13:49There are 270 native species of bee in the UK, and one of them has been hibernating underground
13:59for six months.
14:23A buff-tailed bumblebee.
14:26Bee, she is a queen.
14:31Her fat reserves have sustained her over the winter.
14:36And now it's down to her to build a new colony.
14:43Before tackling the hard work, she needs to warm up.
14:57She vibrates her flight muscles.
15:11She may have to do this for 15 minutes or so.
15:25But once she reaches 30 degrees, she's ready to go.
15:45Next, she must build up her strength.
15:51And she does so by collecting pollen and nectar, visiting thousands of flowers every day.
16:00After a week of foraging, it's time to find a place to nest.
16:06An old mouse hole will do nicely.
16:16She has a major task ahead of her.
16:25She has a major task ahead of her.
16:46And then she lays a single fertilized egg in each.
16:54And then she lays a single fertilized egg in each.
17:18Once the sunlight is strong enough to warm the garden, insect numbers suddenly increase.
17:34Just in time for the 70 species of wooden birds here.
17:40Many with chicks.
17:48But one parent doesn't need to share.
17:56She lives largely unnoticed, down by the stream.
18:13A dipper.
18:19Her specialized feathers and strong wings give her access to another world.
18:31She is an accomplished diver and is able to negotiate fast-flowing rapids to catch aquatic insects.
18:44Insects that are beyond the reach of other birds.
19:07She can stay submerged for up to 30 seconds at a time.
19:13And has transparent eyelids, which act like goggles, so she can find her prey.
19:25Her main competitors...
19:33...fish.
19:37She needs to collect hundreds of insects every day.
19:49Because hidden under the cottage, away from prying eyes, she has a nest full of hungry chicks.
20:09Her mate shares the workload.
20:26But the waterways around here aren't as clean as they once were.
20:40So, catching enough insects...
20:44...is far from guaranteed.
21:03As night sets in, the family is unaware of the drama unfolding in the surrounding oak trees.
21:23The Tawners' nightly duet has been joined by a less harmonious call.
21:37Inside their nest box, it's pitch black.
21:42But our infrared lights reveal the source.
21:48Two young owlets, just two weeks old.
21:53Two young owlets, just two weeks old.
21:59Already, there are signs of sibling rivalry.
22:06The larger owlet, which hatched a few days earlier, is winning the fight for food.
22:25To start with, earthworms will do.
22:33But the owls have timed things well.
22:38The garden is now full of prey.
22:49The larger owlet is always first in the queue.
22:56He now wolfs down three rodents a day.
23:04And if left hungry, he may eat his smaller siblings.
23:16If food becomes scarce, only the strongest will survive.
23:29By late spring, the sun is high enough to flood the valley with light.
23:38The garden is getting more productive by the day.
23:54The bumblebee queen has successfully raised her first brood.
24:06Her eggs have developed from larvae into adult female worker bees.
24:14The queen releases a pheromone, which suppresses their desire to breed.
24:22They have other duties.
24:26The smaller workers tend to get more of her larvae.
24:33While the larger ones venture out to gather more food.
24:41Vital fuel for the growing colony.
24:57But juicy larvae are a great prize.
25:13For badgers.
25:26Their strong claws would enable them to dig up a nest without any problem.
25:48The worker's angry buzz is a warning.
25:53Unlike honeybees, a single bumblebee can sting multiple times.
26:00The worker's angry buzz is a warning.
26:10Badgers, a single bumblebees, a single bumblebees, a single bumblebees are safe.
26:11Badgers are wary of people.
26:12Badgers are wary of people.
26:15So, the bumblebees are safe.
26:24But to secure the royal line, the queen needs to raise another brood.
26:40A few weeks without rain and the garden's woodland starts to dry out.
26:48It's a tough time to be a badger.
27:00Earthworms that make up 60% of their diet burrow deep underground.
27:14Two-thirds of battercubs may die in a dry spell like this.
27:38But Yorda's watering could be a lifesaver.
28:03Tonight, the year-old cub waits for the cover of darkness.
28:30His sense of smell is extremely sensitive.
28:47And the garden is filled with a cocktail of scents.
29:06The most alluring comes from the patio.
29:17Peanuts.
29:19A nutritious starter.
29:23But not enough to satisfy the appetite of a growing badger.
29:41Down on the lawn, the main course.
29:47Laura's watering has brought the worms closer to the surface.
29:56Though it still takes muscle to reach them.
30:04A hungry badger can make quite a mess.
30:15But it comes with the territory.
30:19When you live in such a wild and wonderful place.
30:45By May, the longer days are bringing the woodland into leaf.
30:55The canopy comes alive with insects.
31:00Oak trees host over a thousand species of invertebrates.
31:07Good news for pied flycatchers that have traveled thousands of miles from West Africa to breed here.
31:29But the dipper family is hungrier than ever.
31:49The chicks now need hundreds of insects every day.
31:54And their parents are struggling to meet their demands.
32:01So, robin comes bearing gifts.
32:06Meal worms.
32:08Little packages of protein and fat.
32:12They could make all the difference.
32:15They could make a difference.
32:39But with both parents away collecting food.
32:46One chick slips out.
32:49One chick slips out.
32:57Its mother hasn't noticed.
33:04And the chick is too young to fend for itself.
33:15The chick's call is hardly audible above the rushing water.
33:46But it's mother is attuned to it's high frequencies.
34:04An unconventional start.
34:14But its parents will continue to look after it.
34:24Until it has learned how to hunt for itself.
34:40Soon all the chicks will fledge.
34:43And everyone can relax.
34:56As the canopy thickens, shadows cover large parts of the garden.
35:11Cover for cautious forest animals such as wild boar.
35:25Only under the cover of darkness will the garden's sleepiest resident dare to emerge.
35:45The Dormouse.
35:50Even after seven months in hibernation, she has lost half of her body weight.
35:58And she needs food urgently, if she is to survive.
36:07Even at night, she's dangerously exposed.
36:12But some risks are worth taking.
36:17Red currants.
36:24Red currants.
36:33She needs to double her weight in just five months.
36:37Red currants.
36:40Before she curls up once again for her long winter sleep.
36:52On a warm summer evening.
36:55Another family gathering.
37:19Beyond the firelight, two young brothers face the most dangerous night of their lives.
37:33The elder, larger owlet, is now five times his hatching weight.
37:42Because he has continued to consume most of the deliveries.
37:59Trapped inside the nest box, his younger brother is growing weaker by the day.
38:19Until, driven by hunger, the little brother makes a bid to get out.
38:34And pushes his older brother onto the ground.
39:03He's too young to fly.
39:12If a predator finds him,
39:15he won't stand a chance.
39:19He must get back up there.
39:46Fortunately, he is strong enough to climb.
39:49Fortunately, he is strong enough to climb.
39:53But he's not safe yet.
40:08But he's not safe yet.
40:22His parents call to encourage him.
40:43Big brother is safe.
40:54Big brother is safe.
41:23Big brother's
41:33off.
41:36The owlets have had their difficulties, but both look set to survive.
41:53As the summer comes to an end, the family harvest the honey from their beehive.
42:09But things are not so sweet for the garden's other bees.
42:25After laying hundreds of eggs, the bumblebee queen is close to collapse.
42:35She can no longer produce the pheromones that keep her workers in check.
42:47So, they start laying eggs of their own, and her larvae grow larger, as they will become
43:01the next generation of queens.
43:07Her reign is over.
43:26The old queen is dead.
43:36With cold weather on its way, her loyal workers will die too.
43:52But soon, the new queens will head out on their own.
44:00If just one of them survives, the succession will be secured.
44:09And a new generation of bees will pollinate the flowers in this garden and beyond.
44:26Life in the garden is slowing down.
44:32As the days shorten and the temperature falls, the trees absorb valuable nutrients from their
44:39leaves.
44:42Only then do they drop them.
44:51A single tree can shed hundreds of thousands of leaves.
45:05Laura works hard to keep the patio and the paths clear.
45:22But the vast majority of leaves lie where they fall.
45:32They are what the soil and its inhabitants need.
45:43A miniature clean-up crew gets to work.
45:54Slugs and woodlice return carbon and other nutrients to the soil.
46:07Their presence attracts predators.
46:14Centipedes patrol this underworld.
46:30Now it's time for the garden's most important animal to get to work.
46:44The humble earthworm, lured from deep underground.
47:02There may be hundreds of them in every cubic meter of soil.
47:13The worms in this garden will consume tons of fallen leaves.
47:23Converting them into next year's plant food in a matter of months.
47:40Earthworms are essential.
47:57Earthworms are essential.
48:07Earthworms are essential.
48:14Earthworms are essential.
48:16Earthworms are essential.
48:19The Terminalesaan Buffalo Fo recuperation
48:27of Eye.
48:28a family. Now they can prepare for winter. A clean coat, extra fat, and a pile of cosy
48:42bedding will see them through the difficult months ahead.
48:55Life in this wooded valley is governed by the changing light. It's vital for each plant
49:05and animal in the garden to get its timing just right. And Robin and Laura do their best
49:15to keep pace. Now our garden's actually quite a small part of the world but to us it's a
49:23big part of our lives. I think probably not only does it drive the wildlife and the nature
49:30around us, to an extent it probably drives our lives as well.
49:35The garden's like a clock. You know the changing colours of the leaves and where the light falls
49:40on different parts of the garden. And of course all the animals that come and go.
49:50It's time to hunker down for winter.
50:01Most animals retreat into the trees or hide underground.
50:11Waiting until the sunlight returns.
50:17To reveal this garden's secrets once again.
50:23Beep! Beep!
50:27Beep! Beep!
50:28Beep! Beep!
50:31Beep! Beep!
50:33Beep! Beep!
50:43Who might know Robin Smith has been a wildlife cameraman for over 20 years.
50:52He's travelled the world filming some of the planet's most exotic animals.
51:01Filming wildlife in the British Isles I think can be more challenging actually than filming
51:05wildlife in places like the Amazon because you know we're a relatively crowded small
51:12island so our wildlife has got very good at avoiding people to film the secret life in
51:21his garden Robin has repurposed some domestic technology so these are basically adapted
51:32security cameras that I've set up to work alongside a wireless network they've got a
51:38little solar panel on top so we don't have to worry about batteries Robin has also rigged a large owl
51:49box we just put this one up this year and we got a camera already fitted inside that that's rigged
51:58up
51:58to a an infrared light and it's all ready to go the tricks to try and think like an animal
52:04if you can
52:12while Robin leaves his new system to record he returns to his trusty camera to film a
52:21remarkable resident living right under the house the dipper we're super lucky to have dippers on this
52:34stretch of the brook and they're they're a pretty small and fast bird so they're quite challenging
52:40to film and we only get a relatively small window of opportunity dippers only come to the garden to
52:50breed for a few weeks a year they can travel quite a long way they can be gone for 40
52:59minutes to an hour
53:00sometimes so you have to be quite patient things can be fairly quiet for hours and hours on end with
53:07nothing happening filming wildlife always requires patience but at least Robin only has a short commute
53:20I've spent many many hours filming in hides but this puts a whole new slant on the whole working from
53:27home
53:33thing a few weeks later Robin and Laura check in on the remote cameras at first a series of what
53:42could
53:43be called common or garden animals a mouse oh they look uh-huh oh brookie badger thank you all right
53:51now oh no it's a rat a massive rat luckily one of the security cameras also picks up the garden's
54:02rodent control oh that's cool brand new box and straightaway that tawny house checking it out that's
54:08that's really good and a surprise oh oh my god is that is that a ball yeah it's a wild
54:16boar yeah oh my
54:17word oh my goodness I've never seen them down this close to the house before these native mammals were
54:24eradicated by hunters hundreds of years ago but escapees from farms are now repopulating Britain's
54:32woodlands the boar aren't the only surprise what oh hang on hang on I've got to just look at that
54:40I've
54:40got to play that back actually really quick do you know what that is yeah I do that's a pine
54:44martin oh my goodness I cannot believe it the presence of a rare predator in Robin and Laura's garden
54:53it's a sign that their woodland is in excellent health and so it seems is the stream
55:08what's really nice about having dippers in our brook is they're a really good indicator species
55:16if the dip is around then we know the insect life is good there's a good chance that we've got
55:22fish
55:22in the river the dippers appear to be doing well but then one last surprise oh my is that one
55:41of the
55:41chicks yeah I decided to make a break for it a little bit ahead of schedule so well will that
55:48chick
55:48be okay yeah it should be fine I mean there's obviously a risk it was great that you know the
55:55parents found the chick and it all worked out in the end I just never get tired of them they're
56:02just
56:03such charismatic little birds nationwide dipper numbers have fallen by almost 40 percent this pair
56:14follows the stream down to the y which has been affected by widespread pollution but with a little
56:23help they've raised three healthy chicks and brought a great deal of pleasure it's been so wonderful to be
56:31able to film you know wildlife on our own on our own patch it's almost like we've got this cast
56:36of
56:36characters that play out this this wonderful wildlife soap opera just just for us it's been super special
56:50next time a remote garden in the highlands of scotland where a tough climate drives rare animals
57:03to an unconventional sanctuary discover the wildlife on your doorstep with the open universities secret
57:14garden interactive experience scan the qr code on a screen now or head to connect dot open dot ac dot
57:26uk
57:26forward slash secret garden
57:29you
57:56you
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