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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.
02:00A millhouse has been standing here since the Doomsday Book, a thousand years ago.
02:06A millhouse has been standing here since the Doomsday Book, a thousand years ago.
02:09Sarah and Henry are the latest in a long line of owners.
02:15It's like living on a boat, living in this house, because first of all, we are surrounded by water.
02:20Water there and the other side, water, water front and back.
02:23So we are literally marooned.
02:25The water presents some unique gardening challenges.
02:30Because this river floods.
02:34Are you worried about next week?
02:36Well, you never know.
02:37Well, this week's fine.
02:39But next week, there's a lot of rain forecast.
02:42Weather forecast is pretty key to us.
02:44Everything changes.
02:45If the water gets really, really high, we see about two-thirds of our garden disappear underwater.
02:53With so much of the garden lost to the river, Henry and Sarah allow large parts of it to run
03:01wild.
03:03All of this is flood plain, as far as you can see.
03:08Over here, the wood and the meadow, which we leave completely wild.
03:13But here and over there, above the flood plain, we try to manage as a garden.
03:22The garden is a sanctuary.
03:26But every animal's chances of survival rise and fall with the ebb and flow of the river.
03:36One of the most exciting things that happens here is that you get this flash of blue, followed by a
03:42whistle, and then there goes a kingfisher.
03:59The kingfisher is a much-loved British bird.
04:05But it first evolved in the jungles of Asia.
04:13This male needs to catch 15 fish a day.
04:21But in the early spring, the river runs high.
04:27It's thick with silt.
04:32And things are going to get a lot worse.
04:37It's just a question of when.
04:48Only one in four kingfishers lives for more than a single year.
04:58Each failed hunt wastes precious energy.
05:10His territory extends half a mile on each side of the millhouse.
05:18So he tries upstream where it's shallower.
05:28Special oils in his eyes reduce the glare from the surface.
05:38He hits the water at 25 miles an hour.
05:57Here, there should be no problem in catching enough fish for himself.
06:03But a new arrival is eyeing him up.
06:08A female.
06:11If he is to win her over, he needs to prove that he can provide enough fish for a family.
06:20Not easy while the river is high.
06:38After the long, wet winter, all the garden animals are hungry.
06:48But it's not just birds that are drawn to this feeder.
07:07A bank vole.
07:11A bank vole.
07:11She has spent the winter in a burrow beneath the lawn.
07:16Just above the level of the flood plain.
07:22There are around 25 million bank volts in Britain.
07:28But they're so shy, Henry and Sarah rarely see them.
07:39Many that hunt them detect them by watching for their movements.
07:47When under threat, she normally stays still.
08:04But doing that might be dangerous on this lawn.
08:23Robotic lawn mowers are becoming increasingly common.
08:32Many fail to detect small mammals.
08:40Don't worry.
09:00To survive in the modern world,
09:05She must choose her moment with care.
09:36Mankbowls aren't the only animals that wait for nightfall to look for food.
09:49Underneath the TV room, the Old Mill Channel has become home to the garden's top predator.
10:04An otter.
10:12In the 30 years Henry and Sarah have lived here, they've only seen one three times.
10:27She catches over a kilo of fish every night, but as the seasons change, so does her diet.
10:52One garden resident is much bolder.
11:02Mallards are the most common of Britain's 22 species of duck.
11:10Henry and Sarah have an affectionate name for one regular visitor.
11:16Doris.
11:22But this sweet little duck is the garden's resident heartbreaker.
11:36With their iridescent good looks, these males are all trying to catch her eye.
11:49But she wants to assess their strength.
12:23One by one, the lightweights are the most common of the birds.
12:26One by one, the lightweights are dismissed.
12:32The female nods her head, signalling her approval.
13:00She has picked her partner.
13:19Now she needs a place to nest.
13:26Not easy to find in this garden.
13:39As the days get longer, the otter's diet shifts to larger, plumper prey.
14:13Malards usually nest on the ground.
14:19But here, Doris has a safer choice.
14:28This pollarded willow will do nicely.
14:34And just in time.
14:45The April showers have arrived.
14:54The river rises surprisingly fast.
15:01Almost a metre in 24 hours.
15:07Those that have nested low have already lost their eggs.
15:15When the weather clears, the waters quickly recede, making it easier for the resident kingfisher to resume hunting.
15:37He can now afford to share his catch.
15:52And one minnow at a time, he is winning her over.
16:05The water is well-toen time.
16:11The sea is still over.
16:11In the ocean, the Sioux Falls.
16:14This was not his mother.
16:15The sea is worth saving.
16:15The water is in the sea of nowhere.
16:16Then he is burning the sea of nowhere.
16:16She has done over the sky in the sea.
16:16The sea.
16:19He is getting a lot.
16:20The sea of the sea.
16:31After mating,
16:35the pair begin digging a metre-long burrow.
16:46But it's only just above the waterline.
16:53As Sarah mows, she leaves the verge intact
16:58to prevent the river eroding the bank.
17:03But if it rains heavily,
17:07the Kingfisher's family home could be washed away.
17:25For four long weeks, all on her own,
17:30Doris has barely left her nest.
17:42She has been quietly incubating a clutch of nine eggs.
17:50She laid each of them on a different day.
17:57But to survive,
17:59they must hatch at the same time.
18:10Remarkably, they talk to each other.
18:15From inside the egg.
18:23And so coordinate their hatching.
18:43Over just a few hours,
18:50nine new lives begin to appear.
18:57But without a father to bring them food,
19:01the mother must lead her flightless babies down from the nest.
19:22less than 24 hours after hatching.
19:30Less than 24 hours after hatching.
19:38Becomes a giant leap.
19:51Their downy feathers cushion their fall.
19:58The dead rod is now going to be knocked out in the nest.
19:59And then the dead.
20:05They are still falling,
20:07but the wind is still falling.
20:10I did not hurt.
20:10They are still falling while the darkness was falling,
20:15They passed on,
20:15you have to be a small town that could have tea for her.
20:16The dead would have to be a small town.
20:20The bird would have to be a large town,
20:38DORIS
20:39Doris hurries them all into hiding.
20:44Garden predators will be hard to avoid.
21:19DORIS
21:19High and dry on the lawn,
21:22the vole has survived a wet spring.
21:28And new opportunities are opening up,
21:31just upstream.
21:39The garden's woodland is drying out.
21:49Henry is creating a huge log pile.
22:05In doing so,
22:08he creates a new haven for wildlife.
22:22A hideout for the vole.
22:35There is more food for her here than on the lawn.
22:41And she's not alone.
22:50A male attracted by her scent.
23:00The time together may be brief.
23:10But as long as the woods stay dry,
23:15there could be a litter of pups in just three weeks.
23:34It's in a few weeks.
23:40After a week in hiding,
23:44Doris is ready to bring her ducklings into the open.
23:53She wants to lead them to better feeding grounds, just upstream from the mill, but to get there
24:04they must cross the open lawn.
24:19It's a bold move.
24:28Oxfordshire has one of the highest densities of red kites in Britain.
24:36They are usually scavengers, but they will take a baby bird.
25:03Just one in three ducklings make it to adulthood.
25:13Not great odds for a mother of nine.
25:27The river here is not as safe as it may look.
25:41Just downstream from the ducks, hidden away in their burrow, the kingfishers also have
25:53a growing family.
25:58Only two days old.
26:03The parents take it in turns to provide food.
26:15Fortunately, the river is now low and crystal clear.
26:40With six tiny mouths to feed, the parents need to catch over.
26:49Over a hundred minnows a day.
27:07But if the water level rises, the chicks could drown.
27:18For now, at least, the weather stays dry.
27:26A sunny May bank holiday.
27:29An excellent time for a party.
27:37The lengthening days and soaring temperatures trigger another kind of gathering that starts
27:45out of sight.
27:52This tiny mayfly nymph has spent two years underwater.
28:06The time has come to make a break for the surface.
28:13Out in the open, she is exposed.
28:26A narval damselfly is on the hunt.
28:32Fortunately for her, there is safety in numbers.
28:55At the surface, she sheds her exoskeleton.
29:00And spreads a set of wings.
29:09Her destination?
29:13The lawn.
29:17Here, males are dancing.
29:22Competing to catch the eye of a female.
29:28It's a glorious sign of the arrival of summer.
29:36But she is late for the party.
29:44And she needs to get past the deadly damselflies.
29:55Others try their luck.
30:07Damselflies are exceptional predators.
30:10With a 95% hunting success rate.
30:20Time to make her move.
30:36Safe.
30:40But she's not yet ready for the dance.
30:48Mayflies are the only winged insects to undergo a second adult molt.
31:07Time to join the throng.
31:24Mayflies are the only winged insects.
31:24Please, continue.
31:29There's a little winged insects.
31:32We're so glad that she lives in the forest.
31:33We know what he looks like.
31:55Mayflies mate on the wing,
31:58then fly together back to the river,
32:07where the female lays her eggs.
32:30After just one day as an adult,
32:35her life is over.
32:40In death, she and countless others
32:49become food for the next generation.
33:14In the woods,
33:20Henry's log pile has become a nursery
33:25for the bank vole.
33:29Smaller than the jelly baby and completely blind,
33:37her pups are defenseless.
33:45So the mother keeps watch.
34:04The grass snake, at one and a half meters long,
34:11it's Britain's largest reptile.
34:37By resting its lower jaw on the ground,
34:40it can detect the tiniest vibrations.
34:54Its forked tongue can smell in stereo,
35:02pinpointing the scent coming from the nest.
35:20The female has no option but to move her babies,
35:32one by one.
35:46It's a great idea.
35:47It's a great idea.
35:47It's not a perfect dog known to the ram.
35:48I wouldn't like her.
35:48By the way,
36:11Deep inside the log pile, her family is safe.
36:36It hasn't rained in weeks, and the river is at its lowest.
36:49Its calm water allows brandy bottle lilies to flower.
36:57Their alcoholic scent attracts insects, food for the growing ducklings.
37:10They're now six weeks old.
37:13Amazingly, Doris has managed to keep all nine alive.
37:39An alarm call.
37:43Predator nearby.
38:01Doris's instinct is to retreat to water.
38:11But she's leading her family into harm's way.
38:56The ducklings are still too young to fly.
39:07So Doris puts her own life on the line, acting as a decoy.
39:38Remarkably, it works.
39:53And the otter has to settle for something smaller.
40:01Sarah and Henry have little idea what a resourceful mother Doris is.
40:12Successfully raising all nine ducklings.
40:32Successfully raising all nine ducklings.
40:34In midsummer, the young voles leave their log pile home.
40:47And disperse across the garden to make the most of fruit ripened by the long sunny days.
41:05But when the light eventually fades...
41:14The garden's nocturnal world is revealed by heat-sensitive cameras.
41:28It's a world Henry and Sarah know little about.
41:45Mice and shrews hunt for bugs around and even on the house.
42:00A miniature clean-up crew supported by an aerial team of bats.
42:12Six of Britain's 18 species are regularly attracted to the insects in our gardens.
42:31Dorbenton's bats thrive on the abundance of river insects.
42:48A single bat can catch 3,000 a night.
43:00A single bat can catch 3,000 a night.
43:04A special battle whine.коль
43:17often happens in British summers... This
43:22one ends abruptly.
43:34autumn has arrived early
43:43These are the first heavy rains
43:55But this year is different
43:58There are a number of flood warnings in place
44:01Some of the heaviest of the rain across central southern England
44:04Oxfordshire as a whole has seen its wettest September on record
44:12Rain that falls over miles of countryside
44:17is channelled between riverbanks just a few metres apart
44:24The river is now dangerously close to the kingfisher's burrow
44:34The ticks will drown if the water floods their home
44:47Water from upstream continues to arrive
44:52Until the river bursts its banks
44:57And spreads into the woods
45:03The bank voles young may have already left
45:07But now she needs to abandon her summer home
45:19She has a mental map of her territory
45:28But many landmarks have been lost
45:32At least she knows her destination
45:36The highest point in the garden
45:39The lawn
45:44Bank voles avoid water
45:54The third point in the garden
45:55The bayern
45:56The bayern
45:56The bayern
45:57The bayern
45:59The bayern
46:22Eventually, she gets back to the lawn.
46:31She can stay dry here because the rising water spills out over the floodplain and into the surrounding fields.
46:46It's a natural defense that has protected the millhouse for a thousand years and keeps the waterline just below the
46:58kingfisher's nest.
47:02The chicks are now so big, there is barely enough room to move.
47:11It's time to get out.
47:18One leaves, and Dad uses treats to tempt out the others.
47:43But one stubborn chick is refusing to budge.
47:56He takes some convincing.
48:06Dad's patience...
48:13...eventually pays off.
48:19Fully fledged, the young males begin to flex their territorial muscles.
48:30These shy birds are so caught up in their own world, they don't notice someone is watching.
48:45The kingfishers are really, really special.
48:48And to see them in the most incredible tussle, which I'd never seen before.
48:53I just feel very lucky to have seen it.
49:03This place is a sort of throwback because you have wildlife congregating in a way that you just don't see
49:10in many other places.
49:13We certainly don't own the house.
49:16The kingfishers have been here much longer than us.
49:19And we just hope we don't get in their way.
49:29At a time when many of our rivers are struggling with poor water quality,
49:35Henry and Sarah's approach to gardening, letting much of their garden run wild, means that this is one of this
49:45river's wildlife hotspots.
49:50Yet, for all its abundance, they catch only fleeting glimpses.
50:06Now, as the young seek homes of their own,
50:13the kingfisher will be seen once again.
50:21There's little more than a flash of blue.
50:42Of all the animals in this river garden,
50:47the most challenging to film proved to be the otter.
50:52They are extremely shy and can spend much of their time underwater.
51:01Undeterred, the team has high hopes of revealing the otter's private lives to Sarah and Henry.
51:10Fortunately, they have a head start.
51:14Thanks to Henry setting up remote wildlife cameras.
51:19Valuable knowledge for wildlife cinematographer Sam Oakes.
51:24So sweet.
51:25Yeah, he is.
51:26So small.
51:27I know that they're quite elusive.
51:29How often have you seen them?
51:30Well, we've been here for 30 years and I've seen them twice.
51:35Wow.
51:37Very elusive then.
51:40Henry's cameras only offer a snapshot of the otter's lives.
51:45So Sam has brought equipment, usually deployed in more exotic locations.
51:51So we're going to need everything we can on our side, including this super long lens.
51:56Normally these would be used on African film shoots in the Serengeti,
52:00so it's quite nice to be using it in the garden in Oxfordshire.
52:08Sam and assistant producer Matt Tomlinson are looking for signs of otters to decide on a filming location.
52:16I think they're using this tree and it looks like they've pooed down here.
52:21An otter poo is actually called Sprint and you can see some scales in there.
52:25So it's obviously feeding around here, hunting.
52:27That's a really good sign.
52:33While Matt is perched safely on the river bank,
52:40Sam wants to immerse himself in the otter's world.
52:44Welcome to my flooded office.
52:47I'm sat on a chair in the river.
52:49It's 20 degrees outside, but really cold sat in this water.
52:55Let's see if I can last long enough.
52:58Luckily for Sam, Sarah is on hand with refreshments.
53:03I don't even know where he is.
53:05Sam, would you like a cup of tea?
53:08Yes, please.
53:14Three days in and still no sign of otters.
53:22But another river garden character has made an appearance.
53:27The kingfisher has just landed in a tree in front of me.
53:32Hopefully that comes out into the open.
53:40And now it's just flown past and landed behind my hide.
53:43Not quite going to plan.
53:46To make matters worse, the year turns out to be the wettest on record.
53:58It's more than just an annoyance.
54:02We have to be really careful filming because the river can rise so quickly.
54:06We can lose equipment if we don't get it out of the river in time.
54:10The rain eventually stops.
54:14But still no otters.
54:18The fifth day looking for otters.
54:21And nothing so far.
54:24To pass the time, Matt turns his attention to Doris.
54:29Henry and Sarah's resident mallard.
54:33I just saw a ripple.
54:36It's a bit too big to be a fish.
54:41And then...
54:42There's an otter.
54:47It's really charging though.
54:56Sadly for Sam, the action is nowhere near his sunken hide.
55:05But Matt is able to capture something rarely filmed before.
55:11In a garden of all places.
55:14Amazing.
55:18Fortunately, Sam isn't going home empty-handed.
55:23I've got a kingfisher just outside my hide.
55:32It's so fast.
55:34The speed it hits the surface at is absolutely amazing.
55:39The team's patience on the river has paid off.
55:43And Sam is ready to reveal to Henry and Sarah
55:47the secret lives of the animals in their garden.
55:51Oh, wow.
55:52Look at those whiskers.
55:54And this is brilliant.
55:56I mean, it sort of jaws all over again.
55:58But with an otter this time.
56:01That was amazing.
56:02You just don't see these things
56:04unless you have this fabulous photography going on.
56:07The approach you take to gardening,
56:09which in some areas of the garden is a bit more hands-off,
56:12is really beneficial to the wildlife in the area.
56:15It isn't manicured.
56:16It's not got beautifully gorgeous herbaceous borders.
56:20It's a good excuse not to do masses of gardening.
56:25Henry and Sarah have done their bit
56:27to preserve the wild nature of this garden.
56:32Now, having learned more about the lives of its animals,
56:37they have decided to redouble their efforts
56:41to protect their garden for generations to come.
56:50Next time, a city garden in the heart of Bristol,
56:56where intrepid animals find remarkable ways
57:03to live among us.
57:10discover the wildlife on your doorstep
57:12with the Open University's
57:14Secret Garden Interactive Experience.
57:17Scan the QR code on a screen now,
57:22or head to connect.open.ac.uk forward slash secret garden.
57:36To be continued...
57:40To be continued...
57:42To be continued...
57:57To be continued...
57:58To be continued...
58:00To be continued...
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