- 5 minutes ago
#video #Sam & Ade Go Birding - Season 1 Episode 3
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:04So, you've just been doing a bit of Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.
00:07Yeah.
00:09Is this the moustache you had for Malvolia?
00:12Yes, it is.
00:13You've been twiddling it since we got up.
00:14I'm so sorry.
00:15It is a...
00:16Twiddle, twiddle, twiddle.
00:18And how long is it since you did Malvolia?
00:20It's a week.
00:21And you've still got it on?
00:22I know I'm slightly worrying about saying goodbye to him.
00:26Because I played him twice, once when my dad died and once when my mum died,
00:30he got me through some, you know, a tough year.
00:33Yeah.
00:34Is it time to take it off, do you think?
00:36Do you want me to take it off?
00:37Oh, well, actually, that...
00:40Hang on.
00:40What have you got in life?
00:42Yes, I've got scissors.
00:44Go on, then.
00:44Just go up to the edges.
00:46It's quite hard to see.
00:48I don't want to hear that.
00:51Guys, you've got tough hairs on my...
00:53It's waxed.
00:53Well, my scissors are rubbish.
00:55Yeah, I think it's probably...
00:57Oh, I feel less strong already.
00:58You can have that.
01:01Let's have the other one.
01:05Oh, that's better.
01:07Should I do your nasal hair?
01:09No, stop there, please.
01:10Something for the weekend, sir.
01:11Where are you going on your holidays?
01:15If the acting ever dries up...
01:16Yeah.
01:17You could do this.
01:18I could do my barbering.
01:18Very good.
01:24Did you hear the rain last night?
01:26Oh, my God.
01:26I think we can see the results of that rainfall today.
01:29Welcome to the Somerset Levels.
01:32Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten me into.
01:35Oh, sorry.
01:38There's been a lot of rain.
01:40And, um...
01:41I mean, this is a road.
01:42This is the road we wanted to go down.
01:45This is the largest area of water meadows in Britain.
01:47They're meant to be flooded some of the time.
01:50But they're not really meant to be this flooded this much of the time.
01:53However, this is a very good place to look for a bittern.
01:57A bittern?
01:58A bittern.
01:59B-I-T-T-E-R-N.
02:02Bittern.
02:02One of the best disguised, one of the most secretive, and certainly the shyest bird in Britain.
02:10It's like a small...
02:11Well, it is a small, brown, quite pudgy heron.
02:15But it's exactly the colour of the reed beds it nests in.
02:18Hang on, it's that one over there.
02:22They have this habit.
02:23They've put their bill vertically.
02:25And they look a bit like Beaker from the Muppets.
02:27Oh, very good.
02:28I know that sounds fun.
02:30And they basically disappear.
02:33Are there many of them?
02:35There are many more than there were.
02:37There's been an amazing conservation effort to stop draining reed beds and protect their habitat.
02:45Even though they're very hard to see, bitterns do make this extraordinary noise.
02:50They boom.
02:52Boom.
02:53Yeah.
02:53It sounds like somebody blowing across the top of an enormous milk bottle.
02:56Unless we're unlucky and find someone blowing across the top of an incredibly tall milk bottle.
03:01That's possible, of course.
03:02Hiding in the reeds.
03:05So we might hear one.
03:06But even if we don't see a bittern, what we will see is lots of large, white birds.
03:11In fact, look.
03:13They're swans, aren't they?
03:14That's right.
03:15They're mute swans.
03:16They're mute swans and they're making quite a lot of noise.
03:21Shall we start looking?
03:22Yeah.
03:22Well, we're not getting through that, even in your land rover.
03:25We'll have to find another way.
03:36I think this is the soggiest landscape I've ever driven through.
03:40It feels like we're on the tiny little causeway.
03:43It does, doesn't it?
03:44All the time.
03:45Yes.
03:46But yes, these water meadows have been artificially irrigated by what was called drowning.
03:52When the water's carried off the river, it takes all the sediment, which isn't much use in the river, into
04:00the fields, fertilises them.
04:02And then if you're growing hay or grazing cows, it's perfect grazing land.
04:17There's a lot of birds.
04:18Yep.
04:19Plenty of birds.
04:21And this is prime bitten country.
04:24So we need to find a hide where we can wait quietly and look at the scope.
04:31I like these stumpy things.
04:33Got something of the triffid about it.
04:35They might start following us.
04:39So we're going into stealth mode now.
04:41Are we?
04:42Yes.
04:43Do we have to walk, strangely?
04:45Why not?
04:46Yeah.
04:51Is that a robin?
04:52Yeah.
04:53There he is.
04:53Oh, no, sorry.
04:53No, that's a run.
04:54My apologies.
04:55Where?
04:55Where is it?
04:56Just here.
04:57Into the little cocked tail.
05:01Oh, really opening his mouth wide.
05:04Yeah, it's a proper, proper spring song.
05:06They say it's the smallest bird in Britain.
05:08Is that right?
05:09Well, it would have to fight the goldcrest for that.
05:12Didn't we see a goldcrest?
05:14We did.
05:14And a firecrest.
05:15I sure had any idea because it was so bloody small.
05:20Oh, this hide looks good.
05:21Mm.
05:22Very high tech.
05:24Hide tech?
05:25Hide tech.
05:27Right.
05:28So we need to check the edges of all the reeds, really.
05:30All right.
05:30It's a movement.
05:31Yeah.
05:31You tend to look on the edges of the reed beds because if the bitten's on the edge, then you'll
05:35see it, and if it isn't, then you won't.
05:37Yeah.
05:38But they do come to the edges sometimes.
05:40Would we hear them before we saw them?
05:42Yeah, we could easily hear one.
05:44And even birders who've seen lots of them consider a sighting at a special event.
05:50They're that difficult to see.
05:52So nobody's blasé about bitten.
05:56So what does it sound like exactly?
05:58Can you do an impression for me?
06:01Be a bitten.
06:02OK.
06:02It's fresh from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
06:05Samuel West.
06:06From the buttocks.
06:07We'll be giving it his bitten.
06:09It's really low.
06:11Yeah.
06:12Ooh.
06:13Ooh.
06:13Ooh.
06:15Ooh.
06:16Ooh.
06:17Yeah.
06:18The reviews are in, and frankly, they're not very good.
06:20Are they not?
06:20Well, we'll see.
06:21We'll see it, shall we?
06:22See what turns out.
06:23Let me see if I can find a milk bottle bitten.
06:31Oh, just that.
06:32Ooh.
06:33Ooh.
06:33Sounds like a bit of drum and bass.
06:35Ooh.
06:35Yeah.
06:36Yeah.
06:36Yeah, they'd like drum and bass.
06:38Ooh.
06:40It is exciting.
06:41It's the furthest carrying and the lowest frequency call of any bird in Britain.
06:51I know some of these.
06:52Yes?
06:53The black one with the white forehead down to the bill.
06:57Yeah.
06:58That is either a moorhen or a coot.
07:00And which one is it?
07:02No.
07:03It looks like it's got a white plastic spoon on its face.
07:05Yeah.
07:05That's a coot.
07:06Yeah.
07:07Well done.
07:09Do you see grebe just behind it?
07:10Great crested grebe?
07:11Oh, is this the silvery one?
07:13Yeah.
07:14Any sketch from a 70s TV show about bird watchers, they're always looking for a great crested grebe.
07:21I wouldn't really call it a great crest.
07:24Well, it gets one in spring for breeding purposes.
07:27The face is white with orange and then the crest is black and goes up and it looks quite punky.
07:33Yeah.
07:33It looks like early Susie Sue in the Banshees.
07:36Mm.
07:36And they're very sweet breeders.
07:39They do this thing where they dive for weed and come up and present it to each other.
07:45They stand up in the water and go face to face.
07:48Really?
07:48Yeah.
07:49I don't know how they do it.
07:50It's very beautiful.
07:51We won't see it for a couple of months.
07:59Can I say, I've just seen something.
08:02What have you just seen?
08:02Right over there, there's this bit of reeds here and then there's water and there's something on a kind of
08:08block.
08:09And on it, there's a weird looking thing.
08:10Is that the bitten?
08:12That is a grey heron and the block is its nest, I think.
08:17All right.
08:18It's a good looking bird, isn't it?
08:19It's beautiful.
08:20It's already got its breeding plumes on its head.
08:22Yeah, it's like it's wearing a hat.
08:25Yeah.
08:27There's two more there.
08:28Yeah?
08:29Oh, gosh, look.
08:30Yeah, it's just in front of us.
08:32Grey herons normally nest in mature trees, but they're nesting in reeds here, which is very unusual.
08:39They just look so depressed.
08:41They look like they're sort of in a dredgeful kitchen sink drama and it's all just gone so wrong.
08:48It's too much, yes.
08:49And they're just going to stay there till they die.
08:52God, it looks grim.
08:54The wind's blowing them about.
09:04I've only just noticed that's Glastonbury tour in the background.
09:07Oh, gosh, that is.
09:08Look.
09:10Have you been to Glastonbury?
09:11You must have been.
09:13I've performed at it twice.
09:14You haven't?
09:15I have.
09:15You've played Glaston?
09:16With my band.
09:18Played the Avalon stage.
09:19I'll tell you a thing about Glastonbury.
09:21Go on.
09:22From about a mile away, all you can smell is human ordeux.
09:28There's a track we used to go in by to get to the back of the Avalon stage with the
09:32van.
09:33And it passes the men's urinals.
09:36And it almost takes the skin off your eyes.
09:39It's so acrid.
09:40Wow.
09:42Yeah.
09:42But what was the experience of playing the festival?
09:45Do you know, it was one of the best gigs we ever did.
09:47Yeah.
09:49Just people who were really into it.
09:51Yeah.
09:51I'll bet.
09:52Yeah.
10:00So looking at birds is a new hobby for you.
10:03What other hobbies have you got?
10:05Would you call music a hobby?
10:06Um, I think I'm a man prone to looking at the gloomy side of things.
10:14And I find boredom depressing.
10:19Ooh.
10:21So I've always busied myself with picking at some strings of something or writing something, you know.
10:28I find filling the time in a way of staving it off.
10:35A strange thing happened in lockdown when I contacted you, in fact.
10:40Oh, I remember, yes.
10:42I started building this new vegetable garden.
10:45And that's when I started noticing birds.
10:47And that's when I rang you and said, how do I find out what that bird is?
10:51And I was sort of, you know, mid-sixties.
10:55And I thought my life might be over.
10:59Professional life.
11:01Really?
11:01Yeah.
11:02I wasn't really sad about it.
11:03It's the first time I kind of viewed my life in its entirety as there is where it started.
11:09And it's got to here.
11:10So it gave me this way of having an overview of what life was.
11:16What my life was.
11:18I mean, I basically dick about and I've made that a career.
11:23Yeah.
11:24Yeah.
11:30Look, there's some grebes doing a bloody thing.
11:32Oh, there they are.
11:33Look, there they are.
11:35Yes, shaking their heads.
11:37There you are.
11:39Isn't that great?
11:40You described that to me.
11:41And now they're doing it.
11:42And now they're standing up.
11:44Look at mine.
11:45Oh, no, look at mine.
11:46Are they trying to mate with each other?
11:49Yeah.
11:49I think they're thinking of being a pair.
11:54They're having a rest between dances now.
11:56It's great that we saw that.
11:58Felt like they'd come to show me.
12:00Exactly what I just said.
12:02Say, we know we're not supposed to do this.
12:03until a bit further into spring.
12:05But we heard your friend trying to explain what it was.
12:09We saw on 2013.
12:10He wasn't doing it well.
12:11It's like this.
12:14Yes.
12:15She's not all doom and gloom, is she?
12:17No, no.
12:22Shall we try somewhere else?
12:24Yeah.
12:30They're very attractive, these reeds, aren't they?
12:33Yeah.
12:36See, that's the Canada goose.
12:38I can tell by the chin strap.
12:41I can.
12:43No luck with the bitten yet.
12:46You know, we could well see one just skirting the top of the reeds
12:50as it moves from one place to another.
12:53We haven't heard one.
12:54Oh!
12:57Oh!
12:58Oh!
12:59Oh!
13:01Oh!
13:05Perfectly same.
13:06Nothing to see here.
13:08Oh!
13:09Oh!
13:11Oh!
13:11Oh!
13:14Oh!
13:15the door down no sign of a bin they're very very shy we'll have to look somewhere else
13:25you have little faith there probably is one there it's just that it's hiding
13:47you look at the godwits black black and white with a white wing bar and long long bills coming
13:53around oh yeah they look great yeah good numbers of gray heroin but no luck with a bitten
14:03so before we go i want to have a a proper look on the base of these reeds with the
14:11scope
14:11do you want to warm up yes sir yes if i see one i'll do i'll do my job of
14:17warming up
14:30it's a nasty sleeping wind
14:34the trouble is when you're looking at reed beds they're so exactly the color of a bittern
14:42that when you zoom in on them you think you can see one
14:49you're a robin come on mr robin some delicious food you can see me can't you
15:02you're looking lovely
15:16written here all year i mean i keep thinking i see one it's just a tree stump
15:33come on to another one i know and the weather's been shocking absolutely
15:50it's a very noisy
15:54there you go
15:57you look like a little mechanical bird
16:20i'm bloody freezing did you find anything of course i didn't
16:25you'll never guess what happened when you're away tell me this bitten
16:29just sat on the bonnet of the car
16:34boomed at me boomed at me
16:38i got him this time
16:42i've just been feeding a robin no yeah came to my hand i mean fleetingly i think it was the
16:48same
16:48one as in cornwall no it's a lot smaller actually really
16:53where are we off to you next see if we can find some cattle egrets somerset's the best place for
16:58them
16:58is it yeah there are more here than anywhere else in britain at the moment
17:15what do you think your hobbies are is bird watching your soul
17:19hobby no it's my main hobby i think i think a lot of my hobbies center around collecting
17:25yeah i mean you know that i keep lists for birds and and i collect stamps i think that the
17:31need to
17:32fill some void is one i feel and also the need to catalogue a confusing world yeah oh hang on
17:43hang on
17:45we have cattle and cattle egrets i love cows i love cattle egrets i think cows have got the
17:53loveliest eyes in the world i hope you don't say that to jennifer too often
18:03why are they hanging back with cattle so the cattle egrets do something for the cows
18:09and the cows give them something back the cattle egrets take ticks and flies off the cows yeah they've
18:16been known to do it very gently around a cow's eye for instance yeah what the cattle egret get is
18:21that when the cows tread through the ground they turn over the ground like a little plow and they
18:27turn up insects and invertebrates yeah and the cattle egret eat them they're a heron they're a small
18:33white heron yeah although they're called egrets i mean what is a heron then what i mean why why why
18:39are all those birds called heron what does that mean long-legged wading bird with a long dagger-like
18:44bill that mostly eats fish but actually the cattle egrets don't don't need fish as much
18:50well they can feed on drier fields and they eat invertebrates they'll you know take a frog mind
18:56you take a frog they'll take a frog i'll take a frog have you got a frog what have you
19:01going to
19:01another frog oh i'll take a frog i don't mind
19:10so it's approaching dusk and it's the right time of year there's one more spectacle we can try and
19:16find before dinner i do like three spectacles a day a starling murmuration a murmuration i've never
19:24really seen one close up i'm going to call the starling hotline and see what they tell us about
19:34where we might be able to find some it has not been possible please try again later it has not
19:41been possible to connect your call the rain's coming yes it happens why yes it's been such a good day
19:50really isn't it yeah compared to what we thought it was going to be well starlings head straight to
19:55roost if it's raining so there probably won't be a madmoration tonight yeah let's head for the digs
19:59and try for starlings tomorrow yes very good oh nice and warm don't lock it oh there we are kitchen
20:18are you cooking tonight i certainly am jolly good i'll light the fire
20:28that smells good what is it uh we're having kedgeri oh brilliant
20:35all right here we go then day list somerset levels
20:43great crested
20:47great which i think is my favorite bird of the day
20:50very good very very sleek very nicely designed it's lovely isn't it what exactly is kedgeri
20:59well kedgeri the way i make it is um bloody mess no it's it's um it's basically smoked haddock and
21:05rice
21:06in a sort of slightly curried sauce what's not to like i know
21:12we didn't see a chitty's warbler we heard lots it looks like madness to me this yeah someone wants
21:21to say what what does madness look like it's it's it's it's this when you flick through the same book
21:27you look at every page again yeah i like it it's quite a sane madness there are much madder mads
21:34yeah
21:37starling yes starling still funny
21:43wren
21:44wren was lovely yeah singing away there saying don't don't forget about us common birds
21:51we did we really didn't we demand a look yes they demanded very well and i have to say best
21:57singer of
21:57the day no no no question very good no question to use some of the house's eggs have you seen
22:04the
22:04chickens outside no they're beautiful chicken is that color should we have that one go on
22:12so lots of herons today they're no bitten but there's always tomorrow the herons are fantastic the
22:18herons were good
22:25there's a purple heron on our wine that's very good yeah not charming cheers my dear
22:32mm-hmm well-burnted and humor
22:40that's lovely that's beautiful eh thank you so much it looks all right it looks gorgeous i mean it's food
22:47it
22:47goes in it comes out okay i can usually make um supper in the time it takes for eastenders to
22:56be
22:57missed yeah jennifer jennifer watches eastenders while i make supper and then so half out as soon
23:05as you hit the diff diff diffs you know it's time to serve oh this is great really delicious so
23:13here's
23:13to the elusive bitten i'm the hope of one tomorrow that bitten doesn't know what's coming to it
23:25so here's what's coming to the end of the day
23:26it's not a pop
23:28you
23:54One of my favourite boring bird calls, memorably described by Simon Barnes as a bored football
24:00fan, a collared dove going, hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo. He says it's like a bored
24:10football
24:10fan going, united, united. And you can never forget that once you've heard it.
24:26What a splendid day. Not a lot of birds about. Now, where's those chickens? Here they
24:38are. Hello, little chickens. I love a chicken. It's all got such characters. My wife wants
24:49to make a sitcom about chickens. Just film chickens, and then put voiceover on them. Yes, hello.
24:58Oh. What are you going to do today? Well, I thought I'd just peck at some food. Really attractive,
25:07sort of a good chicken. Gorgeous birds. Look at those some birds. Those are... I don't
25:18know how I think they're starlings. Not quite a murmuration, just a fall. I feel nervous saying
25:27that they are without confirmation from the master. Can I hear a corn bunting? A big flock
25:40of sparrows, just here. And a robin, just behind it. And the songthrush, just down here. This
25:53is the first time I've done this, sort of go out in the morning. It's really quite pleasant.
26:00Aww. I think I'm being stalked by the robins. Right, I'm going to go and get the coffee
26:10on. Just photosynthesizing for a bit. It's better.
26:39Good morning, good morning. Good morning. How are you? I'm very well. What day did you get
26:44at? Oh, I don't know. About seven. I'm doing my morning madness walk. Is that coffee? It
26:50is coffee. Yahoo. Nice little mug. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. Well, I went out. Did you? Yes.
26:58Do you know what I found? Go on. Chickens. You can't count those. What's the plan today?
27:07Master. Well, we're going to try and see a bittern again. I brought a bittern photograph.
27:12And do you remember I said it looked like beaker. That's what they, when they freeze, that's
27:17why they look like beaker. Yeah.
27:20Bitterns, apparently, even though they were very shy, were never particularly difficult
27:25to catch. And they were on the menu in the medieval times. Well, I did a bit of reading
27:30last night. Did you? Yes. How many bitterns do you think were eaten for the investiture
27:37of the Archbishop of York in 1465?
27:43204. No. No wonder we can't find one. That's like almost all Britain's bitterns. That's
27:49quite hard to say. Yeah. 204 just for, just for an investiture. That's just showing off,
27:54isn't it? Yeah. And I've got some footage of the suspect. This is who we're looking for.
28:02This is to prove that they do exist. Oh, he's quite a fine head, isn't it? Yeah. He looks
28:07fine, because they'll have. What's that over there? That's kind of over there. Keep it tight.
28:13Why have they got very many accents? They have, though, haven't they? Yeah.
28:16You can see they're much stockier than normal herons, but it does prove they exist.
28:21They are not fictional birds, although they very nearly were. I mean, in 97, we got down
28:27to 11 of them. They could easily have become extinct in the wild. It's been a great success
28:32story. 283 in 2024, and it's a massive recovery. Worse, ever since we stopped the Church of
28:38England from eating them. Yes.
28:45I'm used to the accusation that I'm geeky. Yeah. But I've been thinking about you calling
28:49my listing mad. I think it's part of a sort of mindfulness. Something about putting it
28:57down and trying to expand it. Is mind expanding as well as geeky? I think. Just to me, anyway.
29:05I think it might also be a way of putting the world in order. Yeah.
29:16You've been all right since your mum died. Yeah. You became an orphan very quickly, didn't
29:22you, really? Yes, I did. It's quite... The funeral went well. It started with a line straight
29:30out of Forty Towers. It was... We got an email on the morning of the Mars funeral that said,
29:35there is a gas leak at Putney Crematorium. So we had to switch chapels so we didn't all
29:41get cremated. Yeah. And the music wasn't working. So we sent her off to Route Wolle from the
29:48St John Passion on this tinny little Bluetooth speaker. But we were wondering what to put on
29:54the front cover of the funeral. I argued for this picture. I'd have used that. Yeah. I mean,
30:02it's one of the nice things when your parents die is that you find out things about them that you
30:06didn't know. Stories. Yeah. This was in a Guardian photo essay saying Prunella scales
30:10are life in pictures. It's from the year I was born. Yeah. And I'd never seen it before.
30:15And then somebody sent me these.
30:21Daddy. Which one's you? That's me. That's my brother, Joe. Yeah. And there we all are.
30:29This is in 1975 when I'm nine and Joe is six. Yeah. I'll tell you what, your dad looks like
30:37my dad in those pictures. Did you know there was a stream outside? A stream? A stream.
30:47Shall we go on a look? Yeah. Isn't it beautiful that you can see how high the water is? Yeah.
30:53I'm a local wildlife photographer and filmmaker. I set up a camera just over the other side of this
30:59bridge. And that stick just in front of it is a favourite perch of a kingfisher.
31:07You had a very brief encounter with him. Well, we did see one in Cornwall, didn't we?
31:12The idea now is to have a much closer and possibly, with luck, longer encounter.
31:20You just have to be very quiet and still and wait.
31:30I'm loving this bridge. There's really quite a lot of water going under it, isn't there?
31:37How long do we wait for? About ten minutes in your arse?
31:41Yes. Yes. I might have to shift buttocks. Yeah, I do. Maybe I've brought a couple of cushions.
31:51Oh, wake me up when it comes. Oh, God, you can't lie down this step.
32:02Oh, little kingfisher. Sweet little bird of the water.
32:11Oh. This went through. It went through?
32:13Yeah. Did you see it? I saw it, yeah.
32:16OK, so...
32:18Maybe it was my song that called it in. Yeah, I'm sure it was, I'm sure.
32:24If I may say... Yes.
32:26...searching for two elusive birds in one trip.
32:31Yes. Isn't it?
32:33Asking for trouble, yeah.
32:35It'd be funny if the bitten came through now.
32:38Mm-hm.
32:40On a lilo.
32:42I heard you're looking for me. With a cocktail.
32:45I thought I'd be there.
32:50Oh, little kingfisher.
32:53Where have you gone?
32:55Why don't you come back to me?
32:58I saw you fly past.
33:01But just saw your arse.
33:03And that's no use to me, to me.
33:07Your arse is no use to me.
33:11Right. Shall we move on?
33:13Are you calling it?
33:14West Hamor.
33:15Oh, you're giving up then.
33:16I would stay, but...
33:17Yes, of course.
33:18Honestly, if you have to go...
33:20I just don't have the patience.
33:21Yeah.
33:22Oh, God almighty!
33:25Christ!
33:27That's a way to get arthritis.
33:28It's good for us. Bird yoga.
33:30Yeah.
33:33Right, where are we off?
33:34West Hamor.
33:34Will there be some birds there?
33:36Yes.
34:10No matter how many times you look at them, Sam, they're always going to be ordinary swans.
34:14Yeah, I know.
34:15Hope springs it out.
34:16You keep looking at them thinking there's going to be something different.
34:18I know.
34:19I know.
34:20I mean, I should actually know because Hoopers and Buicks are slightly smaller.
34:24And those are massive.
34:40Well, after my St. Francis of Assisi act with the robin, I'm now walking on water.
34:48I think something great might be happening to me.
34:51You're getting a good idea.
34:52This might be the second coming.
34:54Well, it's funny you should say that because there are three mentions of Bittons in the Old Testament.
34:59Oh, yeah.
35:00Yes, in Isaiah, it talks about the total destruction of a place called Edom,
35:05under divine judgment, a return to pre-Genesis chaos.
35:11And the cormorant and the Bitton shall possess it.
35:15And the idea is that it's totally abandoned.
35:19A remote and horrible place.
35:21Well, even in biblical times, the Bitton was looking for somewhere where it really wouldn't be disturbed.
35:27Yeah.
35:27Yeah.
35:27They're that shy.
35:29I wonder what it's doing there.
35:31In this place where it can't be seen.
35:34Well, that's exactly the thing, isn't it?
35:35You are meant to wonder.
35:36You're not meant to go and see.
35:38Oh.
35:50I like this hide.
35:52It's gorgeous.
35:53It's like the, er, the bridge of the ship in which we serve.
36:03Bitton's damn quiet tonight, number one.
36:06Yes, sir.
36:08Too quiet.
36:08I haven't seen a sign of Bitton there.
36:11I haven't seen a sign of Bitton there.
36:11He's out there somewhere.
36:13Waiting.
36:15I've checked all the edges of the reeds.
36:18Good for you.
36:21There's some gadwall.
36:24Is that his missus next to him?
36:26Well, if he gets lucky, it is.
36:28Oh.
36:28The male is the grey one with the black stone.
36:31And the female looks quite like a mallard.
36:36It looks rather dull, but close up, it's absolutely pretty and beautiful.
36:48It's very peaceful in a hide, isn't it?
36:51It's such a meditative place.
36:53It is gorgeous, isn't it?
36:54A place of peace.
36:55It's a strange landscape.
36:57It's sort of lunar.
36:59It doesn't feel quite...
37:00Yeah.
37:01...earthly.
37:02Well, it's basically an old pit, isn't it?
37:04If they've dug the peat out.
37:05Yeah.
37:06And it's filled up with water.
37:11It's a very loud coot.
37:13Ooh.
37:15Yes, you were loud.
37:16That's what I'm saying.
37:18You, sir.
37:23So this Bitton...
37:24Yeah.
37:25..that is possibly standing right in front of us, disguised as a reed.
37:30Easily.
37:32And the way we are...
37:34You know, you and I are both actors.
37:37Do you think you hide in your roles?
37:39I like being someone else.
37:41I love being someone else.
37:42I think...
37:43Pretending to be someone else.
37:44I think enjoying being somebody else isn't quite the same thing as hiding in something.
37:48I know my mum really liked being somebody else,
37:51and the only time I ever saw her unhappy
37:54was when her dementia meant she could no longer learn lines
37:57and she couldn't pretend to be somebody else.
38:00Yeah.
38:01I don't know that...
38:03I mean...
38:04Bittons...
38:05If Bittons were people, they would be...
38:08Loners?
38:09Well, they would be socially really awkward.
38:12Yeah.
38:12They would shun almost all contact.
38:16And they would freeze as well.
38:18They would, you know, just hope it all goes away.
38:21Yeah.
38:35You listen very carefully.
38:40You can hear the sound of the rain on the water.
38:43It's hissing.
38:47Yeah.
38:48Thousands and thousands of tiny noises making a hiss.
38:54Fancy a cuppa?
38:56Oh, God, yes.
38:57Let's go and get the thermos.
38:58Oh, no.
39:06What's that?
39:15Did you bring a milk bottle specially?
39:18No.
39:19No.
39:19I think it's...
39:21Have you sounded bitten?
39:22Yeah, I think it's bitten here somewhere.
39:23I think I've been bitten.
39:26That was very convincing, though.
39:28Was it?
39:28Yeah.
39:29It got me fooled for a bit.
39:42It doesn't seem to be calling back.
39:48We're going to be confusing a lot of birds.
39:52I'll try a sexier one.
39:54OK.
39:54Good luck.
39:59Why was that sexy?
40:01It had rhythm.
40:03It had something.
40:04Syncopation.
40:06Well, it's brought in a cormorant.
40:20I'm afraid the bitten has eluded us again today.
40:24Back to the car?
40:25Yes, let's.
40:27My socks are getting a bit soggy.
40:31Very nice sunlight, though, through that.
40:33Gorgeous watery sunlight.
40:34Look at the raindrops hanging off the...
40:36Oh, you're off the rainds.
40:38It's beautiful.
40:39Perhaps we should go and...
40:41Go and look at some starlings.
40:42Look for a murmuration of starlings.
40:44Absolutely.
40:44Oh, it's bloody lovely.
41:14The raindrops are always in front of us.
41:15It's promising.
41:23There's a single white egret up there.
41:26Great white.
41:32There's a few in front of the tour now.
41:34Oh.
41:38Have you, um...
41:39Oh.
41:39Have you seen any starlings?
41:41Look, no, look, look.
41:42Don't listen to him.
41:43Yeah.
41:44They're over there.
41:46These they are, they're beginning.
41:47Yeah.
41:50Here they come, here they come.
41:54Oh.
42:01Oh, bloody hell.
42:02Exactly.
42:04Christ almighty.
42:06That's...
42:07enormous.
42:13Isn't that amazing?
42:15Do you look at it?
42:16It looks like one ginormous bee.
42:18Yeah, it's like a huge fish.
42:20Oh, they're going round there.
42:21If you'd never seen a flock of birds,
42:24you'd think the end of the world was coming.
42:27Wow.
42:37And the moon is out.
42:39Gorgeous.
42:39Isn't that great?
42:41Come this way.
42:43Shall I get my mealworms out?
42:46Mm-hmm.
42:48That is...
42:49extraordinary.
42:53I can't actually see anything else in my bins.
42:56No.
42:57Except starlings.
42:59Do you have any idea why they do it?
43:02Well, safety in numbers is the main thing.
43:05But they're looking for somewhere safe for the night.
43:09Look at that.
43:10No.
43:12Oh, my God.
43:16Oh, no.
43:17Listen, listen.
43:22Does this make up for your bitten?
43:25Oh, God, yeah.
43:27Thirty thousand starlings.
43:38You can see why it's called a murmuration.
43:40I mean, that felt like a murmuration.
43:42That was so beautiful.
43:44What a noise.
43:50Thank you for being here when I saw that.
43:53That was great, man.
43:54Really special.
43:58Thank you for my great-crested grieve.
44:03It's my bird of the trip.
44:05Is it?
44:05Yeah.
44:05Yeah.
44:06So, now you sound like a real bird watcher.
44:08I saw the mating dance of the great-crested grieve.
44:11It's like you're in a sitcom.
44:14Yeah.
44:14Yeah.
44:24I think they've gone to roost.
44:26Perhaps we should do the same.
44:27Yeah.
44:29Bid you adieu, Somerset.
44:31Thank you, Somerset.
44:31You've been great.
44:33See you soon.
44:33Right.
44:34To the pup.
44:39If you're interested in learning more about the birds featured
44:42and nature reserves near you,
44:44go to rspb.org.uk forward slash c5 for more information.
45:03Bye.
45:05Bye.
Comments