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Springwatch - Season Episode 5
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00:02bedraggled but still beguiling dripping but still deadly and protected underneath those feathers
00:11sleepy but still safe our buzzard chicks have survived the weekend but have all of
00:19our wildlife cast of characters time to find out it's spring watch
00:46hello and welcome to spring watch 2026 coming to you live from the national trust crumb estate here
00:53in fermanagh in northern ireland where if you were watching last week you'll know that we've made our
00:58main base for the first time it started sunny last week it ended a little bit colder we're starting
01:04sunny now it's blue sky no complaints lovely pretty good isn't it and last week we had lots of really
01:09top science triangulins you're never going to forget the triangulins i know that also what about those
01:16animals that could perceive time differently based on their mobility and their speed of vision tonight
01:23we've got moths listening to flowers pardon you heard it right moths listening to flowers that's
01:30the science item coming up later tonight but of course we've got lots of other animals too including
01:34some of my favorite foxes and this time of year it's cubs of course look at this little beauty
01:41oh that really is a beauty isn't it we're going to catch up with those a bit later on in
01:46the program
01:46so the weather did change a little bit over the weekend we had a bit of rain here in northern
01:51ireland
01:51i know in other parts of the country there it was a lovely blue sky and sunny but nevertheless our
01:57teams were out and they were really excited because there was a species that we were really hoping to
02:02capture and over the weekend they did look this is it it's the white-tailed eagle it's a fantastically
02:09impressive bird it's our largest bird of prey also called a sea eagle or a flying balm door because of
02:15that enormous broad wingspan now this individual has a satellite tag and wing tags so we know quite a lot
02:22about it from the northern irish raptor study group it was released as a chick in 2020 into loch
02:29derg in county tipperary and that was part of phase two of a reintroduction program it's a female
02:36it's six years old and what's really exciting is it's the female of the only breeding pair found in
02:42northern ireland and the pair set up its breeding territory right here in county fermanagh and it's
02:48their third breeding season they started breeding in 2024 and they are the only breeding pair in northern
02:57island in 150 years amazing exciting stuff really exciting stuff to see that and you know to get
03:04those shots took a lot of patience and field craft for another member of our team jack who's on the
03:10editing team it was pure luck that he got these photographs i mean look at them they're quite
03:15astonishing aren't they yeah for lucky snaps they're pretty good i've got to say really good um this is a
03:21different individual it's not tagged so we don't know very much about it but it's likely that it's
03:26irish born from the reintroduced birds that were that started the whole reintroduction stuff program
03:31started in 2007 and 2011 and there were a hundred birds that were introduced into the republic of
03:39ireland so amazing it's exciting stuff to see a bird that is you know that has been reintroduced it's been
03:46successful and it's doing well conservation in action and we like that but we also like the action
03:52that happens with all of the nests that we've got our cameras on here uh here are nine of them
03:56that
03:57we've got up at the moment there's a whole mixture of different there's but house martens agreed there
04:02the buzzard i tell you what look top center let's catch up with the great tits firstly let's take a
04:06look
04:06at the outside of that nest you can see there's a double box there now one of the boxes for
04:12the birds the
04:12other box is for our cameras why it looks a little bit unusual now i have to say they were
04:19doing quite
04:20well uh last week they were dealing with that hot weather they've grown a lot subsequently look they've
04:25got all the feathers on there now they've got their dark caps and their cheek patches but they've had a
04:30narrow escape yes only the fortitude of that box saved them from the predation of the pine marten
04:39we saw the pine marten last week come in and take those robin chicks away from that hole in the
04:46tree
04:46which was much larger but the hole in our nest box was sufficiently small to prevent it from getting
04:51in and luckily we had built a robust box the pine marten couldn't get in there so it had a
04:58good sniff
04:58around undoubtedly knew that those chicks were inside wouldn't be able to hear them as well as smell them
05:03of course but it leaves the scene without committing a crime so there are predators around and there has
05:11been some predators that have been successful those great tits had a lucky escape but i'm afraid it
05:15hasn't been the story for some of our other chicks and this is a nest that we hadn't even introduced
05:21you
05:21to on the live program although some of you have been watching it online on our live cameras it's the
05:26grasshopper warbler this was on thursday after the show six chicks both parents feeding all was going
05:35very well it's a ground nesting bird though so we know that those nesting nests on the ground are so
05:42vulnerable anyway settles down in the evening 11 o'clock and then it gets startled it jumps off
05:49stays close but then flies off leaving those six chicks very vulnerable and exposed something's rustling
06:00it's a predator and it is a pine marten takes one of the chicks and disposes of it in seconds
06:11it then went back and proceeded to eat all of the other five chicks in under three minutes this was
06:21surprising because if that was a female you'd expect it to have young at this time of the year and
06:26maybe
06:26take some of those chicks back even if it was a female without young or a male you might expect
06:32it to
06:33cash some of those chicks but it decided to scoff the lot so that's a really good meal for that
06:40pine
06:40martin didn't even get to know that nest chris did we and it's gone already
06:48adult comes back it's always a bit heartbreaking to see this isn't it when the adult comes back
06:52very confused tries to find its young that it's put all that effort into and eventually it decides just
06:59to sit on the nest and have a little brood the good news is though that they do tend to
07:05have multiple
07:07broods in the spring so hopefully it'll get another nest it'll have more chicks and you know fingers
07:13crossed the next lot is successful yeah up to three uh you know attempts the grasshopper warbler given
07:18they're a sub-saharan migrant that's a pretty good and if they have six eggs and then six chicks in
07:23each of those three that's 18 chances so if they do breed again which they're likely to do they'll
07:28certainly have another go when it comes to the predation of ground nesting birds like this we don't
07:31have any data for grasshopper warblers but we do for meadow pipits and they are a similar sort of
07:36where they nest in a similar place in on the ground tucked in amongst the grass and we know
07:41that 47 percent of all of their breeding attempts are interrupted by predators so frankly they're
07:48geared up to suffer that level of predation but then if you're having three attempts and you've got
07:53six young in each you get one of those away you've done your done your business really but i've got
07:57to
07:57say it wasn't just pine martins that were on the prowl over the weekend let's go live now to our
08:04bullfinch nest which is empty i say sadly empty i'm a fan of bullfinches and i was enjoying
08:10watching these last week so what happened well the adults were coming in doing their duty feeding by
08:17regurgitation a mixture of seeds and insects look at that male what a bird honestly absolutely
08:22sensational and both the male and the female were feeding those birds it dropped a little bit the
08:29nest and it wasn't that high off the ground which would have meant that any predator watching them
08:34coming in and out or catching a whiff of those chicks could each easily uh reach it and that's
08:40what happened not this time a pine martin another muster live the irish stoat some species of the
08:47stoat you find in england scotland and wales and look it comes in what it was doing there when it
08:51was
08:51moving its head around was very rapidly killing or disabling as many of those chicks as possible
08:56a couple fell out it went and retrieved those then it started coming back for the others
09:00in the interim the bullfinches come in two of the dead chicks are still there they bolt luckily quickly
09:07enough to evade the stoat which then comes back to take those two chicks away as well what we know
09:16is
09:16that at this time of year stoats feed 17 of their diet is the young birds in a nest or
09:26those birds
09:26eggs 17 so that's quite a significant part of the stoat's diet at this time of year and we mustn't
09:31demonize the stove we mustn't demonize the state because it's all part of the circle of life and you
09:36need the predators you need the prey to make it a proper ecosystem yeah i just wish they wouldn't eat
09:42bullfinches it's been a lot of predation over the weekend anything could happen keep your eyes on
09:48our live cameras online they'll be turned off at 9 30 tonight and then back on tomorrow morning at 10.
09:52so lots of action here at crumb in northern ireland yolo last week was at the nepa state in sussex
09:59i
09:59know this week over the weekend at least he's been on the move he's moved someone else found himself a
10:02new base yellow yes indeed chris yes what a difference a few days makes because last week as
10:10you said i was at nepa state and now i've come to the capital city to the big smoke i've
10:17come to london
10:20now london is home to around nine million people very familiar landmarks to all of us huge skyscrapers
10:27course the river thames going right through the middle of it but it's got lots of wildlife parakeets
10:34noisy colorful unfortunately not native and also far scarcer look at that nesting hobby using an old
10:41crow nest right in the middle of london now london is home to around 50 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons
10:48second biggest number behind new york to any city in the world and this pair we're following
10:54these are nesting on earling hospital they laid four eggs three of those eggs hatched
11:02feeding the young very carefully they grow remarkably quickly very very well fed urban
11:08peregrines actually do far better than their rural counterparts those three chicks later on
11:17became one became two another one both ring there but the third chick where did that go well the third
11:25chick unfortunately took a walk along the ledge and fell and perished it didn't make it but do you know
11:32what two chicks for a peregrine falcon as long as they make them to uh getting fledged two chicks is
11:39not
11:39too bad at all and we'll be following that nest throughout this week now over the four evenings
11:46forthcoming evenings we're coming from a different location every time and tonight i'm in hampstead heath
11:54it is north london's biggest green lung and it's got a fantastic variety of habitats here too it's important
12:04for wildlife but important for people as well the wildflower meadows here well they've recorded around 650
12:10different species of plants and animals there important for pollinators of course series of ponds
12:15here too they've recorded over 180 species of birds and that includes the kestrel my father's favorite
12:24bird the castle not doing well over in the west of the uk on the amber list of conservation concern
12:29but several pairs nesting here and it's also believe it or not a hot spot for grass snakes yes
12:37indeed just that this one really did not want to be filmed now they are curious things you know you
12:45wouldn't expect them to be city slickers at all would you but indeed they are and they are exothermic
12:52what we used to call cold-blooded and that is to the advantage of people who want to monitor them
12:58because what they do then is they put out these what they call refusia this is a felt refusia it
13:04warms up very quickly in the sun and the ecologists here have asked us to have a look underneath because
13:11snakes and other reptiles will warm themselves up now don't hold your breath because it's cooler than
13:17it was earlier on but we'll have a look anyway see if there's anything under this one
13:24no nothing there so we'll come to one more over here as i said it's cooled off quite a bit
13:30so i wasn't
13:30sure whether we were going to get anything live tonight or not no nothing there well you know that
13:37old adage everybody says ah you should have been here five minutes ago well had you been here 35 minutes
13:44who are with us i checked some other refusia here and this is what we saw
13:52carefully walked over to it picked it up by the way they check these regularly they asked us to check
13:59them and if you look carefully in there you will see a youngish grass snake curled up there to keep
14:06warm
14:07about 20 centimeters in length isn't that absolutely superb i i just i don't see enough of these at home
14:15and they're unique amongst uk's snakes because they lay eggs the others they give birth to live young
14:23because they lay eggs they've got an issue because it's quite a cold country here so what they do
14:28is they take a compost heap like this and the females bury inside and lay their eggs
14:35and let the rotting vegetation heat the eggs up now i'm not going to go digging in here it wouldn't
14:41be fair but let me show you this adrian the chief ecologist here gave us these to show you just
14:47look
14:48at this this is magnificent that is a cluster of grass snake eggs now when they're first laid they're
14:57quite soft and malleable and you can see that these hatched out because you can see the little dashes
15:04in there where they the young snakes made their way out isn't that brilliant and he's also going
15:09to be something else to show you as well because these snakes slough their skin i've got to be very
15:16very careful in how i handle this look at the size of this they slough or shed their skin the
15:22males do it
15:23twice the females do it once and judging by the size of this this belonged to a quite a sizeable
15:31female
15:31and of course this is another way to monitor to make sure that they are present here now unfortunately
15:39they are not doing well in the uk as a whole yes they're quite widespread but they are losing a
15:45lot
15:46of their habitat which is such a shame because they are beautiful beautiful animals just look at this
15:51with that black and yellow collar there why well drainage of wetlands uh loss of long grassland
16:01and what i would say is we often say okay put up nest boxes dig a pond in your garden
16:06also let's go back
16:08to the old compost heap you will help a whole host of different animals including hopefully grass snakes
16:16beautiful beautiful beautiful things right pine now to look at a woodland bird that is supremely well adapted
16:23for its habitat now in welsh we call it a dringwr bach the little climber in english it's known as
16:31the tree creeper
16:38spring in the heart of derbyshire a woodland full of life
16:48and whilst most animals here make the most of the ground or the canopy
16:54one resident experiences this world very differently
17:02they spend their lives in a vertical realm
17:07a world of uneven terrain and endless opportunity
17:16for a tree creeper this trunk is its entire world
17:27using it to forage for the majority of its food
17:32and for life here it's perfectly equipped
17:37without the strength to grip its long curved claws hook onto the bark allowing them to scurry around with ease
17:49its stiff tail acts like a brace supporting the climb
17:55while a finely curved beak probes deep into crevices that other birds cannot reach
18:08but like every perfect partnership these trees offer more than just food hidden away behind the bark
18:18lies the tree creepers greatest secret
18:24the tree creepers the tree creepers the tree creepers the tree creepers the tree creepers the tree
18:25it's being lovingly prepared by this devoted couple
18:30who take turns gathering material for their tiny nursery
18:44the tree
18:47the tree
19:00the tree
19:03but also from their hungry neighbours.
19:14A few weeks pass and the woodland fills with a new sound.
19:21Tiny chicks.
19:24The parents now rely on these vertical hunting grounds
19:28to provide enough food for an entire family.
19:33And they have their work cut out,
19:35as the chicks need feeding hundreds of times each day.
19:41So with beaks packed full,
19:44the pair work relentlessly in true tree creeper fashion.
19:51They can only climb upwards.
19:55So when they want to come down, they glide.
20:00It's a strategy that saves precious energy.
20:05Gravity does the work.
20:09Climb up.
20:14Glide down.
20:19Climb up.
20:23Glide down.
20:27These brilliant bark runners make the most of all the tree has to offer,
20:34providing tirelessly for their young.
20:40And if all goes well,
20:43by summer,
20:44a new generation of tree trunk traversers
20:47will emerge into the woodland.
21:01Well, I've come up to our production village.
21:03This is where we have a lot of our big trucks.
21:05And look at this.
21:07I mean, this is Spaghetti Junction.
21:08Just looking at that gives me anxiety.
21:11Anyway, come this way because we've got 13,310 metres of cables
21:18all going to our live cameras.
21:20And we've got between 30 and 36 live cameras on the go at one time.
21:25And this is where our team watches them all.
21:28So come inside.
21:29This is our team.
21:30Say hello, everybody.
21:32I love it in here because this is where the action happens.
21:36I mean, you just can sit in here
21:37and you can watch all of these nests.
21:40And they've been watching over the weekend.
21:41And we've had a lot of action.
21:43We've told you about some of it already.
21:44And Jack's going to update us on some more.
21:47Jack Badden's here.
21:47Yes.
21:48Which camera are you taking us to, Jack?
21:50Well, now's the time of evening
21:52when they're all sort of settling down.
21:53But there's been some cool stuff on the jetty over the weekend.
21:56So let's have a look at that camera.
21:57Jetty cam.
21:58Jetty cam.
21:59So this is where the boathouse is.
22:00So that boathouse, you can see in the top corner there,
22:02that is where the jackdaw nests are.
22:04But actually, if you spin it round,
22:05then it looks out onto the water.
22:07There we go.
22:08Joe, you're spinning it round.
22:09A lovely view over the lock.
22:11But of course, we're not just watching these cameras throughout the day.
22:13We're also watching them into the night as well.
22:15So there's been some interesting nocturnes.
22:17Very spooky setting there.
22:19That's beautiful.
22:19It is really beautiful.
22:20Reflection on the water.
22:21And lots of life still at night.
22:23There's so many bats here at Krum.
22:25There's all the species of bat that you can find in Ireland,
22:27you can find here on this estate.
22:29So they're emerging from here.
22:30And just like the swallows and the housemines are in the daytime,
22:33they're going out to hunt all those insects.
22:35The ones flying low over the water there,
22:37likely to be Dorbenton's bats.
22:39Great to see.
22:40So that's really, really good.
22:41But actually, that same evening that the bats are coming out,
22:43there is, I think,
22:45I don't know whether I want to big it up quite this much,
22:47but I think it's genuinely one of the coolest things
22:48we've ever filmed on the Springwatch cameras.
22:50Wow, that's quite a statement.
22:51Have a look at this.
22:52And hats off to Eleanor and Amy for filming this
22:55and being awake at 2.56 a.m.
22:57to spot a meteor coming out of the sky.
23:02That is cool.
23:03Let's watch it one more time.
23:04It's so cool.
23:05I mean, it's rare to be able to get such a good shot
23:09because you're never in the right place at the right time
23:11with the camera pointing into the right middle of the sky.
23:14It was just fantastic.
23:16And also, it's so nice for them because, you know, let's face it,
23:19sitting in here at night time when there's nothing happening,
23:22you need something to wake you up a bit, don't you?
23:24Absolutely.
23:25We've got some really nice things on the jetty in the daytime as well.
23:28Let's have a look at something equally bright, maybe, as a meteor.
23:31It comes down in the bottom corner there.
23:33Oh, that's not easy to see.
23:34It's coming closer at Kingfisher.
23:36It comes back and we get beautiful views of it.
23:38So this is a female Kingfisher based on the extent of the orange
23:41on that lower mandible,
23:42and we get to watch it fishing off the jetty.
23:43We hear it actually catches a small pike,
23:45which is an apex predator in a freshwater environment,
23:48but this one's not quite going to make it to that age.
23:51Part of the ecosystem, though, isn't it?
23:53Yeah, and this female Kingfisher doing exactly what they do,
23:56smashing it on the side to incapacitate it
23:58and then swallowing it down headfirst.
24:00So it does a lot of fishing off of this jetty,
24:02getting increasingly wet in the process,
24:04but still looking nonetheless very, very beautiful,
24:07cocking its tail as well.
24:08If you get to watch a Kingfisher for a long time stationary,
24:10and you see they flick that little tail up and down,
24:14which is really, really nice.
24:15Probably got a nest somewhere close by,
24:17not that we've managed to find it,
24:18and then flies up here onto the posts on the edge of the jetty.
24:21This is where Fish Cam is.
24:23Dives into the water,
24:24but unfortunately not that time.
24:26The holy grail of Fish Cam.
24:27That would be good.
24:28That would be very cool.
24:29Be to get a Kingfisher.
24:30Great to see Kingfisher.
24:31So, I mean, I always get terribly excited
24:33when I see that flash of colour along the river.
24:35Why don't we go to our buzzard cam?
24:37Let's have a look at that.
24:38Yeah, let's have a look at these guys.
24:39It's not quite,
24:40been quite as dramatic over the weekend
24:42as some of the other cameras.
24:42Well, thank goodness.
24:43You've already talked about in the show.
24:44Quite, yeah.
24:45So we've got two healthy chicks in here,
24:47and they seem to be doing really, really well.
24:49They're very snoozy at the minute,
24:50as many of our animals are,
24:51as they're settling down for the evening.
24:53They've had to endure a lot of rain over the weekend,
24:55haven't they?
24:55The weather's certainly changed.
24:57Yeah, so this is the male bird here,
24:59high up in their tree.
25:00There's been a lot of rain,
25:02and the adults have been bringing in
25:04lots of sprigs of trees and bushes.
25:07This is a bit of ewe here,
25:08and we know that birds of prey
25:10bring in fresh bits of vegetation,
25:11maybe for anti-parasitic properties,
25:14and ewe is very toxic.
25:16This...
25:17Comical.
25:18Yeah, it decides to take those antibacterial things
25:21one stage further and wear it on itself.
25:23High fashion.
25:24And then its sibling takes it even a step further
25:26and decides you are what you eat
25:28and decides to have a bit of amphibian wing
25:30and sticks a frog congealed to the side of its body.
25:35They're eating so many frogs
25:36and obviously decides to make a bit of a fashion statement.
25:39I know, that's quite disgusting.
25:40Saving it for later, like you would, you know,
25:42a bit of biscuit stuck in my moustache,
25:44I'll save that for later, you know what I mean?
25:45A tree creeper, we saw the film of that earlier,
25:48coming up the tree and then decides
25:49maybe it shouldn't hang around for too long
25:51and flies away.
25:52The chicks are getting really well fed
25:53and obviously what goes in must come out
25:55in various forms.
25:56They're coughing out pellets
25:58of the indigestible material
26:00and it's lots of food being brought to them.
26:03Some really varied and interesting stuff.
26:05This is the most interesting thing we've seen so far.
26:08They're bringing in bats.
26:10Originally, we thought it was just one bat,
26:12this clip here,
26:14but we actually saw this again this afternoon.
26:16This is a species of myotis bat.
26:18Our best guess is that it's maybe a natteras
26:20and it doesn't quite go down.
26:22Looks like it's wearing a very impressive moustache.
26:25But how on earth the buzzard is catching the bat,
26:27we're really not sure.
26:29Really varied diet, as I said.
26:31And then here, in the rain, being sheltered
26:33and then they're growing up nicely now.
26:35We're starting to see those flight feathers
26:36come through on the edge of the wing
26:38and they're starting to walk around a lot,
26:40do a bit more wing flapping.
26:41So all in all, the buzzards are doing pretty well.
26:44They seem to have calmed down a bit as well.
26:45Yeah, they have.
26:46There's still a little bit of niggling.
26:47There's still one that's pecking,
26:48but the other one's catching up.
26:50They're of an equal size.
26:51And I think, fingers crossed,
26:52they're going to be OK.
26:53I really hope, actually,
26:54that we can do a menu
26:56and just see what is on their menu
26:58because it really has been incredibly varied.
27:01And they're very opportunistic.
27:02They'll go for more or less anything.
27:03But, Jack, you haven't just been sitting in here
27:05over the weekend.
27:06You've been out and about
27:07and putting some new cameras up for us.
27:08Yeah, so part of my job is to roam
27:10sort of all around the area
27:11and find as many different wildlife stories as I can.
27:13And one spot, not too far from here,
27:15I came across a very interesting log pile.
27:24It was about a week ago
27:25that I first came to this area,
27:27a lovely bit of wet grassland
27:29on the edge of the lock.
27:30And as you're walking through it,
27:32you start to notice
27:34crisscrossing animal tracks,
27:35well-defined,
27:36coming through the grass
27:37and through the rush,
27:38but all converging in one spot
27:40over there.
27:43And as you get closer to the point
27:45where all the paths come together,
27:47you start finding things in the grass.
27:50Look at this.
27:54This is the jaw of a pike
27:57that's been dragged up here
27:58and devoured.
28:00But that's not all that's here.
28:02There's plenty of other things
28:03lying around too.
28:05And this
28:06is the end of the line.
28:10This big old
28:11pile of logs.
28:13There's a few more
28:14prey remains
28:16scattered around.
28:19This
28:19is a fox den.
28:25We're using
28:26a series of camera traps
28:27to watch the den
28:28spread all around
28:29covering different angles
28:30so that we can be
28:32as unobtrusive as possible.
28:34And we're only visiting
28:35every few days
28:36so that these foxes
28:38living in this very remote area
28:40aren't spooked.
28:45So
28:46we've got our cards.
28:47Let's see
28:48what those cameras have seen
28:49in the last few days.
28:58This is really nice.
29:03So
29:03this one is playing
29:04with a bit of the jawbone
29:05that we actually saw
29:06when we were out there.
29:08And it's practising.
29:10It's
29:11throwing it round.
29:11It's biting.
29:12It's playing with it
29:12just like a dog.
29:17Chewing on it.
29:19Pouncing on it.
29:22All the behaviours
29:23that it'll need
29:23when it grows up.
29:27Having a little scratch.
29:28Perfectly set.
29:32In front of the camera.
29:33That's beautiful.
29:34Okay, let's see what else
29:35we've got on here.
29:36So
29:37this is
29:38one of my favourite cameras
29:39because this is
29:40the close angle view
29:41that we've got.
29:42So this one looks promising.
29:43Let's have a look at this.
29:46Yes,
29:46this is where the foxes emerge.
29:49Spot something on the grass.
29:50There's a little bug on the grass.
29:55It just chomps it.
29:57Once again,
29:58practising those hunting skills
30:01on something
30:01that's not going to pose
30:02it too much trouble.
30:06It's some really nice stuff
30:07from the last few days.
30:20It's great to just get
30:21a little insight
30:22into their world
30:23all the way out there.
30:25And we're very much
30:26looking forward
30:26to following these
30:27throughout the rest of the series.
30:32Nice find.
30:33Nice find.
30:34Do you have any idea
30:35how many cubs are there?
30:36Well, the max we've recorded
30:37on a camera trap
30:37at any one time is three.
30:38Okay.
30:39So at least three.
30:40Any idea what age?
30:41Probably about five weeks old,
30:42a month or so just over.
30:44So we're hopefully
30:44going to keep an eye on them
30:45and update a little bit
30:46later in the series.
30:47Well, hopefully we'll see
30:48a lot more of them.
30:49There we go, Chris.
30:50Your favourite mammal.
30:51Those were done
30:52specially for you.
30:54Fox is simply the best.
30:56Only one thing
30:56tops a fox.
30:58It's a poodle.
30:59Anyway, that doesn't
30:59really count.
31:00And whilst we're on mammals,
31:01I can tell you a little story.
31:03At the end of last summer,
31:04I got a message
31:05from two young people
31:06down in the West Country,
31:07Eva and Emily.
31:08We said they were
31:09putting out a project
31:10where they were conserving
31:11one of our most
31:13rapidly declining mammals.
31:15What was it?
31:16And I'll give you a clue.
31:17It's our smallest rodent.
31:19It weighs less
31:20than a two pence piece.
31:22That's between
31:22four and six grams.
31:24It plays a vital role
31:25in ecosystems
31:27and, I've got to accept,
31:29it's undeniably cute.
31:32What's in the tank?
31:33This is a harvest mouse.
31:35Harvest mouse.
31:36What is it about
31:37harvest mice
31:37that really excites you?
31:39They're so tiny,
31:39but they play such a huge part
31:41in this ecosystem.
31:42Even if that doesn't mean
31:43one in...
31:4499 in 100
31:45do get eaten.
31:46Getting eaten
31:47is part of an ecosystem,
31:48isn't it?
31:49Yeah, it's amazing.
31:49It is, it is.
31:50So, look, how did you get
31:51into harvest mice?
31:52So, it started a few years ago.
31:54We went to Derek Gow's
31:56rewilding centre
31:56where he breeds
31:57native British wildlife.
31:58And I saw the harvest mice
32:00and I've always been
32:00into conservation.
32:02So I thought,
32:02why not do harvest mice?
32:04Emily, what brought you
32:05into this project?
32:06Well, I met Eva
32:07when I joined high school
32:08and then, well,
32:10I moved several mice
32:11into my bedroom
32:11and then we had to
32:13expand to my garage.
32:14But now,
32:15tell me a bit
32:15about this space we were in.
32:17Well, when some friends
32:17bought this
32:18a couple of years ago,
32:19we decided
32:20it's going to be
32:20a new nature reserve.
32:21We decided it would be
32:22amazing to introduce
32:23harvest mice here.
32:25Fantastic.
32:25Because you mentioned
32:26one in a hundred survives.
32:28Yeah.
32:28Many of them get eaten
32:29by things such as
32:31weasels,
32:32other rodents
32:33have even eaten.
32:33Other rodents, yes.
32:34Owls, of course.
32:36Birds of prey.
32:36Snakes.
32:37Snakes.
32:38I mean, they are really
32:39a sort of,
32:40I hate to say,
32:40a very, very beautiful
32:42little rodent burger
32:43for quite a lot
32:44of animals,
32:45aren't they?
32:45Which is why
32:46your project's
32:47going to be going on.
32:48So we're going
32:48to release some mice today.
32:49Tell me a little bit
32:49about this.
32:50What's the idea?
32:50We're going to put them
32:51in here.
32:52Basically, they've got
32:53everything they need
32:53and they have tiny holes
32:56to get in and out
32:57because they're
32:57the smallest mammal
32:58in Britain.
32:58OK.
32:59So they can get out
33:00whenever they want to
33:01but nothing else
33:01can get in.
33:12Oh, look.
33:13No, no, no, no.
33:14Oh, no, no.
33:15I'll take this.
33:15Take this.
33:16Oh, second.
33:17I'll do it with you.
33:18Oh, there's another one.
33:19No.
33:20There they go.
33:21Oh, he's gone between my legs.
33:23Is he?
33:23It's there.
33:24It's gone.
33:25I think we've soft-released him.
33:28Listen, I've really,
33:29really enjoyed myself.
33:31Thank you so much.
33:31It's so inspirational
33:32the fact that you're
33:33prepared to breed these
33:34in your garage
33:35and then come out here
33:36and have a go
33:37is what's making
33:37a difference for wildlife.
33:39Top, top work.
33:41Top work, both of you.
33:42So, so good.
33:46Top work indeed.
33:48But did the top work pay off?
33:50Well, I contacted
33:51Eva and Emily
33:52again earlier this spring
33:53and said, you know,
33:55did they make it?
33:55Did any of them make it?
33:57And they told me
33:58that it had been
33:58a roaring success.
34:00How do they know?
34:01Well, this is how they know.
34:04Because they went out
34:05into that environment
34:06where they'd released the mice
34:08and they found this.
34:09And this is a harvest mouse nest.
34:11Now, they weren't previously there.
34:13So clearly those mice
34:14they released had made them.
34:15And they make them
34:16by stripping some living leaves
34:19about halfway up a stalk
34:20and they act as the framework.
34:22And then they bring in
34:23other material
34:24and they make this little ball
34:25about 10 centimetres
34:26in diameter like this.
34:28And during the summertime
34:29they'll use this
34:30as their little nest
34:31into which they give birth
34:33to their youngsters.
34:35And you'll find them
34:36in rushes, in sedges,
34:38in brambles, in grass,
34:39in cereals.
34:40And this is how you can
34:41typically find out
34:42if there are harvest mice
34:43in that area.
34:44And Emily and Eva
34:46found this nest in that area
34:48proving it was a success.
34:49And it gets even better
34:50because last week
34:51they released
34:51another 50 mice
34:53out into that site.
34:55Now, I've got to tell you
34:57they were under the tutelage
34:58and mentorship
34:59of one of conservation's legends,
35:02the one and only
35:03Derek Gall,
35:04a real conservation doer.
35:05So they had plenty
35:07of top advice.
35:08So don't feel tempted
35:08to go and get your own
35:09harvest mice
35:10and start chucking them out.
35:11They are working on a plan,
35:13however.
35:13I think they're thinking
35:14about calling wild pets,
35:15which would encourage
35:16young people
35:17not to keep hamsters
35:18and gerbils,
35:19but to keep species
35:20of conservation concern
35:21under proper guidance
35:22and then release them
35:23back into the wild.
35:25And that would be
35:26truly sensational.
35:27I'll say it again,
35:27top work,
35:28Eva and Emily.
35:29It's a really brilliant,
35:30brilliant project.
35:31Now, look,
35:32I live in the New Forest
35:33in Hampshire.
35:33They're way down
35:34in the West Country.
35:35Harvest mice are harvest mice,
35:37undeniably cute.
35:38And I really like supporting
35:39the work that young people do.
35:40But there was another incentive
35:42to go down there
35:43in the form of,
35:45yes,
35:46vegan harvest mouse cupcakes
35:48made by Katie Atkins.
35:51And I've got to tell you,
35:52they were delicious,
35:53absolutely delicious.
35:55And I know another man
35:56who can be tempted
35:57anywhere by a cake,
35:58the one and only
35:59Yolo Williams,
36:01who has set himself up
36:03in Hampstead Heath
36:04in London,
36:04where I happen to know
36:05there are a number
36:06of very, very good bakeries.
36:10Yes, indeed, Chris,
36:12there are plenty
36:13of very good bakeries,
36:14aren't there?
36:14I've sampled
36:15each and every one of them
36:16and I can tell you
36:17there are some
36:18great Victoria sponges
36:20out and about.
36:21Now, there's one
36:23very secret,
36:24very invasive,
36:25very specialist
36:26species of spider
36:28found here
36:29on Hampstead Heath.
36:30It's called
36:31the purse web spider.
36:33Very, very difficult
36:35to find.
36:35Now, I'm sure some of you
36:36say, well,
36:36don't bother looking
36:37for the spider,
36:38look for the web.
36:39Well, you see,
36:40they camouflage
36:41their web
36:42extremely well.
36:43Well, you know me,
36:44I like a challenge.
36:46So, last weekend,
36:47even before I had
36:48time for a shave,
36:49I went out
36:50to look for it.
36:54Now, this spider
36:55is more closely
36:56rated to tarantulas
36:58and trapdoor spiders
36:59than any of
37:01the British species
37:02and it's easy
37:03to see why.
37:04This is the web
37:06covered in soil
37:09and in bits of grass.
37:10It's beautifully
37:12camouflaged
37:13and I wouldn't mind
37:14betting hardly anybody
37:16knows these spiders
37:18are here.
37:18The tunnel
37:21will extend
37:22several centimetres
37:23underground
37:24and at the base
37:25will be a spider
37:27just waiting
37:28for a small insect
37:29to crawl
37:30over the web.
37:32The vibrations
37:33alert the spider.
37:35It comes rushing
37:36underneath
37:38the web here
37:39and then
37:40these fangs
37:41come out
37:42and grab the prey
37:44and it pulls it through.
37:46It then repairs
37:47that section
37:48of web
37:49retreats back
37:50underground
37:51and eats its food.
37:53It's the stuff
37:54of horror films really.
37:56Do you know what?
37:57They are remarkable
37:58spiders
37:59and if left undisturbed
38:01the female
38:01never leaves
38:03that web.
38:05The male will
38:06late summer
38:06to go and look
38:07for a mate.
38:08Isn't that remarkable?
38:09Now then,
38:10they are quite scarce.
38:12They're found
38:12in the south east
38:14of England mainly.
38:15Some scattered populations
38:16mainly coastal ones
38:17elsewhere.
38:18What do they need?
38:19Well,
38:20they need south facing slopes.
38:21They need
38:22sandy,
38:23chalky soils
38:24where they can dig.
38:26Now,
38:26let me show you
38:27how this works.
38:28You need a bit of
38:29imagination here,
38:30right?
38:30I have a prop.
38:32Here we go.
38:33Right, okay.
38:34Thanks to Kate
38:35for this.
38:36Now,
38:36this is the tunnel
38:38of the purse web spider.
38:41Okay,
38:41it's dark in there.
38:42You can't see it
38:43because you're not
38:43supposed to see it.
38:44It's a dark tunnel.
38:45But then,
38:47an insect
38:48goes over the top
38:50of the well-camouflaged
38:51web here
38:52and when the spider
38:53comes out,
38:54it comes out
38:55upside down
38:57walking against
38:59the top
39:00of that web.
39:01It puts its
39:03chelicerae
39:04straight through there
39:05like that.
39:07It gets hold
39:08of the prey
39:09and then
39:10it drags it down.
39:13It repairs the web
39:15before then
39:16retreating
39:17all the way
39:18back down
39:19into the tunnel.
39:20Isn't that remarkable?
39:22And what's even
39:23more remarkable
39:24is we have
39:24this film
39:25sent in to us
39:26by a Belgian
39:28ecologist
39:29of a purse
39:30web spider
39:31artwork.
39:32Just take a look
39:33at this.
39:33There's a fleshfly
39:35on the web.
39:36It sucks it down.
39:38Look at that.
39:41Just drags it down,
39:43disappears.
39:43Then it takes time
39:44to patch up
39:45that web
39:48before
39:52retreating
39:52right down
39:53to eat.
39:55Isn't that remarkable?
39:56That is absolutely
39:57brilliant.
39:57Now let me
39:58show you
39:59the difference
39:59between the male
40:01and the female.
40:02Let's have a look
40:02at this.
40:03You can see there
40:05the male
40:06on the left
40:07and the female
40:08on the right.
40:08Now they look
40:09like huge.
40:10They look as if
40:11they're three feet long
40:12but people of
40:12Hampstead Heath
40:13don't worry.
40:14The male is
40:15barely a centimetre
40:17and the female
40:18is barely
40:18two centimetres
40:19but look at
40:20the size
40:21of those
40:22chelicerae,
40:23the fangs
40:23they have.
40:24Huge,
40:25huge fangs.
40:26And also
40:27look at the colour.
40:28The colour
40:28of the male
40:29is much darker
40:30than that
40:31of the female.
40:33Remarkable
40:34spiders.
40:35Remarkable
40:36and very
40:37scarce
40:37spiders.
40:39Now
40:40if you live
40:41in the countryside
40:41it can be
40:42sometimes very
40:43difficult
40:43to meet up
40:44with like-minded
40:46naturalists
40:47and that's
40:47exactly what
40:48Humphrey Keeper
40:50thought
40:50when he moved
40:51down to
40:52rural Cornwall.
40:53But he was
40:54delighted
40:54to find
40:55that he wasn't
40:56the only
40:57moth-mad
40:58individual
40:59around.
41:05The question
41:06of when
41:07did I first
41:08get into
41:08wildlife
41:08is a really
41:09tricky one
41:09for me
41:10because I
41:10feel like
41:11I've kind of
41:12always been
41:13into wildlife.
41:15From the day
41:16I could walk
41:16I've been
41:17you know
41:18rootling around
41:19in vegetation
41:19looking for
41:20things.
41:23Oh my
41:23goodness
41:24it's bee
41:25heaven.
41:28What's
41:29quite
41:29peculiar
41:29I suppose
41:30is the
41:30fact that
41:31no one
41:31else in
41:32my family
41:32is really
41:32into
41:33wildlife
41:34at least
41:35to the
41:35degree
41:35I am
41:35you know.
41:40Oh yes
41:41oh it's a
41:42stonker as
41:42well.
41:44They're not
41:44going to be
41:44lifting up
41:45as many
41:45as many
41:46rocks
41:46as I
41:46am.
41:49It's okay.
41:50Run away.
41:57When I was
41:58growing up
41:59I was aware
42:00of having
42:00an upper
42:00limb difference
42:01it's a very
42:02visual disability
42:02and that
42:04always kind
42:04of made
42:04me feel
42:05quite different
42:07whether or not
42:08that's wrong
42:08or right
42:09I did feel
42:10different
42:10and I felt
42:11that that gave
42:12me kind of
42:12free reign
42:13to enjoy
42:14very different
42:15pursuits
42:17and my
42:18study of
42:19invertebrates
42:20which has
42:20continued to
42:21this day
42:22is definitely
42:22one of those
42:23pursuits.
42:27I almost
42:27fell out of
42:28love with
42:29the natural
42:29world at
42:30secondary school
42:31but I came
42:32down to
42:32university
42:32here in
42:33lovely
42:34Cornwall
42:34and my
42:36interest was
42:36kind of
42:36really strongly
42:37reignited
42:38so moth and
42:39butterflies
42:39in particular
42:40and realised
42:41how incredible
42:42those species
42:43are.
42:45moths are
42:46much much
42:47more diverse
42:48than butterflies
42:48are in the
42:49UK
42:49we've got
42:50double digits
42:50of butterflies
42:52we've got
42:52quadruple digits
42:53of moths
42:58so moth names
43:00are bonkers
43:02they can be
43:02named anything
43:03from a kind
43:03of fairly
43:04normal name
43:05like an oak
43:05egger
43:06that's even
43:06quite weird
43:07because why
43:07is it called
43:08an egger
43:09to the
43:10confused
43:11why is it
43:12called the
43:12confused
43:12the moth
43:13isn't confused
43:14it's just
43:14we're confused
43:15because we
43:15can't identify
43:16it
43:17some of our
43:18moths will
43:19migrate
43:19like some
43:20birds do
43:21and like
43:21most insects
43:22that migrate
43:23these moths
43:24won't do it
43:25in one
43:26generation
43:26they're not
43:27able to
43:27travel that
43:28far on
43:28one lifespan
43:29so what
43:30they'll do
43:31is that
43:31they'll
43:31cross the
43:32channel
43:32here
43:33then they'll
43:33lay some
43:33eggs
43:34and they'll
43:34die
43:34and they'll
43:35produce
43:35another
43:36generation
43:36that will
43:37proceed
43:37to continue
43:37going south
43:38and they'll
43:38do that
43:39over and
43:39over again
43:40which is a
43:40thing called
43:41multi-generational
43:42migrants
43:44I wish they
43:45could do it
43:45all in one
43:46because then
43:46they'd get to
43:46see the whole
43:47thing
43:47it's quite a
43:48sad thing
43:49actually
43:49that they
43:49only really
43:50get to see
43:50a kind of
43:51short distance
43:51of the
43:52overall
43:52migration
43:54insects
43:55migrate
43:55very very
43:56high up
43:56into the
43:56sky
43:57fortunately
43:58for us
43:58mountains
43:59are also
43:59very high
44:00in the
44:00sky
44:00and this
44:01provides
44:01us a
44:02sort of
44:02platform
44:02to be
44:03able to
44:03see
44:03them
44:06so in
44:06the
44:06Pyrenees
44:07there's a
44:07very high
44:08mountain
44:08path
44:09and up
44:10there
44:11you're
44:11able to
44:11see
44:12the
44:12insects
44:13that
44:13migrate
44:13down
44:14the
44:14West
44:14European
44:14flyway
44:16the
44:16air
44:16is
44:17thick
44:17with
44:17flies
44:18and
44:18dragonflies
44:19and butterflies
44:20and all manner
44:21of flying insects
44:22on their way south
44:23for winter
44:27so here
44:28on the south coast
44:30of Cornwall
44:30on the lizard
44:31for moths
44:32migrating from Europe
44:33this is the place
44:34that they might be
44:34making first land
44:35for
44:38since leaving
44:39university
44:40I've been
44:41coming back
44:41into Cornwall
44:42quite a lot
44:42I fell in
44:43with
44:43some might
44:44say a bad
44:45group of
44:45people
44:45others might
44:46say a good
44:47group of
44:47people
44:48who are
44:48also into
44:49invertebrates
44:50it's a brilliant
44:51way of everyone
44:52getting together
44:52and going out
44:53and seeing new
44:54species
44:54and it's just a
44:56lovely way to
44:56spend an evening
44:59moth trapping
45:00for me
45:01it's a really
45:01wonderful
45:02communal thing
45:03you can all
45:03get around
45:04the moth trap
45:04you don't have
45:05to chat
45:05about moths
45:06but we usually
45:07do
45:09what has it
45:10got
45:13is it a
45:14coronet
45:16yeah it's a
45:17marbled
45:17coronet
45:21another brilliant
45:22thing about
45:23moth trapping
45:23is that
45:24what you're
45:24doing is
45:25you're collecting
45:25data for a
45:27nationwide network
45:28of recorders
45:29so it's not
45:30just a kind
45:30of frivolous
45:31pursuit
45:31you're actually
45:32getting real
45:33science
45:35oh my goodness
45:36what
45:37is it a
45:37garden tiger
45:38oh yeah
45:39holy moly
45:41look at the
45:42size of it
45:43we were not
45:44expecting this
45:47I think the
45:48thing about
45:48invertebrates is
45:50no matter how
45:51old you are
45:52or how long
45:53you've been
45:54doing it
45:54you'll always
45:55see new
45:55things
45:57every time I
45:57go up I
45:58always either
45:58see a new
45:59species or a
46:00species doing
46:00something new
46:01and that's
46:01what I think
46:01I love about
46:02them
46:02so
46:04moth
46:05moth
46:07it's moth
46:07mania
46:12I just can't
46:13get away from
46:14this kind of
46:15mothing social
46:16group that we've
46:17created down
46:17here
46:18it's a reason
46:19it's an excuse
46:20to get together
46:21with friends
46:23outside in a
46:24beautiful place
46:24at a beautiful
46:25time of year
46:28moth mania
46:29we love a bit
46:30of moth mania
46:31I'm very pleased
46:32to say I've been
46:33joined by Lucy
46:33Lapwing our
46:34wildlife researcher
46:35and prop maker
46:37extraordinaire
46:38extraordinaire
46:38your props are
46:39brilliant but also
46:40you like a bit of
46:41moth mania
46:42and at this time of
46:42year we set our
46:44moth traps
46:45we do a lot
46:46and it's the best
46:47time of year to do
46:48it spring summer
46:49there's so many
46:50moths on the wing
46:50there's such a
46:51variety which is
46:52obviously really
46:52exciting
46:53this time of year
46:54obviously moths are
46:55flying around
46:55we've got a five
46:56spot burnet here
46:57so whether you've
46:58got a night
46:59fly moth
46:59a day fly moth
47:00they're busy
47:01looking for food
47:02quite often but
47:03also more importantly
47:04looking to mate
47:05and then finding
47:06somewhere that's
47:07perfect to lay
47:08their eggs
47:08so you know
47:09there's quite a lot
47:10of decisions to be
47:10made there
47:11they want to pick
47:11the best food plant
47:13for their young
47:13and in the case
47:15of this five
47:15spot burnet
47:16they'll be looking
47:16for something like
47:17bird's foot trefoil
47:18but a very healthy
47:20bird's foot trefoil
47:21and they'll be using
47:22different sensors to do
47:23that
47:23yeah but they're
47:24taking a risk
47:24I mean that moth
47:25is flying around
47:26in broad daylight
47:27but it's advertising
47:28through its black
47:28and red colouration
47:29the fact that it's
47:30very distasteful
47:31so it's putting
47:31any predators off
47:33but many of the moths
47:34that we catch in our
47:35trap are flying around
47:36at night when they're
47:36vulnerable to all
47:37sorts of things
47:38notably bats
47:39and look
47:39have a look at this
47:40one Luce
47:41this is a greater
47:42wax moth
47:44a greater wax moth
47:45firstly two questions
47:46have you ever seen one
47:47no
47:48secondly points out
47:49a ten for the
47:50appearance of the
47:51wax moth
47:51I mean Chris
47:52I do love a brown
47:53job of a moth
47:54I know you do
47:54this one is
47:56particularly drab
47:56it's pushing it
47:57isn't it really
47:58that is not the
47:59world's sexiest
48:00moth
48:00but it is
48:01one of the world's
48:02most interesting
48:03animals
48:03because it has the
48:05capacity to hear
48:06at 300 kilohertz
48:09300 kilohertz
48:10so that's
48:11300,000
48:13cycles per second
48:15vibrations per second
48:16that's very high
48:18frequency sounds
48:19the sounds that are
48:20made by bats
48:21when they're
48:22echolocating
48:23so all of these
48:24bats flying around
48:24they're in an arms race
48:26with those bats
48:26if they can hear them
48:28coming then they can
48:28avoid getting eaten by
48:30them
48:30but 300,000 hertz
48:32is a very high
48:33frequency
48:33to put it in perspective
48:34we can only hear
48:36between 20 hertz
48:37and 20,000 hertz
48:39so considerably
48:40less than those
48:42moths
48:43our hearing is nowhere
48:44near as good at that
48:45but when it comes to
48:47actually finding
48:48the plants
48:49that they want
48:49to lay their eggs
48:50on
48:50those wax moths
48:52have got a trick
48:52up their sleeve
48:53they have
48:54yes
48:54so scientists
48:55have been looking
48:55at this
48:56and what they've
48:57been doing
48:57is looking at
48:57the two different
48:58states that plants
48:59can be in
49:00so I have got a prop
49:01be pleased here
49:02so we'll look at
49:03two plants
49:03these are two nettles
49:04now on the face of it
49:06they look quite similar
49:07but there is a
49:08difference between them
49:09so first if we look
49:09at this one on the left
49:10this is a healthy
49:12hydrated plant
49:13if we peel this away
49:14to look inside
49:15we can see it is
49:17full of water
49:18now being drawn up
49:19from the roots
49:20that water is packing
49:21the stem and moving
49:22to the leaves
49:22you've got loads
49:23and loads of tightly
49:24packed water molecules
49:25there in a continuous
49:27chain
49:28now this plant
49:29on the right
49:29might look healthy
49:30on the face of it
49:31it's not like drooping
49:32or wilted
49:33but if we peel this
49:34away and look inside
49:35we can see that
49:36this plant is dehydrated
49:38so it has less water
49:40in it
49:41fewer water molecules
49:42and that is reducing
49:44the pressure
49:44the water pressure
49:45inside of this plant
49:46now once that reaches
49:48past a certain point
49:49it means that air
49:50is drawn into the plant
49:52and that creates
49:54kind of air pockets
49:55air bubbles
49:56little bits of air
49:58inside of there
49:58now
50:00obviously these
50:01form quite rapidly
50:02they're very very small
50:03they form very rapidly
50:03and they expand
50:05and then collapse
50:05very quickly
50:06so
50:07you'll find
50:08ineffectively
50:09they're sort of popping
50:10so you hear this
50:11pop
50:11pop
50:12and the moths
50:13with their super hearing
50:15that you just described
50:16can pick up
50:17on the vibrations
50:18of those tiny little
50:19pockets of air
50:19collapsing
50:20so they're effectively
50:21hearing the plant
50:23in distress
50:24you could describe it
50:25as the plant's kind of
50:26screaming really
50:27a screaming plant
50:28well thanks to the
50:30scientists at
50:30Tel Aviv
50:31at university
50:32we can now listen
50:33to a screaming plant
50:39it's not going to send
50:40a shiver down your spine
50:41I've got to say
50:41and it is of course
50:43sound that we've
50:43transformed
50:44because if it was
50:45at the frequency
50:45that it was being
50:46produced and heard
50:47by the moth
50:47we wouldn't be able
50:48to hear it
50:48so we've lowered that
50:49as you would
50:50with a bat detector
50:50so it's audible
50:51to us
50:52but that is the sound
50:54that the moth
50:55is listening to
50:58the key thing is
50:59what's it telling
51:00the moth
51:01well the plant
51:02itself isn't
51:03communicating with
51:04the moth
51:04it's more that the
51:05moths are picking up
51:06on those signs of
51:06distress that they can
51:07hear
51:08but what scientists
51:10have proven is that
51:11the moths are actively
51:12kind of making this
51:13decision
51:13they're selecting it
51:14because of the sound
51:15it's not other factors
51:16that are involved
51:16and the way that they
51:17tested this was that
51:18they took two plants
51:19that were healthy
51:20so equally hydrated
51:21nice and watered
51:22and they took a speaker
51:24and they placed it next
51:25to one of those two
51:26plants
51:26and through that speaker
51:28they played that sound
51:29that we've just heard
51:29but at the moth's
51:30frequency
51:31the sound
51:31that a plant makes
51:33when it is stressed
51:34when it's dehydrated
51:35except the plant wasn't
51:36it was perfectly healthy
51:37it was perfectly healthy
51:38so the moth
51:39in these experiments
51:40would still avoid
51:41that plant
51:42that was making the noise
51:43even though it's
51:44perfectly healthy
51:44and fly off
51:45and lay its eggs
51:46on a quiet plant
51:47so it goes to show
51:48that that's factoring
51:50into the decision
51:50and it does make sense
51:51you know
51:51from a moth's point of view
51:53they want to lay their eggs
51:54on a plant
51:54that's going to be
51:55the best food source
51:56for their caterpillars
51:57that's going to give them
51:57the best chance
51:58of surviving
51:59and if it's already
51:59wilting
52:00the plant might perish
52:02before those eggs hatch
52:03or the caterpillars
52:04will eat your point of maturity
52:05exactly
52:06it's just amazing
52:06isn't it
52:08absolutely brilliant
52:09and the thing is
52:09this isn't just necessarily
52:11restricted just to moths
52:12scientists do suspect
52:13that it could be
52:14other animals as well
52:15so we know things like
52:16mice have excellent hearing
52:17or there could even be
52:19some kind of plant
52:19to plant cue going on
52:20so they're really just
52:21lifting the lid on this
52:22there could be plenty more
52:23science to come
52:24which is like
52:24mind-blowing
52:25and exciting
52:27moths
52:28listening to plants
52:29at very high frequencies
52:31so that they can choose
52:32where to lay their eggs
52:33potentially happening
52:34because greater
52:35wax moths can be found
52:37all over the world
52:37potentially happening
52:38in your back garden
52:40now that
52:41is what you pay
52:42your license fee for
52:42it's absolutely sensational
52:44thank you loose
52:45I think we need to take a break
52:46now and relax our minds
52:47though for a bit of a
52:49mindfulness moment
52:49maybe with some badgers
52:51in amongst some wild garlic
52:52a little bit
53:22Let's go.
54:07Here we go.
54:29Badgers in a bed of fluffy ramsons.
54:32Bliss, I would say. Bliss.
54:33Did it bring you joy? Joy.
54:35Do you want some more joy? Yeah.
54:36I'm going to take you to the nest of joy, the little grieve nest,
54:40because, come on, just take a look at this,
54:43because the puppet's head up...
54:46Do you know, I think that's my favourite shot of the series so far.
54:49I mean, it's just so joyful.
54:52The way that that little grieved chick is on the back of the parent
54:56and all snuggled up.
54:58It does. It brings me warmth and joy.
55:00Back in the cold water, someone.
55:01Oh, look, it's yawning at your joke.
55:04Obviously, this little chick hatched last week.
55:07It's waiting for its sibling.
55:09And we've also been waiting quite a few days, four days, in fact,
55:14before that chick decided to make an appearance.
55:17The egg started to crack.
55:19I kept thinking it was going to hatch.
55:21It was going to hatch.
55:22And then on Sunday morning,
55:24the second little chick pokes its head into the world,
55:29with a larger chick looking on.
55:30And this is where you can really see the difference in size.
55:34That chick is five days ago, that bigger chick hatch.
55:38Still one egg underneath.
55:39Oh, look at that!
55:40I mean, look, how sweet is that?
55:43Both of them popping their little beaks out from under the wing.
55:47Getting fed.
55:50As I say, this is the nest of joy so far.
55:53I hate to say that, because goodness knows what could happen.
55:55So, as I say, we've still got one egg underneath there.
55:58And then, this morning, we've started to see movement.
56:02And there we go.
56:05There's a little peep at our third chick.
56:08So, now, we have delightful sight of three little grebe chicks.
56:17Little stripey feathers.
56:23I was so pleased, Chris, that that third one came out.
56:26I can tell.
56:26The nation can tell.
56:27Look at the middle of the line, you know.
56:30Come on!
56:31Shall we take a look at them live?
56:34Let's see.
56:35Can we see them?
56:36Let's...
56:36There we go.
56:37We've got the adult brooding those three chicks.
56:41Who knows, though?
56:42They could be on her back right at this stage.
56:44I think they probably are, yeah.
56:45They probably snuggled underneath those feathers, haven't they?
56:49It is a joy, though, I have to say.
56:50Little grebes are absolutely sensational.
56:52But we are going to cut away now,
56:54because I'd like to show you this photograph of a wood ant.
56:57Look at this!
56:59Superb photograph there by John Hawkins.
57:01He took it in Zoe.
57:02This is a wood ant spaffing its formic acid up into the air
57:06as a potential predator would be threatening it.
57:09Well, that's a bit of a contrast from the little grebes, isn't it?
57:12Well, I don't know.
57:12It's an amazing photo.
57:14It's an amazing photo, but it's not cute, is it?
57:17I mean, it is.
57:18It's astonishing to be in the right place at the right time
57:20while it's spaffing.
57:21It's fascinating.
57:22It's fascinating, right?
57:24Fascinating.
57:24Absolutely.
57:25That brings us to the end of tonight's show.
57:28We will bring you the updates from Crom tomorrow
57:30and this, a privileged view of the fascinating relationship
57:36between a reed warbler and a cuckoo chick.
57:39We'll also be looking at the fascinating inner workings
57:42of one of the nation's favourite animals, the hedgehog.
57:48And I'll be hanging around outside the Natural History Museum
57:53with some of the capital's caterpillars.
57:57So, we will be back at 8 o'clock tomorrow.
58:00Remember to keep your eyes on the live cameras.
58:03We'll be bringing in loads of fascinating stuff tomorrow, of course.
58:06And you can follow us on Instagram, on Facebook.
58:11And what are you...
58:12What, what?
58:13No, yeah, no, no, no, yeah.
58:14Follow us on all our social media channels
58:17and check out the website as well.
58:19But we will be back for more science,
58:21for more updates
58:22and everything that's going on at Crom in Northern Ireland.
58:26We'll see you tomorrow at 8 o'clock.
58:27Bye-bye.
58:27Bye-bye.
58:57Bye-bye.
58:58Bye-bye.
58:59Bye-bye.
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