Countryfile - Britain's Rarest Creatures
Countryfile - Britain's Rarest Creatures
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00Whether it's red squirrels in the Lake District, pine martins in Shropshire or hazel dormice
00:17in Kent, spotting rare wildlife is always exciting and today I'm hoping to encounter
00:24some of the UK's most elusive species including one with a really distinctive call that I've
00:29never actually heard before in the wild.
00:59Today, I'm in the Surrey Hills at Thursley National Nature Reserve, a vibrant patchwork
01:11of habitats that include marshland, woodland and lowland heath.
01:19This reserve is one of the largest remaining areas of heathland in Surrey, covering about
01:23800 acres and hidden away in this landscape are some of our rarest creatures.
01:29So I've come to see if I might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse.
01:34I'm on the lookout for some of the UK's most elusive species.
01:38Lift here to the tin.
01:40Yes!
01:41What is that?
01:43So that's the slow worm.
01:44Oh, she's gorgeous.
01:46That's amazing.
01:48As the sun sets on the reserve, one rare bird makes itself known.
01:53There.
01:54Oh yeah.
01:56So good.
01:59That's rapid fire, isn't it?
02:02Really rapid.
02:03Very exciting.
02:04It's exactly what I'd hoped, actually.
02:06And along the way, I'll be delving into the Countryfile Archive for past encounters with
02:11some of our most endangered wildlife.
02:13Oh, there's one right there on the floor.
02:16Look.
02:17There's a little one.
02:18Oh yeah.
02:19What is it?
02:20Oh, it's a tattoo.
02:21Yeah.
02:29There.
02:33Reptiles are among some of the rarest creatures in the British Isles.
02:37The UK has six native species, and they're all becoming increasingly hard to find.
02:45Today I've come to a place where all six species can be found if the conditions are right,
02:50and of course, that is a big if, but I'm hoping I might just catch a glimpse of one or two.
02:56Wish me luck.
02:58Holding specialist knowledge of the local reptile population is James Giles, manager
03:03here at Thursley National Nature Reserve.
03:06So James, lovely to be here.
03:09I'm going to put you on the spot.
03:10What are the six UK reptile species?
03:13We've got three lizards.
03:14OK.
03:15They are the common lizard or viviparous lizard.
03:17That's a smallish lizard that seems quite common throughout the habitat.
03:20Then we've got the sand lizard, which is an amazingly large lizard, and the male goes
03:24this beautiful bright green in the spring for the breeding season.
03:27Oh wow.
03:28Yeah, they are stunning.
03:29And then we've got the legless lizard, the slow worm.
03:30The slow worm, which looks a bit like a snake to those who don't know, but it actually is
03:34a lizard.
03:35On the skeleton you can see the vestigial limbs are actually still there.
03:38So that's our three lizards, and then we've got three snakes as well.
03:40We've got three snakes, yeah.
03:41We've got the smooth snake, which is probably the rarest of all the six.
03:45It's a proper rarity.
03:46Have you seen them?
03:47I have.
03:48I've never have, but you definitely have.
03:49We want to show them today, but no such luck.
03:52They are so rare and they are very inconspicuous.
03:55They don't bask open and they tend to hide away.
03:57OK.
03:58Yeah, the grass snake is one of our more previously common reptiles.
04:02It can be quite large, up to two metres in length.
04:04Gosh.
04:05And it's favourite prey is frogs.
04:06I've often seen them around rivers and lakes.
04:08Would they also be here in this drier, higher landscape?
04:11We do see them up here, but not so much.
04:13They are less common up here, but as you say, around ponds and grassy, damp places they
04:17tend to hide out.
04:18Right.
04:19This is the adder, our only venomous snake in the UK.
04:23And they're a lovely sort of zigzag pattern.
04:24The male is a sort of silvery colour with a zigzag on his back and the female tends
04:28to be more brown with a similar zigzag.
04:30And they will hunt small mammals or take eggs.
04:32They are stunning and they're increasingly rare.
04:35Actually, the adder has a vertical pupil and a red eye.
04:37They are very distinctive.
04:38Wow.
04:39Have you ever got that close to see it?
04:40I have.
04:41Oh my goodness.
04:42OK.
04:43And all of these are rare to some extent, are they?
04:45They are.
04:46They are.
04:47Why?
04:48Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, human development.
04:50They're just very sensitive to developments and change.
04:51They just do not like their habitat destroyed and disturbed.
04:54They're very sensitive to what's around them.
04:56But here we are on this crowded little island.
04:58We are.
04:59In southern England.
05:00And actually, you have got all six here, have you?
05:01We have, yeah.
05:02What is it about this place then?
05:04How do you do that?
05:05I think it's the habitat.
05:06If you look around you today, we've got heathers, we've got gorses, we've got a lot of structural
05:09varieties.
05:10And by structure, we mean shelter, somewhere to hide away, but also somewhere to come out
05:14and put down the towel and sunbathe, spot on you and get the barbecue out.
05:19So being cold-blooded, they need to warm up, so they bathe in the morning, they've had
05:22their breakfast, they put the suntan lotion on, they've done what they need to do.
05:24But then in the day, if it gets really hot, they need to go off and cool down a bit.
05:29Just relax.
05:30Just take the heat out of the day, because they will struggle and they can die if they
05:32get over hot.
05:33James, I'm not doubting you for a second, but how do you know all six are on this reserve?
05:37That's a good question.
05:38So on the reserve, we have various tin slots around and we have a surveying system.
05:42We'll look under these tins.
05:43Right.
05:44And sometimes you'll find the reptiles under there, sometimes they're actually on top because
05:46it's so warm that they'll be on top.
05:48When it's cooler, they'll go underneath, it's like being under a little oven.
05:51So we can look at these tins to do a surveying.
05:53We can have a fixed transect with the various ones dotted around, so guys will get the GPS
05:58and they'll look at these points and they can record exactly what we've got on the reserve.
06:01James, what are my chances of seeing a reptile today?
06:04I think quite good.
06:05I mean, it's a nice, bright, cloudy day.
06:06It's not too hot, it's not too cold, and I think it's every chance in the world you'll
06:10see one today.
06:11That's the right answer.
06:12If anyone knows the best spots to check out here in the reserve, it's Howard Innes from
06:22the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust.
06:28Anything we find today will be recorded to help with the conservation strategy at Thursley,
06:34while also helping to build up a picture of the wider UK reptile population.
06:41Which of the reptiles would we be most likely to see in an area like this, Howard?
06:45To be honest, the grassier areas and the ones that are lower down and slightly damper, they're
06:50the ones that the common lizard favours.
06:52So sand lizards like it slightly drier, they'll be up on the heathery banks, but in these
06:56grassy areas, there's a reasonable likelihood that there might be common lizards in there
07:01amongst that grass.
07:03Oh, look, there is one.
07:06Oh, there is one.
07:07We've got one.
07:08Oh, incredible.
07:09Oh, look, he's coming back out.
07:10I can see his head.
07:11His head, OK.
07:12Yeah.
07:13Well, that's a common one.
07:14That's a common lizard, yeah.
07:15Male, female?
07:16That's probably a male, actually, because it was quite slim, a lovely gingery colour.
07:19Yeah, it's kind of a reddy brown.
07:21That's right, yeah.
07:22If it was a female, it would be fatter at this time of year, because they're expecting
07:26to give birth fairly soon.
07:28So that's a good spot, presumably, because you're going to get insects coming up and
07:31down, but you're also going to be able to, the sun's just sort of breaking through, you're
07:35going to get a bit of heat there as well.
07:36It's in a place where it can warm up quickly, it can get into cover quickly.
07:41We've seen things running around on the sand in front of us, so it can come out and find
07:46something to eat, probably spiders.
07:48They like spiders, they like grasshoppers, things of that nature, and they will all be
07:53in this sort of area.
07:54So, yeah, typical and a perfect position for a common lizard.
07:57Good.
07:58Fantastic.
07:59We've got one.
08:00Yeah, we're away.
08:01Let's keep going.
08:02Excellent.
08:03Great start here at Thursley, but my search has only just begun.
08:15Despite being one of the UK's most loved creatures, the red squirrel is also one of our most endangered.
08:22Habitat loss and competition from grey squirrels have contributed to a decline in their numbers.
08:28Just as John found out in 2022 when he travelled to the Lake District, sometimes all you need
08:34is a good breakfast.
08:38I'm on my way to a beautiful stretch of ancient woodland called Naddle Forest, not far from
08:44the shores of Horsewater.
08:46It's very early in the morning and I'm on the lookout for red squirrels.
08:51To help me, I'll need an expert, and I've heard there's nobody better at finding signs
08:56of red squirrels around here than Heather Devi.
08:59Heather's co-director of Wild in Tree.
09:01Hello, Heather.
09:02Hi.
09:03Nice to see you.
09:04They help visitors track down the local wildlife, so I should be in good hands.
09:09Naddle Forest is full of fruiting trees, flowers, fungi and nesting areas which offer red squirrels
09:15the perfect home.
09:17Let's hope we find some today.
09:21Why are you stopping here then?
09:23I'd like to show you a red squirrel dining table.
09:26Oh, what?
09:27You mean red squirrels sort of sit here to have their nuts?
09:31Yeah, essentially.
09:32It just sounds like a scene from Beatrix Potter.
09:35Exactly, it's adorable.
09:37Any sign here?
09:38Yes, so the trees fall, plant life establishes, and you get the likes of wood sorrel, and
09:43then sometimes you can find little remnants of feeding signs.
09:48How about that?
09:49How do you know that a red squirrel has eaten that nut?
09:53So they half the shells, they put a little notch in it, and then they'll chew around
09:57and take the nut out.
09:59Other creatures are not quite as neat as that.
10:02A lot of small mammals like voles and mice will leave holes inside instead, and the likes
10:07of woodpeckers put them in a tree and knock against them, so yes, definite squirrel.
10:12So red squirrels are really neat when they sit down at their dining tables.
10:16Yeah, I suppose so, yeah.
10:18At least we've seen some clues now, so we could be getting close, couldn't we?
10:22Yes.
10:23Maybe we will find some.
10:24Let's have a look.
10:28Mind your head.
10:31No squirrel action yet.
10:33Not just yet, but you can see again that they've been feeding on the ground here.
10:37Right.
10:38So if we have a little closer look.
10:41Here maybe?
10:42Squirrels do actually eat a lot of insects, so red squirrels don't just eat nuts and seeds
10:46from trees.
10:47They eat insects, fungi, all sorts of different life in woodlands.
10:51And to get this kind of food, they've got to come down from the trees, haven't they?
10:55So does that put them in danger?
10:56Yeah, it does really.
10:58So they're much more at home in the trees, they spend three quarters of their life in
11:01trees.
11:02Well, it's all been fascinating, Heather, but it is a bit frustrating as well that we
11:07haven't seen a red squirrel yet.
11:09Well, how about we go and share a breakfast with red squirrels, John?
11:13Certainly would.
11:14Breakfast with squirrels?
11:15Yeah.
11:16Let's go.
11:17Right.
11:18Are you going to get the food?
11:21Yep.
11:22I'll sit and wait.
11:23I'm heading to the hide while Heather sets out a breakfast of seeds and cob nuts to tempt
11:28the squirrels.
11:30And she's got us some tasty treats too.
11:32Well, how long do you think it'll be, Heather, before any reds turn up?
11:36It can take about half an hour or so, so not very long.
11:41In weather like this, where it's a little bit drizzly, it can take them a bit longer
11:45to be encouraged out of bed, a bit like us really.
11:47Suddenly they feel the pangs of hunger and pop along here.
11:51Yeah.
11:52Exactly.
11:53Oh, you're certainly attracting woodpeckers here.
11:55Mm-hmm.
11:56Great spotted.
11:57So if it's got red on the back of its head, it's a male, but that's a female, got an all
12:02black head, and the young ones have red on the cap at the front.
12:06She took quite a big bite out of the squirrel's breakfast.
12:10She did not.
12:11She's taken that away and she'll cram it in a crevice in a tree.
12:16So little tips around.
12:17Siskins as well.
12:18Those lovely green ones are siskin.
12:19Yeah.
12:20Yeah.
12:21They're a pretty little bird, aren't they?
12:22They're gorgeous.
12:23You don't think our movements here will put the squirrels off?
12:26Will they be able to see through the glass, do you think?
12:28No.
12:29So it's two-way mirror glass that we've got.
12:31So we can see them, but they can't see in.
12:33And the more birds that come as well, the safer the squirrels feel.
12:38So the more birds that we're starting to see, that's a good sign that we might see a squirrel
12:41soon.
12:42Oh, you know what?
12:44There's one in the tree already.
12:45What?
12:46A squirrel?
12:47You can see like a clump in the top branches.
12:49Oh, yeah.
12:50He's just sitting there waiting, you see?
12:51Oh, I see him waiting.
12:52Come on over here.
12:53Oh, look at that little face.
12:54He's a little bit cautious.
12:55So do you think he's going to leave the tree and come for some breakfast?
13:02I think so.
13:04He's a little bit cautious today, I think with the wind.
13:06Well, it's a long time since I've seen a red squirrel.
13:10Is it?
13:11Well, I'm pleased that you've seen it with us.
13:13So it's a real treat, even if he's not going to come down to the breakfast table.
13:17Oh, there's one right there on the floor, look.
13:21Oh, yeah.
13:22Well, that's just a kit, isn't it?
13:23That's tiny.
13:24It is.
13:25Oh, look at that.
13:26Aren't they gorgeous?
13:27Heather's put some food out for you here.
13:29Come on.
13:30Look at that blonde tail as well.
13:32Yes.
13:33How do you tell it's a kit, really, apart from being very small?
13:36The adults can have quite bright tails as well.
13:38Do they?
13:39It's just kind of in their genetics.
13:40Uh-huh.
13:41Some of them have dark tails.
13:42Some have light.
13:43Uh-huh.
13:44The fur is really variable.
13:46Aren't they gorgeous, though?
13:47Look at that.
13:48Yeah.
13:49It's really cute, isn't it?
13:50How old will that one be, do you reckon?
13:52So that'll be around about three months, I'd say, now.
13:55Yeah.
13:56That particular individual.
13:57So it's venturing out on its own?
13:58Yeah.
13:59It's getting a little bit brave, moving away from mum.
14:01It's tiny, isn't it?
14:02And it looks so vulnerable.
14:03Yeah.
14:04Well, I suppose they are, really.
14:05That's why he's quite cautious in the wind.
14:08And how old are they before they start reproducing?
14:11So the kits reach about a year,
14:14and that's when they become mature enough to reproduce.
14:17So it's not very long, really.
14:19Red squirrels only live for around about eight years.
14:21There seem to be quite a lot of kits around here.
14:24Yeah.
14:25That's good for the future, isn't it?
14:27It's really good, yeah.
14:28So if they've got this many kits and this excellent habitat
14:32and no grey squirrels,
14:34they can, you know, recolonise an area really easily,
14:37as you can see with the amount of kits that we've seen today.
14:40Oh, he's coming down the tree again.
14:42Yes, yes.
14:44It's a bit more adventurous.
14:46Is it going towards the breakfast table?
14:48Oh, come on.
14:49Yes, it is!
14:50Yay!
14:51Up onto your table!
14:52Wow!
14:53Isn't that beautiful?
14:54Yeah.
14:55Taking a nut.
14:57So cautious.
14:59He's heading off.
15:02Not quite sure which way to go.
15:04So he's taken a nut to cache it there.
15:06Yes.
15:07They go off and dig them.
15:08That's them caching them and keeping them.
15:10Yeah.
15:11You must be happy, Heather, that we've actually seen one.
15:14I'm really happy.
15:15On your breakfast table.
15:16Yes, exactly.
15:17How very polite of them.
15:19Well, I'm excited that we saw one as well, you know,
15:22because it's a long time since I've seen a red squirrel so close.
15:26I'm so pleased that you've seen them with us.
15:29We can get on with our breakfast now, can't we?
15:31Yeah, I think it's about time.
15:32Yes.
15:33What are you going to have?
15:34I'm going to go for a croissant.
15:35How about you?
15:36I've got a pain au chocolat for me.
15:37Oh, very good.
15:38Yes.
15:39Look at this red squirrel.
15:40See what you're missing.
15:45Well, since John's breakfast encounter in 2022,
15:48I'm pleased to say that the number of red squirrels spotted at the hide
15:52has remained steady.
15:55Back at Thursley National Nature Reserve,
15:58Howard and I are still on the lookout for the UK's six native reptile species
16:03that call this place home.
16:06Searching for reptiles like this is the best way to monitor
16:09the populations of these creatures,
16:11something that Howard's been doing for more than 40 years.
16:15Howard, how do you survey?
16:17What techniques do you use to find out what's really here?
16:20Well, what we've been doing is one of the most important techniques
16:23is visual survey.
16:25Very, very important to spot animals whilst they're basking
16:28because that's the least disturbance.
16:30The other technique we use is to put what we refer to as covers,
16:34which are typically sheets of corrugated tin.
16:37We put them in the undergrowth.
16:38And it's not invasive.
16:39There's a little shock to them because you lift it up, presumably,
16:42and they don't like that and they go off again,
16:44but you don't touch them or anything like that.
16:45Correct.
16:46There's a level of disturbance,
16:47but it's an acceptable level to determine whether they're present or not,
16:51and we don't leave those covers down forever.
16:53So they're typically down for a period of a survey.
16:55Got you.
16:56And these are all protected species, aren't they?
16:57So you're licensed to do this and it's all done very carefully.
16:59Yeah.
17:00So the two specialists here, the smooth snake and the sand lizard,
17:03they're both protected species.
17:05So we have a license to cover the survey activity that we're engaged in
17:11and to cover this sort of stuff as well.
17:13Great.
17:14And you've got some of these sheets of tin just in the undergrowth around here?
17:17Yeah, we've got a few around here.
17:19So we're going to go and have a look and see what we can find under those.
17:21Okay, let's try it.
17:24Yeah, the outside.
17:27It's always worth checking the surface to see if anything's basking on the top,
17:30which doesn't look like there is.
17:32So we use the stick to lift the front corner and then lift up completely.
17:39Nobody at home today, unfortunately.
17:44There's never any guarantees when searching for wildlife,
17:47so sometimes you have to just keep looking.
17:50It's just a little thing here.
17:51Okay, yeah.
17:52Is that the thing? It's very small.
17:55Lift the edge of the tin.
18:00Yes! What is that?
18:02So that's a slow worm.
18:03That's a slow worm.
18:04That's a female slow worm.
18:05My goodness.
18:06Slightly unusual in that she's sat amongst an ant's nest.
18:10She's got her head buried.
18:11And she's got her head tucked in.
18:13So the reason I know that's a female is because it's brown
18:15and it's got those dark sides.
18:17You can see the dark sides quite clearly.
18:19Oh, she is moving though. A little twitch there.
18:21And she looks quite fat because these give birth to live young.
18:26Oh, there she goes. She's going to move off.
18:27And so she's got young inside her, so she does look quite chubby.
18:31Oh, she's gorgeous.
18:33That's amazing. Fantastic. That's brilliant.
18:37That is wonderful.
18:39Slow worms are protected by law.
18:42Although they're found across the UK, they're threatened by habitat loss.
18:47I have to say I think the stick was a good stick.
18:49It played a big role in that.
18:51Very important.
18:52You really don't want to find your fingers being at a prey
18:56when you stick it underneath a tin.
18:58So it's very important.
18:59Oh, what a great result.
19:00She was beautiful and in great health as well.
19:02So that's very encouraging from what you're seeing on this nature reserve.
19:05And also nice to see that she's got young inside her.
19:08Oh, what a great sight. Well done.
19:11Excellent. That's good.
19:15All the details of when and where our slow worm was found today
19:18will be added to the reserve's database,
19:21helping to inform their reptile conservation strategy moving forward.
19:31Our nation's rare creatures can't all be found basking in the sun.
19:35Some are below the waves, as Hamza found out in 2023
19:39when he visited the Argyle Coast, a designated hope spot
19:43which recognises the area's importance to the marine environment.
19:51Despite its appearance, the Argyle Coastline, like much of our seas,
19:56is sadly nature-depleted.
20:00To champion the marine environment and to restore its biodiversity,
20:04this area has been recognised as a hope spot.
20:09And one of the star species of this hope spot
20:12is the mysterious and little-known flapper skate.
20:17A member of the same family as sharks and rays,
20:20flapper skates are the world's largest skate species,
20:23growing up to three metres in length and two metres in wingspan.
20:29The seas around Scotland and Ireland
20:31are probably the only place in the world to find them.
20:39Four years ago, a chance encounter sparked an ongoing passion
20:43in marine biologist Chris Rickard.
20:47To find newly laid flapper skate eggs,
20:49Chris and his colleagues survey the seafloor here every month.
20:54Despite working as marine biologists,
20:56this is done purely in their spare time.
21:00Today, he's diving with Marnik van Korter from Kilhowen Estate,
21:04a local Rewilding Project who have been supporting his work.
21:10All of this area here, the Argyll coastline, is a hope spot.
21:13Is it important that these sort of areas help protect the wildlife?
21:17Oh, absolutely. Take flapper skate, for instance.
21:20It's known that they travel from Ireland across to Scotland,
21:23so you must have a regional approach to protection.
21:26So areas like the hope spot here in Argyll,
21:28with mostly community-led projects all coming together
21:31to try and look after their local area,
21:33I mean, what's more important than that?
21:35It's such a positive message to send out.
21:37It belongs to everybody. Absolutely.
21:39And it's not just one fisherman's or one farmer's or one scuba diver's.
21:43It's literally everybody's sea. It's everyone's resource.
21:46And it needs to be managed effectively.
21:48And unfortunately, at the moment, it's not really getting done.
21:51Flapper skates lay their eggs between boulders on the seafloor.
21:55Scientists know of only one flapper skate egg nursery worldwide,
22:00at Red Rocks near Skye.
22:02Chris hopes this new site here may also prove to be significant
22:06for their breeding and survival.
22:08However, he didn't find any new eggs here on his last dive.
22:13What's the chances that we're actually going to see one today?
22:1650-50. It's a small site. Pretty good odds.
22:18We don't know how many females are using it.
22:20That's one of the things we're trying to find out with the work we're doing here.
22:31The divers descend 25 metres into the deep,
22:34and they only have 30 minutes of air.
22:37The visibility can be very variable.
22:40Chris has a special licence from NatureScot to monitor the skates,
22:44as they are critically endangered.
22:47They have no idea yet if it's one female visiting here to lay, or many.
22:52Shh.
23:04Successful mission?
23:05Yeah. One fresh one.
23:07And one old one.
23:09So this is the fresh one.
23:10Fantastic. Look at that.
23:14That shows the inside of the horn.
23:16Yes.
23:17You can see the pattern of it there.
23:18It's difficult to protect an animal if we don't understand its life cycle.
23:22With so little known about flapper skates,
23:25scientists like Chris need to gather as much detail as possible
23:29in the race to save them.
23:31Two, six, seven. It's not actually a very big one.
23:34It's not a big one.
23:35It's quite a small one, yeah.
23:36So what I'm going to do is I'm just going to cut a small section
23:38out of the apron here.
23:39It won't affect the developing embryo at all,
23:41and hopefully we'll be able to get decent DNA out for sequencing.
23:45All right.
23:48That's it. That's all you need.
23:50So we'll put this one back on a specific spot on the site,
23:54along with its fellows from previous months.
23:56Well, thank you very much, gents.
23:58As a naturalist, I don't often get to see new stuff like this,
24:02so it's been a real pleasure.
24:03Probably better put it back.
24:05All right. Good luck, wee one.
24:06Hopefully see you when you've grown.
24:09The work here at the Hope Spot is ongoing
24:12and continues to add to our understanding
24:14of the flapper skate populations here.
24:19Back at Thursley National Nature Reserve in Surrey,
24:22I'm continuing my survey of the six reptile species here
24:26with Howard Innes from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust.
24:31We've already seen a common lizard and a slow worm,
24:34and now we have just one more site to check,
24:37and it looks like we've found one of our rarest snakes.
24:41OK, we've got a big adder.
24:43Howard, I just saw your face turn to sort of a grimace
24:46as you were worried about disturbing it,
24:47but you just saw an adder, did you?
24:48Yeah.
24:49OK, we're going to get the camera in and see if we can see.
24:53It's right on the top of the tin.
24:55Oh, yeah.
24:56Oh, I can see the diamond pattern.
24:58It's just slithering away.
25:00You might find that she's gone underneath the tin.
25:04Never has the adder stick been more important.
25:07And that's why it's so important, as you approach these tins,
25:11just to check to see what's basking on the top.
25:14So she's obviously decided that that's the place to be
25:17because the tin's nice and warm.
25:19And again, that's a female, and you can tell that because it's brown.
25:22Yeah.
25:23So I would say that's 99% a female.
25:25They look quite fat as well.
25:27And as I say, that's because she's got developing young inside her.
25:29Right.
25:30So she's probably not far away from giving birth.
25:32They tend to give birth in August.
25:34Wow.
25:35So, yeah, that's fantastic.
25:36That's really good.
25:37So exciting.
25:38Yeah.
25:39Right, we'll leave her in peace, I think.
25:41Howard, I have so enjoyed our little tour of your bits of tin roof.
25:45It's been remarkable.
25:46I'm glad we were able to show you something.
25:48It was fantastic.
25:49Three different species.
25:50That is half of the UK species right here in this tin roof.
25:54That is half of the UK species right here in this nature reserve that we've seen.
25:58And we just scratched the surface.
26:00I mean, all six are here.
26:01Yeah.
26:02We would be lucky to find all six, but, you know, we've done pretty well.
26:05I thought we'd be lucky to find just one today.
26:07Yeah, no, it's good.
26:08I'm pleased.
26:09So to get three, I am delighted.
26:10Well done.
26:13Monitoring surveys, like we've been doing today,
26:15are a vital part of looking after these fantastic rare species in the wild.
26:20Helping the reserve team keep track of numbers
26:22and know whether their conservation efforts are paying off.
26:26The discovery of these reptiles breeding and thriving is a true testament
26:30to all the hard work that goes on here.
26:32Long may it continue.
26:42Most of our rare creatures once thrived throughout the UK.
26:45With their decline, sadly, a familiar story,
26:48including things like persecution and loss of habitat.
26:51Some are now verging on becoming critically endangered.
26:54But as Ellie found out, just occasionally,
26:57they can make a surprising recovery.
27:07I've come to a secret location in the south of Shropshire
27:11on the hunt for one of the UK's rarest native mammals.
27:17Pine martins were once widespread across the UK,
27:21but in the 19th century, they suffered a massive decline.
27:26Loss of habitat and persecution pushed the pine martin to the brink.
27:32For more than 50 years, they were thought to be extinct in England.
27:37But a chance encounter in these very woods may tell a different story.
27:47Local Dave Pearce was out taking photographs one evening
27:51when he felt he wasn't alone.
27:55I was just walking along and I got aware of something over my shoulder,
27:58so I turned round and there was a shape moving through the base of the trees.
28:02It was going really fast and all of a sudden it dawned on me
28:07that it was a pine martin.
28:09So I needed to get a photograph off pretty quick,
28:13but it wasn't until it came through a clearing that I was able to do it.
28:16And you managed to get something? Can we have a look?
28:18Yes, yeah.
28:19That can't have been easy because they move pretty quick, don't they?
28:22Yeah! Goodness.
28:24Any dire in your mind they might have been stoat or weasel?
28:27I'd never seen one before, but I think the sheer size,
28:30you know, it's over two foot in length,
28:32the shoulders are really big and the colour.
28:35So I needed to get these off to the Wildlife Trust to verify them.
28:39Fabulous. You must be so pleased to have got these.
28:42Yes, yes.
28:46Verification fell to Stuart Edmonds of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
28:51Since 2009, he's also been on the trail of the elusive pine martin to no avail.
28:59Stuart, all this kit just to get a sight of a pine martin.
29:02So six years without much luck and then the photo from Dave.
29:06It was a complete shock that we'd actually got that pine martin in Shropshire.
29:10You knew straight away?
29:11Yeah, straight away.
29:12Oh, wow. So what did you do then as soon as you'd seen that?
29:15So the first thing really was I have to get out immediately,
29:19strike while the iron's hot and get as many cameras out as possible.
29:26What Stuart captured was more extraordinary than he could have imagined.
29:30Not one, but a small population of pine martins living in these woods.
29:37It was a bit of a kind of sit-down shock moment for me.
29:41It was completely something I wasn't expecting.
29:43For the first time in a long time, we've got an English population of pine martins
29:47that we could actually hang around to study.
29:53Now Stuart and his team aim to research the pine martins and protect their habitat.
30:00We now just slide that into the rear of the tunnel.
30:04Pine martins are dependent on vertical habitat
30:06because they're perfectly adapted to spending time up in trees.
30:09Not too many people around and there's plenty of food around
30:12in the form of bilberries and grey squirrels.
30:15There you go, that's pretty well covered.
30:22Once pine martin fur was highly prized, which contributed to its decline.
30:28Today, all Stuart's trying to get is just one hair, using a bit of old pipe.
30:33This will take a little hair sample.
30:36And some peanut butter.
30:38What do you think you might find out from the DNA tests?
30:41The assumption is that most pine martins that have been found in England and Wales
30:47have actually come from Scotland, but from speaking to locals in this area
30:51they've actually reported seeing pine martins for the last 20 years or so.
30:54And you're trying to find out whether this population comes from them
30:58or whether it's from a long time ago?
31:00It could have been a presumed extinct variety, yes,
31:02that's been living under people's noses for all of these years.
31:05So this is the only way to find out?
31:06Yes.
31:07Great.
31:13Now with me and the Countryfile crew traipsing around the woods in the middle of the day
31:17there's no chance of us seeing a pine martin.
31:20But, with a little bit of luck, we might have captured some footage of them.
31:25Last month, the Countryfile team, along with the Wildlife Trust, set out camera traps.
31:31Let's have a look then.
31:33Here we go.
31:34Right, drum roll.
31:37But despite clip after clip of fantastic wildlife, still no pine martin.
31:44What's that? What's that?
31:47The back end.
31:49It's on a...
31:50A cat!
31:52Is that a cat?
31:54It's a very, very well-balanced fox.
31:58I really thought that was a pine martin for a second
32:01because it's climbing along a branch which is not really associated with foxes.
32:05It's quite hard to tell with scale as well, isn't it?
32:07Because I wasn't sure if that was cat-sized or not. It clearly wasn't.
32:10We should watch that again after.
32:12At the end of the day, a curious fox was as close as we got.
32:16Do you know, I'm not that disappointed that I haven't seen a pine martin today
32:20because for the first time in more than 100 years,
32:23there's evidence of a population of them here in England
32:27and I've been in these very woods where they've been sighted.
32:31So I'll just have to hold out and hope I get lucky some other day.
32:35Since our visit in 2015, at least 20 individuals have been recorded on camera
32:40with evidence of successful breeding.
32:46Heathlands, like the ones here at Thursley National Nature Reserve,
32:50are a vital home to a wide variety of species of all shapes and sizes.
32:56And in the summer months, there's often an extra visitor, the nightjar.
33:03Like many of our native rare species, they're incredibly hard to spot.
33:07They have this mottled brown plumage which means they blend in really well to this landscape
33:12and to make it even trickier, they're most active in low light around dawn and dusk.
33:19So, if I'm to have any chance of seeing this enigmatic bird, I'm going to need some help.
33:26Victoria Hawkins is from natural England and has been involved in monitoring nightjars here in the UK for the last two years.
33:35Victoria, tell me about nightjars.
33:38Well, nightjars, they are an incredible species.
33:41So, they migrate here from southern Africa for the summer to come and breed on lowland heathlands.
33:47And they make these incredible journeys because the food sources here are far more prevalent
33:51than you would get in South Africa at this time of year.
33:53So, they're here for the bugs, the moths, the invertebrates that we have that are teeming in a heathland like this.
33:58So, actually a very similar migration pattern to a lot of our summer visitors like the swifts and swallows and things.
34:03They're coming up for the food.
34:04Yeah, exactly right, Joe.
34:05But it's heathland they're after in particular?
34:07In particular, they like really nice wide open spaces where they can nest in security in a really low vegetation structure or bare earth,
34:14preferably surrounded by a bit of protection.
34:16And so, that's why they love heathlands.
34:20Lowland heath habitats are part of our ancient landscapes.
34:24They now exist as a patchwork of micro-habitats in which ground-nesting birds like the nightjar thrive.
34:34What are they like in terms of numbers?
34:35Are they quite a rare species?
34:37Yeah, so we had a really devastating decline actually in the 70s and 80s.
34:41We lost over half of our nightjars in this country.
34:43Half?
34:44Over half, yeah.
34:45So, what were the reasons behind that decline?
34:47So, that's habitat loss.
34:48So, and I guess the habitat is particularly important here in this country if this is where they're breeding.
34:54Because if they can't breed, then you've got real problems for numbers.
34:57Absolutely, yeah.
34:58And we're really lucky that we're seeing a slow bounce back.
35:01But we're nowhere near where their range is historically used to be.
35:04So, we're doing a lot of work here and in partnership with other organisations to work on connecting the heathlands
35:09and really building in that resilience of that nature recovery network angle up and down the country
35:15so they've got places and space to thrive again.
35:17So, there are some signs for cautious optimism.
35:21Yes, that's exactly the phrase I use, cautiously optimistic.
35:24Cautiously optimistic.
35:25And I guess part of that is not just the habitat work and maintaining what's here,
35:30but also checking how many you've got.
35:33Exactly.
35:34So, the monitoring we do year on year is really important because it helps us track that trend.
35:38But also it helps us, crucially, if we've seen a decline, we can look at the management of the reserve
35:43and see if there's something that's happened or that we've done that we can correct and we can improve on.
35:48And that's why it's so important to keep this monitoring going.
35:50And it's not just us.
35:51All the organisations we work collectively with in this whole landscape are doing the same surveys now, year on year.
35:58So, we're getting not just a Thursley database, we're getting a whole database, all the heathlands in Surrey.
36:03So, when do you actually do the survey?
36:05So, we do them once a month in the summer.
36:07So, we start in May.
36:08So, we do one in May, June and July.
36:10And that gives us that sort of three months worth of data, essentially, on those pinpoint nights.
36:15And there's one coming up quite soon?
36:16There is one coming up this evening.
36:18Oh!
36:19And so, what does that involve?
36:20How many people do you get involved?
36:22So, we have between 30 to 40 people on a good night.
36:25Wow!
36:26Giving up their spare time on an evening.
36:28The whole of Thursley has been set into different sections.
36:32Each group has its own section that they monitor.
36:34And then we've got some very good data whizzes that make it all make sense again once the handwritten surveys are back in.
36:41And is tonight a good night for it?
36:42You could not have picked a better night for it.
36:44Really?
36:45It's still, there's no wind, it's still warm.
36:47I've never heard a nightjar in a while.
36:49You've never heard of it?
36:50No, I've never have, no.
36:51And this is a real hotspot for them, isn't it?
36:52A real hotspot.
36:53It's a real hotspot.
36:54So, yeah, about 4% of England's nightjars are in Surrey.
36:57Wow!
36:58So, we've got a high chance of seeing them.
36:59I'm not making any promises.
37:03Daylight may be dwindling, but with Victoria's assurances that this should be the best time of day to see a nightjar,
37:09I'm off to meet some of the volunteers helping with today's count.
37:15Are you experienced surveyors then?
37:17Yes.
37:18Well, we've been doing it for about six or seven years.
37:21Six or seven years?
37:22And what attracted you to this?
37:23What brought you here in the first place?
37:25We love coming here, like, several times a week.
37:29So, we love the place anyway.
37:31And I think it's quite a rare place to find nightjars.
37:34So, to be able to come and do that when it's such a unique thing to do is amazing.
37:38Were you always aware of them?
37:39Were they somewhere special to you?
37:41I've only been coming back because the first time we ever came to do the survey,
37:45there was one two metres in front of us.
37:47No!
37:48Absolutely insane.
37:49So, you actually saw one as well as hearing it?
37:50It was flying in front of us, clapping its wings.
37:52It was just like, this is pretty special.
37:54Oh, wow.
37:55So, I've come back every year since.
37:56It knew, didn't it?
37:57It just put on a little show for that first time.
37:59What is it you're sort of actually notating?
38:01Location.
38:02Yeah.
38:03If we can identify if we think there's more than one.
38:05So, and we also try and look at their flight patterns as well.
38:08So, if we're really lucky, sometimes we get to see them as well as hear them.
38:11And you're going to be brave enough to do a nightjar call for me?
38:14With a chair?
38:16Oh, that's good.
38:17There you go.
38:21Max, have you done a nightjar survey before?
38:23No, I haven't before.
38:24Yeah, this is my first time.
38:25Have you ever heard or seen a nightjar?
38:27I have heard of them.
38:28Yeah.
38:29I heard them around the reserve, but I haven't seen one before.
38:31Well, look, let's make sure we team you up with someone nice and experienced tonight,
38:34but I'm sure you'll be brilliant and have a great night.
38:37Do you think we're going to be lucky tonight?
38:39We'll definitely hear a little bit, that's fine.
38:41Fairly confident, hopefully.
38:42No one's guaranteeing me.
38:43No one's saying it'll definitely happen, but you think it will?
38:46That's wildlife, yeah.
38:47Well, good luck anyway, and I hope you hear and see plenty.
38:49Yeah, so do we.
38:51Thank you very much.
38:53And a search will soon be underway.
39:02It's not just the UK's wildlife that has a range of rare creatures.
39:06Some of our farms do too.
39:10In 2013, Adam sold four of his rare bagot goats to a farm in Leeds
39:15and found out about the work they were doing to ensure the survival of the rarest of rare breeds.
39:25I'm meeting farm manager David Bradley and one very special lady.
39:30Goodness me, David, I never thought I'd see a veinel on a halter.
39:33You don't see many of them, and this is it.
39:37Now, when they first came down to the farm at home, that was a long time ago.
39:41When was that?
39:42Oh, that'd be 24 years ago, wouldn't that?
39:44I'd gone down to buy a Gloucester bull off your dad, and he showed me these on your farm there,
39:49and I just thought, my heck, I don't want any of these.
39:51Well, they were wild, weren't they? They were crazy.
39:54It's taken a good lot of years to get them quieter,
39:57then each generation of calves that comes on gets out a little bit better.
40:00Now, this one's a black one, but generally they're white, aren't they?
40:04Most of the herd overall is white, with the exception of about four black ones in the herd.
40:09And how many veinels are there now?
40:11About 35 altogether, and that's it.
40:13That's it?
40:14That's it.
40:15Goodness me, that's almost extinct.
40:19I thought my baggots were rare, but with just 35 veinels in existence,
40:23the team here are keen to do all they can to ensure their survival.
40:27Like my goats, they want to establish satellite herds across the UK,
40:31but they also want to take part in the Rare Breed Survival Trust's embryo flushing project in Scotland.
40:37It's a type of IVF for cows.
40:40Before they can do that, the vet has to carry out one important check.
40:45Right, well, we've sorted out the veinels.
40:47A few other cattle have come with them, but that doesn't matter.
40:49And now we've got to get them into the cattle crush for the vet.
40:58These girls had been running with a bull, so a week ago the vet examined them,
41:03and two were given the equivalent of the morning-after pill to make sure they weren't pregnant.
41:08The vet's back to make sure that it's worked.
41:13When most farmers bring their cattle in to be pregnancy tested by the vet,
41:16they want the cows to be in calf.
41:18But here, they want the opposite.
41:20They want these cows to be empty, because they're going up to a farm in Scotland
41:24where they're going to do a thing called embryo transfer.
41:27And what they're going to do is flush the cows, remove the eggs from them,
41:32and then they will mix those eggs with sperm from veinel bulls,
41:36and they'll take the fertilised embryos and put them into other cows from a different breed
41:42and use those cows as surrogate mothers.
41:45And therefore, the calf that then is born is a pedigree veinel.
41:49And a cow can only give birth to one calf a year,
41:53so this cow could only have one veinel calf every year.
41:56But by flushing her, they'll be able to get half a dozen veinel calves
42:00and therefore accelerate the expansion of the breed much quicker.
42:05What's the result on this one, Sophie?
42:07She's negative. She's not pregnant.
42:10So she can go to Scotland now.
42:12Wonderful. Good news.
42:14MUSIC
42:32So that one's OK too?
42:34Yeah, she's fine. She's ready to go. She's empty.
42:37Wonderful. So that's number two, ready to go to Scotland.
42:41This is quite a special cow.
42:43She was born to artificial insemination from a bull that produced the semen 30 years ago.
42:52What's the situation with this one, Sophie?
42:54Well, the third one is in calf, actually.
42:56She's about 60 days in calf, so she'll have to stay here.
43:00Because the last cow is pregnant, she'll calve on the farm here
43:04and join the other two next spring.
43:06So two out of the three cows can go to Scotland, but they can't go yet
43:10because I bought the bag of goats onto the farm.
43:12Because of movement restrictions and quarantine,
43:14they can't move any animals off the farm for six clear days.
43:17So they'll be going up in a week or so's time.
43:20And hopefully, next time I catch up with these ladies,
43:23they'll be part of a much bigger national herd of veinels.
43:26Since our visit, a few veinel cattle from David Bradley's herd
43:29have found a new home at Dumfries House.
43:42Now, we have the perfect evening here to try and find nightjars.
43:45It is calm and quiet.
43:47It's a great place to spend the night.
43:49It's a great place to spend the night.
43:51It's a great place to spend the night.
43:53Now, we have the perfect evening here to try and find nightjars.
43:56It is calm and still, clear and very warm.
43:59Fingers crossed.
44:01But what's the weather doing in the week ahead?
44:03Here's the CountryFar forecast.
44:10Hello there. Hard to believe we're already into early August.
44:13And the weather's been somewhat mixed to start August.
44:16It comes off the back of a pretty hot end to July.
44:19But July on the whole was quite mixed too.
44:21We started the first two weeks of the month on a very chilly note.
44:24It was the coldest, in fact, in the last 20 years.
44:27Rainfall was around average, but some southern and eastern parts of England
44:30were wetter with double the July average.
44:33And temperatures remain around average with around average sunshine.
44:37That's because we started on a cold grey note
44:39and then ended on a hot and sunny note for most of us.
44:42Now, for the week ahead, the weather also looks mixed.
44:44Most of the rain when we'll be across northern areas.
44:46Higher pressure will be bringing dry and warmer weather across the south.
44:50But this upcoming week looks very wet across some northern and western areas
44:53with rainfall totals really mounting up across the Argyle and the Highlands
44:57where we could even see some disruption around the middle part of the week.
45:00Now, a lot of the heavy rain for the next few days
45:02could see this area of low pressure,
45:04which is already bringing some wet and windy weather,
45:06to northern and western Scotland and Northern Ireland through this evening.
45:09It's going to continue to rain here and stay blustery throughout the night.
45:12Further south that you are, it'll tend to stay dry with variable clouds,
45:15particularly towards the west, but some clearer spells
45:17across southern and eastern areas.
45:19We're starting to import some warmer, more humid air across the country.
45:22So a muggy start to Monday.
45:24Temperatures in mid-teens pretty much across the board.
45:27So we've got that area of low pressure almost in situ
45:29to the north-west of the UK on Monday
45:31with its almost stationary weather front
45:33bringing the wet weather across the north-west,
45:35scooping up this warm and humid air across the country.
45:38So it starts windy and wet on Monday across the north-west corner of the UK.
45:43The band of rain starts to slowly migrate southwards and eastwards.
45:46But ahead of it, it's warm with some spells of sunshine
45:49and humid up to 26 or 27 degrees for eastern England,
45:52even pretty warm across southern and eastern Scotland, the mid-twenties there.
45:56Now through Monday night, that weather front starts to cross the country,
45:59could have some heavy thundery bursts on it as it does so,
46:02but it starts to weaken as it reaches east and southeast England.
46:05So Tuesday, we'll see a band of cloud, some showers,
46:07the odd heavier one on it as it pushes out into the North Sea.
46:10Sky's clear behind it with some sunshine
46:12and some fresher air starts to push in behind the weather front.
46:15So 24, 25 degrees in the southeast.
46:17High teens, low twenties elsewhere.
46:19Few showers there, western Scotland and northern Ireland.
46:22That's because we've got another area of low pressure
46:24pushing into the north of the UK for Wednesday.
46:27That'll bring another round of showers or longer spells of rain
46:30for northern and western Scotland.
46:32A few showers, northern Ireland, north-west England.
46:34Quite blustery here, but further south and easter you are,
46:36closer to high pressure near the new continent,
46:38and it'll be largely dry temperatures.
46:4123 degrees in the southeast, high teens further north,
46:44pretty average for the time of year.
46:46As we head into Thursday, we see another area of low pressure sweeping in,
46:50and this one will have more oomph to it.
46:52I think you'll see more widespread rain across northern and western areas,
46:55and it will be windy with gales in exposure here,
46:57but some very wet weather again.
46:59Northern and western Scotland, those rainfall totals
47:01really starting to mount up.
47:03But once again, southern and eastern areas staying dry altogether
47:06with spells of sunshine and temperatures, high teens, low twenties.
47:09For Friday, it looks like we'll have a weather front in the north,
47:12a weather front perhaps towards the south.
47:14That may bring thicker clouds, some spots of rain.
47:16A few showers in northern and western Scotland won't be quite blustery,
47:19but in between, bright and breezy conditions prevail.
47:22So quite a pleasant day, I think, to come for some of us,
47:2419 to 25 degrees across the south.
47:28So it's quite a mixed week coming up.
47:30Most of the rain will be across northern areas,
47:32and some of it will be heavy at times.
47:34That's it from me. I'll hand you back to Joe.
47:43I've been exploring Thursley National Nature Reserve in Surrey,
47:47looking for some of the UK's rarest creatures.
47:50OK, we've got a big adder.
47:52I can see the diamond pattern.
47:55It's just slithering away.
47:58Under a setting sun, we're heading out to catch a glimpse
48:01or even just hear a sign of one of Britain's rarest birds,
48:05the nightjar.
48:07But they're not the only elusive creature that comes out at dusk.
48:11As Anita found out in 2020
48:13as she went in search of the hazel dormouse.
48:25Their population has more than halved in the last 20 years
48:29as they've lost natural habitat like hedgerows and woodland.
48:33In parts of the south of England and Wales,
48:35they're only just clinging on.
48:37But now there are efforts to boost their numbers
48:40by breeding them in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
48:44The Wildwood Trust in the Blean is at the forefront
48:47of saving the dormouse
48:49with one of the biggest breeding programmes in the UK.
48:53I'm meeting their conservation officer, Suzanne Kinnerston.
48:57Hello, Suzanne. In a cage. Yes.
49:00What are all these enclosures? What's happening here?
49:03So these are for our captive dormice.
49:06Altogether, we've got 35 dormice.
49:08By the end of the year, there's going to be a lot more than that.
49:12Wildwood is a key part of the national programme
49:15that's bred and released nearly 900 dormice since the early 1990s.
49:21But lockdown means these little fellas won't be able to go anywhere
49:25until June next year.
49:28They normally have to go into quarantine for at least six weeks
49:32and that would just take us into too late in the year
49:35because they need to find a mate and then fatten up for hibernation.
49:38All this talk of dormice, Suzanne, I really need to see them.
49:41Can we try and find them? Absolutely.
49:43So what I'm going to need to do first is put some gloves on and a mask
49:47because there's a very slight risk of passing coronavirus onto the dormice.
49:53The pandemic may have disrupted their travel plans
49:56but let's hope it hasn't affected their breeding.
49:59Suzanne is hoping for babies.
50:03The old country name for dormice is seven sleeper
50:07because they hibernate for seven months of the year.
50:11But they can move pretty quickly.
50:13Putting their nest boxes inside plastic bags stops them from escaping.
50:19So this is the moment of truth.
50:21Just going to check.
50:23They've been in here for a year, let's see if they've had any babies.
50:27OK, so we've got three babies.
50:30Triplets!
50:32Now, I am desperate to hold them but I'm not allowed, am I?
50:35You do need a licence to handle dormice.
50:38These little ones are around two weeks old
50:41and will open their eyes in a few days' time.
50:44You must be pleased. Yes, very pleased.
50:46That's really good, so that's our first litter of the season
50:49and hopefully there'll be many more.
50:52Next June, Wildwood is hoping to release these young dormice
50:56and around 30 others 300 miles away in Cumbria.
51:00In past releases, 70% of the sites flourished
51:04with dormice surviving and spreading into the surrounding areas.
51:10Now, the reason they're not releasing them here in Kent
51:12is because they already have a stable population of wild dormice.
51:16So I've come along nice and early to catch a sneaky peek, hopefully.
51:20Before they all wake up.
51:24Hazel Ryan, Wildwood's senior conservation officer, knows where to look.
51:30So, Hazel, tell me about the monitoring work you've been doing here.
51:33We have 35 boxes in the woodland here
51:35and every month during the dormouse's active season
51:38I come out here and I check the boxes.
51:40Blue tits have often used them during the spring
51:42so I'm expecting to find some nests where the blue tits have finished
51:45but also, hopefully, some dormice in the boxes.
51:48This year's checks were disrupted by lockdown
51:51so they're not sure what's happening with the wood's dormice.
51:55And why are we whispering?
51:56Well, we're whispering because the dormice tend to wake up during the morning
52:00and if they hear us approaching the boxes they might run out of them
52:03and we don't want any dormice to be out during the daytime
52:05because they're nocturnal.
52:19Anyone in?
52:21Unfortunately, there's a nest but no dormouse at home.
52:26It's OK, we'll look in a few more, Hazel.
52:33But the dormice are elusive.
52:35No one at home, unfortunately.
52:37After several more empty boxes, where are they all?
52:42This is our last chance to spot one in the wild.
52:49There's something, some movement.
52:51There's some movement.
52:55What is it?
52:56Dormouse.
52:57Is it a two?
52:58Yes.
53:00Oh, yes. Hello.
53:02Oh, fantastic.
53:04The first dormouse is put in a clear plastic bag for weighing.
53:07It's a little female.
53:09There's plenty of air inside, though, and she'll only be kept there briefly.
53:13Healthy?
53:14It's a low weight for an adult,
53:15but I think this one might be one of last year's juveniles.
53:18OK. Oh, this one's a male, so that one's heavier.
53:21It's 17 for this one.
53:24I mean, they might even be a breeding pair,
53:26so hopefully they'll go on to produce some young later in the season.
53:31Time to put them back into their nest.
53:35Go on, in you go.
53:37And he's in.
53:39Since the start of this release programme,
53:41a total of 1,112 dormice have been reintroduced.
53:51I'm at Thursley National Nature Reserve
53:53on the trail of one of our rarest birds,
53:56a red-tailed stag.
53:59It's a very rare bird,
54:00but it's a very special bird.
54:02I'm at Thursley National Nature Reserve
54:04on the trail of one of our rarest birds,
54:07the nightjar.
54:11The team of volunteers are spreading themselves across the reserve
54:14to monitor their numbers,
54:16sometimes using sound alone.
54:21I'm joining experienced nightjar counter Victoria Hawkins
54:25to hopefully count some of these beautiful birds for myself.
54:30Am I right in thinking we're starting to get into the area now?
54:33Yeah, this is looking really promising.
54:35So, what exactly are we listening out for?
54:38Primarily, we're going to listen for the chirring sound.
54:40So, this is the song they have
54:42when they're sat on a perch calling and holding their territories.
54:45But they also do some sounds when they're moving.
54:47So, they have a call, which is a couple of notes,
54:50and that's called a cuic.
54:51And they also have a wind clap as well.
54:53So, you should be able to hear some of that.
54:55That's quite a lot to listen out for.
54:56So, two of those are when they're on the move?
54:58Exactly, two of them are on the move.
54:59And the chirring is a...
55:01Sorry, I just thought I heard something.
55:05The chirring is a kind of a back off.
55:07I'm here, I'm holding this territory.
55:08Yeah, that's right.
55:09And that might be coming from the trees around us.
55:11Yes.
55:12Because that's where they'll take a position.
55:13Yeah, that's right.
55:18So, that was a faint, really faint call coming from over there.
55:22You didn't hear something.
55:23The two notes, just as it's flying, the cuic.
55:26You heard the cuic?
55:27Yeah.
55:29Okay.
55:30They've got to be in tune.
55:35There.
55:37Oh, yeah.
55:39That's closer.
55:40Yeah.
55:41So good.
55:43That's a rapid fire, isn't it?
55:44Really rapid.
55:46Quite a monotone modem.
55:47Yeah, not quite the...
55:48Not like me.
55:52It's my first night here.
55:53It's quite, I don't know, it's very exciting.
55:56Exactly what I'd hoped, actually.
55:58On a beautiful evening, just to hear that.
56:00Yeah.
56:01It just sort of fills the landscape, doesn't it?
56:02It just sort of wafts across.
56:03It really does.
56:04So, we've got that on the map, we've got a time.
56:06We've got that, we've got time and we've got our dotted line
56:09because we saw the other one and heard it cuic-ing at the same time that was chowing.
56:12So, we're confident there were two here.
56:14And it might be that someone else doing a patch over there
56:17hears the same thing, same time and that gets cross-referenced so we're not double counting.
56:22Yeah, absolutely.
56:26Yeah.
56:33Let's see.
56:36So, there's some good food there.
56:38Good food.
56:40And, I mean, it's really hard to put distance on it, right?
56:43Really hard.
56:44But it's close.
56:46Oh, yes.
56:49It's definitely the closest.
56:50Definitely.
56:51Yeah.
56:52And we can't escape the fact that every time we stop and listen
56:54because it's so nice and quiet here tonight,
56:56we do hear planes, we do hear some road noise.
56:58We are in southern England, aren't we?
57:00But actually, what a triumph to have this here.
57:02Exactly.
57:03Still surrounded by all of that.
57:04Exactly.
57:05And that's why our work is so important to make sure places like this
57:07continue existing for these incredible species.
57:10That was a good evening.
57:11Well, I'm thrilled.
57:12It's been my first time hearing them in the wild.
57:15To have an expert guide to take me around, thank you so much.
57:18This has been a particularly good evening, right?
57:20Even for you.
57:21Even for me.
57:22I mean, I'm always happy when I'm out and I hear a nightjar.
57:23But it's been great.
57:24It's been a really good evening.
57:25I'm really pleased with how it's gone.
57:26And hopefully these numbers just can keep building,
57:28and it looks like they're on track.
57:30Well, it's just the optimistic, but we're doing quite…
57:33Yeah, we're getting there.
57:34Good.
57:45Well, what an evening it has been.
57:46Lots of very happy volunteers,
57:48but that's all we've got time for this week from me,
57:50from this group, and all the nightjars here at the Thursley Nature Reserve.
57:54But do join us again next week when Adam and Charlotte
57:57will be heading to one of the key dates in the farming calendar,
58:00the Royal Welsh Show.
58:03Pond the pig's gone mad!
58:06Well done.
58:07Bit of help from Mum.
58:08Right, be honest, but gentle.
58:10How am I doing?
58:11By the end of the day, we'll have you a professional stick-maker.
58:15Adam, I'm not sure you're going to need your smart jacket.
58:18Why not? I thought we were doing some whittling.
58:23That's next week at six o'clock.
58:28We'll see you then.
58:38And that'll be on BBC One.
58:40And that'll be on BBC One.
58:42Back to tonight, and back with a bang,
58:45Vienna Blood, the new series of the period crime drama,
58:48here at nine, BBC Two.
58:50David Attenborough reveals the myriad ways
58:52that mammals strive to survive and thrive.
58:54Watch now on iPlayer.