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  • 6/5/2025
Springwatch 2025 episode 8

Category

🐳
Animals
Transcript
00:00I think it's feeding time.
00:06We've had red starts.
00:09We've got robins.
00:11And we've introduced wrens.
00:14They're all playing their part in our cast of characters.
00:17The red starts have already fledged.
00:19Their chapter has ended.
00:21The wrens are looking out, ready to go.
00:23And the robins are comfy and settled for now.
00:26These are some of the characters who write our season stories.
00:31So stay tuned for the adventures and dramas on Spring Watch.
00:34MUSIC PLAYS
00:39MUSIC PLAYS
00:53Hello. Hello.
00:57And welcome to Spring Watch 2025.
00:59It's the end of our second week coming to you live from the National Trust Longshore State up here in the Peak District National Park.
01:06Now, we've had some cracking programmes so far, but we're going to finish strong.
01:10Tonight on Spring Watch, ants go wild.
01:14We've also got a nest, a new nest view that we've never featured on Spring Watch before.
01:19So that's a highlight.
01:20And the secret life of flies will be undone.
01:25Stay tuned.
01:26Flies and ants, come on.
01:27I've got to do your line now.
01:29That's what you pay your licence fee for.
01:31Look at this, though.
01:32Look at this.
01:33I mean, that is a dramatic skyline, isn't it?
01:36It is.
01:36The rain has stopped.
01:37The midges are out.
01:38And it's a, you know, it's a gorgeous evening.
01:40Let's check up on our characters.
01:43In fact, we're going to go, first of all, to a camera that's out live this evening.
01:47Let's have a look.
01:48Let's see what they've got.
01:49It's on the mower.
01:50It's a curlew.
01:51Curlew.
01:51Curlew.
01:52Oh, can we get a bit closer?
01:53In you go.
01:54Now, we had curlews at the start of the week last week.
01:57We had those little chicks.
01:58They were the first that fledged.
02:01They were very cute.
02:03But that curlew, I mean, clearly it isn't on a nest there.
02:05But it's lovely to see it.
02:07What about our badgers?
02:09Let's have a look at our badgers.
02:11Because we haven't seen much of them recently.
02:13They've not been very active because of the rain.
02:16But we have had a few glimpses as they've come out of the set.
02:20We've often seen them doing this, gnawing that tree.
02:23But look at this.
02:24Because we've seen fighting before, but it's getting a little bit more aggressive.
02:29I mean, this is really fighting and biting.
02:33It's likely they're two cubs from last year.
02:36Probably male.
02:38Because by summer, they'll have to venture off to find a new clan.
02:42The females are more likely to stick around.
02:44But, yeah, it's getting quite aggressive, quite vicious.
02:48And they keep going at each other.
02:50Even as they go into their set, there's still a little bit of argy-bargy.
02:56Pushing one in.
02:58Go on, down you go, down you go.
03:00As they're settling down for the night.
03:02But you can still hear them.
03:04I mean, they're quite noisy as well, aren't they?
03:06But then take a look at this.
03:07This is quite interesting.
03:09Because at 5.58, that's much later than normal.
03:12This badger comes back.
03:14It's the walk of shame, isn't it?
03:16Dirty stopper.
03:17Dirty stopper, indeed, Chris.
03:19Shouldn't be coming back that late.
03:21And look.
03:23Look, it comes out again.
03:24Well, just because it went in and all you could hear was, where the hell have you been?
03:26Yeah, where have you been?
03:27Where have you been?
03:27Where have you been?
03:288.09, when it's supposed to be sleeping and in the set, it comes out.
03:32That's it.
03:33It's all over.
03:34Where's it going?
03:35That relationship's finished.
03:35Yeah, that's finished.
03:37Where is it heading, eh?
03:38Lovely to see the badgers, though.
03:40And hopefully we'll see more of them next week.
03:41Let's check up on our live cameras now.
03:44Oh, look at that, bottom right.
03:46Staring right down the lens.
03:48Beautiful.
03:49Oh, yes.
03:50The long-eared owl.
03:52Look at those orange eyes.
03:54Erected ear tufts.
03:56That's where it gets its name.
03:57Nothing to do with ears, as we always say.
03:58But look at the rich colouring.
04:00That's a fantastic view, isn't it?
04:03Oh, so, so good.
04:05She's got two youngsters that she's brooding.
04:08We've been keeping a close eye on them.
04:10Don't see much of them in the daytime, because these birds, unlike the barn owl that we were
04:14watching last night, live, whilst it was still light, they are strictly nocturnal.
04:19And it's the male that's doing most of the work.
04:22She's beginning to leave them for a little bit longer.
04:25I mean, obviously, she hops off from time to time.
04:27Last night, she went for about 20 minutes, and that gave us a good chance to see those
04:31two youngsters there before she comes back.
04:36As I say, male's been doing most of the hunting.
04:39They don't have a diet which is as diverse as the tawnies.
04:42They're not bringing in cockchafers, beetles.
04:44It's mainly birds that we've seen, and small mammals, too.
04:47And, of course, those young are still of a size that she's got to dismember the voles,
04:54mice, and shrews for them.
04:57She's tearing it up there.
04:59Now, back in daylight, this was a chance that we did get to see the chicks, and that's because
05:03she was feeding them, having to stand up to try and tear up the prey.
05:07But, look, this one's got bigger ideas.
05:10The common shrew is going down.
05:11This is a perfect example of esophagal peristalsis.
05:15Oh, we love that, don't we?
05:19A long-eared owl swallowing a common shrew hole using esophagal peristalsis.
05:24It's just beautiful.
05:26It's exactly what I want from TV.
05:28Do you know, I'm interested in those, though, because those chicks don't look like they're
05:31getting much bigger to me, do they?
05:33They're not growing fast, anyway.
05:35It's a whole shrew.
05:36I know, it should be getting bigger, shouldn't it?
05:39Anyway, we do have another species of owl.
05:41It's a tawny owl.
05:42This is one of my favourites.
05:43Let's have a look at the tawny owl live.
05:45Oh, look.
05:46Look at the face.
05:48And if we can pull out a little bit, let's pull out and see his whole body.
05:52I say he, it could be a she.
05:54And do you know what it reminds me of?
05:57It's like a potato.
05:59So we're calling it spud.
06:00Do you remember when we were kids and we had that game that they were spuds and you could
06:04stick eyes on them and hats and moustaches and things?
06:06I do remember that, actually.
06:07But no one under the age of 60.
06:10Yeah, no one.
06:10I don't know.
06:11Under the age of...
06:11I'm not 60 yet.
06:12Under the age of 45.
06:14They're all going, what?
06:15But anyone over that age might remember those spuds.
06:17So this little chick's name is spud.
06:20I say little, not so little anymore.
06:23It's a single chick, so it's growing fast.
06:27It's also getting very curious.
06:29This was last night at 9.48.
06:32It's getting adventurous.
06:34It's hopping and flapping to reach the exit.
06:37Freedom is beckoning.
06:39There's not much to stimulate a curious chick within the four walls of an S-box.
06:45So at 9.50, it gets a bit more determined.
06:49It glances up at the exit.
06:51It gets all of its strength.
06:53Go on, go on, spud.
06:54Takes off.
06:55And yes, it eventually makes it.
06:57It comes out and peeks out onto a whole new world.
07:03Takes it all in.
07:03It could be a little bit overstimulating.
07:06I'm sure those eyes are getting wider.
07:08You can see the head bobbing, taking in its surroundings,
07:13looking out at the world.
07:14Imagine that for the first time.
07:16Exactly.
07:16You've been in that box.
07:17Come out, you see all those trees.
07:19Overstimulation.
07:2010.15.
07:21One of the adults flies in and gives it a good feed.
07:25And you can really see the size here,
07:27because this chick has grown, Chris.
07:29I mean, you can see.
07:30Look at it.
07:32It's looking good.
07:33It's looking healthy.
07:35You can see a lot of...
07:37Well, you can hear a lot of the calls.
07:40The chick is cheeping,
07:41and you can hear the female every so often as well.
07:44But look, you see the branches.
07:45Now, we know that owls, before they fledge,
07:48they branch out.
07:49They hop around on branches,
07:50and they'll go back into the nest.
07:52That's going to be quite challenging for our little spud,
07:56because it's quite a jump from the nest box
07:59onto one of those branches.
08:00There's a dead branch hanging down,
08:02so hopefully it'll be able to get up to that.
08:06But as I say, it could be a little bit challenging.
08:0911.52, it's been out for quite a while.
08:13It's had enough of the new world,
08:15and it's jumped back down
08:16to stare once again at the four walls.
08:22But as I say, it'll come out,
08:24and it'll branch off,
08:25and we'll see it doing a lot of that.
08:27But it's not the only one that's sitting outside the nest box.
08:32Take a look at this,
08:34because what's flying in?
08:35It's not a predator.
08:37It is a stock dove.
08:39Wouldn't predate on that chick,
08:40but I'll tell you what,
08:41the adult might predate on the stock dove.
08:43That's going to be messy, isn't it?
08:46And then if we go down to the ground,
08:47we can see there's a fox,
08:49and that's directly below the nest box.
08:52And as I say, when they first fledge,
08:55they're not great flyers,
08:56because they do all that branching
08:58and that hopping about
08:59before they actually flap their wings and fly off.
09:02So if that chick happened to fall down to the ground...
09:05The chips would be down for spud.
09:07The chips would be down.
09:08It'll be jeopardy.
09:10It could end up as a mashed potato.
09:14But anyway,
09:15you can keep your eyes on our live cameras
09:17all over the weekend.
09:18We're not here tomorrow, of course.
09:19We're back on Monday.
09:20So we will do an update on Monday
09:23on what's happened to spud.
09:25OK, off to Northern Ireland now.
09:26Yolo Williams has a terrible,
09:28a terrible and infamous reputation
09:29for being unable to bring us live mammals
09:32live on the programme.
09:34But tonight,
09:34he's going to rise to the challenge yet again.
09:37Good luck, Yolo.
09:38Good luck.
09:40Yes, indeed.
09:41Don't worry.
09:42Don't worry.
09:42I'm not going to promise you
09:43herds of wildebeest
09:45across the plains here,
09:47but I promise you live mammals.
09:50And we've moved location.
09:51We've come to the beautiful Rue Point
09:54with the Northern Ireland,
09:56mainland across the water
09:57and what a beautiful location it is.
10:01Just look at this.
10:02Just look at that.
10:03What a vista.
10:06Change of location,
10:08change of habitat.
10:09Rocky coastline,
10:10those buildings there
10:12used by smugglers
10:13till the 18th century
10:15and the dark volcanic rocks
10:18you can see here,
10:20of course,
10:20different habitat,
10:22different animals too.
10:24And we promise you live mammals,
10:25let's go straight
10:26and start off
10:27with some live mammals.
10:29Come on.
10:30What have we got for you?
10:31We've got,
10:32look at that.
10:33Look at that.
10:34Bask.
10:34There's one waving.
10:35There's one even waving.
10:37On cue.
10:38Basking seals.
10:40Common seals here.
10:41just making the most
10:43of the evening light,
10:45keeping their flippers
10:46and their heads
10:47out of the water
10:48till the very,
10:49very last minute.
10:51Beautiful.
10:52Beautiful.
10:53Thank you for that.
10:53We won't dawdle on there
10:54because we're going to come back
10:55to seals.
10:56Now,
10:57it's been a lovely day today
10:58but we have had
11:00some atrocious weather
11:02but that has proved
11:03to be no problem
11:04whatsoever
11:05for the island's seals.
11:07They are made
11:10for the rough seas
11:11and the rains
11:12of Rathlin Island.
11:15There are,
11:16well,
11:17there are three to one
11:18common to grey seals.
11:20There's about 123
11:21common seals here.
11:23They're the ones
11:24with the dog-like faces
11:25and 46 grey seals.
11:29This is a common seal
11:30bobbing,
11:31looking out to the water.
11:32They're all individually marked.
11:33When they're out the water
11:34you can see the markings
11:35like a fingerprint
11:37because when they're in the water
11:38they all look quite grey.
11:40That one's a very grumpy
11:41looking seal there.
11:44The greys have got
11:45the big Roman noses
11:47and the big bold greys
11:48can weigh anything up
11:49to about 300 kilograms.
11:51The common seals,
11:52about 170 is the maximum.
11:55They also divide the areas
11:57that they're in.
11:58The greys tend to be
11:59on the remoter rocky coasts here.
12:03And wet weather,
12:04well,
12:04it's good for seals.
12:05And what's good for seals
12:06of course is good for ducks.
12:08That one yawning
12:09and an eider duck there
12:11in the foreground.
12:13Lovely to see
12:14and of course
12:15that's exactly what we've got
12:16just behind us here as well.
12:18Now yesterday,
12:19if you're watching,
12:20you'll know that we
12:21looked at an initiative
12:22that was trying to eradicate
12:25ferrets and rats
12:27from the island.
12:28And we looked at how
12:29it would hopefully benefit
12:31seabirds
12:32and in particular
12:32puffins.
12:33But it appears
12:34that it also
12:35is starting to benefit
12:37the eider ducks.
12:38Now,
12:39eiders nest in tall vegetation
12:40like this,
12:41right by the edge
12:42of the water,
12:43an easy target
12:44for ferrets in particular.
12:47And in 2023,
12:49in this,
12:50the southern part
12:51of the island,
12:53the hatching success
12:54for eider eggs
12:55was just 45%.
12:58The following year,
12:592024,
13:01when they were really
13:01getting on top
13:02of the eradication
13:04of ferrets,
13:05it had almost doubled
13:06to 85%,
13:08which is really good news.
13:10Now let's have a closer look
13:12at the eider duck.
13:14Beautiful ducks,
13:15beautiful ducks.
13:16The males and females
13:17together there
13:18on the rocks.
13:19Why the difference?
13:20Why are the males
13:20so colourful
13:21and the females
13:22fairly drab?
13:23Well,
13:24it's all because
13:25of the role
13:25that they play.
13:26The males have to
13:27attract the females,
13:29ward off other males,
13:30and the female
13:30is the one
13:31that will incubate the egg.
13:33So she needs
13:33to be camouflaged.
13:35And this time of year,
13:37they've got ducklings
13:38with us.
13:38Often you'll get
13:39two or three females
13:40will leave their ducklings
13:42with one female
13:43in a crash.
13:44and those ducklings
13:46there learning
13:47to dive
13:48and to swim.
13:50Beautiful ducks.
13:51One of my favourite ducks,
13:53the eider duck.
13:55And the breeding season
13:56here on the Ullard
13:57is quite prolonged.
13:59And so, yes,
13:59we have some
14:00with ducklings,
14:02but we've also got
14:03some courtship
14:04going on as well.
14:06And in the eider duck,
14:07well, courtship
14:08is something to behold.
14:08The males
14:09bob their heads
14:11up and down.
14:12They make funny noises,
14:13kind of a,
14:14ooh, ooh,
14:16kind of noise.
14:18And then
14:18he'll flap his wings,
14:20show his chest.
14:21The female's
14:21in a submissive position there.
14:24And then
14:25the male mounts.
14:28And there we are,
14:29Bob's uruncle,
14:31the eider duck.
14:32Well, that is
14:32reproduction
14:33in the eider.
14:35Now, in plants,
14:37it's a little bit
14:38more mysterious.
14:39In trees,
14:40well,
14:40some trees will have
14:41male and female parts
14:43on the very same tree.
14:44Other trees
14:45will have male trees
14:47and separate female trees.
14:49And the tree
14:49we're about to see
14:50is one of those,
14:52but it really knows
14:53how to draw a crowd.
14:59Early spring
15:00and the first warm rays
15:03of the season
15:04are breathing life
15:05into this waterlogged riverbank.
15:08A tangle of scrub
15:10is sprawled
15:11and twisting
15:12in a swamp.
15:14But this
15:15is not just
15:16any old scrub.
15:22This thicket
15:24is actually a split
15:25and sprawling goat
15:28willow tree
15:29around 200 years old.
15:39Adorning the branches
15:41are jewels.
15:45It's covered
15:46with buds.
15:47Goat willows
15:53are either male
15:55or female.
15:56With plump,
15:58oval-shaped buds,
15:59this one
16:00is male.
16:02The buds
16:03act like mittens,
16:05keeping the precious
16:06contents safe
16:07and warm.
16:09What he's been waiting
16:11for
16:11is a bit
16:12of spring sunshine.
16:13And now
16:18it's here,
16:19the silvery buds
16:21start to transform.
16:32On a single
16:33brush-like frond,
16:35there can be
16:35up to 300
16:37individual flowers,
16:39each covered
16:41in yellow pollen,
16:42containing
16:43a small store
16:44of nectar.
16:52One by one
16:53they bloom.
16:57Until,
16:58within a week,
17:00the tree
17:00becomes laden
17:01with a candelabra
17:03of golden
17:04catkins.
17:09And before long,
17:10the boughs
17:11of the goat willow
17:12are a hive
17:13of activity.
17:16Insects feed
17:17on the nectar
17:18and birds
17:20feed on the insects.
17:31A honeybee,
17:32whose legs
17:32are already
17:33festooned
17:34with pollen,
17:35attempts to tap
17:36into the newly
17:36into the newly
17:36available nectar
17:38store,
17:39although not every
17:41attempt is
17:41successful.
17:48A dronefly is well-equipped
17:50to suck the sweet liquid
17:52through its straw-like proboscis,
17:54but it too is dousing itself
17:58in pollen in the process.
17:59It's a story playing out
18:04all over the tree.
18:10But this feeding frenzy
18:12is all part
18:13of the goat willow's
18:14master plan,
18:16for he needs
18:16to get his pollen
18:17to the female flowers.
18:19and he's in luck.
18:23There's a potential match
18:25just next door.
18:29This female
18:31has been in no hurry
18:32to bloom.
18:34But now,
18:35she too
18:36is starting
18:37to unfurl.
18:42Female catkins
18:43are much less showy
18:45than the males.
18:46Their spiky green flowers
18:48contain no pollen,
18:50but they do hold
18:51a sweet supply of nectar.
18:56So,
18:57all the pollen-laden insects
18:58from the male tree
18:59are just as keen
19:01to feed on the nectar
19:02of the female tree,
19:05pollinating her
19:06with their precious cargo
19:07in the process.
19:16But goat willow
19:17who doesn't rely solely
19:18on others
19:19for pollination.
19:24Disturbed by the wind,
19:26catkins bump
19:27into each other,
19:29releasing a puff of pollen
19:31which drifts off
19:32in the breeze
19:33to the waiting female flowers.
19:37after weeks of frenzied activity,
19:47the tree's catkins
19:48have nearly done their job.
19:52Soon,
19:53they'll give way
19:53to leaves
19:54which will bring
19:55a whole new raft
19:56of insect life
19:57to the tree
19:58and a fresh bounty
20:00for the birds.
20:01all in a season's work
20:05for this life-giving,
20:06show-stopping,
20:08powerhouse of a tree.
20:10Certainly is a powerhouse
20:16of a tree.
20:17It's incredible,
20:18isn't it?
20:18And how amazing
20:20to see those catkins
20:21bloom in slow motion.
20:23Absolutely beautiful.
20:25But that's not
20:26the end of the story
20:28because once
20:30they're fertilised,
20:31the female catkins
20:32ripen
20:33to produce
20:33a massive
20:34tiny little seeds
20:36which are surrounded
20:37with that white
20:38fluffy hair
20:39and these are then
20:39blown off
20:41by the wind
20:41and you can see
20:42that's exactly
20:43what's happening.
20:44Most of the seeds
20:45land within 200 metres,
20:47some make it
20:47to 1,500
20:48and then it's down
20:50to luck
20:51where they land
20:52and if all
20:53the conditions
20:54are right,
20:55to make them germinate
20:56and then grow
20:58into a new goat willow
20:59and the whole story
21:01will start again.
21:03Absolutely stunning.
21:05OK, let's take a look
21:06at all our live cameras again.
21:08There we go.
21:08There they all are.
21:09Lots of action
21:10going on there.
21:11I can't help it.
21:12My eye does get drawn
21:13to my favourite tawny owl
21:14but we're not going
21:15to go to spud.
21:16We're going to go
21:17bottom left
21:18to the wren.
21:20Beautiful little nest there
21:22and you can just about
21:24see the chick
21:25popping its head out.
21:27Oh, I mean
21:28it really is hiding,
21:29isn't it?
21:29There are five chicks
21:30in there
21:31and they're
21:33in a perfect position
21:34actually
21:34because it's really
21:35sheltered.
21:36Those dome nests
21:38really come into
21:39their own
21:39when it's weather
21:40like this
21:40which is
21:41a little bit
21:42raining,
21:43a little bit miserable
21:44but now we're
21:45going to go
21:46to a woodland bird
21:47because it's
21:48a new nest.
21:49We've had a few
21:49specialist nests
21:50that are in the woods.
21:51We've had red starts
21:52and pie flycatchers
21:54but this is
21:55a brand new nest.
21:57I know,
21:58I mean it's the end
21:58of week two
21:59and we're giving it
21:59a new nest
22:00and this is also
22:01another brand new nest
22:03to spring watch
22:04and it's this one.
22:06This is a tree pipit.
22:09It's a migratory bird
22:11over winters
22:11in Africa.
22:12Very unassuming LBJ.
22:15These are obviously
22:15the chicks
22:16but the adult
22:16is, as I say,
22:18a bit of a brown jobby
22:19with streaky bits
22:20similar to our
22:22meadow pipits.
22:23Now this is
22:24where it nests.
22:25You saw the meadow there
22:26but it specifically
22:27likes to be on the edge
22:28of an oak wood.
22:30Look, there we go.
22:31The beaks come up.
22:32They're all ready to eat
22:33and what's she bringing?
22:35A grasshopper
22:36and she's going
22:37ip dip sky blue.
22:39Who shall I give
22:40the grasshopper to?
22:41Well, not you.
22:42Oh, there we go.
22:42I'll put it in that, please.
22:44Always makes me laugh.
22:45Always a bit comical,
22:46that, isn't it?
22:47Anyway, they're being
22:48fed really well.
22:49Both parents
22:50are coming in.
22:51Absolutely tiny,
22:53these little ones.
22:54Nationally declined
22:55by 70%
22:57since the 1970s
22:59so we're extremely
23:00lucky to have
23:02a nest here
23:03and to be able
23:03to put our cameras
23:04on it.
23:05I'd say it's
23:06a migratory bird
23:07so it's a rise
23:08back here to breed.
23:09That's the tree
23:11pipet,
23:11a first
23:12for Springwatch
23:14and we've had
23:14quite a few firsts,
23:16haven't we?
23:16Chris is in the truck.
23:18Chris, what have you
23:18got for us?
23:20Well, Michaela,
23:20I've come down here
23:21to the beating heart
23:22of Springwatch
23:23because indeed
23:24it is this truck
23:25where all of the wires
23:26carrying the feeds
23:27from those cameras
23:28are relayed
23:29and it's here
23:30we can find that
23:31screen with all
23:32of the nests
23:33that we're watching on.
23:34It's manned of course
23:35by Joe and Ian,
23:37our camera riggers
23:38and operators.
23:40Ruth is here as well
23:41and this is what
23:42we've got at the moment
23:44at our disposal.
23:45Now I'm tempted,
23:46rather like Michaela was,
23:47to go not for the tawny owl
23:49but for the long-eared owl
23:50which is right away
23:51but I'm not.
23:51I'm going to go
23:52for the robins.
23:53Let's go for the robins
23:54and have a look at those.
23:55Now we know we've got
23:56five little youngsters
23:57in here.
23:58The adult isn't present
23:59at the moment
24:00but the reason
24:01I chose to look at those
24:03is because we've noticed
24:04they've been antagonised.
24:07Ant-tagonised.
24:08Yes, in the middle of the night
24:09look very carefully here
24:11at the base of the nest
24:12and you'll see
24:13that there are some large ants.
24:15Northern hairy wood ants
24:17that have come
24:17to the robin's nest.
24:19This is agitating
24:20the adult there
24:22and it's doing everything
24:23it can.
24:23Look, you can see the ants
24:24actually on the back
24:25of the wing
24:26and the robin there.
24:28She's doing everything
24:29she can to shake them off
24:31but they're definitely
24:33annoying beyond compare
24:34because she bolts
24:35from the nest
24:36leaving the youngsters
24:37unattended, unbrooded
24:39in the middle of the night
24:41and then
24:42it's pretty obvious
24:43that the ants
24:43have got onto the youngsters
24:44because
24:45they're getting
24:46very fidgety too.
24:49Now what on earth
24:50is going on here?
24:51Is this a case of
24:52antagonism as I described it
24:54whereby
24:54you know
24:55well we know that
24:56birds eat ants
24:57surely these ants
24:58haven't come to eat
24:59the young birds
24:59of course not
25:00that's not the case.
25:03She comes back
25:04a bit later
25:04tries to make amends
25:05by offering them
25:06a tiny moth
25:08I'd be
25:08not happy with that
25:10if I was one of those
25:10cold chicks
25:11to be quite honest with you
25:12but nevertheless
25:12what's going on?
25:14Because it's not the only time
25:16we've seen this
25:17the willow warblers
25:18the northern hairy wood ants
25:20set upon them as well
25:22the adult emerges from the nest
25:24another ground nesting species
25:25goes completely berserk
25:27trying to get them off
25:28what are the ants doing?
25:31Well in other parts of Europe
25:32the studies have shown
25:34that ants have been drawn
25:35to ground nesting birds
25:36because they're drawn
25:37to the heat
25:38remember
25:39the ant
25:40is an exothermic animal
25:42it requires heat
25:43from its environment
25:44to be active
25:45so they go into the nest
25:46there to warm up
25:47so that they can be active
25:49could that be
25:49what is happening here?
25:52Well to find out more
25:53we put a camera
25:54on the ant's nest
25:55Joe can we have a look
25:56at our ant's nest
25:57live now
25:58there we are
25:59so this is a northern
25:59hairy wood ant
26:00as I say
26:01and this is that
26:02characteristic thatch
26:03that they build
26:04to cover their nest
26:05could be up to
26:06a metre in diameter
26:08sometimes a metre high
26:09almost
26:10and if we zoom in closely
26:11you can see the ants
26:12active on the surface
26:13there I say active
26:14they're not particularly
26:15active at the moment
26:16it's quite chilly here
26:17and it's been raining
26:18so not a lot of activity
26:20but you can see
26:20the structure there
26:21it's made up of pine needles
26:22lots of other woody detritus
26:25but
26:25when it was warmer
26:27the ants were
26:29obviously a lot more active
26:31and you can see them here
26:32in fact you can see them
26:33carrying some of their
26:34grubs and cocoons
26:35and this is because
26:36this thatch
26:38is all about thermoregulation
26:39and they're moving
26:40those developing
26:41life stages
26:43up and down
26:44through the nest
26:44to make sure that
26:45they can keep them
26:46at an optimal temperature
26:48the other thing
26:49we notice when we're
26:50watching them like this
26:51is that they're bringing
26:52in lots of prey
26:52let's be clear
26:53these are carnivores
26:54they're out there
26:55and to feed those grubs
26:56they need meat
26:57so here
26:58they were carrying a bug
26:59and here they've got
27:00the whole head
27:01of a cockchafer
27:02the ants didn't kill
27:03the cockchafer
27:04that was killed by a bird
27:05and they've scavenged it
27:06that they're bringing it
27:07back to the nest
27:09there are other theories
27:11as to why the ants
27:13might go into the bird's nest
27:14in north america
27:15cliff swallows
27:16are visited by ants
27:18and the ants go in
27:19and it really helps them
27:20because they remove
27:21all the parasites
27:22from the chicks
27:23but having said all of that
27:25there still could be
27:26competition here
27:27between the birds
27:29and the ants
27:29we find that in about
27:3050% of relationships
27:31where we've looked at
27:32birds and ants
27:33and this is why
27:34there are
27:351900 of those nests
27:38here on the longshore estate
27:39each one of them
27:40contains about
27:4010,000 ants
27:42do the maths
27:43that's 19 million ants
27:46collectively
27:47they could be
27:49the largest predator
27:50in the woods here
27:52adding up more
27:53in body weight
27:54than all of the birds
27:55and if they're all
27:56consuming insects
27:57then maybe they could be
27:58in competition
27:59with those birds
28:01just a thought
28:02you can continue
28:04to watch all of these
28:05nests of course
28:06from 10 in the morning
28:07until 10 at night
28:09during weekdays
28:10and slightly shorter
28:11during the course
28:11of the weekend
28:12so do enjoy that
28:13if you've got any questions
28:14send them in
28:14if you've got any photos
28:16send those as well
28:17some of them might be
28:19quite good I hope
28:20now
28:21you find your suburb
28:25a good place for animals
28:27I certainly hope so
28:28otherwise you'd be
28:28living on lonesome street
28:30not the case
28:31it's down in Sheffield
28:32where Jack here
28:34has been looking at
28:35Springwatch Street
28:35and meeting the residents
28:36who've gone a long way
28:38to improve their gardens
28:39for wildlife
28:39and it's paying dividends
28:40it really is
28:41absolutely
28:41we've seen some
28:42fantastic couple of gardens
28:44that we've introduced
28:44so far on Springwatch Street
28:45and I've just been looking
28:46through a couple of other
28:47clips from a garden
28:48that we've not yet
28:49delved into
28:50Donna and Phil's
28:51and they've got some
28:51really nice stuff
28:53of hedgehogs
28:53and we've actually got
28:54our only clip
28:55of a hedgehog in colour
28:56here look at this
28:57looks like it's stumbled
28:58out of one of the
28:59Sheffield local establishments
29:02it's overdosed on slugs
29:04to be honest with you
29:04hasn't it
29:05look at it
29:05and this
29:05it is
29:06we say daylight
29:07but this is half past nine
29:08at night
29:08so it's not like it's
29:09stumbling around
29:09in the middle of the day
29:10and what I really like
29:11about this clip
29:12is that hole
29:12in the trellis fence
29:13there
29:14Donna only cut that in
29:16about two or three days
29:17before
29:18and then it comes right in
29:18and the hedgehog
29:19was coming straight through
29:20what do we always say
29:20about cutting holes in fences
29:22hedgehog street
29:22we call it
29:23isn't it
29:23and that just proves it works
29:24exactly
29:25that connectivity
29:26between the gardens
29:26we've seen that in a lot of them
29:28when you've got little gaps
29:29under fences
29:30they're constantly coming
29:31and going
29:31but that's not all
29:32we've also had some nice clips
29:34in the daytime
29:34of some of the birds as well
29:36we can have a look
29:37at some of these
29:38so this happens
29:39in a lot of people's gardens
29:40where you've got exposed soil
29:41you get birds dust bathing
29:42and they're using those particles
29:44of dust and soil
29:45to knock the parasites
29:46from out
29:47from inside their feathers
29:48and then every garden's
29:49got one of these
29:50a dopey wood pigeon
29:52stumbling into the spa
29:53and disrupting the peace
29:55photo bombing the whole thing
29:56yeah
29:57I don't mind a wood pigeon
29:58I really like
29:59I like the call of a wood pigeon
30:00in the morning
30:00that sort of cooing sound
30:02can be really relaxing
30:03yeah
30:03you know just lay in bed
30:04listen to the cooing
30:05of the wood pigeon
30:06coming through the
30:07you know
30:07calms you down
30:08it's the soundtrack of
30:10yeah soundtrack of our gardens
30:11and what's really special
30:12about this garden
30:13is obviously
30:14it's an amazing place
30:15for wildlife
30:15but it's become
30:16a real sanctuary
30:18for Donna as well
30:19I'm not interested
30:24in shoes and handbags
30:25my hobby just gets worried
30:28when we go to garden centres
30:29the first flat we ever rented
30:34we didn't have a garden
30:35and then when we came here
30:37we bought the house
30:39for the garden
30:39the more I've kind of
30:42absorbed the garden
30:43the more I've realised
30:44I want to plant
30:45for wildlife
30:46so now
30:49I'm actually thinking
30:51right what will that attract
30:52we've always been
30:54peat free
30:55and have not used
30:56any pellets
30:57or pesticides
30:58so we wanted to
31:01encourage
31:01as much sort of
31:02burdened sort of bees
31:04as we could really
31:05it's very important
31:11to us both
31:11because myself
31:12and my husband
31:12Phil
31:13we've got
31:13we've had a lot
31:14of sort of
31:14history of depression
31:15and mental health issues
31:16over the years
31:17and I was diagnosed
31:18with obsessive compulsive disorder
31:21or OCD
31:22people know it as
31:23I've had it
31:25as long as I can remember
31:26it's been a real barrier
31:28in my life
31:29January
31:34this year
31:35I had a bit
31:36of a serious
31:37mental health
31:38crisis
31:39we lost
31:41our whippet
31:42Barney
31:42who was just
31:43a phenomenal dog
31:45and we couldn't
31:46have children
31:47so Barney
31:48was my real baby
31:49he was my substitute child
31:50then I lost my mum
31:53and it
31:56it was just
31:56too much
31:57I was kind of
32:00in a black place
32:01then the gardening
32:02got less and less
32:03I didn't go out as much
32:04I didn't want to
32:05go out into nature
32:06and then at Christmas
32:09I just couldn't see
32:11the point in carrying on
32:12getting really
32:14kind of black thoughts
32:15really obsessed
32:16with
32:17ending my life
32:19one day
32:20I was
32:20standing at the pond
32:22because I knew
32:23if I went in the house
32:24I didn't sort of
32:25trust myself
32:26and I thought
32:28what would Phil do
32:29without me
32:30and
32:31we bought the house
32:33for the sound of the
32:34swifts
32:35and I thought
32:36if
32:38this beats me
32:40I won't hear the swifts
32:41this year
32:42and that kept me going
32:48I suddenly had a
32:49kind of
32:50eureka moment
32:51and I thought
32:52I'm going to beat this
32:54I'm going to bloody beat this
32:55it's not going to get me down
32:56and Phil was amazing
32:59our new whippet blue
33:01is amazing
33:02and Phil said
33:04look
33:04why don't you start
33:05going out in the garden
33:06and I just kept
33:10gardening
33:10the last few months
33:12slowly but surely
33:15started to feel
33:16a bit more optimistic
33:17and then
33:21a few weeks ago
33:22I heard the first swift
33:23and that was so incredible
33:26for me
33:26I think they've kept me
33:30here
33:30just that hope
33:32that I don't want to miss
33:33the swift cries
33:34I know people think
33:36oh
33:36they're not exotic
33:37the birds and everything
33:38but they really do
33:40help people
33:41and I feel great
33:44I feel back on track now
33:46and I definitely know
33:48the local wildlife
33:49and the garden
33:51kept me going
33:52if you're suffering
33:58distress or despair
33:59and think you might
34:00need some support
34:01maybe some urgent support
34:03you'll find a list
34:04of organisations
34:05that can help
34:06at bbc.co.uk
34:08forward slash
34:09action line
34:10now
34:12earlier in the programme
34:13we set Yolo
34:14that challenge
34:15to find a live mammal
34:17and give it to us
34:17on Spring Watch
34:18and he did that
34:19but he did it
34:20by cheating
34:21he did it
34:22with an aquatic mammal
34:23a seal loafing about
34:24on a rock
34:25but now
34:26buoyed by confidence
34:27he's trying even harder
34:28and he thinks
34:29he thinks
34:30he can bring us
34:31one of the rarest mammals
34:32in the whole of the UK
34:34live on Spring Watch
34:35take it away baby
34:37yes thank you very much
34:42Chris
34:43you see that
34:44grin on my face
34:46that is
34:46the grin of confidence
34:48if I may say so
34:48and I've got to say
34:49it's a beautiful evening here
34:50the sun is about to dip
34:52below the horizon
34:53bathing us
34:53in a golden glow
34:55now there's
34:56one mammal
34:57that so far
34:58we have rather neglected
34:59but we're going to change
35:00that right now
35:01because we're going to
35:02turn the spotlight
35:03onto the Irish hare
35:06here it is
35:07what a stonking mammal
35:10it is too
35:11now it's kind of
35:14halfway between
35:15a sort of
35:16a rabbit
35:17and a hare
35:18really
35:18in size
35:19there are
35:20more Irish hares
35:21on the island here
35:22than there are people
35:23about 100
35:24sorry 500
35:25Irish hares
35:27only but 150
35:29human residents
35:31and it's
35:31the only
35:32lagomoff
35:33and by lagomoff
35:34I mean the family
35:35of the rabbit
35:36and the hare
35:36it's the only
35:37lagomoff
35:38that is native
35:39to Ireland
35:40unfortunately
35:41it's declining
35:42on the mainland
35:43but it's actually
35:44doing pretty well
35:46here
35:46and there it is
35:48chewing away
35:48at a mare's tail
35:50there is selective
35:51grazers
35:51rabbits will graze
35:53like a lawnmower
35:53hares will just
35:54pick and choose
35:56so how does
35:57the Irish hare
35:58compare to the
35:59other lagomoffs
36:01well let's have a look
36:02let's start with
36:02the European
36:03brown hare
36:04an introduced species
36:06much much
36:07bigger mammal
36:08this one
36:09those big
36:10long
36:11hind legs
36:12and those
36:12huge ears
36:14long long ears
36:15brown hare
36:15coming in there
36:16look at this one
36:17golden brown
36:18with a
36:19white underneath
36:21and a little bit
36:21of black
36:22on top of its ears
36:24and the rabbit
36:24of course
36:25familiar to all of us
36:26grey brown
36:27rabbit
36:28so those
36:30are the three
36:32commoner lagomoffs
36:33that most of us
36:35will be familiar with
36:36now we've heard of
36:37the mad
36:38march hare
36:39which occurs of course
36:40when the brown hare
36:41the males chase the female
36:43the female
36:43doesn't want any
36:44attentions to see
36:45boxes away
36:46the males
36:47well the Irish hares
36:49will also box
36:50but here
36:51on Rathlin Island
36:52local photographer
36:53Tom McDonnell
36:55has noticed
36:56that the Irish hares
36:57do something else
36:59as well
36:59they headbutt
37:01yes
37:02headbutting
37:03Irish hares
37:05look at that
37:05they butt each other
37:07now this may well be
37:08males trying to
37:09outdo each other
37:10for attention
37:11of the females
37:13how about that
37:15headbutting
37:16Irish hares
37:18I didn't know that
37:19I didn't know that
37:20now
37:20we've cut the best
37:22to the very last
37:23last week
37:24Michaela set us a challenge
37:25to find
37:26the unique
37:27Rathlin Island
37:28golden air
37:29we went in search of it
37:30did we find it
37:32of course we did
37:34of course we did
37:35here it is
37:36we looked
37:37high and low
37:38we looked everywhere
37:39and look at it
37:40there it was
37:41just waiting for us
37:42just waiting for us
37:43out in the open
37:43beautiful beautiful animal
37:45sort of gingery
37:47well I say gingery
37:48probably more like
37:49strawberry blonde
37:50I should say
37:50and these stunning eyes
37:52these light blue eyes
37:54absolutely amazing
37:55it's the same species
37:57as the Irish hares
37:58just a genetic anomaly
38:00a rare
38:01recessive gene
38:02and on the island
38:04here
38:04what have we got
38:05well we've got
38:05a handful of animals
38:07no one's quite sure
38:07it varies between
38:08sometimes there are
38:10two
38:10sometimes four
38:11sometimes six
38:11at present
38:13we believe
38:14there may well be
38:15as many as
38:15four animals
38:17here
38:18now let's go
38:19to the live camera
38:20let's have a look
38:21I reckon we can find
38:22you one more mammal
38:23let's go
38:24straight over to Steve
38:25we'll have a look
38:26Steve
38:26do you have anything
38:27for us
38:28nothing
38:28Steve
38:29go left
38:29go left
38:30go left
38:30line mammal
38:31go left
38:31that's it
38:32stop
38:32stop
38:33stop
38:33stop
38:34stop
38:34that's it
38:35look at that
38:36Irish sheep
38:37Irish sheep
38:39and as a Welshman
38:40I'm very very pleased
38:41that we finally found you
38:43an Irish sheep
38:45unfortunately
38:46our time here
38:48on the island
38:48is coming to an end
38:50there are quite a few people
38:51we need to thank
38:52we've had such a welcome
38:53from everybody
38:54but Liam McFall
38:55and everyone at the RSBB
38:57have been brilliant
38:58Irene
38:59and the whole team
39:01there
39:02the raft life team
39:03they have been fantastic
39:04and of course
39:05Tom McDonnell
39:06the local photographer
39:07as well
39:07thank you
39:08one
39:09thank you all
39:10and we thought
39:11we'd give you
39:11just a few
39:12of the
39:13raffling
39:14island
39:15highlights
39:15wow
39:27wow
39:31wow
39:43What a very special place this is.
40:07But as I said, our time here has come to an end.
40:09Where do we go next week?
40:10Well, last week we started in Belfast, of course,
40:14then up to Rathlin Island.
40:16And next week we'll be down on the banks of Strangford Loch
40:19at Mount Stewart.
40:22Well, that is all to come.
40:25Wildlife cameraman Louis Lebron,
40:27well, he's travelled the world, he's seen everything.
40:30There's one iconic British bird species
40:33he's always wanted to film in flight.
40:36So he went down to Dartmoor to achieve his dream.
40:43There's one species for me that signals spring
40:47and the return of warmer weather.
40:50The swallow.
40:53I can hear them.
40:56Can't quite see them yet.
40:59Barn swallows return to the UK between March and May
41:01after spending their winters as far away as South Africa.
41:05And there's nothing quite like seeing that swallow silhouette
41:09returning to our skies.
41:18There's no doubt that they're a beautiful bird,
41:20but they're tricky for a camera operator to film
41:23because they're just so fast.
41:26It's a beautiful sight to see them in the air and flying,
41:29especially in this gorgeous weather,
41:30but to try and capture it on camera,
41:33that's an entirely different challenge.
41:40To give myself the best chance,
41:42I've come to Dartmoor National Park,
41:44where good numbers return every year.
42:00So, at the moment,
42:03the swallows are here, which is great,
42:05and they're actually going in and out of this old barn,
42:07which is really beautiful,
42:09but it's really difficult to follow them.
42:11And they're going into patches of dark
42:13and coming into patches of light,
42:14and there's a lot of contrast,
42:15so it's quite tricky.
42:18They're just incredibly fast,
42:20incredibly agile on the wing,
42:21so in order to capture the agility of these birds
42:23because they move so quickly,
42:24we're going to have to slow it down
42:25to 40 times normal speed.
42:29If you imagine a single second inside this camera
42:32is actually 40 seconds in the playback clip,
42:35so all of a sudden that one second is drawn out.
42:41It's kind of taking us into a different world,
42:42because it's a slow-motion world.
42:50Even travelling at the speeds that they do,
42:52their precision in and out of these buildings
42:54is breathtaking.
42:58See, it's really interesting,
42:59like, when they're using the barn doors
43:01to go in and out,
43:01but you can see how they're kind of putting on the brakes
43:04the moment they get into the barn.
43:08So it just shows you how incredibly agile they are.
43:10And equally, on the way out,
43:13they're kind of, they're coming out straight,
43:15and then all of a sudden,
43:15you just see a hard right bank,
43:17kind of like fighter jet-type bank,
43:19and then they're off again.
43:20It's really quite amazing to see.
43:24Swallows are built for flight.
43:26They have long wings in relation to their small body size,
43:29which means they can glide and make tight turns
43:34without having to keep flapping.
43:39There's a really nice shot here
43:41of it kind of coming from out of focus
43:44across the guttering of the stable
43:46and then into focus before kind of spreading out
43:50and fanning out of its tail feathers
43:51and then kind of banking away
43:52and leaving the shot top right, stage right.
44:08There is another of their behaviours
44:09because I'm really keen to film.
44:12And for that, I need to head to the pond.
44:20So I've definitely seen them
44:21coming down to the pond and drinking,
44:24so I'm hoping that that's going to increase my chances
44:26of actually getting some shots.
44:28However, this is swallows,
44:30so we don't quite know what's going to happen.
44:32So it's just all about time, time and patience.
44:34It's the end of a hot day
44:48and the swallows have worked at the first.
44:51And it's the way that they take a drink
44:53that I've been keen to capture.
44:55Come on, swallows.
44:56Let's go.
44:58Come this way.
45:01They don't land.
45:02They simply skim through the water
45:04whilst still in flight.
45:07Taking a sip as they go.
45:10I think that might be the one.
45:11One of the things about filming wildlife
45:23is that you never quite know what's going to happen.
45:25and a great deal of it is just kind of wait and see.
45:42But what better way to spend your day
45:44than to just be sat here in nature,
45:48beautiful weather,
45:49whilst it feels like we're coming to an end,
45:51I think I might just hang around a bit longer.
46:01Absolutely lovely to see those swallows in slow motion,
46:05just sort of going down on the wing
46:08and drinking and catching insects.
46:11It's stunning, isn't it?
46:12But of course, there are so many birds
46:14that rely on insects to feed their young.
46:16The pied flycatchers that we've got here are a perfect example.
46:19Let's have a look at them
46:21because these are the adults coming into the nest box
46:24and they've always got a beak full of insects
46:28to feed those hungry chicks.
46:30I mean, sometimes it's quite a variety of insects
46:33just in one beak load
46:35and all those chicks got their heads up, ready to be fed.
46:39But it's very difficult to see what exactly is in there.
46:42Which insects are in the beak?
46:44To study it properly, what they do is
46:46they actually capture the pied flies
46:48and they take the insects away
46:49and then they give them back again or another substitute.
46:52We're not up for that.
46:53I come up with another idea.
46:55If we can't identify them in the beaks,
46:56why not just go down there and catch a few ourselves?
46:59So I made sure that I was tooled up with the right equipment,
47:02got some mates and went down to the woods.
47:08You've heard of a bioblitz,
47:10essentially a biological audit
47:12counting the number of different living things
47:14you find in a given space in a given time.
47:16Well, bioblitz is one thing,
47:18but we've come up with a brilliant new idea,
47:20a flyoblitz,
47:21because we want to see which flies
47:23our pied flycatchers are catching.
47:26And to do that, I've assembled a crack team.
47:30So here we have Lucy Humphrey,
47:33wearing an appropriate shirt,
47:34gets an extra mark for that,
47:36and Andy, with no flies on him.
47:38They are going to try and catch as many flies
47:41as they possibly can using these nets
47:43in ten minutes.
47:44Are you ready?
47:45Starting now.
47:47Fly.
47:48Fly after flies.
47:50I'm going to join in.
47:56I've got about five flies in the first swipe.
48:02I've got a longhorn moth.
48:05I'm giving myself minus one for that.
48:07Oh, you're cheating.
48:10You've got a pooter.
48:10It's not cheating.
48:11It's extra equipment.
48:12Oh, my goodness me.
48:13What is it?
48:14I think it's an aphid.
48:15Aphid.
48:16Well, that counts.
48:16Mm-hmm.
48:16This sawfly's rather nice.
48:24And I can certainly say
48:26that I've never seen that species before.
48:28It's new to me.
48:29I wonder what it does.
48:31I'll tell you one thing it does.
48:32Risk life and limb flying through this woods
48:34with those pied flies about.
48:36I mean, it looks like a Neapolitan ice cream,
48:37doesn't it, really?
48:38Frankly, I'm having that.
48:43No!
48:43Right, go on.
48:48What have you got, Liz?
48:49Oh, my goodness.
48:50What a beauty.
48:51I know.
48:52Oh, no!
48:53Oh, no!
48:54What?
48:56The lid wasn't on.
48:58The variety of light is down.
49:02Where's the spot gone?
49:03It's carry-on flyer blitz, isn't it?
49:05There it is.
49:06There it is.
49:06There it is.
49:06OK, let's put the lid on.
49:08Sorry.
49:09Oh, my goodness me.
49:10I think I've found out what it is.
49:13Oh, go on.
49:14A longhorn beetle.
49:15Yeah.
49:15So we've got 60 species in the UK,
49:17but this is a rare one.
49:18Yeah.
49:19It currently holds nationally scarce grade A status.
49:22What a tragedy it would be
49:23to see that being brought into the pied fly nest.
49:26I could go off pied flies if they ate one of those.
49:28Top work, Liz.
49:29Oh, there's always one that got away, isn't there?
49:41Anyway, oh, my goodness me.
49:42Time flies when you're having a fun flyer blitz, doesn't it?
49:4526 minutes.
49:46Not exactly controlled data collection, is it?
49:49Anyway, I'm going to leave the team to it
49:50and see what we come up with.
49:51Oh, Superda Scolaris, the ladder-marked longhorn beetle.
49:58The 273rd record in the entire history of this planet.
50:04Well, not exactly.
50:05In the UK.
50:07273 in the UK.
50:08I'll take that one for Springwatch.
50:10And, of course, we will pass that record on to the local recorder.
50:14That was impressive.
50:15But can I just say, you were bumbling about a little bit there.
50:18It wasn't my fault.
50:18To be honest with you, the top didn't fit on the jar properly
50:22and we were trying to hold it together
50:23and that's why that apparent incompetence took place.
50:26My mother would have called you a Butterfingers.
50:29Anyway, this crack team without old Butterfingers over there
50:32did do a proper flyer blitz and they did 10 minutes
50:36and they got 35 different species just in that small woodland,
50:41which is pretty impressive.
50:43And the majority of those, 16, were diptra.
50:45That's true flies.
50:47So, they were things like bluebottles, dungflies and hoverflies.
50:52And it's the hoverflies that we're going to focus on.
50:56Now, stick with me because they're really, really interesting.
50:59They're extremely difficult to identify
51:02because they are masters of disguise.
51:05They mimic things like wasps, bees and hornets
51:09and it's really impressive.
51:11Just take a look at this
51:13because one of these is a red-tailed bumblebee
51:17and the other is a hoverfly mimicking a bumblebee.
51:22Now, you can see they're extremely similar.
51:24They've got red tails, they're fluffy, they're black and yellow.
51:28But the difference is, look at the eyes
51:30because the hoverfly has bigger eyes and two wings.
51:34The bee has four.
51:37So, which is which?
51:38Take a look.
51:40The red-tailed bumblebee is on the left as you look at your screen
51:43and the hoverfly mimicking the bumblebee is on the right.
51:47But remember, I mean, you can't normally see them still like that.
51:50They're normally flying around and then they buzz off.
51:53So, very, very difficult to tell them apart.
51:55Batesian mimicry, we call this.
51:57Batesian mimicry, where a harmless creature
51:59grows to look like a harmful creature.
52:02Here's another one.
52:03One is a hornet.
52:04The other one we might call hornet hoverflies.
52:07Your name is Volucella.
52:08So, which one's which?
52:09Well, as Mick says, the flies have bigger eyes
52:12and also they lack that narrow waist
52:14that the hymenopterans, the wasp species, have.
52:17So, you can see from that that on the left-hand side
52:20we have the hoverfly and the right-hand side we have the hornet.
52:24Both very, very beautiful insects.
52:26Those hoverflies were quite rare in the UK until the 1940s
52:29and they've been increasing ever since.
52:31And they love gardens, so keep your eyes peeled in the garden.
52:33But as Chris said, they don't have stingers
52:35and that's why they mimic something that does have a stinger
52:38which then fools the predator.
52:40And there are lots of different types.
52:42I mean, just take a look at this one
52:44because this is a dronefly mimicking a honeybee.
52:49I know, it's confusing, isn't it?
52:51And like bees, though, it plays an essential role in pollination
52:55and it has a very, very interesting life cycle.
52:59Doesn't it, Chris?
53:00Certainly does.
53:00But, I mean, the pollination thing, we've got to big up the flies here
53:03because everyone talks about bees being very important pollinators.
53:0670% of our wildflowers are also visited by flies.
53:10They play a really important role there.
53:12And not only, Mick, does that fly look like a bee,
53:16it's evolved to actually fly like a bee too.
53:19That's how far it carries its mimicry.
53:22But its whole life cycle is totally bonkers.
53:24And I've got a diagram here to show you what happens.
53:26So once they've mated, the adult female fly
53:29comes down to the edge of a very stagnant pool,
53:32the sort of place you would probably not want to visit.
53:34And it lays its egg on the mud there.
53:36The egg hatches and the developing maggot then goes on into the water.
53:44So here is the maggot.
53:46And it lives down on the bottom of the pond here.
53:49And it's what we call saprophagous.
53:51It feeds on dead and decaying organic matter.
53:55But because it's in stagnant water, there's hardly any oxygen there.
53:59It can't get enough through its skin to respire.
54:02So it's developed this very long snorkel,
54:05which, Mick, it sticks up to the surface of the water
54:07so it can breathe through its bottom.
54:11Now, that's impressive.
54:13But I don't want you to try that at home in the bath
54:15because you'll fail miserably.
54:18Now, Mick, when the maggot has finished developing,
54:23it moves up to here
54:25and then it will be prepared to pupate.
54:28Well, I think, first of all, let's take a look at it
54:30because it's actually called a rat-tailed maggot.
54:33There it is. That's the real thing.
54:36And as Chris says, it goes into water that's pretty revolting.
54:40I mean, it's called a rat-tailed maggot.
54:42Charming name, charming living conditions.
54:45Dirty water.
54:47And you can see it's eating all the detritus at the bottom
54:50and it's got that rat-tailed snorkel that comes out.
54:53And then, as Chris said, it comes out the water,
54:57ready to pupate in a safe place.
54:59Hold on. Can you hold the board?
54:59OK, I'll hold the board.
55:00I'll make it pupate.
55:01You pupate it.
55:02It's the miracle of television.
55:03I'll complete metamorphosis.
55:05There we go.
55:05Look at that.
55:06And then, four to 11 days later,
55:09the adult fly will emerge.
55:11Have you got a little fly in there?
55:13Oh, look at that!
55:15It's a beautiful thing.
55:18I mean, you've got to appreciate these hoverflies.
55:21They are incredibly clever, aren't they?
55:25What?
55:26What are you doing?
55:28The viewers can discern what I was doing there.
55:30We'll leave it to them.
55:31We'll leave it to them.
55:33What a remarkable life history, though.
55:35And again, we always look down on flies.
55:36We see them as pests.
55:37We see them as annoying.
55:39But they're intrinsically important to our ecology
55:40and they have fascinating life histories.
55:43But it's time for a bit of mindfulness now.
55:46And we're going to stick with flying insects.
55:48A beautiful spectacle.
56:16A beautiful spectacle.
56:18A beautiful spectacle.
56:19A beautiful spectacle.
56:20A beautiful spectacle.
56:21A beautiful spectacle.
56:22A beautiful spectacle.
56:23A beautiful spectacle.
56:24A beautiful spectacle.
56:25A beautiful spectacle.
56:26A beautiful spectacle.
56:27A beautiful spectacle.
56:28A beautiful spectacle.
56:29A beautiful spectacle.
56:30A beautiful spectacle.
56:31A beautiful spectacle.
56:32A beautiful spectacle.
56:33A beautiful spectacle.
56:34A beautiful spectacle.
56:35A beautiful spectacle.
56:36A beautiful spectacle.
56:37A beautiful spectacle.
56:38A beautiful spectacle.
56:39A beautiful spectacle.
56:40A beautiful spectacle.
56:41A beautiful spectacle.
56:42A beautiful spectacle.
56:43absolutely beautiful light we're not going to get that tonight here are we because the clouds
57:06have come in let's take a final look at our live cameras though just before we go tonight
57:12I tell you what look at the song crushes Mick there we are look they're so big now right go on are they
57:18going to fledge this weekend or not yes or no quick yes I say yes too but there's no distance left to
57:24run now for our programs this week but we will be back next week with some great stuff yes we'll be
57:31looking at sundew this remarkable plant and I'll be going in search of some red squirrels
57:40we'll be back on Monday we'll be updating you with our cast of characters which ones will fledge
57:49which ones will still be here which ones will be trying to go we'll tell you all on Monday but of
57:55course keep your eyes on the live cameras on the iPlayer and the website and if the weather improves
58:02get out there enjoy the spring we'll see you Monday at eight o'clock bye-bye
58:07the open university has created an online interactive hike where you can explore habitat
58:17changes that have taken place since spring watch first aired to find it scan the QR code that's on
58:24your screen now or go to bbc.co.uk forward slash spring watch and follow the links to the open university
58:31you
58:33you
58:34you
59:01Sean the Sheep is back with brand new episodes.