91Èȱ¬

Ellie Harrison tells the story of conservationist Cyril Diver. She celebrates the work he did more than 80 years ago to protect the rare and threatened species of this remarkable habitat of heath, dunes, wetlands and woodlands. Diver collected more than seven thousand specimens during his survey of the South Haven Peninsula and was the inspiration behind creating national parks as we know them today.

Common cranes were lost as a breeding bird in the south west around 400 years ago. But, as Matt Baker discovers, this is set to change. Every year since 2010 precious eggs have been transported from Germany to Slimbridge where they are reared before release in Somerset. Some of the crane chicks have recently hatched. With the help of expert Nigel Jarrett, Matt is given the chance to be a ‘crane dad’. In Somerset Matt helps Damon Bridge, a crane expert, locate the released birds using a radio receiver to find out how well they have been getting on in their new home.

In the beautiful heathland of the South Haven Peninsula, Ellie meets National Trust ecologist and Cyril Diver Project Manager, Michelle Brown. She explains what the trust have been doing to celebrate Cyril Diver's survey. The trust have finished an identical 3 year study of the site and Michelle tells Ellie how the flora and fauna have changed since Diver’s day. Ellie also meets Master’s Student, Lorraine Munns who has been studying the wildlife on the peninsula. They get up close and personal with some creepy crawlies that are taking over the landscape and threatening the endangered Silver Studded Blue Butterfly.

Ever since its pristine rivers inspired Izaak Walton’s 17th century ‘The Compleat Angler’, Derbyshire has held a romantic place in fly fishing folklore. Joe Crowley meets Warren Slaney, the head river keeper of the county’s impressive Haddon Estate, who for the past ten years has been turning back the clock on a landscape scarred by the heavy hand of industry and intensive farming.  Joe takes his own rod to the crystal clear stretches of the River Lathkill and learns how Warren’s radical ‘rewilding’ programme has made these waters a haven for fish and fishermen alike. Later on, Joe is joined by ‘fish twitcher’ and underwater videographer Jack Perks to get up close and personal with the same trout he’s been trying to catch.

The RSPB’s Bempton Cliffs reserve is the largest mainland sea bird colony in the UK. 91Èȱ¬ to more than 250,000 sea birds Ellie Harrison heads to sea and joins Keith Clarkson and his team on an historic bird count. This time however there’s a rather different bird taking to the skies…

Wildlife Photographer of the year finalist Steve Race is also on hand to teach Ellie a few tricks of the trade whilst photographing birds that can dive from the skies at 60mph. Witnessing one of nature’s great spectacles Ellie has the difficult task of photographing a diving Gannet as one plummets from the sky.

The Ainsdale sand dunes in Merseyside are a national nature reserve and maintaining this unique environment is vital for conservation. A large flock of Herdwick sheep graze the dunes here and this helps maintain a perfect habitat for lots of rare and unusual species such as natterjack toads and sand lizards. The sheep need moving regularly to different areas along the dunes. It’s a challenging environment for a working dog though and Adam offers to lend a hand with Peg, his border collie, something she has never done before.

Helen is on a mission to find out how the Somerset’s wildlife is faring a year on from the flooding. She meets Tony Whitehead at the RSPB’s Greylake Reserve to learn why thousands of birds flock to the Levels for the winter. While these particular bird numbers weren’t hugely affected by the flooding, the impact on barn owls in the area is another story. Helen meets local farmers James Hall and Becky Riley who are passionate about boosting the number of these beautiful birds through participation in the Hawk and Owl Trust’s Community Barn Owl Project.