1
00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:25,750
Where I live

2
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:27,550
there's a small wood,

3
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,250
too small even to have a name.

4
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,250
But it has been here for a thousand years;

5
00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:39,750
a place apart from the rest of the world,

6
00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,850
with ancient trees and arching canopy.

7
00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,250
It reminds me of a cathedral.

8
00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:48,350
I find it unsettling

9
00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,450
almost intimidating.

10
00:00:54,900 --> 00:00:57,250
I used to walk here with my dog

11
00:00:57,300 --> 00:01:00,350
all around us we heard the sounds of the wood

12
00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,550
yet hardly saw a creature.

13
00:01:06,500 --> 00:01:08,450
Then the old boy died.

14
00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:21,750
Now, walking alone,

15
00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,550
I sensed something had changed.

16
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,850
I began to glimpse creatures

17
00:01:26,900 --> 00:01:28,850
that had always hidden from me.

18
00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:51,650
Hardly a soul comes here,

19
00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,850
it's been forgotten left undisturbed

20
00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:57,350
and unmanaged for decades;

21
00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,250
a wild wood.

22
00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,950
The first time I visited the wood again,

23
00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,150
it was winter.

24
00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,850
In the top field I found an old buzzard,

25
00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:51,950
I'd often seen him and his mate hunting here

26
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,850
but too frail to cope with this harsh season

27
00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:56,650
I wondered what effect his death

28
00:02:56,700 --> 00:02:58,450
would have on his mate in the wood.

29
00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,550
And how life could ever spring
from such a ghostly place

30
00:03:10,100 --> 00:03:13,350
As I explored I recognised different neighbourhoods,

31
00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,250
the most obvious landmark is The Great oak,

32
00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:18,050
an ancient living building

33
00:03:18,100 --> 00:03:21,450
that provides shelter and food for all sorts.

34
00:03:23,900 --> 00:03:26,050
The wood is not more than five acres,

35
00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:28,550
a small river borders its south side

36
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:30,350
but that doesn't stop animals

37
00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,750
from coming and going to the bottom field.

38
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,950
I often came across the Roe deer feeding here,

39
00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,450
venturing out of the shelter of the wood;

40
00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:40,950
I think they live in a group of around five.

41
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:50,750
At the top of the wood

42
00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:52,550
there's an old badger set

43
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,750
I'm sure a fox lives there now.

44
00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,450
She hunts close by in the top field.

45
00:03:59,300 --> 00:04:02,050
Above the badger set is the rookery.

46
00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,350
There's nothing subtle about rooks,

47
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:06,750
I never liked them much,

48
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:08,250
they seem somehow vulgar,

49
00:04:08,300 --> 00:04:10,350
but while other creatures hid

50
00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,150
they didn't even notice me.

51
00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:20,450
With spring a long way off

52
00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:22,950
I was surprised at how early the older couples

53
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:24,650
had begun to build their nests.

54
00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:29,550
Apparently rooks stay together for life.

55
00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,750
Years of experience building nests together

56
00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:34,450
show in the teamwork

57
00:04:34,500 --> 00:04:36,350
- the finishing touches.

58
00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:41,250
Some of the youngsters seemed
desperate to make a start

59
00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:43,350
but I suspect just nesting at all

60
00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,150
would be an achievement for them.

61
00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:48,250
The first twig¡­

62
00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:49,950
where does it go?

63
00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:52,150
I'd never really contemplated

64
00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:53,750
where you start with a nest?

65
00:04:57,300 --> 00:04:59,250
And it seems I wasn't the only one,

66
00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:00,950
there were plenty less dedicated

67
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,250
but willing to learn by observation

68
00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:20,850
A challenge, but to give up,

69
00:05:20,900 --> 00:05:23,350
Under such scrutiny¡­never.

70
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:31,150
I could only guess at the insults
and threats being exchanged

71
00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:37,450
In spite of myself I began to
find these birds irresistible.

72
00:05:37,700 --> 00:05:39,750
I felt compelled to stay

73
00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:46,550
There was lots of experimentation
with size and shape of twig

74
00:05:49,100 --> 00:05:51,550
And continued surveillance ¡­¡­.

75
00:05:57,300 --> 00:05:59,550
¡­some so covert

76
00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:01,950
it could be considered suspicious

77
00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:11,550
As the morning passed a platform
began to take shape

78
00:06:11,700 --> 00:06:14,750
then the builders made a big mistake and left.

79
00:06:14,900 --> 00:06:17,450
The stealth team came out of hiding

80
00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:21,250
intent on redeploying each and every twig.

81
00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:33,950
In the rookery,

82
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,650
your nest isn't safe even
if you're sitting on it.

83
00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:44,850
Imagine returning home to find your nest nicked.

84
00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:49,750
As many nests were being built from stolen twigs

85
00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,150
as from honest labour.

86
00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,650
The wise couple would sit on guard all night.

87
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:09,450
As I headed home

88
00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:11,450
I was accompanied by a robin

89
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,150
He seems to burn the candle at both ends.

90
00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:22,650
He's the first up

91
00:07:22,700 --> 00:07:24,850
beginning the dawn chorus

92
00:07:24,900 --> 00:07:26,650
- before sunrise

93
00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,950
As I came to listen more often

94
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,450
I realised that there is an order here,

95
00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,350
each bird takes their turn.

96
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,850
One theory is that the insect eaters
who need light to hunt

97
00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:55,650
have less incentive to wake up early

98
00:07:55,900 --> 00:07:58,750
but Robin, Song Thrush and Blackbird

99
00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,450
must be up with the sun to catch the worm.

100
00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:09,850
Each one is claiming territory

101
00:08:09,900 --> 00:08:13,650
and hoping their intricate song
will impress and win a female

102
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:20,350
The birds were keen to mate,

103
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,250
the changing light charging their hormones.

104
00:08:23,300 --> 00:08:25,150
To me they seemed like a choir

105
00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,050
worshipping the rising sun

106
00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:29,050
as it transforms the wood

107
00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:32,250
from winter to spring to summer

108
00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,450
Light is the driving force for the wood,

109
00:08:57,500 --> 00:08:59,650
it determines the structure of the place

110
00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:01,250
and the rhythm of the day

111
00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:04,250
and now as the sun moved closer

112
00:09:04,300 --> 00:09:06,750
the days were beginning to get longer.

113
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,250
Throughout the wood I saw an increase in activity,

114
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,250
daily life suddenly had a new purpose.

115
00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,650
One day the vixen and I caught sight of each other

116
00:10:24,700 --> 00:10:26,750
just before she slipped underground.

117
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,250
I wondered whether she had any cubs

118
00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:31,450
sheltered in the old badger set.

119
00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:37,050
The squirrel seemed really irritated
by the presence of the fox.

120
00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:38,450
There's no time to stop

121
00:10:38,500 --> 00:10:40,850
you can't ignore the nesting instinct.

122
00:10:43,100 --> 00:10:45,150
The wood is like a city;

123
00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:48,950
you can't always choose your neighbours.

124
00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,550
And at the moment these are the noisiest.

125
00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,750
A Great spotted woodpecker.

126
00:10:56,700 --> 00:11:00,350
He was drilling every time
I visited for a whole fortnight.

127
00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:01,650
With a sharp beak

128
00:11:01,700 --> 00:11:04,150
and a head designed to take the hammering shock

129
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,250
his aim is to build a home,

130
00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:09,250
a deep wooden cave in the tree.

131
00:11:15,900 --> 00:11:18,550
Other birds seem to prefer cosier nests,

132
00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,450
outside the wood the Mistle
thrush plunged into the grass

133
00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:23,250
to get the softest moss;

134
00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:26,550
her nest was in the V of a split tree.

135
00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,450
The Great Spotted Woodpeckers
didn't worry about me down below,

136
00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:03,650
but to my surprise he would suddenly freeze

137
00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:05,950
every time a green woodpecker visited.

138
00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:09,450
I wondered what was going on.

139
00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,250
Now the wood revealed movement
with every glance,

140
00:12:45,300 --> 00:12:47,950
on every trunk, in every niche

141
00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:51,950
The tiniest bird, the Goldcrest weaves
what must be the softest nest

142
00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,150
of spider's webs and moss

143
00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:56,150
The song thrush was sitting tight,

144
00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:57,350
already on eggs

145
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:02,950
Some seemed to take longer than others

146
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,950
to choose the right place,

147
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,550
they were very picky.

148
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,950
The wren chose to become completely invisible

149
00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:27,150
I had begun to worry that
the blue tit might never commit,

150
00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,850
until, I saw him gathering the softest things

151
00:13:30,900 --> 00:13:32,450
which might line a nest.

152
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,250
I needn't have worried;

153
00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:50,250
there was a female in charge.

154
00:13:51,900 --> 00:13:56,150
The great spotted woodpecker
was still being watched.

155
00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,150
When eventually he had to leave to feed

156
00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,150
I could see why he was so nervous.

157
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,350
Like a woman falling for a size 10 dress

158
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,250
when she's really a fourteen

159
00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:31,450
the green woodpecker seemed convinced that,

160
00:14:31,500 --> 00:14:34,050
that hole was a perfect fit.

161
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,850
I often saw a buzzard alone,

162
00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:47,550
I assumed she was the mate of the male

163
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:48,850
that died in the winter,

164
00:14:48,900 --> 00:14:50,350
amongst the frenzy of spring

165
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,150
she was conspicuous by her inactivity.

166
00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:02,550
The season moved on.

167
00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:06,950
The lush, growing grass

168
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,650
tempted the residents out into the open

169
00:15:36,700 --> 00:15:39,050
Something about the vixen's appearance

170
00:15:39,100 --> 00:15:41,050
suggested that I had been right

171
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:44,350
and that back in her den there were cubs.

172
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,250
She seemed to be busy pretending

173
00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:54,350
that she hadn't noticed the rabbits

174
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,950
Until she caught one off guard.

175
00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:25,550
Not this time.

176
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,150
I wondered how many other times she'd missed,

177
00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,150
she was looking so thin

178
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,350
It can take as long as 3 minutes

179
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,350
to smash just one snail open,

180
00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:47,950
yet such gourmet food
is gone in as many seconds.

181
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:05,750
It was a sparrowhawk that I could hear

182
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,550
but what I found was a song thrush,

183
00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,650
the woodland mimic.

184
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:13,950
Silly little bird,

185
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,150
his was a dangerous game;

186
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:17,350
deeper in the wood,

187
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,150
the real sparrowhawk male

188
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,450
was calling the female to him,

189
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:23,650
it was part of their courtship ritual.

190
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,850
The male wears blusher;

191
00:20:25,900 --> 00:20:28,650
the peachy glow meant that
I could always tell them apart.

192
00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:30,950
He had a tasty morsel for the female

193
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,450
if only she would consent to his courtship.

194
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,350
The song thrush's joke was wearing thin

195
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,050
Didn't you know?
Sparrowhawks eat other birds

196
00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:48,850
The male, despite the distraction, persisted

197
00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:53,850
It paid off.

198
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,250
High above the wood I saw a new buzzard.

199
00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,250
I thought I noticed some interest
stir in the widowed female

200
00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:29,750
I wonder whether birds who mate for life

201
00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,150
feel some kind grief or love.

202
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:33,950
I hoped so.

203
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:42,250
At the top of the wood

204
00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:46,750
the rookery was alive with
the sound of screaming gargoyles

205
00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:54,450
Sometimes the assault on my ears made me think

206
00:21:54,500 --> 00:21:56,850
that the rookery ruins the peace in the wood,

207
00:21:56,900 --> 00:21:58,550
but it has its uses,

208
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,750
rooks bring nutrients into the wood,

209
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,650
droppings and food all fall to the floor

210
00:22:03,700 --> 00:22:05,450
and become fertiliser.

211
00:22:16,300 --> 00:22:19,650
Not even such a full crop was enough

212
00:22:31,100 --> 00:22:32,350
To my surprise

213
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,650
I spotted a jackdaw prowling the tree tops

214
00:22:35,700 --> 00:22:37,450
so similar to the rooks

215
00:22:37,500 --> 00:22:39,650
it was as though he was in disguise,

216
00:22:39,700 --> 00:22:41,650
sidling up to nests

217
00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:45,650
he was on the look out
for helpless babies home alone.

218
00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:52,850
Although he was smaller than the rooks

219
00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:54,850
he showed no fear

220
00:23:10,300 --> 00:23:11,950
But then neither did the baby

221
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:13,750
and the jackdaw was told where to go

222
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:16,050
in no uncertain terms.

223
00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:22,350
Safe again,

224
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,150
that baby already seemed
able to look after himself

225
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:29,250
and yet rooks are said to be dependent
on their parents for 5 months

226
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:32,750
Not all are so tough,

227
00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,850
while I was walking through the wood one day

228
00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:36,350
I spotted this little one,

229
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,550
who had fallen out of his nest,

230
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,250
for him, survival depended
on getting back there.

231
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:44,750
I wasn't alone;

232
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,950
maybe the fox knew this
to be a regular occurrence.

233
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,250
I was unsure whether I should rescue him,

234
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,850
yet reluctant to take him away from the wood.

235
00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:04,650
He didn't seem to be weak

236
00:24:04,700 --> 00:24:06,350
he hadn't given up.

237
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:11,750
His parents 30 feet above

238
00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:13,850
ignored all his calls.

239
00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:20,350
The fox didn't know he was there yet

240
00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:22,150
if he could keep off the floor

241
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:23,850
then he might be safe.

242
00:24:34,100 --> 00:24:37,250
Each leap was an incredible achievement.

243
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,850
But he just didn't have enough experience,

244
00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:47,050
and maybe not even the right feathers.

245
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:49,650
It was heartbreaking.

246
00:24:58,600 --> 00:24:59,850
I kept an eye on him

247
00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:01,750
until it got too dark to see.

248
00:25:04,100 --> 00:25:07,450
Outside the wood I saw the fox again

249
00:25:07,500 --> 00:25:10,550
but for the very first time
she was with her cub,

250
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,750
although he was begging frantically
nothing was forth coming.

251
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,450
I was relieved for the bird

252
00:25:16,500 --> 00:25:18,550
but felt for the hungry cub.

253
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,050
The next morning

254
00:25:55,100 --> 00:25:57,650
there were just a few grisly signs

255
00:25:57,700 --> 00:26:00,150
to show how it had all ended.

256
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,050
As Spring warmed up,

257
00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:17,750
I noticed the wood was under attack.

258
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:22,250
Its fresh new green was irresistibly appetising

259
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,650
Caterpillars of all shapes and sizes

260
00:26:30,700 --> 00:26:34,650
fed on leaves of all shapes and sizes.

261
00:26:37,500 --> 00:26:39,350
The oak beauty;

262
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,650
not as glamorous as some but
much more carefully camouflaged

263
00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:45,450
to look like the part of the tree he was eating

264
00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:03,850
The blue tit with a nest full of chicks to feed.

265
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,450
Even the most careful camouflage only works

266
00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:13,450
if you remain perfectly still.

267
00:27:21,700 --> 00:27:23,750
To cash in on such abundance

268
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,050
your timing has to be perfect.

269
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:28,650
And for this family

270
00:27:28,700 --> 00:27:30,250
it has been

271
00:27:31,500 --> 00:27:35,750
This nestful require a delivery
every 2 to 3 minutes.

272
00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,850
The Yaffle, traditional name
for the green woodpecker

273
00:29:07,900 --> 00:29:09,750
was also hard at work,

274
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,150
feeding an endlessly gaping glove puppet baby.

275
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,450
And as for the ousted great spotted woodpeckers

276
00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:42,250
well they hadn't suffered too much

277
00:29:42,300 --> 00:29:44,250
from having to build a new nest,

278
00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:46,350
their family were thriving too.

279
00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:58,750
Deep in the wood

280
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:00,350
I discovered what I think

281
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,750
are the most beautiful of chicks.

282
00:30:06,500 --> 00:30:08,850
Three sparrowhawk babies

283
00:30:08,900 --> 00:30:11,650
trying to make sense of the world around them.

284
00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:27,850
Billy Biter is an old country name
for the blue tit

285
00:30:27,900 --> 00:30:30,750
because he's so feisty at defending his nest,

286
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:32,450
I could see why;

287
00:30:32,500 --> 00:30:34,750
it's his investment into the future.

288
00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:07,850
The sparrowhawk is the most
skilled hunter in woodland

289
00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:10,650
negotiating trees and branches at speed

290
00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:12,950
to take other birds.

291
00:32:11,300 --> 00:32:13,150
That blue tit was just a small meal

292
00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:14,650
for the sparrowhawk chicks,

293
00:32:14,700 --> 00:32:17,450
hardly the difference between life and death

294
00:32:19,700 --> 00:32:21,750
- but for the blue tit chicks.

295
00:32:47,900 --> 00:32:51,050
The sun had pulled the great oak to her limit

296
00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:53,850
her leaves were stretched to their fullest.

297
00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,250
But the summers influence
extended beyond the wood

298
00:33:00,300 --> 00:33:01,950
into the bottom field

299
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,650
the adult deer would graze during the day

300
00:33:04,700 --> 00:33:08,150
whilst the fawn sheltered safe amongst the trees

301
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:31,850
I made another discovery deep in the wood.

302
00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:35,750
The buzzard must have mated in spring after all

303
00:33:35,900 --> 00:33:38,950
although she may have left it a little late

304
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,250
he was a very small baby late in the season

305
00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:53,250
After I'd watched for a while

306
00:33:53,300 --> 00:33:55,450
I saw that her baby was just big enough

307
00:33:55,500 --> 00:33:57,750
to be getting a little adult plumage

308
00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,750
and was flexing his wings to strengthen them.

309
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,450
Adult buzzards are big enough to hunt for rabbits,

310
00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:11,050
and can spot one from two miles away,

311
00:34:11,300 --> 00:34:13,550
but for now the baby was having trouble

312
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,750
enough contending with a small bird.

313
00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,750
The Sparrowhawks had already
lost their white fluff

314
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,950
and were much more advanced
than the buzzard chick;

315
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,950
they'd made it out of the nest

316
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:53,150
though they were still having trouble

317
00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:55,850
working out the complicated world around them

318
00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,550
Life in the treetops revolves around balance

319
00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:01,250
and surefootedness

320
00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:04,750
- both take time to acquire.

321
00:35:38,300 --> 00:35:40,350
A new sound invaded the wood,

322
00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:42,950
the sound of mowing.

323
00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:45,850
It frightened the fawn

324
00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:58,050
There was no warning;

325
00:35:58,100 --> 00:36:00,750
the machines just arrived one morning.

326
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:02,450
Without realising it

327
00:36:02,500 --> 00:36:05,250
the farmer had split the doe from her fawn,

328
00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:08,050
cut down the shelter of the long grass,

329
00:36:08,100 --> 00:36:11,550
and changed the familiar into the unfamiliar.

330
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,650
The doe could still smell her baby

331
00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:19,350
but had no idea whether he
was lying injured in the grass.

332
00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:16,250
For some the change provided an opportunity

333
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:20,650
mice without shelter
are vulnerable and easy to spot.

334
00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:23,750
I spotted the cub out alone,

335
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:26,150
he was growing so fast.

336
00:37:30,700 --> 00:37:35,150
This was a great test for the
hunter alone in the wilderness.

337
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,450
I couldn't decide whether he
was still playing at hunting.

338
00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,450
My feeling was that there would
be a good meal at the den

339
00:38:06,500 --> 00:38:08,050
when the vixen came home.

340
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:33,650
Hours later,

341
00:38:33,700 --> 00:38:36,150
despite an accusing look in my direction,

342
00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:37,550
I watched with joy

343
00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:40,750
as a hungry baby was brave
enough to leave shelter

344
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:42,150
and return to Mum.

345
00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:45,550
Calm was restored,

346
00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,750
summer was here.

347
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,750
Late summer brought
a different kind of pressure,

348
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,350
low pressure.

349
00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,750
No longer mimicking the thrush
seemed to call a storm warning

350
00:40:32,300 --> 00:40:35,950
Life was continuously testing
in this wild cathedral

351
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,650
and although the wood provided
shelter for some in a storm,

352
00:40:39,700 --> 00:40:41,050
for others the buffeting

353
00:40:41,100 --> 00:40:43,150
left little to hold on to.

354
00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:58,350
I feared for the buzzard

355
00:40:58,500 --> 00:41:00,750
he was unable to escape,

356
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:04,250
stuck in his nest in the full force of the storm

357
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,350
Would his late start mean
that he might not survive?

358
00:41:40,700 --> 00:41:44,950
First light revealed that the
buzzard's home was indeed battered.

359
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,350
Damage wreaked by the wind

360
00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:06,950
But overnight the chick seems to have grown

361
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:08,250
into an adult,

362
00:42:08,500 --> 00:42:12,150
I found him sleek and confident

363
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:19,950
Since it began,

364
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:21,950
my pilgrimage to the wood

365
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,350
had never ceased to surprise

366
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:25,750
and inspire me

367
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,650
but nothing prepared me

368
00:42:28,700 --> 00:42:30,750
for the glory of Autumn.

369
00:45:09,300 --> 00:45:11,150
It was a time for closing down,

370
00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,350
for drawing on survival skills learned

371
00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:15,950
in the kinder season.

372
00:45:17,300 --> 00:45:20,150
The saying goodbye to plenty.

373
00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:14,450
I saw this winter in the wood

374
00:46:14,500 --> 00:46:16,050
through new eyes

375
00:46:17,700 --> 00:46:20,050
I felt attached to the creatures that live here.

376
00:46:20,900 --> 00:46:23,050
had become so familiar with them.

377
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,050
I'd seen some of them grow up.

378
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:36,250
A new buzzard reigns.

379
00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:39,250
Now an accomplished hunter

380
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:41,650
even in the harshest season.

381
00:46:55,300 --> 00:46:57,650
I had even begun to love the rookery

382
00:46:57,800 --> 00:46:59,250
although could still never work out

383
00:46:59,300 --> 00:47:01,450
which nest belonged to which bird,

384
00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:03,850
but then I don't think that ever bothered them

385
00:47:10,700 --> 00:47:12,950
As the twigs moved around the rookery

386
00:47:13,100 --> 00:47:15,350
the seasons moved around again,

387
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:17,450
spring arrived

388
00:47:30,700 --> 00:47:34,050
But this spring everything changed once more

389
00:47:34,900 --> 00:47:38,050
Last years fawn no longer lingers to watch me.

390
00:47:38,900 --> 00:47:42,350
The woodpecker is no longer
at home for my visits.

391
00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,450
In fact no one is

392
00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:49,750
The vixen finally got her rabbit

393
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:51,950
but I get just a glimpse

394
00:47:55,500 --> 00:47:57,550
My journey through the wood

395
00:47:57,600 --> 00:47:59,950
will never be the same

396
00:48:02,600 --> 00:48:04,450
Because

397
00:48:04,500 --> 00:48:06,950
I've found a new friend.

398
00:48:07,700 --> 00:48:52,950
www.mvgroup.org