The Secret Life of the Rainforest (2012) - full transcript

BIRDSONG

In Northumberland, on the border
with Scotland, lies England's

largest forest, Kielder.

A wild and remote landscape

home to dense woodland,
ancient bogs...

...and breathtaking waterfalls.

And yet, 100 years ago,
it didn't even exist.

Created to provide the country
with timber,

it has evolved to become a refuge
for some of Britain's greatest

and most secretive wildlife.

BAT SQUEAKS



Alongside the people who live
and work here, much—loved plants

and animals battle to survive
and flourish.

Filmed over one dramatic year...

...capturing the beauty of
four spectacular seasons...

...this is the story of
life Inside the Forest.

In England's largest forest, there's
about to be a surge of activity.

The days are lengthening,

the sun is getting stronger.

It's a time for new life

and transformations.

This is a season of opportunity.

This is spring.

With hundreds of millions of trees
spread over 140,000 acres,

it's hard to believe this forest
hasn't been here for centuries.



Parts of it feel
like an ancient land.

When you come to Kielder, I always
personally describe it as as close

as getting to Canada in the UK,
cos it has that feel about it.

It has the huge terrain. But it is
fascinating all that came

from planting trees
from timber production.

The people who work here are
part of an idea first conceived

100 years ago.

The vision was to plant a timber
crop that the UK could use

because there was a real concern
we were running out of trees.

We had depleted our timber stock
and the UK was in trouble.

In the aftermath of World War I,
Britain faced

a desperate timber shortage.

Woodland covered just 5%
of the country

and it was reliant on imports.

The Forestry Commission
was established and the moorland

around Kielder Castle was identified
as suitable for forestry.

It was a real challenge
to establish Kielder Forest.

The ground conditions were
very peaty, as they are today.

It was very much open hillside.

It was very much an area that the
sheep

had eaten anything they could eat.

Sitka spruce was brought into the
UK as a conifer tree

which would
fast—grow and give production.

The first trees were planted
in 1926.

Much of the planting was done
by shipyard workers and miners

who were housed in specially
constructed camps.

It wasn't until 1948 that the first
mature trees were felled.

Kielder now produces half a million
tonnes of timber a year, used

for building, furniture and paper...

...but it's become so much more.

The landscape is hugely
diverse compared to what it

would be like if it was not
planted in 1926.

The species list and the naturalness
is completely off scale

to what this area would have been
like without that intervention.

As well as providing timber,

Kielder has become a sanctuary for
some of Britain's most cherished

flora and fauna.

It's during spring that much
of it comes alive.

In three months' time, there
will be a range of wildflowers

and orchids in bloom.

For now, the buds are just emerging.

To try and reveal further some
of the hidden life of the forest,

secret cameras have been placed
across Kielder.

There's an array of activity

they can capture when no-one
is around.

In the trees,

there's the sound of one
of Kilda's best—loved characters,

the red squirrel.

It's an animal truly at home
in the forest.

As one of Earth's most agile
creatures,

they can make huge leaps,

the equivalent of a human jumping

over a double decker bus
from a standing start.

With an incredible sense
of spatial awareness,

double—jointed ankles that can turn
180 degrees

and small, sharp, curved claws,

red squirrels can move
up and down trees, fast.

One of Britain's most iconic native
creatures, the red squirrel

was once widespread across the
country,

but since the Victorians

introduced the grey squirrel
from North America,

numbers have plummeted.

In many areas, the reds
have been wiped out by a virus

carried by the greys.

It's thought Kielder could now
be home to around 50% of England's

remaining red squirrel population.

Here, the habitat is ideal for them,

with abundant food and plenty

of potential nest sites.

It's hoped Kielder can remain
a stronghold

for this elusive creature.

The red squirrel certainly needs
all the help it can get.

Unlike the red squirrel,

not all of the forest's iconic
species live here all year round.

Every March, Kielder waits
anxiously for the return of one

of its most precious birds,

the osprey.

These formidable raptors
fly thousands of miles

from their wintering grounds
in West Africa.

It's a dangerous journey,
and their return

is by no means certain.

Extinct in Britain just
100 years ago,

seeing the ospreys establish
themselves at one of the seven

nesting platforms in the forest
is a welcome relief.

Every year, Joanna Dailey
monitors their progress.

Although Kielder Forest has got
millions, literally, of trees,

most of them aren't suitable
for ospreys — because ospreys

like somewhere with a great view,

it needs to stand above other trees.

So it's much safer for the ospreys
if they are given a platform

in a good location
that's very sturdy.

There's less risk of the nest
blowing out with young chicks

that might die.

These nesting platforms were part
of an attempt to return ospreys

to Northumberland after an absence
of 200 years.

The efforts finally paid off
in 2009, and they've been breeding

here ever since.

This year, one nest with a male
known as Blue UV

is capturing Joanna's attention.

The male osprey on this site,

he hatched in 2014 at our Nest 1,

the original nest in Kielder Forest,

and he had a
satellite tracker fitted.

And we know that he winters in
northern Senegal, and he came back

as a two—year—old. Two would be
really young for a male to breed,

so we didn't expect him to.

He came back the next year.

Once I did see a bird,
a Scottish ringed female,

and she's from a nest
in the Trossachs and she's

three years old. Last year would
have been a bonding year

with UV - they definitely
didn't have any eggs. This year,

we would hope that they will,
in fact, lay eggs.

The first killed her offspring,

and there's over 60 of them
that is actually breeding -

going to try to breed, at least -

in the forest. So it's a milestone
for us in a mega way.

Whether Blue UV and his mate

are successful is still to be seen.

Many dangers lie ahead.

It's still early spring
in Kielder Forest and the sun shines

across its 60,000 hectares.

But beneath the canopy, in the
darker, more mysterious depths

of the forest, there are
unexpected treats.

In a quiet, enchanting dell,

the silence is broken by the sound

of falling water.

This is Hindhope Linn, a waterfall
that seems to appear magically

out of the forest.

In this shadier, damp habitat,

it's mosses, ferns and
liverworts that thrive.

In a place like this, it's easy to
understand why forests have become

synonymous with folklore
and fairy tales.

To reveal some of the
hidden mysteries of the forest,

secret cameras have been placed
across Kielder, and they've made

a rare sighting of an animal
once extinct in England.

This is a pine marten.

Elusive and secretive,

they are a cat-sized member
of the weasel family.

The first sighting of a pine marten

in the forest's history was only
made in 2018.

This footage is more evidence
they are taking up

permanent residence here.

It's even hoped pine martens

can help the local red squirrel
population.

Studies show that, with
grey squirrels being easier

prey for pine martens,
their presence can stop the spread

of the red's archenemy.

Just as quietly as they appear

on our cameras, they slip away.

Elsewhere, March is the time
for a different creature to emerge

from quieter, secluded parts
of the forest.

The common toad has spent the winter
hibernating, hidden away.

Now there's a mass migration back
to the pond

for mating season.

MUSIC: Habanera, from Carmen
by Georges Bizet

The males gather.

At times, they can appear
like bathers enjoying

a leisurely dip.

They're all in search of one thing.

And when a female arrives,

there's a change in atmosphere.

The female might be twice the size
of the males,

but she's soon ambushed.

For the males, it's a no—rules
fight for the best position.

Only those in the right spot
when she lays her thousands of eggs

get to fertilise them.

For the toad in pole position,

they cling on for dear life.

You never know when a rival
might try to steal your place.

These toady scrums can sometimes
go on for days.

Eventually, the long chains
of toad spawn are laid.

From these thousands of eggs,

only a fraction will survive.

Those that do will one day also
return to this same pond to take

part in their own springtime mating.

By April, at the osprey nests,

precious eggs have also been laid.

They must be kept warm and protected
from the elements.

For Blue UV and his mate,

there's also the problem
of intruders.

At this time, curious intruder

ospreys will often linger

around other nests.

It's alarming for the parents
trying to protect their eggs.

They could easily become damaged

in all the excitement.

This osprey has been warned off,

but there's a bigger threat lurking.

To crows and ravens, the eggs
are a tasty meal.

And they're bold enough

to attack when the parents
are there.

They don't give up easily.

This time, Blue UV fights them off.

Across the forest,
another nest isn't so lucky.

It just takes leaving the eggs
unprotected for a moment

and they're stolen by
a cunning pair of ravens.

Throughout Kielder, all creatures
are trying to make the most

of this season of opportunity.

Some do it with more finesse
than others.

At the burn,

a pied wagtail waits expectantly
for insects.

In Italian, wagtails
are known as ballerinas.

For them, it's not just about
catching a meal, they must do

it with an element of style.

Right now, there isn't an easy
swarm it can binge on.

It must use all its expertise
to pick them off.

Its timing must be impeccable.

Bravo.

When it comes to eating,
there's one creature in the forest

more voracious than most.

This caterpillar hatched from an egg
the size of a pinhead and emerged

smaller than a grain of rice.

But once it's born into this world,

it has just one thing on its mind.

Eating.

Caterpillars are little
more than stomachs on legs.

The more it eats, the more it grows.

In just a few weeks,

some will consume 27,000
times their body weight.

What allows them to grow so quickly
is their ability to moult multiple

times, meaning a caterpillar will
change its skin again and again,

often changing its color.

The skin is covered in hair—like
bristles called setae, giving

them their sense of touch.

Its job is to store up enough energy
to undergo one of the greatest

rites of passage in all of nature.

The caterpillar creates a silk pad,

attaches itself to a stem

and hangs head—down.

Underneath its final caterpillar
skin, it is once more creating

a new body, one stunningly different

to the one it's lived in so far.

When it finally wriggles free,

it is no longer a caterpillar
at all.

It has become a chrysalis -
a butterfly pupa.

It is now in the midst of
a transformation so radical

science is still trying to decipher
how it happens.

Its outer skin dries and hardens.

For most of the next two
weeks, the dull casing

of skin looks dormant.

But inside, special cells carry out
instructions that will complete

a miraculous metamorphosis.

At the osprey nests, the parents
continue to protect their eggs.

While the female does most
of the incubating, for the male,

there's one job he's expected to do
above all...

...hunt.

The osprey is one
of the only birds of prey

to feed almost exclusively on fish,

something Kielder Reservoir
has plenty of.

The osprey is an ambush hunter.

It circles the lake, looking
through the surface for the ripples

of a fish's fin.

They must combine their incredible
eyesight with impeccable timing.

Once it spies its target,
it begins to dive for the water.

The osprey can go
deep into the reservoir.

The fish might fight, but his talons
are equipped with adhesive scales

and long, curved claws
for an unbreakable hold.

The osprey then carries the fish
with its head facing forwards

in the direction it's flying,
keeping it streamlined.

He's fulfilled his duty.

His partner can feed up
as she continues to wait hopefully

for her new chicks.

Elsewhere, new life is already
emerging.

Amidst the pond skaters
and newts, this shallow pool

is full of tadpoles.

From above the water, they look
like simple jet—black blobs.

It's hard to imagine in a matter
of weeks they'll become the next

generation of frogs.

These alien—like creatures
are some of the greatest

shapeshifters in nature.

Already, they have changed from
the days when they first hatched.

As newborn tadpoles, they had no
eyes or mouth,

but did have antler—like,
feathery external gills.

They were also equipped with a
cement gland on their heads,

allowing them to spend their early
existence simply attached motionless

to a plant or their egg jelly,
remaining hidden from predators.

It's not long until the gills
become internal and are covered

in a flap of skin.

They now have eyes and a mouth
and seem to eat constantly.

Inside, their incredible
transformation is continuing.

The cartilage of the tadpole
will turn into the bone of the frog.

While tadpoles' eyes, which are on
the side of their heads, must move

to the front to give frogs
the binocular vision

they need to catch flies.

Of course, not all will make it.

If all tadpoles survive to become
adults, Kielder might just be facing

a problem of biblical proportions.

But, hopefully, some will soon grow
legs and emerge as tiny froglets,

their amazing shapeshifting
complete.

In spring, there's a beauty
and mystery to smaller creatures

we often don't appreciate.

This might seem like an annoying
swarm of insects,

but look closer and it is, in fact,

something quite beautiful -

the dance of the mayfly.

Flying up vertically,

they beat their wings
20 to 30 times a second...

...then stop and parachute down.

They'll repeat this move

again and again, as if bouncing

on an invisible trampoline.

It's all in the hope
of attracting a mate.

As the mayfly dance continues,

there's another dancer

waiting to pounce.

The pied wagtail is back.

But this time there's less call
for leaps and pirouettes —

easy pickings are everywhere.

With the sun getting warmer,

one creature usually hidden away
is now firmly out on display.

The adder — Britain's only
venomous snake.

The most northerly member
of the viper family,

it's easily distinguished by its
red eye and zigzag markings,

camouflaging it against the bracken.

The males emerged from their winter
sleep weeks ago but, now in April,

they are joined by the females.

They all must flatten their bodies
to capture the maximum warmth

from the sun's rays.

For the males, despite not eating
for months over winter, they must

bask in the weak spring sunshine
to raise their metabolism

so they can develop sperm.

Right now, they're sluggish
and will need to sunbathe

like this for several weeks
before they can find a mate.

BIRDSONG

The lengthening days of spring
bring a surge of life

to the forest.

Everywhere, there are new parents
trying to guide their offspring.

These young are at the most
vulnerable point of their lives.

Rabbit kittens try to stay
hidden in the long grass.

While this juvenile goldfinch
is distinctly less colourful

than an adult, as it hopes to avoid
the attention of predators.

Many animals are born with a drive
to accept the first beings they see

as their parents.

The look and voice of the adults
are then indelibly etched

into their minds.

It's known as imprinting.

Precocial birds — those that can
walk after hatching — are most

associated with this phenomenon.

At the reservoir, these
mandarin ducklings are exploring

with their mother.

She is protector, teacher and guide
throughout the first months of life.

Unlike other birds, no parent
provides for these ducklings.

They must start feeding
the moment they enter the water.

Fortunately, in spring
it's brimming with good things

to eat — the larvae of aquatic
insects

and pondweed for a bit of greenery.

But ducks are full of surprises.

As the ducklings search amongst the
rocks,

Mum has found something
much bigger to eat.

In her beak, she's juggling
with a small rodent.

With no teeth,

she won't be able to chew
it up, but she's not giving

up on it as a meal.

It's not unheard of for mandarins
to eat grasshoppers, frogs and even

small snakes...

...but a whole rodent is certainly
a big — and rare — mouthful.

As if she doesn't want her ducklings
to copy, she finds a quiet spot

before eating it in one.

For her young,

foraging close to the water's edge

without their mother's protection,
THEY are at risk

of becoming the mouthful.

Sniffing around nearby is a fox cub.

But has Mum spotted the danger?

She gets back just in time
to lead her young to the safety

of the open water.

At the same time as looking
for food,

the ducklings must learn
to be vigilant and avoid

becoming another's meal.

For all new creatures in the forest,

it's a struggle to survive.

It's now May in Kielder Forest.

The change from the dark, cold days
of winter to the warmth and light

of summer is almost complete.

Inside this chrysalis, another
of nature's magical transformations

is coming to an end.

A once stubby, crawling, earthbound
caterpillar

is recycling and remodelling itself

into something completely different.

When the time is right,

the skin of the chrysalis opens
and is born again

as a fully formed butterfly.

This is the most cosmopolitan
of all butterflies —

the painted lady,

equipped with keen butterfly senses.

It's through her new extended legs
that she can taste the leaf

she stands on.

Her head now has large, complex eyes
with more than 30,000 lenses.

Instead of a nose, she has antennae

that can catch the faintest scent.

Her jaws have been replaced

with what we think of as a tongue -

a long proboscis.

It's made of two long strands
that zip together to form a tube.

She usually carries it
coiled just below her head.

And now she has the ultimate
in new parts — wings.

Slowly, they unfurl.

Incredibly, it's membranes
in her wings that help her hear.

So a butterfly isn't just resting

when its wings are folded,

it's listening for danger.

Butterflies are one of the most
delicate great survivors

of the natural world.

For this painted lady,
it's time to take to the air.

Elsewhere in Kielder Forest,

other transformations are almost
complete.

At the shallow pond,

what were once small tadpoles
are now emerging out of the water

as juvenile frogs, or froglets.

Some remain under the surface,
with long tails still waiting

to be absorbed into their bodies.

But for the quick developers,

this is an important milestone.

They still have a lot of growing
to do, but hopefully in two years

they'll be sexually mature
and can return to these waters

to have young of their own.

For other offspring, it's also
almost time to leave their parents.

In a part of the forest
where trees have been felled,

it might look desolate

but a swallow fledgling sits

on a perch, waiting.

It might have left the nest
and be able to fly,

but it's still being fed
by its parents.

Their stunningly fast manoeuvres
catch insects for the young.

Although this youngster might not
get it all its own way

now a sibling has joined.

Even if, this time, it's won.

It's this sibling rivalry that leads

to the classic begging behaviour
of a young bird.

The wide—open gape revealing
the brightly coloured mouth lining,

designed to be an easy target.

Combined with waving of the wings

and begging calls.

Swallow parents in particular
have been found to respond

to the loudest begging.

Once in front of their young,
it's some skill to hover in the air

and stuff the food deep
down the gullet of their offspring.

These are the last few meals
from their parents before they head

off on their own.

As May turns to June,
the sound of summer hums in the air.

BIRDSONG

BUZZING

FLUTTERING

Out ospreys continue the
long wait for their chicks.

But for first—time breeders,
there's always a chance

they won't be successful.

Next time, the forest has
some new arrivals...

...but it's a battle to survive.

There are some surprising moves
from one of the forest's smaller

creatures.

And Britain's
fastest—declining mammal

is reintroduced to Kielder.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media