1 00:00:03,580 --> 00:00:06,020 'A bird's life in Wales must be wonderful. 2 00:00:06,020 --> 00:00:08,741 'A life made in heaven. 3 00:00:12,221 --> 00:00:14,342 'Anything but. 4 00:00:16,342 --> 00:00:20,222 'Birds have to work from dawn to dusk to find food and water. 5 00:00:20,222 --> 00:00:22,543 'If they don't, they die. 6 00:00:23,583 --> 00:00:26,142 'They have to battle with the elements too. 7 00:00:27,143 --> 00:00:32,303 'Survival, especially during winter, is always difficult. 8 00:00:35,503 --> 00:00:38,824 'And during the spring, they're busy raising families. 9 00:00:40,184 --> 00:00:42,504 'They also have to put up with us 10 00:00:42,504 --> 00:00:46,265 'and find a way of surviving in our artificial landscape.' 11 00:00:46,265 --> 00:00:51,426 In this series, I'm going to be finding out what a bird's life is really like in Wales. 12 00:00:51,426 --> 00:00:56,146 I'm going to be discovering the vast array of species we have here. 13 00:00:56,146 --> 00:00:59,187 And I'm going to be probing into their secret lives. 14 00:01:20,909 --> 00:01:24,269 'The uplands above Llanberis, 15 00:01:24,269 --> 00:01:27,150 'and a ring ouzel is collecting food for its chicks, 16 00:01:27,150 --> 00:01:30,270 'which are hidden somewhere on the mountains. 17 00:01:32,911 --> 00:01:36,590 'It's related to a blackbird and looks like one, 18 00:01:36,590 --> 00:01:43,511 'except for its prominent white bib, its distinguishing feature. 19 00:01:43,511 --> 00:01:47,792 'It has flown all the way from the Atlas mountains of Morocco 20 00:01:47,792 --> 00:01:50,912 'to spend the summer in this part of Gwynedd. 21 00:01:50,912 --> 00:01:54,713 'It can probably carry more in its beak than I could with my hands. 22 00:01:56,753 --> 00:02:01,594 'And of course, as they have no arms, beaks are very important for birds. 23 00:02:04,834 --> 00:02:07,794 'They come in all shapes and sizes. 24 00:02:10,995 --> 00:02:14,515 'And they're used in different ways. 25 00:02:19,315 --> 00:02:24,837 'A beak is a very useful tool that birds have that other animals don't. 26 00:02:27,117 --> 00:02:32,637 'They also have many other fantastic features that are unique to them 27 00:02:32,637 --> 00:02:35,958 'and can do extraordinary things, such as fly. 28 00:02:35,958 --> 00:02:38,438 'They're very special living beings. 29 00:02:38,438 --> 00:02:43,159 'In this programme, I'm finding out how their different forms allow them 30 00:02:43,159 --> 00:02:47,799 'to do what they need to do to survive in the Welsh landscape. 31 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,760 'It's mid winter on the Nevern Estuary in Pembrokeshire 32 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,361 'and an egret and a spoonbill are feeding on the mud. 33 00:03:04,281 --> 00:03:07,081 'The spoonbill is the one on the right. 34 00:03:07,081 --> 00:03:10,001 'Although they're both feeding in the same habitat, 35 00:03:10,001 --> 00:03:12,762 'their bills have completely different shapes, 36 00:03:12,762 --> 00:03:15,362 'which allows them to feed in different ways.' 37 00:03:17,723 --> 00:03:20,242 It's fascinating with these two birds 38 00:03:20,242 --> 00:03:23,763 because they're very similar but yet they're very different. 39 00:03:23,763 --> 00:03:27,844 They're both quite big white birds with long legs and a long beak. 40 00:03:27,844 --> 00:03:29,684 But you watch them feed. 41 00:03:29,684 --> 00:03:32,524 The little egret has got more of a dagger-like bill. 42 00:03:32,524 --> 00:03:36,644 He'll walk along and he'll dart out looking for a fish here and there. 43 00:03:36,644 --> 00:03:40,926 The spoonbill, on the other hand, has got this huge spoon-like bill 44 00:03:40,926 --> 00:03:42,765 and he just opens it. 45 00:03:42,765 --> 00:03:46,406 He works his way through the mud and it's hyper sensitive. 46 00:03:46,406 --> 00:03:51,047 So when he feels invertebrates or fish or whatever is in that mud, 47 00:03:51,047 --> 00:03:52,886 all of a sudden it will shut. 48 00:03:52,886 --> 00:03:56,767 Then he eats, and then he puts it back in again. 49 00:03:56,767 --> 00:03:59,607 So even though they're both in exactly the same spot, 50 00:03:59,607 --> 00:04:02,448 they're feeding in very different ways. 51 00:04:03,728 --> 00:04:08,088 'It may be that the reason why the egret is staying so close to the spoonbill 52 00:04:08,088 --> 00:04:11,849 'is because the spoonbill through its actions is disturbing the mud 53 00:04:11,849 --> 00:04:14,729 'and releasing food into the water. 54 00:04:16,530 --> 00:04:19,930 'This is precisely what the egret does when it feeds alone. 55 00:04:19,930 --> 00:04:23,010 'It uses its feet to loosen the mud. 56 00:04:25,130 --> 00:04:29,171 'And this releases shrimps and other invertebrates into the puddles, 57 00:04:29,171 --> 00:04:31,651 'which makes them easier to catch. 58 00:04:49,533 --> 00:04:52,254 'The Severn Estuary and the Newport Levels 59 00:04:52,254 --> 00:04:54,294 'near the mouth of the River Usk. 60 00:04:59,335 --> 00:05:02,174 'Wetlands and estuaries are fantastic places 61 00:05:02,174 --> 00:05:05,375 'to see the range of techniques wading birds use 62 00:05:05,375 --> 00:05:09,496 'to catch their food, and the tremendous range of beak sizes. 63 00:05:12,736 --> 00:05:16,976 'These are the wet lagoons of Goldcliff on the Newport Levels. 64 00:05:21,536 --> 00:05:26,417 'It's first light and one of Wales' rarest breeding birds is feeding. 65 00:05:28,537 --> 00:05:34,818 'It's an avocet and it must have the most ornate beak of any Welsh bird. 66 00:05:34,818 --> 00:05:39,659 'It uses it to sift the water for small insects and worms. 67 00:05:48,940 --> 00:05:51,780 'Dyfi Estuary near Machynlleth. 68 00:05:53,940 --> 00:05:57,101 'It's high tide during a very wet winter period 69 00:05:57,101 --> 00:05:59,141 'and the land has flooded. 70 00:06:07,942 --> 00:06:10,342 'These wet fields are at Ynyshir. 71 00:06:10,342 --> 00:06:14,943 'Because of their position next to the Dyfi Estuary, 72 00:06:14,943 --> 00:06:17,784 'they too attract a great number of waders.' 73 00:06:19,744 --> 00:06:22,224 High tide is the best time to come to Ynyshir 74 00:06:22,224 --> 00:06:26,424 because once the rising sea water has covered the whole estuary, 75 00:06:26,424 --> 00:06:30,105 the birds come over the sea wall in their thousands. 76 00:06:30,105 --> 00:06:33,265 They'll settle in some of these wetter fields 77 00:06:33,265 --> 00:06:35,106 and shallow lagoons here. 78 00:06:36,345 --> 00:06:38,785 'Wet lagoons are excellent feeding sites, 79 00:06:38,785 --> 00:06:43,147 'especially during the winter when the fields are waterlogged. 80 00:06:44,946 --> 00:06:48,427 'One of the prettiest birds you find here is the lapwing. 81 00:06:48,427 --> 00:06:52,827 'It has a small stubby beak and large eyes with excellent vision 82 00:06:52,827 --> 00:06:56,428 'to help it catch small grubs on or near the surface. 83 00:06:58,348 --> 00:07:03,509 'A redshank can go slightly deeper to find invertebrates with its long beak. 84 00:07:10,750 --> 00:07:13,269 'And a dunlin can go just as deep. 85 00:07:18,751 --> 00:07:23,791 'But the ultimate wading bill belongs to a curlew. 86 00:07:23,791 --> 00:07:26,271 'It can go deeper in the mud 87 00:07:26,271 --> 00:07:29,631 'than any other estuarine bird to find its food. 88 00:07:33,552 --> 00:07:38,073 'Curlews migrate from Europe to Wales in their thousands during winter 89 00:07:38,073 --> 00:07:42,113 'and they join thousands more of different species on our estuaries. 90 00:07:43,753 --> 00:07:47,234 'The variety of beak shapes allows the different species 91 00:07:47,234 --> 00:07:50,034 'to exploit different parts of the habitat, 92 00:07:50,034 --> 00:07:52,275 'yet still live on the same estuary. 93 00:07:56,875 --> 00:08:01,556 'Woodland and garden birds also have a variety of beak designs 94 00:08:01,556 --> 00:08:03,995 'that allow them to exploit the same habitat. 95 00:08:06,556 --> 00:08:10,276 'This woodland is in the Conwy Valley. 96 00:08:10,276 --> 00:08:13,637 'One of the most common birds you'll find here is chaffinch. 97 00:08:14,596 --> 00:08:18,958 'It has a short, strong beak that allows it to eat seeds. 98 00:08:18,958 --> 00:08:24,118 'A blue tit's small, pointed beak is ideal for picking off small insects 99 00:08:24,118 --> 00:08:29,999 'and in a conifer woodland, for extracting small seeds from pine cones. 100 00:08:31,999 --> 00:08:34,439 'In the spring, migrants from Africa, 101 00:08:34,439 --> 00:08:37,839 'such as the willow warbler, arrive in our woodlands. 102 00:08:37,839 --> 00:08:41,480 'They too have thin, pointed beaks for eating insects. 103 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,601 'Also during the spring, 104 00:08:47,601 --> 00:08:51,201 'bullfinches use their stubby beak to eat fresh shoots. 105 00:08:58,122 --> 00:09:01,242 'In the autumn, a goldfinch's strong beak is ideal 106 00:09:01,242 --> 00:09:04,282 'to pick off the seed heads of dying plants. 107 00:09:07,763 --> 00:09:11,844 'But the most specialist seed eater of all is the crossbill. 108 00:09:11,844 --> 00:09:16,044 'They literally have bills that cross over each other 109 00:09:16,044 --> 00:09:20,524 'and they're shaped that way so that they can prize open pine cones. 110 00:09:25,765 --> 00:09:29,046 'Birds do what seem to be odd things sometimes 111 00:09:29,046 --> 00:09:31,166 'but they always have a purpose. 112 00:09:31,166 --> 00:09:36,127 'One of the best places to watch bird behaviour is in a town. 113 00:09:36,127 --> 00:09:42,046 'Here, they're so used to people they perform in full close-up view. 114 00:09:42,046 --> 00:09:47,568 'This gull is on the seafront overlooking Colwyn Bay.' 115 00:09:48,568 --> 00:09:50,688 Look at this herring gull over here. 116 00:09:53,048 --> 00:09:54,888 It's quite comical really. 117 00:09:54,888 --> 00:09:58,288 She's running on the spot and looks like an athlete warming up. 118 00:09:58,288 --> 00:10:03,969 But what she's actually doing is mimicking rain falling on the earth 119 00:10:03,969 --> 00:10:06,890 and the earthworms then in the soil think, 120 00:10:06,890 --> 00:10:10,731 it's raining, it's going to flood, I've got to get out my burrow. 121 00:10:10,731 --> 00:10:12,450 So they come up. 122 00:10:12,450 --> 00:10:15,851 If you watch, in a minute, she'll pick up the earthworms and feed. 123 00:10:15,851 --> 00:10:20,972 It's funny. It looks really silly. But it's very effective. 124 00:10:31,573 --> 00:10:35,053 'The shape of a bird's foot changes considerably 125 00:10:35,053 --> 00:10:37,893 'depending on what the bird does and where it lives. 126 00:10:39,773 --> 00:10:43,173 'A heron and moorhen walk on wet ground, 127 00:10:43,173 --> 00:10:47,254 'so they need big feet to stop them sinking. 128 00:10:49,575 --> 00:10:52,935 'Geese and ducks spend a lot of their time in water, 129 00:10:52,935 --> 00:10:57,055 'so they need webbed feet to help them swim. 130 00:11:09,177 --> 00:11:12,577 'Webbed feet are also handy as breaks when landing. 131 00:11:19,738 --> 00:11:24,778 'Treecreepers and woodpeckers spend a lot of their time climbing trees. 132 00:11:24,778 --> 00:11:29,180 'So they have strong thumbs to give them added support. 133 00:11:30,579 --> 00:11:33,380 'A blackbird uses its feet to perch, mainly. 134 00:11:39,780 --> 00:11:43,621 'The house sparrow and wren have the tiniest of feet, 135 00:11:43,621 --> 00:11:46,261 'which grab the smallest perch. 136 00:11:48,901 --> 00:11:52,742 'Birds of prey need to use theirs to catch prey. 137 00:12:02,143 --> 00:12:05,383 'They also use their beak to tear flesh. 138 00:12:08,904 --> 00:12:12,785 'Both feet and beaks are useful tools for birds. 139 00:12:15,025 --> 00:12:18,185 'The herring gull's beak has another important feature. 140 00:12:18,185 --> 00:12:20,345 'It can be used to signal. 141 00:12:20,345 --> 00:12:23,745 'The red dot against the yellow bill stands out, 142 00:12:23,745 --> 00:12:27,586 'and chicks can see it clearly. 143 00:12:27,586 --> 00:12:30,107 'This gives them a target to peck at 144 00:12:30,107 --> 00:12:33,187 'and stimulates the adult to regurgitate food. 145 00:12:41,668 --> 00:12:44,788 'Puffin bills are also used as signals. 146 00:12:44,788 --> 00:12:50,148 'They're the most brightly-coloured beaks you'll find in Wales. 147 00:12:50,148 --> 00:12:52,709 'Puffins nest in burrows 148 00:12:52,709 --> 00:12:56,429 'and this colony is on Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast. 149 00:12:59,950 --> 00:13:03,310 'The beaks are big because they use them to catch fish. 150 00:13:03,310 --> 00:13:08,071 'But again, they've been adapted to double-up as signal devices. 151 00:13:08,071 --> 00:13:12,071 'Outside the breeding season the beaks are not brightly-coloured 152 00:13:12,071 --> 00:13:14,711 'but during courtship they are stunning 153 00:13:14,711 --> 00:13:18,672 'and are used as attractive tools by the males and females. 154 00:13:22,952 --> 00:13:25,792 'We have many colourful birds in Wales. 155 00:13:30,033 --> 00:13:33,913 'Amongst woodpeckers, the green woodpecker is the most handsome. 156 00:13:34,994 --> 00:13:37,634 'Even one of our commonest crows is striking. 157 00:13:39,634 --> 00:13:42,074 'Though not a particularly popular bird, 158 00:13:42,074 --> 00:13:44,274 'because it preys on small chicks 159 00:13:44,274 --> 00:13:48,235 'and generally makes a nuisance of itself when raiding bins, 160 00:13:48,235 --> 00:13:51,116 'close up, it's plumage is beautiful. 161 00:13:54,476 --> 00:13:57,396 'The jay is even more striking. 162 00:13:58,156 --> 00:14:00,957 'The detail and variety of colour and patterns 163 00:14:00,957 --> 00:14:03,517 'on its feathers are startling.' 164 00:14:14,398 --> 00:14:17,319 Why is a bird like the jay so colourful? 165 00:14:17,319 --> 00:14:22,160 Just look at this environment, a big, dense woodland like this. 166 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,759 Woodland birds need to attract and keep a mate 167 00:14:25,759 --> 00:14:29,040 and they also need to keep other male birds away. 168 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,160 They do that in one of two ways. 169 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,761 Either they sing tunefully, like the blackbird, 170 00:14:34,761 --> 00:14:36,841 or they can be really colourful. 171 00:14:36,841 --> 00:14:40,041 In the case of a jay, it uses both. 172 00:14:40,041 --> 00:14:44,882 Very colourful bird, and it's got a...not a tuneful song, exactly, 173 00:14:44,882 --> 00:14:49,282 but this screech that carries a long, long way. 174 00:14:49,282 --> 00:14:54,323 Both of those act as a warning to other males and to attract females. 175 00:14:55,843 --> 00:14:59,124 TWEETING AND SCREECHING 176 00:15:02,204 --> 00:15:05,004 'Some birds live in very hidden habitats. 177 00:15:05,004 --> 00:15:08,405 'The males need to stand out to attract a mate. 178 00:15:09,405 --> 00:15:12,485 'This is Cosmeston Lake, near Cardiff. 179 00:15:12,485 --> 00:15:18,006 'It's a site of an old stone quarry which is surrounded by reeds. 180 00:15:18,006 --> 00:15:22,167 'It's virtually impossible to see any small bird in the growth. 181 00:15:25,527 --> 00:15:29,527 'But living here is one of our most spectacularly patterned birds. 182 00:15:29,527 --> 00:15:32,328 'It's a male bearded tit. 183 00:15:32,328 --> 00:15:35,408 'It's also one of our rarest breeding birds. 184 00:15:45,009 --> 00:15:46,809 'Because he's small and agile, 185 00:15:46,809 --> 00:15:49,890 'his colourful plumage isn't a great disadvantage, 186 00:15:49,890 --> 00:15:54,250 'as he can soon fly away if a predator is about. 187 00:15:57,450 --> 00:16:01,891 'But a few miles from Cosmeston, a bigger and less agile bird 188 00:16:01,891 --> 00:16:05,051 'has to be less conspicuous in a similar habitat. 189 00:16:08,411 --> 00:16:12,772 'This is Hendre lake in St Mellons between Newport and Cardiff, 190 00:16:12,772 --> 00:16:16,333 and it's one of those places you find now and again in Wales 191 00:16:16,333 --> 00:16:18,733 which is surprisingly good for birds. 192 00:16:18,733 --> 00:16:23,653 I say "surprisingly good" because you've got houses all around 193 00:16:23,653 --> 00:16:26,374 and a busy railway line over here. 194 00:16:26,374 --> 00:16:29,974 And yet, in winter, it attracts an incredible variety of birds. 195 00:16:32,375 --> 00:16:34,895 It is also a good place to see bitterns. 196 00:16:34,895 --> 00:16:39,335 Bitterns are a really shy, quite rare, brown heron. 197 00:16:39,335 --> 00:16:42,576 They like staying in the reeds and they don't like coming out. 198 00:16:42,576 --> 00:16:44,736 They've got everything they need here. 199 00:16:44,736 --> 00:16:47,496 You've got reedbeds that are full of fish 200 00:16:47,496 --> 00:16:49,897 and because the reedbeds are not very dense, 201 00:16:49,897 --> 00:16:52,817 they don't go far back they're just a narrow strip, 202 00:16:52,817 --> 00:16:56,417 it really is one of the best places in Wales to see the bittern. 203 00:16:59,417 --> 00:17:01,657 'In a more extensive reedbed, 204 00:17:01,657 --> 00:17:05,258 'this view of a bittern would be very rare indeed. 205 00:17:07,538 --> 00:17:10,858 'It would be hidden deep within the reeds. 206 00:17:10,858 --> 00:17:15,739 'But here, you can watch it clearly stalking its prey. 207 00:17:17,220 --> 00:17:19,260 'In the winter, it hunts for fish. 208 00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:23,460 'In the summer, it will supplement that with insects and frogs. 209 00:17:24,501 --> 00:17:28,220 'Once inside the reeds, it's perfectly camouflaged. 210 00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:34,061 'Any sign of threat and it raises its head to look like a reed. 211 00:17:43,022 --> 00:17:47,343 'There's one thing that birds can do better than any other living being. 212 00:17:48,223 --> 00:17:50,263 'They can fly. 213 00:17:50,263 --> 00:17:53,824 'And they have many different flying techniques. 214 00:18:02,985 --> 00:18:07,305 'One of the best places to see birds flying is on the coast. 215 00:18:08,465 --> 00:18:12,706 'They use the wind as it blows off the sea and lifts over the land. 216 00:18:13,946 --> 00:18:18,066 'South Stack on Anglesey is a particularly good site. 217 00:18:18,427 --> 00:18:22,267 'On the high cliffs, you can watch the birds at eye level. 218 00:18:29,748 --> 00:18:36,509 'The wind is so strong that gulls and ravens can simply glide here, with very little effort. 219 00:18:39,709 --> 00:18:44,070 'They are two very different birds with different shaped wings. 220 00:18:44,070 --> 00:18:46,150 'But the end result is the same. 221 00:18:46,150 --> 00:18:48,630 'They fly smoothly. 222 00:18:54,031 --> 00:18:57,111 'But why do gulls and ravens have different wing shapes? 223 00:18:59,112 --> 00:19:03,152 'It's because they naturally lead very different lives. 224 00:19:05,112 --> 00:19:10,353 'Gulls have pointed wings, designed specifically for sustained gliding. 225 00:19:15,073 --> 00:19:21,193 'Ravens generally live more inland and soar and circle high up above the ground. 226 00:19:23,234 --> 00:19:25,475 'For this, they need more control, 227 00:19:25,475 --> 00:19:28,675 'which they get from their slotted wings. 228 00:19:32,275 --> 00:19:35,195 'This extra control allows them to be more playful. 229 00:19:43,677 --> 00:19:47,477 'One of our most dramatic birds on the wing can be found on the coast 230 00:19:47,477 --> 00:19:51,677 'near Llandudno, on the cliffs of the Little Orme.' 231 00:19:56,837 --> 00:19:58,878 See that bird, then? 232 00:19:58,878 --> 00:20:00,918 That's a fulmar. 233 00:20:00,918 --> 00:20:03,958 It's kind of a Welsh version of an albatross. 234 00:20:03,958 --> 00:20:07,719 It's one of our supreme fliers. 235 00:20:07,719 --> 00:20:10,200 Spends nearly all of its life out at sea. 236 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,000 It comes onto these cliffs to nest, and nothing else. 237 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,120 Over the winter, it's right out over the open ocean. 238 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:20,040 If you look at the wings when it comes past again, 239 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,601 they're long, thin, very stiff wings. 240 00:20:23,601 --> 00:20:27,361 Those are adapted. Here's another one, coming past now. 241 00:20:27,361 --> 00:20:33,002 Those are adapted for a life out at sea because they can make the best 242 00:20:33,002 --> 00:20:37,123 out of any little bit of wind hitting the waves. 243 00:20:37,123 --> 00:20:40,803 They'll skim over them and move like this, completely effortless. 244 00:20:40,803 --> 00:20:43,363 There are thousands of miles of ocean out there 245 00:20:43,363 --> 00:20:46,764 and it's important that they use as little energy as possible. 246 00:20:46,764 --> 00:20:50,004 That's why the wings look like they do. 247 00:20:51,965 --> 00:20:55,684 There's another one below me, skimming along the rocks. 248 00:20:55,684 --> 00:20:58,685 Completely effortless. Completely effortless. 249 00:21:00,605 --> 00:21:03,646 Gliding is the simplest form of flight. 250 00:21:03,646 --> 00:21:06,886 Fulmars are the best gliders of all of our birds. 251 00:21:08,406 --> 00:21:10,567 They hardly flap at all. 252 00:21:12,207 --> 00:21:17,807 The wings only need to twist in response to different wind speeds above the sea. 253 00:21:19,207 --> 00:21:22,728 If there isn't any wind they can produce it themselves 254 00:21:22,728 --> 00:21:25,688 by flapping gently, using their wingtips. 255 00:21:31,729 --> 00:21:34,770 They also flap their wingtips when they need to slow down 256 00:21:34,770 --> 00:21:36,810 and stall when landing. 257 00:21:40,649 --> 00:21:42,690 MUSIC 258 00:21:58,132 --> 00:22:03,093 'Buzzards need a different kind of control for what they do. 259 00:22:03,093 --> 00:22:09,053 'They're often seen soaring above the land, scanning for food. 260 00:22:10,534 --> 00:22:12,854 'For this they need long, broad wings, 261 00:22:12,854 --> 00:22:15,134 'curved to provide maximum lift. 262 00:22:18,174 --> 00:22:21,254 'They ride columns of air rising from the land 263 00:22:21,254 --> 00:22:25,615 'and smooth out any turbulent air with their slotted wings. 264 00:22:32,136 --> 00:22:35,016 'While some birds, like the buzzard and the red kite, 265 00:22:35,016 --> 00:22:41,617 'glide or soar using the air, other birds, like egrets and herons, 266 00:22:41,617 --> 00:22:45,058 'produce their own powered flight by constant flapping. 267 00:22:51,258 --> 00:22:55,259 'Many of our smaller birds generally spend little time in the air. 268 00:22:55,259 --> 00:22:59,619 'They simply make short flights from one perch to another. 269 00:23:02,140 --> 00:23:04,780 'They also live in different habitats 270 00:23:04,780 --> 00:23:07,139 'which have different flying problems. 271 00:23:07,139 --> 00:23:09,140 'In a woodland or garden, 272 00:23:09,140 --> 00:23:14,100 'birds need to be able to take-off quickly to avoid danger 273 00:23:14,100 --> 00:23:19,101 'and they need to be manoeuvrable to avoid trees and other objects. 274 00:23:36,663 --> 00:23:39,583 'A bird's control of fast take-off and landing 275 00:23:39,583 --> 00:23:44,024 'can only be appreciated when it's slowed down. 276 00:23:44,024 --> 00:23:48,185 'The way these great and blue tits coordinate their feet and wings 277 00:23:48,185 --> 00:23:51,665 'for take-off and landing is astonishing. 278 00:23:54,146 --> 00:23:56,186 MUSIC 279 00:24:03,986 --> 00:24:06,467 'A coal tit is just as skilful. 280 00:24:18,589 --> 00:24:22,388 'The tremendous power that's required to shift air on take-off 281 00:24:22,388 --> 00:24:25,389 'is shown by fully-flapping wings. 282 00:24:29,029 --> 00:24:32,190 'Waders don't necessarily need a quick take-off 283 00:24:33,710 --> 00:24:38,191 'But need faster, sustained speed for long-distance flying. 284 00:24:39,071 --> 00:24:41,710 'Especially as many migrate long distances. 285 00:24:45,711 --> 00:24:48,272 'Some of our power flyers have evolved wings 286 00:24:48,272 --> 00:24:51,352 'to enable them to produce aerobatic displays. 287 00:24:52,752 --> 00:24:56,393 'Lapwings have very developed primary feathers on their wingtips 288 00:24:56,393 --> 00:24:58,713 'which gives them fantastic control. 289 00:24:58,713 --> 00:25:03,113 'They use this remarkable ability in their courtship display. 290 00:25:04,833 --> 00:25:06,874 PEEWIT CALL 291 00:25:13,435 --> 00:25:16,795 'There are also other specialist fliers in Wales. 292 00:25:16,795 --> 00:25:21,115 'These are Arctic terns on the Skerries, north of Holyhead. 293 00:25:23,676 --> 00:25:26,996 'They have long tails to give them extra agility. 294 00:25:27,956 --> 00:25:32,516 'They can also hover by pushing the air backwards and forwards. 295 00:25:34,277 --> 00:25:37,717 'They need these abilities to help them keep an eye on their eggs 296 00:25:37,717 --> 00:25:41,558 'and chicks in this big colony during the breeding season. 297 00:25:43,959 --> 00:25:47,758 'They also make the longest migration of any living creature 298 00:25:47,758 --> 00:25:51,039 'and travel from here to the southern hemisphere 299 00:25:51,039 --> 00:25:53,599 'as far as the Antarctic every year. 300 00:26:11,161 --> 00:26:14,041 'Kestrels hover in a different way. 301 00:26:18,642 --> 00:26:22,643 'This one is hunting on the Foryd, near Caernarfon. 302 00:26:26,803 --> 00:26:32,244 'It stays in one position by flying at the same speed as the wind blowing against it. 303 00:26:33,804 --> 00:26:36,604 It, too, uses its tail for control. 304 00:26:47,805 --> 00:26:52,726 'And, like all of our birds, it's perfectly designed for a life in Wales.' 305 00:27:25,010 --> 00:27:28,010 Just look at this magnificent view. 306 00:27:28,010 --> 00:27:32,091 To me, this just about epitomises Wales. 307 00:27:32,091 --> 00:27:37,131 This mixture of hills and fields, of hedgerows and woodland, 308 00:27:37,131 --> 00:27:41,292 and I don't think enough of us really appreciate the fact 309 00:27:41,292 --> 00:27:44,292 that we live in a fantastic country. 310 00:27:44,292 --> 00:27:48,213 One that's packed with all kinds of habitats. 311 00:27:48,213 --> 00:27:53,293 And in each and every one of those, whether we take notice or not, 312 00:27:53,293 --> 00:27:56,813 the birds are getting on with their secret lives. 313 00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:55,820 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd