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00:00:08Perhaps you think you know Scotland, this
00:00:12land of proud tradition, rugged
00:00:17of mountains, sparkling locks and heather clad
00:00:24in hills, but look
00:00:27again and... our country may
00:00:31of surprise
00:00:31you,
00:00:36of with its
00:00:39vastness,
00:00:44its spectacle,
00:00:48it's subtlety and its
00:00:51splender,
00:00:56for this is a wild country. on
00:01:00the cusp of change, a
00:01:04land where animals and plants are fighting to reclaim their
00:01:07place in the natural
00:01:12of order.
00:01:17of
00:01:21This is
00:01:23of Scotland. The new
00:01:26wild.
00:01:33a
00:01:42The highlands and islands may be the most famous
00:01:45of part of
00:01:47of Scotland, but
00:01:51it's here in the LOLlands that our nation's character
00:01:55really comes to the four, from the
00:01:59northeast to the... borders, this is a land rich in
00:02:02history and
00:02:04culture, home to
00:02:08more than 5 million people, it's a landscape of
00:02:11towns and cities,
00:02:14farms and fragmented
00:02:21of forests. you're
00:02:23of never far away from humanity here, and wildlife has
00:02:27often been pushed to the fringes.
00:02:32"but throughout the Lowlands, wild spaces are
00:02:34reemerging as nature
00:02:38shows its true
00:02:39resilience.
00:02:49At the heart
00:02:50of the Lowans lies the central belt, a place of
00:02:54industry and man-made
00:02:58of wonders. Eastern end
00:03:03of of the belt, on the edge of the Firth of Fourth lies Edinburgh,
00:03:06Scotland's capital
00:03:08city.
00:03:19Hershed on an extinct volcano, its mighty castle has
00:03:23dominated the city skyline for five
00:03:27of centuries. It overlooks the royal. a magnet for
00:03:31tourists and
00:03:32buskers,
00:03:39but cast an eye skyward, and it won't be long before
00:03:43you spot the fastest animal on the
00:03:47of planet,
00:03:53the pedigrin
00:03:57of falcon.
00:04:02of 'a pair
00:04:06of these birds have recently made their home
00:04:08here, as
00:04:12diverse as the city
00:04:14of itself, the female's a pure wild perigrin,
00:04:17whilst her mate is lanner hybrid and escaped falconer's
00:04:21birds.
00:04:26this year they have two well-grown chicks.
00:04:31"they're spending more and more
00:04:33of time strengthening their wing muscles,
00:04:37sure sign the close to
00:04:38fledging,
00:04:45it's the larger female falcon who catches most
00:04:48of of of the
00:04:51of prey,
00:04:56but she's no longer bringing it straight back to the chicks.
00:05:00of Instead, she lands
00:05:04nearby, showing them
00:05:08she's caught a tasty
00:05:09pigeon.
00:05:18"the chicks can see her
00:05:19feasting,
00:05:23perhaps their hunger will tempt them away from the
00:05:26nest, but they're not quite
00:05:29ready,
00:05:38they still look each other for comfort.
00:05:43'if they want eat, they'll have to take
00:05:45flight,
00:05:51they're unsure of this final
00:05:53step,
00:06:01studying their parents as they
00:06:02fly,
00:06:07until spotting their mother with
00:06:10pray. The older check takes the
00:06:14plunge,
00:06:21claiming pigeon from her
00:06:23talents,
00:06:28learning the skills needed to master these
00:06:31skies.
00:06:44'peragrins are staging remarkable comeback in the lolands
00:06:47after toxic agricultural chemicals nearly led
00:06:51to their demise in the
00:06:521960s,
00:07:00these two chicks are the latest generation fueling that
00:07:03recovery,
00:07:07reclaiming the place here in Scotland's New
00:07:10Wild.
00:07:21further out in Edinburgh's leafy suburbs, another family is
00:07:25preparing for life in the wild
00:07:27city,
00:07:35here on the banks the water of leath,
00:07:39young eyes view the outside world for the first time.
00:07:44"This tiny fox cup is only few weeks
00:07:47old,
00:07:57taking its first tentative steps away from the
00:08:00den,
00:08:05his home is well hidden amongst the vegetation,
00:08:09a jungle in the heart the city." "
00:08:15but he's not alone
00:08:17here,
00:08:24his brothers and sisters are
00:08:26nearby,
00:08:31all keen to explore their new
00:08:32world.
00:08:43Their older sister, born last year, frequently
00:08:46pays them a visit, a
00:08:50regular occurrence with this
00:08:51family,
00:08:56but playtime is never far away, as they
00:09:00build up their strength and burn off
00:09:03energy.
00:09:23First scene in our cities in the 1960s,
00:09:27foxes have readily adapted to
00:09:28life
00:09:37here. As the weeks pass, the cubs venture further and further from
00:09:41the den. a network of paths and
00:09:44gardens,
00:09:51they live hard and fast lives in our
00:09:53cities, but for now
00:09:57independence is still a few weeks away, and the cubs can
00:10:01practice their hunting and stalking under the watchful eyes their
00:10:04parents.
00:10:09Adulthood can wait for another day.
00:10:2250 km to the west lies Glasgow.
00:10:26Scotland's biggest
00:10:26city.
00:10:31Animals have learned to coexist alongside the hustle and bustle of people's
00:10:35lives here
00:10:35too.
00:10:42In the city's east end, not far from Scotland's busiest
00:10:46highway, one animal is thriving a very
00:10:50unexpected
00:10:50place. By doing
00:10:54things. very much its own
00:10:57way,
00:11:03the water vole, living in burrows nowhere near
00:11:07water,
00:11:16these voles were only discovered in 2008, and
00:11:20were initially thought to be
00:11:21rats. They're
00:11:25the only population known to live like this in
00:11:27Scotland.
00:11:37Much their time is spent forraging. They need to eat more than
00:11:4180% their body weight every
00:11:43day.
00:12:01the density of voles here is amongst the highest in the
00:12:04country, they're safer
00:12:08here with many their predators avoiding the noise and traffic
00:12:12at one the east end's busiest bus
00:12:14stops.
00:12:20hopefully these feisty miniature glass regions will continue
00:12:23to thrive here. for years to
00:12:26come,
00:12:42away from its cities, the Lowlands are
00:12:46intensely managed
00:12:47place.
00:12:5175% of Scotland's landscape is utilize is
00:12:55for agriculture and most of it can be found
00:12:59here, dissected
00:13:03by host of great
00:13:04rivers, the
00:13:08mighties of which is the
00:13:10t,
00:13:13flowing for over 190 kilometers through
00:13:17glens, farmland and
00:13:19cities,
00:13:22here in the cars of Gauri. It slows and
00:13:26widens
00:13:27dramatically.
00:13:31This is a place where maritime and freshwater habitats
00:13:35meet. Mud
00:13:39flats and salt marsh emerge from the water twice
00:13:41daily.
00:13:46This vast expanse is home to one of Europe's
00:13:50greatest read beds,
00:13:54stretching for. nearly 20
00:13:56kms
00:14:00and it's here some truly special species can be
00:14:04found,
00:14:12like the
00:14:13bearded
00:14:24tit though for the Hails, it's more of mustache than a full
00:14:27beard.
00:14:34These birds only arrived here in the 1990s, and
00:14:38more than half the UK population can now be found
00:14:41here.
00:14:48As autum approaches, they begin to prepare for an
00:14:52entirely new diet.
00:14:58Read
00:14:58seats:
00:15:04they're difficult to digest, but these birds have evolved to
00:15:08cope with
00:15:08this.
00:15:12In winter, the muscle structure in their tiny stomachs
00:15:16changes, and with one special
00:15:19ingredient, they're able to break the reed seeds
00:15:22down. The secret their
00:15:26success is
00:15:28grit. It
00:15:31can only be found on this old concrete pipe
00:15:35deposited by the river at high tide.
00:15:44lining their stomach, the grit helps grind up the tough
00:15:48fibrous
00:15:49seeds,
00:16:04this place may look wild and untamed. but it's an
00:16:08entirely man-made
00:16:09habitat,
00:16:14first planted in the 1700s to guard against
00:16:17erosion, the reads are now regularly cut for
00:16:20conservation management, ensuring mosaic of
00:16:24vegetation
00:16:25ages,
00:16:32keeping this unique landscape a sanctuary for its
00:16:36specialized
00:16:37life,
00:16:52another rare species is spreading out from the great te readbed
00:16:56into nearby
00:16:56farmland,
00:17:05the Marsh Harrier.
00:17:17This male and his partner have nest hidden deep within
00:17:21the
00:17:21reads.
00:17:29The female spends less of her time here now, leaving the
00:17:33provisioning to her partner.
00:17:38As he drops into the nest, it's a scramble to secure a
00:17:42meal.
00:17:55He doesn't linger for long, for he's holding a
00:17:59great
00:18:00secret.
00:18:05Just over a kilometer away. 'He has another
00:18:09family,
00:18:13not unusual for Harriers
00:18:15here,
00:18:24his other partner is hard at work, gathering rushes for their
00:18:28nest to keep it topped
00:18:30up,
00:18:36but he can't rest'. for long, needing to catch enough
00:18:40pray for his family here
00:18:41too.
00:18:47As he approaches, she sets off in pursuit,
00:18:51begging for
00:18:52food.
00:19:04And catches, pray items and... killer food
00:19:08passes,
00:19:15there will be no let up for him until both his broods have
00:19:18fledged.
00:19:28In the 1970s, Marsh Harriers were reduced to just a single
00:19:32pair, but Scotland now has more than dozen
00:19:36breeding females. all nesting within
00:19:39reach their mighty te read bed
00:19:42stronghold.
00:20:00further up stream and even greater recovery is
00:20:03underway.
00:20:07one with the potential to change the very face the
00:20:11lolens,
00:20:16and here in parth, signs of this are
00:20:20emerging.
00:20:26after an absence of over 400
00:20:28years, beavers are
00:20:31back.
00:20:39Living on the quiet
00:20:40backwaters.
00:20:52"and it's here this adult female
00:20:54resides, busily working on her
00:20:58coat,
00:21:05keeping it in tip top
00:21:07shape,
00:21:12she does this regularly to ensure it's
00:21:15waterproof.
00:21:22Her enlarged teats are sure sign that she has
00:21:25young.
00:21:31This year she's given birth
00:21:33to three
00:21:34kits.
00:21:49Living. a family group alongside her mate and last year's
00:21:53young.
00:22:01beavers are sociable animals and this young group are
00:22:04incredibly
00:22:05close,
00:22:09congregating to groom one another, reaffirming their
00:22:13bonds.
00:22:23"the newest kits are busy
00:22:24exploring,
00:22:31even at this young age they're very
00:22:33independent,
00:22:41but getting back into the water might need a little more
00:22:45practice."
00:22:49" Their
00:22:53parents are never far away, gathering fresh shoots from
00:22:57their favorite
00:22:58trees.
00:23:11They'll go to great lengths to find the best
00:23:13branches,
00:23:18but they don't always judge it
00:23:20perfectly,
00:23:26it's a time of real plenty for
00:23:27them,
00:23:34the tastiest shoots aren't safe from the mischivous
00:23:37kits, he
00:23:41won't miss a chance to steal a free
00:23:43meal.
00:23:52There are signs these beavers scattered all along the
00:23:55river, piles of woody debry slow the
00:23:59flow of water, creating
00:24:01opportunities for
00:24:04kingfishers.
00:24:23'the beavers have created many new hunting spots for these
00:24:26charismatic
00:24:27birds.
00:24:36more than a thousand these rodents can now be found across the tee
00:24:40catchment.
00:24:47the return these ecosystem engineers'. has already brought
00:24:51changes to this landscape with their dams creating new
00:24:54wetlands
00:24:55here.
00:25:00This has sometimes brought them into conflict with
00:25:02farmers, as blocked ditches can flood
00:25:06fields.
00:25:10But these wetlands are richly diverse
00:25:13places and can provide kick start for nature
00:25:16restoration throughout the Lowlands.
00:25:39further downstream, where the river meets the north sea
00:25:42lies the maritime city of
00:25:44Dundi.
00:25:50famous for its railway bridges and old
00:25:52dupmills.
00:25:57The tidal mud flats here are home to billions of
00:26:00invertebrates. drawing in huge
00:26:04numbers of wading birds to feed throughout the
00:26:07winter.
00:26:11Unlike the people who live here, the life of a waider is
00:26:15controlled not by the hours of daylight, but by
00:26:18the rise and fall the
00:26:20tide. At low
00:26:24water, thousands feed out on the exposed
00:26:27mud.
00:26:30Each species has adapt. to take advantage their own niche
00:26:34with their prey determined by the size and
00:26:38shape their
00:26:38bill.
00:26:47in the inner estary, red shank dominate with thousands
00:26:51prowling the wet mud flats.
00:26:52further
00:26:59out, bartailed godwits worked the water.
00:27:02edge,
00:27:07probing deeper into the
00:27:08mud,
00:27:15while turnstones actly display why they were
00:27:18named,
00:27:26all them are working against the clock, foraging as much as they
00:27:29can before the tide turns.
00:27:38but there are other things they'll need to keep an eye
00:27:41on. These large congregations
00:27:45have drawn the attention of a peregrine
00:27:47folcon.
00:27:59This time it leaves empty-handed.
00:28:08Waders rust communally
00:28:11and finding somewhere safe to wait out high water
00:28:15is difficult here on the steep sea walls of
00:28:17Dundee.
00:28:23One the most unusual roosts is on the sewage
00:28:25outflow where as the tide
00:28:29rises Red Shank and turnstone begin to.
00:28:37congregate, there some initial jostling for the best
00:28:39position, but it's the red shanks who claim the higher and
00:28:43dryer ground where sleep will come more
00:28:46easily
00:29:01further out, the larger waiders are on the
00:29:04move,
00:29:11weaving their way towards the outer
00:29:13estury,
00:29:19before settling on the sand to rest,
00:29:23awaiting the next low
00:29:24tide.
00:29:29Numbers these birds have declined from historic.
00:29:35but they're still doing well here where Scotland's
00:29:39greatest river meets the North
00:29:41Sea.
00:30:05Further inland, traversing the counties of Perthshire and
00:30:08Angus, lies an Arable
00:30:12Heartland, covering more than 1,300
00:30:16square
00:30:16kilometers,
00:30:20the great plain of
00:30:21Strathmore,
00:30:29nearly every last hectare here is cultivated.
00:30:45But small pockets of native woodland do
00:30:47remain, fragments the great
00:30:50forests the
00:30:51past. As
00:30:55dawn breaks, this special wood is coming to
00:30:58life.