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ADAM’S FARM: RARE BREED POULTRY
IMAGE: Adam and his friend, a rare Pekin Bantam.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT RARE BREED POULTRY
Last week Adam was dealing with his new delivery of White Park cattle, this week we meet another significantly smaller rare breed. Adam has several types of chicken on the farm and, although he keeps flock numbers up by hatching out their eggs, he also has to buy in more rare birds to avoid inbreeding. So, Adam goes shopping for Cornish Game hens and a couple of varieties of Pekin Bantams. He also meets a breeder who keeps Rheas – a South American bird similar to an ostrich. -
BRINGING BACK THE LARGE BLUE
IMAGE: Dr Jeremy Thomas tells James about the Large Blue Butterfly on Collard Hill.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LARGE BLUE RECOVERY PROGRAMME
James Wong heads to Collard Hill in Somerset to meet Dr Jeremy Thomas, who is working on the reintroduction of the Large Blue butterfly to the UK. This incredibly rare creature is still one of the world’s most threatened species, but Jeremy is hoping to change that. Using Large Blue butterflies from Sweden, Jeremy and his colleagues have created the longest running and most successful insect conservation project anywhere in the world. As James discovers, the British reintroduction was based on major scientific breakthroughs, and the development of a pioneering model for insect conservation. -
MATT AND JULIA’S BUTTERFLY SEARCH
IMAGE: Julia challenges Matt to find a Large Blue Butterfly before she does.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE LARGE BLUE ON RADIO 4’S “SAVING SPECIES”
After James finds out about the Large Blue Recovery Programme, Julia and Matt are set a challenge – to find one of these rare creatures for themselves. They go searching in part of the Cotswolds where there have been no reported sightings of the Large Blue for around half a century. As usual with Matt and Julia, it turns into a bit of competition. Both of them are determined to find the first one – but will either of them actually succeed? -
DORMICE ON THE GOLDEN VALLEY WALK
IMAGE: A sleeping dormouse in a nesting box on the Golden Valley Walk.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NATIONAL DORMOUSE MONITORING PROGRAMME
The Golden Valley Walk encompasses four beautiful nature reserves in Gloucestershire. Julia finds out there is a lot to see and do along the walk and has a close encounter with an exceptionally rare little mammal. The dormouse has already become extinct in many UK counties, but Gloucestershire is lucky enough to still have a stronghold. Siccaridge Wood was one of the first places in the country to be included in the National Dormice Survey and Julia meets one of the local trained and licensed dormouse volunteers to find out more. She also stumbles across the first dew pond to have been built from scratch in Gloucestershire for hundreds of year. -
JOHN CRAVEN INVESTIGATES: DROUGHT AND FOREST FIRES
IMAGE: The firefighters’ view of the Swinley forest fire.
Find out more about drought.
Much of Britain has just had one of the driest Springs on record. This week John investigates the problems caused by this unusually dry weather and asks if, with climate change, we should be preparing for it to happen again. First, he discovers the disastrous effects of this year’s forest fires and finds out what’s being done to help our woodland both recover and cope with similar fires in the future. Then he turns his attention to farming and hears that while some crops have suffered, others have been given a boost by the Spring heatwave.
Credits
- Series Producer
- Teresa Bogan
- Presenter
- Matt Baker
- Presenter
- Julia Bradbury
- Presenter
- John Craven
- Presenter
- Adam Henson
- Executive Producer
- Andrew Thorman
