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| | | WALK OUT TO WINTER
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| | | Winter is a time of wonder for any naturalist.ÌýÌý Ian McCarthy savours this, his favourite season, and witnesses the wildlife spectacles taking placeÌýin the countryside. | | | | | LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30min | | | |
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| | PRESENTER | | | |
|  | | | | 'Join me as I walk out to greet the coming seasonÌýand witness the wonder and wealth of winter wildlife spectacles we have here in Britain.'
Ian McCarthyÌý | | |
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| | | | PROGRAMME DETAILS | | | |
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Walk Out to Winter
Winter has been Ian McCarthy's favourite season for as long as he can remember.Ìý It's a time of wonder for any naturalist, a season of drama and contrasts.Ìý Long dark nights are punctuated by extraordinary dawns and sunsets, windsÌýhowl as theyÌýbatter the countryside andÌýrain pelts downÌýbut there is also the silence and beauty of falling snow.Ìý
As a wildlife cameraman, Ian has spent many hours out on freezing hillsides and knee-deep in snow in pursuit ofÌýhis quarry but last winter, armed with a tape recorder and aÌýmicrophone, he was able to experience the season on a different level.Ìý He was able to savour the approach of the coming season, witnessing the wildlife spectacles that take place at this time of year.Ìý
Programme One
As autumn sinks into winter,Ìýit is a time of great movement and activity in the natural world as many animals prepare for the hard times ahead.ÌýÌýBirds migrateÌýsouth to find warmer weather, and they willÌýfeed feverishly on berries before they go to aid their journey.Ìý Red deer stags battle noisily and aggressively over the right to mate with hinds on Scottish hillsides.ÌýÌýTheir calves will beÌýborn when food and warmth return in the spring.ÌýÌýWhilst many birds departÌýour shores, others are arriving from the Arctic.Ìý Our estuaries become packed with every breed of goose and duck imaginable fleeing the plunging temperatures further north.
Song: "My Lagan Love" by Kate Bush
Poems: "Fall, Leaves, Fall" by Emily Bronte and "Something Told the Wild Geese" by Rachel Field.
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Programme Two
With winter slowly taking hold,Ìýit's the last chance for animals to breedÌýand to take refuge from the colder weather.Ìý Redwing, a northern thrush,Ìýcan be heard as they pass overheadÌýen route from Scandinavia to Spain, some stopping overÌýin the south west of Britain for the winter.ÌýÌýÌýIn rain-swollen rushing rivers,Ìýsalmon areÌýheading upstream.Ìý Leaping weirs and fish passes, they are returning to where they were born to spawn on shallow gravel beds.Ìý With everything retreating from the grip of winter, the hen fish can lay her eggsÌý as they will be safe fromÌýother river predators at this time of year.ÌýÌýÌýAs the season progresses,Ìýice and snow bring a stillness and quiet to the countryside.Ìý While birds fall silent, and insects seek shelter underground, Arctic species come into their own.Ìý High on Scottish mountains,ÌýptarmiganÌýmoultÌýto a pure white to blend in with their surroundings.
Song: "Winter, Fire and Snow" by Anuna
Poems: "Winter" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and "Snow" by Walter de la Mare | | |
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