Original subtitles

Across the British Isles there are magical places.

Our pride and joy - our gardens.

Yet, many of us are completely unaware of the wild world...

..right under our noses.

Amazingly, some British gardens are almost as diverse

as a tropical rainforest.

And when our backs are turned...

..they come alive.

From the wilds of Scotland...

..to a metropolitan oasis...

..in each episode, we will reveal the extraordinary dramas

playing out within a single garden.

Welcome to a hidden world right on our doorsteps.

On the west coast of Scotland...

..in a remote and sheltered glen...

..a garden offers sanctuary.

Homeowner Matt Wilson does all he can to help protect animals

from the worst of the weather.

I enjoy making these boxes.

I'm always just making extra sort of homes and refuges and things

for all the different species that come into the garden.

Matt is a naturalist

who has dedicated his life to working with Scottish animals.

And he has spent nearly 40 years turning his garden

into a haven for wildlife.

When I moved in, this was all rough grassland.

No trees.

Now, there's everything here, from bog to woodland.

With his children having left home,

the garden has taken on an even greater value for him.

It's funny, you look at the trees,

and rather like when you look at your children,

you realise they've grown.

As the garden has matured, it has acquired a life of its own...

..and Matt doesn't know what will happen from year to year.

Winter in Scotland can hit hard.

For the animals that live here, survival is a daily battle.

RADIO: The Met Office says Altnaharra in Sutherland

saw temperatures fall to minus 18 Celsius last night,

the coldest January night in the UK for 15 years.

The harsh weather brings a formidable predator

into Matt's garden.

A female buzzard.

Buzzards are the most widespread bird of prey in Britain...

..but to have one land in your garden is a rare treat.

With snow making hunting tough...

..the female is close to starvation.

Matt offers her a lifeline.

A hunk of venison may seem like

extreme bird-feeding...

..but it could make all the difference.

Still, a prize like this

won't stay secret for long.

With eyesight three times sharper than our own...

..she can spot trouble coming from a mile away.

But she can't keep watch and eat at the same time.

The female pins down the aggressor, a young male.

Buzzards are known to kill each other

with their razor-sharp beaks and talons.

Her greater size gives her the advantage.

But she holds back.

The male is likely to be her son.

But this is her territory...

..and he's no longer welcome.

Now, he must find a place of his own.

To get through the winter,

she will need Matt's hand-outs all for herself.

When spring eventually arrives,

the garden is visited by one of Britain's rarest mammals.

A pine marten.

A cat-sized member of the weasel family.

They are cautious around people...

..and Matt has yet to see his garden's new arrival.

Their natural habitat is mature woodland.

But by the early 20th century,

all but 5% of Scotland's forests had been cut down...

..and pine martens were hunted almost to extinction.

The Western Highlands have always been one of their strongholds.

And although the forest here has become fragmented,

they have found an alternative.

Gardens.

Such as this one down the road from Matt.

Without trees, the pine martens use what they can

to hone their climbing skills.

These youngsters have grown up here.

Generations have been coming to this garden for the last 20 years...

..becoming bolder and bolder.

Up to 16 pine martens may visit in a single night.

But the pine marten that visits Matt's house is much more cautious.

This new arrival, a female, less than a year old...

..is searching for a territory of her own.

Matt doesn't want her to lose her natural caution around humans...

..but maybe his garden can provide the food and shelter that she needs.

For four decades,

Matt has kept a meticulous diary of the animals in his garden.

Every morning, he brings it up-to-date.

While he can't record everything that's happening,

he can report on one typically secretive garden resident.

Barn owls are found across Britain...

..but there could be fewer than 1,000 pairs in Scotland.

The cold, wet climate makes this the northern limit of their range.

To give them a better chance, Matt has built a special retreat...

..sheltered from the elements

and inaccessible to predatory pine martens.

Remarkably, Matt now sees his female barn owl almost every day.

She's got a nice nature, a nice, easy nature

and is very approachable.

She will come out and have a look at you during the day,

which is rather nice.

She's nice to have around. She's got a softness about her.

But Matt is worried.

She's a five-year-old mother

who has successfully raised ten owlets in the garden.

But after a run of good years, her luck may have turned.

Just as spring has arrived...

..her partner has disappeared.

Barn owls can hunt up to three miles away from their nest...

..and bad weather could have prevented him from getting home.

It rains here on more than 200 days a year,

making it among the wettest places in Britain.

And while most birds' feathers are rain resistant...

..barn owls have sacrificed waterproofing

to ensure that their wings are silent for hunting.

So he may have been grounded.

Finding a new mate now would be hard.

All she can do is wait.

This far north, spring temperatures can suddenly plummet...

..forcing one of our best-loved mammals into gardens

in search of food.

The red squirrel.

Across most of Britain, these charming and inquisitive animals

have been displaced by American grey squirrels.

But they've held on in parts of Scotland.

Their fluffy coats and tufted ears keep them warm,

so they're well adapted to the climate.

Although, at this time of year,

coping with cold isn't the only challenge.

Autumn's nuts and berries are long gone...

..but red squirrels know that gardens can offer a lifeline.

Although they have yet to reach Matt's.

But there is one very special animal that he can help.

The young female pine marten is still very cautious...

..and only approaches when Matt is out of sight.

Peanuts are a welcome supplement, high in calories and fat.

But pine martens are omnivores, with a taste for meat.

Soon, there will be a chance to hunt.

By late March,

the daytime temperature climbs to a balmy nine degrees.

It's good news for the garden's cold-blooded inhabitants.

Slow worms...

..and common lizards.

They have survived the winter by hibernating underground.

Now, on warmer days, they emerge to bask.

The hardiest of them all comes out at night.

A common toad.

He left the garden as a tiny toadlet nearly three years ago.

Now, as an adult, it's time to head back

to the only pond in the glen,

in search of a mate.

RUMBLING

But he is not the only toad with surging hormones.

Males are arriving from every direction.

Some have already paired up.

He must hurry.

But between him and the pond...

RUMBLING

..there's a road.

Every year, tens of thousands of toads are killed

en route to their breeding grounds.

But driven by the need to breed...

CAR APPROACHES

..this toad is determined.

Safe!

His timing is perfect.

A female has also found her way to the pond.

Their thousand or so eggs

will hatch in ten days' time.

Then their tadpoles will need to grow up fast.

Up here, summer is short.

Ten nights after her mate left to hunt,

the female barn owl is still alone.

OWL SCREECHES

One calm night, she hears a familiar sound.

OWL SCREECHES

We'll never know what kept him.

But it's still the breeding season...

..and he only has one thing on his mind...

..wooing her back.

Perhaps surprisingly, she doesn't accept his advances.

He is going to have to prove once again that he is a worthy mate.

ANIMAL SQUEAKS

His peace-offering -

a plump vole.

But she remains unimpressed.

ANIMAL SQUEAKS

How about a mouse?

It's going to take more than that.

He brings back gift...

..after gift...

..after gift.

Eventually, he wins her over.

Just in time, if they're going to raise a family.

MUFFLED SCREECHING

A few nights later...

..the female has laid four eggs.

A decent-sized clutch.

But rearing them won't be easy,

unless both parents do their bit.

The open hill and rough grassland surrounding Matt's home

are productive hunting grounds.

And just as well -

the pair may need to catch a thousand small mammals

in the next three months.

Pine martens also need plenty of prey.

They usually hunt in the forest,

and can roam over five miles a night.

INSECT BUZZES

But in spring, a new opportunity arrives...

..in a bank at the bottom of Matt's garden.

Sand martins.

These intrepid birds have flown around 3,000 miles

from their wintering grounds in Africa

to take advantage of Scotland's longer days...

..and gorge on swarms of flying insects -

essential food for raising a family.

BIRDS CHATTER

They set about digging a burrow, about a metre long,

so that they can nest out of the reach of predators.

It's a mammoth task.

After a promising start,

this male is hoping to attract a mate.

BIRDS CHIRRUP

But this female is not impressed.

Another male seems to be making better progress,

and she helps him dig.

Without a deep nest,

they will be dangerously exposed.

BIRDS CHATTER

ANIMAL SCREAMS

All this activity has attracted attention.

Pine martens have an excellent sense of smell.

But these sand martin nests are out of reach.

Strong claws and rotating ankles

work well on the vertical face.

But the bank is unstable...

..so she tries to flush out the adults instead.

CHATTERING

Her persistence pays off...

..providing the meal she needs.

ANIMAL CALLS

Safely out of reach,

the owl family is growing fast.

30 days after the eggs were laid,

the first owlet hatches.

Over the next few days,

two more emerge.

A good start.

CHICK SCREECHES

But each owlet will need

up to four meals a day.

So now the hard work really begins.

The owlets should double their weight every ten days.

They stand a good chance of doing so...

..as long as the weather holds.

CHICK HISSES

BIRDSONG

Some years in this Highland garden,

it barely feels like summer at all.

But when the sun does shine,

everyone takes full advantage.

MOTOR WHIRS

Crossbills move in to feed on Matt's pines...

..using their twisted beaks

to extract ripening seeds from the cones.

House martins hurry their young out of the nest.

And in the warm compost heap,

the slowworms take their chance to mate...

..while they can.

Four months after the toads abandoned their little eggs,

something is stirring in the pond.

A tiny toadlet,

no bigger than a human fingernail.

Only around one in 500 toad eggs

develops into an adult.

So this newly emerged toadlet

has a long way to go.

His very first sight above water?

A giant!

Matt is thinning the plants at the edge of his pond...

..to encourage the sundews that grow in his bog.

These bizarre-looking plants thrive here,

even in the poor soil...

..and provide a useful service...

..bug control.

Like Venus flytraps, sundews are carnivores.

Their sticky tentacles trap unwary victims.

Then they release enzymes

to digest their prey.

INSECT GULPS

The toadlet is heading straight through them...

..but he's strong enough to get past.

He's developing his own hunger for insects,

but only those that are alive.

Soon he will head out into the hills,

helping to keep the local midges in check.

Until, with luck,

one spring night,

he will return to Matt's pond to breed.

In the race to grow up,

the owlets are a little behind.

It takes weeks to replace fluff with feathers.

But two months after hatching,

they're fully grown.

Now they must learn to fly.

A wing workout is a good start.

It will take a few nights to build flight muscles

and confidence.

But with no more gifts from their parents,

hunger is urging them on.

Matt's nestbox

has kept them safe and dry.

OWLS SCREECH

Now it's up to each of them to find a new home.

Only one in four barn owls survive their first year.

For now they will stay close by...

..learning to hunt for themselves.

With the youngsters gone, their mother can reclaim her home.

Matt has now seen this female

raise a remarkable 13 owls.

And he's still hopeful for more.

WIND HOWLS

At the end of August,

the autumn gales sweep in.

Matt never knows what the changing seasons will bring...

..but a few things are certain.

His native trees and shrubs will come into fruit...

..providing food for locals and visitors alike.

Some, such as redwings,

are escaping even tougher conditions in Europe's far north.

As temperatures fall,

garden animals seek shelter.

SNUFFLING

Strange bedfellows come together

to escape the cold winter ahead.

DOOR CREAKS

The pine marten also needs a place to den.

Somewhere safe.

Preferably high off the ground...

..away from foxes.

But she can't find a cosy nook in this shed.

Matt decides to lend the pine marten a helping hand.

He builds a carefully designed den.

And he knows just where to put it.

There's a gap under the eaves where she could get in,

and a ladder will lead the way.

But it will be up to her to find it for herself.

BIRD OF PREY CRIES

As winter approaches,

red squirrels are on the move.

SQUIRREL CHATTERS

This year's youngsters may travel some ten miles

in the search for a territory of their own.

They come to the ground to find and store food,

but they prefer the safety of the trees.

For years, red squirrels have been absent from the area

around Matt's garden.

But just a few miles from him,

they're being reintroduced,

and are using gardens as stepping stones

to reclaim their former range.

As Matt's own trees mature...

..perhaps one day,

like the pine marten...

..red squirrels will find their way here.

WEATHER FORECAST: We're widely well below freezing out there,

and the northerly winds aren't helping today,

as this particular cold snap continues to bite.

As the young female pine marten faces her second Highland winter...

..Matt does all he can to help her survive.

His supply of peanuts will give her the fat reserves she needs

for the months ahead.

Remarkably, when she's focused on food,

she momentarily loses her fear.

Even after 40 years of encouraging wildlife into his garden,

this is a special moment for Matt.

And it's about to get even better.

The fact that the garden now has multiple pine martens

suggests that there could be young next year.

But there's one more thing that the female needs...

..somewhere to hide.

Matt's specially built box,

furnished with comfy bedding.

And it's above the lounge,

so it is nice and warm too.

It's the perfect place to see out the winter.

And perhaps next spring,

she'll give birth to her first litter of kits.

Over a lifetime of dedication,

Matt has created a welcome shelter

for all kinds of Scottish wildlife.

BIRDSONG

BUZZING

I feel privileged to have been able to create this garden

for all the animals that visit and use it.

MATT CHUCKLES

It's their garden, not mine.

But it gives me huge pleasure just to be able to share it with them.

Filming one of Britain's most secretive animals -

the pine marten -

in a Highland garden,

presented a formidable challenge to wildlife cameraman Simon King.

I'm used to spending a lot of my life in wilderness areas,

and being in a garden may sound like a domestic exercise,

but it's every bit as wild.

I'm under no illusion that this is going to be an easy task.

At least Simon can expect a warm reception.

I've probably known Simon for over 30 years now.

Yeah, we just hit it off.

There was a mutual interest about nature.

Even with Matt's help,

Simon will need all his experience

to capture the pine martens on camera.

He'll need to be ready before they emerge after dark.

MIDGES BUZZ

Oh, it's pretty midgey out here. Yeah, a few midges about tonight.

I'll be thinking of you!

SIMON CHUCKLES Have fun. Cheers, bud.

No-one likes seeing an old friend draw the short straw.

Aye, rather him than me, eh?

Pine martens are extraordinary creatures

and armed with the most acute senses,

so filming them is challenging.

Their hearing is fantastic.

Even switching the camera like this, I'm going to...

QUIET CLICK That clunk, that tiny little sound,

they'll pick it up.

They're very familiar with everything in their neighbourhood.

Even putting a hide up like this

runs the risk of slightly affecting their behaviour.

It can be a very, very long wait.

Sometimes you get absolutely nothing.

HIGH-PITCHED BUZZING

SIMON SIGHS

Oh, the midges are getting a bit bad.

Plenty of bites,

but no sign of pine martens.

That's it. There's so much light in the sky,

I don't think we're likely to see a pine marten.

I'm going to get some sleep.

Simon just has to put in the hours.

Several long, midgey nights later...

SIMON WHISPERS: Oh, here we go, here we go.

..the light spilling from Matt's kitchen

is enough for Simon's ultra-sensitive camera

to capture the first magical shots.

Yes.

That is a great view.

Well, that was a wait of about six hours.

But it lights up the night, just their charisma, their...

..their presence.

Very, very special neighbours.

It's a start.

But to find out what this pine marten is up to,

Simon rigs the garden with an assortment of kit -

camera traps,

remote cams,

and den cams.

Simon and Matt check the footage every few days.

They're slowly building a picture of the pine marten's movements.

Matt is keen to see where she hunts.

All the clues point towards the sand martin colony

at the end of the garden.

Yeah, the material's all been pulled out here.

There's feathers there as well, look. Yeah.

And scuff marks.

Yeah, definitely had a pine marten there not that long ago.

Then, more definitive evidence.

OK. Classic remains.

There you go. That's an adult wing.

Must have grabbed that one in there.

Time to set up yet more cameras...

..and wait.

Now, it's the moment of truth.

Oh, oh.

OK, there we go.

Coming across the top, look.

Not successful though. Just shows, doesn't it, that they are...

..working that colony.

It's like a cat.

Just agile, eh? Mm.

GASP Oh!

Just as well these holes are three feet deep. Yep.

Oh, there we go! Oh, that was close!

That was a flush out.

And got one! Yeah, yeah.

Definitely.

This is the first time we've had this view

of this sort of hunting behaviour.

No-one has ever filmed this before.

But it's not an easy watch.

Heart in mouth stuff, isn't it?

Because the sand martins are such a charming feature,

but, then, so are the pine martens, and the two coming together.

Everything's interlaced, eh?

It's rare to have a predator like this living in your garden.

But thanks to Matt's wildlife-friendly approach,

it's just one of an enchanting cast of animals

whose secret lives Simon has revealed.

It's been great having Simon here.

All this intimate views of the creatures round the house

has given me a better understanding and appreciation.

And all the species that will keep on coming in.

It's an exciting thing.

Discover the wildlife on your doorstep

with the Open University's

Secret Garden interactive experience.

Scan the QR code on screen now

or head to...

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