An edition of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Andrew Friend. In the first part of this edition a report on David Irwin and his work to protect a nest of Peregrine falcons at a secret location in the Pennines of North Yorkshire. Next, a report on the conversion of Ladycross Quarry near Slaley in Northumberland into a nature reserve. In the second part of the programme a report on the work done by the Northumberland National Park to monitor and survey...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Andrew Friend. In the first part of this edition a report on David Irwin and his work to protect a nest of Peregrine falcons at a secret location in the Pennines of North Yorkshire. Next, a report on the conversion of Ladycross Quarry near Slaley in Northumberland into a nature reserve. In the second part of the programme a report on the work done by the Northumberland National Park to monitor and survey the decline in bats in area and finally a report on the potential dangers of windfarms for seabirds in Blyth Harbour. Title: Wild North Andrew Friend introduces the programme with an outline of forthcoming topics. The first item looks at concerns over the survival of the persecuted peregrine falcon. David Irwin walks in a remote Pennine valley in North Yorkshire, a journey he has made many times and his destination is the site of a pair of nesting peregrine falcons he wants to guard and protect. He’s made a shelter overlooking the site and spends many hours watching for intruders who might cause harm to the birds. Experience has taught him how determined some individuals are in pursuit of their goal. He says the birds only kill food for their own needs and he admires the bird in many ways. At home he uses his skill as a wildlife artist, making pokerwork images of birds and animals on pieces of wood. Falcons are his favourite subject. David returns to the nest, where only one chick has survived he harsh winter. With some help from climber Amanda Cliff-Mosedale he arranges for the surviving chick to be ringed. The programme moves on to Ladycross Quarry near Slaley in Northumberland, an active quarry supplying the area with stone for floors and roofs. By the year 2000 it will be worked out, manager Colin Jewitt outlines the kinds of places which order stone from the quarry. After the inevitable closure Colin has persuaded the owners to allow it to continue as a wildlife reserve, something he personally has been working towards since he came to the quarry, 28 years ago. Inspired by finding frogspawn in a small pool he went about trying to establish larger pool and transferred the frogspawn to it. There are now six ponds providing a haven for a variety of wildlife. Colin spreads some feed on the ground for some of the resident wildfowl. Nesting boxes have been distributed all over the reserve including boxes for tawny owls. Wildlife conservation is one aspect of the Ladycross reserve but they have also constructed a stone circle based on a suggestion by a local artist. This will also be a memorial to the work of the quarry when it finally closes. Schoolchildren come with small nets to dip into one of the ponds, evidence of increasing connections the reserve has with the local community. Title: Wild North Andrew Friend introduces the second part of the programme. Senior ranger in Northumberland National Park John Steel has a passion about bats and is often asked to help with any problems relating to the animal. Lots of suspicion and fear about bats is unfounded he says, and his job along with others in the local bat group is to try and educate communities about these creatures. John calls on a house owner to discuss her bat problem and talks to her about their feeding habits and behaviour. John Steel is currently doing a bat survey of churches in the national park, he calls at St Michaels in the small village of Ingram. He is joined by a colleague in the evening to do bat count, using special detectors to identify numbers and species of bat. The programme moves to Blyth harbour to look at the affect the nine wind turbines sited there have had on local wildlife especially birds. Brian Little an ornithologist talks about the wind farm being the first sited on the coast, perhaps opening problems for the wind farm and birds. Originally a condition of planning permission for Border Wind the engineers was that they should employ an ornithologist to find out if birds would be affected by the turbine blades. Brian Little suggested with the number of gulls in the area collisions would be inevitable. He also was concerned about the wind turbines affecting the large numbers of cormorants roosting at Blyth harbour. However over five years there has been only one fatality with a cormorant flying into the rotor blades. Brian is pleased to see that the cormorants have adapted to the presence of these structures. The population of eider duck was also thought to be in jeopardy. Although twelve ducks were killed in the first year of operation the situation has improved. Brian suggests the ducks have simply learned about the wind farm and so avoid collisions by swimming into the harbour rather than fly which they did at the time of the fatalities. To ensure accuracy in assessing the impact on local wildlife Brian had to produce birds’ bodies which involved searching the beaches each week near the piers where the wind turbines are sited. On camera Brian shows some of this evidence, but the total is 2600 bodies or other remains found. However, a good many of these would have died from natural causes. Only 70 birds have proven to have been killed during a six-year period of the survey, and Brian cites other causes of premature death for birds, road casualties for example, which far outstrip the figure shown in this survey. Andrew Little closes the programme. Credits: Presenter Andrew Friend Camera Simon Crouch, Lee Sutterby Sound Postproduction Andy Ludbrook Editor David Hindmarsh Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Producer Charles Bowden CBTV production for Tyne Tees Television © Tyne Tees Television MCMXCVIII