The final episode 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 the work of National Trust Warden Stuart Burnham who looking after the 600 red, fallow and sika deer at Studley Royal Deer Park in North Yorkshire. Next a look at the declining numbers of Red Squirrel in the region due to the rise of the grey and the work of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's 'Red Alert' project which aim...

The final episode 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 the work of National Trust Warden Stuart Burnham who looking after the 600 red, fallow and sika deer at Studley Royal Deer Park in North Yorkshire. Next a look at the declining numbers of Red Squirrel in the region due to the rise of the grey and the work of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's 'Red Alert' project which aim is to collect information on the habitats of red squirrel as well as their work with local game keepers trying to control the numbers of greys. After the break, a look at the rise in the number of pine martens living in remote rocky outcrops of Northumberland. Finally, a look at the work being carried out by the Games Conservancy Trust to understand the decline in numbers of Black grouse on the moorlands of Teesdale in County Durham. Title: Wild North Andrew Friend introduces the current programme and summarises the content. The programme’s first item is at Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire where Studley Royal deer park is located and where deer warden Stuart Burnham works for the National Trust looking after 650 deer. The deer are split into three herds the main one being native red deer, a herd of fallow deer and lastly a small herd of sika deer which originate from China. Stuart enjoys his work and says there is always something new to learn about the deer. A tame deer is used to make visits, especially for children more interesting as visitors can see a deer at close quarters. The changing seasons bring challenges for Stuart, especially making sure the deer are fed properly in the winter months, but that doesn’t diminish his passion for the job. The next section looks at the plight of the red squirrel. Bob Wilkin former wildlife warden in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene first spotted the first grey squirrel north of the Tyne at Jesmond Dene. The grey squirrel has now established itself in the region and is now encroaching into the Northumberland home of the red squirrel. They are coming from all directions, the south, from Cumbria and from Scotland. David Stewart from the Northumberland Wildlife Trust says there are very few places where the two species will live side by side. Since 1991 the Northumberland wildlife trust has been running a campaign named Red Alert. Its aim is to gather information about where red squirrels can be found. People are urged to contact the trust if they spot any when they are out and about. The trend indicates falling numbers of the red squirrel, but people are becoming involved with the save campaign. Barry Pickering runs Riverside Leisure a leisure park near Hexham. He has noticed fewer numbers of red squirrels visiting the park. In winter he puts out feed for the red squirrel and has strong feelings about the advance of the grey. Scientists from Newcastle University have been trying to build up a picture of where red squirrels are still surviving in Northumberland. In Kielder Forest radio tags were fitted to some which allowed researchers to monitor their movements. As a result, the Forestry Commission has altered its tree planting policy to provide more conifers which provides the seed on which the red squirrels feed. Controlling the grey involves shooting, poisoning or trapping. Practically trapping is the only option as poisoning may harm the red squirrel and is not allowed in Northumberland; shooting would be ineffective. Northumberland Wildlife Trust staff give instruction to local gamekeepers on how to set traps. However, Dave Robson of the Newcastle Animal Rights Coalition suggests that if the grey squirrels are going to be the dominant species then so be it. For David Stewart of the wildlife trust the conservation of the red squirrel is paramount. Title: Wild North Around a hundred years ago the pine marten disappeared from the region, but there are signs it is returning. Dr Steve Ruston of Newcastle University gives a brief history of the pine marten; Scotland has in recent years been where most of the animals live. However, Lisa Kerslake of Northumberland Wildlife Trust says that there have been 40 to 50 reports of sightings in Northumberland. She wants people to report sightings to increase the knowledge of its distribution. She also adds that finding a corpse would be a god indicator to verify its presence. Researchers from Newcastle University’s Land Use Centre are laying special traps, basically tubes with some tempting food for the pine marten inside. When they retrieve the food fur is left on a sticky pad, indicating their presence. Dr Steve Ruston confirms pine martens are at one of the sites where a trap has been set. Lisa Kersley describes the pine marten’s habitat and confirms sightings in the Rothbury area and the edge of the Cheviots. Dr Ruston also outlines that pine marten presence is dependent on their food supply. Lisa Kerslake prefers to rely on the natural expansion of pine martens in the area to increase number rather than reintroducing the species back into the region. In Teesdale in County Durham a search for game birds is being undertaken, not for sport but for protection, in this case the rare black grouse. David Baines from the Game Conservancy Trust says that a three-year recovery project has been started to try and stop the decline of this species in the North Pennines. David describes the appearance of the male and female black grouse. He describes the ‘lek’ which involves black cocks displaying on a traditional lekking site for mating purposes. David says that they have identified a hundred leks which suggests that there are around 800 displaying black males in the region. He goes on to say that they have taken gun dogs with them on this trip mainly to try and find the elusive hen birds. Other research involves collecting saw flies, a main part of the black rouse diet. Sue Raven moves through the long grass with a large net, the results of her catch may indicate whether the saw fly is also in decline. She describes in more detail the procedure, then she uses a large vacuum to gather samples from ground level. With the research and field studies David Baines is hopeful that the recovery project will be successful. 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