An episode of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Jonathan Morrell. In the first report Jonathan takes a trip to the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast to look at how bad weather can affect the birds on the islands especially the Puffin which have suffered in past two years because of severe storms. Next a report on wildlife artist Alex Clerk who specialises in watercolour painting of the Red squirrel which live near her home at Ebchester in...

An episode of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Jonathan Morrell. In the first report Jonathan takes a trip to the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast to look at how bad weather can affect the birds on the islands especially the Puffin which have suffered in past two years because of severe storms. Next a report on wildlife artist Alex Clerk who specialises in watercolour painting of the Red squirrel which live near her home at Ebchester in Northumberland. Following the break, to Upper Teesdale where Alec Coles and Dave Mitchell are working to compile an atlas of all wildflower sites in County Durham as part of a millennium project. Finally, Andrew Tait from Tynemouth who films whales, dolphins and other marine life on his camcorder and has captured the likes of Charlie the Bottle-nosed dolphin when it visited the mouth of Tyne a few years earlier. Presenter Jonathan Morrell takes a trip to the Farne Islands to check on the puffin situation. Severe storms in the last few years have hit the islands at nesting time and large numbers of puffins have been lost. The birds nest in burrows and in bad weather the burrows can easily flood. However, Michael Maher, head warden for the National Trust on the Farnes, says that puffin numbers have recovered and there is no real cause for concern. Painting red squirrels is a favourite subject for wildlife artist Alex Clark, from Ebchester in Northumberland. She paints birds and landscapes too but says that mammals like squirrels and otters give her the most satisfaction. Alec Coles is senior curator for Tyne and Wear Museums, but whenever he can, he's off to the country to study wild flowers. With environmental consultant Dave Mitchell, he's compiling an atlas of all wild flower sites in County Durham. It's part of a Millennium project to map the whole country and identify where rare flowers are to be found. Upper Teesdale, with its crop of gentians in the spring, is Alec's favourite place throughout the spring and summer. Filming marine life with his camcorder is a passion which has taken Andrew Tait from Tynemouth all over Britain. It was Andrew who captured the grace of Charlie, the dolphin, when he visited the mouth of the Tyne two years ago. And it's Andrew who has filmed harbour porpoises off the coast at Whitley Bay. But his best shots have been filmed on trips to see whales and dolphins off the coast of Mull in the Hebrides. 'That's where you really see sea life,' says Andrew Credits: Presenter Jonathan Morrell 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 MM