An edition of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Jonathan Morrell. In the first part of the programme a report from National Trust property Nunnington Hall near Helmsley in North Yorkshire and a study into Peacocks conducted by Marion Petrie of Newcastle University that has found that females prefer their males with bigger tales. In the second report from a secret location in the north Jonathan Morrell goes badger watching with a local guide; retired...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television series on the wildlife of the north presented by Jonathan Morrell. In the first part of the programme a report from National Trust property Nunnington Hall near Helmsley in North Yorkshire and a study into Peacocks conducted by Marion Petrie of Newcastle University that has found that females prefer their males with bigger tales. In the second report from a secret location in the north Jonathan Morrell goes badger watching with a local guide; retired countryside warden Bob Wilkin. In the second part of the programme a look at the lifecycle of Ells in the regions rivers with Angler David Hall who has seen numbers decline due to over-fishing and pollution. The final report comes from the farm of Peter Smith of Whitwham Farm at Lambley near Haltwhistle in Northumberland who has become a countryside steward with the RSPB to encourage more birds to the North Pennines. Size really does matter if you're a peacock. The truth is that the bigger the tail the more the peahens will be attracted. Newcastle University lecturer Mario Petrie has studied peacocks for more than 20 years, and discovered that those with the biggest tail feathers invariably mate with the most females. Marion talks about her findings This episode also includes badger-watching, Just when the crew had given up watching, a family of badgers cautiously emerged. And there's an appeal to save the eel, once very common in the region, but now on the decline. Angler David Hall is worried they may be being over-fished, or suffering from pollution. 'If they were furry and squeaked, a lot more people would be worried about eels,' he says. The programme also reports on the growing move to pay farmers for supporting wildlife. Peter Smith, of Whitwham Farm near Haltwhistle, has agreed to keep fewer sheep to leave more room for lapwing, curlew and redshank. 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 MMI