The enthusiastic historian and naturalist Michael Clegg travels the Yorkshire region meeting colourful characters, looking at interesting places and uncovering some off-beat jobs and trades. In this episode of Clegg’s People, Michael Clegg visits Bolton Abbey Woods at 4am to hear the dawn chorus and look at the various birds in the wood. He meets National Park Warden, Peter Wright, who accompanies him through the woods talking about the birds and their song. The programme begins with a...

The enthusiastic historian and naturalist Michael Clegg travels the Yorkshire region meeting colourful characters, looking at interesting places and uncovering some off-beat jobs and trades. In this episode of Clegg’s People, Michael Clegg visits Bolton Abbey Woods at 4am to hear the dawn chorus and look at the various birds in the wood. He meets National Park Warden, Peter Wright, who accompanies him through the woods talking about the birds and their song. The programme begins with a view of the river Wharfe valley at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire. In a busy car park for visitors, general views show people playing games, throwing stones into the river and those in heading off on walks in boots and waterproofs. Michael Clegg appears on camera enjoying ice cream from a nearby café, as he says the best of this location is enjoyed early in the morning. A cars headlights appear on a country road as the sky starts to lighten as dawn starts to break. Birds are singing as the vehicle pulls of the road to park. The location is Strid wood on the Bolton Abbey estate. Michael’s expert guide on the walk is Peter Wright, the dale’s national park head ranger and an expert in bird song. Their exploration begins at quarter to four in the morning. Michael points out the steep wooded slopes above the Strid. The Strid is a natural feature, where the river suddenly narrows forcing the water through a narrow channel at great pressure. Michael estimates forty bird species live in Strid wood. A high angle view looks down on the Strid with the accompaniment of birdsong. A view of a chaffinch follows in mid-song, followed by Michael and Peter walking along a woodland path. Peter hears the song of a spotted flycatcher, then it takes flight. A view of the bird singing while perched on a wire follows. Michael and Peter continue through the woodland, as Peter hears a wood warbler. A robin sings perched on a twig. Michael explains that it sings then listens to hear evidence of a rival, then sings again. Standing well above the river, Michael suggests to Peter that it’s the robin which is one of the first birds to sing in the morning and sometimes in the evening. Peter agrees saying the song thrush is probably the next bird to sing followed by the blackbird. They continue walking through the dense wood. At 4.30 in the morning the dawn chorus has subsided and the forest is in full sun. Michael says that there are three special birds to look out for at Bolton Abbey, the wood warbler, the pied flycatcher and the dipper. Michael spots a garden warbler, with a beak full of insects he believes there is probably a nest nearby. Next to the path Michael finds the nest full of chicks waiting to be fed. On another stretch of path Peter hears a wood warbler. He finally spots it and they both train their binoculars on the elusive bird. After studying several warblers, Peter spots a tree creeper feeding young, all the young birds clinging onto bark of a tree trunk. The song of a chiff chaff is heard by both Michael and Peter simultaneously. They stop at bench seat next to the path and talk about bird song as a way of identifying species even if you can’t see them. Peter gives an insight into how he learned to identify birdsong and gives some advice on how to develop the skill. The bench seat stands in front of a stone structure which Peter says may have had a thatched roof to provide shelter. A number of these were built on the estate, for people to enjoy the view, which in this location is currently overgrown. Michael meets up with John Cumberland the head forester, the time is still early morning at 5.30 am. They stand in front of another stone shelter, and John outlines the task they had to open up the viewpoint by removing overgrown vegetation on the steep bank just in front of it. The history of the viewpoints and woodland paths date back to the 1840’s and the planning, design and initiative of the 6th Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish. In the cleared area John says they are planting young sessile oaks to fit in with mature oaks growing nearby. Michael next appears next to one of the oldest oak trees on the estate at 700 years old. General views follow of the Strid and trees on both banks. At 6.30 in the morning Michael meets up with Peter again, who has come equipped with a ladder. He stands at the top of the ladder counting seven chicks in a nesting box attached to a tree. The nest boxes Peter put up attracts the pied flycatcher and they occupy ten of the boxes. A general view follows of the waters of the river Wharfe forcing their way through the Strid. A female mallard with her chicks swim in the relatively calmer summer waters. Michael introduces the dipper as one of the special birds at the Bolton Abbey estate. The film shows two parent birds with younger fledglings. Michael outlines the tactics of one pair of younger birds as they vie for supremacy on a small rock in the river. The winner is more likely to get fed before the other. The hen bird tries to feed a rather large fish to its offspring. In the end she eats it herself, the chick will have to wait. At 7.30 Michael meets up with an old friend who sits at a bench on the banks of the river not far from the car park. He is bird watching using a telescope. Alan Marshall is a keen bird watcher and artist, and he’s also looking at the behaviour of the dippers. He sketches them on a sheet of white paper. He says that sketching helps him memorise the colour, patterns and structures of birds and other animals. Alan shows Michael the coloured sketches in one of his notebooks, and some of the records that he keeps on some of the birdwatches. Alan also reveals Michael as small cartoon- like sketch on one page. The film goes back to the dippers on the rocks in the river. At 10.00 am visitors start to arrive and Michael closes the programme from an outside seat in front of the café. Credits: Sound Ron Gunn, Mike Naylor Graphics Richard Wisdom Editors John Hay Produced/Director/Cameraman Charles Flynn Series Editor David Lowen Executive Producer Graham Ironside. © Yorkshire Television Ltd 1989 End credit: Yorkshire Television production