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 travels by ferry to Holland where he visits Flevoland Nature Reserve near Rotterdam. He meets the reserve director, Vincent Wigbels, and sees the biggest cormorant colony in Europe, plus herds of wild horses and cattle. The film opens with a title...

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 travels by ferry to Holland where he visits Flevoland Nature Reserve near Rotterdam. He meets the reserve director, Vincent Wigbels, and sees the biggest cormorant colony in Europe, plus herds of wild horses and cattle. The film opens with a title sequence, showing artists pictures of wildlife drawings and people who work and find recreation in the countryside, finishing with a drawn colour portrait of Michael Clegg. The film opens with an aerial view of the Rotterdam ferry leaving Hull, the ship is marked ‘North Sea Ferries’. A view follows from the deck of the ferry looking out across the wide expanse of the river in hazy conditions. Michael appears on deck speaking to camera about early immigration routes taken to Britain from European countries. He talks about trade and contact, especially with the Dutch over many years. A view from the ferry follows at dawn off the coast of Holland. A view shows the crew on the bridge guiding the vessel to its mooring point at Rotterdam. A view of a nearby German container ship follows, and a view of the captain and his officers on the bridge of the ferry as they navigate their way into port. The film then shows a river pilot vessel making its way across the choppy sea. Michael trains his binoculars on sand dunes where he looks out for birdlife. The ferry’s captain looks out from the bridge. On deck passengers gather on deck looking out as they approach the port. Michael is joined on deck by second officer Dave Risby who is also a keen bird watcher. Michael asks if any birds come on the ship seeking shelter. He reports, surprisingly that he recently saw a robin, and also a linnet that walked onto the bridge. The last section into Europort travels past heavy industry. On deck Michael talks to the Captain asking what he is doing after the overnight journey. An animated map shows where Michael has landed at Rotterdam, but his destination is north to the area of reclaimed land named Flevoland. The newly built capital of this area is known as Lelystad named after the engineer-statesman Cornelis Lely who designed and oversaw Zuiderzee reclamation project. It became the capital of the newly created Flevoland province in 1986. The film shows the new capital with all of its modern facilities. Michael sits next to a statue of Cornelis Lely as he outlines the history of the land reclamation which began in the late 19th century. The film then shows Michael walking along a road running through fields set in flat countryside and stretching off into the distance. Michael uses binoculars to look at the birdlife in the fields, the film shows a black tailed godwit. A tractor works nearby many of the fields are relatively from stones. A local train crosses a bridge over one of the canals which help drain the area. Michael talks of the initial development of the new farmland. The film goes on to show the large number of trees that have been planted to assist soil quality. The road from Amsterdam to Lelystad offers opportunities for bird watching. A grey heron flies past over a misty sea. Michael comments on their method of fishing which is more akin to the way terns’ fish, a sight which Michael says is unique to the area. On the other side of the road is the nature reserve, Oostvardersplassen. The film shows a Marsh Harrier as it flies over long grass looking for prey. In one of the water channels there is a view of a spoonbill, the area has a large population of nesting birds for this increasingly rare species. Michael takes a self-propelled ferry across one of the waterways. He pulls himself across on a pontoon using a steel cable which runs from one side to the other. Michael makes his way into the centre of the reserve to look at the cormorant colony, the biggest in Europe. Groups of cormorants fly overhead to their nests in the reserve. A local expert sits in a hide as he outlines details to Michael of the cormorant population at the reserve. Michael is told there are over 6000 nesting pairs. Views follow of birds flying through trees returning to their nests. Michael continues his walk through the reserve on a grassy path. A close up follows of a coot as it dives for food, then feeding a chick that swims alongside. Michael crosses a footbridge over one of the waterways. The reserve also attracts other rarer birds to the area as the film shows a white-spotted blue throat perching on a reed stalk. Birds are not the only animals on the reserve, they include a herd of cattle, an ancient breed called Aurochs which are part of a long-term experiment to reintroduce wild cattle back into Europe. Michael talks to the Flevoland director of nature reserves as he takes Michael to see the herd from a safe distance. Other old breeds have also been revived, the European western forest horse, known as a Tarpan are also on the reserve. The film follows a young foal as it runs about, and occasionally jumps. The two men approach the horses who don’t react in their presence, and continue to graze, the total number of this breed is now about 70. General views show more of the dark grey coloured horses. Michael then goes to meet an old friend of his, John van Kriel who used to work in Yorkshire, they are going to look at wild boar. They visit a special enclosure at Aardhuis forestry centre. The adults and younger animals wander around their enclosure, although they can be found in the wild. John and Michael stand looking over a wire fence as they feed the animals small morsels of food. The film ends with both men visiting a local café for something to eat, a local variety of pancake made with bacon and treacle Credits: Graphics Richard Wisdom Editor John Hay Sound Kevin Quirk Sound Dubbing John Burgess Producer/Director/Camera Charles Flynn Executive Producer David Lowen © Yorkshire Television Ltd 1990 End credit: Yorkshire Television production