For the past three years we’ve soaked up the wonders of some of the UK’s top nature reserves; avidly observing avocets at Minsmere, marveling over murmurations of autumn starlings in Dorset, gazing at gannets on Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. Idyllic.
As our 2017 series approached, we thought, “time for change”.
The question arose – what would it be like to move from these coastal reserves, with exotic wildlife in abundance, and settle in the heart of the countryside to celebrate the characters locked in our childhood memories – the real ‘Wind in the Willows’?
Well, the Cotswolds called and we followed. So from Monday (May 29th) we’ll be broadcasting live from our exciting new location, the National Trust’s Sherborne Park Estate in Gloucestershire. Is it a departure from our normal seasonal homes – yes! Do we think it’s worth the move? Absolutely!
It’s an amazing invitation to spend a whole year in the same place – something we have never done before. It gives us a chance to study the same animal families across the seasons and see how Mother Nature treats them. We know there are long running stories out there waiting to be told and now we have the chance to tell them. They won’t all be happy endings but, then again they won’t all be sad either. And most importantly they will give viewers a snapshot of real life in the countryside through the eyes of the animals that live there.
The National Trust’s Sherborne Estate boasts a fantastic variety of habitats including an 18th-century water meadow which is home to otters, water voles and dragonflies. There’s a disused airbase, active during the Second World War but now part of a working farm. It’s also a fascinating wildlife hotspot for hares and many species of farmland bird such as skylark, yellowhammer and corn bunting.
It’s definitely more of a challenge to film the wildlife there because there is not the same concentration as our normal reserves. BUT there are stories to tell so chapter one begins at 8pm on 主播大秀 Two – May 29th.