"(narrator) It's spring, and the rabbit inhabitants of this Welsh island are stirring in the seasonal sunshine." "For several hundred years, rabbits in Britain were kept in walled gardens and on coastal islands, and numbers of escaped rabbits surviving in the countryside remained low." "But when man began to clear land for agriculture and control predators such as foxes and weasels, conditions improved for the rabbit and its colonisation of Britain began." "The hub of rabbit society is the warren." "This underground complex of tunnels, chambers and bolt holes is as structured as a Norman castle." "This hidden fortress provides dry, warm breeding quarters and a safe place to lie up in the middle of the day." "The grass round the warren entrance is eaten first." "This is, after all, the safest place to feed." "Rabbits are phenomenally successful herbivores, eating a whole variety of plants." "Rabbits begin courting in winter, as early as January or February, depending on the weather and plant growth." "The buck feeds close to the female, called the doe." "He showers the doe regularly with urine to mark her out as his property, and he guards her jealously." "While she's sexually receptive, he keeps a 24-hour watch." "That's the time it takes to guarantee it'll be his sperm fertilising her egg." "He needs to make sure someone else doesn't sneak in and father her next litter." "He possessively rubs his scent on the female to announce ownership." "But she holds the trump cards in the mating game." "If she's not ready yet, he'lljust have to wait and do his best to keep her interest." "Mating itself is often a secretive affair, conducted in privacy at night." "Once the dominant pair has mated, he will switch his attentions to the other females." "Subordinate males just try and grab anyfemale they can." "The domestic chore of digging the tunnels in the warren is shared by both sexes, but raising the family is left entirely to the female." "The baby rabbits will enter a world of soft moss, dry grass, and fluffy warm fur from their mother's belly." "This will keep them snug and dry until they growfur of their own, because they're born naked." "Life by the sea is pretty good when the sun shines." "Rabbits originate from the Iberian Peninsula, and it seems natural for creatures from the Mediterranean to want to soak up the sun's warmth." "Lying belly up to the sun does have a practical side." "It helps digestion." "But then it may just be for sheer pleasure." "But lounging about in the sun can be dicey." "Rabbits are popular buzzard food." "Up on hind legs, a rabbit has a better view." "Airborne danger sends them diving for cover." "The vibrations from foot thumps are felt above and below ground - warnings to take cover or stay put in the burrow." "Safe underground, the doe has given birth after a 30-day pregnancy." "The tiny babies, called kittens, nestle in their soft fur bed." "They're already several days old, but their eyes are still tight shut." "Their mother only visits them once a day for five minutes." "It sounds casual, but it's an essential safety precaution for all." "She's less likely to give away their whereabouts if her visits are kept to a minimum." "As a result, feeding time is a little frantic." "But very few of her young born this year will survive to reproduce themselves next year." "Above and below ground, the odds are stacked against small rabbits, even in an idyllic habitat like this." "In the heathland, another creature is waking up to spring." "Now they've banished winter sleep, adders will also be turning their thoughts to creating the next generation." "Before they can do this, these two males must establish whose territory this is." "The two size each other up." "Confrontation between male adders is strange and rarely seen." "They entwine bodies, swaying as if to an invisible snake charmer's pipes." "The male that keeps his head above his rival's will win." "The loser will be forced to the ground." "Deadly fangs do not come into play at all." "This silent, graceful and deadly serious contest can last an hour or more." "And finally there's a winner." "And a loser, who may have better luck in another contest." "But the prize they fought for isn't exactly going to be a pushover." "The winner glides off in silent pursuit of her, following her scent trail." "He may even have been after her before his rival came on the scene." "And finally he catches up with her." "Fully grown adders are about two feet long." "The males are smaller and more vividly coloured than the females." "And now the male uses his sinuous body not to overpower, but to charm." "He is patient and persistent." "He must entice her with gentle vibrations of his body against hers." "It's a slow and subtle process." "Raising her tail, she finally accepts him." "His role as a father stops here." "This brief encounter is his only contribution to parenthood." "It may take longer to mate than to woo, and it's courting danger to do it out in the open." "It's best to be safely under cover." "The now pregnant female has joined others in a communal basking ground." "Adders, like all reptiles, cannot produce their own heat." "They rely on the sun to spark their metabolisms into life." "This is also like the waiting room in a maternity wing." "The females will probably stay here until they give birth some weeks from now." "Males have other business to attend to." "They head off to find private summer hunting on wetter, low-lying ground." "Back on the island, the rabbit babies are now a few weeks old and they're running around energetically." "They're already making journeys to the burrow entrance." "They're perfect miniatures of their father and mother." "They're being weaned and are now eating grass." "It's finally time to follow their mother above ground." "But they don't go far." "Exploring their territory is only one of the lessons of life above ground." "The young must establish their individual position in rabbit society." "Future safety and wellbeing may depend on it." "All the comings and goings at the warren have not gone unnoticed." "A busy rabbit warren is a fox's favourite hunting ground." "In theory, there's plenty of choice on the menu, if only they'd drop their guard." "The rabbits are safer if they can keep an eye on the fox." "It's the ones that aren't paying attention who'll be taken and weeded out." "Alesson for young onlookers in the harsher realities of life." "Far away, in an isolated Highland glen, red-deer stags are keeping peaceful, if wary, spring company." "New antlers are budding." "Velvety skin pulsing with blood makes the growing antlers too sensitive for combat." "Tension and rivalry find other expression." "There are stags of all ages in this herd." "The females-the hinds- and their calves keep apart." "Stag and hind link up only to mate later in the year." "Through winter, the deer sought shelter in the woodland." "The ancient forest of Caledon once covered a great part of the Highlands." "Now only a few relics remain." "Some of these pines were seedlings 400 years ago." "Then there were wolves here, and bears and lynx and many other creatures now extinct or increasingly rare." "Like the red squirrel." "Once found all over the British Isles, outcompeted by its grey cousin, the red shows no sign of ceding victory here." "This male is courting." "The female will accept the male's advances onlywhen she's ready." "The will of the wild favours the fittest, and the male with the most agility is likely to father her young." "All her rapid movements betray nervousness." "There are no wolves or lynx lying in wait these days, but hungry foxes and wildcats still scout the forest for prey." "She's busy finding soft lining material for her drey, preparing for the arrival of a young brood." "As much as she can grip with her teeth goes into each bundle." "The fewer risky trips to the forest floor, the better." "Aquick minor adjustment en route and, with her bundle secure, she returns to safety." "When early summer arrives, the moors become lush with new growth." "In a distant glen, the hinds are heavy with calf." "Adult red deer have no natural predators in the Highlands, but the soon-to-be-born calves will have." "Ahind searches for the safest and most private place when she's about to give birth." "Even as she eats, she keeps her eye open for predators." "But this buzzard is no danger to her or her future calf." "Hinds are capable of producing a calf a year, but in the harsh Highland conditions, not all calves will survive." "Delivery takes time- several hours even." "It's exhausting for her, and she cannot relax for a second." "Once the calf is born, it will be up and active in under an hour." "Although mobile from an early age, the ability to remain perfectly still offers it protection against hungry golden eagles." "Mother and calf strengthen the bond started in the womb." "Grooming reinforces this blood tie." "Each animal must quickly recognise the other if they're ever separated." "Spruced up and dried off, the calf will soon suckle." "For the next six months, it will depend entirely on Mother's milk." "All being well, the calf will grow rapidly." "But months of suckling her calf will tax the mother severely." "She needs good grazing to stay strong." "And she needs rest, like all mothers." "If the hinds need to go far to feed, the calves are often left behind." "They're much safer left in hiding." "Asmall calf accompanying its mother would not escape an eagle's eye." "The little animal has excellent camouflage." "When it keeps still, it's hidden, even from an eagle." "Summer progresses in the Highlands, and finally the stags'antlers have grown to their full splendour." "They're bulky and heavy, accounting for a third of the weight of the stag's skeleton, and they're soon going to be put to use." "To speed up the removal of dead skin, the stag thrashes its antlers against vegetation and the ground." "When this frantic activity becomes too much, muddy pools enable them to cool off." "The mud also helps keep infuriating insects at bay." "Tatters of dying skin look scruffy, but there's no mistaking what's underneath." "Aset of dangerous weapons, unsheathed and readyfor battle." "The stag's roar is a call to arms- and a call of courtship." "Hinds move into larger groups." "These are eagerly sought out by the stags." "(stag roars)" "Males fight for domination." "Supremacy will deny others access to the females." "For now, the females have no interest in mating." "Astag may pursue a hind, but if she's not ready, she won't accept his attentions." "And when she says no, she means no." "This is a tense time." "There's a lot at stake." "Just the one precious chance in a whole year for stags to distribute their genes." "Everything else in life becomes secondary." "It's only mating that matters now." "Astag may be judged by his roar alone." "The greater his roar, the greater his strength and stamina." "If this message isn't clearly understood, then the situation escalates." "Rivals walk flank to flank, sizing each other up." "And if that doesn't resolve it, then a fight is inevitable." "25 stone of muscle-powered stag is a force to be reckoned with." "Antlers can be broken in such a clash, but that's better than being gored." "The final headlock produces a winner- or so he thinks." "An even stronger stag comes roaring onto the stage." "His size and maturity give him supremacy over the others." "Battle scarred, he has already lost an eye in his quest for victory, but he's still powerful and imposing." "His access to the hinds is now guaranteed." "But for how long?" "He's continuously being challenged by other males." "Mating, guarding and fighting - a champion's lot is a tiring one." "Ultimately he will give way to a fitter and fresher stag, but for now, he is boss," "and he'll have a busy mating season ahead of him." "Late summer, and the adder is reaching the end of her pregnancy." "But before she can give birth, she needs to get out of her skin." "Four months of pregnancy have stretched her to bursting point." "This process is like a cleansing for the snake, or a rebirth of sorts." "For centuries people believed snakes were immortal, reborn each time they shed their skin." "And in some cultures they represent immortality." "The female chooses a quiet, private place in the sun, out of sight of possible enemies, and the laborious process begins." "Most reptiles lay eggs, but not these." "Each baby adder arrives fullyformed - a perfect scaled-down replica of its mother." "The little snake quickly finds a weak spot in the membrane that still imprisons it." "Depending on her size, an adder gives birth to between three and twenty young." "The entire process of giving birth may take her several hours." "This is the seventh, and last, to be born." "Just like his brothers and sisters, this little adder is about six inches long - almost a quarter of his mother's length." "He too quickly breaks free." "Adders belong to the bigger international family of vipers, and among their deadlier cousins are the North American rattlesnakes." "Birth was a traumatic business." "His jaws were dislocated to make the passage from his mother's womb easier." "But a yawn quickly repositions them." "They're already equipped with venom-laden fangs, fully armed for self-defence or for killing." "Birth is an ordeal for all." "Mother and young need time and quiet to recover." "She'll need another year to build up her reserves before being able to breed again." "The young spend their first few days with their mother before everyone takes their own path in life." "They're visibly brighter-coloured than she is, but in two or three years' time, their reddish tinge will vanish, and by then, they themselves will be ready to have their own young." "This togetherness has nothing to do with family bonding." "The baby adders don't need their mother to look after them at all." "They stay here for now because their birthplace has its own warm and sheltered microclimate." "Their mother's the first to leave home, and she won't be coming back." "The young are on their own." "As autumn approaches, flowers are replaced by fruits." "Fruits such as rowan berries, fruit of the fairy tree." "The choice of food is becoming limited as butterflies and bees take advantage of the last of the autumn flowers." "Mountain hares are using the autumn to prepare for the winter, but it happens in quite an unusual way, and it happens without them moving a muscle:" "They're turning white." "Shortening hours of daylight act as the trigger for the moulting process to begin- for white to replace the brown summer coat." "The reason is camouflage, and when the snow comes, they'll be much safer." "But the transitional period is a dangerous one." "During the moult, they're more visible to sharp-eyed predators." "This is also the realm of the golden eagle, and hares are a major part of its diet." "Running for cover seems the safest option." "Ahare can exceed 40 miles per hour." "But it still can't outpace an eagle." "This time there's been a lucky escape." "This young doe is almost into her first winter coat." "Soon, all but the tips of the ears and the soles of the feet will be white." "Turning white can cause its own problems." "With no guarantee of snow on the moors, instead of being camouflaged, the hares can find themselves more exposed to danger than ever." "This year, the hares are in luck." "They're equipped to deal with snow in other ways too." "Their broad, fur-lined feet act like snowshoes." "The camouflage is complete." "The mountain hare is not the only creature having to adapt to this white landscape." "The red-deer calf born earlier in the year is learning to cope with snow." "The good summer grazing it enjoyed won't last it all the winter." "A thick new coat protects the calf from cold." "But this is of little use if it can't eat." "As many as two thirds of this year's calves will die during their first winter." "Bitter weather drives the red deer to lower grounds." "Stags and hinds have split up again into separate herds." "Stag rivalries are a thing of the past, animosity forgotten in the overriding need to survive attack by a common enemy." "Cold is a great leveller." "Even a champion stag isn't spared hardship." "Winter in the Highlands is an ordeal that all must face." "Only the fittest and strongest will survive." "For many, cold and lack of food will prove too much." "But as the spring softness comes once again, life continues." "High in her twig nest, the red squirrel has not long since given birth." "In a soft mossy bed, three youngsters lie." "The hungry wee squirrels drain their mother's energy." "They'll be drinking her milk for about ten weeks." "That's a long time in a squirrel's life." "Their claws are already well-formed and growing stronger daily." "So are their broad, bushy tails." "Fleas plague even the very young." "Their mother goes out occasionally to groom." "Too many parasites in the drey make for an itchy life." "The pines now burst with new life." "The results of pollination are starting to show." "New cones are taking shape." "It will take them two full years to mature and produce ripe seeds." "But the tree cannot afford to wait this long to scatter seed so new cones grow side by side with riper, older ones." "It will be many years before the embryonic seeds in these young cones become mature trees." "The adder has once again woken to spring's call." "It is time to restock the reserves, and it's a formidable hunter." "One lightning strike and the mouse is doomed." "The adder's venom is now pumping through the mouse's veins." "All the snake has to do is wait for it to take effect and then move in." "It's a clean and efficient way to kill." "She's run no risk of damage to herself from her prey's teeth or claws." "In order to swallow, she folds her fangs safely out of the way to the roof of her mouth." "The adder not only tidies her fangs out of the way, she dislocates her jaws so she can swallow the mouse whole." "And to help this process along, she has backward-pointing teeth." "Swallowing the mouse will take about half an hour, and her digestive enzymes have already started work on the part she's swallowed." "She must, of course, breathe during this mammoth task, and ingeniously she has a windpipe that protrudes from her lower jaw to be able to do this." "And the adder is not the only creature emerging from its winter sleep." "Beneath the hedgerow, stirred by the warming air and her internal alarm clock, cocooned in the leafy cradle that has been home throughout the winter, the hedgehog comes to life." "Known in Elizabethan times as the "urchin", or"troublesome spirit", the hedgehog has been persecuted and culled right up until modern times" "for stealing milk straight from cows, eggs from hens and fruit from orchards- all crimes of which the hedgehog has never, in fact, been guilty." "In recent times, the hedgehog's fortunes have thankfully been reversed." "Wood ants have also spent the winter in hibernation, safe within this self-built mound." "The mound houses their busy city." "An ant metropolis of some half-million citizens." "Spring is the time to do some maintenance work on their home, so that whatever the weather outside, deep in the mound, the brood chambers keep a constant temperature." "Ant highways radiate out from the mound." "They're busy all day long." "Some ants run right up the nearest tree." "Theyfollow the path of rising sap to the tips of the branches, where a sugary sweet liquid is waiting for the hungry ants." "This liquid is supplied by clusters of aphids." "As the insects tap into the tree's lifeblood, they secrete honeydew." "The ants carefully collect this from the aphids' bodies." "Some they eat on the spot." "Most, however, is handed over to special tanker ants who carry it back down to their underground home." "The ant's primary mission in life is to feed the queen." "After all, she's the one who has to lay a daily stream of eggs." "Wood ants can carry off creatures many times their size." "All it takes is teamwork." "For the caterpillar, the outlook is grim." "If the ants don't eat you, the coal tit will." "As spring progresses, back at the bottom of the hedgerow, the hedgehog piglets have grown quickly on the diet provided by the sow's milk." "At six weeks old, the piglets are now fully bristled." "With this armour, they can confidently venture out and explore." "Initially they follow their mother on feeding excursions, getting a snack along the way and learning what's good to eat." "But abruptly, one night when they're about seven weeks old, their mother turns her back on them." "Their instructive guided tours cease, and the young hogs are on their own for the first time." "The world is full of curious noises and strange smells." "The cowpat affords a kind of mud bath." "The hedgehog uses its tongue to spread saliva over its spines." "The reason for this behaviour is not clear, but for the hedgehog, it's quite normal." "Spring may slowly be giving way to summer, but that doesn't guarantee fine weather in the Scottish Highlands." "Storms brew up quickly." "The ants' building skills come into their own in weather like this." "For an ant, a single drop of rain is no small matter." "As for a shower..." "The ant mound offers welcome shelter from the storm." "Inside, it stays as dry as a bone because the ants have effectively made a thatched roof of dead needles." "The storm passes and, from deep within the mound, large numbers of male and female winged ants surge out into the evening light." "Flying up, they take their partners in an aerial mating dance." "What a banquet for a crested tit raising a young brood." "On the ground once more, the winged ants face separate destinies." "There's no further need of the males." "They lose their lives." "The females merely lose their wings and are escorted into the depths of the mound to become queens." "On the Highland moors, the spring head- butting contests have no heart to them." "But they do keep the stags in training and help break off something that's redundant." "The stags are light-headed, disorientated for a while." "Sores heal over quickly." "The one-eyed stag has made it through the winter." "He, like everyone else, has lost his antlers, reducing him to the same status as all the other males." "Fighting is nowforgotten." "There's a truce." "Food and shelter take priority." "It's time to recover from winter's hardship with good grazing and better weather." "In the Highland forest, not far away, a rare but dangerous stalker is lurking." "This seldom-seen hunter is the Scottish wildcat." "The wildcat is Britain's only native cat, and Scotland is its last refuge." "But only a privileged few have ever glimpsed one." "The female wildcat returns to her den, and to her new family." "Born two weeks ago, the kittens are just beginning to open their eyes." "They grow quickly on their mother's milk." "But to maintain the supply she must keep herself well-fed, so periodically she leaves and goes hunting." "The kittens remain quiet so as not to attract unwanted attention." "As their father plays no part in raising them, the female must go out to hunt, though she will not leave them for long." "Patrolling the well-worn tracks of other animals, she searches for prey." "Aswift, accurate bite to the back of the neck and it's all over." "By four weeks of age, the kittens are able to eat meat too." "This makes a valuable addition to their milk diet." "They need to growfast if they're to be independent by the end of the summer." "And so, in the land of all seasons, a year has passed." "Spring to spring, new life springing new life."