Episodes
Countryfile: Upper Teesdale (BBC 1 Sunday 28 May 2023)
Countryfile: Upper Teesdale airs Sunday 28 May 2023 on BBC 1.
Upper Teesdale in the Durham Dales is home to some of the most endangered species in the United Kingdom, so Charlotte Smith and Matt Baker go there to honour a remarkable woman who has made it her life’s work to care for this area and to meet the people who are working to protect it.
Dr. Margaret Bradshaw, a 97-year-old botanist, is one of the pioneers in the effort to classify, survey, and protect the rare Arctic and alpine flora that make up the exceptional Teesdale assemblage, which Charlotte meets on Widdy Bank Fell. Charlotte learns that Margaret fought to prevent the construction of a reservoir on the site of these rare wildflowers in the 1960s. Margaret’s efforts were fruitless, but they did inspire the creation of the Teesdale Special Flora Trust, which is still charged with protecting this unique ecosystem. Charlotte tags along with the group as they take a look at some of spring’s most beautiful flowers, including the gentian and lady’s mantle.
Using sound monitoring posts that can remarkably distinguish calls from individual species and calculate the number of birds in the area, Matt assists the Durham Wildlife Trust in their survey of endangered ground-nesting wading birds. Matt also helps the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust monitor endangered bird populations at another location using remote camera traps to record predator activity.
Adam is taking a chance by expanding his farm to include wildflower meadows, and Tom is looking into the effects of a proposal to end the annual production of a billion fast-bred chickens in the United Kingdom.
Countryfile: Upper Teesdale airs Sunday 28 May 2023 at 7.00pm on BBC 1
Featured Image Credit: BBC 1
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