Episode 7

Summer is coming to an end in Dalby and Cropton Forests. After record breaking temperatures, the air now feels fresher. But with the leaves already turning orange and the berries ripening, August is seeing a false Autumn taking place, caused by heat and drought. At the beaver pond, it's at this time of year you have a good chance of seeing one of the great sights of British wildlife: the kingfisher. They can be seen perched on a branch sticking out of the beaver dams, a captivating presence with their vibrant colours of turquoise and orange. Then, in a flash, they dive head first into the water and emerge with a catch. Deep in the forest, the search is on for a much harder creature to spot: the pine marten. Once a common sight in North Yorkshire, hunting and a loss of woodland put them on the brink of extinction in England. It's only in recent years there have been exciting developments suggesting they are back in our forests. They are now one of Dalby's rarest animals with a dedicated team using motion sensitive cameras to try and capture footage of them. But it's been months since a pine marten has been caught on camera, so will we see any evidence that they are actually here in the forest? We meet another team on the hunt for bats in Cropton. Since the beavers arrived it's believed the number of bats has increased, but they need proof, so armed with specialist equipment they are on a mission to count the number of bat passes in the area to discover if there really are more bats here.