The Great British Year

Episode
Episode 3 ' Summer
Broadcast Info
2015 (59 mins)
Description
When the sun is out, the sky is blue and the weather is warm it brings us out of our houses and into the countryside. Whilst the human populations kicks back and chills out, the opposite happens to our wildlife. Everything is harvesting the sun’s energy whilst times are good. The frantic bird song of spring falls silent, it’s boom time for the insects and the air above a summer meadow is thick with the sound of chirping and buzzing. With so much life around it’s a great time to be a predator; Hobby’s use their speed to hunt the worlds fastest insects over our waterways, whilst giant fishing spiders stalk the margins of pond and marshes. The food brings in visitors to share the good times. From Africa, swallows come to raise their young in our barns. For the first time, the latest thermal cameras reveal the displays to another African visitor ‘mysterious night’jars ' on heaths in Dorset. Our summer weather is so variable that people and animals can be caught out. No matter what the forecast, on the August bank holiday, thousands of holiday makers rush for the coast when a sudden thunderstorm brings legions of snails out into our gardens to storm the vegetable patches. If the skies are blue it seems the whole country has their fingers crossed it will remain. Billions of flying ants take to the skies, making the best use of the perfect conditions, just as balloon pilots do the same over the skies of Bristol. Fair weather has its drawbacks though; As we reach the hottest day of the year, wood ants must regulate their temperatures by cunningly altering the shape of their nests. At the coast, the risk of damaging UV rays effects not only lonely sunbathers on the beach, but under the water a sea urchin rushes to cover itself as well. As the sun fades the departing swallows pause for one last wash in the river before leaving our shores and signalling the beginning of autumn.
Genre
Natural History; Climate

How to cite this record

The Open University, "The Great British Year". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/84170 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)