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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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♪ MTV

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Hi, I'm Hugh Bonneville.

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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I'm about to take you on
a journey into the heart

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of southern England
to an ancient forest

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that's changed little
since the last ice age.

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Its woodlands and heaths
are full of wildlife,

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among them, five
different species of deer.

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That's why back in the 11th
century, William the Conqueror,

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then king of England,
claimed these lands

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as his own private
hunting ground.

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I can remember coming here
as a child and marveling

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at the sight of wild ponies
galloping across the heath.

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You're about to witness
one of Britain's treasures.

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The real magic of a
year in the New Forest.

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This is a special land.

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A place of gentle mists
alive with the atmosphere

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of days gone by.

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Where the dragon-eyed
goshawk rules

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the evergreen canopy
from its lofty nest.

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And the understory below
is home to bold fox cubs

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and fighting fallow deer.

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It's a special
place to grow up in.

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But old England can
spring many a surprise

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for these children
of the New Forest.

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Weather is fickle and
can change in an instant.

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Like wild creatures everywhere,

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these animals will
need more than luck

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to see them through
this one magical year

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in the Crown's ancient forest.

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Sometimes March can
bring a breath of spring,

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but not this year.

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A freezing blast
from the east forces

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the wild ponies into a huddle.

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These compact little horses
embody the spirit of the forest.

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They're all mares and most
are expecting spring foals.

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Ponies have lived here
for thousands of years.

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They're a distinct breed
native to southern England.

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They shaped the
landscape by grazing,

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keeping the clearings open
and the trees in check.

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The ponies await
the return of spring

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and a reawakening
of the heathland.

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April is just around
the corner.

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A chestnut mare pulls away
from the herd seeking solitude.

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Heavy with foal, she's
heading into the heart of the wood.

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In the quiet secret
hours of the morning

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her foal is born.

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Just hours old, the newborn
shivers in the chill

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of this special morning.

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He's vulnerable lying
like this.

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He rises shakily.

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And first touch seals
their special bond.

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This young pony is
one of a lucky band.

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Not many foals get to run
wild in a rich place like this.

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His home, the New
Forest National Park,

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nestles in southern England
not far from London.

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It's a patchwork of
ancient woodland,

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boggy areas known as mires,

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and the largest area
of rare lowland heath

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in all of Western Europe.

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Covering over 150 square
miles it stretches

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from Salisbury Plain
to the Solent strait

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which joins the English Channel.

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It was originally established
as a royal hunting ground

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by the 11th century
Kings of England.

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There's no hunting here anymore,

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but the land remains
unplowed and unfenced,

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enabling all animals
to roam freely.

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People make a living here, too.

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They're called the commoners.

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Locals who've inherited
an ancient right to graze

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their livestock in the forest.

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3,000 head of cattle
are in their charge.

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They also own the
free-ranging ponies.

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More than 5,000 of them.

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Most male ponies have just
one year to run wild and free

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before being rounded up
and taken off the forest.

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Only a handful of stallions
will be selected to run

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with the mares and sire
foals of their own,

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but that's a long
way off for now.

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As the rising sun breeds
much needed warmth

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into the wild wood, it's
time for mother and foal

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to meet the herd,
their close kin.

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How the colt develops now
will determine his future.

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The early signs are good.

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He seems confident,
walking and trotting well.

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In William the Conqueror's
day,

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he would have needed this
pace to outrun predators

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like wolves and lynx,
but they're long gone.

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There's peace in
the forest today.

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Spring is still proving cold
in the New Forest this year,

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but nothing can halt the
advance of the breeding season.

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Hidden in a towering stand
of conifers, a rare goshawk,

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the bird with dragon red eyes,

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warms her three
newly hatched chicks.

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In the cool air their
soft down isn't enough

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to protect them for
long without her.

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Piercing calls alert her
to her partner's return.

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The New Forest is a
goshawk stronghold,

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close to 5% of the entire
UK population lives here.

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For the first two weeks
of the chicks' lives,

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the burden of hunting
falls entirely

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on the much smaller male.

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His territory spans more
than 14 square miles

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of conifer forest and
ancient oak woods.

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His every moment is focused
on providing for his family.

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A favorite of falconers, his
ancestors would have flown

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with royal hunting
parties here.

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It's his second kill
of the day.

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Just days old, the chicks
aren't strong enough

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to feed themselves.

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But even now they're in
a serious competition

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with each other.

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If the food supply decreases,
the smallest will perish.

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Already the first
born dominates.

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The male must keep hunting
to keep all three alive.

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The foal is now two days old.

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Still stiff from 11
months in the womb,

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he's finding his legs.

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There's a whole new world
out there to explore.

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A character is already emerging.

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He's bright and curious.

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Good signs.

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Young horses eat
solid food early,

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almost as soon as they
can walk,

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but learning what's good is
a matter of trial and error.

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Not every plant tastes
as good as it smells.

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Pine needles are aromatic,

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but too spiky for a
young mouth.

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Foxglove is deadly,
best to avoid.

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These days of fun and
games won't last long.

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His time under his mother's
protection is limited.

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To ensure his
place in the forest

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he needs to build
strength and spirit fast.

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The heady smell of wild
garlic signals warmer days.

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A herd of female fallow
deer and their yearlings

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hide deep in the wild wood.

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They're a tight family
unit generations strong.

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For now they keep their
distance from the bucks.

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Many will soon give birth.

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Hunted here for over
a thousand years,

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they still need to be cautious.

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Nearby a dog fox has
hungry mouths to feed.

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He's no threat to the does,

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but a fox can take
a new born fawn.

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Playing in the shadow
of their oak tree den,

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his seven week old
cubs are just beginning

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to make sense of their world.

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With five youngsters, the
challenge for this family

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is finding enough
food to go round.

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Like the goshawks,
these siblings are in

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a fight for survival.

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Already one cub
dominates and has earned

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the right to eat first.

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As storm clouds build,
the fickle spring weather

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makes raising a family
all the more difficult.

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Prolonged cold and wet can
kill vulnerable youngsters.

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The chestnut mare leads her
foal into the lee of the woods

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trying to protect him from
the approaching storm.

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Winds lash the forest
with brutal gusts

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40 miles an hour strong.

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Rocking in their
large tree nursery,

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there's real danger
for the goshawk chicks.

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Nests are lost every year in
spring storms like this one.

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With dawn, calm returns
to the New Forest.

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The goshawks'
choice of nest site,

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protected by the
encircling canopy,

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has seen the chicks through
the overnight storm.

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For these rare hawks
once persecuted almost

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to extinction by 19th
century game keepers,

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each youngster is precious.

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But at the forest's edge,
the storm has claimed a victim.

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A bereaved mother calls
for her lost young.

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Just a few feathers are all
that remain of her brood.

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But one family's tragedy
is another's good fortune.

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This scavenged meal
could offer a lifeline

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to the fox family.

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In May the wild
woods transform with

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a carpet of sweet bluebells.

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The bracken growls tall,

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giving cover to a
newly born fallow deer.

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The fawn will stay
here almost motionless

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for at least a week.

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The mother keeps her distance,

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ensuring the hiding
place remains secret.

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Her bark warns the
newborn: danger.

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Hidden in the bracken
the fallow deer fawn

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is down wind of the fox, so
can't be detected by smell.

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She must simply lay low.

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The dog fox's struggle to hunt

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is having serious consequences.

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Five cubs have now
become three.

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Now nine weeks old, the
cubs will soon be weaned.

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The dominant cub's
natural tenacity

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is already forging his destiny.

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He'll be the first
to feed if his father

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finds success elsewhere.

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The dog fox may have
failed in the forest,

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but perhaps the open heath
will yield better results.

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For a few months
ground nesting birds

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are easy pickings here.

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The New Forest is one of
the few places in the south

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of England where
curlews come to breed.

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Their nests no more than a
depression on the ground.

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But as their numbers
decline due to habitat loss

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and human disturbance, it's
getting harder for the fox.

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Curlews aren't
the only rarity here.

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The lowland heath is a
sanctuary for many creatures

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that depend on this habitat.

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A rare sand lizard hides
in a miniature forest

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of early flowering heather.

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Fresh from his spring
molt and adorned

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with a smartly burnished
skim of vivid green,

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this male is hoping
to impress a female.

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A wiggle of her tail
signals she's ready

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and their courtship begins
with a rapid pursuit.

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He bites her, a signal
he's ready to mate.

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As their name suggests,
the lizards lay their eggs

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in patches of sandy soil.

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She'll bury them there to
be warmed by the sun's rays

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in the first leg of their
cold blooded journey through life.

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By June, the foal is
looking less like a baby.

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Now two months old and
increasingly independent,

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he's learning to socialize.

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In a foretaste of
what's to come,

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he tries to dominate
a young filly.

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They may be reunited
in the future,

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but only if the young
male makes the grade.

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Each year, the commoners
pick just a handful of colts

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to raise as breeding
stock to maintain

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the pure New Forest bloodline.

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These adult stallions are
let loose in the forest

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for nine weeks only to
sire the next generation.

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The young foal's future
will be decided long before

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his first birthday.

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100 feet up in their
conifer nursery

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the three goshawk
chicks are doing well.

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So far food supplies
have been good this year.

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They're all a decent
size and adult feathers

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are now peeping
through their down.

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The demands are
growing on the parents.

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Both adults now
hunt round the clock

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from the farthest limits
of their territory.

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The male brings
in a young robin,

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then heads straight
back out to hunt

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in the distant oak woods.

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Hunting further afield
ensures that when the chicks

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00:25:31,567 --> 00:25:34,267
finally fledge they'll
have a ready supply

250
00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:35,600
of prey close to the nest.

251
00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,367
The summer solstice
is fast approaching.

252
00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,667
With the forest at
its most verdant,

253
00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:01,700
the rule of light is
now in the ascendant.

254
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,100
After weeks of concealment,

255
00:26:09,133 --> 00:26:13,333
the fallow deer fawn finally
emerges from the bracken.

256
00:26:25,967 --> 00:26:29,267
In a woodland clearing
the sisterhood of does

257
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:30,867
welcomes her into the herd.

258
00:26:35,133 --> 00:26:38,533
Gathered with the other
youngsters in a forest creche,

259
00:26:38,567 --> 00:26:40,767
many eyes will watch over her.

260
00:26:45,567 --> 00:26:49,200
These days will be the most
carefree of the fawns' lives.

261
00:27:01,633 --> 00:27:05,567
It's early July and the
forest is drying out.

262
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,867
No rain has fallen
for nearly a month.

263
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:16,533
As the sun sucks
moisture from the earth

264
00:27:16,567 --> 00:27:19,100
the mare's herd gathers
at one of the last

265
00:27:19,133 --> 00:27:25,567
reliable water sources: a
valley bog known as a mire.

266
00:27:32,833 --> 00:27:37,267
These lowland mires formed at
the end of the last ice age.

267
00:27:37,300 --> 00:27:40,733
They're some of the last
of their kind in Europe.

268
00:27:45,533 --> 00:27:47,533
The lifeblood of the New Forest,

269
00:27:47,567 --> 00:27:51,567
this primeval world stays
waterlogged year round.

270
00:27:53,567 --> 00:27:57,533
In the acidic water here,
organic matter no longer breaks

271
00:27:57,567 --> 00:28:00,633
down and over time forms peat.

272
00:28:07,533 --> 00:28:10,167
The mires offer rich
hunting grounds for waders

273
00:28:10,233 --> 00:28:15,467
like snipe and they're home
to almost 30 different species

274
00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:18,267
of damsel and dragonflies.

275
00:28:22,100 --> 00:28:26,567
As temperatures soar, the
mare and foal seek out shade

276
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,133
in the conifer forest.

277
00:28:31,567 --> 00:28:35,000
Lethargic in the heat, the
colt has barely enough energy

278
00:28:35,033 --> 00:28:36,600
to wipe away the flies.

279
00:28:49,067 --> 00:28:52,067
Nearby the goshawk
family has continued

280
00:28:52,100 --> 00:28:54,033
to prosper despite the heat.

281
00:28:55,467 --> 00:28:58,300
All three chicks
are still thriving.

282
00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:07,167
Their white down has now been
almost completely replaced

283
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,200
with flight feathers.

284
00:29:16,633 --> 00:29:20,267
Wing muscles are
getting stronger

285
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:24,567
and the nest edge wobbles
have turned into longer hops

286
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:26,933
with a more assured
sense of balance.

287
00:29:30,533 --> 00:29:33,600
All three are starting to
make short practice flights.

288
00:29:37,033 --> 00:29:39,867
At this age, their
sexes become clearer.

289
00:29:41,633 --> 00:29:44,900
The single smaller male
carefully keeps his distance

290
00:29:44,967 --> 00:29:47,067
from his larger, more
aggressive sisters.

291
00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:57,433
To encourage their brood to fly

292
00:29:57,467 --> 00:29:59,867
the parents now limit
their food drops.

293
00:30:01,633 --> 00:30:03,533
But they'll keep a
close watch on them

294
00:30:03,567 --> 00:30:05,900
even once they've fledged

295
00:30:05,933 --> 00:30:08,067
and still bring them
an occasional meal.

296
00:30:09,967 --> 00:30:12,500
This squirrel may be one
of the last offerings

297
00:30:12,533 --> 00:30:13,567
given at the nest.

298
00:30:16,567 --> 00:30:20,167
The bickering continues with
the biggest female chick

299
00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,200
claiming the prize.

300
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,500
The little male loses
out again,

301
00:30:26,567 --> 00:30:29,533
but his days of being
picked on are almost over.

302
00:30:31,067 --> 00:30:34,100
Soon he'll try
hunting for himself.

303
00:30:39,833 --> 00:30:44,667
It's now midsummer's day and
the sun endures for 16 hours.

304
00:30:51,733 --> 00:30:55,967
It's time to go.

305
00:31:05,900 --> 00:31:08,733
A new generation of
dragon eyed hawks

306
00:31:08,767 --> 00:31:12,100
stakes its claim to the
hunting ground of kings.

307
00:31:14,367 --> 00:31:16,400
Their parents have
done exceptionally well

308
00:31:16,433 --> 00:31:19,133
to raise three chicks
this year.

309
00:31:19,167 --> 00:31:22,967
A welcome addition for a
species once on the brink.

310
00:31:35,867 --> 00:31:38,600
After weeks of intense heat,

311
00:31:38,633 --> 00:31:41,833
the drought finally breaks.

312
00:31:41,867 --> 00:31:44,867
Quenching the earth's thirst.

313
00:31:55,833 --> 00:31:59,833
The foal seems to
frolic in sheer joy,

314
00:31:59,900 --> 00:32:02,900
reveling at the sensation
of sweet cooling rain.

315
00:32:22,733 --> 00:32:25,700
The stallion in him is
really emerging now.

316
00:32:26,767 --> 00:32:29,833
Headstrong, powerful.

317
00:32:29,867 --> 00:32:34,167
It's time for the mare to
slowly wean him off her milk.

318
00:32:42,333 --> 00:32:45,400
The carefree playtime of
summer is nearly over.

319
00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:58,167
He's just two months
away from the roundup

320
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,567
that will decide his future.

321
00:33:15,900 --> 00:33:17,867
The rain triggers one
of the national park's

322
00:33:17,900 --> 00:33:19,833
most spectacular transformations.

323
00:33:22,067 --> 00:33:24,367
The blooming of the heather.

324
00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:41,267
It offers a rich source
of nectar for insects

325
00:33:41,333 --> 00:33:44,367
like the rare silver
studded blue butterfly.

326
00:33:54,867 --> 00:33:56,933
The ponies graze here, too,

327
00:33:56,967 --> 00:34:00,933
helping to keep the heathland
open and the forest at bay.

328
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:14,867
Finally free of his sisters,
the male goshawk fledgling

329
00:34:14,900 --> 00:34:16,933
is already confidently
hunting here.

330
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,800
Tiny, newly hatched sand
lizards need to keep

331
00:34:31,867 --> 00:34:33,533
their wits about them.

332
00:34:39,633 --> 00:34:41,833
But it's likely the
young hawk's future

333
00:34:41,900 --> 00:34:44,967
lies far from the New Forest.

334
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,833
The thriving goshawk
population here means

335
00:34:47,867 --> 00:34:49,833
he will almost certainly
seek out a realm

336
00:34:49,867 --> 00:34:54,967
of his own elsewhere,
possibly hundreds of miles away.

337
00:35:11,367 --> 00:35:14,567
The thunder of hooves
brings summer to an end.

338
00:35:24,633 --> 00:35:27,600
It's September and the
commoners have returned

339
00:35:27,633 --> 00:35:28,700
for the annual roundup.

340
00:35:31,033 --> 00:35:36,467
Called The Drift, more than
30 take place across the forest.

341
00:35:36,500 --> 00:35:39,333
It's a tradition started
five centuries ago

342
00:35:39,367 --> 00:35:42,400
when Tudor England faced
the threat of invasion.

343
00:35:48,567 --> 00:35:52,467
With extra horses needed, New
Forest ponies were rounded up

344
00:35:52,533 --> 00:35:55,700
by Royal command and
pressed into service

345
00:35:55,767 --> 00:35:57,067
for the defense of the realm.

346
00:36:01,367 --> 00:36:04,067
Today, the drifts enable
the commoners to check

347
00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:06,600
their ponies' health
and to remove some

348
00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:08,167
of the colts from the forest.

349
00:36:09,567 --> 00:36:11,200
Many will become riding ponies.

350
00:36:15,867 --> 00:36:18,433
For now, the foal escapes,

351
00:36:18,467 --> 00:36:20,933
but his time in the
forest is running out.

352
00:36:35,233 --> 00:36:38,233
As days shorten,
temperatures fall.

353
00:36:42,267 --> 00:36:45,800
The forest transforms
into a sea of gold.

354
00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,400
It's a time of plenty
in the ancient woods.

355
00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:06,533
Beech, hazel and oak
shed fruit to offer up

356
00:37:06,567 --> 00:37:08,267
a forest floor banquet.

357
00:37:14,667 --> 00:37:18,100
But too many green acorns
can poison the ponies.

358
00:37:20,567 --> 00:37:23,067
Fortunately, help is at hand.

359
00:37:24,567 --> 00:37:27,200
Pigs have much
stronger stomachs.

360
00:37:29,367 --> 00:37:32,200
Across the forest the
commoners release hundreds

361
00:37:32,233 --> 00:37:36,633
of them every September in a
tradition known as the pannage.

362
00:37:42,667 --> 00:37:45,833
Pigs and ponies aren't
the best of friends,

363
00:37:45,867 --> 00:37:48,700
but the horses have to live
with these piggy neighbors

364
00:37:48,733 --> 00:37:49,967
for 60 days.

365
00:37:53,933 --> 00:37:57,167
Wise to the acorn's
poison, pigs gobble up

366
00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:02,100
the nutritious nuts but
spit out their toxic skins.

367
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,600
The foal has never
seen a pig before

368
00:38:22,633 --> 00:38:24,433
and he's not at all
sure about them,

369
00:38:28,367 --> 00:38:31,933
but it seems the pigs
are in a playful mood

370
00:38:31,967 --> 00:38:35,333
so the ponies will need to
get used to their antics,

371
00:38:35,367 --> 00:38:37,033
for the next few
weeks, at least.

372
00:38:59,500 --> 00:39:02,233
Concealed in the
fading bracken,

373
00:39:02,267 --> 00:39:06,367
a young fox gives both pigs
and ponies a wide berth.

374
00:39:12,100 --> 00:39:16,333
In search of earthworms,
he hunts alone,

375
00:39:16,367 --> 00:39:19,233
likely the sole survivor
of the litter born in

376
00:39:19,267 --> 00:39:21,433
the oak wood
earlier in the year.

377
00:39:25,100 --> 00:39:28,333
The biggest challenge for
this youngster lies ahead:

378
00:39:28,367 --> 00:39:30,167
to find a home of his own.

379
00:39:31,567 --> 00:39:33,733
Woodland territories
are fiercely contested

380
00:39:33,767 --> 00:39:38,333
in the New Forest, but as the
strongest cub of the litter,

381
00:39:38,367 --> 00:39:41,200
hopefully his tenacity
will see him through.

382
00:39:52,233 --> 00:39:55,333
As the days shorten
one of the New Forest's

383
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:57,900
greatest natural
spectacles begins.

384
00:40:01,667 --> 00:40:02,933
The fallow deer rut.

385
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:13,100
Roaring and strutting,
the mature bucks march

386
00:40:13,133 --> 00:40:16,167
to their rutting stands
just as they have

387
00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,433
since the days of
the medieval kings.

388
00:40:20,433 --> 00:40:22,633
Fawns need to be wary.

389
00:40:22,667 --> 00:40:26,200
A collision with 170
pound buck could be fatal.

390
00:40:33,467 --> 00:40:36,100
The bucks, surging
with hormones,

391
00:40:36,133 --> 00:40:38,700
try desperately to
claim the prime patch

392
00:40:38,733 --> 00:40:40,267
of the lekking ground.

393
00:40:43,867 --> 00:40:45,333
Battle commences.

394
00:41:02,133 --> 00:41:04,767
A bout like this can
last for over an hour.

395
00:41:15,100 --> 00:41:18,933
Sheer attrition has worn
the challenger down.

396
00:41:21,533 --> 00:41:26,767
The victor holds firm,
marking the ground with his scent,

397
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,900
staking his claim to the
forest rutting stand.

398
00:41:41,067 --> 00:41:43,700
The old buck has
barely slept for days.

399
00:41:52,267 --> 00:41:55,700
Each female is only in
season for 24 hours.

400
00:41:59,967 --> 00:42:02,467
Over the coming weeks
he will attempt to mate

401
00:42:02,500 --> 00:42:04,433
with as many does as he can.

402
00:42:07,233 --> 00:42:11,233
Starving himself,
there's no time to feed.

403
00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:37,400
By the end of the rut the
bucks are utterly spent.

404
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:43,700
Many are injured.

405
00:42:51,533 --> 00:42:53,700
It will take them
months to recover.

406
00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:07,033
As winter descends,

407
00:43:10,100 --> 00:43:14,533
another rich year in the
New Forest draws to a close.

408
00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:27,300
The fallow deer have
separated once again.

409
00:43:27,333 --> 00:43:31,033
Many of the does now carrying
the old buck's bloodline

410
00:43:31,100 --> 00:43:32,900
into the future.

411
00:43:38,033 --> 00:43:41,000
The goshawks with
the dragon red eyes

412
00:43:41,033 --> 00:43:43,467
will soon reclaim
their canopy nest

413
00:43:44,867 --> 00:43:46,833
to prepare for another brood.

414
00:43:49,667 --> 00:43:53,500
Perhaps one day their
fledglings will return

415
00:43:53,533 --> 00:43:56,300
to claim these
forests as their own.

416
00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:10,300
Out on the heath, a stallion
colt awaits his destiny.

417
00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:17,700
Independent, brave, and strong,

418
00:44:17,733 --> 00:44:21,600
his days in the New Forest
will soon come to an end.

419
00:44:25,233 --> 00:44:28,900
But he may yet return
as a proud stallion

420
00:44:28,933 --> 00:44:34,267
galloping freely in this
exquisite, timeless forest.

421
00:44:35,367 --> 00:44:38,767
The ancient hunting
ground of kings.

422
00:44:56,800 --> 00:44:59,033
We've had a glimpse
into the secret lives of

423
00:44:59,067 --> 00:45:02,100
so many animals
here in the forest.

424
00:45:02,133 --> 00:45:06,833
It really is a wonderful
haven for British wildlife.

425
00:45:06,900 --> 00:45:10,767
But increasingly this
landscape is under pressure.

426
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:13,200
The New Forest is one of
Britain's most popular

427
00:45:13,233 --> 00:45:15,867
national parks
with an astonishing

428
00:45:15,900 --> 00:45:19,300
15 million visitors each year.

429
00:45:19,367 --> 00:45:21,900
These numbers can
disturb the animals

430
00:45:21,967 --> 00:45:25,667
and damage their
ancient habitats.

431
00:45:25,700 --> 00:45:29,533
So please let's all play
our part in protecting

432
00:45:29,567 --> 00:45:34,567
this magical place for
future generations to enjoy.