Discover the Surprising Nature of a Meadow - Full Documentary
I have travelled the world photographing wildlife for the BBC but what I love most is making my own films about nature near my home in England. 👉 • British Nature Documen...
Some of the species featured:
Carrion crow
Roe deer and fawn
Badger
Barn owl
Meadow ant
Vetch aphid
Red-tailed mason bee (or Thatching bee) [Osmia Bicolor]
Ashy mining bee
Caterpillar of the Tortoiseshell butterfly
Fox
Green woodpecker
Corncrake
Short-eared owl
Key Moments:
00:00 Intro
01:49 Clever corvids (crows and jackdaws)
04:24 Roe deer 'in velvet'
10:55 Roe deer wars
21:15 Badgers at dusk
24:50 Barn owl
26:12 Ants and aphids
31:26 Bee on a broomstick
36:26 Ashy mining bee
41:51 Annual mowing
45:29 Foxes
51:36 Woodpeckers
53:28 Roe deer rut
1:00:14 Corncrakes
1:03:53 Machair (The Hebrides)
1:06:10 A new era of farming?
1:08:42 Short-eared owl
PlantLife (a UK charity) have a great series about a meadow here: • The Secret Life Of My ...
#meadows #FreeKZheadMovies #naturedocumentary
Enjoy the film without the voiceover here: kzhead.info/sun/lpptaKuNanWfl4k/bejne.html
hey to you reading this 😊 whatever brings you here, whether it's to fall asleep or to relax from something stressful, i just wanted to let you know that everything will be fine. If you're going through a hard time right now, it's okay to remind yourself that this is temporary, and there are many good and relaxing days to come. You are an amazing person and the world is lucky to have someone like you in it. I hope only good things, love and strength will come your way. :)
👍
Thankyou! Was obviously meant to find this just now.Trusting that all will be well with you too,and that you'll also stay well,safe and content.Best wishes, J.I.M.K Mrs. Brisbane, Australia 🇦🇺 ❤ 😊
Blessed soul 🫡
Another gorgeous, generous gift from Mr. de Vere. Thank you for making your films available here. I first discovered them on Amazon Prime and enjoyed them with my child and we still love them today. #wildlifefilms #naturefilms
Stunning film, I enjoy the fact that there is no music at all, which is most appropriate for the content, just the ambient sound it’s perfect, thanks for the effort. Beautiful photography and sound
That's good to know. Thanks for the feedback!
Another beautiful film, thank you so much, for sharing your passion with us. If only your films could be shown in schools, there would be some hope of saving our environment, because the governments everywhere only have short term goals, as long as they are in power. This film clearly shows the beauty that surrounds us, which chemical industries show no interest in protecting, only increasing the profits for those who already possess more then they can spend. The pace of your film gives us time to immerse ourselves in the nature that surrounds us, but for most, totally out of sight or consideration. I hope your message can reach out and show how important it is to act NOW, and preserve what little of the natural world that remains.
Well put. It's now a matter of such urgency.
Another absolutely stunning presentation of your beautiful part of the world. The younger generation needs to see this so appreciation can grow and the countryside managed to the advantage of wildlife and humans.
Your documentary videos are amazing. My husband and I have watched through the garden gate a few times now, and just finished this one last night and we loved it. We love that there isn't over dramatic music, it's just nature being nature and you capture it at its finest. Thank you for these and please do keep uploading! ❤️
Glad you like them. It's hard to find the time that this kind of work takes but I'll see what I can do.
A glorious and gentle film on my favourite bit of earth, the British countryside ❤ this was a balm for my anxiety this evening, thank you 🙏🌱
Another breathtakingly beautiful view of our glorious countryside, Stephen. Thank you.
Hello Stephen 😊. Great to see you back ❤. I just love your videos. It's just like being there and so relaxing 😊. Thank you ❤😊. I love how even though you are commentating, the sounds of nature are still going on.
Thanks so much, mission accomplished! It's a shame this kind of content isn't very popular otherwise I could do more of it.
Greetings from Turkey. I love your idea of filming what is nearby. People usually tend to appreciate what is out of reach, exotic, etc. Also, it was like ASMR. Very beautiful.
I think getting to know the nearby wild is so important if we are ever to make progress in learning to tread more lightly on the planet.
I LOVE your films. Outstanding, incredible beauty. I was so moved by the efforts of the bee buiding its nest in the shell, by the fawn running through a meadow of buttercups, and by all the other beautiful animals, birds, insects and plants. This is a film to treasure.
So nice of you to say so. Thank you.
I agree completely!
Please continue with these types of documentaries !!!!!!!! Truly one of a kind that I can watch over and over again ❤ bless you
This video is a masterpiece, beautifully filmed, produced and narrated. Simply stunning.. subscribed..
awesome photography and the sound makes me feel like I'm there. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a masterpiece. It should be part of the national curriculum. Ask your local farmer to inform as to when spraying. Notify your neighbours, close all windows and doors, keep pets and children in doors. This is modern chemical warfare against nature and people.
I have only just found your youtube site. Incredible footage. I loved every minute of it. The essence of who you are and the love and values for English nature and its wildlife has been captured throughout! Never expected to be so spellbound or to experience the peace and love from the meadows. English countryside and all its inhabitants is simply magical. Thank you so very much. God bless You.
Thank you for another stunning video
I am from Greece My mother is from a village called variko florinas this village is deep into the mountain forests of western Greece Nature there is truly beautiful Your video reminded me of this place
I love your documentaries. I specially like the pauses between the comentaries, where the scenes are focused on the wild life behaviour. Your coments are great, don't get me wrong. I just find your documentaries "different" from the ones that always have so much going on with background music and comments. My wife and I dream of one day going to explore some areas in the UK. So many beautiful landscapes. We are birdwatchers.Thank you so much for sharing your videos!
I'm glad I seem to be hitting the right spot. It was hard to keep the voiceover minimal - it's so much easier to use lots of words - but I was sure it is the right approach. Thanks for the feedback.
THANKS A LOT. WONDERFUL DOCUMENTARY.
Your documentaries are truly one of a kind and stand out alone! It’s extraordinary! Please keep up these kinds of documentaries. Because I’ll definitely be watching. new sub here! Thanks again for all your hard work. 😊
Thanks for the support. It is really appreciated.
Excellent footage, great documentary. Thank you.
Outstanding view of the British countryside. Thank you.
LOVED THIS!!! Thank you, absolutely brilliant, looking forward to more.
Thank you. More? If KZhead would only show it to a lot more people then maybe...
Just awesome thank you so much, I enjoyed so very much! New sub here just found your channel and I couldn’t be more pleased 👍❤️
I love your documentaries a lot! They have a great pace and they're so cozy and informative!
Great audio on this, so relaxing
Thank you ofr sharing this with us, so refreshing for a presenter to show of the wild life and not himself, this was so relaxing to watch, thank you for all your effort it was so lovely to watch. xxxxxx
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback.
Stunning documentary on the countryside. Bravo. Love the focus on our little insects!
Wonderful filming with a relaxing narration, thank you.
Beautifully presented , filmed , sensible compassionate narrative ~ brilliant job mate . I'm in love with a particular small organic hay meadow close by , this year recording all insects , butterflies , mammalian activities etc. It is tiny though , perhaps 1acre ; but , surrounded by very diverse Cornish countryside , river to one side ~ it's a gem . My Staffie , Hoola'hoop , and I visit , and sit down , most days . It too breaks my heart a little when it's mown ; but , this is only once a year - usually as late as poss . I've never known who owns it despite having spent , prob 100's of hours there over 8 years ~ whoever "they" are , I take my hat off to them and wish them well . - I spend much time outside , wish I had your cameras - I have to be content with just knowing I've seen , but that's enough , I get more pleasure from observing wildlife than from any other aspect of my life .
One of the best things about studying somewhere nearby is that opportunity to do it so frequently that you really get into the details, which is for me where the fun starts. What a great place you have found. Thanks for the feedback.
@@WildlifeInCloseUp Hi , good morning . Absolutely , revisiting (many places) and spending time again and again has familiarized so much of what changes from week to week etc. I'm sooo happy living , by design , where I do . If you Google Earth Chacewater , Cornwall , you'll see - there's open country within 4 mins in any given direction - then off road on tracks indefinitely . Im not allowed to drive - head thing , and have smashed by back up , sooo , plenty of time - hence no longer able to afford equipment . Used to carry Sony Alpha DSLR with 55mm and 70/300 macro lenses EVERYWHERE , had thousands of photos dating back over a decade - all was stolen , I still haven't got over the irreplaceable-ness of some of those photos , I'll never be there again - time is too short .
Your videos are the best wildlife documentaries I've ever seen and my favorite KZhead videos. I watch them over and over. Thank you.
So glad you enjoy them. If you get fed up listening to my voice saying the same thing over and over there's a version of the meadow film with no narration, just the natural sounds, here: kzhead.info/sun/lpptaKuNanWfl4k/bejne.htmlsi=vmaRvnzDjN7hybJD
@@WildlifeInCloseUp I've seen that, but prefer the one with your voiceover. It's really relaxing and soothing to listen to and the things you point out are reinforced with each watch and listen. They really are awesome videos. I love in rural west Wales. I was born here and have pretty much spent half of my life here. I've not seen a fraction of the things you see here. You have tremendous skill and patience to capture what you've found. I wonder if wildlife are also doing better there? Keep up the excellent work!
My films give a bit of a false general impression of the state of the countryside in some ways. I find I have to search out often quite small patches that have been overlooked and not intensively farmed. Then there's a lot of waiting too of course! When i left school in 1979 I went to live and work on a farm in Mid Wales for 6 months and there wasn't much wildlife I can remember there. Maybe I wasn't yet skilled enough to find it. Sheep grazed out the woods. Seemed a bit like the Peak District and The Lakes - National Parks are some of the worst landscapes for wildlife. But there's usually something to discover somewhere. @@nattyboyo2404
@@WildlifeInCloseUp You certainly have amazing skills in finding the wildlife. That's interesting, whereabouts in Wales was that? I do think there's little sympathy around my parts for protecting wildlife and there's not much being done in the way of making it wildlife friendly. Hacking down trees seems to be pastime and it's already very exposed with little shelter. Yes I agree. Our national parks are mostly vast wilderness with grazing sheep leaving little chance for anything to grow.
It was near the village of Talsarn, nearest town Lampeter (I passed my driving test there first time - no traffic lights and just one zebra crossing!) @@nattyboyo2404
This is my new favourite video.
Thanks Stephen, I love your documentaries, they bring a lot of peace to me.
Another masterpiece! Your videos are so delightful i savour them over time making sure i pay full attention. So much of what i play on you tube i just listen to. Keep up the awesome work. 💖
Thank you so much for your support, it is really appreciated.
Absolutely Beautiful Crafted Film. Brilliant Presentation, Many Thanks For Sharing.
Absolutely stunning film. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful!
Marvellous work
Loved this film, particularly the broomstick bee! Wonderful to see thriving wild meadows. Insects are totally fascinating. Please keep on filming.
Thanks for the feedback. Sadly I can't do more filming to this level without a ton more views to make it worthwhile. I wish it were different.
@@WildlifeInCloseUp Given the time your video's must take to make.... Suppose we knew that would be coming. Hope you have some financial gains somewhere and manage to stay outside with your camera's.
Amazing documentary. Entertaining and informative.
A fantastic video!! Thank you
Magnificent documentary 👏 👌🏼 😊
Thank you
You have done a marvellous thing!
beautiful video! I loved every minute of it!😃
Beautiful ❤️❤️❤️ thank you for sharing
This is nature at its best and beautifully filmed. Thank you.
Thank you too for watching. I hope you can watch all 3 in the playlist.
I just found your videos 😊❤😊. Thank you so much for the wonderful visit to your wonderful countryside 😊. My mum was from England and shared many stories and pictures ❤. We hope to see lots more from you. Especially the hour long ones ❤😊❤.
I'll do my best, but these do take a long time to produce.
Thank you for this wonderful documentary. I enjoyed it so much!!! 🙏🏻🇨🇦❤️
Thank you for such a lovely film! My favourite part is with birds one, especially with barn owls, their flight is so graceful.
My favourite too. I try and get barn owls into every film I make! I have seen them in many different continents but the encounters close to home are the best.
Very inspiring, makes me appreciate the British countryside and to get out and see it. Thank you very much
Absolutely beautiful, your work needs to be seen by more people
Thank you. I live in hope!
Wonderful video
This is absolutely brilliant, equal or even better than the current BBC Wild Isles documentary show. Very well done,you have a great talent
Kind of you to say so, thank you. I can't watch the Wild Isles series because of the annoying editing and music as well as the faked captive bits, never mind the live baiting! Great photography but poorly produced.
Thanks
I apologise for missing this - I am not online very much and even then I am not very computer literate! You extra support is really appreciated.
Please click the thumbs up button if you enjoyed the film - it really helps the video get seen by more people. More films here: kzhead.info/channel/PLVQf5iO8XVzpbZwdYAiv3qUpEBLtADO04.html
Johar🙏Namaste🙏💐🇮🇳Immersed in Majesty: Journeying Through Mountains and Forests in Nature's Embrace💎🤝🙏💐😎🏁
Если вы читаете это, я хочу, чтобы вы знали, что вы прекрасны, вас любят, вы в мире, и все будет хорошо. Мир тебе, мой друг. ❤
Love your Videos, I did a fair bit of wildlife with my old canon XL2 ..SD adders were my favourite at that time. now I use a Camera trap for stills.
So beautiful. So enjoyable nature and your filming of animal.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I love these videos. So good to see British wildlife doing so well. I'd love to see some tips on ome of the techniques you've used to get these shots. Whether you use a hide or whether you use natural materials to camouflage yourself etc
Hi Dan, thanks for commenting. I sometimes wear a camo jacket but it's usually to help hide from people as I don't find it works very well with animals. Much more effective is staying still and keeping your silhouette below the skyline. I don't use a hide much if I can avoid it as restricts your view so much but they are invaluable at times - I used one to get really close to the goldfinches feeding on the teasels. One day when I get more time I will try and do a video series on techniques. That would be fun.
자연에서 볼수있는 동물들의 모습을 보는것은 흥미롭습니다. It is interesting to see animals in nature.
droppin bombs steve, keep up the content and 250K+ subs guaranteed by the end of the year, you heard it here first.
Doesn't seem to be anything even close to that much interest sadly but thanks for the encouragement. At the current subs rate it'll be more like 25yrs.
I really like your video 👍
Thank you! 😃
Yes. It's all possible and all it takes is dedicated land farmers, preferably organic minded. We can have the best of both worlds and at less cost produce.
Hi Stephen, got the notification.
Hope your well matey x
Wow, that was quick!
@@WildlifeInCloseUp and I've shared it with some friends. Like I always do. I miss Oxford canal. That flaming Otter poo hunt.
Always love your videos ❤
@@victoriahouse9969 Thank you so much Vicky.
Great film ,carrion crow is late maturing rook.
Hi Stephen! I love your films, they are my favorite to watch! I’d like to get into nature videography as a hobby, are there any lenses you could recommend?
I have the Sigma 150-600 Sport which is very good. Apparently the 'Contemporary' version is very good too, much lighter but the manual focus is not as nice which is pretty important to me. The Nikon mount version means you can have manual aperture control with certain adaptors which is useful too. I also keep an old but very sharp Canon 500/4.5L all manual lens, with 1.4x extender. For macro I use an old Tamron 90/2.8 because it is very good quality, all manual and not expensive.
I need to get out to the countryside more
great video, but it would have been nice to know where you are
Sorry about that - apart from the corncrakes in the Hebrides (from an RSPB reserve car park!) it's all filmed in one or two fields near Oxford (England).
Do you happen to know how desimated some of these species were during world war one and two i would love to know what your oppinion is on it
I don't know, sorry, but it's certainly an interesting question.
Hey Stephen - loved it 😌but fortunately or unfortunately - your Sparrow hawks, I do believe to be Goshawks - as there is no sexual dimorphism between the male & female birds in your video - also tell tail sign for me , is white eye brow feathers above foreheads - I have a Rare sighting of one on my site fm Essex - Rare there too ! Fantastic photography . If I am incorrect - pls let me know ! Many thanks Karmwud x
What kind of equipment are you using to film and what kind of microphone?
For picture: Sony EX3 camera mostly, occasionally Sony A6300. Additional lenses: Sigma 150-600 Sport, Tamron SP 90mm macro. Homemade motor controlled slider for tracking shots. For sound: Sony PCM-M10 audio recorder using the onboard mic for general atmospheres and also a Telinga parabolic reflector microphone.
In UK Yeh which place is it?😊
It was filmed mostly within a few minute's walk from my home on the edge of a village in Oxfordshire. Some scenes were very close to Oxford. Corncrakes are now so scarce that I had to go to the Scottish Hebrides to film them - they survive there in low numbers still (but I understand their numbers are declining).
I fear with farming practices now ,our ground nesting birds havnt much hope
Silage harvest was bad enough, now it's silage AND the recent trend towards haylage - the combination is doubly devastating.
This is outstanding in so many ways. Your skilful, patient filming of so many of what could be considered the quintessential animals and plants of our British countryside is enhanced by your insightful commentary. Sadly I cannot agree with your hopes that our relationship with the natural world in the UK is going in the right direction any more, with ever greater intensification of agriculture (witness the destruction of the River Wye as a prime example) and wholesale attacks on our environmental protections and their proponents by the right wing. Amongst the worst offenders are the water companies and the farming lobby (presumably because only intensive large scale farms drowned in chemicals and owned by pension funds are viable without green subsidies). We have a tradition for loving our natural world and yet look at how much more is spent on looking after pet dogs and cats than is spent on conserving our natural heritage (not to mention the millions of animals intensively raised to feed them). Added to that we have the plague of pheasants and the historic deeply unjust distribution of land ownership., to name but a few of the problems facing our beleaguered wildliife. I love our dwindling natural environments, but I hate how the majority of the population seems hell bent on destroying them, or at least don't seem to care.
It is very hard to be optimistic, that's for sure. I suppose my intention in the film is to try and suggest a way forward in the hope that it might in some way inspire one more landowner to make positive changes. There are farmers and food eaters that are doing the right thing but it needs a certain number to reach a tipping point when others then follow. I think ultimately, given a longer time-frame than each of us individuals eperience, those that can adapt and make the changes will be the survivors. That seems to be how it goes across all species and humans are no exception. --- Thanks for taking the time to write - it's nice for me to see the film creating thought and reaction.
the choice of the narrator 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You can watch it without my voiceover here: kzhead.info/sun/lpptaKuNanWfl4k/bejne.htmlsi=vmaRvnzDjN7hybJD
Very well filmed and generally a good commentary; however... a very pejorative choice of words regarding farming, studiously avoiding saying 'Providing affordable food and food security for the nation'. Yes, I am a farmer and so biased, but also far better informed on the subject than most.
From my perspective cheap food is exactly the problem - achieved by removing people from farming and by postponing paying the real costs for future generations to pick up. The same cheap food threatens food security by contributing to climate change. Agriculture was my very first career goal when I left school and I've maintained a keen interest in it. One of the pleasures of wildlife filmmaking in UK has been working with farmers. It's an almost impossible job. I am grateful for your feedback - it's never too late to re-evaluate one's position.
@@WildlifeInCloseUp Hmm, that made me laugh. I'm about as green a farmer as you'll find, with views that are rather unpopular among my peers on matters such as the reintroduction of species that suffered anthropogenic extinction. However, we are where are with an unnaturally growing population used to paying little for food; an ideal I think we would agree on is impossible to see as a real possibility, certainly in political terms. Urban detachment is another factor; e.g badgers good, full stop - but what of ground nesters, hedgehogs, and the rodents that e.g. barn owls need to live off? I have no doubt you are aware of certain truths of this sort that are simply unacceptable to many naturalists. Anyway, all groups have their dogmas; I must be up early to keep the ravens away from lambs, nos da.
I'm with you on all that. I think the mainstream TV nature docs are guilty of encouraging us to be overly sentimental in our views of the planet. I never really fitted in, was unpopular for refusing to fake scenes. Neither am I on board with the current popular approach to rewilding - playing God and turning back the clock. Chris Smaje might be right in arguing the need for us all to return to growing our own food but it's very hard to see how that could ever come about.
Very nice images of habitat times. To have your mind to find a harmonic resonance with the synergy of natural habitats, it is important to resist the cultural conditioning that implants nomenclature. For instance when watching a bird do not refer to the bird as an "it". Your "it" in the real world is either a male bird or a female bird. This may seem like a small thing however it is a very large thing. Nomenclature is the lens through which ideas get their shared meaning. If that shared meaning is that birds are "its" then their being is moved into the realm of semi inanimate by the word "it". It is extremely important to be aware of these tiny cultural inflections for they can either enhance the mind's sensitivity to natural harmonies or inhibit that way of seeing, A general rule that works is to not call animals "its" and see them as a male, a female ,mother,father,child and so on. It is not important if one gets the gender wrong since sorting that out may take awhile. Either way, even if wrong, is better than "it".
I agree mostly with your argument and it is a welcome reminder to me to keep checking and questioning assumptions. When I am just watching an animal I can think of it as possibly a 'he' or 'she' (indeed it is almost always something my mind gets to work on in the moment) but when it comes to needing to speak about and refer to an individual whose gender cannot be determined I find those terms to be too anthropomorphic to use except occasionally. The alternative 'the male' and 'the female' I don't particularly like using either but it seems to be the lesser two evils when compared to 'it'. I will be giving the issue a lot more thought in future though - thank you for bringing it to my attention.
@@WildlifeInCloseUp Thanks . Humans do large scale damage to natural habitats. These damages begin with a few simple ideas exchanged with a few people. It is within these initial steps that nomenclature is important. If planners had a slightly different vocabulary with respect to natural habitats it would make a huge difference when those ideas ramp up. For example when a main highway is made. These cut through animal paths that have been since the ice age. The words used when planning it are hugely important. In such a plan using the word it places animals in the category of a beer can on the side of the road for instance. But saying a doe with her fawns is entirely different or a female bear and cubs.
After giving this some further thought I think I will stand by my use of 'it' when referring to wild animals that I don't know the gender of. I prefer to maintain the separation between animals that are wild and those that are pets because of the inherent dangers in thinking about and making decisions about both in the same way. Emotional attachment is the first, easy step towards a better relationship of humans to the natural world but for a sustainable long term solution it is clear we have to progress much further in our understanding. We have to do much better at seeing non-human life forms from THEIR perspective, not ours. Anthropomorphism and sentimentalism are a barrier to that.
@@WildlifeInCloseUpIs it so difficult to type "he/she"? That's 4 strokes on a keyboard more. Monumentally difficult for you apparently . Respect for Chimps led to Ms. Goodall discovering animal tool use. That was not "sentimentality" .Animals resonate with respect of their individuality because they do it everyday between species in their habitat. It is a function of synergy. . This is not sentimentality but heightened awareness.
In my opinion insects & spiders will create a 'new earth '; if... man creates ww3.
🙏🏾💎🤍✨💫
rber
Dr
Promo-SM
Ads every four minutes! I realize you are just trying to make a living but consider your viewers!
I'm afraid I have no control over the frequency of the adverts - 4 minute intervals sounds far too frequent, I didn't know it was as bad as that. Don't forget you have the option to remove the ads entirely. I do have very conflicting feelings about the advertising and am considering diverting some of the revenue towards conservation, as I have done in the past with the DVD sales (now no longer viable).
Never disclose where or hunters will kill all
England brought its nature to terrible shambolic decline. And they try to compensate for it making this kind of movies.
You're the 🐐
I sit in another world, Land around me, No modern woes, Just peace in freedom, Away from mankind, R.W.
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