蜜芽传媒

When Brett Westwood began a wildlife diary aged 15, little did he think that he'd still be writing notes, nearly 40 years later about the same local patch in North Worcestershire.

In this series Brett returns, diaries in hand, to five different habitats in his local patch and compares notes from the past with the landscape and wildlife of today.

There are genuine shocks and revelations.

The River Stour has its source in the industrial Black Country and flows through Brett's local patch on its way to the Severn, about 9 miles away.

Today, although it is polluted, the river is far clearer than in years gone by, thanks to rigorous controls on pollutants. With their absence, fish have returned and damselflies such as the white-legged damsel which is sensitive to pollution, skim across the surface.

Last year Brett heard what he's convinced was the 'plop' of a water vole and saw footprints in the riverside mud for the first time in 15 years. With mink now well-established, could these water voles survive?

Wildlife Sound Recordist: Chris Watson

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 in January 2015.

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