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Adam Henson visits Port Mooar beach to find out about Manx naturalist Edward Forbes. Born in Douglas in 1815, Forbes had an enthusiasm for marine biology and, arguably, gave birth to the science of oceanography and the study of the seas. Adam finds out more about Forbes’ colourful character, and his passion for palaeontology, from naturalist Professor Trevor Norton. Adam then joins a group of enthusiasts who, like Forbes, are fascinated by the specimens that can be found in the Isle of Man’s coastal rock pools. 

Adam goes find out more about a school farm which is now assured under the Red Tractor scheme - one of just a few in the British Isles. The farm at Ramsey Grammar School forms an integral part of the curriculum. Pupils from year seven onwards learn agriculture here. Adam meets the students inspired by the farm and helps release the school’s first spring lambs.

Adam goes on safari with Manx Wildlife Trust Director Duncan Bridges to search for the island’s feral wallaby population. Thriving in the wetland habitat of the Curraghs it’s thought the wallabies made a hop for it from a nearby wildlife park in the 1960s.  Estimates suggest that as many as 120 wallabies now roam the northern plains.  But will Adam and Duncan be able to spot any of them?

The Ballinderry River flows out of the Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland and snakes down to Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK. En-route the river has a vital role as the home to some very precious creatures, freshwater pearl mussels. John Craven meets conservationists Mark Horton and Rebecca Kyle whose hard work is halting the decline of what, until recently, was a mussel population heading for extinction. These mussels can live up to 150 years but are vulnerable to water pollution or suffocation by silt kicked up by cattle. John sees the product of collaborative work with local farmers and helps the conservation team as they release juvenile mussels into the river to boost numbers.

Despite being on the doorstep of London, the Lee Valley is full of open meadows, woods and man-made lakes ideal for wildlife. Seventy Acres Lake, a former gravel pit, has been transformed into a perfect breeding ground for the common tern and Ellie helps park officers prepare gravel rafts to help the birds nest. Ellie then visits another man-made lake, with an island that has become a paradise for nesting grey herons. She joins the park’s conservation team to assist with ringing the heron chicks.

Adam Henson and his son Alfie head to the Cheshire County Show with some chicken hopefuls. They’re entering some of the farm’s rare breeds into the poultry competitions. Each one needs a good scrub and grooming before they are fit to compete and with more than 700 birds at this year’s show Adam and Alfie’s chickens will have to be something special if they are going to take away a prize.

Helen Skelton meets ‘Villager Jim’ who is also known as the ‘Banksy’ of the wildlife photography world. Jim’s stunning work has been going viral across the internet but his identity has remained a secret, until now. He gives Helen the inside track on how he gets his beautiful shots and provides a bit of advice for budding photographers like her. Armed with these top tips she heads off to the Chatsworth Estate to test her skill on some farmyard models. But maybe she should be a little more careful about where she is walking!

A new species of passenger is taking the plane to the Isles of Scilly.  Matt Baker joins some newly hatched ducklings on their flight from Cornwall to Salakee farm on the island of St Mary’s. Once the ducklings have landed, Matt hands them over to part-time baggage handler, part-time farmer, Dave Mumford whose farm is a short walk from the airport runway. Matt meets Dave’s partner Kylie who explains how the couple hatched a plan to rear ducks on the Isles of Scilly.

Ellie Harrison explores the plight of some of our most endangered animals. She heads to Kent to visit Wildwood, a wildlife park that is home to more than 200 native animals. Ellie gets up close to a mammal that has already had a fight for life – a wildcat kitten. This kitten was hand-raised and seems crazy for the Countryfile soundman’s fluffy microphone!