Rare short-eared owls fledging Peak District nest are filmed for BBC2's Springwatch in live broadcasts from Longshaw estate

Cameras have captured footage of short-eared owls for the first time in the 20-year history of the BBC2 series. Viewers have seen the comings and goings of owlets from their nest in moorland heather, with the chicks described as “boomerang kids” by presenter Michaela Strachan.

Elsewhere on the estate, a nest of three long-eared owl chicks recorded one casualty, with the mum biting the head off the dead chick to feed to her two surviving babies in the treetop roost.

One bird apiece has fledged from the nests of Red Starts and Pied Flycatchers in scenes filmed by the 30 cameras that are recording every move of the estate’s wildlife.

Ten miles away, Hannah Stitfall has tracked down adult and juvenile dippers on the River Lathkill in the episode that was broadcast last night (Monday, June 2).

The importance of drystone walls to the eco system of birds, mammals and reptiles is highlighted in the series. A warm and dry south-facing wall that gets the sun will attract reptiles such as lizards and slow worms, insects including bees, wasps and beetles and butterflies. A north-facing wall provides the perfect climate for moss and lichen to grow and a moist environment for soft-bodied invertebrates such as slugs, snails and wood lice.

Programme presenter Chris Packham said: “There are 26,000 miles of drystone walls just in the Peak Park, that’s enough to circumnavigate the Earth. Most of them have been here since the 18th or 19th century when the common land was stolen from the people and the Enclosures Act came in. The key to their success as a wildlife habitat is they’ve got no mortar, they are essentially porous which allows all sorts of things to get in amongst them.”

Springwatch continues to be broadcast live from Longshaw Estate four nights a week (Monday to Thursday) until June 12. Viewers can keep tabs on the wildlife’s activities between broadcasts by watching live footage from multiple cameras on iPlayer.