Sand Lizards - Countryfile

"One of the UK’s rarest reptiles, the sand lizard was once widespread across lowland heath habitats and sand dunes but changing land use has seen this creature pushed out.

Much of the lowland heathland present in the early 20th century has been built on or planted on as part of development or commercial forestry practices.

But an army of volunteers has been out in force across managed and protected heathland, building sandy patches to create a new home for these threatened creatures."

This film was a very exciting opportunity for me, my first film on Countryfile for which I was the sole camera operator.

We only had a very limited amount of time to film the release (and a limited number of lizards!), so it was very important to film at all times with constructing a sequence in mind. With the help of researcher George and some very lovely contributors, I think we were able to get some lovely shots and convey the amazing work that the volunteers at ARC have done on this project.

https://www.arc-trust.org/

Footage copyright BBC Studios. Reproduced with permission.

From the Countryfile 'Wildlife Special' episode, TX 07.10.18