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Dull ditchwater

Bill Oddie goes on a nostalgia trip, reliving childhood pond dipping outings. After nearly an hour he's only got one little fish, a minnow, or possibly a stickleback. To identify it for sure, Bill consults a lady who knows all the local pond life - Pat. She shows him a the great silver diving beetle. The silver bit being on its under parts, as when it comes up to the surface to collect air then it has a sheen of silver underneath it. There is also a smooth newt. Pat tells Bill that the murky, weedy covered ditches have more life in them than the clear water ditches. They look at a rare water snail - the shining ramshorn snail. This snail is only found in this particular ditch in the whole of Somerset. It is not even found in any of the other ditches around this area. Its lovely shell is very glossy and shiny and in 1998 it was featured on one of the special stamps of rare species produced by the Post Office.

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4 minutes

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