THE Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) Bude Group played host to an award winning wildlife cameraman during their March meeting and examined how some of the BBC’s nature documentary series’ are put together.

Doug Anderson, specialises in underwater sequences and has worked on many of the BBC’s nature series’ including ‘Frozen Planet’ and ‘Planet Earth’ among other well know titles.

After studying marine biology at university and working as a scallop diver in Scotland, Doug moved on to combine his love of marine life and photography by joining the BBC’s Natural History Unit.

During his visit to the CWT Bude Group, which was attended by other members of the public, he informed them of how a BBC wildlife series is conceived and put together, explaining that it usually takes about four years to create each one.

He said that the actual filming is done over two years and in the case of temperate and polar regions, like that seen in ‘Frozen Planet’, the timing is critical due to seasonal animal behaviour.

He told the group of his time spent in the Antarctic, over two seasons, filming killer whales for the ‘Frozen Planet’ series.

He explained that there are four different types of killer whale, or orca, in the Antarctic, each with a preferred diet — those filmed for the ‘Frozen Planet’ series almost exclusively ate Weddell seals.

Doug said that the pod of orcas work in unison, making waves to break up ice floes on which a seal is resting.

This eventually tips the seal off the ice flow and into the water to be killed by the pod.

A type of algae, which makes them appear brown in colour, affects these orcas eyesight so they are unable to distinguish a seal from over five metres distance.

If the seal is found to be a species other than Weddell it was usually left alone.

Doug described an incident he witnessed where a large humpback whale interfered in order to save a Weddell seal from a pod of hunting orcas — apparently this behaviour has been recorded on other occasions.

The group also learnt that female whales can live for 90 years, but only able to reproduce for about 25 years and calve three to five times.

Doug is very interested in testing new filming techniques and described the various methods and equipment used, some of which is fabricated locally at King’s Hill, Bude.

He went on to explain how tracking devices have meant animals can be located quickly and a stabilised camera which is attached to the ship or land vehicle the crew are using has made such a huge difference to what videographers can achieve.

However, Doug said that diving is still necessary for some sequences of film.

Animals first had to become accustomed to the camera crew and Doug said he had found himself chest to chest with an orca in the water in a very ‘up close and personal’ way while filming for the BBC series.

The CWT Bude group expressed their relief upon learning that there have been no recorded instances of orcas attacking humans in the wild.

After Doug’s talk, which was illustrated with still and video photography, the group was able to partake in a lively question and answer session.

This was the last of the winter talks held by the CWT Bude Group but they will resume on September 19 with a visit from Mark Elliott on the Devon Beaver Project.

For more information about the Cornwall Wildlife Group visit their website www.cornwallwildlife.org.uk