1
[CAWING]
NARRATOR:
It's a universal dream...
...to y like a bird.
To soar on wings into the heavens.
[HONKS]
But it's nothing compared to the reality.
[AIR WHISTLING]
Experience our planet as never before:
Through the eyes of birds.
[PEEPING]
This is a journey
that will embrace the world.
A flight across the earth
on feathered wings.
It's a fantastic voyage...
...following the changing seasons...
...and taking in some
of the greatest events on Earth.
Experience a year
in the life of our planet...
...from the lush tropics...
...to the frozen North...
...and catch a glimpse of our world...
...as never before:
From a bird's-eye view.
[HONKING]
It's spring in North America...
...and families of snow geese
begin an epic 2000-mile journey...
...across the continent.
[STEAMBOAT HORN BLARING]
They've spent the winter
in the far South, but now...
...they have to fly
all the way to the Arctic to breed.
They won't be traveling alone.
[HONKING]
They join other snow geese families...
...united by a common goal.
The ock grows in strength...
...until snow geese...
...fill the sky.
Then hundreds become thousands.
Within a few days...
...their ranks are over a million strong.
They gather at these
traditional staging posts...
...to wait for the perfect weather
and favorable winds...
...that will help power their migration.
They become a vast army...
...ready to take over a continent.
[HONKING]
But where flocks gather...
...so do predators.
The bald eagle.
America's national bird.
A creature of cunning and power...
...and the Hook's greatest enemy.
There is safety in numbers.
Many eyes to watch for danger.
They react as one...
...the message rippling
through the ock.
The eagle appears spoiled for choice.
But it's not that easy.
Their sheer numbers confuse the predator.
They form a blizzard of geese...
...impossible to target or see through.
[AIR WHISTLING]
She must try her luck elsewhere.
[DUCK QUACKING]
[SCREECHING]
True skill comes from years of practice.
What goes down
must come up.
[DUCK SQUAWKING]
With a fair wind blowing...
...the snow geese
take their cue to leave.
[HONKING]
They become part
of a spring migration...
...across a greening continent...
...one that features
millions of other birds.
In Europe, common cranes
crossing the Mediterranean...
...lead a similar mass
invasion from Africa.
Like snow geese,
they travel as a family...
...the younger birds gaining
from the knowledge of their parents.
They'll spend the next three weeks
traveling to their breeding grounds...
...on a continent now blossoming with life.
[HONKING]
They follow traditional routes,
a flight path that, for many...
...includes Western Europe's
largest river delta.
The Camargue in France.
Below are the famous white horses...
...an ancient breed...
...that has roamed
the sea marshes for centuries.
[HORSES WHINNYING]
[WHINNYING]
As well as horses...
...the marshes provide shelter
for a wealth of birdlife.
Four hundred varieties in all.
The cranes speed onwards
to Northern Europe.
They still have a journey
of 1500 miles to go.
[HONKS]
To keep on course...
...birds use a magnetic sense...
...that tells them their position
at any one time.
They also use the sun
as a compass point...
...even allowing for its changing position
as it arcs across the sky.
But despite a sophisticated
navigation system...
...they prefer to trust their eyes.
Landmarks, such as Chateau
de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley..
...are used as a guide
from year to year.
Young birds on their first migration
can see a landmark just once...
...and remember it for a lifetime.
[HONKS]
One day, they'll use such sites
to guide their own families.
Below, the trout in the river...
...are full of the joys of spring.
But not for long.
A migrating osprey had spied...
...his meal from above.
But there's always one that gets away.
He plunges at 50 miles per hour.
It's this seasonal abundance of prey...
...that makes the osprey's 5000-mile
journey from southern Africa...
...worth all the effort.
Over the Baja Peninsula
at the southern tip of North America...
...another spring gathering
is assembling.
Brown pelicans are attracted
by the vast anchovy shoals...
...that migrate to these rich waters
at this time of year.
The drab juveniles are still
learning the ways of the ocean.
They rely on their more colorful
elders to show them the way.
The youngsters watch
their every move...
...benefiting from their greater
experience and wisdom.
They must understand
the habits of every sea creature...
...that might lead them to a meal.
Humpback whales have traveled...
...two and a half thousand miles
from the Arctic...
...to breed here.
Adult pelicans know
that whales announce their arrival...
...by breaching.
For the younger birds,
it's a new and baffling sight.
But by learning
to follow whales...
...pelicans are often
rewarded with a meal.
But today, these ocean giants...
...have courtship on their minds.
The pelicans must find
alternative guides to food.
They can appear without warning.
Devil rays.
A sea creature
that seems to envy the birds.
Why they take flight is a mystery.
Some think it's to shed parasites.
More likely...
...the splashes
corral fish and plankton...
...making them easier to catch.
It's tempting to think
they do it just for fun.
But wherever rays are fishing...
...there's food for pelicans too.
On a good day, their pouches...
...can trap three gallons
of fish and water...
...in a single gulp.
Like most birds, the pelican's seasonal
journeys are driven both by food...
...and the desire to breed.
[HONKING]
Back in the U.S.A...
...the snow geese
have traveled northwards nonstop...
...for over a thousand miles.
Exhaustion is already taking its toll.
Ahead lies their greatest challenge.
Monument Valley in Arizona.
For a tired family...
...this unforgiving desert
is a dangerous place to be.
The valley is all that is left
of an ancient seabed...
...but there's no water here now.
The pinnacles were formed
through the action of wind.
Some now rise a thousand feet
above the valley oor.
For the migrating birds...
...this awe-inspiring landscape...
...provides no comfort at all.
The effort is relentless.
[AIR WHISTLING]
For every breath they take...
...their wings beat three times.
Once their fat reserves are gone...
...they will start to metabolize muscle.
But despite the young birds' fatigue...
...the parents must keep
to a tight schedule...
...to reach their nesting grounds
with enough time to breed.
They drive...
...their flagging family on.
They have no plans
to break the grueling journey.
But birds are masters
of the wind and air.
And the sandstone buttresses
deflect the slightest breeze...
[WIND RUSTLING]
...giving the family a free ride
to the main flock above.
But they still have another...
...thousand miles to go.
[HONKING]
For countless other travelers...
...their migration has barely begun.
On the southern tip of Africa...
...a bird's-eye view
of Cape Town's Table Mountain...
...gives no hint of what's stirring
in the seas far offshore.
Beneath the waves...
...the greatest fish migration
on the planet has begun...
...and Cape gannets...
...are already on its trail.
[CAWING]
The gannets have thousands
of square miles of ocean to search...
...so they need help
in tracking them down.
The common dolphin...
[BELLOWS]
...a creature
with an unrivaled knowledge...
...of the undersea world.
The two species work as a team,
sharing their specialized skills.
Dolphins search beneath the waves...
...while the gannets
are the eyes in the sky.
It's the bird's view
that first spots...
...the hidden gathering.
They arrow towards it...
...at 70 miles per hour.
[CAWING]
Sixty feet down, they reach their target:
The great sardine run.
But at this depth,
the sardines are a struggle to catch.
The gannets come up with nothing.
But the dolphins corral the sardines...
...driving them to the surface.
Now they're not only easier
for the dolphins...
...to catch,
they're in easy reach of the gannets.
By working together,
the gannets and dolphins...
...mount an air and sea assault
with no parallel...
...in the natural world.
It's this seasonal banquet...
...that drives the birds' whole existence.
With bellies full...
...the hunters return to Bird Island...
...the biggest Cape gannet colony
in the world.
Sixty-five thousand
breeding pairs in all.
The gannets' success...
...entirely depends
on timing their breeding cycle...
...to one great seasonal event.
Back in Europe...
...the bulb fields of Holland
are in bloom...
...showing that spring
has well and truly arrived.
It's also a sign...
...that the cranes'
breeding grounds are not far away.
[SQUAWKS]
This Technicolored landscape...
...was reclaimed from salt marshes.
In the past,
cranes would've stopped here to breed.
Nowadays,
they keep on traveling...
...to where natural marshes
can still be found.
Having flown 3000 miles
from North Africa...
...the family arrive...
...at their final destination
in Sweden.
Here, they will finally settle
for the summer to breed.
The cranes' journey has ended for now...
...and across the rest of Europe...
...millions of other migrants
are just arriving from Africa.
[SWALLOWS TWEETING]
Barn swallows
are among the most celebrated.
Few can equal their aerobatic skills.
They even drink without missing a beat.
They've traveled over 6000 miles
from South Africa...
...to return to this English farm
where they were born.
They were well-equipped
for the journey.
Their long, pointed wings
and forked tail...
...give them unrivaled flight control.
The males arrive first.
Their job is to repair the nest
before the females return.
After a six-week flight,
they'll take any meal on offer.
[BUZZING]
Some nests have been in the family
for 50 years...
...and like all old properties,
they need a spot of renovation.
[CLUCKS]
The right materials are everything.
A lining of feathers will do nicely.
Summer is also underway
in North America.
By now, birds have set up home...
...in every corner of the continent.
The Grand Canyon
provides perfect conditions...
...for those that soar.
[AIR WHISTLING]
A bald eagle...
"effortlessly rides the air currents
that swirl around the crater's rim.
[EAGLE SCREECHING]
Apart from updrafts of air...
...this barren gorge appears to offer little
for a water-loving eagle.
But these huge canyons
were carved out by water...
...and down below,
the mighty Colorado still flows.
Eagles master the air...
...by using their feathers to sense...
...and react to the slightest updraft.
By understanding
the way the landscape shapes the wind...
...they use little energy looking for a meal.
The Colorado has sustained life
in these deserts...
...for the last 17 million years.
It still feeds a growing population...
...of bald eagles today.
[EAGLE SCREECHING]
Wherever there's an opportunity...
...birds will grasp it...
...and reap the rewards.
The marshlands of South Carolina...
...provide an unusual opportunity
for another fish hunter.
The great egret...
...could teach the eagle
a thing or two about fishing.
[DOLPHIN SNORTING]
They let dolphins do all the work.
The egrets shadow their subjects,
waiting for them to corral the fish.
Then, in one explosive charge...
...the dolphins drive the fish ashore.
[EGRETS SQUAWKING]
As their prey ounder,
the dolphins scoop them up.
And so do the hungry egrets.
Stranding
is a dolphin's worst nightmare...
...but this pod
has made it their specialty.
[SQUAWKS]
The young dolphins
learn the knack from their parents...
...as do the egrets that follow them.
With food so easy to come by...
...the egrets have become experts
on the dolphins' behavior...
...and no longer fish for themselves.
Countless other birds rely on a similar
knowledge of other creatures...
...to find their food.
As summer reaches its height
in the northern hemisphere...
...South Africa hosts an even more
astonishing feeding event.
The kelp gull knows exactly
when it's about to occur...
...and sets off to Seal Island
near Cape Point.
Here, 10,000 Cape fur seals...
...gather to breed.
[GULLS CAWING]
The gulls are opportunists...
...scavenging a meal
wherever they can.
But by studying the seals,
they are guaranteed a feast.
[S EALS BARKI N G]
The gulls wait until the seal pups
are brave enough...
...to venture away from the island.
They follow as the youngsters
enjoy their nevvfound freedom.
The young seals
are oblivious to danger...
...but the gulls know otherwise.
A great white shark.
Just what the gulls were expecting:
A buffet of seal meat,
there for the taking.
[CAWING]
In July, great whites migrate
to feed on the novice seals...
...attacking up to 40 times a day.
As the year moves on...
...it's East Africa's turn...
...to host another great event.
Vultures circle above the Great Plains...
...spiraling upward
in thermals of hot air.
[AIR WHISTLING]
Her broad wings ride the air for hours...
...as she searches for the dead or done for.
Every feather reacts
to the tiniest breath of air...
...adjusting its angle
to perfect the vulture's flight.
She splays her wingtip feathers
to reduce drag...
...and uses her tail to steer.
She is here for one thing only:
The greatest mass movement
of mammals on the planet.
By August, half a million wildebeests...
...cross the Serengeti plains...
...and arrive in Kenya's Maasai Mara.
And with perfect timing...
...their scavengers unerringly follow.
The vulture watches the herds...
...looking for signs of weakness.
[GRUNTING]
She also studies
the wildebeests' predators.
But in the high-stakes world
of the African bush...
...the watched also do the watching.
[GROWLS]
There is an uneasy alliance
between vultures and lions...
...as both spy on one another
to find fresh meat.
But today, the vulture won't need
the lion's help.
[AIR WHISTLING]
The torrential waters of the Mara River
are about to present...
...an opportunity
that happens just once a year.
The vulture simply has to
keep her wits about her.
The wildebeests must cross the river
to reach their breeding grounds...
...on the short grass plains.
[AIR WHISTLING]
It's the most dangerous time
of their lives.
The vulture just needs
one more piece of the puzzle.
[GROWLS]
The crocs have waited a year
for this moment.
Their prey doesn't suspect a thing.
The vultures simply fly downstream...
...where the bodies are duly delivered.
There is no rest for the wicked.
Now the arguing begins.
[SCREECHING]
Outnumbered,
a marabou stork bides his time.
Eventually, everyone gets their fill.
In a few days...
...they will follow the herd south
and be gone.
Just a little further north
lies the Great Rift Valley...
...home to one of the most graceful birds
in the world.
The lesser flamingo
is a restless traveler...
constantly searching
for the perfect lake.
Today, most of the world's population
have chosen Lake Bogoria...
...in northern Kenya.
This is one of the greatest gatherings
ever seen.
A total of two million birds.
They fringe the lake
with a ribbon of pink...
...but this beauty is deceptive.
Here, volcanic springs
poison the tranquil waters.
They create a caustic brew...
...killing most forms of water life.
However, the same
alkaline conditions...
...allow a special algae to flourish.
And it's the flamingos' only food.
Their curved bills and long necks...
...are designed to extract it
from the lake.
The bill acts as a sieve...
...filtering the algae from the water.
The flamingos appear, as if by magic...
...whenever the algae bloom.
For a brief time,
among these steaming vents...
...they find their Shangri-La.
But there is trouble in paradise.
The African fish eagle.
[AIR WHISTLING]
No fish survive in this toxic lake...
...so it hunts flamingos instead.
It flushes its prey.
In the air, weaker birds
are easier to spot.
A victim is found.
[FLAMINGO SQUAWKING]
For the survivors, peace briefly returns.
But flamingos
never really stop traveling.
Their life is a continual quest
for the perfect lake.
On the other side of the world,
in the heart of South America...
...lies the vast Amazon jungle.
It's home to yet more
colorful travelers.
Like flamingos, scarlet macaws
are always on the move.
But their seasonal journeys
are governed...
...by the fruiting of rainforest trees.
[SQUAWKING]
But they have a problem.
In the dry season,
fruit is less available...
...and the alternative food...
...is often full of poisons.
They need to find a cure
for the indigestion they get...
...from their less-than-perfect diet.
The secret remedy...
...can be found
alongside the river.
But others have got here first.
[CHIRPING]
Mealy parrots...
...descend in droves...
...seeking the same popular cure.
Their presence is good news
to the scarlet and green macaws.
It means that there are
no predators around.
But if the coast...
...is clear, the macaws expect
to have the place to themselves.
And mealies know their place...
...in the pecking order.
[SQUAWKING]
Like the other parrots...
...the macaws are here
for one thing only:
Mud.
But this is no ordinary mud.
It's one that neutralizes the poisons...
...in their rainforest diet.
The clay not only settles
their stomachs...
...it provides them with the nutrients...
...missing from their food.
Macaws are argumentative birds...
...and the best spots
are keenly fought over.
But they are surprisingly nervous too...
...especially when
some unwelcome visitors arrive.
Spider monkeys.
They're hardly a danger...
...but their unruly antics
put the birds on edge.
It's now the monkeys' turn
to raid the jungle medicine chest.
And the macaws just travel on.
As the summer ends in North America...
...some bald eagles
stop over in British Columbia...
...before beginning
their long journey south again.
[SCREECHING]
Like all birds,
they have an unerring ability...
...to be in the right place
at the right time.
[AIR WHISTLING]
Young eagles learn these tricks
of survival...
...by following the adults.
[TRILLING]
An older eagle has seen it all before.
[AIR WHISTLING]
He knows the exact time...
...that salmon arrive
from the ocean to breed.
It's a skill he shares with bears.
[SCREECHES]
It's wise to be cautious.
Grizzly bears don't like sharing
their meals.
[EAGLE SCREECHES]
A young eagle also holds back...
...ready to watch and learn.
[GRUNTING]
But the salmon are a challenge...
...even for bears.
They are chum salmon,
up to three feet long...
...and among the most aggressive
of their kind.
Their hooked jaws and teeth...
...are designed for fighting rivals.
With fish of this size and ferocity...
...it's best to let the bears
do the hard work.
[BEAR GRUNTS]
[BEAR GRUNTS]
The eagle must sneak closer
to the action...
...for any chance of a meal.
[BEAR GRUNTING]
Stealing from the bears
would be asking for trouble.
But with so much food around...
...the bears can afford to be choosy...
...taking a bite and moving on.
At the peak of the salmon run...
...catching fish is soon just a game.
It's time for the eagle
to make his move.
But he still must be cautious.
Grizzlies are notoriously
bad-tempered.
He must eat as quickly
as he can before the bears notice.
It doesn't take them long.
[GRUNTS]
[SCREECHING]
[GRUNTING]
[SCREECHING]
[SCREECHING]
He'll eat his fill here,
playing dare with the bears...
...before heading south
as the fall takes hold.
[HONKING]
In Europe, autumn triggers...
...a similar mass movement of birds.
Brent geese, having left
their breeding sites in the Arctic...
...head south to warmer climes.
The birds fly with an extended family...
...of aunts, uncles, and other relatives.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
By sharing the decision-making...
...they make better choices...
...such as how to avoid
gathering storms.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[HONKING]
Having flown over 2000 miles
from Arctic Russia...
...this family's travels are nearly over.
The coastal marshes around
Mont Saint-Michel in northern France...
...are where they will make their home.
[HONKING]
[BELLS TOLLING]
They will stay throughout the winter...
...only returning to the Arctic in the spring.
Some overwintering birds...
...have more metropolitan tastes.
As winter beckons...
...ten million starlings
from Northern Europe...
...converge on a few favorite spots...
...in the center of Rome.
Here they find warmth,
and relatively few predators.
Their evening murmurations. ..
...create nature's greatest aerial display.
A favorite roost...
...is an ancient cemetery
in the heart of the city.
Two million converge...
...on this one prime location alone.
But such an astonishing gathering
can hardly be ignored.
The peregrine falcon...
...looking for his evening meal.
It won't be easy.
He's hunting the world's best
aerial flying team.
Their rapid movements
and mesmeric waves...
...confuse the peregrine...
...stopping him locking on
to a single target.
To achieve such defensive synchrony...
...each starling flies in formation...
...with seven of his nearest neighbors.
They move as one...
...with reflexes 10 times faster...
...than any human fighter pilot.
Despite the peregrine's best efforts...
...he has been outmaneuvered
and outperformed.
The tables turn.
A squadron of several thousand birds
chase the peregrine away.
The starlings can finally
come home to roost.
Elsewhere in Italy...
...the southerly migration
of common cranes...
...have taken some over Venice.
Different families take different routes.
Each follows the path taken
by their parents before them.
Venice was once an area of marshland...
...where migrating cranes
could rest and feed.
The passage of time...
...has seen many changes...
...but still these traditional routes endure.
[HONKING]
[HONKS]
[HONKS]
[HONKS]
Soon, they will take their new family
across the Mediterranean...
...to spend the winter
in the welcoming warmth of North Africa.
Back in North America,
snow geese...
...have also felt
the cold winds blowing...
...and start to head south.
Those taking the eastern route...
...pass through another
of the world's great cities.
[HONKING]
Despite New York's immense
human population...
...the city is a busy crossroads
for traveling birds.
Over 250 different species...
...migrate through each year.
Like the rock formations
of Monument Valley...
...the buildings create uplifts of air...
...helping speed their journey.
[AIR WHISTLING]
[HONKING]
Birds are ever adaptable.
By passing on new knowledge
to their families...
...they have learned to survive
in a world transformed by human hand.
The geese leave New York behind.
[CAR HORN HONKS]
The welcoming warmth
of the Deep South beckons.
As the year draws to an end...
...all the birds stop traveling.
Japanese cranes celebrate the change...
...as they gather in the marshes
of Hokkaido in Japan.
[SQUAWKING]
Their population was once reduced...
...to just 25 birds.
Now, they number well over a thousand.
Gifts of fish left out by local people...
...have helped them thrive once more.
But it's not all Zen serenity.
In winter...
white-tailed eagles
gather here too.
They are notorious bird hunters.
[SQUAWKING]
[SQUAWKING]
Faced with the danger,
the cranes fearlessly fight back.
[SQUAWKING]
They offer quite a challenge.
They are the largest cranes
in the world.
[SQUAWKING]
For the eagles,
there is a far easier meal:
The food...
...given to the cranes.
The eagles leave...
...and tranquility returns once more.
To the Japanese,
the cranes' courtship dance...
...is a symbol of peace, harmony...
...and long life.
The birds can live for over 60 years...
...making their faithful partnerships...
...among the most enduring of any bird.
The relationships that birds have
with each other...
...and with other animals...
...allows them to thrive
in every comer of the globe.
Their flights to find food,
make homes, and rear young...
...embrace countries...
...and continents.
As they teach their offspring
the skills of survival...
...they connect life on earth...
...in ways we are only just beginning...
...to fathom.
For a brief moment, these cranes
may have stopped traveling.
But across the planet
and throughout the seasons...
...the journeys of birds...
...unite the world.
To capture...
...a bird's-eye view,
the team employed the latest...
...state-of-the-art techniques.
On the way...
...they witnessed behavior
that had never been seen before...
...and looked anew at some...
...of the greatest...
...wildlife events on Earth.
Wherever they took us...
...they showed us the world with fresh eyes.
With their help...
...we flew on wings...
...across the world.
[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
[BICYCLE HORN HONKING]
[CHIRPING]
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
[English - US - SDH]