All language subtitles for Earthflight.S01.E03.1080p.Bluray.AAC.2.0.x265-LION

It's a universal dream to fly like a bird...

...to soar on wings into the heavens.

But it's nothing compared to the reality.

This is our planet seen as never before.

A bird's-eye view.

Theirs is a journey that covers the world.

Filled with astonishing natural events...

...extreme challenges...

...and hard-won rewards.

This is the world on the wing.

It's spring and tens of thousands
of white storks have left Africa

and are trying to reach their breeding grounds
a thousand miles away in Europe.

They, like countless millions of other birds,

face many challenges on the journey ahead.

Already these storks might not make it.

They have been blown off course
and out into the Sea of Marmara.

The storks need
rising currents of hot air to soar

but these thermals can't form over water.

The sheer effort of flapping their wings
is taking its toll

and the storks are dropping dangerously low.

If a wing as much as touches the water
they will fall in and drown.

They are battling for their lives.

But they have a lifeline...

...an outcrop rising from the sea -
the Prince's Islands.

Just enough sun-baked rock
to create thermals.

They must quickly gain
as much height as they can.

In this way they can use the islands
as stepping stones across the sea.

Mainland Europe is tantalisingly close.

They soar upwards one last time.

Then glide the seven miles towards it.

Istanbul,

the gateway to Europe for millions
of migrating birds arriving from Africa.

They spiral over the city before setting off
to recolonise the continent.

These storks are among
the countless millions of birds

that risk their lives
to come to Europe to breed.

Many try to choose
a less hazardous route into the continent.

Grey cranes cross the Mediterranean
at the Straits of Gibraltar.

Here just 13 miles of sea
separate Africa from Europe.

Ahead is the famous Rock of Gibraltar.

Reaching land is just stage one of their goal

as they have an appointment to keep
in the far north of the continent.

The cranes don't pass unnoticed.

Barbary macaques were introduced
from Africa hundreds of years ago.

Each spring they witness this mass migration
from their original home just across the sea.

Swallows flew the length of Africa to reach here.

Many will travel another 1,000 miles or more
before they reach their nest sites.

On a good day cranes can travel 500 miles.

But three days of flying
leaves cranes tired and hungry.

The Camargue, Europe's largest river delta,
is the perfect place for a spot of R&R.

Below are the Camargue's famous white horses,

a breed that has roamed the marshes
for centuries.

Crane families find the best feeding spots
by joining other travel-weary birds.

Here they will take on board the provisions
they need for the journey ahead.

They are joined by greater flamingos,
fresh from West Africa.

12,000 breeding pairs spend the summer here.

The salty lagoons provide
everything they could wish for.

But life here isn't quite as peaceful
as they'd hoped.

The flamingos arrive in the breeding season
as feisty stallions try to round up the mares.

Time to find a quieter lagoon.

Fortunately the Camargue
has hundreds to choose from.

The cranes can't rest for long.

They are bound for Scandinavia

where they have a date to keep
with thousands of other birds.

The storks are equally pushed for time.

The first to appear in Europe are males,

racing to reach their nest sites
before the females arrive.

Cities are an essential part of their flight plan.

Hard reflective surfaces
are better at creating thermals

than the surrounding countryside.

Roofs act like storage heaters,

pumping out heat
even when the sun is behind a cloud.

Sun-baked roads form a matching highway
of hot air in the sky above.

In fact, our urban sprawl
now helps the storks migrate.

A warm city benefits birds in other ways too.

Each winter evening,
attracted by the heat of the city,

five million starlings stream into Rome.

Before they roost

their manoeuvres create
nature's greatest aerial display.

Their iridescent plumage
is lit up by the setting sun.

But this spectacular performance isn't for fun.

The peregrine falcon
is looking for his evening meal

and he's hunting the world's best
formation flying team.

Their mesmeric waves confuse the peregrine.

He can't lock on to a single target.

To achieve such synchrony

each starling shadows
seven of his nearest neighbours.

They react ten times faster
than any human pilot.

To stand a chance
the peregrine must up his game.

Despite his best efforts,

the peregrine has been
outmanoeuvred and outperformed.

For the starlings
city life is just for the winter.

They will soon head
for the wilds of Siberia to breed.

Cities aren't always so popular with birds.

Venice was once an area of marshland
where migrating cranes could rest and feed.

Now they have to keep on flying.

A mother can help her tired offspring.

Air rising from her wing tips gives a boost
to those following in her wake.

As they follow,
young birds also learn the route.

Next year they will have to make the journey
on their own.

Further along the coast
some marshlands still remain.

A perfect place to stop and recuperate.

Despite Europe's dwindling wild places,
it's still a magnet for breeding birds.

Sand martins fly from South Africa
just to nest in the banks of this river in Hungary.

They are here for the abundant insect life

but as their chicks grow
demand outstrips supply.

But in their time of need
the river provides a perfect banquet.

One by one they emerge.

They are mayflies.

Their moment of glory lasts just three hours,
just time enough to mate and lay eggs.

They are a super food for the hungry chicks.

As the day ends
the mayflies perform their swan song.

The sand martins are so full
they lose their edge and appetite.

But their loss is another's gain.

The biggest challenge for migrating birds
is to keep on course.

Like all birds,
cranes use the sun as a compass.

Her body clock even compensates
as the sun arcs across the sky.

If it's cloudy she can navigate
by the earth's magnetic field.

But despite her state-of-the-art GPS,
like us, she prefers to trust her eyes.

From above the land unfolds like a map
and a river is the perfect line to follow.

Chateau de Chenonceau
is a reliable landmark.

The Loire valley is such a popular route,
50,000 cranes can pass through in a single day.

Many cranes that pass through this valley
still have a thousand miles left to travel.

But the storks are reaching
the end of their journey.

They took 50 days to fly from South Africa
to their nest sites in this German village.

The first male to arrive prepares to land.

He whiffles,

spilling air from his wings
to get down quickly.

He then jams on his air brakes
by lowering his legs and flaring his feet.

He's returning to his ancestral home,

a nest that has been in his family
for generations.

But he faces competition.

Younger males try to claim squatter's rights.

He protects the nest
as if it's a family heirloom.

Soon all the arguments are over

and the males settle down
to wait for their mates to arrive.

To fill the time they start
a thorough spring clean.

They haven't seen their partners
for eight months

so it's vital to make a good impression.

He preens himself,
ready for the grand reunion.

Hopes are high.

But so far it's just swallows
and house martins that are arriving.

They set off from South Africa
at the same time as the storks

but had to flap their wings all the way
instead of gliding on thermals.

Like storks, the males arrive first.

The storks could face
an agonising wait for their mates.

Migration is tough
and some simply don't make it.

Brent geese avoid all this heartache
by flying together as one big happy family.

Mum, Dad and the kids
are all joined by uncles and aunts.

The brent geese head northwards
just as other birds migrating from Africa arrive.

Many flocks spend the winter
on the coastal marshes

around Mont Saint-Michel
in northern France.

But in spring they leave for Arctic Russia.

Many start their 3,000-mile journey
by crossing the English Channel.

Brent geese take a leisurely six weeks
to reach their destination,

stopping at least 16 times along the way.

The famous white cliffs of Dover
are their first sight of Britain.

As they leave,
swallows are arriving for the summer.

They flew 6,000 miles
to return to the farm they were born in.

Like storks, the male has some DIY to do.

Some nests have been
in the family for 50 years.

Like all old properties,
they need a spot of renovation.

Those good at the job impress the females
and are allowed to mate more often.

The right materials are everything.

Adding a few soft furnishings
will improve his chances.

It's the perfect way to feather his nest!

And just in time.

The female arrives
and follows him for an inspection.

She's impressed.

For the house-proud couple
the migration has been a great success,

but not all journeys go according to plan.

London is hardly a top attraction
for migrating birds.

But many are forced
to make an unscheduled stop,

having suffered flight diversions
due to bad weather.

Barnacle geese are among
the many waifs and strays

that sometimes end up
on the wrong side of town.

Lost birds use their navigational skills
to try to get back on track.

For stray barnacle geese the nearest UK
population is 400 miles north in Scotland.

The shortest route to join them
is along the east coast of Britain.

Just over the Scottish border is Bass Rock,
the site of another great migration spectacle.

Gannets have travelled 3,500 miles
from West Africa just to be here.

150,000 cram onto this one small outcrop.

They are attracted to the rich North Sea
fishing grounds that surround the island.

The birds form a fishing fleet
to be reckoned with.

In one year these gannets net
8,000 tonnes of fish between them.

The gannets' fishing trips may last four days
and take them 300 miles out to sea.

They can submerge 22 metres in a dive,
deeper than any other bird.

They are cushioned from the impact
by air sacs in their throat and breast.

They slice though the water
without slowing at all.

Meanwhile, the barnacle geese
will travel north over the city of Edinburgh.

They prefer to hug the coast but will move inland
when they sense danger ahead.

Falling air pressure warns
of an approaching weather front.

It may be safer inland
but some storms are impossible to avoid.

Thankfully, they are equipped
with the best wet-weather gear imaginable.

Their feathers interlock,
creating a watertight seal,

resistant to the driving rain
pounding at 40 miles per hour.

It's like water off a duck's back.

But storms aren't the only challenges
that geese encounter.

The golden eagle,
Scotland's deadliest aerial predator.

The geese whiffle to lose height quickly.

Eagles are formidable hunters.

But suddenly it's the hunter
that's under attack.

Crows mob any predator
that dares invade their territory.

The geese hightail it.

The eagle gets his comeuppance for once,
put in his place by a lowly crow.

The barnacle geese head northwest
along Loch Ness.

Then, just ahead,
a gathering of other geese.

Exactly what a lost flock needs.

The massed birds are waiting for
a weather window

that will allow them to leave for the Arctic.

They use the time to pile on the pounds.

But they have a problem.

Spring is the time of mad March hares

and the geese are bang
in the middle of their boxing ring.

Females don't pull any punches
fending oh' over-eager males.

Boxing hares are a sign
that the geese should leave.

With a fair wind blowing, the mad March hares
kick-start the goose migration.

The race to the high Arctic is on.

Ahead lies a non-stop 1500-mile sea crossing.

The decision to leave
is the most important they make.

Getting the forecast wrong
could cost them their lives.

Once at sea, the nearest land is 400 miles
to the northeast in Scandinavia.

Even these far reaches of Europe
attract birds that over-wintered in Africa.

Many ospreys make the northern forests
of Finland their summer home,

travelling over 4,000 miles to get here.

Good fishing ponds are scattered
throughout the forests

making it a popular place to nest.

Brown bears are here for the fishing too.

It's an angler's paradise.

There's always one that gets away.

Success this time.

It's this super-abundance of fish that makes
their 45-day journey here worth all the effort.

Ospreys have favourite feeding perches
which they return to time and again.

A mother bear knows just where they are.

And so do cubs.

But ospreys are messy eaters.
They usually leave a few scraps behind.

It's the perfect snack for a hungry bear.

For the osprey
there's plenty more fish in the pond.

Further south the bulb fields of Holland
bring a patchwork of colour

to a landscape reclaimed by man
from salt marshes.

In the past
cranes would have stopped here to breed.

Now they just keep on travelling.

In Europe migrating birds
have to be adaptable.

Until recently
windmills adorned the landscape.

It's now wind turbines instead.

Although wind farms
can be dangerous in bad weather,

birds are usually canny enough to avoid them.

Mother cranes have no problem steering their
families safely through the hazards.

They have an appointment to make
and they must keep them moving.

They travelled 3,000 miles to reach
a very special patch of marsh in Sweden.

They join thousands of other families
that have also made the rendezvous on time.

This is the most important social event
in the crane's calendar.

For the parents
it's a place to renew their vows.

They call in unison, a synchronised duet
that gets them in the mood.

But the youngsters
are also searching for a soul mate.

This young female seems free.

Time for a young male to make his move.

He must dance to win her heart.

She's hard to impress.

He will have to raise his game
if he is to be taken seriously.

Good dance moves
demand practice and determination.

He rehearses his vertical leaps,
hoping to impress.

Her interest is piqued.

His efforts pay off.

Now an item, they dance together.

Their synchronised routine ties the knot.

Their enthusiasm is infectious.
It triggers a mass dance-off.

The happy couple leave the party early
to start their new life together.

And the dance goes on without them.

Barnacle geese fly continuously for days
to reach the Arctic Ocean.

It's hard work. For every breath they take
their wings will beat three times.

Once the fat reserves are gone,
they will star': burning muscle.

The last few miles are the hardest
but the destination is in sight.

The Svalbard archipelago,
midway between Norway and the North Pole.

Europe's furthest wilderness
may look a barren wasteland to us

but it's paradise for the geese.

24 hours of daylight provide
all the grazing time they need

as they prepare to mate and lay eggs.

Back in the stork village
the return of the females hasn't gone to plan.

The males are still waiting.

When weather conditions are bad,
whole flocks can get lost at sea.

But things are looking up.

The girls are back in town.

The males can't contain their excitement.

She remembers the location of her nest
and drops down to greet him.

Together at last, they clatter a greeting.

In Africa they spent eight months apart.

Now they must get to know each other again.

Back on Svalbard the barnacle geese
are already experiencing a baby boom.

But this attracts a rare visitor.

And chicks make a tasty snack.

Mothers desperately
shepherd their young to safety.

A lost chick is the first to go.

And then another.

The geese launch a counter attack
but they can't manoeuvre easily.

A hungry polar bear
can wipe out an entire colony.

They desperately need reinforcements.

Nesting arctic terns join the aerial assault,
united by a common enemy.

Their plan is to make the bear's life a misery.

More join the attack.

The bear's irritation starts to show.

Skuas join the combat mission.

Faster and more aggressive,
they drive home the attack.

Working together
the birds have saved the colony.

Although meeting polar bears
is an increasing problem,

by nesting in the Arctic,
the geese avoid human disturbance altogether.

But storks are among the many birds
that deliberately seek us out.

They raise their young among us
in the very heart of Europe.

Like so many birds,
they have managed to prosper

in a continent that we have changed
more than any other.

Next time condors and macaws
will take us on an extraordinary journey

to discover the hidden secrets
of the South American continent.