All language subtitles for Tuulte Tahutud Maa

THE WIND SCULPTED LAND

The wind has been dancing across this
scrap of star for billions of years.

It cooled its footing
to create a land

where one day plants could grow,
animals walk and water flow.

If there were ever mountains on
this land we now consider ours,

then they have been sculpted flat
by the wind and water.

Way back then,

the lands to the south sunk down

under a warm sea that
fostered future development.

The lower layers
of Estonian limestone sediment

reveal traces of the creatures

who once laid the foundation
for the biodiversity of the earth today.

During the ice age,
this land was under thick ice

that pressed down
on the earth's surface.

It wasn't until the ice melted
that the land started to rise again.

The earth is still recovering
from that burden today.

The moose.

The giant of the Nordic forests.

His long legs help him
walk through deep snow

and his wide hooves
carry him across deceptive bogs.

He was built to live
in the cold and cool.

In the winter, he gets hot
when temperatures rise above -5.

Nevertheless,
the winter is tough on moose,

especially their calves.

Their food is woody and dull
and they need a lot of it.

That's why moose
tend to stay in one area

and waste as little energy
on moving around as possible.

Life is hidden away in the winter.

Somewhere in the cold,
dark riverbed, the burbots spawn.

The mink knows this very well —

mating season for these slippery fish
means an easy meal for him.

But there are others who want
a part in this abundance of food.

This young otter barely
escaped dying from starvation.

After days of fruitless wandering,
he found a spring-fed river basin

where frogs hibernate.

The river predator cleans his coat

and marks the valuable find
with his scent.

The white-throated dipper
has come south to winter in Estonia.

He's searching the river rapids

for invertebrate bottom feeders
hiding under rocks.

His white throat reflects light
onto the bottom of the river,

helping him find small fish.

Once the ice recedes,

he'll rush back to nest
on more northern rivers.

Signs of new life in
the cow moose's belly

are becoming more visible.

The whooper swans are the first to arrive
at our coastal waters in the spring.

By the time most of them
have migrated up north,

the coastal meadows are overtaken
by barnacle geese.

If the winter has been gentle
and spring comes early,

the seals can't give birth
on ice floes.

They have to pup on islets.

For three weeks,
the white, furry grey seal pup

will drink its mother's
rich and fatty milk.

When the cow seal
becomes pregnant again,

she stops feeding her pup and leaves.

The pup may howl for days,
longing for his mother.

Even though the reeds and grass
haven't sprouted yet,

the first moose have come
to the floodplains.

The cow moose's biggest secret
is her birthing place.

Ears laid flat give a clear signal.

She wants the younger cow and her calf
to keep a respectable distance.

Everyone needs their space
during this time.

The bog is
the most primal Nordic habitat.

It's hard to move around here.

Even harder to sneak up on someone.

Making this a great nesting site.

The whooper swans have returned
to the bog and forest lakes.

They don't have to compete
with the common cranes —

rather, the two make
for an attentive team.

Roe deer bucks choose their summer
territory early and protect it fiercely.

The black-tailed godwits
have just arrived

and seem anxious for some reason.

For one last week, the floodplains
is swarming with birds

looking for invertebrates
and sprouting plants in the water.

We can see barnacle geese,
graylag geese,

Eurasian wigeons
and Northern shovelers.

When food is abundant,

the young white-tailed eagle doesn't
have to tread wind for long as it hunts.

Today, the eagle manages
to catch a black-tailed godwit.

The Eurasian penduline tit
has started building its nest.

The male bird
starts the job on his own.

Not until the female
is convinced of its quality

will she join in and help line
the hanging cradle with plant wool.

This rotund cow moose is trying
to escape the rowdy world in a thicket.

She's expressing her desire
for solitude more and more clearly.

A week before calving,
the cow makes it clear to this yearling

that he has to get by
on his own from now on.

A burst of anemones signals
the busiest time of the spring.

The fieldfare chicks
have already hatched.

These moose calves are five days old.

They rarely go on longer journeys
and always together.

This yearling is confused
by the new situation.

For the first few weeks,

the calves' main food
is their mother's fatty milk —

they grow more than half a kilo a day
on this diet.

Often, the cow leaves
her calves on their own.

Their scent is barely noticeable,

which means it's safer for them
to be away from their mother.

This yearling obstinately
tries to come close.

Common toads start their mating games
once the high waters have receded.

They don't like the icy water
and floodplain puddles.

Sometimes they may smother
their chosen partner

inside a mating ball.

The ruff is the gypsy
of the bird kingdom.

They may nest thousands
of kilometers from where they hatched.

There used to be a lot of
ruffs on these floodplains

but now most of them
just migrate through.

A corn crake —
who many have heard but few have seen —

would be a nice mouthful
for these fox cubs.

But this bird ventriloquist
can even fool the fox's sharp senses.

Her nose says one thing,
but her ears say something else.

The moose calves now
stick close to their mother

and are no longer left alone.

In addition to their mother's milk,

they now eat more and more
grass and leaves.

Their first year on their own
often decides their fate.

The common kingfisher
is fishing in a river bend.

There are all kinds of fish —

but she must choose
the best kind for her hatchlings.

With a skilled stroke,

she stuns the fish
and carries it to her nest.

Moose bulls have grown antlers
that turned to bone tissue inside.

The skin covering the young antlers
has to be rubbed off.

The same rush of blood
that makes the antlers strong

also makes the bull restless.

In late summer, the roe deer
start taking an interest in each other.

This is rutting season —

until the doe is ready to mate,
she runs in circles in front of the buck.

It may take days until the roe
feels that the time is ripe!

Up north, the cold has forced
the barnacle geese to leave.

They make stops in places

where the cold breath of winter
hasn't yet reached

to gather strength for the flight south.

The true secret of when and where
to fly is held by the older birds.

The wolves always appear
unexpectedly in autumn.

These cubs are fully grown

and can now join the pack
for long hunting trips.

But they still have to learn
hunting tricks from their elders.

Autumn is moose mating season.

The bulls have to work very hard
to impress the cow moose.

The young bulls often train
together for future fights.

They gently play through future rituals.

They won't join the mating game
until next year.

These common cranes
have managed to raise two chicks.

Now, they join the others
to fly south for the winter.

By the autumn solstice, the night
and day are the same length again.

But this time, the darkness
is overtaking the light.

The migratory birds have left

and the animals are retreating

to the drier edges of the floodplains.

Until the first ice comes,
they are in no hurry to leave.

The moose courtship continues

because not all cows found
a fitting bull the first time around.