All language subtitles for W.S.S01E01.Life.on.the.Edge.EXTENDED.1080p.WEBRip.x264-CBFM_track3_[und]

In the far north of Europe
is a land steeped in myth.

The realm of Thor...

..and Odin.

From Norway's frozen wilderness...

..deep into magical Swedish forests.

Across Denmark's windswept shores...

..to explosive Icelandic volcanoes.

Scandinavia's breathtaking
landscapes...

..have shaped its people...

..and its wildlife.

Where the land meets the sea...

..there are great gatherings
of life.

But also many challenges.

Only the tough and
the resourceful...

..can carve out a life...

..on this wild,
unpredictable frontier.

As Scandinavia emerged
from the last Ice Age,

a spectacular coastline
was revealed...

..reaching out into the turbulent
Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

But our journey begins in the more
sheltered Baltic Sea.

Off the coast of Sweden,

30,000 islands stretch far out
into these icy waters.

And at the outer fringes,

this skerry has some new arrivals.

Over 1,000 grey seal pups.

They may look laid back,

but they're all in a perilous race
against time.

PUP SNORTS

Just 18 days after being born,

they will be abandoned
by their mothers.

Before that moment, to have
the best chance of survival,

the pups need to quadruple
their body weight.

Glugging three litres of super-rich
milk a day builds up blubber -

a vital energy store and
protective insulation.

THUNDERCLAP

On this exposed coast,

fortunes can change in an instant.

As the swell builds ahead
of a late spring storm,

pups that linger too close
to the edge

are vulnerable to rogue waves.

The storm takes a terrible toll.

Pups washed into the sea quickly
succumb to the cold.

In the Baltic,

up to half of all pups don't make
it through their first year.

The squall has left the shoreline
treacherously icy.

But with so few days together,

crucial life lessons
can't be put off.

This pup needs to improve
his swimming skills.

And Mum needs to be on her guard.

BULL GROWLS

Aggressive bull seals skulk
around the shoreline,

on the lookout for a mate.

The water is dangerously cold
for the pup

as his fur offers little insulation.

So this must be a quick dip.

She stays close.

BULL SNARLS

But then a sneaky male intrudes.

Instinct drives the pup
towards shore.

But the way is blocked
by another male.

Forced back into the surf,

the pup is swept away.

Amongst the slosh, a sign of life.

Washed into a cove,

this pup has been lucky.

PUP WHINES

But his ordeal is far from over.

Spurred on by his mother's calls,

he slowly claws his way
over the ice to safety.

Reunited,

it's time for a warming feed.

These devoted mothers have not
eaten since giving birth,

sacrificing a third of their
body weight to give their pups

the best start in life.

Now starving,

they must abandon their pups
and return to the sea to feed.

One last look,

and she's gone.

PUP WHINES

Too young to follow,

the deserted pups head inland.

Here, they stay for several weeks,

living entirely off
their blubber reserves.

They shed their white fur and
grow a shorter waterproof coat.

An outward sign of
miraculous changes

happening to their bodies

as they transform into
seagoing youngsters.

Finally, they're ready
to take the plunge

and leave these ancient
granite islands behind.

Further south, rocky shores give way
to ever-shifting sands.

This stretch of Denmark's coast

is part of the largest tidal flats
on the planet.

Over 500 square miles
of silt and mud

reshaped and revealed

with the ebb and flow of each tide.

It's a vital refuelling stop
for millions of birds

on their annual migration
to the Arctic to breed.

Mingling with the locals,

these travellers are drawn here
by a smorgasbord

of delicacies buried in the mud.

And these worms, clams
and crustaceans

are best gathered as the flats
are exposed by the falling tide.

Each bird has its own unique way
to harvest the hidden feast.

Avocets sweep the silt,

snagging worms and shrimps.

With their long, straight bills,

godwits probe the deeper mud.

Whilst red knot patrol
the tide lines,

hunting for clams to swallow whole.

The feasting continues
until the tide turns.

Then, as the water rises...

..food is once again submerged,

beyond the reach of
the longest beaks.

Buffet over, they take to the air
in their thousands...

..finding safety in these
shape-shifting crowds.

For a few weeks,

they are slaves to the rhythm
of the tides...

..before resuming their journeys.

Heading north, many will
pass over Skagen Point

at the very tip of Denmark.

Here, water funnelling
out of the Baltic

meets the tidal surges
of the North Sea.

Together, they give rise
to a new force,

the Norwegian Current,

which powers its way
towards Scandinavia's

most spectacular coast.

The Norwegian fjords.

Long, twisting canyons

formed when glacier-carved valleys
flooded with sea water

at the end of the last Ice Age.

While, according to legend,

these rocks are the bones of Ymir,

a giant slain by
the Norse god Odin.

Some fjords reach over
100 miles inland,

with sheer walls rising
over 1,000 metres.

This rugged coastline nurtured
the Viking traditions

of seafaring and exploration.

Someone continuing that
same spirit of adventure

is Hege Ringard.

I'm mentally prepared
the whole hike.

It's one thing I definitely like,
being on mountains,

is that they're massive

and I'm this little...lady,
like, walking around there.

And you're vulnerable.

Many Norwegians embrace
the idea of friluftsliv,

a passion for the outdoors.

But Hege takes this tradition
to the extreme.

Walking to the edge,

I focus on my breathing.

I am very much in the moment.

She needs to be totally in tune
with the elements.

Her life depends on correctly
reading the wind

and the weather.

You can never really trust
the weather forecast,

but you can trust what you see
right in front of you.

What you can see right away
is the waterfalls.

How are they falling? Straight down?

Or are they moving a lot?

And that could be a good hint

that maybe it's a good day
to go base jumping.

I clap.

My body and my brain is,
like, working together,

and the clap is like a
little wake-up thing.

And then I jump.

Slowly, the wings will
fill up with air.

It's like this soft, sweet emotion.

It doesn't feel that fast, actually.

It's like an enjoy-the-view
kind of thing.

And get off the mountain.

Norway has more fjords than
anywhere else on the planet.

Their twists and turns
add over 16,000 miles

to Scandinavia's coastline.

So Hege has endless possibilities
to satisfy her obsession.

It's such a cool way to
go up on the mountain

and then fly off of it.

It feels like a privilege.

Thinking about just being there
in the moment.

I'm not thinking about
what's for dinner later.

I'm just enjoying it.

Being out there just
makes me feel good.

So that's why I keep going back
again and again.

Where the fjords spill out
towards the open sea...

..tides churn the shallow water
into a plankton-rich soup.

A hunting ground of some
voracious predators.

Lion's mane jellyfish.

With a dome up to a metre across,

these giants trail hundreds
of delicate tentacles

to trap plankton and fish.

Up to 30 metres long,

each tentacle is packed
with stinging cells

that fire when touched,

paralysing their victims.

But some have turned these deadly
tripwires into a safety net.

Whiting fry seem immune
to the jellyfish stings,

which gives these
hitchhikers a refuge

from other predators.

When conditions are right,

jellyfish numbers can explode.

Gathered into seasonal swarms
by the swirling tides,

they drift north with the current.

For the next 500 miles,

the mainland is protected from
the turbulent Atlantic

by thousands of small islands.

Behind this natural storm barrier,

there are calmer waters.

Stronghold of one of Scandinavia's
most iconic creatures.

The white-tailed sea eagle,

riding on massive 2.5 metre wings.

Odin was said to transform
into an eagle

to survey his realm.

And these sharp-eyed opportunists
don't miss a trick.

EAGLE SQUAWKS

Swooping down at 40mph,

they must time their grab
to perfection.

Curved talons and spiny scales
on their toes

help grip slippery fish.

Catching a fish is one thing.

Keeping hold of it quite another.

Distinguished by its mottled tail,

this young sea eagle is
pushing his luck...

EAGLE YELPS

..but has little chance
against the flying skills

of an adult.

Whilst youngsters are perfecting
their fishing technique,

piracy is a short cut
to a full stomach.

Especially when the victim
is another juvenile

more easily intimidated
into dropping its catch.

A fish can be won and lost

many times in the chaos of a chase.

And things don't always go to plan.

These novices still
have a lot to learn

before they match up
to an adult eagle.

In the last century,

these majestic eagles were
almost hunted to extinction.

Now protected across Norway,

the population has grown to
over 6,000 mature birds.

Which means there's little chance
of a quiet meal

as gangs of hungry youngsters
gate-crash the party.

These boisterous juveniles
will spend several years

wandering the coast before
finding a place of their own.

Whilst sea eagles seldom leave
this maze of inlets and islands,

the search for fish takes others
far out into the North Atlantic.

BIRDS SQUAWK

Captain Kjartan Gudmundsson
commands the Drangavik

and her ten-man crew

as they trawl for cod off
the coast of Iceland.

After being heavily overfished,

careful management and strict quotas

means this fishery is now
considered sustainable.

Fishing is in the captain's blood.

The open ocean is unforgiving.

But the crew must set
and retrieve the net

whatever the weather.

Even with the latest technology,

it takes all his experience
to put the Drangavik

in the right place
at the right time.

Just three successful trawls
can fill the ship's hold

and allows Kjartan to
set course for home.

The richness of these
offshore waters

owes much to a powerful current

that sweeps across the Atlantic
from the tropics.

Every second, the Gulf Stream
delivers nine million tonnes

of warm water into
these northern seas -

enough heat to keep
sea temperatures

along the Norwegian coast

much warmer than other places
on the same latitude.

The Lofoten Islands
are over 100 miles

inside the Arctic Circle.

Yet, here, the sea never freezes.

Communities cling to
the narrow shores.

Huddled around inlets that offer
safe haven all year round.

Most coastlines this far north
will be locked in ice

for six months.

But warmed by the Gulf Stream,

winter sea temperatures here
are kept a few degrees

above freezing.

Just enough to support some
surprisingly busy sea life.

Sea cucumbers emerge to
feed in the current.

They trap plankton and algae
in their feathery tentacles.

Each taking turns to push food
into its central mouth.

Starfish gather together
in large numbers.

On cue, they raise themselves up
on tiptoes.

Standing tall in the current,

they synchronously
shed millions of eggs

and clouds of sperm.

These mix in the swirling water

before the fertilised eggs
and larvae

are carried away with the flow.

Through the winter, the Gulf Stream
keeps the sea from freezing.

But its heat doesn't reach far
into some northern fjords.

Where rivers drain
into these inlets,

the cold, fresh water can freeze,

forming a shelf of ice.

A welcome hunting platform
for an otter.

And it's landed a prize catch.

But out on the ice,
this otter is exposed.

OTTER SNARLS
EAGLE YELPS

A young sea eagle up
to its old tricks.

Time to take evasive action...

..until the coast is clear.

These Norwegian otters
live further north

than any others on the planet.

Benefiting from the relatively
mild climate

and the wealth of sea life
nurtured by the Gulf Stream...

..these otters survive
hundreds of miles

inside the Arctic Circle.

Lofoten fishermen exploit
the unique local climate

to preserve their catch
of spring cod.

During the annual Lofotfiske season,

fish are hung out to dry
on huge wooden racks.

These fillets and fish heads
don't need smoke or salt

to preserve them

because the Gulf Stream
keeps the air temperature

just stable enough...

..to stop them from rotting

as they dry in the sun and wind.

It's a 1,000-year-old tradition
dating back to the Vikings

who traded these dried fish
all over southern Europe.

RACKS CREAK

By the end of the season,

these racks will be groaning
under the weight

of thousands of tonnes of fish.

The riches of this coast
destined to be shipped

all around the world.

Journeying to the very north
of mainland Scandinavia,

the coast becomes wilder and
even more unpredictable.

The Gulf Stream meets its match

as it comes up against
the chilling Arctic Ocean.

This powerful collision can
generate violent storms,

massive surges that churn up
nutrients from the deep.

After spending the winter
far out to sea,

tens of thousands of
sea birds converge

on the island of Hornoya.

It's the bounty of these waters
that support

such ravenous gatherings.

Huge rafts ride the swell...

..until it's time to make landfall

to nest and raise their chicks.

This is one of Scandinavia's
most magnificent

wildlife spectacles.

While 30,000 guillemots
pour in to claim a pitch

on the narrow ledges,

puffins head for the
windswept lower slopes.

Returning birds seek out
the nest burrows

they've used in previous years,

even if they are still buried
under the snow.

And these are where partners
will meet up again

after their long winter at sea.

Rubbing beaks reinforces
their lifelong bonds.

As the weather clears,
more birds join the throng...

..including a puffin rather late
on the scene.

While all over the colony,
birds are settling in,

he faces an uphill struggle.

With 8,000 puffins
nesting on Hornoya,

the slopes are already crowded.

He must navigate

through this increasingly
fractious crowd

to his old nest hole.

With burrows always in short supply,

everyone is ready to
defend their patch.

He keeps his head down,

hoping to avoid any trouble.

But he's unwittingly strayed
into dangerous territory.

A gaping beak is a warning.

And the wider the beak,
the angrier the puffin.

And puffins fight dirty.

His burrow is up there but,
without reclaiming it,

his chances of nesting
this year are over.

Dusting himself off,
he tries again.

He spots a familiar landmark.

His mate has beaten him home.

And she's already taken
possession of their old burrow.

Life this far north is never
predictable but, reunited,

they now have a fighting
chance of raising a chick.

Just when this coastline seems
at its most inhospitable...

..its greatest secret is
hidden beneath the waves.

In the darkest months,
Atlantic herring migrate

into the northern fjords to escape
the worst Arctic weather.

A single shoal can contain
three billion fish.

Such abundance does
not go unnoticed.

Orca, killer whales.

In a deadly game of hide and seek,

they use echolocation to track
down the big herring shoals.

Following in their wake is biologist
and photographer Audun Rikardsen.

He's spent years piecing together

the lives of these
formidable predators.

And he takes a very
hands-on approach.

If you are a visitor in their world
and if you go down there,

then you can really
feel the contact.

And those moments
are really precious.

You can imagine what they do beneath
the surface but, to really see

what's happening here,
you have to go underwater.

For me, that's crucial, both
as a scientist and as a nature

photographer, where you can
use your picture to tell

better your research and
you can use your research

to take better pictures.

One herring isn't even a
bite-sized snack for an orca.

But here, these clever whales
have developed a unique hunting

technique to turn an appetiser...

..into a feast.

It's called carousel hunting.

Operating as a pack, they go
to work, coordinating their attack

with pulsing calls.

In fact, it's the older females,
the grandmothers, that are the boss

in these family groups.

They know exactly what they should
do when they work together.

ORCA CALLS

Using air bubbles and belly flashes,

they herd the fish into a
tight ball and drive them

towards the surface.

ORCA CALLS

While some corral the fish, others
drive into the swirling mass,

whipping their tail
to stun the herring.

Then each is delicately
eaten one at a time.

But orca aren't the only
clever predators here.

Humpback whales have begun
tracking the orca's every move.

By listening in on their calls,

they know when a shoal
has been rounded up.

And that's their cue to muscle
in, rising from below to engulf

hundreds of fish in
a single mouthful.

WHALES BRAY

In response...

..the orca have started
eavesdropping

on other herring hunters.

From miles away, they have
learned to tune in to the noise

of fishing machinery.

A trawler's winch is
like a dinner bell.

The fishermen work at nights
when the herring rise

up from the deep.

The nets are already full,
but the orca are patient.

As the catch is hauled aboard...

..any strays and spills
are easy pickings.

There's not enough to
satisfy a humpback,

so the orca feed undisturbed.

Well, almost.

Audun has caught up with the orca.

Their presence around the trawlers
gives him the perfect opportunity

to delve deeper
into their changing world.

So, what we want to do is to follow
constantly and see what they do.

And doing that, you have to have
a tag on, a satellite tag.

These are going to report positions
for hopefully up to three months.

So then we can follow the herring
and we can see if these killer

whales are following the same
pattern as the herring.

OK. OK. Let's get it up.

Success will take
patience and skill.

Yes!

CHEERING

That was good.
That was really good.

The tracker allows Audun to see
just how much the orca depend

on the herring
during their migration

through these northern seas.

There's no-one that's better than
the orcas to follow the herring.

So, if you have a good overview
of the migration of the killer

whales, you will also have a good
overview of the change in migration

patterns of herring, which is
important for conservation.

Over the last 20 years, orca have
followed the main herring shoals

as they've shifted their winter base
almost 200 miles further north...

..a move coinciding with a one
degree Celsius rise in the average

sea temperatures here.

To survive on this unpredictable
coast has always demanded

adaptability and resilience.

In a warming world, these qualities
will be tested as never before...

..as all face up to
the latest challenges

on Scandinavia's wild frontier.

Over an eventful year,

the Wild Scandinavia crew filmed
along an epic coastline.

But to capture the drama of puffin
life, they had to travel to Hornoya,

off Norway's Arctic coast.

Made it! Woo!

The crew must carry everything
they need for the next 12 days

up to their base at
the island's lighthouse.

Incredibly grateful for the guys
from the Norwegian Army,

who have come over to help us
move this kit. Come on, hurry up!

Each day, the team must hike
down the icy path to the bottom

of the bird cliff.

But on this wild coast, the
weather is constantly changing.

A storm is never far away.

Puffin spotting in
the snow in a blizzard.

The conditions are putting
off most of the birds.

But a hardy few are brave
enough to endure the storm.

We've got puffins on the ground.

But they don't seem to be
in the mood for fighting.

Wind has really gotten
strong this afternoon,

so we're going to pack
it in and call it a day.

Buffeting winds make the icy
path even more treacherous...

..and it's a long drop
down the sheer cliff...

..a close call and an exhausting
walk back to the lighthouse.

All the team can do is watch...

..and wait.

Finally, the storm subsides.

Can't believe it.

At the moment, there's
I don't know how many birds,

but it's just a cloud of guillemots
going around in a big circle.

It looks like a huge, chaotic
roller disco in the sky.

And they're not alone.

We've got puffins.

They just keep coming.

Within the space of about half an
hour, almost the entire population

has landed on the cliffs.

With the puffins now on the slopes
in numbers, Jesse begins to get

a taste of their
charming personalities.

There's lots and lots of
interactions between the birds.

They're sort of strolling around,
either in pairs or...

Urgh! Oh, no!

Right in my mouth. There's a lot of
birds flying over and I opened my

mouth at the wrong moment.

HE COUGHS

It soon becomes clear why the birds
keep flushing off the cliff

and over the crew's heads.

There's two white-tailed eagles
hunting on the cliff above us.

Eagles pose a very real
threat to the birds here.

But they're not the biggest
challenge they face.

No-one understands this better
than scientist Tone Reiertsen,

who has been studying the birds
here for almost 20 years.

It's worrying to see these warning
signs now that things are changing.

The puffins, they tend
to arrive earlier and earlier

and this is linked to the
rising sea temperatures.

It looks like the Barents Sea
has risen by one degree,

which doesn't sound very much,
but it can have quite dramatic

consequences. The food and
everything for the whole

marine ecosystem, actually.

So, if the food changes,
then they simply cannot bring

up a chick.

We focus on trying to understand
how they are adapting and how much

they are capable of adapting,
but there is so little we know yet.

We need to find out more.
We are running out of time.

As the puffins stake out
their old nests, Jesse is finally

able to film the battles for burrows
that the team came here to witness.

Having had no fights
for days and days,

it's all kicking off today.

And you just saw it there.
I mean, amazing.

And they're really going for it.

Oh, another fight! Another fight!

Slow motion reveals just how
intense these fights are.

You see, sometimes they grab bills.

One of them does a karate kick
right in the other guy's eye.

But even with many burrows
still buried, Jesse's noticed

they still seem to know
where to find them.

They kind of walk around a bit.

They're orienting themselves
and trying to work out exactly

where their burrow
is under the snow.

Yeah, puffins, like
all other sea birds,

they have an enormously good sense

of space so that, when they come
back, even if there is one metre

of snow, they know exactly -
this is my spot.

It seems to me like a really
silly thing to do for a bird

to have a fight on a cliff.

The value of the nest site
is very important for them.

These are very aggressive
birds, actually.

I used to call them the most
angry birds in the world!

After a punishing start, the birds
have made a powerful impression

on this team. They're really
magical little things.

I'm not sure I like them very much.
Quite aggressive, but they are cool,

you've got to admire them.

I've never been to anywhere with
so many birds. It feels so alive.

But, sadly, the truth is
that life for these birds

is becoming increasingly
unpredictable.

And I just hope that we can slow
that process down so that these

amazing birds have time
to adapt because places

like this are just
too precious to lose.

Next time, we explore
the magical forests...

..and the labyrinth of waterways

that are the heartlands
of Scandinavia.

A secret world where ancient
alliances connect all life...

..as animals and people
face the trials

of the ever-changing seasons.