All language subtitles for BBC.Life.In.The.Air.Series.1.2of3.Masters.Of.The.Sky.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

af Afrikaans
ak Akan
sq Albanian
am Amharic
ar Arabic
hy Armenian
az Azerbaijani
eu Basque
be Belarusian
bem Bemba
bn Bengali
bh Bihari
bs Bosnian
br Breton
bg Bulgarian
km Cambodian
ca Catalan
chr Cherokee
ny Chichewa
zh-CN Chinese (Simplified)
zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)
co Corsican
hr Croatian
cs Czech
da Danish
nl Dutch
en English
eo Esperanto
et Estonian
ee Ewe
fo Faroese
tl Filipino
fi Finnish
fr French
fy Frisian
gaa Ga
gl Galician
ka Georgian
de German
el Greek
gn Guarani
gu Gujarati
ht Haitian Creole
ha Hausa
haw Hawaiian
iw Hebrew
hi Hindi
hu Hungarian
is Icelandic
ig Igbo
id Indonesian
ia Interlingua
ga Irish
it Italian
ja Japanese
jw Javanese
kn Kannada
kk Kazakh
rw Kinyarwanda
rn Kirundi
kg Kongo
ko Korean
kri Krio (Sierra Leone)
ku Kurdish
ckb Kurdish (Soranî)
ky Kyrgyz
lo Laothian
la Latin
lv Latvian
ln Lingala
lt Lithuanian
loz Lozi
lg Luganda
ach Luo
mk Macedonian
mg Malagasy
ms Malay
ml Malayalam
mt Maltese
mi Maori
mr Marathi
mfe Mauritian Creole
mo Moldavian
mn Mongolian
sr-ME Montenegrin
ne Nepali
pcm Nigerian Pidgin
nso Northern Sotho
no Norwegian
nn Norwegian (Nynorsk)
oc Occitan
or Oriya
om Oromo
ps Pashto
fa Persian
pl Polish
pt-BR Portuguese (Brazil)
pt-PT Portuguese (Portugal)
pa Punjabi
qu Quechua
ro Romanian
rm Romansh
nyn Runyakitara
ru Russian
gd Scots Gaelic
sr Serbian
sh Serbo-Croatian
st Sesotho
tn Setswana
crs Seychellois Creole
sn Shona
sd Sindhi
si Sinhalese
sk Slovak
sl Slovenian
so Somali
es Spanish
es-419 Spanish (Latin American)
su Sundanese
sw Swahili
sv Swedish
tg Tajik
ta Tamil
tt Tatar
te Telugu
th Thai
ti Tigrinya
to Tonga
lua Tshiluba
tum Tumbuka
tr Turkish
tk Turkmen
tw Twi
ug Uighur
uk Ukrainian
ur Urdu
uz Uzbek
vi Vietnamese
cy Welsh
wo Wolof
xh Xhosa
yi Yiddish
yo Yoruba
zu Zulu
Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:09,120 The sky is one of the most challenging places to live. 2 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,920 But all across the world, extraordinary animals do 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,640 something we can only dream of... 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,040 ..take to the air. 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,800 Some spend their whole lives up here. 6 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,760 Others only visit for a moment. 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,520 We'll discover how many incredible animals thrive in the sky... 8 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,360 ..and what clever tricks they use to get airborne. 9 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,600 With the help of some specially trained animals, 10 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,160 the latest technology and special effects techniques, 11 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,160 we'll reveal brand-new discoveries 12 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,800 that explain how animals take to the skies. 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,960 This is Life In The Air. 14 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,920 It's one thing to take to the air 15 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,640 and let gravity do the rest... 16 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,440 ..but to stay airborne, 17 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,000 to master true flight, 18 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,800 you need to push the laws of physics right to the very edge... 19 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,640 ..using power, speed, 20 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,400 agility, endurance 21 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:43,960 and acceleration. 22 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,160 These are the masters of the sky. 23 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,480 Meet the whooper swan, 24 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,320 one of the largest and heaviest of all flying creatures. 25 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,200 Every year, families fly enormous distances, 26 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,520 migrating between vital feeding and breeding areas. 27 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,320 But weighing a whopping 14 kilos, 28 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,520 how are swans able to fly at all... 29 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,040 ..let alone so far? 30 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,160 To push the limits of what's possible in the air 31 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,800 they need strength - and lots of it - every day. 32 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,960 To fuel their huge bodies, swans need to eat 33 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,960 over a kilogram of vegetation a day. 34 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,440 They're constantly in search of enough food to survive. 35 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,160 And that means flying. 36 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,440 But when you're this size, just taking off 37 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,600 is nearly impossible and requires some very clever techniques. 38 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,600 So, how does he do it? 39 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,920 To get airborne, he's going to need raw power... 40 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,640 ..and apply it in a very precise way. 41 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,680 First, he must break free of the water, 42 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,400 but it clings to his body, holding him back. 43 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,600 His huge webbed feet need to drive him upwards and forwards. 44 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,080 Now his gigantic metre-long wings can move freely. 45 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,720 They push air down and back, delivering yet more power 46 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,480 to accelerate him further. 47 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,120 Wings and feet work together to give him the speed he needs to take off. 48 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,880 Once at this speed, 49 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,400 the air is moving fast enough over his wings to create a huge 50 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,280 upward force called lift. 51 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:58,680 This fights the downward pull of gravity. 52 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,960 So how is lift created? 53 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,840 The special shape of his wing, known as an aerofoil, 54 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,680 causes air to flow differently above and below his wing, 55 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,880 and this affects its pressure. 56 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,120 With low pressure above and high pressure below, 57 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,040 the wing is pushed upwards. 58 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,120 The faster the swan goes, the more air flows over the wing, 59 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,240 and that creates more lift. 60 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,880 He needs to reach 21 kilometres an hour, 61 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,040 the critical speed where lift cancels out gravity altogether. 62 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,840 Then it's undercarriage up, and we have takeoff. 63 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,320 For such a huge bird to take to the sky, 64 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,880 everything must come together in one explosive moment 65 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,040 that lasts just a few seconds. 66 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,080 Once he's really flying, the same air that helped him 67 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,720 get up here gives him a new challenge. 68 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,200 As he powers forwards, the air pushes him back, 69 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,200 a force known as drag, 70 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,560 slowing him down and reducing the lift in his wings. 71 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,800 By beating his wings, he creates a constant source of power 72 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,520 to maintain air speed. 73 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,600 Without this thrust, he would soon slow to a standstill... 74 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,400 ..and literally drop out of the sky. 75 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,720 So swans must keep flapping, 76 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,040 all the way to their new feeding grounds. 77 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,880 All flying animals have to wrestle the powerful conflicting forces 78 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:26,320 of gravity, lift and drag, 79 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,880 but the faster they go, the thicker the oncoming air feels, 80 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,600 and drag becomes an ever bigger problem. 81 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:38,960 So what if you're one of the fastest animals on the planet, 82 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:43,320 and you're moving at more than 320 kilometres an hour? 83 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,400 The peregrine falcon. 84 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,640 Its breakneck speed gives it the edge to surprise 85 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,760 and strike its prey with devastating force. 86 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,440 It's spring here in California, 87 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,320 and a pair of peregrines has a new family, 88 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:23,920 and with it, a new problem. 89 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,600 At four weeks old, each ravenous chick eats more than an adult, 90 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,120 so both parents need to hunt successfully every day. 91 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,920 Feeding their growing youngsters is a full time job. 92 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,720 So what is it about peregrines that makes them 93 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,920 so much faster than almost any other animal on the planet? 94 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,800 They've got flying at speed perfected, 95 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:02,720 down to the tiniest detail. 96 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,760 See-through eyelids stop their eyes drying out... 97 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,600 ..and specially shaped nostrils 98 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,800 slow down the air to make breathing possible at high speed. 99 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:20,320 When off on a hunt, 100 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,800 a peregrine uses updrafts from the cliff face to gain height. 101 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,640 Up here, it can spot potential prey. 102 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,640 And when it does, it starts a specialist dive, 103 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,000 known as a stoop. 104 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,000 A few deep wing strokes help it accelerate 105 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,200 to 190 kilometres an hour. 106 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,360 At this speed, oncoming air smashes into every part 107 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,680 of the peregrine's body, slowing it down. 108 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,480 By tucking in its wings, the falcon can slip through the air 109 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,160 that much easier 110 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,040 so now 240 kilometres an hour becomes possible. 111 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:22,600 But the faster you go, the more of a problem drag becomes. 112 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,760 At top speeds, every bump on a bird's body will disturb the air 113 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,640 flowing over it, 114 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,320 and this turbulence slows the peregrine down. 115 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:42,200 But that same turbulence makes special feathers pop up over 116 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,480 the peregrine's back, 117 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,440 and this pulls the air back into line 118 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,760 so it flows smoothly over its body again. 119 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:55,560 With drag minimised, peregrines can top 320 kilometres an hour. 120 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:05,040 At this speed, they can cover the length of a football pitch 121 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:06,200 in only a second. 122 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:15,040 This sheer, unadulterated speed makes them masters of aerial attack. 123 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,680 Top-gun skills allow these falcon parents to keep their chicks fed. 124 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,600 But these same skills also allow them 125 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,560 to protect the chicks from anything they think might attack the nest. 126 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,240 They really don't like intruders. 127 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,640 At the slightest hint of a threat, 128 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,400 the falcons will scramble and intercept in seconds. 129 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,920 The falcon may be smaller and less powerful than many of her targets, 130 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,120 but pure speed gives her the edge to harass 131 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,760 and then escape before they can react. 132 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,040 Pelicans are ten times her size, 133 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,280 and here's a whole squadron of them. 134 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,040 But size is no match for precision, high-speed flying. 135 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,080 Each attack aims to disrupt the pelican's own flight. 136 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,680 Just jerking their head to one side is all it takes to send 137 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:56,400 the pelican out of control. 138 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:12,000 Meanwhile, her own high-speed, top-gun skills 139 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,600 keep her out of harm's way. 140 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:28,200 Speed helps a peregrine mother own the skies around her nest. 141 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,120 But what if you're a high-speed hunter 142 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:39,000 and you don't have big, wide open airspaces to fly in? 143 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,760 What if you lived in an English country garden? 144 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,280 Flying fast, close to the ground, 145 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,000 and around a veritable assault course of obstacles... 146 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,320 ..there's a skilful hunter that does just this. 147 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:09,920 Meet the master of high-speed aerial agility - the sparrow hawk. 148 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:15,920 As his name suggests, 149 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,760 this pocket-sized predator hunts small birds, 150 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,640 using surprise as his strategy. 151 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:24,960 And this is how it works. 152 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:32,280 The targets are right in the middle of a garden over 50 metres away, 153 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,880 with escape routes in all directions. 154 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,880 He'll need to use as much cover as possible to hide his approach. 155 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,440 And by knowing every tree and shrub in his territory, 156 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,320 he can pick the perfect route - 157 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:49,720 skimming hedges 158 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,840 and hurtling through the undergrowth to maximise the element of surprise. 159 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,680 But there could be 20 pairs of eyes on the lookout. 160 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,560 And if any of them spot him, they'll sound the alarm. 161 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,880 Nine out of ten sparrow hawk hunts fail because of this, 162 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,800 so he's got to be fast and agile, 163 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,400 and strike in just four seconds. 164 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:28,600 Few flying creatures can do this. 165 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,280 But then few have the sparrow hawk's supreme flying abilities. 166 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,960 He has explosive acceleration. 167 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,360 Long legs fire him out of the blocks. 168 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,920 Short, rounded wings powerfully scoop up the air, driving 169 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,080 his lightweight body forwards 170 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,040 to hit attack speed in under two seconds. 171 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,440 Now at speed, he keeps a low profile, hugging the ground. 172 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,720 This low position gives him an extra advantage. 173 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,680 The air is squeezed between his wings and the ground, 174 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,400 giving him a high pressure air cushion to ride on. 175 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,880 This keeps him airborne and saves valuable energy. 176 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,840 But hurtling along at 50 kilometres an hour gives him 177 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,640 just hundredths of a second to avoid a collision. 178 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,280 Short wings are pulled in to pass through the tiniest gaps. 179 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,120 A long tail does the steering, constantly making fine adjustments. 180 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,960 And when he needs to turn sharply, 181 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,720 he slams on the brakes by fanning it out. 182 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:20,640 As he gets closer, precision flying becomes critical. 183 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,640 He needs to stay hidden until the very last moment. 184 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,720 The last thing a garden bird might see...is this. 185 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,720 It's all over in seconds. 186 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,240 The sparrow hawk masters the skies with speed and agility, 187 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,800 but what if you have neither speed nor agility? 188 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,240 There's a creature that's so slow and clumsy 189 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,960 many would doubt it could fly at all. 190 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,520 And yet, it performs the seemingly impossible. 191 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,520 The Japanese rhinoceros beetle is covered in protective armour. 192 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,880 In the world of beetles, he's a colossus, 193 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,320 weighing a hefty 10g. 194 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:51,000 He's on a mission to find a mate, and she could be miles away. 195 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:57,400 He doesn't have long, and it's too far to walk. 196 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,600 So he has to fly. 197 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,240 But attempting to fly whilst carrying all that heavy body armour, 198 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:09,800 he's going to need a combination of power and some extreme moves. 199 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,160 So how does such a huge beetle stay airborne? 200 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,880 He has a special flight technique, 201 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,160 very different to that of most birds. 202 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,840 Slowed down, you can see that he twists his wing at the base. 203 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,280 We need a special flight laboratory to see how this helps. 204 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,400 Now we can see just how the air moves around the beetle's wing. 205 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:13,400 Those mini tornadoes spinning off the wing show where 206 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,840 the beetle is pushing the air back, thrusting him forwards. 207 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:25,400 And because it's being pushed down, we know he's also producing lift. 208 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,000 So far, that's much like a bird. 209 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,440 But critically, by twisting his wings at the base, 210 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,200 he can also push air backwards as they move back up. 211 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,160 And there's the proof. 212 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,320 This gives him thrust on both the down stroke and the upstroke, 213 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,320 and that's something that most birds can't do. 214 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,920 But he doesn't leave it there. 215 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,040 Even his armoured wing cases are working in his favour, 216 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,920 forcing air down to create even more lift. 217 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,960 So he effectively has an extra pair of wings. 218 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,760 This magnificent beetle is a flying marvel. 219 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,360 His clever wings give him the extra lift 220 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:34,280 and thrust that he needs to cruise at nearly 15 kilometres an hour. 221 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:37,960 He's hardly a boy racer, 222 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,240 nor is a he a long-distance flyer, 223 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,840 but he can cover half a kilometre in a night. 224 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,200 And in a jungle, that's enough to find a female. 225 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,280 This huge beetle's flying mission may have seemed impossible, 226 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:53,920 but it's worth the effort. 227 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,920 Special wings that rotate at the base 228 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,240 allow the beetle to get more from the air around him, 229 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,480 keeping him airborne, albeit, rather clumsily. 230 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,040 But in Central America, there are other creatures who have 231 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,400 taken this to the next level 232 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,360 using this technique to fly in almost any direction 233 00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:20,520 with ultimate precision. 234 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,120 They're not insects but tiny birds. 235 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,160 Hummingbirds, each the size of your little finger. 236 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,880 To the human eye, their flight is no more than a blur. 237 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,360 It's only when slowed down 50 times you can appreciate 238 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:01,160 their incredible control. 239 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,800 So, why are hummingbirds so special? 240 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,200 This is one of the world's most spectacular flyers, 241 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,200 a booted racket-tail hummingbird. 242 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,320 On the face of it, he's got it made. 243 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,800 Here in Ecuador, his forest home is full of flowers, 244 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,560 each with sugar-rich nectar hidden inside. 245 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,920 But he has a problem. 246 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,480 These flowers don't provide perches, 247 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,120 neither do they make nectar easy to get at. 248 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,480 Now the hummingbird's extraordinary flight technique starts to 249 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:09,520 makes sense. 250 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,640 It hovers so it can move its needle-like beak into position 251 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,160 with surgical precision. 252 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:21,200 Running down the inside of the beak, 253 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,520 a forked tongue laps up the nectar at up to 13 times a second. 254 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,360 But just performing a simple hover breaks all the rules 255 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:34,800 of traditional flight, so how does he do it? 256 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,800 It's a technique similar to the beetle's, 257 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:41,920 but impossible for other birds, 258 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,760 and requires a very special pair of wings. 259 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,080 They're short and stiff to cope with the stress of beating 260 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:53,560 at up to 80 times a second. 261 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,920 But it's how a hummingbird beats its wings that allows it to hover. 262 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,640 On close inspection, the wing tips move in a figure of eight. 263 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,360 A unique wrist joint means the wing can rotate through up 264 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:20,920 to 140 degrees... 265 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,560 ..so he can thrust air down and back 266 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,920 not only on the down stroke but also on the upstroke. 267 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:31,840 That gets him hovering. 268 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:40,080 By having constant power, he can also make tiny adjustments 269 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,560 throughout the wing beat, and this gives him more control. 270 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,000 Added precision comes from the way he rolls his body, 271 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,680 instantly changing the angle he's pushing at. 272 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,320 With incredible wings like these, he can fly forwards, left, 273 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,040 right, even backwards. 274 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:12,160 This gives him the power and control he needs to get at the nectar 275 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:13,880 and move between the flowers. 276 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,640 But this super powered flying ability comes at a huge cost. 277 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,920 A thermal camera shows just how much heat is given off when hovering. 278 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,240 This heat is just a fraction of the energy that a hummingbird 279 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:32,800 needs to stay airborne. 280 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:38,000 Hovering burns far more calories than any other form of flight. 281 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,080 To provide his muscles with enough oxygen, 282 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,160 his heart has to beat at 20 times a second, 283 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,840 and he needs to drink his body weight in sugary nectar every day. 284 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:59,080 In fact, this tiny little bird has the highest metabolism 285 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:00,840 of any warm-blooded animal. 286 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:13,600 So our hummingbird might have the ultimate control in the air, 287 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,120 but he'll always be a slave to his uniquely manic lifestyle. 288 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,320 Trapped in a world where he needs to hover to feed 289 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,560 and needs to feed to hover. 290 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,760 Hummingbirds can afford a high-energy lifestyle 291 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:38,960 because food is always close by. 292 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:45,760 But what if your next meal is hundreds of kilometres away 293 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:47,760 and you have to go searching for it? 294 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,680 You're going to need a completely different flight technique. 295 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:59,440 Patrolling the ocean around South Island, New Zealand, 296 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,480 this is a royal albatross. 297 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:08,800 Albatrosses spend the vast majority of their lives out at sea. 298 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,360 The one time they need land is to nest. 299 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:27,280 This albatross is providing for one of the world's biggest chicks. 300 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,960 At two months old, her chick will eat half a kilo of fish 301 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,480 and squid in a single sitting, 302 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,760 so she'll have to travel far and push the limits of flying. 303 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,880 She's chosen to nest on this wind-blasted cliff 304 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,520 for a very good reason. 305 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,240 To take off, she spreads her three-metre wings, 306 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,880 and the cliff top wind provides the lift. 307 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,560 Ungainly on land, she is now in her element. 308 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,440 Out here, fish and squid can be extremely difficult to come by. 309 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:29,080 So a mother albatross will scour the ocean 310 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,240 for up to 1,000 kilometres a day. 311 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,280 During her lifetime, 312 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:41,600 she'll travel nearly two and a half million kilometres. 313 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,880 That's to the moon and back three times. 314 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,920 And remarkably, she can do this with barely a wing beat. 315 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,640 She's one of the world's most efficient fliers, 316 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,360 using the energy of the air just above the ocean 317 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,440 to save her own energy. 318 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,200 She's riding the air like a rollercoaster, 319 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,320 in a super efficient way. 320 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,280 But snaking from side to side like this 321 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,880 seems to make no sense at all 322 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:17,080 until you understand how air behaves above water. 323 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,880 At the water surface, the air collides with the rough waves, 324 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:27,200 slowing it down to a virtual standstill. 325 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:33,760 But ten metres above the waves, the air flows that much faster. 326 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,320 It's this difference in air speed that allows the clever albatross 327 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:43,640 to fly for free. 328 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:55,160 By sweeping up and down, she can use both the fast air 329 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,160 ten metres above the waves 330 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,760 and the still air at the water's surface. 331 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:05,280 And here's where the sheer efficiency of those long, 332 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,280 narrow wings is so important. 333 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,120 As she climbs into the faster wind, 334 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,440 she can create more and more free lift. 335 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,320 Then with height on her side, she turns sharply, 336 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:24,560 and a combination of gravity and wind now slingshots her downwards 337 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,160 up to 120 kilometres an hour. 338 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,320 Known as dynamic soaring, 339 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,640 the ability to use changes in air speed like this 340 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:44,240 means that albatrosses rarely need to flap their wings. 341 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,840 This energy-saving technique allows them to travel 342 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:58,080 huge distances to find food in the open ocean. 343 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:00,880 And when you're a mother, 344 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,720 scraps from a fishing boat are too good an opportunity to miss. 345 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,640 Now full of food, an albatross's next challenge is to get home again. 346 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,800 But unlike before, when she could wander in any direction, 347 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,160 she must now fly directly back to her chick, 348 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,040 even if that means heading straight into the wind. 349 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:39,040 Once again, she reads the air in front of her 350 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,320 and uses its movement to her advantage. 351 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,800 Albatrosses use a special organ hidden inside their nostrils 352 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,600 to constantly measure tiny changes in air speed. 353 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,600 This guides her to pockets of still air behind each wave. 354 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,240 Flying is much easier here. 355 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,520 And when she needs extra lift, 356 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:16,800 she can even seek out upwards moving air that flows over each wave crest. 357 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:27,520 This way, she can fly all the way home really efficiently, 358 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:28,840 even against the wind. 359 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,720 The chick gets fed because its mother can read the air 360 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:44,360 and ride it effortlessly. 361 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,480 In six months, it will be doing the same. 362 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,480 The albatross's ability to fly far in search of food allows it 363 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,640 to exploit the patchy resources of the Southern Ocean. 364 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:04,680 But they aren't the only creatures 365 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,760 that survive by travelling huge distances. 366 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:10,920 Others move with the seasons, 367 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:13,680 flying between winter and summer homes, 368 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,400 in the biggest journey of their lives. 369 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:19,960 Migration. 370 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:24,520 Over thousands of kilometres, 371 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:28,720 across countries, sometimes even entire continents. 372 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:38,000 Insects, bats and birds all make these journeys to find food, 373 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,880 and breed as the seasons change. 374 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,560 These are some of the toughest physical challenges 375 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,920 any animal undertakes. 376 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:57,640 Many die en route, and exhaustion is the biggest killer. 377 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:04,200 So any way that you can save energy might save your life. 378 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:14,240 There's one animal that that flies with incredible efficiency, 379 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,320 not on its own but as a team. 380 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:24,440 European cranes migrate nearly 3,000 kilometres every year 381 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,680 between their wintering grounds in Spain 382 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:28,880 and their summer home in Scandinavia. 383 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,760 These cranes travel together as a family, 384 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,200 with the chicks learning from their parents. 385 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,920 It's how they fly as a group that's going to give them 386 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,400 all a crucial advantage on their long and arduous journey. 387 00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:50,200 Adult pairs mate for life, 388 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,880 and they dance together every year to strengthen family bonds. 389 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:01,800 THEY WARBLE 390 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,200 This is no frivolity. 391 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,560 How they bond and work together might make the difference 392 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:24,480 between life and death, particularly for the youngsters. 393 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,640 To understand how teamwork helps them, 394 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,880 we need to see the world from a crane's perspective. 395 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,520 Cranes are relatively large and heavy birds, 396 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,560 yet they'll fly multiple marathons in just one day. 397 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:51,200 This burns a lot of energy. 398 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:56,680 Like albatrosses, they're going to have to fly efficiently 399 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,760 if they're going to make the distance. 400 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:01,600 But unlike albatrosses, 401 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,760 cranes can't rely on saving energy by soaring all the time. 402 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,760 To make this journey, 403 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,160 they will need to flap their wings hard... 404 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,440 ..so they make every flap count by working together, 405 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,000 and that means formation flying. 406 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,520 All crane species will fly in the same ingenious way. 407 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:42,520 Each flock member flies 408 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:46,440 slightly behind and slightly to the side of the bird in front, 409 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:48,800 creating a characteristic V shape. 410 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,520 But each bird must be positioned exactly 411 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,520 if the teamwork is going to pay off. 412 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,440 To understand why, we need to see how the air moves 413 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,400 around a crane wing in flight. 414 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:12,120 Each bird leaves a wake in the air behind it. 415 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,600 A tube of spiralling air trailing behind the wing tip 416 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,400 still contains energy from the bird's last flap. 417 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:23,440 If the bird behind gets in the right position, 418 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:27,040 it can use the upward motion of the spiral to keep itself up, 419 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,520 and therefore save its own energy. 420 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:35,960 So one flap can be used by more than one bird, 421 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,360 they're literally sharing the load. 422 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:49,960 Formation flying could save each bird in the team 423 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,560 over 10% of its energy. 424 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,640 On a long migration, this could make the difference 425 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:57,760 between success and failure. 426 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:09,360 The leader of the V formation has to work the hardest, 427 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,840 with no energy to inherit from the birds in front of it, 428 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:15,560 so the cranes take it in turn to lead 429 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,160 and share the work around the team. 430 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,800 They also share their knowledge. 431 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:27,760 Youngsters learn the migration route from their parents, 432 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:31,120 so eventually they'll be able to lead a family of their own. 433 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:38,160 Cranes may not be the strongest or the fastest flyers, 434 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,840 but their technique as a team 435 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,520 gets them to their breeding grounds each year. 436 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,480 Formation flying is used by many birds, 437 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,400 it's an energy-saving trick that makes long distances 438 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:56,800 that little bit easier. 439 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,120 Many flying creatures have one particular flying skill that 440 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:09,920 gives them an edge. 441 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:14,440 But perfecting one skill means you might not be so good at others. 442 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:21,440 When you're built for speed, it's difficult to be an acrobat. 443 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,920 Amazing acceleration burns energy, 444 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,800 but that's no good if you're a long distance flyer. 445 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:41,320 And if you need to power a large body into the air, 446 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,680 being manoeuvrable becomes more of a challenge. 447 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,040 It can work to be a specialist, 448 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,800 but what if you need to be good at everything? 449 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:03,040 What if you need to combine many different flying skills 450 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,040 into the ultimate flying machine? 451 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,560 There are some creatures who've done just that. 452 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:14,880 They aren't birds, they aren't bugs - they're mammals. 453 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:22,760 Dawn in Texas, 454 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:25,360 and half a million Brazilian free-tailed bats 455 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:27,960 are returning home after a night out feeding. 456 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:31,480 During the next few seconds, 457 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:34,280 their flight skills will be pushed to the limits. 458 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:39,000 For these aerial masters, the last part of their journey is 459 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,960 the most dangerous. 460 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:43,680 Predatory hawks are waiting. 461 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:56,680 The bats are heading to the safety of a cave. 462 00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:00,120 Their challenge is to completely change the way they fly 463 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:01,560 more than once. 464 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:12,080 First fly fast, 465 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,280 topping a 100 kilometres an hour. 466 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,360 Next, hit the brakes as they fly into the pitch dark. 467 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:28,320 Finally, fly alongside the half a million other bats in the dark cave. 468 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:35,640 Now it's about being manoeuvrable and trying to avoid collision. 469 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,840 Within a few seconds, the bats have to perform a range of completely 470 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:47,480 different flight techniques, each of them highly specialised. 471 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:55,000 This requires incredibly versatile responsive wings. 472 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:01,080 Bats do something unique in the natural world. 473 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:05,720 They fly not with their arms but with their hands. 474 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,680 A bat's wing is a miracle of flight engineering, 475 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:15,280 complete with thumb and four fingers and self tensioning skin in-between. 476 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,240 Its shape can shift in all three dimensions 477 00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:22,480 and far more than any bird or insect. 478 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:27,840 No other wing gives this level of control. 479 00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:35,360 Innovative wing design allows the bats to cover huge distances 480 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,040 to feed, 481 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:39,800 fly fast to evade predators 482 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,400 and manoeuvre tightly in their crowded cave. 483 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:56,200 This expert flying ability allows the bats to use the caves 484 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:58,480 as giant underground nurseries. 485 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:04,520 Hundreds of thousands of baby bats huddle together for warmth. 486 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:11,640 In here, all bats are as safe as they're ever going to be. 487 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:15,240 But for the adults, that's about to change. 488 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:25,800 Outside, dusk is fast approaching, so soon the adult bats 489 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:28,120 must leave the cave again to feed for the night. 490 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:32,160 But the hawks are waiting. 491 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:35,960 The hawks can't see in the dark, 492 00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:40,160 so every second the bats stay underground gives them an advantage. 493 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,440 But sooner or later, each bat is going to have to 494 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,440 push its flying skills to the limit once more. 495 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,560 Their strategy is to emerge together giving safety in numbers - 496 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,680 an incredible feat of synchronised flying. 497 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,480 More bats swirl up from deep underground 498 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:15,360 until the cave entrance is full to bursting point. 499 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:29,640 With their wings now outstretched, they can build up speed. 500 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:38,400 Tens of thousands of bats, 501 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:41,240 all waiting until the last possible moment. 502 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:55,280 With deep powerful wing beats, 503 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:58,200 the bats can accelerate through the danger zone. 504 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:06,880 The hawks are overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, 505 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,800 their manoeuvrability and their speed. 506 00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:20,880 Now safely away from the cave, 507 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:23,960 they're free to fly as far as they need 508 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:26,080 to their night-time feeding grounds. 509 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:38,840 A radical innovation in wing design, 510 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:40,520 flying with their hands 511 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:45,400 has made bats perhaps the most versatile of all flying animals. 512 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:51,880 They're the only mammal to have truly mastered life in the air. 513 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:59,880 For all flying creatures, staying airborne is a constant challenge. 514 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,360 A life in the air requires special skills and remarkable techniques. 515 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:10,560 But if you can survive up here, 516 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:13,560 there are huge opportunities to be had, 517 00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:18,080 so every animal has its own strategy to give it an edge... 518 00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:22,120 ..as it masters the sky. 519 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:42,360 In Life In The Air, the team's mission was to reveal the incredible 520 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:46,240 abilities of airborne animals in more detail than ever before. 521 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:52,040 Weeks of patient filming allowed the team to capture real-life events, 522 00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:55,520 like peregrine falcons attacking their animal neighbours. 523 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,640 But to reveal the science behind how these animals master the skies 524 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:03,720 required additional filming tricks 525 00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:07,480 and some incredible individuals who would allow the team to capture 526 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:08,920 their unique behaviour... 527 00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:13,680 ..impossible to achieve in any other way. 528 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:18,880 To film the planet's most accomplished flyers, 529 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:20,920 the team needed to become part of their flock. 530 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:26,440 Key to their success was a unique relationship between the animals 531 00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:28,440 and the people that work with them. 532 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:32,360 The more ambitious the shoot, 533 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,400 the more important this relationship becomes, 534 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:37,800 and none presented a bigger filming challenge 535 00:48:37,800 --> 00:48:41,280 than keeping up with four tame whooper swans in Scotland 536 00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:44,560 and flying alongside a family of European cranes 537 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:46,760 high above the French countryside. 538 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:54,280 First meet Olive, Earther, Yellow and White, 539 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:56,800 and their human mum, Rose Buck. 540 00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:58,600 If their mum's here... 541 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:02,400 When the swans first hatched nine years ago, the first thing 542 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,920 they saw was Rose, so to them, she's the leader of the flock. 543 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:11,680 Rose and her husband, Lloyd, have a close bond 544 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:14,280 with over 20 different bird species... 545 00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:15,920 Oh, yes. 546 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,000 ..all film stars in their own right. 547 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:22,360 And whilst the swans are on centre stage this time, 548 00:49:22,360 --> 00:49:25,080 the whole family comes along for the ride, 549 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:27,720 including a golden eagle called Tilly. 550 00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:30,720 Basically, when we go away, they all have to go with us 551 00:49:30,720 --> 00:49:32,560 because they're like our extended family, 552 00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:34,440 and that's when they're at their happiest. 553 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:36,920 You wouldn't leave your children behind if you went away, 554 00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,320 so they expect to come with us. 555 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:43,000 The Buck family are heading to Loch Lomond in Scotland, 556 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,920 where the plan is to film alongside the swans in their natural habitat, 557 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:49,320 capturing their flight in minute detail. 558 00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:55,640 At the heart of this immense technical challenge is 559 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:58,160 a state-of-the-art stabilising system, 560 00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:00,200 to smooth out any bumps in the water... 561 00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:06,080 ..and a high-speed powerboat that can top 65 kilometres an hour. 562 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:14,040 After some final words of encouragement from Rose, 563 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,160 it's time to put the plan into action. 564 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:21,880 Let's go, go, go! 565 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:28,640 With Rose at the bow, 566 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:31,920 the swans are totally unfazed by the speeding boat, 567 00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:34,880 which is more than can be said for the director. 568 00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:37,800 It's a really difficult thing to do when 569 00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:39,200 something as amazing as this 570 00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:41,600 to be thinking about your job and the shots, 571 00:50:41,600 --> 00:50:44,480 cos it's utterly awe-inspiring. 572 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,640 Without an image stabiliser, it's virtually impossible to get 573 00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:48,960 a steady shot at speed. 574 00:50:49,960 --> 00:50:53,560 Cameraman Rob Drewett has the advantage of the stabiliser, 575 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:56,600 but wind gusts are causing him unexpected problems. 576 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:02,920 Uh... It's gone. What's happened? 577 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:06,840 As the boat hits 65 kilometres an hour, 578 00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:09,320 the stabiliser really starts to struggle. 579 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:13,880 As soon as I took it away from my body, 580 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,840 you...you felt the wind take it. 581 00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,080 The elements aren't beating the stars, 582 00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:21,680 but they're causing big problems for the technology. 583 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:23,640 Ah, it just died. 584 00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:25,560 We've got a bit of a problem. Yeah. 585 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,920 When you're pushing the limits of filming technology, 586 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:36,000 sometimes you really need to think on your feet. 587 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:40,000 We're now having to go to new extremes to try and get 588 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:42,160 our equipment working well, 589 00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:44,640 and we...we're going to use a dustbin! 590 00:51:44,640 --> 00:51:48,120 With a rather unorthodox wind guard taking shape, 591 00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:50,320 there's nothing the Buck family can do, 592 00:51:50,320 --> 00:51:52,520 except indulge in some family time. 593 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:57,400 You wouldn't want to be skinny dipping! 594 00:51:57,400 --> 00:51:59,360 Gor, struth, you wouldn't. 595 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:05,080 Meanwhile, the camera crew work on into the night. 596 00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:13,360 It's the last day in Scotland, and the crew have their hopes 597 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:17,880 pinned on a £15 bin shielding a £50,000 camera system. 598 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:20,720 This is the 11th hour, 599 00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:26,080 it always seems to boil down to the last day, but that's all we've got. 600 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:30,720 Now everything needs to come together in one perfect run. 601 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:45,600 Lovely. 602 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,760 So it looks like the shroud is doing the job, which is 603 00:52:48,760 --> 00:52:52,080 brilliant cos it took us two hours last night to turn 604 00:52:52,080 --> 00:52:55,160 a dustbin into something that can make us film swans. 605 00:52:55,160 --> 00:52:57,640 Look at this! Oh, wow! 606 00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:05,480 Filming flying animals at speed has proved difficult enough on water... 607 00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:10,360 ..but it's that much harder when you take to the air 608 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:14,960 with a flock of European cranes half a mile above the Earth. 609 00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:23,440 To get a true bird's-eye view, you need a microlight, 610 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,200 a pilot with a family of friendly cranes 611 00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:28,480 and a cameraman with a head for heights. 612 00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:32,920 Like Rose is mother to her swans, 613 00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:36,680 Frenchman Christian Moullec knows each of his family by name. 614 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:40,160 Is this Dennis? No, no, no. Dennis, no. 615 00:53:40,160 --> 00:53:41,840 THEY LAUGH 616 00:53:41,840 --> 00:53:44,600 Christian has been working with these particular birds 617 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:47,680 for two years, so when the microlight engine roars... 618 00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:50,760 ..they know it's time to fly. 619 00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,160 The cranes follow the microlight in formation, 620 00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:04,840 using the updraft from its wing to save energy. 621 00:54:08,240 --> 00:54:10,560 They're performing perfectly, 622 00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:15,000 just in completely the wrong place for cameraman Richard Cook. 623 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:18,640 Getting them away from the wing and into the right spot requires 624 00:54:18,640 --> 00:54:22,440 precision teamwork, and this is extremely difficult. 625 00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:36,720 The birds move around so much, so quickly, 626 00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:39,280 and then just trying to guess where they're going to be. 627 00:54:39,280 --> 00:54:41,280 So they drop off the wing here and they come down 628 00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:43,520 and then underneath the aircraft, up the other side. 629 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:46,960 It's very frustrating, but we will get there. 630 00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:52,720 Christian. Yes? Your birds are terrible! 631 00:54:52,720 --> 00:54:54,560 No, you are a terrible cameraman. 632 00:54:54,560 --> 00:54:56,600 RICHARD LAUGHS 633 00:54:56,600 --> 00:55:00,720 With something this complicated, there's no substitute for practise. 634 00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:04,440 But the longer you're in the air, 635 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:07,520 the more chance something very serious will go wrong. 636 00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:14,680 The engine has cut out, and with no power, 637 00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:17,960 Christian and Richard have to make an emergency landing. 638 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:27,840 It's at times like this that 25 years of experience comes 639 00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:29,120 sharply into play. 640 00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:37,360 On the final approach, they are fully committed. 641 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:46,960 Thankfully, it's a perfect touchdown. 642 00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:53,960 And the cranes don't seem to know what all the fuss is about. 643 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:57,080 We landed safely, just glided in, but there's not a lot we can do. 644 00:55:57,080 --> 00:55:59,280 As you can see, this is absolutely jammed solid. 645 00:55:59,280 --> 00:56:02,000 So we're going to take the engine apart this afternoon 646 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:03,480 and see what's broken. 647 00:56:03,480 --> 00:56:06,440 In the middle of the French countryside, any rescue, 648 00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:09,200 however unusual, is extremely welcome. 649 00:56:16,640 --> 00:56:18,680 Just looking at the top, the piston crown, 650 00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:22,080 the bit at the top, is all hammered and dented. 651 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:24,360 Anyway, it's given up. 652 00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:26,280 The engine isn't repairable, 653 00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:29,120 so the team resort to the backup microlight. 654 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:33,160 And with it comes a new dose of luck. 655 00:56:39,560 --> 00:56:42,200 With some perfect turns from Christian, 656 00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:45,720 Richard finally gets eye-to-eye with a flying flock of cranes. 657 00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:52,640 And after all they've been through, the team are truly delighted. 658 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:57,600 But even with the latest technology 659 00:56:57,600 --> 00:57:01,400 and some resourceful individuals, we only get the briefest window 660 00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:04,000 into the world of these amazing creatures. 661 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:09,440 And this only highlights just what an achievement it is 662 00:57:09,440 --> 00:57:11,960 to spend your life in the skies. 663 00:57:16,800 --> 00:57:21,000 Next time, we'll discover that the skies are crowded 664 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,680 full of creatures in a battle for survival. 665 00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:29,440 There's competition for mates, 666 00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:31,760 for food... 667 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:36,120 ..and even for life itself. 668 00:57:38,400 --> 00:57:40,800 Only the best flyers need apply. 56453

Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.