All language subtitles for Extraordinary.Birder.with.Christian.Cooper.S01E02.720p.WEB.h264-EDITH

CHRISTIAN: Damn,
look at all those Ravens!

I'm Christian Cooper
and I am a birder.

Oh, that was cool.

My dad was a biology teacher
and gave me my first pair of

binoculars when I was
about ten years old and

I never put them down.

Wow, not something
I've seen in my life.

Now I'm traveling the globe
to explore the world of birds.

That's amazing,
it's like a cloud.

And their relationship with us.

Those of us who
don't have wings.

Oh yes, oh!

And along the way,

I'll show you what I
adore about these crazy smart...

Your first look at
the outside world.

Dazzling...

It's fantabulous!

And super-powered
feathered creatures.

The things I do for the birds.

CHRISTIAN: New York City

is one of the world's
greatest metropolises.

It's a dynamic melting pot,

home to more than
eight million people

including yours truly.

New York is my birding backyard.

Oh wow!

More than 66 million visitors
come here every year to take in

this one of a kind city
but if they look up, way up,

they'll find another bustling
population in the sky.

It's beautiful birds.

The city is a
haven for birdlife,

it's waterways,
parklands, shoreline,

even its skyscraper's
make it a surprisingly ideal

habitat for birds
but it's not always easy

to make it on your own
in the big city for people

or birds and it helps to have
friends in high or low places,

depending on your perspective.

So just how do New York's
birds and people live

alongside each other?

I'm going to find out.

Hey Chris.

CHRIS: Oh, hey Chris.
So good to see you.

CHRISTIAN: Good to see you.

I've come to meet
Chris Nadareski,

a Research Scientist with
New York's Department of

Environmental Protection.

I hear you're taking me
to see the fastest animals

on the planet.

CHRIS: Oh, you've
got that right and

I have to ask you Chris,
are you afraid of heights?

CHRISTIAN: Um,
I'll manage somehow.

Today we'll be climbing high
above the city for an encounter

with one of New York's
top predators,

the Peregrine Falcon.

We're doing a nest visit on
three newly hatched chicks to

band them and do a health check.

Banding them can give us a lot
of valuable data on their

numbers and where they go
after they leave the nest

but they're only a
few days when they're

small enough to
handle but big enough to band

and today is one of them.

It's time to move.

How many breeding pairs
of Peregrines are there

in New York City?

CHRIS: Approximately 25 pair.

Probably the highest
concentration of nesting pairs

of falcons in the world.

CHRISTIAN: If you want
to see falcons up close,

you've got to go up as
high as they do and that means

heading up to a nest at
the top of-of New York's

iconic and towering 60 story
George Washington Bridge.

So, how high are we going?

CHRIS: The top of the
George Washington Bridge

stands about 600 feet,

we're going to be
about 500 feet where the

falcons' nest is.

CHRISTIAN: That looks tall.

Getting up to the top of
the massive steel tower is

no easy feat.

This bridge is the busiest
commuter bridge in the world

and we have to shut down a
lane of traffic just to get

to the elevator.

Chris is the city's
Peregrine Falcon guy and

for him, this is
just another day at the office.

(nervous laugh)

Oh boy!

CHRIS: Yeah,
just don't look down.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, too late.
Way too late.

For me, not so much.

Fortunately the birds are there
to distract me from my fears.

Oh wow!
This is now officially cool.

We're basically at the level
of the Peregrine Falcon and

this huge female is zooming
in and out of this structure,

screaming her head off
because we're messing with her

kids and she's coming way close.

The majestic Peregrine Falcon
is the ultimate flying

and hunting machine.

It's the
Velociraptor of the air,

capable of speeds greater
than 200 miles per hour.

It loves the towering
skyscrapers and bridges of the

city which are kind of
like the cliff ledges they nest

on in the wild.

You throw in a ton of
plump and tasty pigeons and

it's pretty obvious
why they've become the

boss of New York skies.

CHRIS: Just make sure you don't
lean your head out too far.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, she
might take a swipe at me.

CHRIS: She might take a
swipe because we're right

near the falcon's
nest right now.

CHRISTIAN: That's the
nest up there, the box.

CHRIS: Yeah and the female,

she's about a third
larger than the male and

a lot more aggressive.

CHRISTIAN: Oh man!
CHRIS: Here she comes.

Hi guys.

We have a surprise Chris,
four babies.

CHRISTIAN: Four chicks.
CHRIS: These are the babies.

CHRISTIAN: Look at him.

I don't know how he does this
because he's balancing on the

very tip of a ladder.

At the same time, he's got
to like delicately take this

ball of puff and get
it into the carrier.

Mom is not happy right now and
she's going to let him know it.

But the Falcon parents
aren't the only birds Chris

has to be careful with.

Hi, hi little fellas.

With every step,

he has to pay close
attention so he doesn't

do anything that could possibly
harm these precious birds.

CHRIS: So Chris what I'm going
to ask you to do is put down

the bird band information.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

CHRIS: These bands are reported
to the Federal Government.

Anyone who reports it can
get the information about where

this bird was banded,
what year and who banded it.

CHRISTIAN: He's never
been out the nest before.

CHRIS: That's right,
that's right.

The talons, the claws,
they are razor sharp.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, look at that.

CHRIS: And you can see
here how the wings are just

starting to develop.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.
CHRIS: The flight feathers.

This particular bird's going to
have between a three and three

and a half foot wingspan
from tip to tip in about

three weeks from now.

CHRISTIAN: These guys are vocal.

CHRIS: They are,
they really are.

I have a little tool that
tells me the size of the band

that I'll be putting on.

So it's a size six,
so we've got a male.

Now these bands,

they're very simply put on
with a pair of pliers.

CHRISTIAN: This is
his nerves talking.

CHRIS: If anything, it's
going to hurt me if it bites me.

CHRISTIAN: How do their
parenting skills vary?

Are they all as
aggressive as this when you

mess with their kids?

CHRIS: Every bird seems to
have a distinct personality,

sort of like people.

I have been to nest sites where
the adult female was literally

one foot from my leg while I
was sitting on a bridge girder

banding the young in a
nest without attacking me.

CHRISTIAN: So she just sat
there and kept an eye on things.

CHRIS: But then I've had
others fly right through the

ladder rungs at me.

CHRISTIAN: Damn!

CHRIS: So there's a great
variation from site to site.

CHRISTIAN: Now that the baby
Peregrine is safely banded,

it's time for his
first health checkup.

CHRIS: So what I'm going to do
is I'm going to look for any

evidence of feather lice and
whenever you're holding a bird,

you want to hold it where the
wing bends, where the bone is.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, good to know.

CHRIS: That's called
the thumb of the bird.

So I'm not seeing the feather
lice but what I need to do now

is look inside the mouth
and this is easy because

he's very vocal.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

CHRIS: And I'm looking for
any abnormalities in the mouth.

Okay, he looks very healthy,
we're going to call him Fred.

CHRISTIAN: Fred the screamer.

CHRIS: Okay, we're going
to go for our second one.

CHRISTIAN: Alright, number two.

CHRIS: The foot
looks small to me,

so I think it's another male.

CHRISTIAN: He may look
cute and fuzzy now

but in just about six weeks,

this little guy will
become one of the fastest

fiercest hunters on the planet.

CHRIS: Here at
George Washington Bridge

they'll wait for an
unsuspecting bird to fly over

the water and then
from the top of the bridge,

what they call still hunting,

the falcon will just stare
at it and then take off,

it could be a mile or two
away they'll see that bird and

then pinpoint and
pick it out of the air.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

But for now, this future
feathered hunter is just an

adorable baby bird.

CHRIS: So we got
all four young here.

So our names today.

CHRISTIAN: Fred, Francis,
Felix and Faster.

CHRIS: And in three weeks
they're going to be flying.

CHRISTIAN: Nobody
likes a doctor's office visit

but very important.

CHRIS: It is.

CHRISTIAN: In the meantime,
it's back to the nest box.

A tiny Peregrine
apartment with one of the most

breathtaking views in the city.

It's something else.

Alright mom, thank you.

We apologize for the
disturbance but it's for

their own good.

Now we're getting
out of your feathers.

Being up at 600 feet,
Peregrine Falcons live in a

completely different realm.

I got a glimpse of what it
was like to live in that realm,

so that's incredible.

Of course, not
everyone gets the chance

to see Peregrine Falcons
nesting high above the big city

but in Spring when millions
of migrating birds head up

the Atlantic Coast and stop
to rest their wings here,

they bring nature
into the lives of everyone

who lives in New York
and there's no better place

to see them than Central Park.

I'm meeting my friend,
Biologist, Jeff Corwin.

Hey Jeff.

To show him just a few of
the birds that pass through

this park and I'm
hoping we'll see some

of my favorites, Warblers.

JEFF: There he goes, a
nice Cardinal right there.

Handsome fella.

CHRISTIAN: Beautiful male.
JEFF: Is that a Flycatcher?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, blue Jay.

If you're a bird nut
like me and Jeff,

Central Park is a mecca for
seeing our feathered friends.

New York City sits on
the Atlantic flight right,

big migration point.

Birds funneling
up the East Coast,

hit New York City,
sea of concrete,

they're like, where am I
going to rest and they see

this emerald rectangle
in the middle of Manhattan and

they're like, huh!

Central Park is 843 acres
of magical bird habitat,

that's home to about
60 species year round and

that number more than
triples during Spring migration.

It was designed more than
150 years ago as a place for

tired city dwellers to
get in touch with nature and

it still serves
that purpose today.

Fortunately for me,

the park always has
great birding and today,

I've got a little bit
of an agenda.

Two things I'm really looking
for are the Mourning Warbler,

it's got a kind of a gray
head like it's in mourning and

the Blackburnian Warbler.

JEFF: That's the
piece de resistance.

CHRISTIAN: To me the
Blackburnian with that day glow

fiery orange throat,
it's just so spectacular.

It's not an easy bird to
find but we're going to give

it our best.

American Redstart just sang.

JEFF: I love the
American Redstart.

CHRISTIAN: American
Redstarts are crazy colorful,

totally hyperactive birds,

they're also Warblers
like the Blackburnian.

Tiny songbirds with
with tunes that would put

a soprano to shame.

Redstarts dart around
high up in the trees and flash

their brightest feathers
to startle their insect prey

into submission.

That can make these little
acrobats pretty tough to see.

It makes our Redstart sighting
that much more special.

See that fluttering,
these bare branches.

JEFF: Yeah, I see it,
that is such a beautiful,

beautiful bird.

One of my best moments was,
I was in the middle of the

Caribbean by myself in
a boat and this exhausted

American Redstart landed on it.

CHRISTIAN: Oh wow!

JEFF: You just realized the
battle it had to survive and it

was willing to take
that chance just to

get
some respite on the boat,

it was pretty amazing.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

Central Park is legendary among
New York birders who all have

their own stories and favorite
viewing spots but some parts of

the park are a little more
notorious than others.

JEFF: Now Chris I maybe
mistaken but this place looks

strangely familiar to me,
if not maybe awkwardly.

CHRISTIAN: Ah yes, the
site of my first viral video.

I've been coming
here for 35 years,

I have so many memories
associated with this place,

the fantastic birds I've seen.

The last thing I think
about is some stupidity

that happened here.

JEFF: You've moved on.

CHRISTIAN: This place is
about the birds and how everyone

can experience it and enjoy it.

BOTH: There's a
Robin right there.

CHRISTIAN: And also
Catbirds tend to nest in here.

When I can't spot tiny
songbirds with my eyes,

I try another tactic,
using my ears.

So hopefully if there's a
Blackburnian around I'll hear

it because I made a point
early on in my birding career

of learning their song.

JEFF: So what is the
sound of a Blackburnian?

CHRISTIAN: This is a
slowed down human imitation,

surb, surb, se, se, sey!

Really high pitched.

So I thought I heard
something up here that we

might want to check out.

JEFF: There's something
right up there.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah I see it.

There's multiple birds
up here which is good.

JEFF: Oh my gosh, is that
the Warbler right there,

I can see him go up.

CHRISTIAN: Oh we've got a
Warbler here, Magnolia Warbler,

totally exciting bird.

Vamonos, other birds to find.

So I'm hearing Cedar Waxwings.

JEFF: Over there,
he's right there.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

That was a Common Yellowthroat
that just sang, a Warbler.

It's adorable.

The male has a black mask
and it makes it look like

a little bandit.

It's not a Blackburnian
Warbler but we love it anyway.

JEFF: So there's so
much to see here Chris.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah but so
far no Blackburnian sadly.

JEFF: Where's this Blackburnian?

CHRISTIAN: This is the
ultimate humiliation for me.

I have Jeff Corwin here,

I have no
Blackburnian Warbler here.

It's time for a Hail Mary.
I've got one more idea.

Let's hope my last ditch effort
for a Blackburnian pays off.

CHRISTIAN: I'm showing off
Central Park and its amazing

birds to my friend, Biologist,
Jeff Corwin.

We've seen a lot of
birds except the one I really

want to show him.

So this is Belvedere Castle.

JEFF: Right.

CHRISTIAN: But there has been
many a year where Blackburnians

have been in these
trees and of course,

there's nothing in it today.

If I could click my fingers
and have one show up,

that would be one thing
but you know what,

that would take the fun
out of it because half the

fun of birding is you never
know what you're going to get.

Okay the Blackburnians are a
no show but the park is still

holding up its end of
the birding bargain.

Ooh, Canada Goose with goslings.

Most people don't know what
goes into keeping this park

clean for people and for birds.

So Jeff and I are going to get
our hands dirty in the heart of

the park, The Ramble, with
Foreman, Jerry Hinson.

JERRY: You said you're
going to help us out in the park

and that's great news.

JEFF: Okay.
CHRISTIAN: Alright, let's do it.

JERRY: You might get wet so
maybe some boots would be good.

JEFF: Awesome.

CHRISTIAN: This stream,
these trees,

none of it occurred naturally,

all of it was put
here on purpose.

JERRY: It all comes from
the central pipe which now

you've seen the source.

CHRISTIAN: This is not
a wild natural stream?

JEFF: It's not a natural
meandering stream.

JERRY: There was
nothing here but rocks.

CHRISTIAN: But that doesn't
mean it isn't perfect habitat

for tired birds.

JERRY: I view The Ramble as
a truck stop on their migration.

CHRISTIAN: The sound of
the water is the billboard

on the side of
that highway, saying.

JERRY: Yeah,
this is a safe area.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

JERRY: Alright, I could use
your help getting rid of the

Nut Weed along here,

it's ugly but it also
takes over the environment.

CHRISTIAN: Funnily enough,
Nut Weed was also put here on

purpose in the early days of
the park but this invasive weed

can choke out
nutritious native plants.

Because it's not native it
has very little food value.

JERRY: No food value for
insects and therefore

CHRISTIAN: And therefore very
little food value for the birds.

JERRY: Birds, yes.

CHRISTIAN: So what do you hope
will grow here in its place?

JERRY: Well, I've brought
some things that we might

put in right now.

JEFF: Okay.
CHRISTIAN: Alright, let's do it.

JERRY: Alright, okay,
I have two plants,

these are both
Red Chokeberries and

they're native shrubs.

JEFF: Chris this was
not in the brochure.

CHRISTIAN: I know.

JEFF: You promised me a
feathered spectacle and

now I get manual labor.

Someone is going
to get invoiced.

CHRISTIAN: But Jeff, by
doing this there will be

feathered spectacles
in years to come.

That looks...

JERRY: Almost perfect.
CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

JERRY: That looks
good Chris, yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Woo-hoo!

JERRY: The birds thank you
and hopefully The Ramble will

thank you as well.

JEFF: Alas, the
Blackburnian Warbler did elude

us but we had a great adventure.

Being with Chris I realize I'm
still a novice but we saw some

really cool birds.

All sorts of incredible
creatures that make this

park their home.

CHRISTIAN: New Yorkers
are known for being tough,

resourceful and independent like
the city's most famous bird,

the humble Pigeon.

There are an estimated four
million of them in the city but

even the toughest old Pigeon
needs a little help sometimes.

So I'm meeting up
with Rita McMahon,

the founder of the
Wild Bird Fund.

The city's one and only wild
bird rehabilitation center.

RITA: Hi Chris.
CHRISTIAN: Hi Rita, how are you?

RITA: Good, how are you?

CHRISTIAN: Rita loves birds
so much that when she first

started the Wild
Bird Fund in 2001,

she ran it out of her apartment.

In 2012, they opened this
facility on the Upper West Side

and she's been besties with
New York's birds ever since.

I know Pigeons, they are
iconic New York birds but

they don't come like this.

RITA: These are fancy pigeons,

bred to be extreme
in their feathers,

their beaks, their abilities.

This is Gabriel and he
was found in the Bronx and

about three weeks later,
Madame de Chantal came.

CHRISTIAN: Wow, it was fate.

RITA: And these two are married,

they're bonded,
they actually enjoy their

connubial bliss frequently.

CHRISTIAN: Okay, over share!

RITA: Gabriel is very
fierce protective of her.

No other male can
talk to De Chantal,

she is my woman and
they are really married.

The mating ritual has some
parallels in human life but

it's always the lady who
decides when it's going to

happen and it's a
little peck to the side,

another peck and he has
to come up with dinner and

then she will settle
down and that's the sign,

yes we can do it now.

It's dinner and a date.

CHRISTIAN: You heal the
birds that get brought in here?

RITA: Yes, we deal with
over 9,000 birds a year.

What we do day in
and day out

is take
care of the Feral Pigeons,

the real New Yorkers.

CHRISTIAN: Let's see

Rita introduces me to Tristan,

a wildlife rehabber
and the Wild Bird Fund's

resident pigeon whisperer.

TRISTAN: Hi Chris.
CHRISTIAN: Hi Tristan.

TRISTAN: Do you think you're
ready to handle a wild pigeon?

CHRISTIAN: Sure.

TRISTAN: So this is a new
intake that came in today.

He's what we call a stringer.

Pigeons tend to pick up on
their feet any kind of debris

that we leave behind and it
gets tangles in their digits.

CHRISTIAN: Oh wow!

TRISTAN: So I'm going to have
you soak his feet to kind of

like loosen up the strings.

CHRISTIAN: I am giving a
foot treatment to a pigeon.

Never thought I'd do
that but here I am.

TRISTAN: So I'm going to
have you hold him like this.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

TRISTAN: There we go.

So you can see the hair,
it looks like hair as opposed

to string here.

CHRISTIAN: Well this is
like better health care than

a lot of humans get.

TRISTAN: Yeah and it's free.

So now it's cushioned with the
cast padding and you know what,

he's also going to remember
you forever because pigeons can

recognize and remember faces.

CHRISTIAN: I may
have to reassess

my evaluation of pigeons,

I always thought they
were not the brightest bulbs in

the avian family.

TRISTAN: They're
super resilient birds.

People don't give
pigeons enough credit.

CHRISTIAN: Helping out
at the Wild Bird Fund

is like bird roulette,

you never know what you're
going to get next but I can't

wait to find out.

CHRISTIAN: Here at the
Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan,

founder Rita McMahon helps
any bird who comes to the door.

So even though we just
fixed up

the feet of an
injured peaceful pigeon,

we're now going to
tend to one of the city's

fiercest predators,

the American Kestrel.

Oh she is gorgeous.

RITA: Artemis is an adult
American Kestrel Falcon.

Kestrels are so well suited to
New York City because they're

sort of handy little guys and
they can nest in all different

places like within a cornice
on a building and they can

have a perfect home there.

CHRISTIAN: Look how
big her eyes are.

They don't have eye
muscles like we have because

there's no room.

They've got to move
the whole head to change

what they're looking at.

I'm moving her body
but she's keeping that

head absolutely still.

TRISTAN: She's been with
us for a few days now.

Came in as a window collision.

We treat over 1,000
window collisions a year.

CHRISTIAN: This is the
peril of New York City,

this is one of the places
where people meeting birds

is a problem.

TRISTAN: So what
I'm going to do is,

I'm going to check
her feather quality.

I'm going to
bring this wing out,

I'm just going to
check her primaries.

So these guys,
they're super fast,

they also have the greatest
call, like the hunting call.

(mimics call)

Whenever I hear that sound
I immediately have to look

out my window and
try to find them.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

TRISTAN: But yeah, she's
looking really good.

RITA: We're hoping
to actually be able to

release her this weekend,

would you like to come?

CHRISTIAN: I would love
to be there for that.

The Kestrel, she's
tiny but she's fierce,

she's got all these adaptations
that let her survive in a tough

environment and she's
a true blue New Yorker.

Rita you have been
doing this amazing work,

the birds can't
thank you but I can,

so thank you.

RITA: Thank you.

CHRISTIAN: Rita's place is
a gem but most of Manhattan

may not seem like a
bird's idea of paradise.

Sometimes though,

paradise is hiding
where you least expect it.

Right in the middle of the
city's concrete jungle there's

an extraordinary and sprawling
rooftop oasis created to make

Manhattan a more
welcoming place for birds.

I'm heading to the
Jacob Javits Center which

is this massive convention
center in midtown Manhattan,

all glass and steel and
it's also one of the most

bird friendly buildings
on the planet.

Oh wow. Look at this.

Hi Dustin.

DUSTIN: Hey Chris.

CHRISTIAN: So, I've heard
about the green roof but this

is the first time I've
actually seen the green roof.

DUSTIN: Almost seven acres
of green space up here

in the middle of Manhattan.

There's so much
insect life out here.

All the birds that
are coming through,

they're foraging,
grabbing insects as

they're moving on.

CHRISTIAN: Dustin Partridge is
a Biologist who works closely

with the Javits Center to
oversee the birds that live on

or visit this state
of the art green roof.

Oh look at all the gulls.

DUSTIN: About 300 Herring Gulls
up here right now.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

One of the first things I
learned as a kid as a birder,

there's no such
thing as a Seagull,

they're all different
kinds of gulls and none of

them are called Seagull.

Herring Gulls thrive
in New York City,

these fierce resourceful
scavengers can be found year

round at its beaches,

rivers and especially its
garbage dumps

and as anyone has
ever been to a beach knows,

there powerful jaws assure
that nothing gets between them

and their lunch.

The Javits Center is located
right off the Hudson River,

in other words it's
Herring Gull heaven but it

wasn't always such
a haven for birds.

DUSTIN: This site was
actually one of the worst sites

for killing birds in the city.

All this glass was previously
just normal glass and birds

can't perceive glass.

CHRISTIAN: What does
that mean for a bird?

DUSTIN: The birds were
literally colliding with the

building and falling as people
were entering the center,

it was really dramatic.

CHRISTIAN:
Because it's reflective,

birds can't tell glass
is a solid surface,

so the Javits Center replaced
the normal glass with bird

friendly glass that has
tiny ceramic discs that

make it visible to birds.

DUSTIN: 90% reduction
in collisions.

CHRISTIAN: 90%?

DUSTIN: 90% and now
it's entirely bird friendly.

CHRISTIAN: With the help
of New York City Audubon,

the Javits Center is now a
leading force for anyone or any

institution looking to
make changes that benefit

the birds of the city.

We passed a law here in
New York City largely based

on the Javits Center
proof of concept so that

now new buildings
have to use bird safe glass

because Manhattan is
nothing but glass towers.

DUSTIN: It is a city of glass.

We're going to do
some banding today,

do you want to join?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

DUSTIN: Yeah, it
might get a little messy.

CHRISTIAN: Messy how?

DUSTIN: Just keep your hat on.

CHRISTIAN: Gulls next in
colonies

in a wide variety
of different environments,

so they offer scientists
clues about the health of

lots of ecosystems.

So today we're going to
band a bird to collect some

important data that may help
scientists learn about where

gulls go and how their
habitats are changing.

DUSTIN: Today we're going
to be banding an adult because

it's a little bit early in
the season for chicks.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

DUSTIN: But to band
adults we need a trap.

CHRISTIAN: And I take it,
that's a trap.

DUSTIN: That's the trap.

This is Emilio our master
bander and field biologist.

CHRISTIAN: Emilio,
good to see you.

EMILIO: Hey, good to see you.

DUSTIN: We're going to
be following Emilio's lead

today with this.

EMILIO: Have you ever
held a Herring Gull?

CHRISTIAN: I'm sure
there's nothing to it.

EMILIO: Well you will remember.

She's not going
to be nice to you,

she's going to
try to bite you so.

CHRISTIAN: Okay, let's do it.

DUSTIN: Let's do it.
CHRISTIAN: I'm prepared.

EMILIO: You might need one
of these for the birds.

CHRISTIAN: I'm scared now.
Let's do it people.

DUSTIN: Alright, good luck.

CHRISTIAN: I've come to the
Jacob Javits Center's state of

the art green roof to help band
one of its 300 Herring Gulls.

DUSTIN: We need to find a
nest with three eggs in it and

they'll go back
faster into that trap,

if they're going
back to three eggs.

CHRISTIAN: Got ya!

But something tells me this
experience is going to be a

little bit more than
I bargained for.

DUSTIN: If you start hearing
some screaming and dive bombing.

CHRISTIAN: Dive bombing?

DUSTIN: They're definitely
going to dive bomb you.

CHRISTIAN: Oh!

DUSTIN: You're going to
probably get hit by a gull and

then also you're probably going
to get pooped and vomited on.

CHRISTIAN: Now I
get full disclosure.

DUSTIN: We're going
to set this here,

the parent's going to come
in, sit on that string.

CHRISTIAN: Oh and that's
going to cause the collapse

of the pole.

DUSTIN: Yeah and
it'll jump down.

So let's go hide, see if
they go back in there.

CHRISTIAN: So now
it's a waiting game.

We've got to let the
parents get comfortable enough

with the situation.

Eventually one of the
parents is going to go in,

try to sit on those eggs,
press down on that wire and.

DUSTIN: It's getting
really close.

CHRISTIAN: I feel dirty
playing this trick on this bird

but it's for its own good.

I have the feeling I'll
feel even dirtier after

I've held the bird.

The bird is in.

DUSTIN: That's good.
We're good.

CHRISTIAN: Once
the gull is caught,

it's placed in a bird
bag to help keep it calm.

It also helps us to collect
key data about the animal.

That's going to give them
the weight of the bird,

that's the first
statistic we're taking.

EMILIO: Hello. Hello.

So you can grab it like this.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

EMILIO: You're going to
feel his heart and you try

to be relaxed.

If you're relaxed
the bird is relaxed.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, okay. Alright.
Hold him by the bill.

EMILIO: Uh-huh,
okay, so hold him...

CHRISTIAN: Measuring
the size of the bill.

EMILIO: 61.7.

CHRISTIAN: I've helped band
birds before but I've never

handled a gull and I
think this guy can sense it.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, yes, you are.

EMILIO: Hold it
against your chest.

They're very strong.

CHRISTIAN: You're strong,
I'd bite me too.

So listen, we are good,
we're not going to hurt you.

EMILIO: 46, the wing.

CHRISTIAN: Ow, ow!

DUSTIN: They're opening up
crabs and shells so that's.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, he's
trying to open me up.

(grunts)

Ow!

EMILIO: Hold the head,
always, always, always.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah.

I know I was warned but
this is a bit more hands on

than I was expecting.

It hurts.

EMILIO: Just like that.

You see you thought you
had the easy part of the job.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah!

EMILIO: This is a color band,

this information's going
to help us locate the birds

wherever they are,

we're going to
know where they go.

DUSTIN: And for how
many years they come back.

So we'll forever know that
this is the one you got Chris.

EMILIO: This guy is ready to go.

You just put him on the floor,
he's going to walk away.

CHRISTIAN: He got
a last bite in too.

DUSTIN: One parting gift.

Yeah and you got bit on
the hand, bit on the face.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah, I
didn't realize a trip to the

green roof would imperil my
natural beauty but you know,

all for the birds.

Of course, gulls that
are protecting their eggs

are naturally going to be
more aggressive but there's

a good reason why the
ones at Javits Center

are especially feisty.

Some of their babies
are already here.

DUSTIN: I got reports of
some chicks hatching today so

lets go and do a
quick nest check.

So keep your eyes open.

There it is.

CHRISTIAN: Look at that.
DUSTIN: Beautiful right?

And this one is actively
pipping, can you see the bill?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

DUSTIN: Within two weeks
it will be pretty large,

running around, we can band it.

By the end of the
Summer it will be flying.

Within a few days there are
going to be chicks all over

this roof running around.

CHRISTIAN: Wow, that
would be something to see.

DUSTIN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: The Javits Center,

they did all these
things to change themselves

from a bird killer into
a bird haven and that is going

to save so many bird lives.

It means more birds will
make it to the nesting ground

and will be able to reproduce
and that's a win for everybody.

To most people,

New York City
means big skyscrapers and

crowded streets but
surrounding the concrete jungle

is 520 miles of shoreline
including some sandy beaches and

where there are beaches,
there are shore birds.

So today I'm heading to
Fort Tilden Beach in the

borough of Queens
to meet an adorable

avian beach goer and Summer
resident, the Piping Plover.

CHRIS: We're just so lucky
here in New York to be able

to see all of this.

CHRISTIAN: Chris Allieri is
a man who's got a big heart

for this tiny bird.

CHRIS: The NYC Plover Project
is a volunteer led initiative.

We're here with one single
mission which is to protect the

endangered species,
the Piping Plover.

If you just watch them
you're going to see these

personalities and especially
in the beginning of the year in

March when they first arrive.

The posturing and the
fighting and the high stepping

is just so cool to watch.

CHRISTIAN: Cool to watch
if you can find them.

Piping Plovers are perfectly
camouflaged and practically

disappear into the sand
when they're still but Plovers

don't sit still for long,
they're always on the move,

hunting their favorite insects,

marine worms and
crustaceans at the waterline.

I'm seeing a Plover.

CHRIS: On this beach
where you're standing,

we have a very VIP
and famous Plover,

Mr. Clark Kent and that is him.

So Clark is one of the
first birds that I've seen

on the beach the
last three years.

Clark never disappoints,
he's dashing, he's very svelte,

fighting off the
Oystercatchers,

he's fighting off
other birds that are on

the beach and you know,

he's really been an
amazing ambassador for us

because a lot of
people have seen him.

This guy is a favorite
in Fort Tilden,

he's probably Mr. Fort Tilden
and he spends his Winter

in Andros, Bahamas.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!

CHRIS: I know and he
comes here to Queens.

CHRISTIAN: Like many of
these Plovers, Clark is banded.

Banding tells us where he
spent his Winter vacation but

it also tells us that these
little birds are in trouble.

CHRIS: They take these
precarious journeys every year

they come to the
beaches of New York City and

they're down to business,

like they have to
breed and if they don't have

reproductive success the
species won't continue.

CHRISTIAN: Plovers make their
homes right on the beach but

when the city heats up,
much bigger beach goers,

also known as humans,
invade their space;

that spells big trouble for the
success of the species because

around here fewer than
one out of every ten chicks

will survive the Summer.

So the threats to the Plovers
are both human and animal?

CHRIS: Trash left on the beach
you're going to have more gulls.

CHRISTIAN: And gulls
will take eggs and chicks.

CHRIS: Exactly.

CHRISTIAN: And
they're nesting where?

Are they nesting further back?

CHRIS: They're nesting
up on the beach itself

before the dunes.

CHRISTIAN: What can we
do then to protect them?

CHRIS: We have to
protect those nests.

CHRISTIAN: When a
bird is as endangered as

the Piping Plover is,

it's all hands on
deck to keep them safe.

So Chris and I are going
to help Pattie Raferty and

her team from the
National Park Service safeguard

an active Plover nesting site
by building a barrier fence,

also known as an exclosure.

So this is going to
be the exclosure?

PATTIE: It is.
CHRIS: Yes.

PATTIE: By putting this wire
fence around the nest and

putting netting on the top,

it prohibits predators from
being able to get into the nest.

CHRISTIAN: I won't deter them
at all from coming and going?

PATTIE: It usually doesn't.

CHRISTIAN: It may seem simple
but it's a delicate operation.

PATTIE: So there's a nest 100
yards or so down the beach and

so we're going to build
everything here and then we're

going to move it down there
because once we get in the area

of the birds we'll disturb them
and they'll leave the nest.

CHRISTIAN: So basically you're
saying there's a ticking clock

to do this?

PATTIE: There is.
CHRISTIAN: Alright.

Every second counts, so if
we want to save these birds

we're going to
have to move fast.

CHRISTIAN: I'm here
at Fort Tilden Beach in

New York City,

where we've built a fortress
of solitude for Piping Plovers.

We've got to get it on
the nest and we've got to do

it fast because if
we spend too much time,

the Piping Plovers will
abandon the nest and won't

come back and that's
the exact opposite of

why we're doing all of this.

If we want to succeed,

we'll have to complete
the whole operation in

less than 20 minutes.

PATTIE: Okay, let's get
that exclosure down there.

CHRISTIAN: There's our nest.

CHRIS: There's our nest.
Right here is good.

Okay, let's make it a
little more circular.

Okay, okay.

PATTIE: We've got
eyes on the bird.

CHRIS: Eyes on the bird.

CHRISTIAN: It definitely wants
us out of his nesting area.

CHRIS: Let's go.

CHRISTIAN: How did
we do on time Pattie?

PATTIE: We're still timing
because we've got to get the

bird back on the nest.

The bird's in the exclosure,

we just need to see
her go back on the nest.

CHRISTIAN: All of this
exclosure business for not if

the bird doesn't
return to the nest.

If the bird abandons the
nest then we've blown it,

so this is the
most critical part.

PATTIE: Alright, parent back
on the nest, we have success.

CHRISTIAN: Excellent.

The hope is that this mini
fortress will protect the

Plovers from both people
and predators and give these

little birds a chance to
settle in and make a family.

CHRIS: I get asked a lot
of questions like,

why should we care about
this bird and my answer

is often because we can.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

CHRIS: To be able to impact
the outcome for this one bird,

we can do it.

I know we can do it.

CHRISTIAN: That's there habitat.

Long before man came
here and decided, hey,

a beach is a nice place
to hang out in the Summer,

so it's incumbent upon us to
try to relieve some of those

pressures and give
them a fighting chance.

Shore birds like the Plovers
have one thing going for them,

plenty of coastline but for
grassland birds that spend the

Summer in the area, local
habitat is in short supply.

Over on Staten Island
they found an innovative,

only a New York way,

to create new bird
habitat by literally turning

trash into treasure.

I've been invited to
Fresh Kills on Staten Island.

It used to be the biggest
garbage dump in the world,

it's now one of the
biggest grassland habitats

in the North East.

Jose and Shannon,

two Biologist friends
of mine are tracking

the comeback of two
important grassland species and

we're going to find some
unique Sparrows and band them.

Shannon, Jose.

JOSE: Hi Chris.
SHANNON: Hi Chris.

JOSE: Welcome to Fresh Kills.

CHRISTIAN: This is
not New York City.

I live in New York City,
this is not New York City.

JOSE: It's New York City.

SHANNON: You can see the
skyline right over there.

CHRISTIAN: Wow!
SHANNON: Incredible, right?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

JOSE: Alright, do you want
to see some grassland birds?

CHRISTIAN: Absolutely.

In 1948, New York City
was growing fast and

needed somewhere to
put all of its garbage.

They chose this place,

Fresh Kills Landfill
in Staten Island which

eventually grew to
a whopping 2,200 acres,

almost three times the
size of Central Park.

It became the largest
dump on earth

but when
Fresh Kills finally closed,

bird friendly New Yorkers
had a great idea,

why not build a grassland
bird habitat on top of it.

So the grassland is
basically elevated because it

is on top of piles of trash.

JOSE: Yes.

CHRISTIAN:
You've got to love it.

New Yorkers turned the
world's largest garbage dump

into a bird paradise and
now these fast moving, tiny,

ground loving birds
are making a comeback.

They love to take cover
as they forage for their

fill of insects and seeds.

That keeps them extra
busy in Spring when they've

got enormous appetites
and a lot of mouths to feed.

JOSE: We're specifically
targeting Grasshopper and

Savannah Sparrows for
a color banding study.

SHANNON: We have a
Savannah Sparrow that's

checking out our
activity right now.

CHRISTIAN: The grass
is a banquet for bugs and

the bugs are a
banquet for birds.

Even birds like Sparrows
that at other times of year are

maybe eating seeds and grains,

when they're
raising their young,

they've got to feed
their young high protein meals.

We could be surrounded by,

how many, Jose, hundreds?

JOSE: Hundreds.

CHRISTIAN: Hundreds of
Grasshopper Sparrows and

Savannah Sparrows right now and
we just can't see most of them.

That's why we've got to put
up these nets if we're going

to catch them and band them.

It's a little bit like finding
a Sparrow needle in a grassland

haystack but we've
got to give it a shot.

CHRISTIAN: I'm at Fresh Kills
Park in Staten Island searching

for tiny rare grassland
Sparrows but getting the small

birds to fly directly
into our mist net

is easier said than done,

so we're using audio
lures to attract them.

The Grasshopper Sparrow
is actually a species that's

relatively unfamiliar to me,

what makes this sound so unique?

SHANNON: Their song
actually sounds pretty buzzy,

so it sounds almost like
a Grasshopper itself.

They have a song when
they first get here,

when they first arrive
from migration that is like

establishing their territory and
then once they're pair bonded

then we have another
song that they sing.

CHRISTIAN: The first
song is, hey baby,

come check me out
and the second song is,

get off my lawn.

SHANNON: Go away, yeah, yeah.
Get off my lawn.

CHRISTIAN: Alright.

SHANNON: And now the
fun part, now we wait.

CHRISTIAN: This is huge,
it is three times the size of

Central Park and
Central Park is huge.

That's a lot of space.

(birds chirping and calling)

We can hear birds,
we can see birds.

SHANNON: Oh, okay, we
have some birds coming in.

CHRISTIAN: It seems like
there's birds everywhere.

JOSE: He's flying the wrong way.

CHRISTIAN: Except in
our nets, until finally.

There's a bird in the net.

Grasshopper.

SHANNON: Oh nice.

First get to the belly
and free up the feet.

Go in through there, yeah.

CHRISTIAN: You want
to take care with it,

you want to calm it down,
you want to be quick,

so that it doesn't get
completely stressed out.

JOSE: So you're going
to do over the shoulder.

CHRISTIAN: And I've
got to make sure I don't

let this guy go,

at the same time that I
make sure I don't hurt him

because he is
incredibly fragile.

JOSE: So now what
we're going to do,

is we're going to
put on a color band.

SHANNON: And we're
going to follow this bird

throughout the season,

so we're going to see
how long it's on territory for.

JOSE: Do blue.

CHRISTIAN: We're doing
this for the science,

to learn more about these
guys so we can help them.

JOSE: So now we're
just going to weigh it.

CHRISTIAN: To weigh the tiny
bird without it flying away,

Jose and Shannon carefully
place it upside down

in an empty film canister.

JOSE: 17.8.
SHANNON: 17.

JOSE: Okay, so now this bird.
CHRISTIAN: Wow!

SHANNON: Bye!
JOSE: That also happens.

CHRISTIAN: We got the data
we needed and it was like,

I'm done.

Took off and you know, good
for the Grasshopper Sparrow.

So we got a Grasshopper Sparrow?

JOSE: Yes, we got one bird.

SHANNON: And that is good data.
JOSE: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: A bird in the hand
is better than two in the grass.

Human activity has caused
a decline in birds across

North America.

Now we have living proof
of doing something to bring

the birds back to give
them new habitat.

The Sparrows will thank us
and so will a whole bunch of

New Yorkers will be able to
experience a whole different

way of living and being in
the world by being out here.

Now, it's time for me to head
back into the big city to meet

Rita from the Wild Bird Fund.

I get to lend one last
feathered friend a helping

human hand, so we're
going to release Artemis,

the injured Kestrel back into
the wilds of New York City.

New York is a tough
place to make a living.

Which way?

RITA: We're going that way.

CHRISTIAN: Part of what's
going to help you succeed is if

you get a little help
from your friends.

I think that's been true for
everybody who's ever made it

in New York City.

So this is where
she's going to go.

RITA: Yeah.
So I'm going to uncover her.

CHRISTIAN: Whether you're a
bird or whether you're a person,

you'll get by with a
little help from your friends

in this toughest
of tough cities.

RITA: Alright darling.

CHRISTIAN: She's ready to go.

RITA: I think
she is ready to go.

Hi baby doll, it's okay.

CHRISTIAN: There she goes.

There's no definitive proof
of a good future for this bird,

just like there's
no definitive proof

of such a thing for any of us.

But here she
is in the big city,

she's got her chance
and now it's up to her.

RITA: Hey, that was so good,
so, so good, alright.

CHRISTIAN: This has been
my home for a long time and

this whole week has sort
of just brought home to me

just how much life pours
through the city and that's true

whether you're a
bird or a human and it's

fascinating to see it
from an aerial perspective.

From the perspective of the
birds who are doing just the

same thing as
we're doing just with a

little different vantage point.

This place offers a chance
to make it and that's what

New York City is about.

Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.