All language subtitles for Extraordinary.Birder.with.Christian.Cooper.S01E04.720p.WEB.h264-EDITH

CHRISTIAN: Damn,
look at all those ravens.

I'm Christian Cooper
and I am a birder.

Oh!

(laughs).

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.

Ow!

Those of us who
don't have wings.

Hold it! Oh-ho-ho!

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: Palm Springs,
California is unlike any other

place in the world.

A man-made desert paradise
that's long been a playground

for the jet set and Hollywood's elite,
Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and

countless others
called this home.

Warm all year round, it's heaven
for golfers and sun seekers and

those in search
of a little R and R.

That same dreamy climate has
also made it heaven for birds,

which is why I'm
here because, well,

birds are my thing and
when man and bird cross paths,

let’s just say that
things can get complicated.

I'm here to welcome in spring
and it's perfect timing because

nearly 400 different
bird species are in town or

just passing through.

I'm hoping to see how this
Hollywood getaway welcomes

a few million of my
feathered friends to town.

CHARLES: Welcome
to Palm Springs.

CHRISTIAN: Thank you.
CHARLES: There it is.

CHRISTIAN: Woo!

(car horn)

I'm bumming a ride with
Palm Springs historian,

Charles Phoenix who has
offered to play chauffeur for

my first day here.

So, Charles, thank
you for picking me up.

CHARLES: You're welcome.
CHRISTIAN: I appreciate it.

CHARLES: So, you don't drive.
You're from New York.

CHRISTIAN: Well,
I do, I don't know.

I just don't do it very well.

CHARLES: You could
learn to drive in a bird.

This is a Thunderbird.

There's all kinds of
birds here in Palm Springs.

We've got real birds,
we've got snowbirds,

those are the people that come
from the north to vacation here

in the winter and what's
interesting for birds is

what's interesting for
people in Palm Springs,

it's a desert oasis.

CHRISTIAN: Each year,
billions of birds worldwide

follow their ancestral patterns

and migrate because of
seasonal changes in food supply.

The routes they use
are called flyways,

super highways in the sky,

each filled with
resting and snack stops

where the birds can refuel
before hitting the skies again.

One of those flyways
is the Pacific flyway,

a vital migration corridor that
stretches over 8,000 miles from

Chile to Alaska and

Palm Springs is slap dab
in the middle of it.

When people came here,

they also brought things
like golf courses and

swimming pools and fountains.

For a lot of migrating
birds that are passing through,

this is a place to stop off
in the middle of the desert.

CHARLES: Not only that,
we've got palm trees.

The tree the city was named for.

CHRISTIAN: For my first stop,
I'm headed to a local park right

outside of Palm Springs
to meet a one of a kind

bird of prey that has a day job.

Hey, Ken!

KEN: Chris!
Good to see you, bud.

CHRISTIAN: Good to
see you and who is this?

KEN: This handsome
devil is Bond, John Audubon.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, my goodness,
pun intended and he is gorgeous.

KEN: Yeah, he knows it though.

CHRISTIAN: Ken Miknuk is
Bond's caretaker and trainer.

And he's a Harris Hawk.

KEN: Harris's.
CHRISTIAN: Harris's.

KEN: Named after Edward Harris.

CHRISTIAN: Edward Harris
was a financial supporter of

the naturalist,
John James Audubon, who,

in honor of his friend, named
this hawk species after him.

Tell me a little bit about how they hunt
that makes them so special.

KEN: They live in a pack.

They hunt cooperatively,
like wolves.

Being a gregarious species
makes them exceptional in

so many different ways.

CHRISTIAN: And gregarious means?

KEN: Social.
CHRISTIAN: So, they're like us?

KEN: They're a little
bit nicer sometimes, but yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Because
they're social, they can bond

with a human being.

Bond can bond.

KEN: Yeah. I am
part of his pack.

I'm his dad.

Bond is six years old.

I got him when he
was 18 weeks old.

He is my best friend
and I'm really lucky that

he likes me just as much.

When I wake up in the morning,

if I do not pay
attention to Bond,

he will start yelling at me.

Every family conversation,
he's a part of,

sits in the front
seat when I drive,

like a wing man should.

He's like my dog with feathers.

That's called a
happy dance, by the way.

He's feeling the love.

You're having a
good day, aren't you?

Bond is family.

Being a gregarious species,

that gives them the
capacity for learning.

He is literally laser guided.

CHRISTIAN: Wow.

KEN: And, the job here
is to help keep a balance

between human and bird.

CHRISTIAN: The birds flock here for
the endless supply of water and food,

but their increasing
numbers are taking a toll on

the visitors and
the infrastructure.

Ken and Bond are hired to keep
the birds from getting too cozy

in the hope that they'll
find other bird friendly spots

that aren't as crowded.

KEN: We don't
harm any of the birds,

we simply disperse them.

CHRISTIAN: So, these rock
pigeons up here are like,

"Oh, boy, we're in trouble now."

KEN: They will be as soon
as we get him wired up, flying.

CHRISTIAN: All right.

Well, let's get him set up to
be laser guided at these guys.

Before flying Bond, Ken first
equips him with a GPS device so

he can track him in case his wild
instincts get the better of him.

So, that's like a
telemetry tracker that

you're attaching to his tail?

KEN: Yeah. That's
his little trigger, like,

"Okay, dad, we can go fly."

CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

So, he knows just as like,
when you take a dog out and

the dog knows, "Oh, we're
going out, we're going out?"

He's like, "We're gonna fly,
we're gonna fly?"

KEN: Exactly.

As soon as I turn on
the telemetry and he hears...

(beeping)

It's like, yeah!

(laughs).

KEN: We're gonna
have Bond fly to you.

CHRISTIAN: I get
my own gauntlet?

KEN: Yes. I'm ready.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, look. Shall we?
KEN: We shall.

CHRISTIAN: Bond is trained to fly to
where Ken points the laser beam.

It only takes two seconds and
Bond sets off to do his job.

KEN: That was cool.

CHRISTIAN: Bond may
have scared off the pigeons,

but he's still 50 feet away,
which can only mean one thing.

KEN: Okay. Hold your glove up.

CHRISTIAN: Those talons
are coming back at me.

KEN: Right there, buddy.

(laughs).

Oh, you are majestic.

CHRISTIAN: I mean, you know,
who doesn't want to have

a bird of prey
land on their arm?

Oh, man.

KEN: We're also
training these wild animals.

Pigeons see the green laser,
a big hawk shows up, like,

"Oh dang," and
the pigeons will learn,

green laser, I ain't waiting for
no hawk to show up, I will bail.

Pavlovian conditioned response.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, okay.
Can we do that again?

KEN: Let's go
find some other birds.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

KEN: So, this area over here,

we tend to see
some night herons.

CHRISTIAN: And I can see
some in that tree right now.

Night herons are
super-efficient hunters that

despite their small size, punch
way above their weight class.

They might not look as elegant as some
of their longer legged cousins,

but just watch them in action.

These master fisherman like to stand
motionless for long periods,

just waiting for
their meal and then, boom!

What's the expense of
having these birds congregate

in too great numbers?

KEN: I'm an animal lover,
I'm a bird lover,

but night herons
are a big problem.

Very acidic droppings in
volumes beyond belief and

no one wants to
walk through that.

Giardia was a
very serious concern,

it's a parasite that gets into
a canine and it's not supposed

to be there and bad
things happen after that.

CHRISTIAN: Wow.

Now, it's my turn to fly Bond.

I just hope he follows my lead.

KEN: So turn it on and
off once he's airborne.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.
KEN: Be careful with it.

Hold the glove up.

There you go.

CHRISTIAN: Oh,
black-crowned night heron!

♪ ♪

CHRISTIAN: Oh,
black-crowned night heron!

KEN: Four of them.
CHRISTIAN: Freaked out!

You are a beauty.

Well done, young man.

It's the coolest thing ever.

There were black-crowned night herons
up there and they scattered.

They're still flying around.

Where are they gonna go now?

KEN: We have over
100 golf courses.

So, there's plenty of
pseudo natural environments

where they could
go fishing, find bugs.

CHRISTIAN: So, the point is
just to get them to spread out.

KEN: It's to balance the
ecosystem that we made here.

Once we humans figure out
how to balance an ecosystem,

that ecosystem will flourish.

CHRISTIAN: By
dispersing the birds,

it's good for the birds,
it's good for the park and

the maintenance and it's good
for the people and their pets.

KEN: Big time.

CHRISTIAN: Cool, and
Bond is a part of that.

KEN: Yes, he is.

CHRISTIAN: What Ken
does is really important.

The birds are not
ultimately being harmed,

they are responding as they naturally
would to the presence of a predator.

It gets them to disperse and
brings things back into balance.

(Ken whistles)

KEN: You coming?

Yeah, here you go.

CHRISTIAN: Ken hopes the night
herons will relocate to one of

Palm Springs many other lush
habitats like golf courses.

So, that's my next stop, to see
the birds where they have plenty

of room to spread out and to
eat to their hearts content,

but apparently, this
isn't just any golf course,

it's the place to be in town.

If you're a bird or a birder.

CHARLES: So, do you
know much about Sunnylands?

CHRISTIAN: Very little, but
I hear it's excellent birding.

CHARLES: Yeah, absolutely.

You know, it's
almost like a theme park.

It's an oasis in an oasis.

CHRISTIAN: Excellent.

CHARLES: And
there's a lot of birds.

CHRISTIAN: Sunnylands is a
200 acre compound and former

residence of philanthropists

Walter and Leonore Annenberg.

For decades, presidents, royalty
and Hollywood's elite have been

the only ones who have had
full behind the curtain access

to this desert getaway.

Thanks to the birds, I
get to crash the party.

Thank you so much
for the lift, Charles.

I appreciate it very much.

CHARLES: My pleasure.
Great to see you, Chris.

CHRISTIAN: I'm here
to see one of the most

majestic migratory birds on the flyway,
the great blue heron,

the largest heron
in north America.

Apparently, there's a pair of
repeat visitors who have been

nesting here since the winter.

Michaeleen Gallagher, Sunnylands'
environmental director has promised to

introduce me to the
properties latest famous couple.

This spot is in the
middle of the desert,

so I imagine any migrants on the
Pacific flyaway passing through

it take a look at
this and they're like,

"Oh, boy, perfect."

MICHAELEEN: Absolutely.

Having this space with the lakes,
it does help the birds.

We get over
165 documented species and

that list grows every year.

The Annenberg's loved
birds and when he build this,

he designated that 25 acres
would be landscaped for the aid

and comfort of birds.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, lovely.

MICHAELEEN: So, we're
just carrying on that legacy.

Let's see our
resident great blue heron.

They are up in the
tree across the pond.

CHRISTIAN: I can see the nest.
MICHAELEEN: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: I don't see the
birds in it at the moment.

MICHAELEEN: Oh, there it is!
She just stood up.

CHRISTIAN: Nice. Oh!
MICHAELEEN: Oh!

There's the other one!

That's the dad.

We discovered this pair
about four years ago.

We noticed that they
were starting to nest and

we had never seen that here before and
they raised two young here.

It was fabulous.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, wow.

MICHAELEEN: And then they
came back the next year and

then they came
back another year.

CHRISTIAN: This couple has flown into
town for the breeding season.

Riding on wings that can stretch
greater than five feet and carry

them up to 30 miles per hour,

some great blue herons migrate
from over 2,000 miles away.

It's an epic journey.

MICHAELEEN: The first time
each year that I come out here

and they're gone,
it's like, "Oh, okay,"

but then there's that fear of,

are they gonna
come back next year?

When they come back early winter
and start setting up nests,

there's a moment of...

(gasps).

They're here.
They did it again!

They are this strong team pair.

There's somebody who goes
out and gets food and then,

they'll take turns and
everybody gets to sit on

the nest for a while
and everybody gets a break.

They are fabulous parents.

So, you want to come out every
day and see what are they doing

and are there more heads
popping up in the nest and

who is in there, then it's like,
they've got the babies!

It's very exciting.

We'll see the
young grow, start to stand,

start to get their footing
on the edge of the nest,

which is really precarious
if they don't get it right.

CHRISTIAN: To me, a great blue
heron is the definition of drama

because it's our biggest heron.

MICHAELEEN: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: It's got
that huge, long neck and

then a beak
that's like, a spear.

They're just very stately.

So, these great blue herons
are your blue ribbon of success?

MICHAELEEN: Yeah,
they kind of are.

They let us know we might
be doing something right.

CHRISTIAN: Sunnylands is a garden of Eden
out here because birds,

water fowl in particular,
need a place to rest when

they're migrating
through the desert.

This is real important and
I'm glad that it's here and that

it's being taken care of so well
by the stewards of this place.

Nearly 2 million tourists
visit Palm Springs every year.

This has led to a rise in
the numbers of one local bird,

the raven, a bird many see as the most
intelligent bird around.

Those smarts help it
thrive in our environment,

feasting on what we
leave behind, our trash.

With an endless buffet, their
numbers have jumped 700% over

the last 40 years.

Unfortunately, in the desert on
the outskirts of Palm Springs,

I'm told those numbers are having a dire
effect on the local wildlife.

PAISLEY: All right, I
think this is the place.

TIM: Hey, there.
PAISLEY: Hey, Tim!

CHRISTIAN: Hey, Tim.

My friend, biologist
Paisley Ramstead and I

are meeting up with
another biologist, Tim Shields,

who is developing a
variety of non-lethal methods

to deal with ravens.

So, Tim, we're here
at a dairy farm because

we're having a raven
issue out here, I understand.

TIM: Yes, we are.
We're in a collision zone here.

If you look over there,
those hills are some of

the best desert tortoise
habitat that we know of.

The problem is, we've got
this site that's feeding ravens,

it's giving them free water,
free food and having that

immediately adjacent to
desert tortoise habitat is bad.

There are godzillions of
ravens occupying that habitat

and killing of
the baby tortoises.

CHRISTIAN: It's like
an invitation to, oh,

if we're tired of eating this,

there's a buffet of
desert tortoise just over there.

TIM: Correct, and in the spring,
all the mated pairs will blow

out into the
desert exactly the time

the juvenile tortoises
are wandering around.

It's perfect storm.

CHRISTIAN: And exactly the time
when they've got young that are

hungry and need a high protein
meal and look, desert tortoise.

TIM: Correct. Absolutely.

CHRISTIAN: Ravens are
opportunistic feeders and

omnivorous scavengers, which
means they'll eat everything

from small mammals to
nesting birds, eggs, berries,

even carrion.

And remember I
said they're smart?

They'll even take food and
hide it from other animals,

including each other.

TIM: I love working with them
and they are not the villains.

If there's a villain, it's
human beings providing these

opportunities that result
in ecological devastation

down the line.

CHRISTIAN: We made the problem.
TIM: Yes.

CHRISTIAN: We've got to
be a part of the solution.

TIM: That would be
the adult thing to do.

CHRISTIAN: All right.

TIM: So, let's be
adults with toys.

CHRISTIAN: Yes!

The toy Tim is talking about is
a prototype remote control rover

the dairy's workers could use
to scare off the ravens here.

TIM: This is just gonna be a physical
harassment to the ravens.

They don't like things
approaching them on the ground.

CHRISTIAN: I get to drive?
TIM: You get to drive.

TIM: All right.

So, you're gonna take
it around the corner and

just send it straight down.

CHRISTIAN: I gotta admit,
it's cool to be in command of

this thing, even if
it's the size of a toaster.

We want to see how much the
robot rover is what's spooking.

TIM: Correct. Right.

CHRISTIAN: And it's equally cool to see
the effect it has on the ravens.

TIM: Look at that!
CHRISTIAN: Wow! They're moving.

TIM: Of course they are.

CHRISTIAN: They
don't like this thing.

TIM: They do not.

CHRISTIAN: It's clear that Tim
is onto something that works and

the cows seem to agree.

But it's not the only
trick he has up his sleeve.

TIM: So, I have something I
think even cooler to show you

at the end of the week.

If you thought that was futuristic,
we're going full Star Wars.

CHRISTIAN: Obi-Wan, I will
gladly be your Luke Skywalker.

TIM: Light sabers, baby!

(laughs).

CHRISTIAN: Back in town, Paisley
is taking me to meet a man whose

front yard is buzzing with
dozens of what is normally

a solitary and
fiercely territorial bird,

it's also the world's
smallest kind of bird.

KURT: They really like
this first feeder here.

CHRISTIAN: The hummingbird.

Amazing.

KURT: These are Costa's Hummingbirds,
we've got a purple gorget

and the females have
kind of a plainish throat.

CHRISTIAN: Kurt Leuschner's
garden is alive

with hummingbirds,
thanks to some feeders

he and his daughter,
Annabelle have hung up.

Costa's are the desert dwellers
of the hummingbird family.

They're tiny.

Only three and a half inches
in size and weighing less than

a nickel and while
they're hovering in midair and

sipping nectar from flowers,

their heart can beat up
to 900 times per minute.

To say they are marvels of nature is a
bit of an understatement.

So, Annabelle, pop quiz for you,

what are your two
favorite hummingbird facts?

ANNABELLE: I like how they can beat their
wings 80 times a second

and they're actually the only
bird that can fly backwards.

CHRISTIAN: And we're seeing
some of them do it right now.

While hummingbirds
might look cute and sweet,

they're anything but.

In reality, they're about
as aggressive as it gets.

I love the fact that
these little tiny guys are

the closest living
things to Tyrannosaurus Rex,

but they never got the memo
that they're not T-Rex anymore.

It's like constant warfare.

You've found a way, I guess,
with just having so many feeders

to bring peace in our time.

KURT: You're right.
They will cluster around here.

There will be two
hummingbirds to a flower.

CHRISTIAN: Wow.

KURT: So, they've
somehow learned to share,

but behind Paisley is actually
a hummingbird we call the bully

and he guards that
feeder right there.

So, he's not letting
anybody feed from that feeder

and that's more typical
hummingbird behavior,

to chase any other
hummingbird away who tries to

feed from their nectar source.

If I was a hummingbird, I would
not want to mess with the bully.

He's very territorial
and quite aggressive.

He looks different from the
other male Costa's hummingbirds,

he's a little more puffed
out and frazzled looking.

I kinda feel like
he's an old timer.

So, maybe he is a little wiser than some
of these other hummingbirds and

he's figured out a way to
guard one of those feeders.

Even the female hummingbirds

aren't allowed
unless he lets them.

He's happy to
guard that feeder and

to interact with the
females as he wishes.

CHRISTIAN: The bully may
have staked out his territory,

but one feeder over, it's like
a hummingbird cocktail party.

KURT: Sometimes they even sit
on your finger though, here...

CHRISTIAN: Ooh!
KURT: If you're patient.

CHRISTIAN: I've
never had that happen.

ANNABELLE: I can show you how.
CHRISTIAN: Please!

ANNABELLE: You're gonna put your fingers
normally where they would sit to drink it.

So, they really have no choice
but to sit on your finger.

CHRISTIAN: So, Annabelle,
I'm gonna put my finger

on the other side.

KURT: Be patient.
They'll get used to you.

CHRISTIAN: It's so cool.

Even when they're
not landing on you,

just to be this close to
these beautiful little jewels.

If you took a ruby and infused
it with enough energy that it

suddenly burst into life,
that's what a hummingbird is.

They're like a little package
of everything that's wonderful

about the world that flies.

ANNABELLE: It's working.

CHRISTIAN: I just had
one land on my finger.

Oh, it's awesome.

It's like, the
little tiniest foot.

It weighs nothing.

The feeling of being
close to so many hummingbirds,

you can't put that
into words really.

It's an experience.

It's just a sense of,

"Oh my God, these
incredible creatures are

all around me
doing their thing and

I'm just gonna stand
here and drink it in."

CHRISTIAN: Less than 30 miles
away from Palm Springs lies

the Salton Sea, California's
largest lake and a vital resting

and refueling spot
for migrating birds.

Once upon a time in
the 1950s and '60s,

this massive body of water was seen as
California's desert Riviera,

but after years
of mismanagement,

the sea has
fallen on hard times,

putting the entire
flyway in jeopardy.

FRANK: The Salton Sea is the last
iteration of the ancient Cahuilla Lake

that used to cover
this area for centuries.

CHRISTIAN: Wow.

Local Audubon director,
Frank Ruiz is trying to

turn things around.

FRANK: The Colorado River used
to flood the Salton basin and

the Colorado water is
traditionally more salty than

any other fresh water and
evaporation takes its course

leaving the salt behind,
making the water saltier.

CHRISTIAN: Why is that
all of a sudden a problem?

FRANK: Because it
is a terminal lake.

It doesn't drain into the ocean
and as the salinity increases,

it kills pretty much
every organism that lives here.

CHRISTIAN: Is there
a possible solution?

FRANK: We don't
have a lot of time.

We need to find the way to
provide quality habitat for

the birds and
anticipate those changes.

CHRISTIAN: If the water
isn't able to provide food and

habitat for migrating birds,

the entire flyway
could be in trouble.

So, this blue thing
is for taking samples?

FRANK: Absolutely.

CHRISTIAN: To help figure out what

resources are needed
for the best bird habitat,

we need data in the form
of water and soil samples,

but taking a closer
look at the landscape,

things are worse than I thought.

Now, this tree is striking.

FRANK: Blue herons and other
species used to find this area

as a great source
of nesting, roosting,

but because the sea
has receded so far,

now it's no
longer used for habitat.

Five, seven years ago, you would
be standing in water right now.

CHRISTIAN: This is lake bed?

FRANK: You'll be like,
at least three, four feet deep.

The water right there is almost
twice the salinity of the ocean.

The water is no longer suitable.

CHRISTIAN: And that's why
the great blue herons are gone.

It's mind blowing.

FRANK: I think this is as
far we can get without boots.

CHRISTIAN: All right,
let's put them on.

It's time to
collect the samples,

but based on Frank's footwear,

I'm guessing it's going
to be harder than it looks.

Whoa. Sinking in.

FRANK: Yeah.

I'm actually
mimicking the birds’ legs.

I have the webbed feet.

CHRISTIAN: Those
are fake webbed feet, huh?

FRANK: Yep.

CHRISTIAN: I'm
getting sucked in.

FRANK: Now you understand
why I have these special boots.

CHRISTIAN: I understand why.

FRANK: Science is
not always glamorous.

CHRISTIAN: I got it.

I'm okay. All right.

FRANK: Let's get
our samples here.

CHRISTIAN: All right.

So, I'm sinking
this into the mud.

FRANK: Mm-hmm, and if
you bring it out slowly,

don't let, don't let it go.

CHRISTIAN: Don't let it go?
FRANK: Yeah.

CHRISTIAN: Unfortunately,
sucking up sludge, sucks.

Let's try now.

FRANK: There you go.
CHRISTIAN: All right. Yes!

FRANK: Now that I
collect a water sample,

I bring it to the lab and I
measure for different parameters

so we have a better understanding
how the ecosystem is changing.

CHRISTIAN: The research
that Frank is doing is critical

because we've got to preserve
the stopping over points we have.

Without the data to support you,

then you're not gonna be able
to make real, effective change.

So, thank you everyone who is
doing the work to collect the data,

which we can then use to
make intelligent choices about

what to do to
save the Salton Sea.

Next, Frank is taking me some
place that might actually give me hope.

Less than ten miles away
there's an approach using land

and water management that's
proof the region can be brought

back to life and made a
haven for birds once again.

The Sunny Bono Salton Sea
National Wildlife Refuge is

a sanctuary for
millions of migrating birds.

I'm meeting wildlife biologist,
Alicia Thomas, who has been part

of the dedicated team responsible
for keeping the birds coming back.

ALICIA: The refuge
contains a variety of habitats.

So, we have desert, open water,

we have wetlands here.

Agricultural fields too
and of course shore life.

CHRISTIAN: How much of
this is naturally occurring and

how much of this
was created by people?

ALICIA: Most of our
managed ponds were man made,

created specifically for birds.

CHRISTIAN: Very cool.
There's a lot going on out here.

Out on the ponds, I
see American avocets,

black-necked stilts,
a huge variety of ducks,

even the American white pelican,

it's a birder's paradise.

ALICIA: It's amazing what
you can see in just one pond.

You know, the refuge
has 40,000 acres total.

CHRISTIAN: 40,000 acres!

ALICIA: You could stand in
a spot and just see so much.

I've never gotten
tired of being out here.

CHRISTIAN: A lot of water birds,

a lot of water fowl,
a lot of shore birds,

but I guess that's why
you guys created this area.

ALICIA: Exactly.

Our purpose is to be a
sanctuary for migratory birds.

So, that's what we've
been doing since 1930.

CHRISTIAN: And doing it
well by the looks of it.

ALICIA: It's amazing.

One of the birds that we really
focus on during the winter,

snow geese, you
want to see some?

CHRISTIAN: Yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

ALICIA: Awesome.
CHRISTIAN: All right.

Lead the way.

Now, I love snow geese, with
their gorgeous white feathers.

They're also
fantastically noisy birds,

which means everyone along
their 4,000 mile migration route

has the pleasure of
hearing them pass overhead.

They're one of the
ultra-marathoners of migrating birds

and can fly up to 600 miles nonstop,

pausing only to eat
and build up fat reserves.

Kind of like putting gas in the tank
for the rest of their journey.

ALICIA: So, yeah, part of
our management activities

for snow geese
include actually farming.

As we're flooding
these ponds for other birds,

we'll start
planting for snow geese.

CHRISTIAN: So, you'll
actually grow crops so that

the snow geese
have something to eat.

ALICIA: They're flying in
from the Arctic area along

the Pacific flyway and
they come here every year.

CHRISTIAN: Smart birds,
you know?

They know a good
banquet table when it's set.

ALICIA: Mm-hmm.

Oh, the geese are coming in.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, get this!

(laughs).

ALICIA: Oh, the
geese are coming in.

CHRISTIAN: This is like, one
of nature's awesome spectacles.

Thousands and thousands
of snow geese coming in.

I mean, it's all encompassing.

You've got these giant
white geese coming in making

a tremendous amount of sound.

It's awesome.

ALICIA: They're very charismatic,
super social birds,

super lively.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, you can hear
them being social out there.

ALICIA: Yeah.

You can hear them
coming in before you see them.

That's for sure.

CHRISTIAN: There they go.

The geese alternate between
the fields and the ponds,

kind of like how we take
sips of water while we eat.

ALICIA: That is exactly
why we have marshes here.

CHRISTIAN: Being here
was the perfect antidote to

the not-so-great things we
were seeing at the Salton Sea.

They are taking that one step at
a time towards creating habitat

so that we can all share this
planet together and all thrive.

Just south of the Salton Sea,
in the Imperial Valley,

you can find some of the most
fertile farmland in the states.

As it turns out, some local
birds are taking advantage.

I'm heading to a farm that
some amazing little desert owls

call home, burrowing owls.

Glenna, Marie!

MARIE: Hey Chris!
How's it going?

GLENNA: Hey Chris!

CHRISTIAN: Good,
how are you guys?

GLENNA: All right.

CHRISTIAN: I'm meeting
Marie and Glenna Barrett,

a mother daughter team who
are doing fantastic things

for these tiny, fabulous birds.

So, I know owls, especially
have those big eyes and

they're in front so that
they can have binocular vision,

but then, I think that one
adaptation owls have is that

they can swivel
their heads a lot.

MARIE: They can swivel
their heads 280 degrees,

kind of like the teacher
you had that could tell that

you were doing
something bad in the back.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, even as
she's drawing on the chalkboard?

Yeah, okay.

MARIE: And another thing they'll
do is they'll bring in dog feces

to decorate their burrow so
bugs will be found underneath.

GLENNA: And then they can go
right outside their door step

and there's their food.

CHRISTIAN: This is, this is
key because we're on a farm.

If these owls eat
grasshoppers and other bugs,

they're actually
helping the farmers.

MARIE: They are
helping the farmers.

GLENNA: Good point.

MARIE: It's like burrowing owl
heaven here in Imperial Valley.

GLENNA: They love it here.
CHRISTIAN: Wow.

Burrowing owls are
one of the smallest owls,

but they have a
ginormous appetite

and the irrigated fields here

provide an endless
supply of insects.

Unlike their larger cousins
who live up in the trees,

these little guys like to
burrow underground for shelter,

making a field like this
the perfect place to call home.

GLENNA: Do you want
me to show you some?

There's a couple over there.

CHRISTIAN: That would be nice.

GLENNA: All right, let's
go take a ride in the truck.

MARIE: Okay, you
guys hurry back because

we got lots of work to do.

CHRISTIAN: We're taking a
car to see the owls because

they're used to farm
vehicles passing by.

If we were to approach
on foot, they'd be long gone.

GLENNA: Do you see the owls
right there by the pink flag?

(gasps).

GLENNA: That flag represents
a burrowing owl burrow.

CHRISTIAN: Yes!
GLENNA: And you see...

CHRISTIAN: It's adorable
and it's so well camouflaged.

GLENNA: Yeah. You see the
other little guy coming out?

CHRISTIAN: Wait, where?
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah!

One of them just did a little
sort of, smacking of his beak.

So, as we're seeing
the burrowing owls,

sometimes you see three hanging
around and when there's three,

there's a possibility that that
third one could be the young who

has grown up and is
still sticking around probably

longer than it should.

The owls definitely want
the young to move on and start

their own lives so that they can
start their next breeding cycle.

The main thing the
teenager is probably

hanging around for is food.

They're used to
getting fed by the parents.

They're used to
having groceries bought and

the refrigerator stocked
and the parents eventually,

you know, have to
tell them to get lost.

Well, that was cool.

MARIE: Did you see
plenty of burrowing owls?

CHRISTIAN: We did indeed.

MARIE: All right.
CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

So, I understand you
guys are making some

homes for burrowing owls,

giving them new digs
if you'll pardon the pun.

MARIE: We call them condos.

CHRISTIAN: Why do you
need to make homes for them?

They're burrowing owls,
they can burrow.

MARIE: We like to move them out
of areas that aren't safe into

a safe area like this is,
away from any construction or

heavy equipment
or people walking up

and down and bothering them.

CHRISTIAN: Sadly, on
a busy farm like this,

burrows can be
crushed by farm vehicles,

leaving the owls
homeless or worse, dead.

A problem Glenna and
Marie are trying to solve.

MARIE: We're going to
install this artificial burrow.

CHRISTIAN: Okay, sounds simple.

MARIE: We're
assuming you're going to be

running the backhoe for us.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, okay.

Well, since I don't drive,

that'll be an interesting
experience for us all.

The burrow we're installing is

the equivalent
of pre-fabricated housing.

Basically, a ready
to move in burrow.

MARIE: I'm sure
you're a quick learner.

CHRISTIAN: I'm sure I am.

(tractor motor)

Let's do this!

I'm gonna do.

MARIE: All right!
CHRISTIAN: Oh my, oh!

I'm a pro.

MARIE: You're doing it!
GLENNA: Yay!

CHRISTIAN: And then...

GLENNA: Oops.

Great job.

CHRISTIAN: I don't
even drive a car.

This is a piece of cake.

I have no fear anymore
of any driving whatsoever.

With the hole dug, it's time
to install the owl’s new bedroom

and lets call them,
front and back doors.

GLENNA: This is just
a one bedroom condo.

CHRISTIAN: Each door is locked
into place with a cement block

that serves as a
strategic covered entrance.

GLENNA: And they're
protected from the top so

the red tails can't see them.

CHRISTIAN: And it's all
finished with a touch of muscle.

GLENNA: You just
gotta be forceful with it.

CHRISTIAN: Doesn't man
have machines to do this?

GLENNA: Right?

This is why
manicures and pedicures

don't work with biologists.

♪ Dun, dun, dun,
dun, dun, dun ♪

CHRISTIAN: Okay.

So, I've done my conga
line to compact the dirt,

the question is, how long
will it be before owls move in?

MARIE: I've had them
move in within 24 hours.

CHRISTIAN: Welcome to
your new home, burrowing owls.

There's an interesting collision
of human and bird needs here

because we've attracted
these birds that help us,

but in the process, they become
vulnerable to our activities of

having us crush their
holes and their homes.

So, it's wonderful to see
someone trying to create a space

for them that lets
them coexist with us,

'cause they're eating the bugs
that are gonna destroy our crops

and I love stories
like that with birds.

And what do you know,
within a week,

a family of owls
decided to move in.

Proof that all of the hard
work that Glenna and Marie are

putting in is paying off and I'm
just glad I was able to help.

My week in
Palm Springs is almost done,

but Paisley and I are once
again meeting up with biologist

and desert tortoise
advocate, Tim Shields.

He promised some epic
raven action and said

he'd be going full
Star Wars on them.

So, I can't wait to
see what that means.

Tim, as usual, is playing
with some high-tech toys,

but what really
grabs my attention

is the most
mind blowing gathering

of ravens that I have ever seen.

Damn, look at all those ravens.

TIM: I know.
Isn't it incredible?

PAISLEY: Hey, Tim!
TIM: Hey!

CHRISTIAN: We're with biologist,
Tim Shields in an area north of

Palm Springs and the ravens
have shown up in full force.

It's getting a little
Hitchcockian out there.

TIM: Oh,
that's nothing, my friend.

CHRISTIAN: I'm really starting
to feel like Tippi Hedren.

TIM: Have you ever seen
this many ravens at once?

CHRISTIAN: No.
TIM: It's nutty.

CHRISTIAN: I mean,this is the kind of
thing you expect to see with,

you know, starlings, ravens,
a bird that size.

TIM: I know.
That's what's so weird about it.

This may be the largest
raven roost in the world.

It's the largest one I know of,

and we've had
counts of 6,500 ravens

and it's a nightly occurrence.

I've never seen
less than 1,500.

You'll see them move up
onto these low lines and

that's where they roost.

CHRISTIAN: A gathering of
ravens is called a conspiracy,

though the origin of
this term isn't known.

It may be related to how
they gather in large groups

around a food source.

TIM: This sort of, a very
convenient central point between

a whole lot of resources.

There's a huge urban area
including Palm Springs just over

those hills and
where there are humans,

there are
opportunities for ravens.

I like to call this Ravenville.

CHRISTIAN: This is
the time right now when

they're getting ready
to head out in pairs.

TIM: Yep.

We're right at the
start of the breeding season.

They're gonna lay eggs
this big and in six weeks,

those are gonna be
full sized ravens.

CHRISTIAN: Six weeks.

TIM: And until the eggs hatch,

we don't see
dead baby tortoises,

but as soon as the eggs hatch,

that's when the dead
baby tortoises show up.

CHRISTIAN: This is a
baby desert tortoise?

TIM: Yeah.

There's a thin spot
in the middle of the

bottom of the shell.

Ravens know right
where the thin spot is,

flip them over, boom.

CHRISTIAN: They're just
trying to raise their babies

and make sure they survive.

TIM: Correct.

It's natural behavior
at an unnatural density.

This ecosystem isn't designed
to have the number of ravens

that are just hanging
out in Palm Springs.

It's like, that's on us.

This is just to buy time.

It's the world cutest
remotely fired laser.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, look at that.

TIM: It's one of the world's
only remotely fired lasers.

Ravens don't like it.

A bit of a
terror weapon for ravens.

CHRISTIAN: How could they
not like something so adorable?

TIM: You'll find out.

We're just trying all
these tools to buy time for

creatures like the tortoise.

CHRISTIAN: I'm
100% in favor of this.

There's a balance to nature to
the ecology and man’s activities

can have the effect of throwing
that balance way out of whack.

I have no issues with, you know,

harassing the
ravens so that they disperse,

and they become closer
to a more natural density.

TIM: Okay.
Let's shoot the laser.

CHRISTIAN: I'm in, let's do it.

TIM: All right.
Laser power, baby.

(laughter).

CHRISTIAN: To help direct the
laser at the cluster of ravens

I'll be using a pair of
super fashionable VR goggles.

Just bring it straight up.

TIM: Yep. Laser on.

You're gonna raise it now.

CHRISTIAN: Okay.
TIM: Go right. Pull right.

Perfect. You got it.

CHRISTIAN: Two seconds of laser
action and the 2,000 plus ravens

out there are spooked.

TIM: So, now, down.

Good. Dot in the middle.
Leave it there. Just leave it.

Good.

CHRISTIAN: Because we don't
want the birds to settle down,

but instead,
spread into the desert,

Tim has me follow
them with the laser.

TIM: This is when they get
really worried 'cause it seems

like an intelligent
force that's behind it.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah.

It's like there's a
predator chasing them.

TIM: Take a look. Voila.

CHRISTIAN: Oh, wow.
TIM: They're gone.

Look at them.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, that's amazing.

It's like a cloud.

TIM: That's a kettle
of kettles right there.

CHRISTIAN: Wow.

I have never seen
this many ravens in

one conspiracy in my life.

So, the point is, this works.

TIM: Oh, yeah.

CHRISTIAN: As a way to
disrupt the hyper concentration.

TIM: Correct.

CHRISTIAN: What an
amazing experience.

Incredible. Thank you.

TIM: Oh you're welcome.
PAISLEY: Thank you.

TIM: Happy to share
Ravenville with the world.

CHRISTIAN: What's interesting
here is that we are seeing

something that is
happening all over the planet.

There is not a piece of this
planet that hasn't been impacted

by man's activities.

I don't care where you are.

The ravens are not the
only super intelligent beings

on this planet.

We are too.

Let's use those brains and let's
start to come up with solutions

to the problems
that we've created.

I've had an amazing
week getting to meet some of

the incredible
birds of Palm Springs.

Oh!

I've dug a new home for an owl,

I've met an unlikely
bully and bird of prey

that's a man's best friend.

I've seen bird habitat in
crisis and met some people

who are trying to
bring it back to life.

I'm leaving Palm Springs
a better, wiser birder

filled with hope that
man and bird can have an

extraordinary future, together.

Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.