All language subtitles for Earthflight.S01.E06.1080p.Bluray.AAC.2.0.x265-LION

Earthflight took us on an extraordinary journey
into the bird's world.

It took four years to make,
filmed over 100 species

and covered 40 different countries
in six continents.

To capture a bird 's-eye view, the team
employed the latest state-of-the-art techniques.

On the way, they witnessed behaviour
that had never been seen before...

..and looked anew at some of
the greatest wildlife events on earth.

But at its heart, the series depended on
some extraordinary relationships

between people and birds.

With their help,
we flew on wings across the world.

It's spring, and here in Central France,
an extraordinary story is about to unfold.

Avid bird-enthusiast Christian Moullec
is about to raise his very own flock of geese.

Ga-ga-ga-ga...

OK.

For the first two years of their life,
these chicks will think of him as Mother.

They'll trust and follow him above all others.

It's a process known as imprinting,

and it's something that many birds do
from the moment they're born.

A few hours later,

the hatchlings are already following their
oversized mother goose wherever he goes.

Allez, allez, allez!

Christian's ultimate goal is to film these chicks

retracing the great journeys of wild birds
from his microlight.

It's a huge commitment that will continue
long after the filming is over.

And it will take months of tender care
and devotion

before he and his new bird family
take to the air.

Allez, allez!

But Christian is just one of
countless professionals and cameramen

who devoted their skills
to the Earthflight series.

In the heart of the Amazon, the series enlisted
the help of another remarkable group of people

who have a similar relationship with macaws.

They have the power
to call the birds out of the wild.

Felix and Ben Ben are two of the rangers
in a reserve in deepest Peru.

Nearly a year ago,
as part of a conservation programme

they hand-reared a group of scarlet macaws.

But they've long since
been released into the wild

Will they still come to Bon Bon's call?

There's a lot invested in the plan

A special microlight has been shipped
from France to film the birds from the air.

While the ground crew
tries to call the birds down,

the microlight films elsewhere along the river.

Suddenly it spots four macaws,
heading over the treetops.

The birds are flying purposefully along the river
as if they have a destination in mind.

Then many more join the party.

From the air, it's clear that they are heading
towards trees that have just come into fruit.

The news is passed on to the local team
who head off to where the birds are gathering.

The hand-reared birds
might be somewhere in the flock,

but no matter how hard Bon Bon and Felix try,

none of the birds show any interest
in coming down.

The plan is for the birds
to fly alongside the boat...

..but this is starting to look like a distant dream.

Back in France, Christian is spending all his time
with his young goslings.

It's important that they trust him completely.

Pet dog, Loovy,
is introduced to these new family members.

He's seen it all before and will make sure
they never come to harm.

While Christian is raising a flock of geese,

his colleague Cedric
is mum to some baby cranes.

Just like any devoted mother,
he coos to them and teaches them what is food.

Allez, allez, allez!

And at the farm pond, Christian's daughter Lisa
has her hands full with yet more new babies.

The parasol isn't just for shade,
it's a portable substitute for a microlight wing.

Lisa wants them to learn
they are safe in its shadow.

But to fully prepare them
for flying with a microlight,

something has to shatter the rural peace.

A chainsaw mimics the noise
of a microlight's engine.

But with Lisa on hand, the chicks soon learn
the sound is nothing to be afraid of.

Allez, allez!

Meanwhile Christian introduces another batch
of chicks to the real microlight -

or rather a parasol attached
to the real microlight.

For the goslings, the engine's quite a surprise,

but the reassuring figure of Christian
confirms there is nothing to be scared of.

Allez, allez!

Their next task is to follow the microlight
with Christian offering encouragement.

Allez, allez, allez!

These are just baby steps.

They have many challenges ahead
before their mission is accomplished.

But Christian isn't alone in hand-rearing geese

Along the Mississippi In North America, a flock
of snow geese are at a later stage of training.

Cameraman Neil Rettig is their foster mother.

Like Christian's birds, they follow Neil
and his wife Laura wherever they go,

but this is the first time they have been flown.

They will help retrace the flight paths of wild
birds that Neil has filmed across America.

The geese are so keen to be with Neil and
his team, they are flying too close for filming,

or at least too close to film
without the boat being in shot

But these training sessions help the birds
develop their flight muscles -

vital for the ambitious plans that lie ahead.

As well as learning to make long sustained
flights, they must also perfect formation flying

A Mississippi steamer
is a handy prop to practise on.

The aim is to get the birds, steamboat
and camera boat to line up perfectly,

but the birds are all over the place.

OK, yeah, go. Go now.

They try one last time.

- Come on.
- Come on!

That's it.

With a bit of encouragement,
the geese start to line up alongside the boat.

They just have to stay like that
for a little bit longer.

And there it is - perfect formation flying.

- Come on, guys.
- Good guys.

It has taken seven months
to get the geese to this point,

but Neil has far more ambitious plans for
his foster children - next stop is New York City.

Back in Peru, Bon Bon and Felix are having
no success luring the macaws down to the boat.

With so much fruit around,
the birds just aren't hungry.

But then suddenly, two birds veer away
from the flock, fluttering down to the boat

It seems the bond's still there.

Felix can still offer something
they can't get in the wild - a good scratch

He reaches the pan's that beaks fail to reach.

Even after six months living with wild flocks,
the birds won't miss this chance of a tickle.

But will these be the only macaws
to respond to the call?

It seems someone else remembers
his old friends.

Then another.

All four share some titbits for old times' sake.

The birds may be on board,
but for the plan to work,

Bon Bon must persuade them
to fly alongside the boat.

Cameraman Richard Cook is ready and waiting.

The macaws fly with the boat,
exactly as planned.

Richard finally gets his chance
to capture some arresting images.

You've got some nice stuff.

It's a lovely shot.

The macaw coming up the side of the boat here,
and on this side, so we're looking down on it.

It worked well.

The visit provides
just a few magical seconds of footage.

It took four weeks in total to capture
all the close flying shots seen in the film.

New York City.

And for the snow geese,
their big day has finally arrived.

The plan is to fly past
the famous Manhattan skyline,

retracing the flight path
taken by thousands of wild snow geese.

For adoptive parents Neil and Laura,
it's a big moment-

the birds have never been flown
this far from home.

The geese are now seasoned aeronauts,

so they don't need much encouragement
to get airborne.

By now, the birds have formation flying
down to a fine an.

Even the New York coastguard
comes to investigate the astonishing sight.

Come on, guys.

Come on, guys. Whoo!

Come on, babies!

Success. But there is an even more ambitious
plan for one of the birds.

Amazing.

He has been trained to carry a tiny HD camera

He joins the rest of the flock and captures
a viewpoint that has never been seen before.

He has such control he lands back on the boat
as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The rest of the flock keep in formation
but as their confidence grows,

their natural desire to explore kicks in

They are heading off into town.

Can you still see them?

The only contact Neil and Laura have is a signal
from a transmitter attached to one of the birds.

- I think they're still flying.
- OK.

The signal's fluctuating.

Wild birds make similar exploratory flights
away from their parents.

But human parents
are at a distinct disadvantage -

they can '2' fly after them.

Neil and Laura now have a real challenge
on their hands.

Back in France,
Christian's geese are now three weeks old.

Allez, allez, allez!

Ga, 98, ga, ga.

It's time for Christian
to teach the birds some of the skills

a mother goose passes on to her own offspring.

First he must make them feel comfortable in
the largest expanse of water they've ever seen.

But they must also learn to be aware of danger.

Christian keeps looking up, teaching the birds
to watch for predators overhead.

He also shows them that they must kick hard
to strengthen their legs.

Even this improvised water pistol isn't for fun -

wetting the birds encourages them to preen
and produce oil to waterproof their plumage.

These early bonding sessions are vital

if the birds are to grow up
with all the natural skills they need.

Back in New York,
the signal from the goose's transmitter

has taken Neil to the streets of Brooklyn.

But the buildings are confusing
and bouncing the signals.

It's turning into a real wild-goose chase

- Anything?
- Nothing.

Yeah, go go.

- You've got a signal?
- Yeah.

But suddenly a breakthrough.

OK, let me out right here.

- Go straight ahead and there's a park.
- Let me come, Neil.

They shouldn't be too far away.

I think it's unbelievable. They might be up here.

- This makes Monument Valley look like...
- Yeah, it does.

I just pray that the transmitter hasn't been taken.

- I think they're in this park.
- OK.

We're going to get caught jaywalking here.

- I see them. I see them straight ahead.
- Really?

What are you doing here? Hey, guys.

-
- Whee-whee-whee-whee!

- Good boys. Good boys.
-

Just like wild birds, they simply headed
for the best grazing they could find.

Good boys.

Now, Neil just has to wait for backup to arrive.

We got them, we got them.

Obviously, we don't have them,
but we are with them in a little park.

Yeah, we've got them. Yeah, they're in a park.

We got them. Yeah.

So we need to regroup and get the kennels...

Although many birds went AWOL
over the course of the series,

all were ultimately reunited with their owners.

But knowing this doesn't make it any easier

when you lose the birds
you've spent so long nurturing

It's a relief for Neil and Laura. They are as
attached to the geese as the geese are to them.

- Well done. Thank goodness.
- Oh, my God.

- We are gonna run out of miracles!
- I can't believe it.

To fly amongst birds,
Eaith?ight used a huge variety of techniques.

In South Africa,
a paraglider soars among flocks of wild vultures.

He uses the same updrafts and thermals
as the birds,

making it the perfect way to film in their midst.

The paragliders are piloted by biologists,
who use them as part of their work.

It was this kind of cooperation with experts in
the field that made much of the filming possible.

But there is yet another way
to get even closer to vultures.

This is the latest spy in the flock.

Model maker Malcolm Beard
spent hundreds of hours

designing and building
this perfect full-scale replica of a vulture

Vulturecam even has a moving tail,
just like the real thing.

It also carries a pan and tilt camera,
allowing 360-degree filming.

Fortunately, the vultures are fascinated
by this new strange bird

that can soar with them in the thermals.

The pictures are sent back to ground

allowing producer Rob Pilley to control
and adjust the camera.

But despite the success,

the team fear they might never get their
radio-controlled vulture back in one piece.

Unlike a real vulture,
vulturecam needs a smooth path to land on

And it doesn't get rougher
than a rocky mountain top.

To make matters worse,
the cliff face creates strong updrafts.

But with the camera's memory card full,
they can '2' put off landing any longer.

- It's lost its head.
-

It could have been far worse.

That's what you call a nose-dive.

Look, you've actually scratched the granite!

But Earthflight needed to get even deeper
into the vulture's world.

This is a world first - a camera-carrying vulture
trained to fly from a microlight.

Vultures usually need
perfect weather conditions to get airborne,

but this pampered bird
can let an aircraft do the hard work,

taking off when she reaches the correct altitude.

Her normal routine is at this airfield
not far from Geneva,

but it's time for her to attempt
something far more ambitious.

Her next flight will be in amongst
her wild cousins in Africa.

Back in France, the young geese
are preparing for their first flight.

They are happily following the microlight,
but will they fly with it?

On a nearby airfield,
the moment of truth finally arrives.

The birds are certainly enthusiastic,
but they are not sure what is expected

and most fall at the first hurdle.

Only two birds have got the idea.

But even this limited success is short-lived

The microlight lands without its out-riders

These first flights are always the most stressful.

Then relief, the flock is reunited.

Christian knows he must try again
as quickly as possible.

This time, the two leading birds
encourage the others into the air.

But there's always one that doesn't quite get it.

Up above, things are starting to gel.

They could hardly fly any closer.

This is what six months of training
has been about-

flying and filming as part of the flock

A perfect test flight
but soon the real challenges will begin,

flying the route of their wild counterparts

As the vulture crew assemble in Kenya,
the camera-bird takes it all in her stride.

Like a pet dog, she follows her owner,
Yohann, wherever he goes.

I love this.

The eventual aim is to fly high
over many other African locations.

It may be a different plane
but the vulture knows the routine.

She always sets off
from around 1,500 feet up.

For her safety, the engines of the plane
are stopped just before she flies.

This is her first taste of African skies.

And she's clearly enjoying the view.

The on board camera reveals the bird is turning
in a thermal, soaring upwards.

Magnifique!

It's an exhilarating moment for the vulture team.

But the thermals are far stronger here
than in Europe.

Time to call her back down.

But the strong winds
are taking the vulture away.

She's heading to the peak of a very high hill.

The launch plane touches down
to join in the search.

Yohann and team are going to need all the help
they can get to find their missing bird.

Across the world, in the wilds of Alaska,

another contingent of the Earthflight team
are going on a bear hunt.

Leading the group
is bear expert Derek Stonorov,

a man who knows everything there is
about working in grizzly bear country.

Following behind is field producer Matt Gordon

They are here to film eagles
stealing fish from the bears,

but right now it's the bears
that are focusing the mind.

Hey there. Hey there.

For safety, the drill is to follow the trails
made by bears.

And make a lot of noise,
so you don't surprise any hiding in the bushes

Hey there.

Grizzly bears are the most aggressive
and dangerous animals in North America

No one can take any chances.

Hey there.

But the crew knows that to film
the bears' interactions with eagles,

they will have to get closer than usual.

The bears are gathering for a salmon run.

But they are still waiting for all the fish to arrive.

The bears turn up early,
anxious to bag the best fishing spots.

It's a chance for the bears to get used to people.

And for the people to get used to the bears.

That's pretty cool, man.

As a zoologist, Matt is more aware
of the dangers than anyone.

Tranquil next to us, you know what I mean?

When working close to bears, it's important
to understand their body language

and act in a calm and non-threatening manner.

Oh!

That was close!

The plan is to film from a large crane

so the bears need to become used to its
movements as well as the presence of the team.

It's all going to plan,
but as yet not a single eagle has been seen,

and without them, there is no story.

The bears are poised and ready, and the
salmon are gathering at the mouth of the river.

Then, as if on cue, the first eagle arrives.

- That's one eagle.
- There is an eagle, see it?

- Yeah.
- Then another.

As so often occurs, the birds know exactly when
nature's greatest events are set to happen.

It's action stations.
The salmon run has started

The team have to work quickly,

but thankfully the bears are more interested
in the salmon than the crew.

And the eagles do exactly what was expected -

stealing great hunks of fat salmon
from under the noses of the bears.

Back in Africa, the lost vulture
is concerning the ground crew.

A spotter plane goes up to see if it can locate
where she has landed.

The on board pictures show
that she is safe and well...

..but where?

There is no shortage of willing helpers

I tried to see it.

I think our other guys
have gone off down and up again.

So...I'll get them to stop.
Do you want to hook back this way and join us?

The ground crew head to the distant hills

No, we can't see anything, because there are
many trees and she lands somewhere up there,

but now we have to find her.

In Africa, it's always difficult
because there are no tracks to find.

- Look at that plane.
- She's just there, I think.

- You see it?
- No, no, no.

The plane is right above us
so hopefully it's not too far.

Thank you, Willie. Let's move.

The plane circles the spot.

She is just there, but on the top of a mountain.
Now we have to climb.

But it's not going to be easy.

All on board cameras are designed
so the bird can remove them,

but it's clear from the relayed signal
that the vulture hasn't a care in the world.

The same can '2' be said for Yohann
and the team.

She hears the approaching voices.

OK, go.

Some sharp-eyed local children
are first at the scene.

Crazy bird!

But it's Yohann
that the vulture has been waiting for.

Great.

There we go.

Well done. Well done.

Amazing.

A moment for the whole team
to reflect on the hard-earned success

But this was just the beginning.

The vulture captured a bird 's-eye view
in many different locations after this.

- I can't believe how high that bird is.
- She's very stable.

Incredibly. Oh, it's amazing.

Now you really are flying with the bird.
You're really up in the sky with it.

It's thermalling like a vulture does.

It really is behaving like a wild vulture.

Yeah. There you are!

Well done, you. That's awesome.

Back in Europe, Christian's team have set
their sights on the next big challenge,

a flight over Edinburgh in Scotland,

following the tracks of thousands
of migrating barnacle geese.

It's time to see whether all the hard work
will pay off.

But it's not going to be easy.

Permissions have been difficult to obtain

and they have been given a narrow window
of only an hour to get the shot.

All other air traffic has had to be diverted
around Edinburgh for the flight.

The birds seem eager to stretch their wings.

Air traffic control give the signal and
the geese emerge with a spring in their step.

It's a good start, all the training is paying off.

But their designated take-off site
was five miles from the city.

To succeed, the birds need to be fit enough
to keep up with the microlight all the way.

The birds must maintain a tight formation.

If any get lost,
the shoot will have to be abandoned.

Ten minutes of flying
takes them over Arthur's Seat,

the famous hill overlooking the city.

They now power onwards
towards the heart of Edinburgh

In case of engine failure,
Christian must maintain good altitude,

he must always be able to glide to safety.

The geese perform to perfection.

By now, flying with a microlight
comes naturally to them.

They even take on the classic formation
of a migrating flock, with Christian at the helm.

Just like wild geese,
their mother shows them the way.

Finally they've got what they came for -

the view that wild flocks see
as they fly over Scotland's capital.

It's a success, but Christian
has even greater ambitions for his birds.

Back in Africa, at Kenya's Lake Bogoria,

flamingos are the next challenge
for the Earthflight team.

Wild flamingos are one of the most
nervous birds in the world.

To film among the masses
requires a variety of spycams.

Producer Philip Dalton buries a remote camera
in the steaming hot mud

at a favourite drinking spot.

- It's steaming up at the front.
- Yeah.

It captures intimate images like these.

He also deploys another camera
disguised by its own mini-flock of flamingos

But to capture shots of these notoriously
skittish birds from the air needs stealth tactics.

This futuristic drone
is the team's secret weapon.

Its tiny rotor blades
allow an almost silent approach

and its alien shape is nothing like
any predator they've seen.

The drone hardly ruffles a feather,

as it captures a view of the greatest gathering
of flamingos seen for 20 years.

Then, at the flick of a switch, it returns to base.

But this was just pan' of a much bigger
sequence shot at Lake Bogoria,

one that took 100 filming days to complete.

The beautiful dance of the flamingos
only happens when conditions are perfect.

To capture extraordinary behaviour
always takes time.

In Bogoria, baboons have turned killers.

Behaviour like this
takes countless days to capture.

Patience is also of the essence
when dealing with red tape.

London is the most over-crowded airspace
in the world

and for two years, the production team sought
permission for Christian's birds to fly over it.

It finally came in the last summer of filming.

The venue is London City Airport

But there's a catch:

the birds can only fly
if they become pan' of the airshow

that is closing the airport for the day.

Like the other participants,
the birds must perform on cue.

For a display pilot, this goes with the territory,

but Christian's birds
need perfect wind conditions.

It's not going to be easy.

The microlight is assembled in double-quick
time while the display goes on around them.

But the team have some concerns.

The unfamiliar sights and sounds
of the stunt planes may disturb the birds.

With the buildings, I have turbulence...

And Christian has other worries.

Geese moult their feathers at this time of year,

so he thinks only a few of them are able to fly
strongly enough in these weather conditions

and their flying speed is limited.

The birds don't want to climb.

He is particularly worried by turbulence from
hot air rising from the sun-baked runway.

So to make it easier for them, Christian is now
using a slower flying, single-seat microlight.

Everyone's aware that if the geese don't fly
on cue, there will be no second chance.

I have to wait and this plane will land.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Ready.

As the allocated time slot arrives,
the geese take up position.

Now it's the moment of truth.

Christian is using a special lightweight camera,

but flying and filming at the same time
is never going to be easy.

Despite all of the distractions, the bond between
Christian and his birds is as strong as ever.

They hold a nice tight formation.

But he has to juggle everything
to achieve what he came for.

His amazing affinity with his birds
is paying off once more.

For Christian and his geese,
it's mission accomplished.

But one more big challenge still faces the team,

one that will take huge resources
and military planning.

Istanbul is the gateway into Europe
for many birds migrating from Africa and Asia.

The team is interested in one bird that arrives
here in the hundreds of thousands -

the famous white stork.

To spot the approaching birds,

a network of ornithologists are stationed
at different points along the migration route.

Even so, the birds' arrival
is spontaneous and unpredictable.

And strong winds
can push them high out of sight.

After a week of false alarms,
the storks suddenly appear.

To the other one. To the front one,
who is now thermalling a bit.

Then others join them, heading right for the city.

The filming teams
have been waiting for this moment.

A microlight is first to be scrambled.

Then a helicopter
with a stabilised camera mount.

The helicopter has been cleared
to fly over the city...

while the microlight shadows the flocks
through the city outskirts.

Then a spotter sees an unexpected sight,
thousands of storks in trouble way out to sea.

The helicopter crew capture the moment
the storks reach safety.

The Princes' Islands,
seven miles from the mainland

Thermals rising from the rocks gives them
the boost they need to make it to the mainland

In Istanbul, the ground teams are waiting.

One crew are even on the minarets
of the famous Hagia Sophia.

They capture another view of this great
invasion.

The stork's story
was an epic Earthflight tale of endurance

and it became a fitting start
to the programme on Europe.

Telling the story of the bird's great journeys
across the world's continents

was a project that involved
hundreds of dedicated people.

Helped by new technology
and new filming techniques,

the birds' lives were captured as never before.

But at every stage, the story was guided
by the behaviour of wild birds

who had an incredible tale to tell.

They took the film crews
to sights never seen before.

And retold familiar stories
from a whole new perspective

They continually surprised with their ingenuity...

..their intelligence...

..and their devotion.

They showed us their challenges...

..and their triumphs.

We shared in their dramas...

..and their greatest successes.

Wherever they took us,
they showed us the world with fresh eyes.

Earthflight was their story,

and it continually surprised the team
that helped tell it.

Our view of birds will never be the same again.