All language subtitles for Arctic Secrets S02E01 Rhythm of the Bay 1080p AMZN WEB-DL DD+2 0 H 264-QOQ

*

Every year, the frozen
waters of Hudson Bay

open up for
just a few months...

Unlocking a
seasonal bounty...

That lures in ghostly forms
who come to feed...

*

As winter releases
its frozen grip,

the surrounding
land transforms...

Into a vast wetland
teeming with life.

*

Thousands converge here to
reap the summer's abundance...

*

While the very survival
of others is under threat.

*

It's a world that ebbs
and flows with

the ancient rhythm of
the seasons...

*

A rhythm now in distress,

in the face of unprecedented
climate change.

*

This is the story of
feast and famine

along the western
shore of Hudson Bay.

*

*

*

*

Mighty Hudson Bay cuts
through the Canadian North,

extending the Arctic's icy
reach deep into the continent.

*

Nowhere else on
the planet does the

polar sea ice extend this far
south of the Arctic Circle.

*

The southern shore of
Hudson Bay is on

the same latitude as London,

though the average
temperature is a full

thirty degrees
Fahrenheit colder

*

Hudson Bay is frozen
over from December to June.

*

Winter temperatures can
plummet to a bone-chilling

negative forty,
making it one of the

coldest places in the
Americas.

*

The long deep freeze allows
polar bears to hunt on the

vast expanse of
ice for months,

roaming further south
than anywhere else on earth.

For most of the year
they're hunting seals,

their favorite food.

*

But now, it's July.

*

The Arctic summer
is finally here...

*

*

The temperature
rises dramatically,

m an average low of negative
xteen degrees Fahrenheit

in January,
to a high of

plus 53 in July.

*

*

Huge chunks of sea
ice wash ashore,

and shrink away
in the summer sun.

*

With the summer thaw,
Hudson Bay's

distinctive shoreline emerges.

*

This is the estuary of
the Churchill River,

which flows 1,000 miles

om its headwaters in central
Saskatchewan.

*

The shoreline comes to
life with the summer thaw.

Creatures from as far away
as Antarctica make an

annual pilgrimage to take
advantage of the brief,

but bountiful, warm season.

*

*

Each July, strange voices

to ring through the water.

(squeals)

At first,
they're scattered...

Echoing through the depths.

(squeals)

But then...they become
louder and louder.

(squeals)

Calling back and forth...

in a complex song.

*

The beluga whales
of Hudson Bay

return to their summer home.

*

*

(clicks, chrips, squeaks)

(clicks, chrips, squeaks)

The Inuit call them
Qilalugaq...

White whale.

*

Their skin is so
starkly white...

it seems almost
incandescent

in the dark water.

(chirps)

In the spring, the belugas
leave their winter homes in

Hudson Strait and the
Atlantic Ocean and

begin heading southwest -

many of them swimming
almost 1,000 miles

to the shores
of Western Hudson Bay.

(clicks and chirps)

Over the coming weeks
around 57,000 belugas

will congregate here,

over a quarter of the total
estimated population,

and the largest single
gathering of belugas

anywhere in the world.

They come seeking
warmer water and

rich feeding grounds.

*

*

*

*

Like all whales,

belugas communicate with
each other through sound.

By blowing air through nasal
sacs near their blowhole,

belugas create squeaks...

Clicks...

And whistles.

(beluga sounds)

hey produce such a diversity
f sounds that their songs

have earned them the nickname
"canaries of the sea."

The bulb on the beluga's head

focuses sound
waves into a beam,

which bounces off
objects all around the whale.

Sound moves faster and
further in water than in air,

and belugas can
sense the size and shape

of objects up to 30 miles away.

Up close, a sonic survey
quickly distinguishes

friend from foe.

Belugas have been migrating
here for thousands of years,

but now their summer home
in Hudson Bay is changing.

*

Global warming
means less ice,

increasing the human reach
of shipping and industry.

*

This deafening new presence
poses a real threat to a

species that relies on
sound for navigation,

to find food and to
detect predators.

*

As it becomes more difficult
for them to communicate,

the future of these
whales is uncertain.

*

Above the water,
things are changing too.

Summers are lasting longer.

*

These harbor seals have
spent the entire winter here.

They enjoy
an afternoon nap

in the warming
rays of the sun.

While very agile swimmers,
they're cumbersome on land...

Always on the
lookout for polar bears.

*

The thaw comes as a relief
after a long winter on the ice,

where the seals are at
a distinct disadvantage to

the bears that hunt
them relentlessly.

*

Harbor seals pretty much
keep to themselves

all winter long.

But for a few
weeks each summer,

these introverts become more
tolerant of one another.

*

In a few days mating
season will begin.

These two males are
waiting for the females

to come into estrus.

Their play is a
form of competition.

They can swim up to
12 miles per hour.

*

Companions for now,
competitors in a few days,

they head out together
into the estuary to

gorge themselves on a
rich dinner of fish.

*

Life in the Churchill
River estuary

is governed by the tides.

*

Twice a day, as
the water recedes,

this landscape
dramatically transforms.

*

The water drops as much as
sixteen feet at low tide,

and the shores of the
estuary lie exposed.

*

With the ice finally gone,
and the tide at low ebb,

an enormous summer
buffet awaits.

(clicks, chirping)

Sandhill cranes return
to Western Hudson Bay

after wintering in the
American South and Mexico.

They take advantage
of the shallow water.

For much of the year,

cranes enjoy a mostly
vegetarian diet,

eating plants and grains --

but summer is their season
of indulgence.

They become voracious
carnivores dining on

invertebrates and small
amphibians...

Like the wood frog.

Sandhill cranes are not the
only summer residents

of the lively estuary.

Exposed mudflats are
also crucial to

many species of shorebirds.

(chirps)

This greater yellowlegs
is built for water,

so a tree landing is
a clumsy enterprise.

*

The bird migrated with
thousands of others,

over 2,500 miles
from South America,

to share in the rich bounty
the Arctic offers every summer.

*

It's a long trip to
make for a diet of worms,

snails and
small crustaceans.

But it's worth it.

The yellowlegs finds
its food by feeling,

with its long probing beak.

*

This summer resident
on the other hand,

finds its food by sight.

The semi-palmated plover's
ability to sense motion is

up to three times more
powerful than that of a

human with 20/20 vision.

*

The ebb and flow of
the tides provide an

ever-changing food source
for the 250 species of birds

that call the
Churchill River estuary

their summer home.

A rhythm governed by forces
far beyond the shores

of Hudson Bay.

The spin of the Earth holds
water to its surface...

But the gravitational
tug of the moon

pulls the ocean's
water toward it.

The bulge of high tide
tracks the moon

as it passes overhead,
circling the globe.

*

And now, the water is
once again on the rise.

*

*

*

Here, in the shallow,
warmer water,

protected from the
perils of the open ocean,

the beluga whales
raise their young.

The calves were born
just over a month ago.

They were just about
five feet long at birth,

and will reach up to
thirteen feet as adults.

(chirps)

*

Their brownish grey will
turn snowy white

ound five or six years of age.

(chirps)

*

The mothers have help
taking care of their calves.

A community of
sisters, cousins,

aunts, and grandmothers
offer support.

Many of the females start
producing milk when another

female's new baby is born,

even if they themselves
have no infant.

*

They form
kindergarten groups,

with 10 to 15 young calves
playing and socializing

under the care of a
few watchful adults.

(chirping)

And...they all talk non-stop.

(beluga sounds)

Their system of
communication is complex.

Hinting at a level of
intelligence

we are only beginning
to understand.

But they're not born
with this ability to chirp,

squeak and whistle.

(chirps, squeaks)

Just as human babies aren't
born knowing how to speak,

belugas can only make
barely audible sounds

soon after birth.

They must learn the
repertoire of sounds

from their elders.

The Churchill River estuary
is a summer school

for these young whales.

(squeaks, whistles)

*

As the water reverberates
with the chatter of belugas,

the sky also fills
with sound.

(squawking)

Thousands of snow geese
arrive from their wintering

grounds in the southern
United States

to feed and breed.

(honking)

*

Geese form
strong family units.

Last year's parents and
chicks have spent the winter

together, and flown
back here together.

Now, the families
break up and the

yearlings separate to start
out on their own.

The parents will
breed again this summer,

while the yearlings must
wait another year or two to

reach sexual maturity.

But for all the
geese, old and young,

eating is top priority.

Their sharp beaks are
ideally suited to shear off

plants, or to rip entire
stems from the ground.

Snow geese are impressive
travelers not only by air...

But also by land!

The geese nest
together by the thousands,

a strength in numbers which
keeps their eggs

safe from predators.

But the tradeoff is
that food is often scarce.

So after the chicks hatch,
they disperse with their

parents, looking for places
where there's more to eat...

Sometimes up to fifty miles
away from the nest.

*

Even though young snow
geese can't yet fly,

they can outrun
many predators --

an incredible ability for an
aquatic species

more famous for waddling
than walking.

*

Like the snow geese,

tundra swans also
me to the estuary to breed,

and to teach their
young the basics.

*

There's a first
time for everything.

(chirping)

The young swan only
hatched 48 hours ago,

but its first and most
important lesson

has already begun.

It needs to learn to swim.

The water is daunting.

This baby swan has
never swum before.

Instinctively the parents
know that the

summer will soon be over,

and their young have a
steep learning curve

if they want to
survive the long and

dangerous migration south.

(chirping)

*

The father coaxes the
hatchling to come in.

*

(chirping)

*

The cygnet still doesn't
seem convinced...

*

*

But the second it hits the
water, instinct kicks in.

*

Now the whole family --
parents and three chicks --

go on their first excursion.

*

But here,
on the water,

danger always
lurks from above.

The ever-present gulls keep
an eye on the young swans.

*

(squawks)

They are still light
enough to be carried away,

making for a perfect meal.

*

But the swan family stay
close together and

keep their young safe.

The gulls must move on to
search for an easier target.

*

(loon calls)

The haunting cries of
Pacific loons

carry across the estuary.

The birds spend most of the
year on North America's

west coast, from as far
north as Alaska

o Baja Mexico in the south.

They migrate to Western
Hudson Bay for three months

in the summer to breed.

Pacific loons are
excellent divers,

propelling themselves
with their strong legs and

steering with their wings.

Most loon species are
solitary and territorial,

with each mating pair
dominating

huge areas of water.

Pacific loons are more
social than other loons,

sharing space and sometimes
even fishing grounds.

These loons are
the estuary's

most accomplished fishers.

By summer's end, each adult
loon consumes up to

250 pounds, or twenty
times its weight.

*

And the biggest catch of the
summer is about to arrive --

not just for the loons,
but also for belugas,

seals and other water
residents of the estuary.

*

Capelin arrive in
vast schools...

tens of thousands
swimming together.

They typically prefer cold,
deep water on the high seas

of Hudson Bay... But now,

ey migrate into the shallow,

warmer waters of the
estuary to lay their eggs.

*

And for these capelin,

these beaches are a
treacherous run to reach.

*

Pods of belugas descend
on the tasty little fish.

*

(clicks, chirps, whistles)

Working together,
the whales

herd the capelin
into shallow water.

Then, they attack.

(clicks, chirps)

The belugas feed in a series
of jerky head movements,

taking in as many
capelin as possible

in their short, small jaws.

*

The panicked capelin stay
as close as possible to the

rocky bottom to avoid
the whale's deadly attack.

They're small, less than
eight inches long.

But these bite-sized fish
provide beluga whales with

vitamins and nutrients
in their fatty flesh.

(clicks, chirps)

*

*

Young belugas join their
mothers on the hunt,

watching and learning.

*

This youngster still relies
on its mother's milk for food.

*

*

Like human babies,

beluga calves don't
have teeth...

It will take over a year
before they grow in.

Only then the young whales
can join in the capelin hunt.

*

*

The feeding
continues for days,

as over 50,000 belugas gorge
on the clouds of capelin

pouring into the estuary.

*

While the whales feast,
polar bears watch from the

shoreline, with almost
nothing at all to eat.

Polar bears are the world's
largest land carnivores.

More than a thousand of
them thrive here

on the western shores
of Hudson Bay,

the most southern extent of
the species' range.

Polar bears feed
mainly on seals.

In the winter, they
hunt them out on the ice.

In the summer,
when the ice is gone,

the seals are faster
swimmers and

harder to catch.

So the end of winter
means one thing...

Hunger...

And sleep.

*

The bears wile away
the hours and...

Contend with
millions of blackflies.

*

It's a tough time of
year for the bears,

and in the face of
climate change

it's only getting tougher.

*

More ice-free days mean a
longer period with little food,

which poses a clear
threat to their survival.

*

Throughout the Arctic,
polar bears are

solitary predators,
hunting alone and

keeping their distance
from other bears.

*

It's only here, on the
shores of Western Hudson Bay

that the bears come
together every summer.

*

*

Some of these bears might
not have seen another of

their kind for
the entire year.

Still, they
recognize each other,

as polar bears have
exceptionally good memory.

And some males
create strong,

lasting bonds.

*

*

*

A mother and her cub give
the males a wide berth...

Cannibalism is
common among polar bears.

Male bears can prey on cubs.

*

This mother
takes no chances.

Staying downwind
she sniffs the air...

trying to read the
mood they are in.

*

But the males pay
her no mind...

*

Polar bears are famous
for being fierce predators,

but they also have
a playful side.

These two males don't
seem very fearsome now.

The cool water offers
welcome relief

from the hot summer sun.

*

*

*

*

*

While polar bears throughout
the Arctic must now endure

longer summers, those
that live in Hudson Bay

are already accustomed
to long periods

stranded on land
with little food.

This has been their way
of life for generations.

The bears in Western Hudson
Bay are currently unable to

hunt seals for about
150 days each summer.

If that threshold is pushed
by just thirty more days,

up to fifty percent of
young bears

could die of starvation.

Their ice-free diet is a
steady routine of grass,

seaweed,
bird eggs...

And geese.

But this varied summer menu
is no nutritional match

for one good, fatty seal.

*

till, polar bears can devastate
entire goose colonies...

so the adult
geese are watchful.

*

The adults are aggressive,
and would not hesitate to

attack the bear if
it came too close.

*

The polar bear weighs the
investment of its energy

against the return of a
small goose...

and this time,
makes no pursuit.

*

Longer, hotter summers
are hard on the bears,

but good for the geese.

A longer growing
season means more food.

And after the
geese move on,

they leave behind a
much-needed addition

l over the estuary's shores.

Animal feces are one of the
few sources of nutrients and

minerals in the poor,
boggy soil of the tundra

known as muskeg.

Muskeg covers most of
the Hudson Bay lowlands.

Its acidic soil is made up
mostly of waterlogged peat

and sphagnum mosses.

uch a huge expanse of peat,

over 125,000 sq miles,

occurs nowhere else
in North America.

*

Arctic arnica...
moss campion...

And Labrador tea...

all call the boglands home.

Although the common
butterwort might look dainty...

it's anything but.

The soil it's growing in is
so poor in nitrogen it has

devised its own strategy
to supplement its diet.

It has turned carnivorous.

Its bright yellow-green
leaves exude a sticky fluid,

which attracts
unsuspecting insects.

Once an insect gets trapped,

enzymes digest the prey...
alive.

*

Across the stony tundra
Lapland rosebay forms a

lush blanket of pink...

stretching to the horizon.

This plant is as
rugged as it is beautiful.

It's so well adjusted
to these harsh lands,

it cannot grow in
warmer climates.

*

Western Hudson Bay is
also home to the most

dainty of flower families...

the orchids.

The round-leaved orchid
is an unusual

representative of its kind...

It's tough as nails...

able to withstand the
frigid Arctic winds.

It thrives in moist and
mossy areas

in the sphagnum bogs.

Its cousin... the
northern lady slipper

prefers it sandy...

and tends to grow
on exposed gravel ridges.

*

But whether the
bed is sandy,

gravely, salty or rocky...

underneath...there's peat.

Once thought to be
a barren wasteland,

it's now understood that
these peatlands

are crucial to life on earth.

They help
regulate our climate.

*

When a wetland drains,
carbon stored in the soil

converts to carbon dioxide.

There's as much potential
carbon dioxide held in the

world's wetlands as
in the atmosphere.

The peatland ecosystem is
the most efficient

carbon sink on the planet.

Wetland protection is vital,
to slow global warming.

*

nd there is yet another crucial
function muskeg performs.

It also filters toxic
chemicals from water systems.

The Hudson Bay watershed is

the second largest
in North America.

The lakes and rivers
covering almost

one and a half million
square miles

drain into Hudson Bay,

from as far west as
the Rocky Mountains.

*

This land contains
most of Canada's

agricultural
industries.

*

Anything dumped into the
water including runoff from

cities, pesticides from
farms and

overfertilized fields

eventually ends up
in Hudson Bay.

Muskeg filters
out these poisons.

But this fragile
environment is under threat.

Vast summer algal blooms
threaten to choke out

all other plant life in the
waters that flow into

Hudson Bay, disrupting the
muskeg's delicate balance.

*

The survival of animal life
in the estuary depends on

the survival of
these lowlands.

*

On the edge of the bog,

a colony of Arctic terns
have built their nests.

*

These are the world's
greatest long distance flyers.

*

They make an astonishing
journey on a flight path

of over 22,000 miles...

from the Arctic to
the Antarctic...

And back again...
within a single year.

No other species on
earth travels as far.

These birds see two summers
per year and more daylight

than any other creature
on the planet.

*

The Hudson Bay lowlands are
a crucial stop on their

annual, globetrotting flight.

It's where they raise
their young.

(chirping)

The female lays one
to three eggs.

They seem dangerously
exposed to predators

on the open ground...

but they are
perfectly camouflaged.

*

Arctic terns are
caring parents...

And both incubate the eggs.

*

Three or four weeks later,
the chicks hatch.

(chirping)

*

*

*

The parents continue to
keep them safe and warm...

(squawks)

*

But within a few days,
the young venture off

on their own and explore
their surroundings.

They usually try to
stick close to large rocks,

where they can hide
more easily...

though this
one has other ideas.

*

The chicks seem to
be all alone...

But looks are deceiving.

Even though they are
helpless and flightless

on the ground...

a tern colony
is actually the safest place

for any chick to be.

Arctic terns are extremely
defensive of their territory.

*

They gang up on
any intruder that

dares to venture close
to their young.

Even one of the world's most
dangerous predators

doesn't scare the
fearless birds.

They might be too small
to cause serious injury,

but diving down at high
velocity they can draw blood

and send any predator
packing by the sheer

determination of
their assault.

*

The short summer will
soon be over...

and the terns
will once again make

their long journey south.

The shores of Western Hudson
Bay will fall silent again.

The swan family is also
getting ready to migrate south.

The days when the
young cygnets were

scared of the water
seem long forgotten.

The tides maintain
a steady rhythm.

The capelin have long
since departed...

's like they were never here.

But their millions of eggs
deposited along the

gravely beaches of the estuary,

evidence of their presence.

The larvae will hatch at the
end of the summer...

And wash away with
the tides...

into deeper waters
of Hudson Bay

and beyond to the Atlantic.

Next year, these young
capelin will feed thousands

of beluga whales, now
readying for their

920 mile journey
back to the open sea.

And the cycle continues.

*

Soon Hudson Bay will begin
to freeze over and

become uninhabitable
for the whales.

It's time for them to go.

*

*

Soon it will be time for
the polar bears to go, too.

The Bay will freeze over,
and their winter hunting

on the ice will begin --

a rhythm that has continued
for generations.

*

The creatures of
Hudson Bay face new,

dramatic changes caused
by human impact

on this once-remote world.

Theirs is an
enduring connection,

bound by the fragile
balance of the seasons,

to the estuaries of
Hudson Bay.

*

*