Original subtitles

These are the pastures and the animals you know.

(bleating)

they feed a nation.

(clucking)

but look closer.

There's more at play on america's farms

than you ever imagined.

Now, take a journey through the seasons,

over the barn,

into the fields,

and beneath the plow,

to discover a wild world of conflict

and hidden drama.

(clucking)

it's the secret life of a farm.

(birds chirping)

(music)

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this little spread in wisconsin

has all the farm animals you'd expect in midwest america.

(music)

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these are the critters that farmers see day in, day out.

(bleating)

then there are those that lurk in the shadows.

Watching, waiting.

(clattering)

(clattering)

one man's trash...

...Is a raccoon's treasure.

That was just an appetizer.

(owl hoots)

nighttime brings out the wild side on the farm.

(music)

four walls should protect a home from the vermin outside.

(music)

but on the counter, temptation.

(music)

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this is a return visitor.

Once more, a breach.

Raccoons are known for their intelligence.

Once they crack a puzzle, like how to access a quiet kitchen,

they've been proven to remember that solution

for as long as three years.

Breaking and entering; no problem.

Or should that be enter and break?

(music)

(crash)

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these bandits are not fussy eaters.

That's one of the reasons they like hanging around people.

Their diet includes grubs and insects.

It's part meat and part greens,

but it's 100% opportunistic.

There's good eating on the farm,

but only one in a hundred wild raccoons

live beyond the age of seven.

What can shorten a life?

Getting caught.

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(chittering)

this raccoon's home range could be as big as 7,000 acres.

But when life around a farm is this good, why venture far?

(birds chirping)

there are plenty of farms to choose from.

(music)

the bright green shows where farmland is at its densest.

These are the lands we rely on to feed america and beyond.

In the warmer months, wildlife looks to this land, too.

It's been a good season for critters of all kinds

to bulk up.

But now the year is marching on.

(music)

summer soon becomes a memory...

And fades away.

Fall drains the green from the landscape

and a chill sweeps across the farm.

Much colder months lie ahead.

(birds chirping)

blackbirds and grackles will head south

to avoid the worst of the ice and snow.

But not before one last banquet.

(chirping)

(chirping)

the birds scatter across the land to devour leftovers.

(chirping)

the farmer's waste is enough to feed a horde.

Then...

(chirping)

(chirping)

right before dusk,

they must all look for a secure place to roost for the night.

(chirping)

and there is safety in numbers.

(chirping)

as groups return from foraging, the flock swells.

(chirping)

each individual tracks the bird beside it.

(chirping)

(chirping)

the most prized spot is in the middle, safe from predators.

Birds on the edges risk getting picked off.

Same with those who are first to land.

(chirping)

(chirping)

the result of this survival function--

synchronized flying at speeds up to 28 miles an hour.

(music)

it's called a murmuration.

Mesmerizing waves of avian beauty.

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the ritual continues here every day throughout the fall.

And then, together, they head south,

leaving the farm to those who must stay and brace themselves

for the bone-chilling challenge that lies ahead.

(music)

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among them, an animal

that takes a page out of the farmer's almanac.

(music)

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farm workers aren't the only ones who know how to plow.

Nature has its own diggers.

One sits among the strangest creatures on the planet.

This is a short-tailed shrew.

A little guy with a big problem.

His life includes an extraordinary daily routine

that defies logic.

(sniffing)

life on an american farm may seem laidback,

but not for the short-tailed shrew.

His metabolism is fast and strenuous.

Shrews have a tiny heart

that in some species races up to 1,500 beats a minute.

That takes a lot of calories to sustain.

He has to eat every three hours, or he'll die.

Not that he's fussy.

Dead or alive, he'll take it on.

(music)

there's not much he'll let stand between him

and his next meal.

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but that's only part of the story.

He also needs lots of rest.

(music)

on average, he must rest for about 50 minutes of every hour.

5-0.

So, that meal he must eat every few hours to survive?

He only has a handful of five-minute bursts

to find it, kill it, and eat it.

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it's a daily grind,

down among the weeds,

hidden from view.

Just above, the regular autumn harvest

has its own little-known life-and-death drama.

Rows of standing straw make a perfect hideout for these guys.

(music)

wild pheasants.

(music)

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the colorful one, that's the man of the house.

He's happy to chill out here with his girlfriends

to pick up spilt seed and search for insects.

They blend in with the corn husks.

Ring-necked pheasants are not native to america

but were introduced from asia in the 1700s.

Since then, they have spread far and wide,

to every state in the midwest.

They remain a favorite game bird for hunters.

Hunters both human and non.

(music)

the great horned owl is one of the most powerful owl species

in the americas.

This one moves to high ground.

(music)

from up here, he can look down into the fields,

into the standing straw.

Owls have fixed eye sockets,

meaning they can't rotate their eyeballs.

To look in different directions,

he must move his entire head.

His flexible neck gives him 270 degrees of coverage.

(music)

the camouflage isn't good enough for this pheasant,

and she knows it.

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her only chance is to get a jump-start into the sky.

(music)

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a chase of up to 40 miles an hour.

A race of life and death.

In america's heartland,

this wild pheasant swoops over the farm

with a good head start on a great horned owl.

(music)

then, a wrong turn.

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one less pheasant on the farm.

(music)

it's harvest time for the owl, too.

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it's already winter.

Soon it will snow.

The great horned owl has made the best of fall.

But from here on out, life on the farm gets tough.

(music)

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now it's hard to find feed in the fields.

(music)

enter a vermin new to these parts.

Possums have stretched their range north,

now reaching into farmland with colder climates.

It's a risky business.

Some perish in the harsher winters.

Others get frostbite on their ears and tails.

(chirping)

possums are the only native marsupial in the united states,

more closely related to kangaroos and koalas

than anything in their home country.

That means the males have a double-headed penis,

and females carry their young in a pouch.

(music)

in summer they hunt and forage under the cover of darkness,

but in winter they need to take advantage of the sunlight.

Rodents, insects, frogs, plants;

they'll take it all.

But nothing is as good as an animal already dead.

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they ain't too proud

to take advantage of another's misfortune.

This deer died trapped in a fence.

Possums have more teeth than any land mammal in the u.S.,

perfect for this feast.

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he'll be back for more.

On the farm, there's no rest for the wicked...

Or the responsible.

Chores don't wait for any season.

There are still fields to prepare

and spread with nitrogen-rich manure.

And there's firewood to stack.

(music)

he brings the forest to the farm.

(purring)

and with it, some unsavory critters--

spiders, maybe snakes,

and of course, mice.

(music)

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this home would appear perfect,

with easy access to a nice, warm barn.

But he's got company.

(purring)

the job description goes like this:

Wanted for america's heartland.

One barn cat.

(purring)

must have alert eyes and silent steps.

Title: Rodent killer.

(music)

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a good mouser can kill three or four mice in a day.

(music)

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(purring)

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but this cat needs to work harder on her résumé.

(music)

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(purring)

(meow)

(purring)

(meow)

the barn has been an enviable shelter for four months,

but now, things heat up.

(music)

by April, the last of the snow is washed away

by warm spring rains.

And on the farm, that means new life.

Nature's clock sets births to coincide with ample food.

(bleats)

one study notes that more mothers will give birth

on days when the barometric pressure is high.

(bleating)

might as well start out life in the sunshine.

(music)

(bleating)

these are lazy days for the young,

who spend it feeding and growing

and learning to eat solid food.

(bleating)

(bleating)

corn's on the menu today, served buffet style.

(bleating)

(music)

(music)

(clucking)

(bleating)

under hoof, the ground is soft and spongy.

That makes for easy plowing.

(snorts)

just ask the barn's most intelligent resident.

Time to wake up and get to work.

(squealing)

pigs dig for worms, roots, grain, any food they can find.

The mud also helps keep them cool

and protects them from the sun.

They may also pee in it,

because, well, that's what pigs do.

(squealing)

there are other diggers on this farm

that mostly stay hidden from sight,

like the ground squirrel.

The ground squirrel's home range

can be as little as half an acre.

So the same family has likely lived on this farm

for generations.

(music)

but for them, spring is about to take a turn for the worse.

(music)

there's a big threat on the horizon,

and none of them can see it coming.

A year on the american farm

means close attention to the elements.

Earth, wind, and fire.

(music)

(music)

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fire is not a threat on this farm,

but a tool to help native grass recover.

The invasive weeds die off in the burn.

The native grasses have deeper roots that survive.

Some of the creatures who call these fields home

are caught off guard.

(music)

it's a slow burn, but fast enough and with choking smoke.

(music)

at least ground squirrels have a natural fire escape.

(birds cawing)

underground, they are insulated from the heat.

(music)

it's may, and in just a few weeks,

spring bounces back through the black and the smoke...

Bigger and greener than ever.

That makes the fields here a promising spot

for a couple of hungry red foxes.

(music)

(music)

foxes aren't pack animals, but they do live in family groups.

They need enough food for mom, dad, and four adolescents.

(music)

for them, this farm and its fields

are brave new worlds to explore.

(music)

they're too young yet for rules.

It's carefree play all day long,

learning to fight and tussle.

They can play a game of 'who's on top' for an hour.

(music)

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(growling)

(music)

but nothing seems to make them happier

than when a parent comes home.

(music)

they're only a few months old,

still young enough to get a drink from mom.

(music)

that's what life on the farm is all about--

working hard to provide for a family,

weathering hardships together,

and having fun when you can.

(music)

(music)

the farm is a hub.

The centerpiece for a patchwork of trees and fields

filled with life.

This is how some animals see it every day...

From up high.

(music)

(music)

the kestrel is welcome here.

They never build their own nests,

so this predator was quick to sign a lease on a pre-fab loft.

The farmer built it for one good reason.

The kestrel is a hunter of bugs and rodents.

She helps keep rats and mice in check.

(chirping)

kestrels often hover above prey out in the open.

That's easiest when the wind is right.

Today, it's still, so she takes a perch

and watches for movement in the fields.

Kestrels can spot a small rodent from 300 yards away.

She can also see ultraviolet light,

so her prey's urine will shine in a field like a glow stick

and give them away.

Ground squirrels and the shrew also risk being ambushed.

(music)

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for an aerial attack, her timing must be perfect.

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she seizes the moment.

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(chirping)

(music)

air power reigns supreme on the farm.

The kestrel may be the smallest falcon in america's heartland,

but she's a mighty huntress.

(music)

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(chirping)

eating on the fly is all part of a busy spring.

Her wingspan is less than two feet,

but she can easily manage

an ounce or two of carry-on weight.

(music)

she'll take down as many as ten kills a day.

Depending if she is just feeding herself or her family.

(music)

(chirping)

(music)

(cheeping)

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it's mealtime for her four nagging chicks.

(cheeping)

(cheeping)

mom brings home the bacon, carves it up and serves.

(cheeping)

the chicks won't hunt for themselves

until the middle of summer.

(cheeping)

but their dinner is not on mom's shoulders alone.

(cheeping)

she does the delivering and may take the credit,

but outside, it's actually dad who does most of the hunting.

(music)

he hands this catch over to his lady and keeps going for more.

(music)

how much food do you need to keep four hungry chicks happy?

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they know the answer.

It's always just a little bit more.

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(cheeping)

there's really only one thing that's hard to swallow

in this cozy condo.

Just one drawback to all this feasting and bunking

with your sibs: What goes in, must come out.

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of course, not all birds in the barn are wild.

This isn't a big egg-producing or chicken farming operation,

but they have the grain and the space for some poultry.

(clucking)

(clucking)

these hens lay enough

to keep this farmer and his neighbors happy.

(music)

only one problem:

There's also a neighbor that no one wants.

(clucking)

as the sun sets, he moves in.

(music)

a long-tailed weasel can slip through a hole

barely bigger than its own head.

(clucking)

he often eats rodents, but this evening, he has other plans.

(clucking)

(clucking)

it's an invasion most 'fowl.'

(squawking)

(squawking)

(squawking)

(music)

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(clucking)

the weasel could easily take out a chicken,

but something else on the menu catches his dark eyes.

A favorite.

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it's a hearty dinner of eggs.

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scrambled.

(sniffing)

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(clucking)

outside, the chickens continue to raise the alarm.

(clucking)

(clucking)

he'll have to eat on the run.

(music)

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and take one egg to go.

(music)

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(clucking)

(clucking)

the battles between farmers and vermin

are as old as farms themselves.

(music)

that's part of living in america's heartland.

(music)

it goes without saying that farms feed america,

but like it or not, they also support abundant wildlife.

It's a secret ecosystem that flows with the seasons.

Up high, down low...

In dark, hidden corners...

Conflict and drama is everywhere.

Not always welcome,

but always giving a wild edge

to life on the farm.