1
00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:37,420
The sun is absent for up to
half the year in the polar regions.

2
00:00:37,420 --> 00:00:41,100
When it returns,
at the beginning of spring,

3
00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:44,980
its warmth will transform
this magical ice world.

4
00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:09,300
The greatest seasonal change
on our planet is now underway.

5
00:01:16,420 --> 00:01:23,300
Antarctica is still locked in ice,
and surrounded by a frozen ocean.

6
00:01:23,300 --> 00:01:25,580
Nonetheless,
there are signs of spring.

7
00:01:33,060 --> 00:01:37,300
Adelie penguins are arriving -
just the males.

8
00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:41,420
They've spent five months at sea,
where it's warmer than it is on land

9
00:01:41,420 --> 00:01:46,260
and now they're in a hurry,
for spring will be short.

10
00:01:52,860 --> 00:01:56,140
They have travelled 6,000 miles
across the ocean

11
00:01:56,140 --> 00:01:58,380
since leaving their colony
last year,

12
00:01:58,380 --> 00:02:01,500
and now
they're returning to breed.

13
00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:04,780
They cannot lay their eggs on ice,
for they would freeze,

14
00:02:04,780 --> 00:02:08,540
so they have to come here,
where there is bare rock.

15
00:02:12,660 --> 00:02:14,300
Over the coming months,

16
00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:16,940
the few parts of Antarctica
that are ice-free

17
00:02:16,940 --> 00:02:20,700
will be the stage
on which five million Adelies

18
00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:22,620
will build their nests.

19
00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:33,140
To construct one, they need pebbles,
and without a good-looking nest,

20
00:02:33,140 --> 00:02:36,860
a male will be unable
to attract a female,

21
00:02:36,860 --> 00:02:39,260
when they at last arrive.

22
00:02:39,260 --> 00:02:43,140
An impressive property
demonstrates your worth as a mate.

23
00:02:46,580 --> 00:02:50,660
It takes stones of all shapes
and sizes to build a decent nest,

24
00:02:50,660 --> 00:02:53,900
and finding ones
that are just right is not easy.

25
00:02:59,220 --> 00:03:02,140
So some penguins
turn to a life of crime.

26
00:03:41,620 --> 00:03:44,100
The one who has been robbed
seems unaware

27
00:03:44,100 --> 00:03:48,260
that the thief is just over
his shoulder, and looking for more.

28
00:03:57,900 --> 00:04:01,140
The thief's nest
is coming along nicely,

29
00:04:01,140 --> 00:04:04,380
probably because he keeps
a particularly sharp lookout

30
00:04:04,380 --> 00:04:06,620
for robbers -

31
00:04:06,620 --> 00:04:08,980
after all,
it takes one to know one.

32
00:04:18,340 --> 00:04:21,340
It's still cold,
but the early season sun

33
00:04:21,340 --> 00:04:24,340
does lift the temperature
by a few degrees.

34
00:04:24,340 --> 00:04:29,340
That, however, can have unexpected,
even dangerous consequences.

35
00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:39,140
The sea is heating faster
than the land,

36
00:04:39,140 --> 00:04:43,340
pulling cold air from the middle
of the continent towards the coast.

37
00:04:48,180 --> 00:04:52,580
These katabatic winds
are stronger than any hurricane.

38
00:04:52,580 --> 00:04:56,380
They are the coldest and
the most ferocious on the planet.

39
00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:09,020
The storms catch
many new arrivals by surprise,

40
00:05:09,020 --> 00:05:12,700
and are the reason that spring here
is, in fact, the deadliest season.

41
00:05:38,460 --> 00:05:42,100
Here, early birds take a great risk.

42
00:05:45,420 --> 00:05:48,460
Some years,
entire colonies are lost,

43
00:05:48,460 --> 00:05:50,460
buried beneath the snow.

44
00:05:50,460 --> 00:05:52,980
The survivors of this storm

45
00:05:52,980 --> 00:05:55,700
must hope that the females
prove to be worth the wait

46
00:05:55,700 --> 00:05:57,980
when they finally decide to turn up.

47
00:06:06,460 --> 00:06:08,820
Spring in the north of our planet.

48
00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:12,980
The sun, after an absence
of six months,

49
00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:16,540
breaks the horizon
for the first time.

50
00:06:25,180 --> 00:06:30,140
A female polar bear emerges
from her den beneath the snow.

51
00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:33,660
The sun must be a welcome relief
after so long in the darkness.

52
00:06:39,860 --> 00:06:42,540
Her den is on a high slope,

53
00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:47,100
well away from hungry male bears
who would kill her cubs,

54
00:06:47,100 --> 00:06:50,780
but close enough to the sea ice
where she can find food

55
00:06:50,780 --> 00:06:53,100
for her extraordinary new family...

56
00:06:58,700 --> 00:07:00,300
..three young cubs.

57
00:07:06,580 --> 00:07:09,980
If she can raise them all
to independence,

58
00:07:09,980 --> 00:07:12,660
it'll be a rare achievement.

59
00:07:33,220 --> 00:07:35,460
One of the cubs is underweight,

60
00:07:35,460 --> 00:07:39,700
and will be fortunate
to survive these early weeks.

61
00:07:54,740 --> 00:08:00,220
If the family reaches the sea ice,
where the female can catch seals,

62
00:08:00,220 --> 00:08:02,020
her milk will be enriched,

63
00:08:02,020 --> 00:08:05,500
and the smaller cub will
quickly gain size and strength.

64
00:08:07,940 --> 00:08:11,780
The sea ice, though,
is a dangerous place.

65
00:08:24,420 --> 00:08:28,620
The male polar bear has been out
on the frozen ocean all winter.

66
00:08:28,620 --> 00:08:30,700
Times have been lean,

67
00:08:30,700 --> 00:08:33,940
and a bear cub would certainly
make a welcome snack.

68
00:08:33,940 --> 00:08:36,980
However, the mainstay
of his diet is seals,

69
00:08:36,980 --> 00:08:39,980
and now is the time
when they have their pups.

70
00:08:43,100 --> 00:08:46,740
The surface of the frozen sea
is marked with pressure ridges,

71
00:08:46,740 --> 00:08:49,700
and cracks created
by the fluctuating tides.

72
00:08:52,660 --> 00:08:55,140
Both are good places
to look for seals.

73
00:09:03,820 --> 00:09:06,620
He has detected a seal den
beneath the ice.

74
00:09:08,100 --> 00:09:12,740
Now he must pin-point it, using only
his extraordinary sense of smell.

75
00:09:17,420 --> 00:09:20,820
By treading lightly,
he can avoid scaring his prey.

76
00:09:25,580 --> 00:09:29,620
He will need to punch through
a metre of snow to reach the den,

77
00:09:29,620 --> 00:09:32,820
and if his aim
is not exactly on target,

78
00:09:32,820 --> 00:09:34,900
the seal will certainly escape.

79
00:10:10,660 --> 00:10:14,460
In fact, the ringed seal
abandoned her den

80
00:10:14,460 --> 00:10:16,540
just a few hours ago

81
00:10:16,540 --> 00:10:19,260
and her pup has climbed up
onto the surface.

82
00:10:19,260 --> 00:10:23,420
It's more exposed up here, but it's
easier to see an approaching bear.

83
00:10:37,500 --> 00:10:40,100
The pup is well camouflaged.

84
00:10:40,100 --> 00:10:43,500
Difficult to see when its mother
has left it to go fishing.

85
00:10:50,420 --> 00:10:52,700
But he can still smell it.

86
00:11:21,900 --> 00:11:25,380
Nine out of ten polar bear hunts
end in failure.

87
00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:34,900
The sun's warming effect
on the Arctic is increasing

88
00:11:34,900 --> 00:11:38,500
and the sea ice is showing
the first signs of weakening.

89
00:11:43,060 --> 00:11:47,020
Inland, the northern rivers
are still locked in ice.

90
00:11:49,380 --> 00:11:52,300
The frozen waterfalls are like dams

91
00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:55,340
holding back billions of tonnes
of fresh water

92
00:11:55,340 --> 00:11:58,020
that has not moved
for almost six months.

93
00:12:01,300 --> 00:12:04,580
The vast water shed lies motionless,

94
00:12:04,580 --> 00:12:08,980
but as spring advances,
it beings to stir.

95
00:12:14,140 --> 00:12:17,700
The frozen waterfalls
start to weaken.

96
00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:20,380
Above them,
the pressure is mounting.

97
00:12:25,500 --> 00:12:29,980
Now, from high above, whole sections
can be seen to be on the move.

98
00:12:38,740 --> 00:12:42,540
The waterfalls are straining
to hold back the force

99
00:12:42,540 --> 00:12:44,580
that is building up above them.

100
00:12:52,300 --> 00:12:55,140
The dam bursts...

101
00:12:55,140 --> 00:12:57,180
and the river is unleashed.

102
00:13:25,220 --> 00:13:28,860
Millions of tonnes of ice
grind their way downstream,

103
00:13:28,860 --> 00:13:32,740
driven by the unstoppable force
of the meltwater.

104
00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:44,900
Boulders and trees are plucked
from the bank side.

105
00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:52,260
Within just a few days, the rivers
of the north are all running.

106
00:13:52,260 --> 00:13:55,980
The Arctic's fresh water
is flowing again.

107
00:14:07,180 --> 00:14:11,340
These vast floods contain
10% of the world's fresh water

108
00:14:11,340 --> 00:14:16,620
and as they enter the ocean,
they accelerate the break-up.

109
00:14:16,620 --> 00:14:19,060
Soon, an area of sea ice
the size of Australia

110
00:14:19,060 --> 00:14:22,460
will vanish from the Arctic Ocean.

111
00:14:28,900 --> 00:14:33,820
As the huge ice-sheet breaks up,
wildlife returns to the North.

112
00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:49,140
The polar bear mother has made it
to the edge of the sea-ice,

113
00:14:49,140 --> 00:14:52,100
but the smallest cub
is nowhere to be seen.

114
00:14:54,580 --> 00:14:57,060
It's a sad outcome,

115
00:14:57,060 --> 00:15:00,260
but the disappearance improves
the chances of the remaining two,

116
00:15:00,260 --> 00:15:03,540
who now have more milk to share.

117
00:15:06,540 --> 00:15:09,660
Having led her cubs
to the edge of the ice,

118
00:15:09,660 --> 00:15:12,820
the mother's next challenge
is to catch a seal.

119
00:15:17,780 --> 00:15:20,620
Not easy with these two in tow!

120
00:15:25,140 --> 00:15:26,660
CUB GRUNTS

121
00:15:35,340 --> 00:15:39,460
Her prey beneath the ice
can detect the slightest vibration,

122
00:15:39,460 --> 00:15:41,540
especially from bears.

123
00:15:41,540 --> 00:15:45,380
And this is not
the stealthiest of hunting parties.

124
00:15:45,380 --> 00:15:47,620
BEAR GROWLS

125
00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:57,380
Leaving her cubs behind however,
is not an option -

126
00:15:57,380 --> 00:16:00,180
a male bear would eat one
in a moment.

127
00:16:06,460 --> 00:16:09,340
This is not going to be easy.

128
00:16:20,340 --> 00:16:26,620
It seems that the cubs already
see themselves as fearsome hunters,

129
00:16:26,620 --> 00:16:31,860
but they're still young enough
to accept their mother's discipline.

130
00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:33,940
It's the naughty corner for you!

131
00:16:54,460 --> 00:16:57,900
This is not going to be
their lucky morning.

132
00:16:57,900 --> 00:17:02,300
They saw no sign of a seal
and the cubs are hungry again.

133
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:06,820
The mother has been nursing for four
months without once eating herself,

134
00:17:06,820 --> 00:17:08,860
and now her milk is drying up.

135
00:17:10,460 --> 00:17:14,620
She must catch a seal soon,
or the whole family will starve.

136
00:17:19,300 --> 00:17:22,700
The challenge of finding food
is getting harder.

137
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:25,740
She needs the sea-ice
as a platform from which to hunt

138
00:17:25,740 --> 00:17:28,980
and it's breaking up faster
with each passing day.

139
00:17:32,420 --> 00:17:35,860
Even the ice around the coast
is starting to break.

140
00:17:37,700 --> 00:17:41,660
The first cracks here
are eagerly awaited by some...

141
00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:54,420
..narwhals.

142
00:17:58,780 --> 00:18:01,300
The unicorns of the North
are on a mission -

143
00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:03,100
to reach the new fishing grounds

144
00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:08,180
in the bays that have been frozen-up
all winter, but are now opening up.

145
00:18:16,540 --> 00:18:19,500
To get to them, the narwhals
must travel down leads -

146
00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:22,820
temporary cracks in the ice.

147
00:18:22,820 --> 00:18:27,220
But these new roads
could close at any time,

148
00:18:27,220 --> 00:18:29,500
cutting off the air
that they need to breathe.

149
00:18:33,180 --> 00:18:38,580
The road narrows until there's
barely room for one-way traffic.

150
00:18:38,580 --> 00:18:40,700
Then, a surprise...

151
00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:44,020
narwhals coming
from the other direction.

152
00:18:48,180 --> 00:18:50,660
It's a stand-off.

153
00:18:50,660 --> 00:18:54,180
Each team faces an armoury
of sharp tusks.

154
00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:15,340
Finally, one side concedes

155
00:19:15,340 --> 00:19:18,860
and everyone continues
in the same direction.

156
00:19:26,180 --> 00:19:30,780
Within a week, the remaining bays
break wide open,

157
00:19:30,780 --> 00:19:35,300
and the narwhals turn
their attention to social matters.

158
00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,380
No-one knows exactly what
the narwhal's tusk is for.

159
00:19:46,380 --> 00:19:48,580
Some say it's used for fencing,

160
00:19:48,580 --> 00:19:52,340
yet these exchanges are too gentle
to be real fights.

161
00:20:07,860 --> 00:20:09,580
Perhaps these encounters

162
00:20:09,580 --> 00:20:14,900
are to remind each animal of
where it stands in Narwhal society.

163
00:20:16,580 --> 00:20:18,140
We may never know.

164
00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:36,860
Bizarre creatures appear
as if from nowhere.

165
00:20:38,700 --> 00:20:42,980
The tiny plankton they eat have been
fuelled by the increasing warmth

166
00:20:42,980 --> 00:20:46,420
of the sun
and fertilised by the nutrients

167
00:20:46,420 --> 00:20:50,260
brought down by the great rivers and
released from the melting sea-ice.

168
00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:55,820
Sea gooseberries strain the water
with their stinging filaments,

169
00:20:55,820 --> 00:20:59,500
their beating cilia
scatter the sun's rays

170
00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:01,420
into dazzling bursts of colour.

171
00:21:09,020 --> 00:21:13,180
Beneath the breaking sea ice,
a predatory sea slug

172
00:21:13,180 --> 00:21:16,900
flies through the water
on translucent wings.

173
00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:20,140
It's on the trail
of a peculiar swimming snail.

174
00:21:33,140 --> 00:21:36,140
And now the most voracious
of the plankton-eaters

175
00:21:36,140 --> 00:21:38,220
swim up from the depths...

176
00:21:38,220 --> 00:21:40,300
Arctic cod.

177
00:21:44,380 --> 00:21:47,140
SEAGULLS CRY

178
00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:52,220
The shoals can be enormous,
some containing 500 million fish

179
00:21:52,220 --> 00:21:56,900
and predators travel hundreds
of miles to feast on them.

180
00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:02,340
The cod harvest is THE annual event

181
00:22:02,340 --> 00:22:04,620
for the birds and seals
of the far North.

182
00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:11,340
For just a short period,

183
00:22:11,340 --> 00:22:15,060
the combination of the strengthening
sun, the newly-flowing rivers

184
00:22:15,060 --> 00:22:20,660
and the breaking sea ice make
the Arctic Ocean teem with life.

185
00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:31,420
The land is also transformed
by the sun's heat.

186
00:22:33,540 --> 00:22:38,060
The small patches of bare ground
that appear are darker than the snow

187
00:22:38,060 --> 00:22:40,860
so they absorb more
of the sun's energy.

188
00:22:42,540 --> 00:22:44,820
This accelerates the melt.

189
00:22:52,940 --> 00:22:55,980
The Arctic tundra is unveiled.

190
00:23:04,340 --> 00:23:09,020
By tracking the sun, Arctic poppies
catch its rays around the clock,

191
00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:13,260
so their flowers are always warmer
than their surroundings.

192
00:23:18,580 --> 00:23:24,060
For early season insects,
this warmth is even more valuable

193
00:23:24,060 --> 00:23:27,020
than nectar if they're
to stay active in the cold.

194
00:23:37,260 --> 00:23:40,820
The woolly bear caterpillar does not
need the warmth from flowers

195
00:23:40,820 --> 00:23:42,460
to kick-start its spring.

196
00:23:42,460 --> 00:23:46,580
It's always the first insect
to appear after the snow retreats

197
00:23:46,580 --> 00:23:50,420
and the story of how it does so
is truly astonishing.

198
00:23:54,100 --> 00:23:58,380
At the start of spring, the
caterpillar eats as fast as it can,

199
00:23:58,380 --> 00:24:03,420
as indeed it must, for this far
north, the season will be brief.

200
00:24:05,060 --> 00:24:08,740
The days shorten only too soon,
but the caterpillar has not yet

201
00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:13,500
got enough reserves
to transform itself into a moth.

202
00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:16,500
It can't leave the Arctic,
for it can't fly,

203
00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:19,500
so it settles down beneath a rock.

204
00:24:21,340 --> 00:24:23,740
The sun's warmth rapidly dwindles.

205
00:24:29,980 --> 00:24:32,980
Beneath the rock, the caterpillar
is out of the wind,

206
00:24:32,980 --> 00:24:35,940
but the cold penetrates
deep into the ground.

207
00:24:37,740 --> 00:24:40,260
Soon, its heart stops beating.

208
00:24:40,260 --> 00:24:45,540
It ceases to breathe,
and its body starts to freeze -

209
00:24:45,540 --> 00:24:48,460
first its gut, then its blood.

210
00:25:11,620 --> 00:25:14,260
Spring.

211
00:25:14,260 --> 00:25:20,420
After four months of darkness,
the Arctic begins to thaw.

212
00:25:22,660 --> 00:25:25,900
And the caterpillar
rises from the dead.

213
00:25:35,660 --> 00:25:37,940
By the time the first shoots
of willow appear

214
00:25:37,940 --> 00:25:40,740
in the early spring, the woolly bear
is already eating.

215
00:25:43,180 --> 00:25:47,140
But no matter how fast the woolly
bear eats, it will not have time

216
00:25:47,140 --> 00:25:49,580
to gather enough food
this year, either,

217
00:25:49,580 --> 00:25:53,100
and the cold closes in once again.

218
00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:18,300
Year after year, the caterpillar
slows down in the autumn

219
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:20,940
and then freezes solid.

220
00:26:29,100 --> 00:26:32,820
But eventually,
a very special spring arrives.

221
00:26:36,580 --> 00:26:38,900
This one will be its last.

222
00:26:45,100 --> 00:26:50,020
It's now 14 years old -
the world's oldest caterpillar.

223
00:26:50,020 --> 00:26:53,060
Its remaining days
now become frantic.

224
00:26:53,060 --> 00:26:56,060
It starts to weave a silk cocoon.

225
00:26:58,820 --> 00:27:04,420
Inside, its body is changing
into one that can fly and search,

226
00:27:04,420 --> 00:27:08,460
abilities that will be crucial
in the days ahead.

227
00:27:10,940 --> 00:27:15,140
It's waited over a decade for this
spring and now, its time is near.

228
00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:24,060
All across the Arctic,
moths are emerging.

229
00:27:24,060 --> 00:27:27,780
After completing
their 14-year preparation,

230
00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:31,740
they now have just a few days
to find a partner and mate.

231
00:27:36,940 --> 00:27:42,020
No life illustrates more vividly
the shortness of the Arctic spring

232
00:27:42,020 --> 00:27:47,060
or the struggle to survive
in this most seasonal of places.

233
00:27:55,660 --> 00:27:57,500
As spring advances,

234
00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:00,500
the transformation
of the tundra continues.

235
00:28:29,940 --> 00:28:32,540
THEY SQUEAK

236
00:28:45,580 --> 00:28:48,380
CHEEPING

237
00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:53,580
Migrants begin arriving
from the south

238
00:28:53,580 --> 00:28:58,980
and suddenly the tundra
is alive with birds and chicks.

239
00:29:13,540 --> 00:29:16,940
The Arctic's transformation
is complete.

240
00:29:23,380 --> 00:29:29,020
This influx of life is good news
for some permanent residents.

241
00:29:35,340 --> 00:29:38,540
Food is rarely plentiful
out on the tundra.

242
00:29:38,540 --> 00:29:43,660
The Arctic wolves must make the most
of this boom while it lasts.

243
00:30:08,380 --> 00:30:10,660
HONKING

244
00:30:39,380 --> 00:30:43,140
The wolves must gather
as much food as they can.

245
00:30:43,140 --> 00:30:47,620
Many miles from here, other members
of the pack are relying on them.

246
00:30:47,620 --> 00:30:49,900
HOWLING

247
00:31:01,300 --> 00:31:04,340
This barren landscape is a hard
place to make a living,

248
00:31:04,340 --> 00:31:08,180
forcing wolf packs to be smaller
here than further south.

249
00:31:15,460 --> 00:31:17,900
Six hungry mouths to feed.

250
00:31:17,900 --> 00:31:20,940
The cubs are just over a month old.

251
00:31:20,940 --> 00:31:23,100
BARKING AND YELPING

252
00:31:32,140 --> 00:31:36,460
The ducks are devoured instantly,
but on the long journey home,

253
00:31:36,460 --> 00:31:40,820
they also caught an Arctic hare,
a mainstay of the tundra diet,

254
00:31:40,820 --> 00:31:43,820
and one the cubs
seem to be particularly keen on.

255
00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:56,060
Uneaten food is usually hidden
for leaner times,

256
00:31:56,060 --> 00:31:59,980
but there will be
no leftovers today.

257
00:31:59,980 --> 00:32:03,060
The cubs are growing fast
and are always hungry.

258
00:32:10,860 --> 00:32:13,860
GROWLING

259
00:32:19,380 --> 00:32:24,380
The good times are certainly back,
but these white wolves remind us

260
00:32:24,380 --> 00:32:26,780
of the Arctic's less welcoming side.

261
00:32:28,620 --> 00:32:32,740
Their coats are pale to conceal them
during the long, snowy winter.

262
00:32:35,660 --> 00:32:38,220
It's easy to forget
that one month ago,

263
00:32:38,220 --> 00:32:41,220
this land was a barren,
white desert.

264
00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:52,180
At the southern end of our planet,

265
00:32:52,180 --> 00:32:56,220
the Antarctic sea ice
is still at its greatest extent.

266
00:32:58,100 --> 00:33:01,540
But there are a few islands
on its outer edge

267
00:33:01,540 --> 00:33:04,020
that the sea ice
never quite reaches.

268
00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:12,500
South Georgia is washed by the rich
waters of the Southern Atlantic

269
00:33:12,500 --> 00:33:14,940
and the comparative warmth
of the sea

270
00:33:14,940 --> 00:33:17,540
takes the edge off
the vicious southern winter.

271
00:33:25,620 --> 00:33:29,340
It's even possible
for a few hardy animals,

272
00:33:29,340 --> 00:33:34,020
like the Wandering Albatross, to
live here throughout the whole year.

273
00:33:43,380 --> 00:33:47,980
The enormous Albatross chicks
take 13 months to fledge,

274
00:33:47,980 --> 00:33:51,900
so they have no choice but
to sit here throughout the winter.

275
00:33:51,900 --> 00:33:54,900
It can't be easy,
but the thick layer of fluffy down

276
00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:56,980
keeps out the worst of the cold.

277
00:33:58,340 --> 00:34:02,300
Their parents travel thousands
of miles to collect the fish

278
00:34:02,300 --> 00:34:05,180
and squid they need
to stay warm and to grow.

279
00:34:14,660 --> 00:34:20,100
The season is turning and storms
blow in with little warning.

280
00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:32,100
King penguins have also been here
all winter.

281
00:34:36,540 --> 00:34:40,380
Their chicks survive by huddling
in creches to conserve their heat.

282
00:34:40,380 --> 00:34:46,060
A solitary bird here standing alone
would quickly die of exposure.

283
00:34:46,060 --> 00:34:51,340
It seems for a hardy few, violent
storms are a price worth paying

284
00:34:51,340 --> 00:34:56,260
for year-round fishing in the
rich waters of the southern ocean.

285
00:35:02,780 --> 00:35:06,580
The penguins have had the beach
to themselves all winter,

286
00:35:06,580 --> 00:35:10,060
but that is a luxury
that will not last.

287
00:35:16,460 --> 00:35:21,220
As the winter storms subside,
life begins to return.

288
00:35:32,260 --> 00:35:35,900
For half of the year, South Georgia
has the greatest concentration

289
00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:38,460
of sea birds in the world

290
00:35:38,460 --> 00:35:41,660
and most of them arrive
in the early spring.

291
00:35:48,900 --> 00:35:52,620
Macaroni penguins make
the most impressive entrance -

292
00:35:52,620 --> 00:35:54,980
over five million pairs of them.

293
00:35:54,980 --> 00:35:57,620
They are the world's
most numerous penguin

294
00:35:57,620 --> 00:35:59,860
and half of them are now here.

295
00:36:01,820 --> 00:36:03,500
The arrival is complete.

296
00:36:08,420 --> 00:36:12,620
Courtship is next on South Georgia's
busy spring schedule.

297
00:36:18,780 --> 00:36:22,580
The Wandering Albatross
has the most elaborate display.

298
00:36:22,580 --> 00:36:24,700
MIXED-PITCH "POPPING"

299
00:36:28,700 --> 00:36:32,740
These two are renewing their bonds
after being months apart.

300
00:36:38,260 --> 00:36:40,300
Wanderers pair up in their teens

301
00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,940
and can spend
a further 50 years together -

302
00:36:42,940 --> 00:36:46,340
one of the longest partnerships
in the animal world.

303
00:37:11,780 --> 00:37:14,540
By the middle of spring,
the snows have cleared

304
00:37:14,540 --> 00:37:17,780
from the coves and the low ground.

305
00:37:17,780 --> 00:37:20,740
The beaches are almost free
of ice too,

306
00:37:20,740 --> 00:37:24,820
but that isn't the biggest change
facing the king penguins.

307
00:37:24,820 --> 00:37:31,540
Their peaceful waterfront has turned
into an obstacle course of blubber.

308
00:37:34,100 --> 00:37:36,340
The elephant seals have arrived.

309
00:37:39,180 --> 00:37:42,220
This beach now contains
a greater mass of animals

310
00:37:42,220 --> 00:37:44,660
than any other in the world.

311
00:37:55,460 --> 00:37:58,940
The young seals
were conceived here a year ago,

312
00:37:58,940 --> 00:38:01,180
and now that they've been born,

313
00:38:01,180 --> 00:38:03,540
their mothers are ready
to mate again.

314
00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:10,660
The mating rights on this patch of
the beach belong to a beach master.

315
00:38:10,660 --> 00:38:13,940
His harem contains 50 females -

316
00:38:13,940 --> 00:38:16,540
females that are coveted by others.

317
00:38:19,820 --> 00:38:22,180
His authority is being challenged.

318
00:38:27,340 --> 00:38:29,780
This rival means business.

319
00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:45,420
This could be the beach master's
first serious test

320
00:38:45,420 --> 00:38:47,420
of his spring campaign.

321
00:38:55,700 --> 00:39:00,020
The beach master himself
weighs four tonnes,

322
00:39:00,020 --> 00:39:02,260
but this rival is his equal.

323
00:39:17,220 --> 00:39:21,180
When these titans clash,

324
00:39:21,180 --> 00:39:22,820
bones crunch.

325
00:40:05,220 --> 00:40:07,460
He has won the first battle,

326
00:40:07,460 --> 00:40:11,900
but he may have to defend his harem
every hour for the next month.

327
00:40:13,500 --> 00:40:17,220
If he can stay master
of his beach for this period,

328
00:40:17,220 --> 00:40:20,340
many of the young born here
next year will be his.

329
00:40:24,940 --> 00:40:28,300
It's the end of spring on
the Wandering Albatross's cliffs,

330
00:40:28,300 --> 00:40:31,260
their season for fledging.

331
00:40:31,260 --> 00:40:34,100
Last year's chicks
have lost their fluffy down

332
00:40:34,100 --> 00:40:38,500
and step up to the challenge
of getting into the air.

333
00:40:41,580 --> 00:40:44,420
SQUAWKING

334
00:40:50,620 --> 00:40:55,220
An albatross is not very
competent on the ground,

335
00:40:55,220 --> 00:40:58,980
so until it can fly,
it isn't good for much

336
00:40:58,980 --> 00:41:00,740
and this makes the maiden flight

337
00:41:00,740 --> 00:41:03,500
THE crucial event
in an albatross's life.

338
00:41:09,260 --> 00:41:12,540
Managing the largest wing span
in the world takes practice...

339
00:41:15,300 --> 00:41:16,940
..lots of it.

340
00:41:35,020 --> 00:41:37,060
Weeks can go by like this.

341
00:41:37,060 --> 00:41:40,900
Certainly the winds must be right,
but it does appear that for some,

342
00:41:40,900 --> 00:41:43,940
the problem is something
of a mental one.

343
00:41:58,140 --> 00:41:59,980
At last.

344
00:42:07,700 --> 00:42:09,620
The Southern Ocean beckons.

345
00:42:09,620 --> 00:42:14,620
This bird's feet will not touch land
again for five years.

346
00:42:19,460 --> 00:42:21,540
1,000 miles further south,

347
00:42:21,540 --> 00:42:24,420
on the edge
of the Antarctic continent,

348
00:42:24,420 --> 00:42:28,060
the sea ice is only just
starting to break.

349
00:42:28,060 --> 00:42:33,140
But the Adelie penguin's activities
are certainly warming up.

350
00:42:33,140 --> 00:42:37,460
The males have now finished
their nests by fair means or foul

351
00:42:37,460 --> 00:42:41,580
and the females
are finally returning,

352
00:42:41,580 --> 00:42:44,620
just as the weather is improving.

353
00:42:44,620 --> 00:42:46,900
Now their courtship can begin.

354
00:42:46,900 --> 00:42:49,980
RHYTHMIC CAWING

355
00:43:45,020 --> 00:43:48,900
The eggs are laid and the females
leave the job of incubating them

356
00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:52,700
to the males, while they go fishing
out on the fragmenting sea ice.

357
00:44:03,700 --> 00:44:05,100
Killer whales.

358
00:44:13,060 --> 00:44:16,820
It's teamwork that makes
killer whales so dangerous.

359
00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:20,460
And THIS is a big team.

360
00:46:15,740 --> 00:46:18,980
There is no real need
for the penguins to be alarmed.

361
00:46:20,620 --> 00:46:23,900
These killer whales
are a kind that only eats fish.

362
00:46:29,580 --> 00:46:32,620
Rising out is simply the best way
for the whales to work out

363
00:46:32,620 --> 00:46:36,380
which cracks lead towards the coast
and better fishing.

364
00:46:49,260 --> 00:46:52,140
A new generation of Adelies
steps forth

365
00:46:52,140 --> 00:46:55,580
into the short Antarctic spring

366
00:46:55,580 --> 00:46:58,900
to be nurtured by industrious
parents who've taken great risks

367
00:46:58,900 --> 00:47:01,700
to give their young a head start.

368
00:47:05,900 --> 00:47:09,380
They will need to grow fast
if they are to fledge

369
00:47:09,380 --> 00:47:11,820
and leave before the freeze
sets in again.

370
00:47:13,940 --> 00:47:18,700
It's a battle they will win or lose
over the approaching summer.

371
00:47:33,220 --> 00:47:34,740
Next time,

372
00:47:34,740 --> 00:47:39,900
summer and the sun never sets
in the polar regions.

373
00:47:39,900 --> 00:47:43,460
The heat is on
for the Frozen Planet.

374
00:48:08,180 --> 00:48:11,540
To film the entire breeding cycle
of the Adelie penguin,

375
00:48:11,540 --> 00:48:15,220
Frozen Planet sent a team to one
of the world's largest colonies,

376
00:48:15,220 --> 00:48:17,220
at Cape Crozier, Antarctica.

377
00:48:17,220 --> 00:48:20,460
I've heard so much about it
and read so much about it.

378
00:48:20,460 --> 00:48:22,900
Finally we're going to get there.
It's good.

379
00:48:22,900 --> 00:48:25,940
Cameraman Mark Smith
and director Jeff Wilson

380
00:48:25,940 --> 00:48:29,460
plan to spend the next four months
living amongst the penguins

381
00:48:29,460 --> 00:48:32,820
in a location first visited by
the early explorers a century ago.

382
00:48:34,900 --> 00:48:38,420
So arduous was Scott's
winter expedition to Cape Crozier

383
00:48:38,420 --> 00:48:42,580
that it became known as
"the worst journey in the world".

384
00:48:42,580 --> 00:48:46,420
Wow, it's fantastic!

385
00:48:47,740 --> 00:48:51,460
Modern means make Mark and Jeff's
journey a more comfortable affair,

386
00:48:51,460 --> 00:48:53,660
but once there, they will be tested

387
00:48:53,660 --> 00:48:55,780
to the very limits
of their endurance.

388
00:49:00,860 --> 00:49:03,580
The pair arrive in early spring

389
00:49:03,580 --> 00:49:08,820
with enough supplies to survive
the next four months working alone
in the Antarctic wilderness.

390
00:49:08,820 --> 00:49:10,620
We're here!

391
00:49:12,700 --> 00:49:16,020
Scott's legend of Cape Crozier
tells of some extreme weather,

392
00:49:16,020 --> 00:49:18,820
to say the least,

393
00:49:18,820 --> 00:49:22,340
so Mark and Jeff take advantage
of the clear conditions,

394
00:49:22,340 --> 00:49:25,020
in the knowledge that
the Adelies' arrival is imminent.

395
00:49:28,100 --> 00:49:31,380
But the next morning,
things take a turn for the worse.

396
00:49:31,380 --> 00:49:33,580
We've just come up to this ridge

397
00:49:33,580 --> 00:49:36,380
to go and check what it looks like
down in the colony.

398
00:49:36,380 --> 00:49:39,460
ROARING

399
00:49:39,460 --> 00:49:41,420
But even here you can hear...

400
00:49:41,420 --> 00:49:45,500
a huge kind of roaring noise

401
00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:49,260
up on the hill. Never really heard
anything like that before.

402
00:49:54,300 --> 00:49:57,020
Up there, it must be blowing
the most almighty gale,

403
00:49:57,020 --> 00:50:00,300
and that is, pff, you know,
just a mile away or something.

404
00:50:00,300 --> 00:50:03,460
So that means that that could
get here very, very quickly.

405
00:50:03,460 --> 00:50:07,740
So yeah, it makes you slightly
scared. It's weird, isn't it?

406
00:50:07,740 --> 00:50:11,100
The winds here
are famously ferocious,

407
00:50:11,100 --> 00:50:14,180
and with so little experience
of this location,

408
00:50:14,180 --> 00:50:18,900
Mark and Jeff retreat to
the relative shelter of their hut.

409
00:50:18,900 --> 00:50:22,700
I was just stood here thinking,
"Well, it can't be too bad,

410
00:50:22,700 --> 00:50:25,660
"because we haven't seen rocks
starting to blow around yet,"

411
00:50:25,660 --> 00:50:29,860
and just at that moment a rock
took off and rolled down there.

412
00:50:32,660 --> 00:50:37,140
Oh, dear, it's getting stronger.

413
00:50:38,660 --> 00:50:42,100
By the second day of the storm,
the winds reach 80 miles an hour,

414
00:50:42,100 --> 00:50:45,260
and it's apparent that even getting
lunch from the outside larder

415
00:50:45,260 --> 00:50:46,820
is too risky.

416
00:50:57,500 --> 00:51:01,380
To their increasing alarm,
the storm continues to build.

417
00:51:03,500 --> 00:51:09,060
All afternoon, it's been
blowing about...must have been
100 miles an hour,

418
00:51:09,060 --> 00:51:12,420
and in the last half-hour
it's just got a lot stronger.

419
00:51:12,420 --> 00:51:14,340
Aside from being utterly terrified,

420
00:51:14,340 --> 00:51:17,620
there's the added worry that our
gear is stashed outside somewhere.

421
00:51:17,620 --> 00:51:20,100
We didn't have room for it
in the hut,

422
00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:23,500
and we don't know whether it's
going to be there in the morning,

423
00:51:23,500 --> 00:51:25,780
which could spell
the end of our trip.

424
00:51:25,780 --> 00:51:31,620
On the third day of the storm,
the winds hit 130 miles an hour.

425
00:51:31,620 --> 00:51:34,660
The hut starts to shake
from its very foundations,

426
00:51:34,660 --> 00:51:37,780
and Mark and Jeff's situation
becomes critical.

427
00:51:37,780 --> 00:51:39,140
The wind's so strong,

428
00:51:39,140 --> 00:51:43,340
it's constantly blowing the pilot
light out on the paraffin stove,

429
00:51:43,340 --> 00:51:45,420
so the temperature's dropping.

430
00:51:45,420 --> 00:51:49,940
The wind's rising. Sounds like
the bloody roof's coming off.

431
00:51:52,940 --> 00:51:56,660
The really scary thing is that
had we gone out down to the colony

432
00:51:56,660 --> 00:51:58,820
and tried to film today,

433
00:51:58,820 --> 00:52:02,660
there's a very high likelihood
that we'd be dead by now.

434
00:52:02,660 --> 00:52:05,340
And I don't say that lightly.

435
00:52:05,340 --> 00:52:08,380
There's no way we would have
seen this through down there.

436
00:52:08,380 --> 00:52:11,380
And that is quite sobering.

437
00:52:18,780 --> 00:52:21,820
After four terrifying days
inside the hut,

438
00:52:21,820 --> 00:52:25,020
the winds finally drop,
and Mark and Jeff are keen to see

439
00:52:25,020 --> 00:52:28,460
what, if any, equipment
has survived.

440
00:52:28,460 --> 00:52:33,020
All the real important stuff,
the camera stuff, is all still here,

441
00:52:33,020 --> 00:52:36,540
and it's still strapped
to this rock.

442
00:52:36,540 --> 00:52:39,740
You have no idea
how much joy that gives us.

443
00:52:39,740 --> 00:52:42,140
We can get on with our jobs now!

444
00:52:47,380 --> 00:52:50,420
The first things to welcome us
to the colony are these skuas,

445
00:52:50,420 --> 00:52:54,860
which come in
and batter us from above.

446
00:53:02,820 --> 00:53:07,420
At its height, the colony will swell
to over half a million penguins,

447
00:53:07,420 --> 00:53:10,540
and in the 24-hour daylight
of the Antarctic summer,

448
00:53:10,540 --> 00:53:14,780
Mark and Jeff spend
all of their waking hours filming.

449
00:53:14,780 --> 00:53:18,060
Unpredictable weather
continues to force the team

450
00:53:18,060 --> 00:53:23,140
to climb the two miles back to
the relative shelter of their hut,

451
00:53:23,140 --> 00:53:26,580
and Mark devises a novel way
of testing the wind speed.

452
00:53:28,580 --> 00:53:30,220
Stop!

453
00:53:34,700 --> 00:53:37,540
After six weeks,
the first sign that the pair

454
00:53:37,540 --> 00:53:40,780
might be tiring
of their penguin neighbours.

455
00:53:40,780 --> 00:53:42,820
Over there's a leopard seal.

456
00:53:42,820 --> 00:53:47,300
It's the first non-penguin-looking
animal in two months!

457
00:53:47,300 --> 00:53:49,620
Will you look at that?
It's a leopard seal!

458
00:53:50,940 --> 00:53:53,380
I was down here
filming the penguins coming in,

459
00:53:53,380 --> 00:53:56,220
followed this penguin that came
out of the waves up the beach,

460
00:53:56,220 --> 00:53:59,140
very nice shot, stopped the shot

461
00:53:59,140 --> 00:54:03,420
and there in the middle of the frame
was this completely white penguin...

462
00:54:03,420 --> 00:54:06,260
trying to get into the shot.

463
00:54:06,260 --> 00:54:08,820
We suspect that he might be
following us around now.

464
00:54:12,420 --> 00:54:15,740
Working around the clock
for this length of time

465
00:54:15,740 --> 00:54:18,500
in the presence
of half a million screaming penguins

466
00:54:18,500 --> 00:54:20,620
would test anyone's resolve.

467
00:54:22,780 --> 00:54:27,260
I hate carrying gear.
Hear that? I hate carrying gear.
I don't want to do it any more.

468
00:54:29,900 --> 00:54:33,740
Midway through their trip,
after more than 1,000 hours
amongst the penguins,

469
00:54:33,740 --> 00:54:36,820
their grip on reality
is beginning to loosen.

470
00:54:38,500 --> 00:54:40,980
Here we are
on the penguin superhighway,

471
00:54:40,980 --> 00:54:44,100
where the penguins
go down to the sea.

472
00:54:45,620 --> 00:54:49,900
It seems that they follow
the American system...

473
00:54:49,900 --> 00:54:55,140
driving on the right, going down
to the sea on the right,

474
00:54:55,140 --> 00:54:58,580
coming back from the sea on
the left as you're facing the sea.

475
00:55:00,580 --> 00:55:04,460
I'm fairly sure that yesterday
they were doing the British system.

476
00:55:07,780 --> 00:55:12,820
The legendary Cape Crozier weather
soon snaps them back into reality.

477
00:55:12,820 --> 00:55:14,940
I'm just filming the penguins

478
00:55:14,940 --> 00:55:19,060
with this huge kind of wind storm

479
00:55:19,060 --> 00:55:20,780
coming over the ice cap,

480
00:55:20,780 --> 00:55:24,380
the kind of thing we were warned
about by the guy who was here before,

481
00:55:24,380 --> 00:55:28,580
who has been here several years,
saying "With skies like this,
you should run for home".

482
00:55:28,580 --> 00:55:31,020
But we're just going to stay
and film it.

483
00:55:31,020 --> 00:55:32,820
Because we're the BBC!

484
00:55:32,820 --> 00:55:35,380
But in this part of the world,

485
00:55:35,380 --> 00:55:38,020
working for the BBC
doesn't count for much.

486
00:55:38,020 --> 00:55:40,820
Within minutes,
the winds reach hurricane strength,

487
00:55:40,820 --> 00:55:44,100
and the crew are in serious trouble.

488
00:55:44,100 --> 00:55:47,460
So, we've got to now venture out
and go about a mile up this valley,

489
00:55:47,460 --> 00:55:51,940
which looks like it's got
about 80mph winds blowing down it.

490
00:55:51,940 --> 00:55:54,060
So it's going to be
quite an adventure.

491
00:55:54,060 --> 00:55:56,940
Bit frightening, though, really.

492
00:55:56,940 --> 00:56:01,140
After three months,
the pair are now fully aware

493
00:56:01,140 --> 00:56:04,420
of the strength the winds can reach.
Getting a little stronger now!

494
00:56:04,420 --> 00:56:06,300
There is a very real danger

495
00:56:06,300 --> 00:56:10,060
that they could be separated and
lost in these white-out conditions.

496
00:56:32,860 --> 00:56:35,540
We're going to go BLEEP.

497
00:56:38,540 --> 00:56:41,300
Two terrifying hours later,
and their relief

498
00:56:41,300 --> 00:56:44,260
at finally reaching the
hut is tangible.

499
00:56:44,260 --> 00:56:46,620
THEY LAUGH

500
00:56:47,820 --> 00:56:51,060
With a month still to go
at Cape Crozier,

501
00:56:51,060 --> 00:56:55,180
Mark, Jeff and the penguins will
face many more storms like this.

502
00:56:55,180 --> 00:56:57,180
But it seems
their greatest challenge

503
00:56:57,180 --> 00:57:00,700
will be to maintain their sanity.

504
00:57:00,700 --> 00:57:04,580
Here we are, travelling through
the Antarctic by sled.

505
00:57:04,580 --> 00:57:07,500
We're being pulled by a herd of
huskies. Oh!

506
00:57:09,860 --> 00:57:15,140
12 of them panting out front,
breath steaming from their mouths.

507
00:57:15,140 --> 00:57:17,100
And as we go along,

508
00:57:17,100 --> 00:57:19,500
we see the happy people waving at us.

509
00:57:35,820 --> 00:57:40,500
For a free Open University
illustrated poster of polar regions,

510
00:57:40,500 --> 00:57:43,540
call the number on the screen,

511
00:57:43,540 --> 00:57:50,660
or order online
by going to bbc.co.uk/frozenplanet

512
00:57:50,660 --> 00:57:53,660
and follow the links
to Open University.

513
00:58:16,180 --> 00:58:19,260
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

514
00:58:19,260 --> 00:58:21,700
E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk