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In the lands of the north,

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it's said that the journey matters
much more than the destination.

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For the next few months, this
Arctic fox will face challenges

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00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,440
that will test his
intelligence, resilience

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and brute strength to the limit.

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If he succeeds, his
bloodline will endure...

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..the bloodline of the stormborn.

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Above 60 degrees north,

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winter can be reluctant
to release her iron grip.

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It's the middle of March,

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but the gales and icy blasts endure.

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United by the restless
Atlantic Ocean,

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the wild lands of
Iceland, Scotland and Norway

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are holding out for redemption.

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Holding out for a breath of spring.

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These are the realms
of the stormborn...

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..life that's mastered
these hostile lands.

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It's a tough place to survive in.

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Only the strongest can make it here.

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But each spring,
the light must return,

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and with it another round in the
game of life for the Arctic fox.

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Concealed beneath this world of snow
is the territory he'll need to win.

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But he can't claim it alone...

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..he needs a partner -
he needs his mate.

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He hasn't seen her
since last autumn.

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He doesn't know whether
she, too, has made it

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through the great darkness.

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But he does know
where to look for her.

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Here - on the windswept beach of
Iceland's remote north-west coast.

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But he's alone.

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There's no sign of his mate.

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All he can do is wait,

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and hope that she's
survived the winter, too.

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March is the most volatile month
in the lands of the north.

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The highest of tides
and the fiercest of winds

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batter the coastlines.

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As the weather changes, so too
do the movements of animals.

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Some traversing vast distances
in their search for food.

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An orca pod has crossed the
1,200 kilometres of open water

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between Iceland and
Scotland's Shetland isles.

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This is a tight family unit -

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three generations' strong,

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led by a matriarch.

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They're here to hunt.

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Their arrival coincides with
a rare period of absolute calm.

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A respite for the shoreline animals.

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Six months ago, as the light faded,

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an otter gave birth in a
secret holt near the shore.

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Her twins - one male,
one female - have made it

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through the worst of the winter,

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but now their lives have
reached the turning point.

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They need to learn to
hunt for themselves.

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At the moment, they rely
on their mother to provide

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the bulk of their meals.

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She leaves them alone onshore,
while she goes fishing.

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In March, the sea is at its coldest.

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Fish are scarcer and harder to find.

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She could be away for some time.

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OTTER CUB CALLS

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Their survival is completely
dependent on their mother's skills.

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It's a lot of hard work.

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Otters need to eat a quarter
of their body weight every day.

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She feeds herself at sea,

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before catching fish for the cubs.

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The male cub tries
to fish for himself.

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Searching for crabs in a rock pool.

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For both twins, true independence
is still some way off.

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Their mother is back with a catch.

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An eelpout - one of the
most important fish species

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for Shetland otters.

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OTTER CUBS SQUEAK

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Both cubs are desperate
for the prize.

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OTTER CUBS CALL

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They tussle...

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..but it's the male
that wins the meal.

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The female cub will
go hungry this time...

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OTTER CUB CALLS

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..and slopes off back to
her mother for comfort.

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Further out in the bay, a group
of harbour porpoises gather.

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They're one of the smallest
members of the dolphin family...

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..and they're about to be
ambushed by the biggest.

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PORPOISE CLICK PULSES

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The orca pod is here.

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A single porpoise has
been caught on its own.

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With no hope of outpacing the orca,

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its only chance is
to outmanoeuvre them.

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Another orca moves in,
closing down its options.

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The chase is heading
towards the shore.

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The porpoise sees its chance
and flees for the rocks.

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The orca dare not enter
water this shallow.

91
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But it's a high-risk
strategy for the porpoise...

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..and it becomes stranded.

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It's now stuck on the rocks.

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The hunt has stalled.

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But there are plenty
of other porpoises around.

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This one is outnumbered
and has no way of escape.

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The orca toy with it...

98
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..before making the fatal strike.

99
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As the tide rises, the
stranded porpoise frees itself.

100
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Incredibly, it's high-risk
strategy has paid off...

101
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..and it lives to swim another day.

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PORPOISE CLICK PULSES

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In Iceland, it may be March,
but winter still rules.

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There are glimmers of hope.

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For the first time this year,

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there's a little more
daylight than darkness.

107
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But the threat of more
snow is never far away.

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The male Arctic fox is still
searching for his mate...

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..but the beach seems empty.

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A movement amongst the boulders.

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A white vixen.

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But she's not his mate.

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Arctic foxes reunite
year after year,

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so he'll know her by her scent.

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By far, the fox's acutest sense.

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There's someone else here.

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Another female.

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Patiently waiting out the storm.

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Her scent is masked by the snow.

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He draws closer.

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It's her.

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Arctic foxes often pair for life.

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It's a deep and
complex relationship.

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They need to get to
know each other again...

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..before they renew
their special bond.

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Survival for the stormborn
is all about timing.

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In the north, life dances to
the rhythm of the seasons...

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..and you need to
make every beat count.

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In Shetland, the otter cubs
still have a lot to learn.

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Once again, their mother
is out fishing in the bay

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and they await her return.

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They sense an otter is near.

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But it isn't her.

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It's a dog otter, a mature adult...

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..and he's caught
the mother's scent.

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DOG OTTER SNIFFS

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OTTER CUB CALLS

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This could be very
dangerous for the cubs...

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..especially the young male.

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Dog otters treat unrelated
male cubs as rivals

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and they may kill them.

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The cubs need their
mother to protect them,

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and there's no sign of her.

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The dog is getting
dangerously close...

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..but it's their mother he's after.

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He follows her scent
to the water's edge...

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..and slips in to the surf.

148
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But he'll be back.

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With their ragged ice fields,
volcanic wastes and treeless plains,

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the lands of the stormborn seem
harsh places to bring up a family.

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But there are benefits
to living here, too.

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Though winter is long and bleak,

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spring and summer will bring almost
24 hours of light and warmth.

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Ideal conditions for the
arrival of a new generation.

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In the snowy heart
of subarctic Norway,

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vast numbers of reindeer gather
high on the mountain plateau.

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Most of this herd are female...

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..and they're pregnant.

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They've spent the
winter months here,

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escaping the deep drifts
in the valleys.

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They dig for the lichen
beneath the thin snow,

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using their shovel-like hooves.

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But this winter diet
is sparse in nutrients.

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For the calving season, they'll need
to migrate back down the mountain

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to feed on the rich lowland grasses.

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For thousands of years, they've made
this journey in an ancient alliance.

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An alliance with people.

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The reindeer live
predominantly wild lives...

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..but exist alongside herders who
make their living from the animals.

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The melee spins in a defensive
strategy, evolved to protect them

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from wolves and bears.

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A vast living carrousel.

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And the great march begins.

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In Iceland, the dog fox remains
completely focused on his vixen.

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Females are only in season
for 48 hours.

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Soon she'll be ready for him.

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Their flirtation is growing
more intense.

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When she walks off, he follows...

179
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..never letting her out of
his sight for a moment.

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She rests.

181
00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:34,520
He shows off...

182
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..hoping to impress her.

183
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She's allowing him closer.

184
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All he cares about is her.

185
00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:19,760
They flirt, grooming and gently
nipping each other.

186
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:35,440
Now she's taking the initiative,

187
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showing him that
she's coming into season.

188
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She's nearly ready to mate.

189
00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,280
Only the snowstorm's
holding things up.

190
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,360
The Shetland isles are warmed
by the gulf stream.

191
00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,240
BIRD COOS

192
00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,440
As spring advances, the climate
becomes more temperate,

193
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drawing new residents in.

194
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Puffins.

195
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,200
Throughout the winter darkness,
they were alone in the wild ocean.

196
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,840
But now they're back to breed
on their clifftop burrows.

197
00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,440
Couples court and flirt...

198
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:02,120
..reunited after the
long winter apart.

199
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,560
By the shore, there's no
sign of the dog otter.

200
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:22,040
It's a good time for the cubs
to have a hunting lesson.

201
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,800
It can take nearly two years
for an otter cub

202
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,400
to master fishing underwater.

203
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,480
But these two have to
start somewhere,

204
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,120
and the water's edge
is the ideal place to practise.

205
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:51,520
Success.

206
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,200
The female cub finds a shore crab.

207
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,240
Her brother wants a piece
of the action.

208
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,360
But she's hungry and she is
not giving it up.

209
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,360
Her mother takes the male cub
to fish in open water nearby.

210
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,680
He's really growing
in confidence now,

211
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,520
learning how to hunt and dive,
mirroring his mother.

212
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,240
Her crab eaten,
the female cub finds herself alone.

213
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,680
OTTER WHISTLES

214
00:25:58,440 --> 00:25:59,960
She grows anxious.

215
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:01,960
OTTER WHISTLES

216
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,320
Her mother and brother are
oblivious to her cries.

217
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,240
They have a problem of their own.

218
00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:21,480
They're being pursued.

219
00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:24,720
The dog otter has returned.

220
00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:34,080
The cub clambers on to the
rocks for safety.

221
00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,200
The mother lashes out.

222
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,680
But the old male wants
to mate with her.

223
00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:58,600
Her son joins the fray.

224
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,000
It's a risky move.

225
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,000
The dog otter could kill him
if he gets in the way.

226
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:21,040
The cub dives clear.

227
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,480
But the old dog is on his tail.

228
00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:42,520
It's a tense stand-off.

229
00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,440
But the old male stopped short
of an all-out attack,

230
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,480
revealing that this is HIS cub,
HIS bloodline.

231
00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:57,560
The mother calls the youngster
back to her side.

232
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:10,480
The dog otter seems to
have lost interest.

233
00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:16,480
The twin cubs are still
everything to the female.

234
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,480
She's not ready to mate yet.

235
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,160
In Norway, the reindeer are
migrating down the mountainside...

236
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,720
..the pregnant females, accompanied
by the larger stockier bulls.

237
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:52,600
They're several days from the
calving grounds,

238
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:53,840
so they must press on.

239
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,720
But as they descend,
a neighbouring stormborn clan

240
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,240
is working its way back up.

241
00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:17,800
A herd of musk oxen.

242
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,200
OX GRUNTS

243
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,720
These prehistoric-looking beasts
are true Ice Age survivors.

244
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:42,120
Throughout winter and spring,
these herbivores climb to seek out

245
00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,400
patches of vegetation
on the mountain ridges

246
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:45,880
exposed by the wind.

247
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,920
But although this group
looks peaceful,

248
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:52,960
someone is always vying
to be in charge.

249
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,280
In the calving season,
decisions are made by the cows.

250
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:00,800
But in the summer rut,

251
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,480
it's the dominant bulls
who control the herd.

252
00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:09,440
The rut is a long way off,

253
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,440
but there's something
in the air today.

254
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,480
A young male seems to
fancy his chances

255
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,080
at displacing an older,
more dominant animal.

256
00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,720
The young male prepares
to launch his attack.

257
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,040
But the old male has the advantage
of gravity and experience.

258
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,320
He forces the youngster
down the slope.

259
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:19,680
One final shove...

260
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:24,960
..and it's over.

261
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,000
OX GRUNTS

262
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,080
In Iceland, the snow is unrelenting.

263
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,960
But the female Arctic fox
is ready to mate at last.

264
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,640
Even the raging blizzard
can't stop the pair now.

265
00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:27,760
They become locked together...

266
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,160
..a union that can last
over an hour.

267
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,200
Being joined like this will improve
the chance of a successful mating.

268
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,360
But it's painful and
tiring for them.

269
00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,960
If they try to force themselves
apart, it could result in injury.

270
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,080
They must simply wait
until their muscles relax.

271
00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,000
The storm is rising,

272
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,800
drawing up the power
of the restless Atlantic.

273
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:40,800
Across the north, extreme weather,
caused by climate change,

274
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,080
is making this world
even more unpredictable.

275
00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:53,240
In Shetland, the swell is growing.

276
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,520
The otter family are becoming
bolder, fishing in deeper water.

277
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,000
The mother takes her cubs
further out into the bay.

278
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:09,160
They follow her every move.

279
00:34:12,240 --> 00:34:13,760
Hungry for a good catch.

280
00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:29,560
It's a race back to the shore.

281
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,960
The female cub grabs the prize
and scurries off to enjoy it.

282
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,800
It's a scorpionfish, a huge meal.

283
00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:52,120
Her mother and brother venture
in to the choppy waters once more.

284
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:03,280
Getting the most out of a hard
and bony catch like this

285
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,120
will take the female cub some time.

286
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,840
Her family is now way offshore
and she hasn't noticed.

287
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,960
The cub looks up for
her mother and brother.

288
00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,360
But there's no sign of either.

289
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:48,040
She's alone.

290
00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:07,760
She heads back into the surf.

291
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:10,640
But it's a poor decision.

292
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,560
She's now moving even further
away from her family,

293
00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:17,240
straight into the growing swell.

294
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:45,560
The Icelandic weather system
has crossed the Atlantic.

295
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:54,040
A hailstorm pounds
the puffin colony.

296
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:03,520
Time to seek shelter underground.

297
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,480
Further east, across the North Sea,
the blizzard hits the reindeer

298
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,360
migration with full force.

299
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,520
3,000 beasts halt in their tracks.

300
00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:46,480
But with a double-layer coat made
from thousands of hollow hairs,

301
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,680
they're adapted to withstand
anything the storm

302
00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:50,080
can throw at them.

303
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,440
In Iceland, too,
the blizzard still rages on.

304
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:26,240
Now separated and exhausted
after an hour of mating,

305
00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:28,360
the Arctic fox pair hunker down.

306
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,400
Like the reindeer, they're well
protected against temperatures

307
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,240
as low as minus 30 degrees

308
00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:40,960
by some of the best insulating
fur in the animal world.

309
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,320
The only place without
fur is the nose.

310
00:38:51,240 --> 00:38:55,040
So the vixen buries her snout
deep into her tail

311
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,120
and waits for the weather to ease.

312
00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:05,440
Even a supreme cold-weather
specialist like an Arctic fox

313
00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,480
can do nothing in
conditions like this.

314
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,040
Calm is returning to Shetland.

315
00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:45,720
The female cub has survived.

316
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,960
But the storm has swept her far
out of her mother's territory.

317
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:04,560
Alone, she searches the unfamiliar
beach for any signs of her family.

318
00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:14,920
She's picked up a scent trail.

319
00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:21,040
Otters use many sleeping
holts across their territory.

320
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,080
The trail leads her towards a peat
bank at the edge of the beach.

321
00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,920
But the wild weather has driven
the mother otter and the male cub

322
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:41,800
much further up the coast.

323
00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:47,960
The holt is empty.

324
00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:52,320
And the female cub heads
back to the shore.

325
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,640
At six months old,
she has the instincts to survive.

326
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,640
But her hunting skills simply
aren't advanced enough.

327
00:41:44,240 --> 00:41:45,720
Because of his mating campaign,

328
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:48,400
the dog fox hasn't eaten
for five days.

329
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,200
But now his focus switches
to the search for food.

330
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:04,600
In the winter, the foxes rely on
the beach to provide invertebrates

331
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:05,920
and washed-up carrion.

332
00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:09,680
It's sparse pickings.

333
00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:15,200
But the chances of finding
something are greater after a storm.

334
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:20,240
And he's in luck.

335
00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:21,760
A dead gull has washed ashore.

336
00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:45,640
The vixen is happy to
finish off the scraps.

337
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:53,240
Now their attention
turns to territory.

338
00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:57,320
A litter of cubs is on the way.

339
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,480
And they need to find a
den to raise them in.

340
00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:09,640
Soon, the snow will clear, revealing
den entrances among the rocky

341
00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:11,440
hollows in this stark landscape.

342
00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:20,160
For their bloodline to succeed,

343
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,760
they must secure
the best den possible.

344
00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:37,360
The reindeer are also heading
for somewhere safe to give birth.

345
00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:47,800
They're nearing the end
of their epic journey.

346
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,480
The herders and their dogs
bring the last group

347
00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:55,120
down towards the lower pasture.

348
00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:13,080
These are the calving grounds.

349
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:19,080
Here in just a few weeks' time,
thousands of reindeer calves

350
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:20,840
will start their journey of life.

351
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,400
In Shetland,
the orca family is leaving.

352
00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:41,880
But they will return.

353
00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:47,120
Soon, the harbour seals
will start to pup,

354
00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:48,880
presenting them with new prey.

355
00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:57,280
ORCA CALLS

356
00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:06,640
For now, there's time to play.

357
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:11,520
Enjoying the support and
companionship of family life.

358
00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:32,600
But a family is the very thing that
the female otter cub needs so much.

359
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:39,120
She hasn't seen her mother and
brother in days and she's tired...

360
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:42,760
..seemingly unable to even
feed herself.

361
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:51,560
Just a kilometre along the coast,
her mother and brother are swimming

362
00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,960
to shore with an enormous catch.

363
00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:57,000
An octopus.

364
00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:11,400
This is the very spot where
they last saw the female cub.

365
00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:16,000
So while the male cub
starts to feed,

366
00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:18,080
the mother seeks her
missing offspring.

367
00:46:22,720 --> 00:46:25,200
She calls for her daughter.

368
00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,400
OTTER WHISTLES

369
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:29,480
But there's no answering whistle.

370
00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:54,200
The female cub is alone.

371
00:46:58,760 --> 00:47:00,760
She's exhausted and starving.

372
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:10,160
They're so close...

373
00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:14,240
..but not quite close enough.

374
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:27,760
Summer will bring momentous
change to the animals of the north.

375
00:47:29,800 --> 00:47:32,240
The Arctic foxes try a
cunning hunt technique

376
00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:34,080
to feed their new litter of cubs.

377
00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:40,160
Tiny guillemot chicks leap for their
lives on Scotland's east coast.

378
00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:48,080
And the otter family face
up to a brave, new world.

379
00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:05,080
To try and capture the behaviour
of the elusive Arctic foxes,

380
00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:08,280
the Stormborn team travelled
over 900 miles from their base

381
00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:10,960
in Glasgow to the remotest
corner of Iceland.

382
00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:27,640
It's too dangerous for the boat
to land at the shore, so everything

383
00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:30,960
needed for a week's filming
must be transferred by dinghy,

384
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:33,200
including every essential.

385
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:39,680
For the next seven days, the crew
will be based in a small house

386
00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:42,960
near this isolated beach,
a two-and-a-half-hour boat trip

387
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:44,560
from the nearest town.

388
00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:45,920
Turn the boat around.

389
00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:47,200
And splash.

390
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:53,960
But even getting ashore
in one piece is not easy.

391
00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:56,120
This is all falling apart.

392
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:02,480
The crew has picked the end
of winter to come here, in the hope

393
00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,280
of capturing the behaviour
of a pair of Arctic foxes.

394
00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:09,880
So at this time of year,
they're pairing up,

395
00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:14,240
establishing a territory and
hopefully, hopefully mating.

396
00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:15,840
So that's what we're here to see.

397
00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:19,280
But the challenge is vast.

398
00:49:22,360 --> 00:49:26,000
Hornstrandir Reserve is 360
square miles of tundra,

399
00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:27,840
sheer cliffs and ice.

400
00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:39,360
Spread across this wild terrain,

401
00:49:39,360 --> 00:49:41,640
live about 19 Arctic foxes.

402
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:44,880
The crew are going to need help.

403
00:49:48,240 --> 00:49:50,560
So they've brought along
scientist Ester.

404
00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:53,080
She's been coming to these
shores to study the foxes

405
00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:54,800
for the last 30 years.

406
00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:02,880
I think... With her expertise,
cameraman Neil and producer Iain

407
00:50:02,880 --> 00:50:04,520
can begin to make a plan.

408
00:50:04,520 --> 00:50:06,000
Yeah. On the house.

409
00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,440
These are the most active locations

410
00:50:08,440 --> 00:50:11,080
and you should keep an eye
on that site too. Yeah.

411
00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:13,120
Because it's a hot spot.

412
00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:16,840
And I think you should have also
someone keeping an eye on the beach.

413
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:19,640
Yeah, we'll have someone
where these territories meet.

414
00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:23,280
And then it's good for you to keep
eyes on the shore, isn't it?

415
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:25,200
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

416
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:31,560
Finding the foxes will
be a challenge in itself.

417
00:50:31,560 --> 00:50:33,600
But this is also Iceland in winter.

418
00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:38,520
And a storm can roll
in at a moment's notice.

419
00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:45,240
Neil sets off as a blizzard begins.

420
00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:51,520
The temperature drops
to well below zero.

421
00:50:53,360 --> 00:50:56,160
Walking keeps you warm, though,

422
00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:57,680
so I'm not complaining.

423
00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:03,920
But the strategy of keeping a close
eye on the beach starts to pay off.

424
00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:09,400
A lone male fox has returned
to the shore to look for his mate.

425
00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:14,880
And eventually,
Neil's patience is rewarded...

426
00:51:16,320 --> 00:51:19,760
..as the male is reunited with the
same female he bred with last year.

427
00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:26,080
The crew are keen to film
the pair mating,

428
00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:27,880
but they're always on the move.

429
00:51:30,160 --> 00:51:33,360
And Neil's problem is keeping up
with them over such vast distances.

430
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:38,240
It's going to be difficult,
this kit's quite big.

431
00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:40,720
I've got to carry it around.

432
00:51:40,720 --> 00:51:43,800
These foxes...these foxes just
shoot over, they're so light,

433
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:46,000
they just shoot
over the top of the snow,

434
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:48,440
whereas my feet
go straight through the snow,

435
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:50,120
you know, up to my knees in snow.

436
00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:52,120
They can run straight uphill.

437
00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:54,320
It'll take them a minute
to get up that hill.

438
00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:56,560
It'll probably take me half
an hour, an hour.

439
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:59,880
They can quite easily disappear and

440
00:51:59,880 --> 00:52:03,040
be carrying out all this behaviour
we want to see, you know,

441
00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:04,640
this mating behaviour.

442
00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:06,240
It could happen anywhere.

443
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:10,720
To better their chances of
capturing the pair on film,

444
00:52:10,720 --> 00:52:15,200
Ester and producer Iain head off
in different directions to act

445
00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,040
as spotters, radioing back
information to Neil.

446
00:52:19,360 --> 00:52:21,160
WALKIE TALKIE BLEEPS

447
00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:25,760
There's a fox in the gully,
a little bit north of the house.

448
00:52:27,280 --> 00:52:30,280
Shall I wait here and see...?
Was it heading my way?

449
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:32,480
Yeah, stay there and see if
it comes any lower.

450
00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:35,520
OK, great. Cheers.

451
00:52:39,600 --> 00:52:42,040
But the weather gets worse

452
00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:44,360
and starts playing havoc
with the equipment.

453
00:52:46,480 --> 00:52:48,560
The battery is low.

454
00:52:48,560 --> 00:52:51,320
The batteries are lasting
half as long as they should do.

455
00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:55,160
But there's one advantage
to the blizzard.

456
00:52:58,720 --> 00:53:04,040
The foxes finally settle in one
place, hunkering down for the storm,

457
00:53:04,040 --> 00:53:06,400
giving Neil a chance to
get really close.

458
00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:11,200
Been out here for a few hours now,

459
00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:14,520
and the wind is just swirling
round all over the place.

460
00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:16,280
So you think you've got
your back to the wind,

461
00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:18,400
and all of a sudden it's changing.

462
00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:23,680
So, aye, it's challenging
conditions for sure.

463
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:26,720
But the foxes are definitely
making up for it.

464
00:53:26,720 --> 00:53:29,760
WIND HOWLS

465
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:31,520
Oh, it's wild.

466
00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:39,080
But unlike Neil, the foxes are
well-adapted to this weather.

467
00:53:39,080 --> 00:53:41,920
They're not bothered by
this weather at all.

468
00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:43,560
Whereas I'm...

469
00:53:43,560 --> 00:53:45,600
I've got seven layers on,

470
00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:49,880
and still I can feel this wind
going right through me.

471
00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:02,040
Neil's managed to capture stunning
close-up shots of the pair.

472
00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:07,320
But the all-important
mating is still evading him.

473
00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:12,400
They're now five days into the
trip and time is running out.

474
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:18,840
Back at the house,
Iain and Neil consult Ester.

475
00:54:20,920 --> 00:54:23,600
Do you have any idea when it's
going to happen in terms of

476
00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:28,240
if it would be day or night
or where it might be?

477
00:54:29,920 --> 00:54:33,960
It's impossible to say. Oh, really.
It's impossible to say.

478
00:54:33,960 --> 00:54:36,960
But they hang out a lot
close to the beach.

479
00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:40,120
But then they can just run
off, run up over the top

480
00:54:40,120 --> 00:54:42,240
of the cliff...
And then we've lost them.

481
00:54:42,240 --> 00:54:45,120
Even if they go down to the beach,
there's so many corners, inlets.

482
00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:49,520
It's going can be a bit of
a challenge to even keep

483
00:54:49,520 --> 00:54:51,800
up with them and see the mating,

484
00:54:54,080 --> 00:54:56,640
It looks like the chances of
capturing the pair mating

485
00:54:56,640 --> 00:54:57,960
will be one in a million.

486
00:55:04,120 --> 00:55:06,240
But then, the day before
the crew are due to leave,

487
00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:07,840
and return to Glasgow...

488
00:55:09,280 --> 00:55:10,920
..an incredible stroke of luck.

489
00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:18,240
As another snowstorm starts,
Neil sets up near the house

490
00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:20,480
and spots the foxes run
down to the beach.

491
00:55:24,720 --> 00:55:26,760
He finally captures them mating.

492
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:33,800
But before long, the
experience evolves into something

493
00:55:33,800 --> 00:55:35,920
far more extreme than he
had ever imagined.

494
00:55:38,320 --> 00:55:40,200
That was an amazing moment.

495
00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:43,920
All of a sudden, they
started mating.

496
00:55:43,920 --> 00:55:46,280
It took me completely by surprise.

497
00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:50,000
They started tumbling down
the hill, tumbling around,

498
00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:52,800
obviously in quite a
bit of, sort of distress.

499
00:55:52,800 --> 00:55:56,880
They just sort of did this dance, a
spiral dance rolling on the ground.

500
00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:59,280
And it was quite dangerous
cos they were on the rocks,

501
00:55:59,280 --> 00:56:01,920
and they were down by the
sea, so they could eventually

502
00:56:01,920 --> 00:56:03,360
have ended up in the sea.

503
00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:06,200
And if they get that coat
that wet with saltwater,

504
00:56:06,200 --> 00:56:08,040
you know, it's quite
a dangerous thing,

505
00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:10,920
especially when they're both
locked together like that.

506
00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:15,480
Neil filmed the pair for over
an hour in the blizzard,

507
00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:17,520
until finally they separated.

508
00:56:19,720 --> 00:56:21,240
And after such an ordeal,

509
00:56:21,240 --> 00:56:24,800
his admiration for them
had grown all the more.

510
00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:28,520
They're incredible little things to
be able to survive out here.

511
00:56:28,520 --> 00:56:30,120
Impressive. Very impressive.

512
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:31,360
Yeah, yeah.

513
00:56:32,720 --> 00:56:35,640
But the Arctic foxes here
are under threat from the impact

514
00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:36,840
of climate change.

515
00:56:38,280 --> 00:56:40,240
It's affecting their
main food source.

516
00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:47,480
I see some differences in the
past 20 years I've been here.

517
00:56:47,480 --> 00:56:50,280
Most of the sea birds have
been declining a lot.

518
00:56:50,280 --> 00:56:54,160
For the foxes to be able to survive
here, the birds need to do well.

519
00:56:57,000 --> 00:57:00,280
But while food is getting scarcer,
Ester believes there's an advantage

520
00:57:00,280 --> 00:57:02,200
to being in such a remote location,

521
00:57:02,200 --> 00:57:04,880
which could help the foxes
in their struggle to survive.

522
00:57:07,320 --> 00:57:10,600
I'm pretty hopeful because
this is so isolated

523
00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:13,560
and so far away from humans.

524
00:57:13,560 --> 00:57:18,880
The weather here can be so bad that
it is kind of self-protecting.

525
00:57:18,880 --> 00:57:20,760
I'm hoping it will sustain.

526
00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:25,520
It's been a remarkable first trip.

527
00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:29,720
But the crew hope to capture plenty
more over the coming months.

528
00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:04,620
In the lands of the north,
spring can be the cruellest season.

529
00:58:06,900 --> 00:58:09,300
Despite months of dedicated care,

530
00:58:09,300 --> 00:58:13,940
this mother otter has lost
one of her precious offspring.

531
00:58:13,940 --> 00:58:16,580
Separated from her by a March storm,

532
00:58:16,580 --> 00:58:19,420
the cub is alone and
running out of chances.

533
00:58:22,500 --> 00:58:27,580
Time, tide, wind and weather
will now determine her fate.

534
00:58:28,580 --> 00:58:31,420
The fate of the stormborn.

535
00:59:48,420 --> 00:59:52,060
Light is breathing warmth
into the lands of the north.

536
00:59:53,700 --> 00:59:57,460
The snows have all but vanished
from the jagged shores of Iceland.

537
00:59:59,980 --> 01:00:02,820
And now the melt waters
flood the valleys.

538
01:00:08,100 --> 01:00:11,620
Soon, the sun will rule
for nearly 24 hours a day.

539
01:00:17,100 --> 01:00:20,500
For the animals of Iceland,
Scotland and Norway,

540
01:00:20,500 --> 01:00:23,380
this is a time of opportunity...

541
01:00:23,380 --> 01:00:26,220
..but it's also the
most intense season.

542
01:00:27,860 --> 01:00:31,620
When every moment must be focused
on raising young to independence.

543
01:00:32,700 --> 01:00:34,740
Before the darkness returns.

544
01:00:42,300 --> 01:00:45,220
In the Shetland Isles,
off the north coast of Scotland,

545
01:00:45,220 --> 01:00:49,340
the weather is calm, and the female
otter is working her territory.

546
01:00:53,420 --> 01:00:55,860
Everything has changed
for this mother.

547
01:00:57,700 --> 01:01:02,820
Three months ago, she lost her young
female cub in a fierce March storm.

548
01:01:07,060 --> 01:01:10,340
Although the mother searched
many miles of coastline,

549
01:01:10,340 --> 01:01:13,140
they were never reunited.

550
01:01:13,140 --> 01:01:16,180
The cub simply wasn't strong
enough to survive alone.

551
01:01:23,700 --> 01:01:26,780
She now has just her single
male cub to care for.

552
01:01:28,980 --> 01:01:31,620
But otters are not sentimental.

553
01:01:31,620 --> 01:01:35,660
They will even sacrifice one cub if
it means another will grow stronger.

554
01:01:38,540 --> 01:01:41,620
And her remaining cub
IS growing stronger.

555
01:01:45,020 --> 01:01:47,420
At the moment, he's still
dependent on his mother,

556
01:01:47,420 --> 01:01:49,860
but he's growing up fast.

557
01:01:58,020 --> 01:02:00,260
She still catches
most of the meals...

558
01:02:02,300 --> 01:02:04,500
..but he's quick to take them.

559
01:02:06,140 --> 01:02:08,580
And this is the ideal catch.

560
01:02:09,860 --> 01:02:12,780
A lumpsucker fish
is full of nutrition...

561
01:02:15,220 --> 01:02:17,860
..and it'll sustain him for a while.

562
01:02:21,140 --> 01:02:24,420
His mother is scent marking
her territory.

563
01:02:24,420 --> 01:02:26,940
It's a message to local males.

564
01:02:30,020 --> 01:02:33,740
With her son nearly grown up,
she'll soon be ready to mate again.

565
01:02:36,260 --> 01:02:39,340
And when that happens,
she'll no longer provide for him,

566
01:02:39,340 --> 01:02:41,700
and the new male will force him out.

567
01:02:55,900 --> 01:02:59,580
On Iceland's north-west coast,

568
01:02:59,580 --> 01:03:03,020
a swathe of colour has
transformed the landscape.

569
01:03:07,140 --> 01:03:10,940
Life must now seize its chance
as the light returns.

570
01:03:15,620 --> 01:03:18,260
The male arctic fox
has also changed.

571
01:03:19,380 --> 01:03:22,940
FOX CALLS

572
01:03:22,940 --> 01:03:27,380
Just a few tufts of his
thick winter coat remain.

573
01:03:27,380 --> 01:03:29,700
He's now darker, sleeker,

574
01:03:29,700 --> 01:03:33,180
and completely focused on
a single critical mission.

575
01:03:35,620 --> 01:03:37,340
He's become a father.

576
01:03:39,140 --> 01:03:42,220
Concealed in the long grass
near an abandoned summerhouse

577
01:03:42,220 --> 01:03:44,420
is his newborn family.

578
01:03:47,500 --> 01:03:49,540
Six tiny cubs.

579
01:03:53,060 --> 01:03:56,780
At ten days old, their eyes
have only just opened...

580
01:03:59,300 --> 01:04:02,140
..and they're starting to
make sense of their world.

581
01:04:16,780 --> 01:04:18,580
CUBS CALL

582
01:04:18,580 --> 01:04:20,380
Their mother will remain close

583
01:04:20,380 --> 01:04:23,020
to them for the next few weeks
while they suckle.

584
01:04:26,140 --> 01:04:30,460
It's the male's job to feed her
until the cubs are fully weaned.

585
01:04:33,620 --> 01:04:36,860
The shore foxes' choice
of territory is crucial.

586
01:04:38,660 --> 01:04:41,540
It must provide all the
food the family needs.

587
01:04:44,300 --> 01:04:48,420
The den lies close to the same beach
where the pair mated in March.

588
01:04:50,260 --> 01:04:53,900
Now, in June, the feeding here
is much richer.

589
01:04:56,140 --> 01:04:59,420
There's the pick of what they
can scavenge from the shore.

590
01:04:59,420 --> 01:05:01,940
And the meadows are
full of breeding birds,

591
01:05:01,940 --> 01:05:06,300
whose eggs and nestlings form
the bulk of the foxes' diet.

592
01:05:10,180 --> 01:05:13,740
For now, it's a good place
to make a home in.

593
01:05:18,700 --> 01:05:21,780
The shore foxes have
high-living neighbours.

594
01:05:24,420 --> 01:05:28,060
Above the beach loom the crags
of the Hornbjarg mountain.

595
01:05:31,900 --> 01:05:34,540
It's the home of the cliff foxes.

596
01:05:38,100 --> 01:05:41,260
The female has held this
territory for several years,

597
01:05:41,260 --> 01:05:43,500
but this year she has a new mate.

598
01:05:46,500 --> 01:05:49,220
He's young, strong, and willing,

599
01:05:49,220 --> 01:05:51,340
but very inexperienced.

600
01:05:55,100 --> 01:05:58,900
Their six cubs are bigger and
stronger than the shore litter.

601
01:06:01,180 --> 01:06:05,020
They're already weaned
and hungry for solid food.

602
01:06:10,620 --> 01:06:14,180
BIRDS CALL

603
01:06:14,180 --> 01:06:18,260
The female heads to her
regular hunting ground...

604
01:06:18,260 --> 01:06:21,060
..where she's hoping to
ambush nesting fulmars.

605
01:06:23,860 --> 01:06:26,380
But this year,
birds numbers are low,

606
01:06:26,380 --> 01:06:28,180
and many nests are empty.

607
01:06:30,420 --> 01:06:32,820
All the pressure
is on her young mate.

608
01:06:35,140 --> 01:06:39,340
He's working the shores of the
crater lake that sits 300 metres up,

609
01:06:39,340 --> 01:06:40,980
among the mountain peaks.

610
01:06:42,140 --> 01:06:44,420
There are sea birds here, too...

611
01:06:45,540 --> 01:06:47,060
..kittiwakes.

612
01:07:04,380 --> 01:07:08,180
A flock this big
is a fabulous food source.

613
01:07:10,500 --> 01:07:13,060
But this is open ground.

614
01:07:13,060 --> 01:07:15,500
There's no way to reach them.

615
01:07:18,380 --> 01:07:20,140
Or is there?

616
01:07:26,900 --> 01:07:30,260
Perhaps this is a puzzle
he can crack.

617
01:07:35,380 --> 01:07:38,860
The kittiwakes preen on the rocks
after their bath.

618
01:07:43,580 --> 01:07:46,580
Maybe this is where
they can be snatched.

619
01:08:13,180 --> 01:08:14,820
No luck this time.

620
01:08:17,860 --> 01:08:20,500
If he can only find
a way to catch them,

621
01:08:20,500 --> 01:08:23,220
it would throw a lifeline
to his growing family.

622
01:08:38,580 --> 01:08:42,660
Newborns are arriving
across the stormborn lands.

623
01:08:46,460 --> 01:08:48,660
And while some bask in the sunshine,

624
01:08:48,660 --> 01:08:51,460
for others,
conditions are still harsh.

625
01:08:54,460 --> 01:08:57,300
In Norway, the herds
of reindeer have swelled

626
01:08:57,300 --> 01:08:59,500
with this summer's calves.

627
01:09:04,180 --> 01:09:06,620
Last winter was exceptionally cold,

628
01:09:06,620 --> 01:09:09,460
and deep in the interior,
the warmth of the summer sun

629
01:09:09,460 --> 01:09:12,500
hasn't yet melted
the vast snowfields.

630
01:09:17,860 --> 01:09:20,700
The reindeer must keep moving.

631
01:09:22,860 --> 01:09:25,940
Mothers search out any patches
of rich, new growth

632
01:09:25,940 --> 01:09:28,580
to sustain them and their calves.

633
01:09:33,820 --> 01:09:35,980
Further south, across the North Sea,

634
01:09:35,980 --> 01:09:38,780
Scotland's snow
has already retreated.

635
01:09:44,260 --> 01:09:47,420
The reindeer here calve much later.

636
01:09:58,620 --> 01:10:01,780
This tiny calf is just an hour old.

637
01:10:04,900 --> 01:10:07,180
Covered in thick, hollow hair,

638
01:10:07,180 --> 01:10:09,660
he's well protected from
the worst of the weather.

639
01:10:12,220 --> 01:10:15,460
He looks peaceful,
but he should have fed by now.

640
01:10:16,900 --> 01:10:18,900
His mother is struggling.

641
01:10:18,900 --> 01:10:22,580
It's her very first calf,
and she's completely exhausted.

642
01:10:27,260 --> 01:10:31,020
He needs to stand and suckle soon
if he's to gain enough strength.

643
01:10:36,380 --> 01:10:38,740
Others are faring better.

644
01:10:43,140 --> 01:10:46,780
This little female is her
mother's fourth calf.

645
01:10:46,780 --> 01:10:49,820
She may seem wobbly, but reindeer
calves need to be mobile

646
01:10:49,820 --> 01:10:51,620
almost straight away

647
01:10:51,620 --> 01:10:54,340
to outrun predators, like eagles.

648
01:11:02,180 --> 01:11:05,180
Guided in by her experienced
mother's stance,

649
01:11:05,180 --> 01:11:07,620
she's already getting
the right idea.

650
01:11:17,780 --> 01:11:20,900
At last, the tiny calf
struggles to his feet.

651
01:11:23,540 --> 01:11:26,140
He just needs to
straighten his legs.

652
01:11:34,500 --> 01:11:37,620
Finally, he locks on
for his first feed of milk.

653
01:11:43,860 --> 01:11:46,660
Now he can start to build strength.

654
01:12:01,900 --> 01:12:05,780
In Iceland, clouds are building
around the Hornbjarg mountain.

655
01:12:12,060 --> 01:12:15,700
Near the beach,
the shore cubs rest peacefully.

656
01:12:19,460 --> 01:12:21,220
High above on the mountain,

657
01:12:21,220 --> 01:12:23,900
the kittiwakes are flocking
to the crater lake.

658
01:12:36,860 --> 01:12:39,820
The young male cliff fox
is forming a new plan.

659
01:12:49,900 --> 01:12:51,780
If he hides under a boulder,

660
01:12:51,780 --> 01:12:55,260
there may be a chance to grab the
birds as they alight on the rocks.

661
01:13:03,220 --> 01:13:05,700
It's just a case of waiting...

662
01:13:05,700 --> 01:13:08,860
..and picking exactly
the right moment to strike.

663
01:13:19,500 --> 01:13:21,540
The kittiwakes
haven't spotted the danger.

664
01:13:25,580 --> 01:13:28,820
The enterprising young fox
is right underneath them.

665
01:13:47,340 --> 01:13:48,620
So close.

666
01:13:52,660 --> 01:13:56,260
But the birds are spooked now.
The hunt is over.

667
01:13:59,220 --> 01:14:02,180
His young family
will go hungry this time.

668
01:14:11,500 --> 01:14:15,940
For the stormborn, the great race
of summer is now in full swing.

669
01:14:22,700 --> 01:14:26,500
Warmed by the Gulf stream,
the Shetland coast has a head start.

670
01:14:29,820 --> 01:14:32,980
And the puffin colony has
been busy for weeks already.

671
01:14:37,500 --> 01:14:41,060
But this puffin
is late to the party.

672
01:14:41,060 --> 01:14:44,980
He's a young bird, ready to breed
for the first time.

673
01:14:44,980 --> 01:14:47,500
Puffins pair for life,

674
01:14:47,500 --> 01:14:51,340
and most of the old hands have
found their mates from last year.

675
01:14:51,340 --> 01:14:55,180
But that doesn't mean
every female is taken.

676
01:14:55,180 --> 01:14:59,380
And this young rookie has managed
to find an empty burrow...

677
01:14:59,380 --> 01:15:02,100
..making him an attractive prospect.

678
01:15:06,820 --> 01:15:09,220
Could this female be the one?

679
01:15:09,220 --> 01:15:13,060
PUFFINS CALL

680
01:15:18,900 --> 01:15:20,860
Their courtship is tender.

681
01:15:26,860 --> 01:15:29,100
Interceptors are not welcome.

682
01:15:38,020 --> 01:15:40,940
The intruder gives up for now.

683
01:15:44,340 --> 01:15:46,660
She's yet to inspect the burrow.

684
01:15:52,860 --> 01:15:54,900
All seems to be in order.

685
01:15:56,340 --> 01:15:59,420
She sits firm,
ensuring no-one else lays claim.

686
01:16:02,620 --> 01:16:04,460
He just needs to line it.

687
01:16:07,940 --> 01:16:11,620
A particular spot seems to have
taken his fancy.

688
01:16:15,740 --> 01:16:18,140
But while he's busy
collecting grass,

689
01:16:18,140 --> 01:16:21,100
his rival moves in
for a burrow hijack...

690
01:16:24,980 --> 01:16:26,780
..and she's not happy.

691
01:16:26,780 --> 01:16:28,300
PUFFIN CALLS

692
01:16:31,380 --> 01:16:33,660
The intruder is heading in.

693
01:16:33,660 --> 01:16:35,660
There's going to be a showdown.

694
01:16:40,780 --> 01:16:43,260
The young puffin's not going
to give up his new mate

695
01:16:43,260 --> 01:16:45,900
or his precious burrow
without a fight.

696
01:17:08,620 --> 01:17:11,700
He returns victorious.

697
01:17:11,700 --> 01:17:14,060
The pair look set for success.

698
01:17:18,420 --> 01:17:22,860
Just a few miles away, the otter cub
and his mother are still together.

699
01:17:36,460 --> 01:17:40,460
She's raised him well, and he's
much closer to independence now...

700
01:17:42,740 --> 01:17:44,980
..catching more meals for himself.

701
01:17:55,780 --> 01:17:58,780
But he doesn't seem ready
to leave her quite yet.

702
01:18:04,460 --> 01:18:08,220
He's still keen to play,
enjoying her company.

703
01:18:12,580 --> 01:18:16,060
The bond between mother and son
is a hard one to sever.

704
01:18:20,820 --> 01:18:23,340
But she's starting
to come into season,

705
01:18:23,340 --> 01:18:25,820
and her scent is already
attracting interest.

706
01:18:33,300 --> 01:18:35,780
This dog otter has pursued her
before.

707
01:18:37,420 --> 01:18:41,260
The deep scar on his face -
a result of their last meeting.

708
01:18:44,980 --> 01:18:48,100
The cub needs to prepare
for the inevitable.

709
01:18:49,380 --> 01:18:51,620
Soon, he'll be forced out.

710
01:18:55,420 --> 01:18:59,540
But summer is the best possible time
for a young otter to go it alone.

711
01:19:09,740 --> 01:19:13,340
The sun barely sinks
below the horizon now.

712
01:19:13,340 --> 01:19:15,860
With almost 24 hours of daylight,

713
01:19:15,860 --> 01:19:18,460
all the animals of the north
can thrive.

714
01:19:31,420 --> 01:19:35,580
In Iceland, the shore family's
cubs are now taking solid food.

715
01:19:40,220 --> 01:19:42,620
Both parents are now free to hunt.

716
01:19:44,340 --> 01:19:48,420
There's still just enough
to cache the odd chick or egg.

717
01:19:50,580 --> 01:19:53,420
But as the meadow birds'
breeding season ends,

718
01:19:53,420 --> 01:19:56,020
food here is growing less plentiful.

719
01:19:58,300 --> 01:20:00,900
Leaner times lie ahead
for this family.

720
01:20:00,900 --> 01:20:03,740
FOX CALLS

721
01:20:11,060 --> 01:20:13,260
High above them on the mountain,

722
01:20:13,260 --> 01:20:15,700
the cliff foxes, too,
face a challenge.

723
01:20:17,180 --> 01:20:20,980
They must catch at least one bird
a day for each of their cubs.

724
01:20:22,420 --> 01:20:24,020
But the female is struggling

725
01:20:24,020 --> 01:20:26,260
to catch enough fulmars
from the cliffs.

726
01:20:34,700 --> 01:20:37,260
So the pressure is on for
her young mate to succeed

727
01:20:37,260 --> 01:20:39,260
in his kittiwake ambush.

728
01:20:49,420 --> 01:20:53,300
He's learning that he must
be very, very patient.

729
01:20:56,860 --> 01:20:59,180
He needs to get it right this time.

730
01:21:31,940 --> 01:21:34,740
Tonight his family
will eat well at last.

731
01:21:42,860 --> 01:21:46,100
In Shetland, the weather is
exceptionally calm and clear.

732
01:21:49,780 --> 01:21:54,020
The otter cub takes the opportunity
to embark on a solo fishing trip.

733
01:21:55,700 --> 01:21:59,740
With the dog otter around,
he's now spending longer alone.

734
01:22:02,820 --> 01:22:05,580
He's been able to catch
crabs for many months...

735
01:22:07,260 --> 01:22:09,860
..but they're not nutritious
enough for a young male

736
01:22:09,860 --> 01:22:11,780
on the cusp of adulthood.

737
01:22:14,340 --> 01:22:17,020
He needs to go after a fish.

738
01:22:23,700 --> 01:22:25,940
It's not easy.

739
01:22:25,940 --> 01:22:30,380
Otters take nearly two years
to fully master this skill.

740
01:22:33,820 --> 01:22:38,700
On the shore nearby,
his mother seeks out the dog otter.

741
01:22:38,700 --> 01:22:42,380
OTTER CALLS

742
01:22:42,380 --> 01:22:45,420
She calls to him.

743
01:22:45,420 --> 01:22:46,940
Flirting.

744
01:22:50,700 --> 01:22:53,500
Telling him she'll be ready soon.

745
01:22:57,260 --> 01:22:59,620
But the dog is still unsure.

746
01:23:04,500 --> 01:23:07,940
The wound caused by their
last encounter still hurts.

747
01:23:12,460 --> 01:23:15,260
It'll take time for them
to build trust.

748
01:23:21,980 --> 01:23:24,620
Completely unaware
of his mother's liaison,

749
01:23:24,620 --> 01:23:26,860
the cub has been successful.

750
01:23:28,980 --> 01:23:33,380
He's landed a sea scorpion.
It's a good catch.

751
01:23:33,380 --> 01:23:36,580
Just the sort of thing he needs
to be landing every day.

752
01:23:42,380 --> 01:23:45,540
It's time to take charge
of his destiny and leave.

753
01:23:47,580 --> 01:23:52,060
For if he stays here, the adult
male will surely drive him out.

754
01:23:58,540 --> 01:24:02,820
In the lands of the north,
July is a make or break month.

755
01:24:06,460 --> 01:24:08,460
Now with their offspring hatching,

756
01:24:08,460 --> 01:24:10,940
the sea birds are in
a race to the finish.

757
01:24:17,020 --> 01:24:20,700
Scotland's vast colonies
seethe with life.

758
01:24:24,740 --> 01:24:30,220
Towering cliffs and bare ledges
seem an inhospitable place to nest.

759
01:24:30,220 --> 01:24:33,700
But for every guillemot,
this is where life begins.

760
01:24:52,980 --> 01:24:56,020
GUILLEMOTS CALL

761
01:25:05,060 --> 01:25:08,820
Each breeding territory is no more
than a few centimetres wide.

762
01:25:10,460 --> 01:25:13,900
Safely incubating an egg
is a major feat.

763
01:25:18,340 --> 01:25:22,140
A newly hatched chick is
carefully shielded from the edge.

764
01:25:27,300 --> 01:25:28,940
But it's being watched.

765
01:25:32,860 --> 01:25:35,940
Predatory herring gulls
patrol these cliffs.

766
01:25:39,980 --> 01:25:42,060
Eggs are easy to snatch...

767
01:25:43,740 --> 01:25:46,700
..but an exposed chick
is a much richer prize.

768
01:25:54,260 --> 01:25:57,380
GULL CALLS

769
01:25:57,380 --> 01:25:59,820
But this pressure will soon end.

770
01:26:03,660 --> 01:26:07,260
In a few days, before
the chick can even fly,

771
01:26:07,260 --> 01:26:12,300
its parents will encourage it to
leap 200 metres to the ocean below.

772
01:26:12,300 --> 01:26:16,060
Here, it can be fed safely
and dive out of danger.

773
01:26:28,580 --> 01:26:30,220
For some of the stormborn,

774
01:26:30,220 --> 01:26:32,940
the bounty of the summer
continues to provide.

775
01:26:34,980 --> 01:26:38,820
In Iceland, the male cliff fox
is enjoying success.

776
01:26:40,860 --> 01:26:42,700
His territory is rich,

777
01:26:42,700 --> 01:26:45,500
and he's learned to exploit
the potential here.

778
01:26:50,380 --> 01:26:52,940
Thanks to his ingenuity
and persistence,

779
01:26:52,940 --> 01:26:54,540
the cubs are thriving.

780
01:26:56,020 --> 01:26:58,580
CUBS CALL

781
01:26:58,580 --> 01:27:01,340
His bloodline is secure.

782
01:27:05,980 --> 01:27:08,860
The kittiwake hunt
is now a daily routine.

783
01:27:42,740 --> 01:27:46,500
And the kittiwakes never learn
to keep away from the danger.

784
01:27:48,900 --> 01:27:51,300
His family will not go hungry.

785
01:27:52,980 --> 01:27:55,180
And his hunting skills
have ensured his cubs gain

786
01:27:55,180 --> 01:27:58,060
something else just as important...

787
01:27:58,060 --> 01:27:59,500
..his time.

788
01:28:04,020 --> 01:28:08,460
With the excess kittiwakes cached,
he can now afford to play...

789
01:28:08,460 --> 01:28:10,620
FOXES CALL

790
01:28:10,620 --> 01:28:14,180
..and play is how his cubs will
learn the hunting skills they need.

791
01:28:17,460 --> 01:28:21,300
Each climb or tumble tests them,

792
01:28:21,300 --> 01:28:25,580
building their strength and teaching
them how to use this landscape.

793
01:28:27,460 --> 01:28:30,820
Not all young foxes
will get this start in life.

794
01:28:34,620 --> 01:28:38,860
Far below, the situation
for the shore family is bleak.

795
01:28:40,100 --> 01:28:42,660
The parents are now struggling
to feed their cubs.

796
01:28:46,220 --> 01:28:48,820
Unlike the cliff family,
they're not putting on weight

797
01:28:48,820 --> 01:28:50,500
and have hardly grown.

798
01:28:56,340 --> 01:28:58,820
With all the meadow birds fledged,

799
01:28:58,820 --> 01:29:01,980
both parents have returned
to their winter routine...

800
01:29:03,900 --> 01:29:05,460
..scavenging.

801
01:29:14,820 --> 01:29:17,940
A washed up flounder is a
welcome prize for the female.

802
01:29:20,500 --> 01:29:23,620
But it's not enough to feed
her increasingly hungry cubs.

803
01:29:31,380 --> 01:29:34,900
Their parents resort to
digging up old caches of food.

804
01:29:38,620 --> 01:29:40,620
But these won't last long.

805
01:29:42,180 --> 01:29:46,220
Only half of arctic fox cubs
survive their first year.

806
01:29:46,220 --> 01:29:49,980
The future for this family
looks very uncertain.

807
01:29:55,700 --> 01:29:59,460
In desperation, the shore male
tries a new strategy...

808
01:30:03,740 --> 01:30:06,780
..a raid on the cliff fox territory.

809
01:30:06,780 --> 01:30:09,460
He's sneaking into
his neighbour's patch.

810
01:30:13,580 --> 01:30:17,100
But trespassing is against
the rules of clan fox.

811
01:30:23,740 --> 01:30:26,260
The shore male is
quickly chased out.

812
01:30:28,940 --> 01:30:31,540
The best territories are hard won...

813
01:30:32,620 --> 01:30:34,460
..and not willingly surrendered.

814
01:30:46,420 --> 01:30:49,820
It's back to a life of scavenging
for the shore male.

815
01:30:59,700 --> 01:31:03,100
On Scotland's coast,
a sea fog has settled.

816
01:31:18,620 --> 01:31:21,900
In the guillemot colony,
the mood is tense.

817
01:31:29,380 --> 01:31:32,340
The strain of constantly
bringing back fish

818
01:31:32,340 --> 01:31:35,020
to the ledges is now too much
for the adults.

819
01:31:37,220 --> 01:31:41,060
Their hungry young must go with them
to the ocean if they are to feed.

820
01:31:44,340 --> 01:31:46,380
This chick can't yet fly...

821
01:31:47,780 --> 01:31:49,580
..so it will have to jump.

822
01:31:52,260 --> 01:31:55,300
Tonight, protected
by the evening light,

823
01:31:55,300 --> 01:31:58,540
its parents will
encourage it off the ledge.

824
01:32:03,340 --> 01:32:05,420
Many won't make it.

825
01:32:09,980 --> 01:32:12,180
With the encroaching darkness,

826
01:32:12,180 --> 01:32:17,020
the jumpling begins its tentative
descent to the edge of the cliff.

827
01:32:25,020 --> 01:32:27,300
While its mother
stays at the nest site,

828
01:32:27,300 --> 01:32:30,100
its father follows it closely...

829
01:32:30,100 --> 01:32:32,300
..defending the path down.

830
01:32:37,060 --> 01:32:39,780
But each ledge is
someone else's territory...

831
01:32:39,780 --> 01:32:42,620
GUILLEMOTS CALL

832
01:32:47,500 --> 01:32:50,500
..and danger awaits at every level.

833
01:32:55,220 --> 01:32:57,660
At last, it's at the very edge -

834
01:32:57,660 --> 01:33:01,100
just one step
from the 200-metre drop.

835
01:33:05,980 --> 01:33:08,220
Its father can do little
but call it on...

836
01:33:08,220 --> 01:33:10,660
GUILLEMOT CALLS

837
01:33:10,660 --> 01:33:13,860
..for this is the leap
that each chick must make alone.

838
01:33:39,980 --> 01:33:42,540
Father and chick are reunited.

839
01:33:43,900 --> 01:33:47,420
They will spend the rest of the
summer together far out at sea.

840
01:34:08,100 --> 01:34:12,220
The mighty seas and oceans
define these stormborn lands.

841
01:34:16,860 --> 01:34:19,340
United through tide and current,

842
01:34:19,340 --> 01:34:21,940
these are the great
highways of the north.

843
01:34:25,180 --> 01:34:28,060
One family knows these pathways
intimately.

844
01:34:31,300 --> 01:34:33,100
The orca pod.

845
01:34:36,180 --> 01:34:40,260
Able to move at pace from
Norway to Iceland to Scotland.

846
01:34:43,660 --> 01:34:45,620
The matriarch
has learned these routes

847
01:34:45,620 --> 01:34:47,780
to ensure her family will prosper.

848
01:34:50,860 --> 01:34:52,820
Her pod is now eight strong.

849
01:34:57,140 --> 01:35:00,540
And this year on the journey
is a baby.

850
01:35:00,540 --> 01:35:02,700
The newest grandchild
of the matriarch.

851
01:35:10,060 --> 01:35:12,940
Her oldest son is fully grown,

852
01:35:12,940 --> 01:35:16,260
his mighty dorsal fin
over two metres tall.

853
01:35:20,420 --> 01:35:24,700
He's been her constant companion
for over 20 years.

854
01:35:27,780 --> 01:35:31,420
It's likely neither he nor his
brother will ever leave this pod.

855
01:35:33,380 --> 01:35:36,500
Their allegiance to the matriarch
runs deep.

856
01:35:38,340 --> 01:35:42,180
ORCA WHISTLES AND CLICKS

857
01:35:44,780 --> 01:35:46,980
Now, at the end of summer,

858
01:35:46,980 --> 01:35:50,060
it's Shetland's seal pups
they have in their sights.

859
01:35:58,340 --> 01:36:00,900
They must work out
their hunting strategy.

860
01:36:05,260 --> 01:36:07,780
All, even the youngest, take part...

861
01:36:09,540 --> 01:36:12,420
..as they scout the coastline
to check channels...

862
01:36:15,540 --> 01:36:18,500
..and plan their short cuts
through the shallows.

863
01:36:26,300 --> 01:36:28,340
They're ready.

864
01:36:34,980 --> 01:36:38,660
Along the coastline, things have
changed for the otter family.

865
01:36:42,740 --> 01:36:45,340
The male cub is now
fully independent.

866
01:36:47,340 --> 01:36:50,220
But he's still lingering
in his mother's territory.

867
01:36:51,580 --> 01:36:53,500
He needs to keep his distance.

868
01:36:55,300 --> 01:36:57,580
There's a new male in her life.

869
01:36:59,980 --> 01:37:03,460
Without a cub to protect,
she's finally keen to mate.

870
01:37:09,420 --> 01:37:11,540
The dog otter is still nervous...

871
01:37:13,100 --> 01:37:15,420
..and it's she who
takes the initiative.

872
01:37:21,180 --> 01:37:23,900
But the dog's instinct
to mate is strong...

873
01:37:26,180 --> 01:37:29,180
..and at last his desire
conquers his fear.

874
01:37:33,100 --> 01:37:34,500
He trails her closely...

875
01:37:36,020 --> 01:37:38,180
..hoping for an opportunity.

876
01:37:39,820 --> 01:37:42,180
She's giving him all
the right signals...

877
01:37:43,420 --> 01:37:46,380
..teasing and rolling over
to invite him close.

878
01:37:51,180 --> 01:37:55,060
OTTERS CALL

879
01:38:05,180 --> 01:38:07,820
At last, they settle together.

880
01:38:11,460 --> 01:38:14,020
A new chapter in their lives begins.

881
01:38:17,900 --> 01:38:20,620
Along the shore,
the cub is moving on...

882
01:38:21,820 --> 01:38:25,420
..travelling farther than he's
ever ventured in his life before.

883
01:38:28,740 --> 01:38:31,140
It's time for him
to make his own future.

884
01:38:41,140 --> 01:38:45,460
In the lands of the north, the only
certainty is constant change.

885
01:38:47,420 --> 01:38:50,860
Even on the calmest day,
a gale can rise from nowhere.

886
01:39:36,620 --> 01:39:39,620
In Iceland, as the
gale gives way to rain,

887
01:39:39,620 --> 01:39:43,300
the shore foxes scour the beach
for casualties of the storm.

888
01:39:49,380 --> 01:39:52,220
For many days now, they've
survived on nothing more

889
01:39:52,220 --> 01:39:54,060
than tiny invertebrates.

890
01:39:56,020 --> 01:39:59,620
They need something more substantial
to save the cubs from starving.

891
01:40:02,220 --> 01:40:04,540
The male has found a
washed-up guillemot.

892
01:40:06,660 --> 01:40:09,100
It could be a life-saver
for his family.

893
01:40:09,100 --> 01:40:11,900
CUBS CALL

894
01:40:16,620 --> 01:40:18,620
His cubs are ravenous.

895
01:40:25,580 --> 01:40:27,420
The female holds back...

896
01:40:29,220 --> 01:40:31,820
..but the male can't
control his hunger.

897
01:40:34,300 --> 01:40:36,660
FOX GROWLS

898
01:40:36,660 --> 01:40:38,740
His cubs are desperate to feed,

899
01:40:38,740 --> 01:40:41,580
but the dog fox won't
relinquish his prize.

900
01:40:49,340 --> 01:40:53,180
While some cubs watch,
others bravely try to hold on.

901
01:40:57,460 --> 01:40:59,780
But the male eventually
succumbs to his own needs,

902
01:40:59,780 --> 01:41:01,740
and carries the food away.

903
01:41:07,140 --> 01:41:09,380
The cubs will go hungry again.

904
01:41:33,620 --> 01:41:36,140
In Shetland,
the storm has long passed.

905
01:41:38,500 --> 01:41:40,700
Harbour seals play
in the shallows...

906
01:41:42,340 --> 01:41:44,780
..unaware that danger is coming.

907
01:41:46,500 --> 01:41:48,220
The orca.

908
01:41:49,860 --> 01:41:52,460
These are the ultimate
predators of the north.

909
01:41:53,700 --> 01:41:55,780
The apex of all life here.

910
01:41:57,900 --> 01:42:00,420
The pod is no longer in training.

911
01:42:00,420 --> 01:42:03,060
This time, they're ready to hunt.

912
01:42:11,180 --> 01:42:13,460
Seals caught off-guard
make a desperate dash

913
01:42:13,460 --> 01:42:15,620
for shallow water when they can.

914
01:42:31,100 --> 01:42:34,060
Each member of the orca pod
knows its place.

915
01:42:36,540 --> 01:42:38,780
They twist and turn
through the shallows...

916
01:42:45,020 --> 01:42:48,860
..trying to flush the seals away
from the rocks and into deep water.

917
01:42:57,820 --> 01:43:00,140
They're driving them into a trap.

918
01:43:45,020 --> 01:43:47,460
It's a fruitful hunting
session for the pod.

919
01:43:50,300 --> 01:43:52,540
There's plenty for each
member of the family.

920
01:43:56,180 --> 01:43:58,620
The last kill is toyed with.

921
01:44:00,180 --> 01:44:03,180
Useful hunting practice
for the new generation.

922
01:44:17,580 --> 01:44:19,940
Autumn is now well on its way.

923
01:44:22,380 --> 01:44:25,660
In the lands of the stormborn,
there's little middle ground -

924
01:44:25,660 --> 01:44:28,140
only victory and defeat.

925
01:44:32,700 --> 01:44:35,180
In Iceland,
the cliff foxes are winners.

926
01:44:37,220 --> 01:44:38,820
BARKING

927
01:44:39,900 --> 01:44:42,740
Thanks to the male's hunting
ability, every one of their cubs

928
01:44:42,740 --> 01:44:45,900
is strong and ready to face
the tough season to come.

929
01:44:52,060 --> 01:44:55,660
But their neighbours, the shore
cubs, are growing weaker by the day.

930
01:44:58,340 --> 01:45:01,140
There's simply not enough
food for them all.

931
01:45:05,300 --> 01:45:07,860
To keep this family's
bloodline alive,

932
01:45:07,860 --> 01:45:10,340
only one of their cubs
needs to make it.

933
01:45:16,460 --> 01:45:19,460
But will any of them have
what it takes to pull through?

934
01:45:26,420 --> 01:45:29,820
Autumn will bring new challenges
to the stormborn of the north.

935
01:45:31,300 --> 01:45:34,260
Seal pups face danger
from their own kind.

936
01:45:38,380 --> 01:45:41,140
The great reindeer
migration begins...

937
01:45:45,900 --> 01:45:48,900
..and the arctic fox saga
takes a surprising turn.

938
01:46:00,660 --> 01:46:03,260
The best place to try and film
orca in the UK

939
01:46:03,260 --> 01:46:05,980
is 105 miles north of the
Scottish mainland,

940
01:46:05,980 --> 01:46:07,620
off the coast of Shetland.

941
01:46:11,540 --> 01:46:15,140
Cameraman Fergus Gill is tasked with
the job of capturing them on film.

942
01:46:15,140 --> 01:46:16,940
SHEEP BLEAT

943
01:46:18,700 --> 01:46:20,620
Out to the lighthouse we go.

944
01:46:20,620 --> 01:46:22,260
Just look north,
see what we can see.

945
01:46:22,260 --> 01:46:24,460
Hopefully some orca, right there...

946
01:46:24,460 --> 01:46:26,580
..bobbing around, waiting on us.

947
01:46:28,900 --> 01:46:30,140
That'd be nice.

948
01:46:33,020 --> 01:46:34,820
But spotting them will not be easy.

949
01:46:37,460 --> 01:46:40,060
With over 1,700 miles of coastline,

950
01:46:40,060 --> 01:46:42,180
it's like looking
for a needle in a haystack.

951
01:46:46,620 --> 01:46:49,380
Fergus is joined by drone pilot
Pete Barden,

952
01:46:49,380 --> 01:46:52,500
and together, they start the tricky
challenge of searching the sea.

953
01:46:54,540 --> 01:46:56,260
It is really quite a guessing game.

954
01:46:56,260 --> 01:46:58,100
You put a lot of thought
into where you go,

955
01:46:58,100 --> 01:47:00,540
but at the end of the day, it's up
to the orca where they'll go

956
01:47:00,540 --> 01:47:02,060
and where they won't.

957
01:47:02,060 --> 01:47:04,500
We're just going to try and spend
as much time out looking for them

958
01:47:04,500 --> 01:47:06,620
as possible. We're definitely
going to get something.

959
01:47:06,620 --> 01:47:08,140
It's just putting in the time.

960
01:47:12,020 --> 01:47:14,980
But as the hours stack up,
there's still no sighting.

961
01:47:21,540 --> 01:47:24,220
There's plenty of other
wildlife to see in Shetland,

962
01:47:24,220 --> 01:47:26,620
but Fergus and Pete are here
for one reason only.

963
01:47:27,900 --> 01:47:29,420
We're here for orca.

964
01:47:29,420 --> 01:47:30,700
And there's no orca.

965
01:47:30,700 --> 01:47:32,500
LAUGHING: And I'm desperate to see
an orca,

966
01:47:32,500 --> 01:47:35,460
so it's just...tough.

967
01:47:37,380 --> 01:47:40,220
This should be the optimum
time to see orca in Shetland.

968
01:47:42,420 --> 01:47:45,340
Late summer is pupping
time for the harbour seals,

969
01:47:45,340 --> 01:47:48,380
and the orca return here
year after year to hunt them.

970
01:47:50,740 --> 01:47:53,460
And it's the hunt that the team
is desperate to capture.

971
01:47:56,300 --> 01:47:58,700
But, with no sign of the elusive
predator,

972
01:47:58,700 --> 01:48:01,780
Fergus and Pete are driven to
desperate measures.

973
01:48:04,020 --> 01:48:09,260
I spy with my little eye something
beginning with T.

974
01:48:09,260 --> 01:48:11,540
Tern. No.

975
01:48:11,540 --> 01:48:12,620
Tuft of grass.

976
01:48:12,620 --> 01:48:13,740
LAUGHING: No.

977
01:48:13,740 --> 01:48:15,860
Think geographic features, Pete.

978
01:48:17,500 --> 01:48:19,260
Tombolo? Yes!

979
01:48:19,260 --> 01:48:20,460
HE LAUGHS

980
01:48:20,460 --> 01:48:22,780
Not a tombola.

981
01:48:22,780 --> 01:48:24,500
I'd quite like a tombola, though.

982
01:48:24,500 --> 01:48:25,540
THEY LAUGH

983
01:48:29,580 --> 01:48:32,860
But when it comes to spotting orca,
things can change in a moment.

984
01:48:35,300 --> 01:48:36,500
There's been a sighting,

985
01:48:36,500 --> 01:48:39,980
and local wildlife expert
Richard Shucksmith joins the chase.

986
01:48:41,860 --> 01:48:45,260
Here we are,
running across the moorland.

987
01:48:47,540 --> 01:48:49,740
Fergus's camera assistant.

988
01:48:49,740 --> 01:48:53,140
There's Fergus, legging it.

989
01:48:53,140 --> 01:48:54,340
Oh!

990
01:48:54,340 --> 01:48:55,820
This is Shetland at its best.

991
01:48:57,620 --> 01:48:59,340
Where are they, Richard?

992
01:48:59,340 --> 01:49:02,980
There just coming about 700,
800 metres down the coast.

993
01:49:04,740 --> 01:49:07,020
The orca have just
gone into the bay behind us,

994
01:49:07,020 --> 01:49:09,580
so we've legged it as quick as
we can to get round here,

995
01:49:09,580 --> 01:49:13,140
hopefully get ahead of them
and see them coming.

996
01:49:13,140 --> 01:49:15,900
It's a lot of running, but it's
definitely going to be worth it.

997
01:49:15,900 --> 01:49:18,020
What do you think, Richard?
Let's hope so.

998
01:49:18,020 --> 01:49:19,580
Let's hope so.

999
01:49:22,620 --> 01:49:24,380
Pete launches the drone.

1000
01:49:26,660 --> 01:49:29,940
And, with his eye in the sky,
gets his first look at the pod.

1001
01:49:31,540 --> 01:49:33,820
Wow! This is my first orca.

1002
01:49:40,500 --> 01:49:43,940
As Pete captures
some incredible shots,

1003
01:49:43,940 --> 01:49:45,780
the ground team rushes
into position.

1004
01:49:47,380 --> 01:49:50,660
They're coming. So,
they're coming round the headland.

1005
01:49:50,660 --> 01:49:53,700
They're just off this headland now,
just out here.

1006
01:49:54,900 --> 01:49:57,220
Fergus is on it, filming.

1007
01:49:57,220 --> 01:49:58,620
Perfect.

1008
01:49:58,620 --> 01:50:01,420
BIRDS CALL

1009
01:50:10,500 --> 01:50:13,180
But, just as fast as the orca
arrive...

1010
01:50:13,180 --> 01:50:14,420
..they vanish.

1011
01:50:15,900 --> 01:50:18,020
And there's no guarantee
they'll be back.

1012
01:50:25,460 --> 01:50:27,420
The team has no choice
but to call it a day.

1013
01:50:29,660 --> 01:50:31,860
So, it is nearly one in the morning.

1014
01:50:31,860 --> 01:50:35,300
We've been out for nine hours
today filming orca,

1015
01:50:35,300 --> 01:50:38,620
and we lost them a few hours ago.

1016
01:50:38,620 --> 01:50:40,820
I think today was kind of an amazing
and frustrating day

1017
01:50:40,820 --> 01:50:42,340
all at the same time.

1018
01:50:42,340 --> 01:50:44,500
And I think it's just kind of
reiterating how difficult

1019
01:50:44,500 --> 01:50:46,700
it's going to be for us to manage
to film them hunting seals.

1020
01:50:46,700 --> 01:50:48,740
It's, it's not just seeing them,

1021
01:50:48,740 --> 01:50:50,100
it's being able to stick with them,

1022
01:50:50,100 --> 01:50:52,820
and then even being in
the right place at the right time

1023
01:50:52,820 --> 01:50:55,020
to see all this happen.

1024
01:50:55,020 --> 01:50:57,260
I think it's really going to be
quite a challenge for us, but...

1025
01:50:58,980 --> 01:51:00,740
The odds are better than
they were yesterday,

1026
01:51:00,740 --> 01:51:03,020
so if we pick them up in the
morning...

1027
01:51:03,020 --> 01:51:05,020
That is in three hours' time.

1028
01:51:05,020 --> 01:51:09,060
We are going to be back out
filming orca, hopefully.

1029
01:51:14,620 --> 01:51:17,780
It's another 4am start for the crew.

1030
01:51:17,780 --> 01:51:20,100
It's a bit deflating
after being with them,

1031
01:51:20,100 --> 01:51:22,500
and it's like reality kicking
back in once again

1032
01:51:22,500 --> 01:51:25,300
of that needle in a haystack of
looking for eight orca

1033
01:51:25,300 --> 01:51:26,980
on 1,000 miles of coast again.

1034
01:51:30,700 --> 01:51:33,140
After days of getting up
at the crack of dawn,

1035
01:51:33,140 --> 01:51:35,260
exhaustion starts to kick in.

1036
01:51:37,500 --> 01:51:39,220
So, it's Sunday morning.

1037
01:51:39,220 --> 01:51:41,660
We're back out on the trail
of orca.

1038
01:51:41,660 --> 01:51:43,980
Had a few hours' sleep.

1039
01:51:43,980 --> 01:51:46,180
Erm, we're working hard.

1040
01:51:46,180 --> 01:51:48,860
Let's have a look
and see how Fergus is getting on.

1041
01:51:54,140 --> 01:51:55,460
HE CHUCKLES

1042
01:51:56,580 --> 01:51:58,460
More days pass without a sighting.

1043
01:52:00,620 --> 01:52:04,260
After spending 14 hours
sitting in a car,

1044
01:52:04,260 --> 01:52:06,620
looking, seeing nothing...

1045
01:52:07,940 --> 01:52:10,020
..day after day,

1046
01:52:10,020 --> 01:52:12,860
I've started to feel a bit
demoralised, quite honestly.

1047
01:52:17,500 --> 01:52:19,740
The team has been on Shetland
for three weeks.

1048
01:52:24,660 --> 01:52:28,060
They head out once again towards
a popular gathering place for seals.

1049
01:52:30,620 --> 01:52:34,580
And, finally,
their luck starts to change.

1050
01:52:34,580 --> 01:52:36,540
Something down there. What is it?

1051
01:52:36,540 --> 01:52:38,220
Get in here, let's get in here, have
a look.

1052
01:52:38,220 --> 01:52:39,620
Is it orca? Might be.

1053
01:52:39,620 --> 01:52:41,700
Do you see a fin? Yeah, yeah,
there's something there.

1054
01:52:41,700 --> 01:52:42,780
Let's go.

1055
01:52:48,980 --> 01:52:51,620
Pete locates the pod with the drone.

1056
01:52:51,620 --> 01:52:54,100
100m, did you say?

1057
01:52:54,100 --> 01:52:55,820
He radios their position
to Fergus...

1058
01:52:55,820 --> 01:52:57,020
Yeah, got them.

1059
01:52:57,020 --> 01:52:59,540
..who's set up near a group of seals
gathered on the rocks.

1060
01:53:03,180 --> 01:53:05,860
So the orca are just coming
in behind this island here

1061
01:53:05,860 --> 01:53:07,100
that I'm watching.

1062
01:53:07,100 --> 01:53:09,820
There's about five seals
hauled out on the end.

1063
01:53:09,820 --> 01:53:12,900
Can't see any in the water, but it
is a really good haul-out for them.

1064
01:53:12,900 --> 01:53:15,180
This could be really amazing
if they come right in.

1065
01:53:15,180 --> 01:53:17,420
They'll be so close if they do.

1066
01:53:17,420 --> 01:53:20,060
One of the seals is just looking up.

1067
01:53:20,060 --> 01:53:21,500
He must have spotted something.

1068
01:53:21,500 --> 01:53:23,340
Oh!
They're just off the back of him.

1069
01:53:25,940 --> 01:53:27,820
Oh! Fins passing right behind them.

1070
01:53:31,460 --> 01:53:34,180
It's huge. He's got a big nick
out the top of his dorsal fin.

1071
01:53:38,020 --> 01:53:40,500
They're about to turn in
right in front of me.

1072
01:53:40,500 --> 01:53:42,660
More of them! Mum and two calves,
big pool.

1073
01:53:46,700 --> 01:53:47,860
This is unbelievable.

1074
01:53:50,500 --> 01:53:52,660
There's nothing else in the world
like seeing killer whales

1075
01:53:52,660 --> 01:53:53,780
that close.

1076
01:53:55,060 --> 01:53:56,700
They're just cruising through.

1077
01:53:59,060 --> 01:54:01,100
Oh! No seals so far.

1078
01:54:01,100 --> 01:54:03,140
A very lucky escape for them all
at that.

1079
01:54:09,260 --> 01:54:11,060
They're just going at such a speed.

1080
01:54:12,500 --> 01:54:15,340
Pete and Fergus rush
to keep up with them...

1081
01:54:17,540 --> 01:54:20,460
..following them up the coast
to the next seal haul-out.

1082
01:54:23,140 --> 01:54:25,700
This could be the chance
they've been waiting for.

1083
01:54:32,460 --> 01:54:35,060
Pete, they're like 20 feet
away from me. It's unreal!

1084
01:54:39,100 --> 01:54:40,340
Oh, there's a female.

1085
01:54:40,340 --> 01:54:42,660
She's just gone,
she's just gone right after a seal.

1086
01:54:42,660 --> 01:54:44,380
See her working through.

1087
01:54:46,420 --> 01:54:48,580
That is, that was a close call.

1088
01:54:49,660 --> 01:54:51,260
Whoa! He's jumping.

1089
01:54:51,260 --> 01:54:53,140
Did you see that?
He jumped, he jumped.

1090
01:54:53,140 --> 01:54:55,420
The bull's just going for one,
there's a pup right behind him,

1091
01:54:55,420 --> 01:54:57,060
right behind him, he's going.

1092
01:55:07,940 --> 01:55:09,540
Oh, I think they got it.

1093
01:55:09,540 --> 01:55:12,420
Yeah, I think they've got it.

1094
01:55:12,420 --> 01:55:15,020
Finally, the crew have
the shots they came for.

1095
01:55:16,660 --> 01:55:18,500
This is in Shetland.
This is unreal.

1096
01:55:18,500 --> 01:55:21,380
You just don't think about things
like this happening in the UK.

1097
01:55:21,380 --> 01:55:25,180
Where else could you go and see
killer whales like 20 yards away?

1098
01:55:25,180 --> 01:55:26,580
Amazing.

1099
01:56:00,600 --> 01:56:04,060
In the lands of the north,
territory is everything.

1100
01:56:05,100 --> 01:56:07,540
Your choice of home may
determine your fate.

1101
01:56:10,220 --> 01:56:15,060
After claiming a den on the shore,
this pair of Arctic foxes is now

1102
01:56:15,060 --> 01:56:17,060
struggling to feed their new family.

1103
01:56:21,140 --> 01:56:23,580
Unless their fortunes change soon,

1104
01:56:23,580 --> 01:56:25,820
the six cubs will face starvation.

1105
01:56:27,860 --> 01:56:31,500
Here in the realms of the Stormborn.

1106
01:56:32,740 --> 01:56:35,060
FOX SQUEALS

1107
01:57:48,100 --> 01:57:50,860
Summer is giving way to autumn
in the lands of the north.

1108
01:57:52,940 --> 01:57:54,660
There's a crisp chill in the air.

1109
01:57:55,820 --> 01:57:57,140
The days are shortening.

1110
01:58:00,300 --> 01:58:03,940
Across Scotland, Norway and Iceland,

1111
01:58:03,940 --> 01:58:07,380
nature prepares herself
for the last act of the year.

1112
01:58:08,780 --> 01:58:10,420
The great darkness.

1113
01:58:19,820 --> 01:58:22,860
In Iceland, the sea birds that
thronged the cliffs are leaving.

1114
01:58:30,060 --> 01:58:34,180
For two Arctic fox families,
it's the start of a new chapter.

1115
01:58:37,220 --> 01:58:39,580
Three months have passed
since they each brought a litter

1116
01:58:39,580 --> 01:58:41,100
of six cubs into the world.

1117
01:58:44,700 --> 01:58:49,420
High on the slopes of the mountain,
the cliff family is thriving.

1118
01:58:52,780 --> 01:58:54,380
Five cubs here have made it.

1119
01:58:56,140 --> 01:58:58,060
And armed with their
mother's strength

1120
01:58:58,060 --> 01:59:00,140
and their father's ingenuity,

1121
01:59:00,140 --> 01:59:02,300
they're now equipped
for independent life.

1122
01:59:06,500 --> 01:59:08,940
There's still some
contact with their mother,

1123
01:59:08,940 --> 01:59:12,420
but increasingly, they're making
forays onto the mountain alone.

1124
01:59:16,060 --> 01:59:18,300
On the beach below,
it's a very different story.

1125
01:59:22,380 --> 01:59:24,780
Forced to survive solely
on scavenging,

1126
01:59:24,780 --> 01:59:27,700
the shore foxes have failed
to provide for their family.

1127
01:59:32,660 --> 01:59:35,540
Just one of their six cubs
has survived.

1128
01:59:36,740 --> 01:59:37,980
A female.

1129
01:59:40,460 --> 01:59:42,980
Unlike the cliff cubs,
she's already alone.

1130
01:59:47,140 --> 01:59:51,180
Once her siblings died,
her mother abandoned the den.

1131
01:59:53,020 --> 01:59:54,700
And though her father is still here,

1132
01:59:54,700 --> 01:59:56,660
he might as well be a
stranger to her now.

1133
02:00:00,300 --> 02:00:04,180
Like all foxes on the shore, her way
is now the way of the scavenger.

1134
02:00:11,900 --> 02:00:14,940
With no siblings for companionship

1135
02:00:14,940 --> 02:00:17,700
and a father who is now
her competitor,

1136
02:00:17,700 --> 02:00:19,820
she needs to find her own
way on the beach.

1137
02:00:24,300 --> 02:00:28,340
If she can avoid the other foxes
and find a few choice scraps,

1138
02:00:28,340 --> 02:00:29,980
she might just make it.

1139
02:00:41,780 --> 02:00:45,420
As some face their first
test of independent life,

1140
02:00:45,420 --> 02:00:47,460
others are just arriving
into the world.

1141
02:00:51,700 --> 02:00:55,660
1,000km south of Iceland
lie the Monach Isles.

1142
02:00:58,620 --> 02:01:00,260
Remote and uninhabited,

1143
02:01:00,260 --> 02:01:02,500
every autumn
they become the stage

1144
02:01:02,500 --> 02:01:05,100
for one of Scotland's most
spectacular wild events.

1145
02:01:13,300 --> 02:01:15,700
The grey seal pupping season.

1146
02:01:19,540 --> 02:01:23,420
35,000 animals are spread
over the tiny islands -

1147
02:01:23,420 --> 02:01:25,780
the biggest concentration
in the world.

1148
02:01:31,940 --> 02:01:34,100
SEAL GRUNTS

1149
02:01:37,700 --> 02:01:40,660
Each female produces a
single snowy-white pup.

1150
02:01:50,820 --> 02:01:54,500
These fluffy newborns have just a
few weeks to achieve independence

1151
02:01:54,500 --> 02:01:59,060
before the great darkness closes in
and the door of winter slams shut.

1152
02:02:02,420 --> 02:02:04,460
This little female,
just a few hours old,

1153
02:02:04,460 --> 02:02:06,300
eyes the world for the first time.

1154
02:02:10,540 --> 02:02:13,980
Her mother has spent many months
feeding herself into peak condition

1155
02:02:13,980 --> 02:02:16,820
so she can nurse her pup
throughout life's first chapter.

1156
02:02:18,660 --> 02:02:20,220
Great challenges lie ahead.

1157
02:02:22,780 --> 02:02:25,620
The pupping beach may seem calm,
but it's full of danger.

1158
02:02:29,220 --> 02:02:31,860
The female seals come back
into season just two weeks

1159
02:02:31,860 --> 02:02:33,020
after giving birth.

1160
02:02:36,540 --> 02:02:38,900
Hormones run high here.

1161
02:02:40,180 --> 02:02:43,260
The place is ruled by a
dominant bull, a beachmaster.

1162
02:02:45,260 --> 02:02:47,860
He'll mate any female who's ready,

1163
02:02:47,860 --> 02:02:49,340
but he's not alone.

1164
02:02:50,780 --> 02:02:55,180
An unruly mob of smaller bulls will
attempt to claim mating rights too.

1165
02:03:01,100 --> 02:03:03,980
Any pup caught up in the
crossfire must be very careful.

1166
02:03:12,940 --> 02:03:16,460
For now, the newborn pup has her
mother's undivided attention.

1167
02:03:18,540 --> 02:03:21,420
But any peace here is
likely to be short-lived.

1168
02:03:34,860 --> 02:03:37,500
Autumn is now picking up pace
in the lands of the north.

1169
02:03:43,780 --> 02:03:47,020
Across the sea to the east,
in the mountains of central Norway,

1170
02:03:47,020 --> 02:03:49,260
the grass has turned russet brown.

1171
02:03:52,300 --> 02:03:54,340
The reindeer herds are
back on the move.

1172
02:04:00,820 --> 02:04:02,660
Calves are nearly fully grown.

1173
02:04:05,060 --> 02:04:07,740
The seclusion of their early
months passed,

1174
02:04:07,740 --> 02:04:09,980
they're now running with the herd.

1175
02:04:14,700 --> 02:04:17,380
Soon, they'll return to the
mountains for the winter.

1176
02:04:21,140 --> 02:04:22,980
But one more rite of passage awaits.

1177
02:04:25,620 --> 02:04:27,260
The females will soon be in
season...

1178
02:04:29,020 --> 02:04:30,460
..ready for the annual rut.

1179
02:04:39,460 --> 02:04:42,420
In Shetland, thousands of
gannets still line the cliffs.

1180
02:04:46,460 --> 02:04:49,180
They're among the last
sea birds to raise their chicks.

1181
02:04:55,260 --> 02:04:56,900
It's now a race to the finish.

1182
02:04:57,940 --> 02:05:00,780
Summer fish supplies are dwindling,

1183
02:05:00,780 --> 02:05:04,620
so every last one will be the target
of an underwater free-for-all.

1184
02:05:18,900 --> 02:05:23,620
Soon, these chicks will be forced
to leave the sanctuary of the cliffs

1185
02:05:23,620 --> 02:05:26,220
to spend a lonely winter
in the storm-tossed waves.

1186
02:05:36,740 --> 02:05:39,420
The orca family is also
departing Shetland's waters.

1187
02:05:42,180 --> 02:05:44,860
After a summer of seal hunting,

1188
02:05:44,860 --> 02:05:46,860
they're setting out
across the Atlantic

1189
02:05:46,860 --> 02:05:48,260
to hunt shoals of herring.

1190
02:06:04,900 --> 02:06:08,180
In Iceland, the lone fox
cub has left the den.

1191
02:06:09,220 --> 02:06:11,260
She's exploring.

1192
02:06:11,260 --> 02:06:14,180
Her parents stopped bringing
her food weeks ago

1193
02:06:14,180 --> 02:06:18,380
so she's been scavenging whatever
scraps she can find near her den.

1194
02:06:18,380 --> 02:06:20,900
She needs something more
substantial now.

1195
02:06:42,500 --> 02:06:45,620
These games help her build
agility and sharpen her reactions.

1196
02:06:58,780 --> 02:07:01,420
But there's no
nourishment in a stick.

1197
02:07:01,420 --> 02:07:03,900
She really does need to find
something to eat today.

1198
02:07:08,940 --> 02:07:12,180
Further up the beach is a
scavenger's dream.

1199
02:07:12,180 --> 02:07:14,420
A grey seal carcass
has washed ashore.

1200
02:07:18,100 --> 02:07:20,100
The cub's father has
picked up the scent.

1201
02:07:24,100 --> 02:07:25,980
But there's another adult
male here too.

1202
02:07:34,500 --> 02:07:36,140
He proves the more dominant.

1203
02:07:43,380 --> 02:07:46,660
The carcass is sitting right
on the border of their territories,

1204
02:07:46,660 --> 02:07:49,940
so the rules of hierarchy dictate
the cub's father must wait.

1205
02:07:52,860 --> 02:07:57,260
Arctic foxes are extremely wary
of each other and will avoid a fight

1206
02:07:57,260 --> 02:07:58,300
at all costs.

1207
02:08:02,780 --> 02:08:04,980
The cub's father makes a
tentative approach.

1208
02:08:08,860 --> 02:08:12,740
He's in luck - the dominant
fox has had his fill.

1209
02:08:19,660 --> 02:08:21,220
There's food here for days.

1210
02:08:22,340 --> 02:08:25,860
But he'll only feed himself,
he won't even share a scrap

1211
02:08:25,860 --> 02:08:27,220
with his surviving cub.

1212
02:08:33,620 --> 02:08:35,860
She can smell the carcass too.

1213
02:08:38,420 --> 02:08:41,940
She's achingly close to it,
but far too low in the pecking order

1214
02:08:41,940 --> 02:08:43,380
to get anything yet.

1215
02:08:45,580 --> 02:08:48,500
This is just the sort of windfall
that will see the little scavenger

1216
02:08:48,500 --> 02:08:50,100
through the winter.

1217
02:08:50,100 --> 02:08:52,940
But for now, she must wait her turn.

1218
02:09:05,500 --> 02:09:09,180
On Scotland's cliffs, the puffins
are rushing to feed up

1219
02:09:09,180 --> 02:09:10,780
the last of the summer pufflings.

1220
02:09:14,820 --> 02:09:17,380
PUFFLING CHIRPS

1221
02:09:20,140 --> 02:09:22,380
Hatched underground in a burrow,

1222
02:09:22,380 --> 02:09:25,020
this chick still relies on
its parents to bring him

1223
02:09:25,020 --> 02:09:26,220
a steady supply of sand eels.

1224
02:09:32,140 --> 02:09:34,620
Outside, the world
is full of danger.

1225
02:09:34,620 --> 02:09:37,580
PUFFIN SQUAWKS

1226
02:09:37,580 --> 02:09:40,260
The colony is mercilessly
targeted by gulls.

1227
02:09:50,020 --> 02:09:51,820
They're opportunists.

1228
02:09:54,140 --> 02:09:57,420
Always ready to seize a puffling
venturing out for the first time.

1229
02:10:03,860 --> 02:10:06,260
The mother puffin runs
the gauntlet

1230
02:10:06,260 --> 02:10:08,700
as she returns from the sea
with a bill full of fish.

1231
02:10:20,060 --> 02:10:22,020
She's fast and determined.

1232
02:10:24,900 --> 02:10:28,820
But a gull waits in ambush,
hoping to mug her.

1233
02:10:36,100 --> 02:10:38,540
She's outwitted the gull this time.

1234
02:10:41,340 --> 02:10:43,860
For now, the puffling
can feed safely,

1235
02:10:43,860 --> 02:10:46,460
but soon, he'll have to
take his chances outside.

1236
02:11:00,180 --> 02:11:03,180
On the white sandy shores
of the Monach Isles...

1237
02:11:04,740 --> 02:11:07,140
..the little seal pup stays
close to her mother.

1238
02:11:08,660 --> 02:11:12,060
She's safe from the beachmaster and
the mob of younger males for now.

1239
02:11:18,220 --> 02:11:21,020
For the next few weeks,
she'll feed on the richest milk

1240
02:11:21,020 --> 02:11:22,500
in the animal world.

1241
02:11:26,060 --> 02:11:27,740
It contains 50% fat...

1242
02:11:30,260 --> 02:11:33,420
..helping the pups nearly double
their weight in just one week.

1243
02:11:39,900 --> 02:11:42,940
At this time of year, female
grey seals don't feed at all.

1244
02:11:44,060 --> 02:11:46,380
Before arriving here to give birth,

1245
02:11:46,380 --> 02:11:49,020
they feasted on fish
in the Atlantic,

1246
02:11:49,020 --> 02:11:50,660
building up large stores of fat.

1247
02:11:54,340 --> 02:11:56,980
Carrying all this blubber around
means they easily overheat.

1248
02:11:59,300 --> 02:12:01,820
So the mother seal heads
to the sea to cool off...

1249
02:12:05,020 --> 02:12:06,900
..leaving the little pup alone.

1250
02:12:10,980 --> 02:12:13,820
She's looking for her mother,
but she can't see her.

1251
02:12:38,380 --> 02:12:41,540
A group of females.
Perhaps one of these is her mother.

1252
02:12:42,740 --> 02:12:44,620
SEAL GRUNTS

1253
02:12:44,620 --> 02:12:46,100
She's not welcome here.

1254
02:12:49,140 --> 02:12:51,900
Female seals are very territorial.

1255
02:12:51,900 --> 02:12:54,740
They protect their own offspring
and may attack strays.

1256
02:13:00,740 --> 02:13:02,580
The pup thinks she's
found her mother.

1257
02:13:05,820 --> 02:13:07,660
PUP SQUEALS

1258
02:13:09,500 --> 02:13:11,540
But it's a case of
mistaken identity.

1259
02:13:16,780 --> 02:13:19,660
The older seal tries to shake
off her unwanted admirer.

1260
02:13:22,420 --> 02:13:24,500
But the little pup follows
in hot pursuit...

1261
02:13:26,780 --> 02:13:28,380
..determined to try to feed.

1262
02:13:34,460 --> 02:13:38,140
She's heading in the wrong
direction, away from her mother,

1263
02:13:38,140 --> 02:13:41,380
who's now back from the ocean
and looking for her offspring.

1264
02:13:45,260 --> 02:13:48,700
The pup has crossed to
the far side of the beach.

1265
02:13:56,260 --> 02:13:58,780
She's struggling on the rocks,

1266
02:13:58,780 --> 02:14:01,700
out of both the sight
and smell of her mother.

1267
02:14:05,300 --> 02:14:07,980
Females rely on scent
to find their offspring.

1268
02:14:11,020 --> 02:14:13,060
But it's haphazard and
time-consuming.

1269
02:14:24,820 --> 02:14:27,380
The pup may starve
if she isn't found soon.

1270
02:14:38,060 --> 02:14:40,260
The sun is sinking
over the puffin colony.

1271
02:14:44,660 --> 02:14:46,980
This is to be no ordinary night.

1272
02:14:53,820 --> 02:14:56,340
The very last of the
pufflings are ready to go.

1273
02:14:58,580 --> 02:15:01,380
Their parents have stopped
feeding them and flown off.

1274
02:15:04,980 --> 02:15:06,340
And it's time to leave.

1275
02:15:13,500 --> 02:15:15,820
It's a strange, new world outside.

1276
02:15:24,220 --> 02:15:27,740
They must find their way to the sea,
using the sound of the waves

1277
02:15:27,740 --> 02:15:29,220
and the light of the moon.

1278
02:15:36,140 --> 02:15:39,900
Darkness gives them protection
from the ferocious gulls.

1279
02:16:01,340 --> 02:16:03,340
Most of the pufflings
make it to the sea.

1280
02:16:11,980 --> 02:16:13,420
But one is confused.

1281
02:16:16,420 --> 02:16:18,380
He's followed the light
of the lighthouse

1282
02:16:18,380 --> 02:16:19,620
instead of the moon.

1283
02:16:32,620 --> 02:16:36,900
But as the sun starts to rise,
he catches the sound of the sea.

1284
02:16:52,940 --> 02:16:54,980
He finally reaches the shoreline...

1285
02:16:56,580 --> 02:16:57,900
..and takes the plunge.

1286
02:17:04,900 --> 02:17:06,060
And he's off.

1287
02:17:09,780 --> 02:17:11,900
He won't return here for five years,

1288
02:17:11,900 --> 02:17:14,180
when he'll be mature
enough to breed.

1289
02:17:15,500 --> 02:17:19,140
And until then, the wild
sea will be his home.

1290
02:17:33,540 --> 02:17:36,620
So many stormborn lives
are defined by the sea.

1291
02:17:41,700 --> 02:17:45,740
In Shetland, the male otter
cub is now fully grown.

1292
02:17:45,740 --> 02:17:48,700
He's at ease in the bay and
confidently fishes for himself.

1293
02:17:52,660 --> 02:17:54,860
His mother,
having mated in the summer,

1294
02:17:54,860 --> 02:17:56,500
is now expecting a new litter.

1295
02:18:01,260 --> 02:18:04,980
Other nearby families are already
on this journey of life,

1296
02:18:04,980 --> 02:18:07,860
mothers teaching their cubs
the life skills they need.

1297
02:18:12,220 --> 02:18:15,500
The blood bond between mother
and offspring underpins the fate

1298
02:18:15,500 --> 02:18:17,140
of all the stormborn.

1299
02:18:25,980 --> 02:18:29,300
On the Monach Isles,
the lost seal pup has made her way

1300
02:18:29,300 --> 02:18:30,540
back onto the beach.

1301
02:18:34,900 --> 02:18:38,580
Her mother has tracked her down,
and it's just as well.

1302
02:18:40,620 --> 02:18:43,380
Like many of the other females here,
she's now in season...

1303
02:18:45,860 --> 02:18:47,900
..and the bulls know it.

1304
02:18:47,900 --> 02:18:50,140
BULL HISSES
They're getting testy.

1305
02:18:55,140 --> 02:18:58,340
The beachmaster and his rivals
are fired up with testosterone.

1306
02:19:03,140 --> 02:19:06,180
Adult bulls,
weighing a third of a tonne each,

1307
02:19:06,180 --> 02:19:08,860
are equipped with powerful
jaws and razor-sharp teeth.

1308
02:19:15,100 --> 02:19:17,340
A young male pup is
caught in the melee.

1309
02:19:19,100 --> 02:19:21,380
It's a very dangerous situation.

1310
02:19:22,420 --> 02:19:23,860
Fights can be savage.

1311
02:19:29,340 --> 02:19:30,980
The pup makes it to the shore.

1312
02:19:33,500 --> 02:19:35,820
But the beachmaster
himself is right behind him.

1313
02:19:39,900 --> 02:19:42,460
His mother bravely sees the
dominant bull off,

1314
02:19:42,460 --> 02:19:44,220
but the danger is far from over.

1315
02:19:45,660 --> 02:19:47,300
She's left her pup unprotected.

1316
02:19:50,380 --> 02:19:52,420
The beachmaster is out of control.

1317
02:19:52,420 --> 02:19:54,180
He's got the pup in his sights.

1318
02:20:05,340 --> 02:20:07,940
There's nothing the mother can do.

1319
02:20:07,940 --> 02:20:09,340
The pup's out on his own.

1320
02:20:41,860 --> 02:20:44,180
Other females vent their fury
at the bull,

1321
02:20:44,180 --> 02:20:46,180
pushing him back down to the shore.

1322
02:20:49,980 --> 02:20:52,620
The little female pup is
safe with her mother.

1323
02:20:55,220 --> 02:20:58,900
But for the stranded pup,
it's too late.

1324
02:21:14,140 --> 02:21:16,420
It is said that in the lands
of the north,

1325
02:21:16,420 --> 02:21:19,220
autumn sheds her tears
for the passing of summer.

1326
02:21:22,260 --> 02:21:24,540
This is truly a season of water.

1327
02:21:30,780 --> 02:21:33,180
Still warm from summer heat,

1328
02:21:33,180 --> 02:21:36,300
liquid from loch, river
and sea evaporates...

1329
02:21:39,740 --> 02:21:41,660
..forming huge banks of cloud...

1330
02:21:43,980 --> 02:21:46,460
..which burst into intense
rainstorms.

1331
02:21:51,620 --> 02:21:53,940
Gentle rivers become
raging torrents.

1332
02:22:03,660 --> 02:22:08,260
The surge of fresh water draws
migrating salmon upwards and onwards

1333
02:22:08,260 --> 02:22:09,660
to their spawning grounds.

1334
02:22:21,580 --> 02:22:23,700
High up in the mountains of Norway,

1335
02:22:23,700 --> 02:22:25,900
the reindeer rut
is now in full swing.

1336
02:22:30,180 --> 02:22:32,260
After a summer of rich grazing,

1337
02:22:32,260 --> 02:22:34,780
the mature bulls are now
in peak condition.

1338
02:22:40,500 --> 02:22:42,940
They attempt to corral as many
females as they can

1339
02:22:42,940 --> 02:22:45,500
into a tight group
and claim mating rights.

1340
02:22:49,660 --> 02:22:53,260
It's a chaotic and
exhausting time.

1341
02:23:04,860 --> 02:23:06,980
Bulls eat nothing during the rut.

1342
02:23:06,980 --> 02:23:08,780
They seem to run
on adrenaline alone.

1343
02:23:14,420 --> 02:23:18,060
But the desire to secure
their bloodline empowers them.

1344
02:23:18,060 --> 02:23:21,900
And so, for more than two weeks,
the tempo will rarely slacken.

1345
02:23:28,340 --> 02:23:31,940
On Scotland's Monach Isles,
the mood is just as tense.

1346
02:23:36,340 --> 02:23:38,980
A young bull has slipped
past the dominant male

1347
02:23:38,980 --> 02:23:40,620
and is looking for a chance to mate.

1348
02:23:42,020 --> 02:23:43,220
He'd better take care.

1349
02:23:44,260 --> 02:23:46,500
Here comes the beachmaster.

1350
02:23:56,860 --> 02:23:58,820
The young bull makes
the first strike.

1351
02:24:12,060 --> 02:24:14,140
SNARLING

1352
02:24:14,140 --> 02:24:16,820
But the boss isn't going
to be pushed around.

1353
02:24:24,620 --> 02:24:27,100
The beachmaster has size and power.

1354
02:24:29,340 --> 02:24:32,180
But the younger bull is fast
and agile.

1355
02:24:40,340 --> 02:24:42,100
SNARLING

1356
02:24:42,100 --> 02:24:44,260
He's gaining the upper hand.

1357
02:24:50,060 --> 02:24:53,300
But the beachmaster is an
experienced heavyweight.

1358
02:24:55,460 --> 02:24:57,180
THUMPING

1359
02:25:02,620 --> 02:25:05,140
They're both bloodied and exhausted.

1360
02:25:13,060 --> 02:25:16,260
But it's the younger bull that
turns tail and flees...

1361
02:25:17,500 --> 02:25:19,300
SCREECHING

1362
02:25:19,300 --> 02:25:22,780
..the females snapping at him
as he passes.

1363
02:25:35,140 --> 02:25:38,820
Victorious, the beachmaster
still holds his ground.

1364
02:25:40,460 --> 02:25:42,140
And his harem.

1365
02:25:54,500 --> 02:25:58,380
In Norway, the mists hang heavy
over the reindeer herd.

1366
02:25:58,380 --> 02:26:01,180
GRUNTING

1367
02:26:01,180 --> 02:26:03,660
The rut is in its final throes.

1368
02:26:08,100 --> 02:26:10,500
The younger males use the cover
of the mist to slip

1369
02:26:10,500 --> 02:26:12,940
past the dominant bulls...

1370
02:26:16,420 --> 02:26:18,740
..and secure their bloodlines.

1371
02:26:20,780 --> 02:26:22,340
GRUNTING

1372
02:26:28,180 --> 02:26:31,140
But the cows are almost
all out of season now.

1373
02:26:32,860 --> 02:26:34,500
It's time for change.

1374
02:26:36,900 --> 02:26:38,740
Time to move.

1375
02:26:45,180 --> 02:26:47,900
Snow comes early this far north.

1376
02:26:54,780 --> 02:26:58,580
The herd will now renew
its special bond with humans.

1377
02:27:04,060 --> 02:27:08,380
For centuries, the Sami
have relied on reindeer...

1378
02:27:08,380 --> 02:27:11,140
..each person owning a share
of the herd.

1379
02:27:12,540 --> 02:27:16,780
With calving and rutting now over,
it's time to corral them, take stock

1380
02:27:16,780 --> 02:27:21,420
of the numbers of healthy calves
and prepare for a great journey.

1381
02:27:32,580 --> 02:27:35,060
Heavy drifts will soon bury
the summer pasture,

1382
02:27:35,060 --> 02:27:37,860
so the herd needs to migrate back to
the mountains

1383
02:27:37,860 --> 02:27:41,500
where they can dig
lichen from beneath the thin snow.

1384
02:27:41,500 --> 02:27:43,540
BLEATING

1385
02:27:45,780 --> 02:27:49,300
It's a journey that takes nearly
a month and the biggest test comes

1386
02:27:49,300 --> 02:27:50,740
right at the start.

1387
02:27:50,740 --> 02:27:52,700
THRASHING OF WAVES

1388
02:27:55,900 --> 02:28:00,620
A two-and-a-half-kilometre swim
across a choppy and freezing fjord.

1389
02:28:04,540 --> 02:28:07,500
They'll halt here for now
until the conditions are calm enough

1390
02:28:07,500 --> 02:28:08,940
for the crossing.

1391
02:28:22,100 --> 02:28:25,140
On the Monach Isles, the beachmaster
wallows in the ocean...

1392
02:28:25,140 --> 02:28:27,020
HE BELLOWS

1393
02:28:27,020 --> 02:28:29,700
..allowing the salt water to ease
his wounds.

1394
02:28:30,860 --> 02:28:34,740
The mothers and pups can finally
relax in the shallows.

1395
02:28:38,420 --> 02:28:40,820
To prepare for independence,
the female pup

1396
02:28:40,820 --> 02:28:42,860
is having a swimming lesson.

1397
02:28:46,500 --> 02:28:48,820
Although they're cumbersome on land,

1398
02:28:48,820 --> 02:28:52,220
adult grey seals are surprisingly
graceful in the water...

1399
02:28:54,940 --> 02:28:58,500
..enabling them to chase and catch
fish with ease.

1400
02:29:01,940 --> 02:29:05,140
But the pups still have a long
way to go.

1401
02:29:07,420 --> 02:29:11,700
Their fur isn't waterproof
and it can easily drag them down.

1402
02:29:13,980 --> 02:29:17,700
If the pup spends too long in
the water, she risks drowning.

1403
02:29:27,700 --> 02:29:32,660
These calm conditions offer a gentle
introduction to a life in the sea.

1404
02:29:39,580 --> 02:29:41,980
But in the wild lands of the north,

1405
02:29:41,980 --> 02:29:45,180
fine weather rarely lasts long.

1406
02:30:02,500 --> 02:30:06,900
The Monach Isles are exposed
to the full force of the Atlantic.

1407
02:30:06,900 --> 02:30:10,220
And a gale is bearing down
on the pupping beach.

1408
02:30:17,860 --> 02:30:22,020
The pups closest to the surf
are immediately in trouble.

1409
02:30:22,020 --> 02:30:26,060
They're not ready to cope
with waves of this size.

1410
02:30:43,020 --> 02:30:46,580
They need to get onto the beach
for safety.

1411
02:30:46,580 --> 02:30:50,620
But the surge of the waves has
carved out a sandy shelf...

1412
02:30:54,220 --> 02:30:57,020
..making it difficult for them
to return.

1413
02:31:10,580 --> 02:31:14,980
The step may look small, but even
the adults struggle to climb up.

1414
02:31:19,060 --> 02:31:22,940
For the youngest pups, it
might as well be a mountain.

1415
02:31:31,260 --> 02:31:33,860
There's a real risk
they could drown.

1416
02:31:38,940 --> 02:31:42,060
Mothers try to shield their pups
from the onslaught...

1417
02:31:43,620 --> 02:31:46,700
..whilst others are forced
to struggle alone.

1418
02:32:02,580 --> 02:32:06,020
The female pup tries desperately
to reach safety.

1419
02:32:24,660 --> 02:32:28,820
She must make it onto the beach or
she'll be swept back out to sea.

1420
02:32:40,500 --> 02:32:42,340
Just one more push...

1421
02:32:44,740 --> 02:32:46,540
..and she's up.

1422
02:32:49,660 --> 02:32:51,460
SHE YELPS

1423
02:32:59,620 --> 02:33:02,860
In Iceland, too, the weather
is deteriorating.

1424
02:33:09,220 --> 02:33:12,420
Rain doesn't trouble the Arctic
foxes.

1425
02:33:12,420 --> 02:33:15,460
But this is a mere shadow
of what's to come.

1426
02:33:16,900 --> 02:33:19,220
Once the sun dips below the horizon,

1427
02:33:19,220 --> 02:33:22,540
only scent will guide the lone fox
cub's search for food.

1428
02:33:25,620 --> 02:33:29,460
But these storms can be the bringers
of good fortune.

1429
02:33:35,180 --> 02:33:38,700
The fiercer the storm,
the more food will wash ashore.

1430
02:33:42,060 --> 02:33:44,820
This little survivor's diet
of insects and shellfish

1431
02:33:44,820 --> 02:33:47,580
has kept her going, but it's not
enough to sustain her

1432
02:33:47,580 --> 02:33:49,340
through the winter.

1433
02:33:58,940 --> 02:34:01,700
She's spotted something
on the shoreline.

1434
02:34:10,540 --> 02:34:12,540
It's a dead gull.

1435
02:34:16,780 --> 02:34:19,020
Something to be devoured fast.

1436
02:34:22,500 --> 02:34:24,940
Feathers, bill and all.

1437
02:34:32,460 --> 02:34:34,500
And there's more too.

1438
02:34:34,500 --> 02:34:36,540
This can be cached for later,

1439
02:34:36,540 --> 02:34:40,980
in the den that's always been such
an important part of her world.

1440
02:34:46,700 --> 02:34:48,780
The lone survivor of her litter,

1441
02:34:48,780 --> 02:34:51,740
she's proving
a tenacious little character.

1442
02:34:58,340 --> 02:35:01,380
Clever, adaptable and resilient.

1443
02:35:03,700 --> 02:35:07,980
She's got all the best qualities
of a stormborn Arctic fox.

1444
02:35:20,780 --> 02:35:22,580
On the Monach Isles,

1445
02:35:22,580 --> 02:35:25,260
the grey seal pup has nearly
tripled her birth weight.

1446
02:35:31,300 --> 02:35:33,820
She's on the verge of independence.

1447
02:35:35,820 --> 02:35:39,580
Her mother is still in heat
to conceive next year's pup.

1448
02:35:42,420 --> 02:35:44,860
And the beachmaster is ready.

1449
02:35:44,860 --> 02:35:47,060
HE SNORTS AND SNIFFS

1450
02:35:49,380 --> 02:35:51,660
HE BELLOWS GENTLY

1451
02:35:54,900 --> 02:35:57,780
BARKING

1452
02:35:57,780 --> 02:36:00,420
Females lead when it comes
to mating.

1453
02:36:03,860 --> 02:36:07,180
They let the males know
when the time is right.

1454
02:36:11,380 --> 02:36:14,820
Coupling is always
preceded by a violent tussle.

1455
02:36:14,820 --> 02:36:16,860
SNARLING

1456
02:36:47,740 --> 02:36:49,780
But eventually, the female relaxes,

1457
02:36:49,780 --> 02:36:52,580
signalling the beachmaster
can get closer.

1458
02:36:54,620 --> 02:36:56,060
SNORTING

1459
02:36:57,060 --> 02:36:59,700
The struggle ends with a long
embrace.

1460
02:37:01,540 --> 02:37:04,180
Sometimes lasting up to half
an hour.

1461
02:37:09,980 --> 02:37:12,300
It's surprisingly tender
after all the tetchiness

1462
02:37:12,300 --> 02:37:13,940
of the last few weeks.

1463
02:37:20,060 --> 02:37:23,260
In the lands of the north, finding
the right mate soothes even

1464
02:37:23,260 --> 02:37:25,100
the most ferocious beast.

1465
02:37:41,820 --> 02:37:46,540
At just three weeks old, the female
pup's time with her mother is over.

1466
02:37:48,460 --> 02:37:52,740
Soon she'll leave this beach
and start a life in the ocean.

1467
02:37:54,780 --> 02:37:57,900
It will be tough for this child
of the storm.

1468
02:37:57,900 --> 02:37:59,860
The majority of grey seal pups

1469
02:37:59,860 --> 02:38:02,700
don't make it through
their first year of life.

1470
02:38:04,740 --> 02:38:08,980
But if luck is on her side, she'll
return to this very same beach

1471
02:38:08,980 --> 02:38:11,060
to have her own pups.

1472
02:38:20,700 --> 02:38:22,580
GULLS SCREECH

1473
02:38:24,380 --> 02:38:27,060
In Norway, there's a break
in the weather.

1474
02:38:31,340 --> 02:38:35,140
The fjord is calm and the reindeer
are ready for the crossing.

1475
02:38:40,220 --> 02:38:42,700
The herd is edgy,

1476
02:38:42,700 --> 02:38:46,460
especially the calves
who've never done this before.

1477
02:38:48,220 --> 02:38:51,420
All wait for one bold animal
to lead the way.

1478
02:38:57,900 --> 02:38:59,820
A female steps forward.

1479
02:38:59,820 --> 02:39:03,580
ETHEREAL VOCALISING

1480
02:39:08,500 --> 02:39:11,940
She's done this journey many times
and knows what to do.

1481
02:39:18,860 --> 02:39:21,300
SINGING CONTINUES

1482
02:39:32,620 --> 02:39:35,300
As long as she just keeps swimming
for the opposite shore,

1483
02:39:35,300 --> 02:39:37,540
the rest should follow.

1484
02:39:41,140 --> 02:39:44,660
But the current is fierce
and the water freezing cold.

1485
02:39:48,660 --> 02:39:53,180
For the calves, it's a real test,
but they have to keep paddling.

1486
02:39:57,060 --> 02:40:01,100
In most years, several succumb to
exhaustion or are swept away.

1487
02:40:03,020 --> 02:40:05,340
But this is an ancient migration.

1488
02:40:05,340 --> 02:40:08,420
There's no other way to the high
tops than this perilous swim.

1489
02:40:14,740 --> 02:40:17,540
White-tailed eagles patrol
the skies.

1490
02:40:19,020 --> 02:40:22,220
They know the crossing could provide
an easy meal.

1491
02:40:32,100 --> 02:40:34,900
The current pulls the herd
off course.

1492
02:40:36,260 --> 02:40:38,380
But they must keep going.

1493
02:41:08,420 --> 02:41:11,340
At last, the first few stumble
ashore.

1494
02:41:22,460 --> 02:41:26,060
This year, the crossing has
been made without loss.

1495
02:41:28,700 --> 02:41:31,700
Only another 400 kilometres to go.

1496
02:41:31,700 --> 02:41:35,140
The life of the stormborn
is never easy.

1497
02:41:41,860 --> 02:41:44,900
The countdown into the great
darkness has begun.

1498
02:41:46,380 --> 02:41:49,460
A darkness that will last
for nearly three months...

1499
02:41:52,460 --> 02:41:56,260
..lifted only by the ethereal
dancing of the Northern Lights.

1500
02:42:10,700 --> 02:42:13,060
POUNDING OF WAVES

1501
02:42:13,060 --> 02:42:16,420
The children of the north now
face their toughest season.

1502
02:42:16,420 --> 02:42:20,060
The great darkness will test
them to the limit.

1503
02:42:25,340 --> 02:42:28,060
The seal pups must learn
to master the ocean,

1504
02:42:28,060 --> 02:42:30,460
hunting down and catching fish.

1505
02:42:33,700 --> 02:42:37,620
The young Arctic fox will need
courage and resilience to survive

1506
02:42:37,620 --> 02:42:39,740
the freezing Icelandic winter.

1507
02:42:41,980 --> 02:42:45,180
And the mother otters
will keep their cubs close

1508
02:42:45,180 --> 02:42:48,620
as they pass their skills
to the next generation.

1509
02:42:52,580 --> 02:42:54,980
All these animals face vast
challenges

1510
02:42:54,980 --> 02:42:57,620
in a rapidly changing world.

1511
02:43:01,340 --> 02:43:05,820
Wilder weather and diminishing food
supplies make the journey harder,

1512
02:43:05,820 --> 02:43:07,900
the outcome less sure.

1513
02:43:11,740 --> 02:43:16,100
But these are the stormborn,
brave and tenacious.

1514
02:43:17,660 --> 02:43:21,540
Whatever it takes, they'll fight
through to next year

1515
02:43:21,540 --> 02:43:24,420
when the great darkness retreats,

1516
02:43:24,420 --> 02:43:29,820
and light finally returns
to the lands of the north.

1517
02:43:57,740 --> 02:44:00,820
In order to film the grey seals,
the crew needs to travel

1518
02:44:00,820 --> 02:44:03,860
to the remote Monach Isles
in the Outer Hebrides.

1519
02:44:03,860 --> 02:44:06,380
We're just loading up the boat,
getting ready to go across.

1520
02:44:06,380 --> 02:44:10,500
Just putting some fruit pastilles in
my pocket, the essentials
for a journey to the islands.

1521
02:44:10,500 --> 02:44:12,820
It's going to be a lot of lugging
kit.

1522
02:44:12,820 --> 02:44:16,460
Everything needed for two weeks'
filming must be brought by boat.

1523
02:44:16,460 --> 02:44:19,100
But excitement is riding high.

1524
02:44:19,100 --> 02:44:21,500
Can see where we're going,
which is nice as well. Yeah.

1525
02:44:23,060 --> 02:44:25,380
And it's not too choppy,
which is good.

1526
02:44:26,500 --> 02:44:28,620
Certainly travelling in style.

1527
02:44:33,420 --> 02:44:35,780
Six miles west of the Uists,

1528
02:44:35,780 --> 02:44:38,620
the Monach Isles are a national
nature reserve,

1529
02:44:38,620 --> 02:44:41,660
every year
providing a refuge for the largest

1530
02:44:41,660 --> 02:44:45,060
concentration of grey seals
in the world.

1531
02:44:45,060 --> 02:44:46,700
This is absolutely amazing.

1532
02:44:46,700 --> 02:44:49,980
There are seals everywhere
around us.

1533
02:44:49,980 --> 02:44:54,020
We've got seal pups all
along the beach here.

1534
02:44:54,020 --> 02:44:55,620
Wow.

1535
02:44:57,100 --> 02:44:59,700
Landing on the island with all
the equipment, food and fuel

1536
02:44:59,700 --> 02:45:01,500
is no small feat.

1537
02:45:05,660 --> 02:45:08,020
But at last the crew of three
make it.

1538
02:45:08,020 --> 02:45:11,260
They'll be left alone here
for the next two weeks.

1539
02:45:11,260 --> 02:45:15,060
It's the end of civilisation.
Wave goodbye to it.

1540
02:45:15,060 --> 02:45:17,780
So it's just us three, and seals.

1541
02:45:17,780 --> 02:45:20,420
And there are plenty of them.

1542
02:45:22,660 --> 02:45:24,780
35,000 grey seals congregate

1543
02:45:24,780 --> 02:45:27,020
here every autumn to give birth

1544
02:45:27,020 --> 02:45:29,580
and to mate for the following year.

1545
02:45:31,900 --> 02:45:33,580
HE GROANS

1546
02:45:35,140 --> 02:45:37,500
For centuries, a small population
of people lived here

1547
02:45:37,500 --> 02:45:40,500
until the last left in 1942.

1548
02:45:46,420 --> 02:45:48,460
Most of their homes are now ruins.

1549
02:45:48,460 --> 02:45:52,300
But in 2007, the old schoolhouse
was restored.

1550
02:45:52,300 --> 02:45:55,540
And this is to be home
for the next two weeks.

1551
02:45:58,100 --> 02:46:02,060
This is our living quarters,
which is a pretty nice set-up.

1552
02:46:02,060 --> 02:46:06,300
We've got our three beds in here,
state-of-the-art bunk beds.

1553
02:46:06,300 --> 02:46:08,180
Pete's on the top bunk -

1554
02:46:08,180 --> 02:46:10,980
definitely drew the short straw.

1555
02:46:10,980 --> 02:46:12,860
I'm beside the window.

1556
02:46:12,860 --> 02:46:15,060
And the best part, we have a fire.

1557
02:46:15,060 --> 02:46:16,580
So we're settled in.

1558
02:46:16,580 --> 02:46:18,260
Looking forward to dinner.

1559
02:46:18,260 --> 02:46:20,940
Yeah. We've got a fire and dinner,
perfect.

1560
02:46:27,260 --> 02:46:31,620
The crew is keen to film the
incredible behaviour of the seals -

1561
02:46:31,620 --> 02:46:35,180
the young pups, as they grow and
become more independent...

1562
02:46:37,620 --> 02:46:40,820
..and the extraordinary mating
behaviour,

1563
02:46:40,820 --> 02:46:44,900
but the real challenge is to capture
an aggressive bullfight.

1564
02:46:46,540 --> 02:46:48,260
During the breeding season,

1565
02:46:48,260 --> 02:46:50,180
hormones rage and bull seals

1566
02:46:50,180 --> 02:46:51,860
have been known to battle each other

1567
02:46:51,860 --> 02:46:54,340
nearly to death for the
rights to the females.

1568
02:46:57,940 --> 02:47:00,420
But it's the inquisitive pups
that start giving them

1569
02:47:00,420 --> 02:47:02,580
more than they bargained for.

1570
02:47:04,300 --> 02:47:07,340
He was quite intrigued by us,
quite curious.

1571
02:47:07,340 --> 02:47:10,740
And now we can't get him to leave us
alone, so we're just trying

1572
02:47:10,740 --> 02:47:12,660
to tempt him away like a dog.

1573
02:47:12,660 --> 02:47:13,980
Come on.

1574
02:47:13,980 --> 02:47:15,820
Come on, boy.

1575
02:47:15,820 --> 02:47:18,860
With no natural predators
on the island,

1576
02:47:18,860 --> 02:47:21,460
the pups are fearless and curious.

1577
02:47:22,660 --> 02:47:24,340
That's pretty cute.

1578
02:47:25,820 --> 02:47:27,980
Sometimes the seals come to you.

1579
02:47:29,420 --> 02:47:31,060
Isn't that right, wee one?

1580
02:47:31,060 --> 02:47:33,300
A bit too close.
Can't film you there.

1581
02:47:33,300 --> 02:47:36,700
SEAL MEWS
Maybe next time.

1582
02:47:36,700 --> 02:47:39,540
There are up to 10,000 pups
born on these beaches.

1583
02:47:39,540 --> 02:47:41,820
So the crew has plenty of
opportunity to capture them

1584
02:47:41,820 --> 02:47:44,060
feeding, sleeping and exploring.

1585
02:47:47,740 --> 02:47:51,260
For the most part, the beach is calm
and the pups are content.

1586
02:47:51,260 --> 02:47:52,780
PUP MEWS

1587
02:47:52,780 --> 02:47:54,620
But then something happens

1588
02:47:54,620 --> 02:47:56,820
that sends shock waves
through the team.

1589
02:47:56,820 --> 02:47:58,900
SNARLING

1590
02:48:04,140 --> 02:48:06,380
I was just watching it and noticed

1591
02:48:06,380 --> 02:48:08,620
the bull on the left suddenly
grabbed a pup,

1592
02:48:08,620 --> 02:48:10,820
started launching it about.

1593
02:48:10,820 --> 02:48:13,100
HISSING

1594
02:48:13,100 --> 02:48:16,540
It's rare and shocking behaviour
that no-one expected to see.

1595
02:48:18,980 --> 02:48:21,220
It just happened to be there.

1596
02:48:23,260 --> 02:48:25,220
Definitely just in the wrong place.

1597
02:48:25,220 --> 02:48:26,900
The bull just grabbed it.

1598
02:48:26,900 --> 02:48:29,460
Yeah, well, the pup, the pup's not
in a very good way.

1599
02:48:30,740 --> 02:48:32,300
Don't think it's going to make it.

1600
02:48:33,820 --> 02:48:36,220
It's pretty hard to watch,
to be honest.

1601
02:48:41,500 --> 02:48:45,420
The crew was expecting aggression,
but between two males,

1602
02:48:45,420 --> 02:48:49,060
not the brutal killing of an
innocent pup by a raging bull.

1603
02:48:54,140 --> 02:48:57,060
Over the next few days, the team
splits up to continue filming

1604
02:48:57,060 --> 02:48:58,580
over several beaches.

1605
02:49:02,540 --> 02:49:06,140
There are plenty of aggressive males
around, but still no sign of the big

1606
02:49:06,140 --> 02:49:08,580
battle the crew's hoping to capture.

1607
02:49:08,580 --> 02:49:10,660
We've been out here for quite a
while now

1608
02:49:10,660 --> 02:49:14,020
watching the seals, waiting
for something to happen.

1609
02:49:14,020 --> 02:49:16,300
They've been pretty quiet today.

1610
02:49:16,300 --> 02:49:20,060
We're really crossing our fingers
for, you know, a big bullfight.

1611
02:49:20,060 --> 02:49:23,180
They're supposed to be full
of testosterone at this point.

1612
02:49:23,180 --> 02:49:25,980
So just keep watching and waiting.

1613
02:49:39,900 --> 02:49:46,220
It's day five and I'm sitting in
my hole in the beach that I've dug.

1614
02:49:47,660 --> 02:49:53,420
Eating a mandarin, drinking me
coffee, chilling out with...

1615
02:49:53,420 --> 02:49:55,660
..my mates.

1616
02:49:55,660 --> 02:49:58,060
My little seal mates.

1617
02:49:58,060 --> 02:50:01,020
I think these guys could sleep
for days and...

1618
02:50:01,020 --> 02:50:03,300
..be pretty content.

1619
02:50:03,300 --> 02:50:06,220
We all know someone like that.

1620
02:50:06,220 --> 02:50:08,860
I wouldn't mind coming back as a
seal, in that case.

1621
02:50:11,140 --> 02:50:14,940
With little happening on the beach,
sights turn to the weather.

1622
02:50:14,940 --> 02:50:18,700
So the weather today
has been absolutely beautiful

1623
02:50:18,700 --> 02:50:21,260
and we've been really lucky so far,
frankly.

1624
02:50:21,260 --> 02:50:24,300
But I think it's going to change
soon.

1625
02:50:24,300 --> 02:50:26,740
I think we're going to get
some rain coming.

1626
02:50:26,740 --> 02:50:29,620
Big weather, maybe.

1627
02:50:29,620 --> 02:50:34,460
I think it'd be good for filming in,
not necessarily so good for us.

1628
02:50:38,620 --> 02:50:42,100
But the weather turns out to be far
more severe than anticipated.

1629
02:50:48,420 --> 02:50:51,620
The crew receives a call
from the Glasgow office.

1630
02:50:52,740 --> 02:50:55,980
I think, because I've been just
chatting to Murray the whole day,

1631
02:50:55,980 --> 02:50:59,580
and he said, because it's so
changeable and it's now moving round

1632
02:50:59,580 --> 02:51:01,380
to a northerly later in the week,

1633
02:51:01,380 --> 02:51:03,500
he's very keen to get you off
on Monday.

1634
02:51:03,500 --> 02:51:05,940
Yeah, OK, that's fair.

1635
02:51:12,020 --> 02:51:14,980
With stormy weather blowing in
straight off the Atlantic,

1636
02:51:14,980 --> 02:51:18,980
they're at risk of being stranded
on the island for several weeks.

1637
02:51:22,940 --> 02:51:25,180
But they only have limited supplies.

1638
02:51:25,180 --> 02:51:28,460
So the painful decision is taken
to cut the shoot short.

1639
02:51:31,580 --> 02:51:34,020
This might actually end up
being our last full day

1640
02:51:34,020 --> 02:51:37,540
of filming. They're worried
that if we stay any longer,

1641
02:51:37,540 --> 02:51:40,100
we might not get off the island
for a couple of weeks,

1642
02:51:40,100 --> 02:51:43,900
which is, erm, a bit frustrating.

1643
02:51:43,900 --> 02:51:46,500
But still got all the day ahead of
us, so wait and see.

1644
02:51:50,580 --> 02:51:53,460
While they wait for the boat to
arrive to lift them, the crew

1645
02:51:53,460 --> 02:51:55,820
has one last chance to try
and capture the vital scene

1646
02:51:55,820 --> 02:51:57,660
they've been waiting for.

1647
02:52:00,180 --> 02:52:02,940
Then, finally...

1648
02:52:02,940 --> 02:52:05,020
DRAMATIC MUSIC

1649
02:52:06,340 --> 02:52:10,780
A younger bull decides to challenge
a much larger, older bull.

1650
02:52:10,780 --> 02:52:13,380
ROARING

1651
02:52:15,260 --> 02:52:18,100
Kind of caught a bit by surprise
with it, in the end.

1652
02:52:18,100 --> 02:52:21,540
There was a big bull came from much
further along the beach.

1653
02:52:21,540 --> 02:52:23,780
The other one was much,
much smaller.

1654
02:52:23,780 --> 02:52:26,180
It's kind of what was surprising
about it,

1655
02:52:26,180 --> 02:52:28,020
but actually pretty feisty.

1656
02:52:28,020 --> 02:52:30,460
But, come the end of it,
he absolutely bolted off,

1657
02:52:30,460 --> 02:52:32,060
and the other big bull chased him.

1658
02:52:32,060 --> 02:52:35,100
So even though he looked
like he was a bit more agile,

1659
02:52:35,100 --> 02:52:37,860
I guess his punch didn't
have quite the same power

1660
02:52:37,860 --> 02:52:39,100
as the big lad.

1661
02:52:44,420 --> 02:52:46,300
With the storm blowing in,

1662
02:52:46,300 --> 02:52:48,540
it's time to leave the islands.

1663
02:52:50,140 --> 02:52:52,380
We've had to come off the islands
a bit early,

1664
02:52:52,380 --> 02:52:53,780
due to incoming weather,

1665
02:52:53,780 --> 02:52:56,100
which is a bit sad, but fortunately,

1666
02:52:56,100 --> 02:52:58,500
we managed to get everything
we came for.

1667
02:53:01,220 --> 02:53:04,740
Yeah, it's been an amazing
experience, really, I have to say.

1668
02:53:04,740 --> 02:53:07,220
I mean, very privileged
because so few people

1669
02:53:07,220 --> 02:53:08,540
get to come to this island.

1670
02:53:08,540 --> 02:53:11,500
We are the only people here right
now during this spectacle.

1671
02:53:11,500 --> 02:53:14,780
There's not that many big spectacles
in the UK with animals breeding

1672
02:53:14,780 --> 02:53:18,580
on this scale. So it's just this
incredible process of what they go

1673
02:53:18,580 --> 02:53:21,260
through just to produce
the next generation.

1674
02:53:21,260 --> 02:53:24,300
It's just...
It's amazing, amazing to see.