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In the far north of Europe is a land
steeped in myth.

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The realm of Thor...

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..and Odin.

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From Norway's frozen wilderness...

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..deep into magical Swedish forests.

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Across Denmark's windswept shores...

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..to explosive Icelandic volcanoes.

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Scandinavia's breathtaking
landscapes...

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..have shaped its people...

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..and its wildlife.

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Where the land meets the sea...

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..there are great gatherings of life.

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But also many challenges.

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Only the tough and the resourceful...

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..can carve out a life...

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..on this wild, unpredictable
frontier.

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As Scandinavia emerged from the last
Ice Age,

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a spectacular coastline was
revealed...

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..reaching out into the turbulent
Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

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But our journey begins in the more
sheltered Baltic Sea.

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Off the coast of Sweden,

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30,000 islands stretch far out into
these icy waters.

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And at the outer fringes,

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this skerry has some new arrivals.

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Over 1,000 grey seal pups.

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They may look laid back,

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but they're all in a perilous race
against time.

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PUP SNORTS

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Just 18 days after being born,

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they will be abandoned by their
mothers.

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Before that moment, to have the best
chance of survival,

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the pups need to quadruple their body
weight.

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Glugging three litres of super-rich
milk a day builds up blubber -

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a vital energy store and protective
insulation.

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THUNDERCLAP

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On this exposed coast,

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fortunes can change in an instant.

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As the swell builds ahead of a late
spring storm,

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pups that linger too close to the edge

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are vulnerable to rogue waves.

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The storm takes a terrible toll.

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Pups washed into the sea quickly
succumb to the cold.

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In the Baltic,

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up to half of all pups don't make it
through their first year.

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The squall has left the shoreline
treacherously icy.

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But with so few days together,

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crucial life lessons can't be put off.

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This pup needs to improve his swimming
skills.

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And Mum needs to be on her guard.

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BULL GROWLS

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Aggressive bull seals skulk around the
shoreline,

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on the lookout for a mate.

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The water is dangerously cold for the
pup

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as his fur offers little insulation.

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So this must be a quick dip.

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She stays close.

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BULL SNARLS

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But then a sneaky male intrudes.

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Instinct drives the pup towards shore.

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But the way is blocked by another
male.

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Forced back into the surf,

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the pup is swept away.

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Amongst the slosh, a sign of life.

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Washed into a cove,

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this pup has been lucky.

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PUP WHINES

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But his ordeal is far from over.

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Spurred on by his mother's calls,

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he slowly claws his way over the ice
to safety.

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Reunited,

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it's time for a warming feed.

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These devoted mothers have not eaten
since giving birth,

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sacrificing a third of their body
weight to give their pups

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the best start in life.

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Now starving,

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they must abandon their pups and
return to the sea to feed.

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One last look,

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and she's gone.

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PUP WHINES

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Too young to follow,

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the deserted pups head inland.

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Here, they stay for several weeks,

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living entirely off their blubber
reserves.

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They shed their white fur and grow a
shorter waterproof coat.

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An outward sign of miraculous changes

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happening to their bodies

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as they transform into seagoing
youngsters.

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Finally, they're ready to take the
plunge

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and leave these ancient granite
islands behind.

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Further south, rocky shores give way
to ever-shifting sands.

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This stretch of Denmark's coast

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is part of the largest tidal flats on
the planet.

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Over 500 square miles of silt and mud

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reshaped and revealed

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with the ebb and flow of each tide.

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It's a vital refuelling stop for
millions of birds

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on their annual migration to the
Arctic to breed.

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Mingling with the locals,

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these travellers are drawn here by a
smorgasbord

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of delicacies buried in the mud.

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And these worms, clams and crustaceans

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are best gathered as the flats are
exposed by the falling tide.

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Each bird has its own unique way to
harvest the hidden feast.

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Avocets sweep the silt,

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snagging worms and shrimps.

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With their long, straight bills,

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godwits probe the deeper mud.

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Whilst red knot patrol the tide lines,

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hunting for clams to swallow whole.

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The feasting continues until the tide
turns.

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Then, as the water rises...

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..food is once again submerged,

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beyond the reach of the longest beaks.

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Buffet over, they take to the air in
their thousands...

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..finding safety in these
shape-shifting crowds.

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For a few weeks,

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they are slaves to the rhythm of the
tides...

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..before resuming their journeys.

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Heading north, many will pass over
Skagen Point

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at the very tip of Denmark.

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Here, water funnelling out of the
Baltic

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meets the tidal surges of the North
Sea.

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Together, they give rise to a new
force,

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the Norwegian Current,

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which powers its way towards
Scandinavia's

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most spectacular coast.

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The Norwegian fjords.

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Long, twisting canyons

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formed when glacier-carved valleys
flooded with sea water

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at the end of the last Ice Age.

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While, according to legend,

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these rocks are the bones of Ymir,

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a giant slain by the Norse god Odin.

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Some fjords reach over 100 miles
inland,

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with sheer walls rising over 1,000
metres.

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This rugged coastline nurtured the
Viking traditions

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of seafaring and exploration.

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Someone continuing that same spirit of
adventure

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is Hege Ringard.

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- I'm mentally prepared the whole
hike.

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It's one thing I definitely like,
being on mountains,

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is that they're massive

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and I'm this little...lady, like,
walking around there.

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And you're vulnerable.

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- Many Norwegians embrace the idea of
friluftsliv,

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a passion for the outdoors.

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But Hege takes this tradition to the
extreme.

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- Walking to the edge,

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I focus on my breathing.

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I am very much in the moment.

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- She needs to be totally in tune with
the elements.

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Her life depends on correctly reading
the wind

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and the weather.

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- You can never really trust the
weather forecast,

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but you can trust what you see right
in front of you.

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What you can see right away is the
waterfalls.

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How are they falling? Straight down?

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Or are they moving a lot?

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And that could be a good hint

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that maybe it's a good day to go base
jumping.

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I clap.

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My body and my brain is, like, working
together,

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and the clap is like a little wake-up
thing.

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And then I jump.

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Slowly, the wings will fill up with
air.

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It's like this soft, sweet emotion.

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It doesn't feel that fast, actually.

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It's like an enjoy-the-view kind of
thing.

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And get off the mountain.

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- Norway has more fjords than anywhere
else on the planet.

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Their twists and turns add over 16,000
miles

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to Scandinavia's coastline.

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So Hege has endless possibilities to
satisfy her obsession.

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- It's such a cool way to go up on the
mountain

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and then fly off of it.

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It feels like a privilege.

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Thinking about just being there in the
moment.

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I'm not thinking about what's for
dinner later.

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I'm just enjoying it.

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Being out there just makes me feel
good.

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So that's why I keep going back again
and again.

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- Where the fjords spill out towards
the open sea...

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..tides churn the shallow water into a
plankton-rich soup.

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A hunting ground of some voracious
predators.

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Lion's mane jellyfish.

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With a dome up to a metre across,

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these giants trail hundreds of
delicate tentacles

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to trap plankton and fish.

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Up to 30 metres long,

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each tentacle is packed with stinging
cells

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that fire when touched,

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paralysing their victims.

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But some have turned these deadly
tripwires into a safety net.

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Whiting fry seem immune to the
jellyfish stings,

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which gives these hitchhikers a refuge

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from other predators.

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When conditions are right,

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jellyfish numbers can explode.

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Gathered into seasonal swarms by the
swirling tides,

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they drift north with the current.

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For the next 500 miles,

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the mainland is protected from the
turbulent Atlantic

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by thousands of small islands.

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Behind this natural storm barrier,

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there are calmer waters.

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Stronghold of one of Scandinavia's
most iconic creatures.

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The white-tailed sea eagle,

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riding on massive 2.5 metre wings.

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Odin was said to transform into an
eagle

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to survey his realm.

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And these sharp-eyed opportunists
don't miss a trick.

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EAGLE SQUAWKS

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Swooping down at 40mph,

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they must time their grab to
perfection.

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Curved talons and spiny scales on
their toes

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help grip slippery fish.

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Catching a fish is one thing.

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Keeping hold of it quite another.

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Distinguished by its mottled tail,

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this young sea eagle is pushing his
luck...

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EAGLE YELPS

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..but has little chance against the
flying skills

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of an adult.

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Whilst youngsters are perfecting their
fishing technique,

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piracy is a short cut to a full
stomach.

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Especially when the victim is another
juvenile

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more easily intimidated into dropping
its catch.

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A fish can be won and lost

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many times in the chaos of a chase.

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And things don't always go to plan.

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These novices still have a lot to
learn

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before they match up to an adult
eagle.

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In the last century,

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these majestic eagles were almost
hunted to extinction.

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Now protected across Norway,

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the population has grown to over 6,000
mature birds.

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Which means there's little chance of a
quiet meal

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as gangs of hungry youngsters
gate-crash the party.

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These boisterous juveniles will spend
several years

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wandering the coast before finding a
place of their own.

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Whilst sea eagles seldom leave this
maze of inlets and islands,

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the search for fish takes others far
out into the North Atlantic.

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BIRDS SQUAWK

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Captain Kjartan Gudmundsson commands
the Drangavik

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and her ten-man crew

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as they trawl for cod off the coast of
Iceland.

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After being heavily overfished,

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careful management and strict quotas

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means this fishery is now considered
sustainable.

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Fishing is in the captain's blood.

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The open ocean is unforgiving.

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But the crew must set and retrieve the
net

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whatever the weather.

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Even with the latest technology,

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it takes all his experience to put the
Drangavik

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in the right place at the right time.

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Just three successful trawls can fill
the ship's hold

258
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:53,240
and allows Kjartan to set course for
home.

259
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,200
The richness of these offshore waters

260
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,440
owes much to a powerful current

261
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,800
that sweeps across the Atlantic from
the tropics.

262
00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,960
Every second, the Gulf Stream delivers
nine million tonnes

263
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,200
of warm water into these northern seas
-

264
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,920
enough heat to keep sea temperatures

265
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:24,680
along the Norwegian coast

266
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,920
much warmer than other places on the
same latitude.

267
00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,440
The Lofoten Islands are over 100 miles

268
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,240
inside the Arctic Circle.

269
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,880
Yet, here, the sea never freezes.

270
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,040
Communities cling to the narrow
shores.

271
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:55,240
Huddled around inlets that offer safe
haven all year round.

272
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,480
Most coastlines this far north will be
locked in ice

273
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:04,680
for six months.

274
00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,560
But warmed by the Gulf Stream,

275
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,800
winter sea temperatures here are kept
a few degrees

276
00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:17,200
above freezing.

277
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:27,920
Just enough to support some
surprisingly busy sea life.

278
00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,320
Sea cucumbers emerge to feed in the
current.

279
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,760
They trap plankton and algae in their
feathery tentacles.

280
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:56,240
Each taking turns to push food into
its central mouth.

281
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:06,840
Starfish gather together in large
numbers.

282
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:16,040
On cue, they raise themselves up on
tiptoes.

283
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,200
Standing tall in the current,

284
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,640
they synchronously shed millions of
eggs

285
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,240
and clouds of sperm.

286
00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,000
These mix in the swirling water

287
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,720
before the fertilised eggs and larvae

288
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,760
are carried away with the flow.

289
00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,880
Through the winter, the Gulf Stream
keeps the sea from freezing.

290
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:06,000
But its heat doesn't reach far into
some northern fjords.

291
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,800
Where rivers drain into these inlets,

292
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,600
the cold, fresh water can freeze,

293
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,480
forming a shelf of ice.

294
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,040
A welcome hunting platform for an
otter.

295
00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:40,960
And it's landed a prize catch.

296
00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,920
But out on the ice, this otter is
exposed.

297
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,720
OTTER SNARLS EAGLE YELPS

298
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:02,800
A young sea eagle up to its old
tricks.

299
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:08,920
Time to take evasive action...

300
00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:11,760
..until the coast is clear.

301
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,600
These Norwegian otters live further
north

302
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:23,360
than any others on the planet.

303
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,200
Benefiting from the relatively mild
climate

304
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,240
and the wealth of sea life nurtured by
the Gulf Stream...

305
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,480
..these otters survive hundreds of
miles

306
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:39,240
inside the Arctic Circle.

307
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,760
Lofoten fishermen exploit the unique
local climate

308
00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,680
to preserve their catch of spring cod.

309
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,320
During the annual Lofotfiske season,

310
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,640
fish are hung out to dry on huge
wooden racks.

311
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,920
These fillets and fish heads don't
need smoke or salt

312
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,200
to preserve them

313
00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,680
because the Gulf Stream keeps the air
temperature

314
00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,040
just stable enough...

315
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,200
..to stop them from rotting

316
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,440
as they dry in the sun and wind.

317
00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:47,760
It's a 1,000-year-old tradition dating
back to the Vikings

318
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:51,840
who traded these dried fish all over
southern Europe.

319
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,240
RACKS CREAK

320
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,200
By the end of the season,

321
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,200
these racks will be groaning under the
weight

322
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,240
of thousands of tonnes of fish.

323
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:11,560
The riches of this coast destined to
be shipped

324
00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:12,960
all around the world.

325
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,400
Journeying to the very north of
mainland Scandinavia,

326
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,640
the coast becomes wilder and even more
unpredictable.

327
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,560
The Gulf Stream meets its match

328
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,600
as it comes up against the chilling
Arctic Ocean.

329
00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:56,520
This powerful collision can generate
violent storms,

330
00:34:56,520 --> 00:35:00,600
massive surges that churn up nutrients
from the deep.

331
00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:12,440
After spending the winter far out to
sea,

332
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:15,960
tens of thousands of sea birds
converge

333
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:17,840
on the island of Hornoya.

334
00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:23,080
It's the bounty of these waters that
support

335
00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:24,880
such ravenous gatherings.

336
00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,240
Huge rafts ride the swell...

337
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:35,000
..until it's time to make landfall

338
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,440
to nest and raise their chicks.

339
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,880
This is one of Scandinavia's most
magnificent

340
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,520
wildlife spectacles.

341
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,040
While 30,000 guillemots pour in to
claim a pitch

342
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,720
on the narrow ledges,

343
00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:14,320
puffins head for the windswept lower
slopes.

344
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,200
Returning birds seek out the nest
burrows

345
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,880
they've used in previous years,

346
00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,640
even if they are still buried under
the snow.

347
00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,920
And these are where partners will meet
up again

348
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,000
after their long winter at sea.

349
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:58,240
Rubbing beaks reinforces their
lifelong bonds.

350
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,920
As the weather clears, more birds join
the throng...

351
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,240
..including a puffin rather late on
the scene.

352
00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:36,440
While all over the colony, birds are
settling in,

353
00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:38,840
he faces an uphill struggle.

354
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,760
With 8,000 puffins nesting on Hornoya,

355
00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,960
the slopes are already crowded.

356
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:49,880
He must navigate

357
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,560
through this increasingly fractious
crowd

358
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,080
to his old nest hole.

359
00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:58,840
With burrows always in short supply,

360
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,880
everyone is ready to defend their
patch.

361
00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,520
He keeps his head down,

362
00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,560
hoping to avoid any trouble.

363
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:32,200
But he's unwittingly strayed into
dangerous territory.

364
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,880
A gaping beak is a warning.

365
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:40,960
And the wider the beak, the angrier
the puffin.

366
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,440
And puffins fight dirty.

367
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,600
His burrow is up there but, without
reclaiming it,

368
00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:29,840
his chances of nesting this year are
over.

369
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,560
Dusting himself off, he tries again.

370
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:42,360
He spots a familiar landmark.

371
00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:50,200
His mate has beaten him home.

372
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,200
And she's already taken possession of
their old burrow.

373
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:16,240
Life this far north is never
predictable but, reunited,

374
00:40:16,240 --> 00:40:19,480
they now have a fighting chance of
raising a chick.

375
00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:39,360
Just when this coastline seems at its
most inhospitable...

376
00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:45,000
..its greatest secret is hidden
beneath the waves.

377
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:53,120
In the darkest months, Atlantic
herring migrate

378
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:57,000
into the northern fjords to escape the
worst Arctic weather.

379
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:03,040
A single shoal can contain three
billion fish.

380
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,800
Such abundance does not go unnoticed.

381
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:20,840
Orca, killer whales.

382
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,360
In a deadly game of hide and seek,

383
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:29,600
they use echolocation to track down
the big herring shoals.

384
00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:45,200
Following in their wake is biologist
and photographer Audun Rikardsen.

385
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:47,520
He's spent years piecing together

386
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:51,160
the lives of these formidable
predators.

387
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,160
And he takes a very hands-on approach.

388
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:59,240
- If you are a visitor in their world
and if you go down there,

389
00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:02,400
then you can really feel the contact.

390
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,080
And those moments are really precious.

391
00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:17,920
You can imagine what they do beneath
the surface but, to really see

392
00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:20,480
what's happening here, you have to go
underwater.

393
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,840
For me, that's crucial, both as a
scientist and as a nature

394
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:30,920
photographer, where you can use your
picture to tell

395
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,560
better your research and you can use
your research

396
00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:34,840
to take better pictures.

397
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,960
- One herring isn't even a bite-sized
snack for an orca.

398
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:55,520
But here, these clever whales have
developed a unique hunting

399
00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,920
technique to turn an appetiser...

400
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:00,240
..into a feast.

401
00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,120
It's called carousel hunting.

402
00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:12,200
Operating as a pack, they go to work,
coordinating their attack

403
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:14,080
with pulsing calls.

404
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:19,680
- In fact, it's the older females, the
grandmothers, that are the boss

405
00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:21,400
in these family groups.

406
00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,440
They know exactly what they should do
when they work together.

407
00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:28,280
- ORCA CALLS

408
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,680
Using air bubbles and belly flashes,

409
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,760
they herd the fish into a tight ball
and drive them

410
00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:39,920
towards the surface.

411
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:47,160
ORCA CALLS

412
00:43:54,080 --> 00:44:00,160
While some corral the fish, others
drive into the swirling mass,

413
00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:03,240
whipping their tail to stun the
herring.

414
00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:25,680
Then each is delicately eaten one at a
time.

415
00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:35,720
But orca aren't the only clever
predators here.

416
00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:44,280
Humpback whales have begun tracking
the orca's every move.

417
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:56,080
By listening in on their calls,

418
00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:59,120
they know when a shoal has been
rounded up.

419
00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:10,480
And that's their cue to muscle in,
rising from below to engulf

420
00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:13,360
hundreds of fish in a single mouthful.

421
00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:32,680
WHALES BRAY

422
00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:45,400
In response...

423
00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:49,680
..the orca have started eavesdropping

424
00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:51,520
on other herring hunters.

425
00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:01,560
From miles away, they have learned to
tune in to the noise

426
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:03,120
of fishing machinery.

427
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:08,160
A trawler's winch is like a dinner
bell.

428
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:14,440
The fishermen work at nights when the
herring rise

429
00:46:14,440 --> 00:46:15,560
up from the deep.

430
00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:23,560
The nets are already full, but the
orca are patient.

431
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:32,080
As the catch is hauled aboard...

432
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:37,520
..any strays and spills are easy
pickings.

433
00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:43,960
There's not enough to satisfy a
humpback,

434
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:47,400
so the orca feed undisturbed.

435
00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:53,840
Well, almost.

436
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,960
Audun has caught up with the orca.

437
00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:02,520
Their presence around the trawlers
gives him the perfect opportunity

438
00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,880
to delve deeper into their changing
world.

439
00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:09,840
- So, what we want to do is to follow
constantly and see what they do.

440
00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:14,200
And doing that, you have to have a tag
on, a satellite tag.

441
00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:19,200
These are going to report positions
for hopefully up to three months.

442
00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:24,880
So then we can follow the herring and
we can see if these killer

443
00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:27,880
whales are following the same pattern
as the herring.

444
00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:33,920
OK.
- OK.
- Let's get it up.

445
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:49,160
- Success will take patience and
skill.

446
00:47:58,280 --> 00:47:59,320
- Yes!

447
00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:04,320
- CHEERING

448
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:10,000
- That was good. That was really good.

449
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:23,400
- The tracker allows Audun to see just
how much the orca depend

450
00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,280
on the herring during their migration

451
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:27,920
through these northern seas.

452
00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:37,360
- There's no-one that's better than
the orcas to follow the herring.

453
00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:43,800
So, if you have a good overview of the
migration of the killer

454
00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:47,960
whales, you will also have a good
overview of the change in migration

455
00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,640
patterns of herring, which is
important for conservation.

456
00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:59,160
- Over the last 20 years, orca have
followed the main herring shoals

457
00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:03,720
as they've shifted their winter base
almost 200 miles further north...

458
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:11,520
..a move coinciding with a one degree
Celsius rise in the average

459
00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:12,760
sea temperatures here.

460
00:49:17,920 --> 00:49:22,720
To survive on this unpredictable coast
has always demanded

461
00:49:22,720 --> 00:49:25,600
adaptability and resilience.

462
00:49:31,920 --> 00:49:36,520
In a warming world, these qualities
will be tested as never before...

463
00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:43,880
..as all face up to the latest
challenges

464
00:49:43,880 --> 00:49:47,120
on Scandinavia's wild frontier.

465
00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:06,640
Over an eventful year,

466
00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:11,280
the Wild Scandinavia crew filmed along
an epic coastline.

467
00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:19,200
But to capture the drama of puffin
life, they had to travel to Hornoya,

468
00:50:19,200 --> 00:50:21,200
off Norway's Arctic coast.

469
00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:29,080
- Made it! Woo!

470
00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:33,400
- The crew must carry everything they
need for the next 12 days

471
00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:37,000
up to their base at the island's
lighthouse.

472
00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:40,920
- Incredibly grateful for the guys
from the Norwegian Army,

473
00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:44,520
who have come over to help us move
this kit.
- Come on, hurry up!

474
00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:56,720
- Each day, the team must hike down
the icy path to the bottom

475
00:50:56,720 --> 00:50:58,600
of the bird cliff.

476
00:50:58,600 --> 00:51:03,680
But on this wild coast, the weather is
constantly changing.

477
00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:05,720
A storm is never far away.

478
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:10,880
- Puffin spotting in the snow in a
blizzard.

479
00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:15,800
- The conditions are putting off most
of the birds.

480
00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:27,280
But a hardy few are brave enough to
endure the storm.

481
00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:35,000
- We've got puffins on the ground.

482
00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:38,200
- But they don't seem to be in the
mood for fighting.

483
00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:48,440
- Wind has really gotten strong this
afternoon,

484
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:50,640
so we're going to pack it in and call
it a day.

485
00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:57,280
- Buffeting winds make the icy path
even more treacherous...

486
00:52:02,200 --> 00:52:05,640
..and it's a long drop down the sheer
cliff...

487
00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:14,920
..a close call and an exhausting walk
back to the lighthouse.

488
00:52:29,920 --> 00:52:33,080
All the team can do is watch...

489
00:52:33,080 --> 00:52:34,240
..and wait.

490
00:52:38,880 --> 00:52:41,040
Finally, the storm subsides.

491
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:49,040
- Can't believe it.

492
00:52:50,520 --> 00:52:54,160
At the moment, there's I don't know
how many birds,

493
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:58,280
but it's just a cloud of guillemots
going around in a big circle.

494
00:52:58,280 --> 00:53:02,160
It looks like a huge, chaotic roller
disco in the sky.

495
00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:08,240
- And they're not alone.

496
00:53:22,360 --> 00:53:23,720
- We've got puffins.

497
00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:32,280
They just keep coming.

498
00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:40,280
Within the space of about half an
hour, almost the entire population

499
00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:41,560
has landed on the cliffs.

500
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:53,600
- With the puffins now on the slopes
in numbers, Jesse begins to get

501
00:53:53,600 --> 00:53:56,800
a taste of their charming
personalities.

502
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:00,480
- There's lots and lots of
interactions between the birds.

503
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:03,320
They're sort of strolling around,
either in pairs or...

504
00:54:03,320 --> 00:54:06,400
Urgh! Oh, no!

505
00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:14,760
Right in my mouth. There's a lot of
birds flying over and I opened my

506
00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:16,120
mouth at the wrong moment.

507
00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:19,320
- HE COUGHS

508
00:54:25,560 --> 00:54:29,160
It soon becomes clear why the birds
keep flushing off the cliff

509
00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:30,520
and over the crew's heads.

510
00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:37,320
- There's two white-tailed eagles
hunting on the cliff above us.

511
00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:42,600
- Eagles pose a very real threat to
the birds here.

512
00:54:42,600 --> 00:54:45,200
But they're not the biggest challenge
they face.

513
00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:51,880
No-one understands this better than
scientist Tone Reiertsen,

514
00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:55,400
who has been studying the birds here
for almost 20 years.

515
00:54:55,400 --> 00:55:00,400
- It's worrying to see these warning
signs now that things are changing.

516
00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:03,760
The puffins, they tend to arrive
earlier and earlier

517
00:55:03,760 --> 00:55:07,240
and this is linked to the rising sea
temperatures.

518
00:55:07,240 --> 00:55:11,520
It looks like the Barents Sea has
risen by one degree,

519
00:55:11,520 --> 00:55:14,760
which doesn't sound very much, but it
can have quite dramatic

520
00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:17,600
consequences. The food and everything
for the whole

521
00:55:17,600 --> 00:55:19,160
marine ecosystem, actually.

522
00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:24,440
So, if the food changes, then they
simply cannot bring

523
00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:25,640
up a chick.

524
00:55:27,320 --> 00:55:32,120
We focus on trying to understand how
they are adapting and how much

525
00:55:32,120 --> 00:55:36,200
they are capable of adapting, but
there is so little we know yet.

526
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:39,400
We need to find out more. We are
running out of time.

527
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:46,800
- As the puffins stake out their old
nests, Jesse is finally

528
00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:51,320
able to film the battles for burrows
that the team came here to witness.

529
00:56:03,240 --> 00:56:06,400
- Having had no fights for days and
days,

530
00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:07,800
it's all kicking off today.

531
00:56:07,800 --> 00:56:10,080
And you just saw it there. I mean,
amazing.

532
00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:12,320
And they're really going for it.

533
00:56:12,320 --> 00:56:15,480
Oh, another fight! Another fight!

534
00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:19,640
- Slow motion reveals just how intense
these fights are.

535
00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:25,320
- You see, sometimes they grab bills.

536
00:56:25,320 --> 00:56:28,360
One of them does a karate kick right
in the other guy's eye.

537
00:56:37,480 --> 00:56:42,000
- But even with many burrows still
buried, Jesse's noticed

538
00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:44,480
they still seem to know where to find
them.

539
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:46,160
- They kind of walk around a bit.

540
00:56:46,160 --> 00:56:49,040
They're orienting themselves and
trying to work out exactly

541
00:56:49,040 --> 00:56:51,480
where their burrow is under the snow.

542
00:56:51,480 --> 00:56:53,960
- Yeah, puffins, like all other sea
birds,

543
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:57,360
they have an enormously good sense

544
00:56:57,360 --> 00:57:00,880
of space so that, when they come back,
even if there is one metre

545
00:57:00,880 --> 00:57:03,680
of snow, they know exactly - this is
my spot.

546
00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:07,640
- It seems to me like a really silly
thing to do for a bird

547
00:57:07,640 --> 00:57:09,560
to have a fight on a cliff.

548
00:57:09,560 --> 00:57:12,520
- The value of the nest site is very
important for them.

549
00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:14,640
These are very aggressive birds,
actually.

550
00:57:14,640 --> 00:57:18,120
I used to call them the most angry
birds in the world!

551
00:57:18,120 --> 00:57:23,560
- After a punishing start, the birds
have made a powerful impression

552
00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:27,040
on this team.
- They're really magical little
things.

553
00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:30,440
I'm not sure I like them very much.
Quite aggressive, but they are cool,

554
00:57:30,440 --> 00:57:32,400
you've got to admire them.

555
00:57:32,400 --> 00:57:36,800
- I've never been to anywhere with so
many birds. It feels so alive.

556
00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:39,920
But, sadly, the truth is that life for
these birds

557
00:57:39,920 --> 00:57:42,200
is becoming increasingly
unpredictable.

558
00:57:42,200 --> 00:57:47,360
And I just hope that we can slow that
process down so that these

559
00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:52,040
amazing birds have time to adapt
because places

560
00:57:52,040 --> 00:57:54,320
like this are just too precious to
lose.

561
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:04,160
- Next time, we explore the magical
forests...

562
00:58:05,520 --> 00:58:07,400
..and the labyrinth of waterways

563
00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:09,760
that are the heartlands of
Scandinavia.

564
00:58:13,320 --> 00:58:17,760
A secret world where ancient alliances
connect all life...

565
00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:23,680
..as animals and people face the
trials

566
00:58:23,680 --> 00:58:25,760
of the ever-changing seasons.

567
00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:06,220
In the far north of Europe is a land
steeped in myth...

568
00:59:07,700 --> 00:59:10,220
..the realm of Thor...

569
00:59:11,900 --> 00:59:13,300
..and Odin.

570
00:59:16,100 --> 00:59:18,620
From Norway's frozen wilderness...

571
00:59:22,660 --> 00:59:26,220
..deep into magical Swedish
woodlands...

572
00:59:28,380 --> 00:59:30,900
..across Finland's water world...

573
00:59:33,460 --> 00:59:36,540
..to explosive Icelandic volcanoes...

574
00:59:40,420 --> 00:59:43,380
..Scandinavia's breathtaking
landscapes

575
00:59:43,380 --> 00:59:45,500
have shaped its people...

576
00:59:57,980 --> 01:00:01,220
..and its wildlife.

577
01:00:03,700 --> 01:00:09,100
At its heart, enchanted forests wrap
around a maze of waterways.

578
01:00:12,220 --> 01:00:16,020
It takes surprising and intimate
relationships to

579
01:00:16,020 --> 01:00:21,100
survive in this ever-changing,
seasonal world.

580
01:00:25,260 --> 01:00:27,540
BIRD CALL

581
01:00:36,340 --> 01:00:40,900
In Norse myth, there are tales of a
mighty sacred tree...

582
01:00:42,420 --> 01:00:43,740
..Yggdrasil.

583
01:00:44,940 --> 01:00:48,380
Its trunk was at the centre of the
cosmos...

584
01:00:50,500 --> 01:00:54,140
..while its branches reached up to
heaven...

585
01:00:56,300 --> 01:01:01,100
..and its roots extended into the
underworld.

586
01:01:08,540 --> 01:01:12,700
Great forests are still at the heart
of Scandinavia.

587
01:01:14,820 --> 01:01:21,060
160 billion trees thrive in this
northernmost woodland...

588
01:01:23,340 --> 01:01:28,020
..part of the vast Boreal forest that
fringes the Arctic.

589
01:01:33,580 --> 01:01:36,700
Here, bowed spruce

590
01:01:36,700 --> 01:01:41,100
stand like Ice Giants of Norse
legend...

591
01:01:45,740 --> 01:01:49,620
..enduring a winter of five long
months.

592
01:01:51,580 --> 01:01:54,460
They wear a coat of tykky...

593
01:01:56,580 --> 01:02:01,300
..layers of ice crystals grown from
the freezing, moist air.

594
01:02:04,900 --> 01:02:08,300
And they're highly adapted to these
extremes.

595
01:02:11,860 --> 01:02:16,900
Flexible branches carry the heavy,
insulating snow...

596
01:02:19,740 --> 01:02:24,900
..while within, natural antifreeze
protects their tissues.

597
01:02:30,260 --> 01:02:35,540
These fairy-tale trees are masters of
resilience.

598
01:02:39,780 --> 01:02:42,180
But all who live here must find their
own way

599
01:02:42,180 --> 01:02:44,700
to survive the tough winter.

600
01:02:48,380 --> 01:02:52,340
Clever tricks and partnerships work
for some.

601
01:03:03,060 --> 01:03:05,020
Ravens were said to be

602
01:03:05,020 --> 01:03:08,140
informants to the Norse God Odin.

603
01:03:09,780 --> 01:03:14,780
They scoured the world for gossip to
bring back to their master.

604
01:03:14,780 --> 01:03:17,300
RAVEN CALLS

605
01:03:17,300 --> 01:03:22,460
But for these vocal birds, food is the
only topic of conversation.

606
01:03:27,300 --> 01:03:29,580
And word has spread fast,

607
01:03:29,580 --> 01:03:31,420
drawing in a crowd.

608
01:03:31,420 --> 01:03:34,260
RAVEN CALLS

609
01:03:37,820 --> 01:03:42,060
With the carcass frozen, they can't
break in...

610
01:03:46,780 --> 01:03:50,820
..but their commotion attracts... just
who they need.

611
01:03:56,140 --> 01:03:58,180
A Golden eagle...

612
01:03:58,180 --> 01:04:02,180
..Scandinavia's most powerful raptor.

613
01:04:09,380 --> 01:04:13,900
It knows that where there are ravens,
there's food.

614
01:04:24,500 --> 01:04:29,620
Six times their size, an eagle can
easily kill a raven.

615
01:04:36,020 --> 01:04:39,820
But there are benefits to inviting
your adversary to dinner.

616
01:04:44,700 --> 01:04:48,780
The eagle has the tools to open up the
carcass for them...

617
01:04:51,100 --> 01:04:53,540
..if only they can sneak back to the
table.

618
01:05:14,620 --> 01:05:17,540
But their dinner plans are cut short.

619
01:05:21,220 --> 01:05:24,700
More eagles arrive to claim their
share of this feast.

620
01:05:26,700 --> 01:05:29,700
All the ravens can do is watch...

621
01:05:31,300 --> 01:05:34,700
..as these titans battle it out.

622
01:06:03,980 --> 01:06:07,780
Eventually, a new victor emerges.

623
01:06:15,940 --> 01:06:19,580
It's able to eat its fill,
undisturbed...

624
01:06:27,060 --> 01:06:32,420
..and finally allows the ravens back
to the opened carcass.

625
01:06:40,940 --> 01:06:46,700
This fleeting alliance of brains and
brawn, benefits them all.

626
01:06:54,820 --> 01:06:59,020
Some relationships here are so deeply
entwined,

627
01:06:59,020 --> 01:07:02,580
it's hard to imagine one without the
other.

628
01:07:09,740 --> 01:07:14,500
Margret Fjellstrom is an indigenous
Sami reindeer herder.

629
01:07:17,580 --> 01:07:21,180
Her family have depended on the
reindeer for generations.

630
01:07:23,900 --> 01:07:26,260
- The reindeer provide me food,

631
01:07:26,260 --> 01:07:28,540
it provides clothes,

632
01:07:28,540 --> 01:07:31,340
but it also provides me

633
01:07:31,340 --> 01:07:35,820
contact with nature, with my ancestors
and my future.

634
01:07:36,940 --> 01:07:38,580
It's who I am.

635
01:07:41,820 --> 01:07:46,380
- Margret must keep her herds alive
through harsh winters, where

636
01:07:46,380 --> 01:07:51,340
temperatures can plummet close to
minus 40.

637
01:07:54,660 --> 01:07:58,340
It's essential the reindeer get
energy-rich food...

638
01:08:01,140 --> 01:08:04,300
..particularly the pregnant females.

639
01:08:08,180 --> 01:08:14,020
And to find it, they must seek out the
Heartlands' oldest forests.

640
01:08:21,660 --> 01:08:24,820
Margret and her family use
snowmobiles,

641
01:08:24,820 --> 01:08:30,220
steering the herds up to 30 miles a
day, to the best grazing spots.

642
01:08:30,220 --> 01:08:33,020
SHE CALLS

643
01:08:39,420 --> 01:08:43,500
The reindeer need help from the Sami,

644
01:08:43,500 --> 01:08:47,740
as their traditional migration routes
are often blocked

645
01:08:47,740 --> 01:08:50,020
by roads, towns,

646
01:08:50,020 --> 01:08:51,940
and wind farms.

647
01:08:56,100 --> 01:08:58,540
- The infrastructure of the land

648
01:08:58,540 --> 01:08:59,820
has changed.

649
01:08:59,820 --> 01:09:03,820
So, we need to guide the reindeers
around

650
01:09:03,820 --> 01:09:06,300
and find safe places for them.

651
01:09:13,660 --> 01:09:18,860
- On their journey, the herds pass
through new growth plantations...

652
01:09:20,220 --> 01:09:24,020
..but these areas have little
nutritious food to offer them.

653
01:09:27,300 --> 01:09:31,900
It's the forests with trees over
100-years-old

654
01:09:31,900 --> 01:09:34,660
that have what they desperately
need...

655
01:09:38,940 --> 01:09:40,460
..lichen.

656
01:09:42,580 --> 01:09:45,420
During the winters, they make up 80%

657
01:09:45,420 --> 01:09:47,260
of the reindeers' diet.

658
01:09:53,740 --> 01:09:56,380
They eat a dozen different varieties.

659
01:10:04,380 --> 01:10:08,740
With their excellent sense of smell,
reindeer can detect them

660
01:10:08,740 --> 01:10:10,660
a metre beneath the snow.

661
01:10:20,980 --> 01:10:23,780
Lichens may look like plants,

662
01:10:23,780 --> 01:10:28,980
but they're actually an ancient
partnership between algae and fungi.

663
01:10:31,100 --> 01:10:34,740
And as many grow just a few
millimetres a year,

664
01:10:34,740 --> 01:10:38,940
it takes decades for lichen-rich
forests to develop.

665
01:10:42,660 --> 01:10:45,540
But now, they are becoming more
scarce.

666
01:10:51,420 --> 01:10:53,940
- I see this forest.

667
01:10:53,940 --> 01:10:57,540
It was all over and it was

668
01:10:57,540 --> 01:10:59,620
a thick layer of lichens.

669
01:10:59,620 --> 01:11:03,540
It was like to walk on soft, soft
cotton.

670
01:11:03,540 --> 01:11:06,620
But the lichen is burned by the sun.

671
01:11:06,620 --> 01:11:11,780
- More than 70% of Sweden's age-old
woodlands

672
01:11:11,780 --> 01:11:15,180
have been cleared in the last 60
years...

673
01:11:15,180 --> 01:11:20,500
..threatening the balance that
sustains the Sami way of life.

674
01:11:22,420 --> 01:11:27,140
- Now, we are using the forest faster
than the forest can provide

675
01:11:27,140 --> 01:11:29,540
and grow up. That's the problem.

676
01:11:29,540 --> 01:11:33,220
Because if the lichen forest is
disappearing,

677
01:11:33,220 --> 01:11:35,700
the reindeer will starve to death.

678
01:11:38,700 --> 01:11:41,340
- Some winters are more challenging
than others.

679
01:11:45,380 --> 01:11:48,300
But when Margret's reindeer reach the
food they need,

680
01:11:48,300 --> 01:11:50,460
it makes it all worthwhile.

681
01:11:53,100 --> 01:11:57,260
- When I see the reindeer is grazing
outside

682
01:11:57,260 --> 01:12:02,660
and it's good condition, it's like a
big love story.

683
01:12:02,660 --> 01:12:06,940
You get all tickly in your body and
you're smiling.

684
01:12:06,940 --> 01:12:10,300
It's the best feeling.

685
01:12:10,300 --> 01:12:14,620
You know, when you're in love, really
in love, that's the feeling.

686
01:12:17,660 --> 01:12:22,980
- Margret has always had a special
relationship with the reindeer...

687
01:12:22,980 --> 01:12:28,580
..which will continue with the next
generation of calves in the spring.

688
01:12:40,140 --> 01:12:43,620
As the days become longer, winter
begins to

689
01:12:43,620 --> 01:12:45,740
loosen its stranglehold.

690
01:12:48,060 --> 01:12:52,180
But within the forest, this boggy
clearing is still frozen

691
01:12:52,180 --> 01:12:54,180
and carpeted with snow.

692
01:13:00,300 --> 01:13:04,580
Every April, it becomes the focal
point of one Scandinavia's

693
01:13:04,580 --> 01:13:08,540
most flamboyant wildlife spectacles.

694
01:13:10,140 --> 01:13:12,300
ANIMAL CALLS

695
01:13:15,900 --> 01:13:17,660
As dawn breaks...

696
01:13:19,740 --> 01:13:23,740
..a distinctive bubbling sound carries
through the air...

697
01:13:25,260 --> 01:13:28,740
..war cries of male black grouse.

698
01:13:28,740 --> 01:13:31,620
THEY SQUAWK AND SHRIEK

699
01:13:31,620 --> 01:13:33,540
DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

700
01:13:40,260 --> 01:13:45,580
They're here to compete for mating
rights to the mottled brown females.

701
01:13:49,060 --> 01:13:52,380
On this battleground, known as a lek,

702
01:13:52,380 --> 01:13:55,380
there's a distinct hierarchy.

703
01:13:55,380 --> 01:13:58,140
And in the centre of it all is the
King.

704
01:14:02,020 --> 01:14:04,420
He's the champion fighter,

705
01:14:04,420 --> 01:14:08,220
flaunting the biggest scarlet eye
combs...

706
01:14:11,300 --> 01:14:14,260
..and finest lyre tail feathers.

707
01:14:15,580 --> 01:14:18,860
Popular with the hens, he wins the
most mates.

708
01:14:25,420 --> 01:14:27,940
But every male wants his success.

709
01:14:28,860 --> 01:14:31,500
Threats come from all sides.

710
01:14:35,660 --> 01:14:39,300
Novice males, are just learning the
ropes....

711
01:14:41,300 --> 01:14:43,820
..and are easily intimidated.

712
01:14:48,460 --> 01:14:52,980
Others, he must fight to assert his
dominance.

713
01:14:58,780 --> 01:15:01,660
SQUAWKING AND SHRIEKING

714
01:15:10,740 --> 01:15:13,900
SHRILL SHRIEK

715
01:15:13,900 --> 01:15:18,580
But there's one battle-scarred male
who's a serious challenger.

716
01:15:20,540 --> 01:15:24,140
This old timer has sacrificed many

717
01:15:24,140 --> 01:15:26,860
of his fine feathers in combat...

718
01:15:30,060 --> 01:15:34,940
..and isn't satisfied with a place on
the edge of the action,

719
01:15:34,940 --> 01:15:37,700
watching the hens pass him by.

720
01:15:42,300 --> 01:15:45,580
He challenges the King to a duel.

721
01:15:49,580 --> 01:15:53,140
Both are heavy-weights, at almost 2
kilos,

722
01:15:53,140 --> 01:15:55,060
and closely matched.

723
01:15:55,060 --> 01:15:57,540
DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

724
01:16:08,740 --> 01:16:10,420
The old timer rips out

725
01:16:10,420 --> 01:16:12,500
a clump of chest feathers.

726
01:16:19,420 --> 01:16:20,900
The King retaliates.

727
01:16:31,700 --> 01:16:35,140
The battle goes on for almost an hour.

728
01:16:44,100 --> 01:16:47,660
Both sustain stabbing injuries to
their chests...

729
01:16:55,060 --> 01:16:58,660
..until the King deals the final blow.

730
01:17:13,260 --> 01:17:18,500
Injured, the old timer is defeated.

731
01:17:23,460 --> 01:17:26,860
The King grouse retains his title...

732
01:17:31,540 --> 01:17:35,820
..and is eager to make good on his
victory.

733
01:17:37,540 --> 01:17:39,180
His reward?

734
01:17:40,500 --> 01:17:45,180
To mate with over half the females on
this lek...

735
01:17:49,820 --> 01:17:52,100
..as the snow begins to thaw...

736
01:17:54,060 --> 01:17:56,860
..exposing the peaty bog once more.

737
01:18:01,780 --> 01:18:04,260
Across Scandinavia's Heartlands,

738
01:18:04,260 --> 01:18:09,500
spring heralds a time of magnificent
transformation...

739
01:18:12,660 --> 01:18:14,260
..the Great Melt.

740
01:18:18,300 --> 01:18:21,380
Water is liberated from the
mountains...

741
01:18:25,700 --> 01:18:28,660
..into fast-flowing rivers and
streams.

742
01:18:35,940 --> 01:18:39,300
Some of the world's most spectacular
waterfalls

743
01:18:39,300 --> 01:18:41,460
are found in Scandinavia...

744
01:18:45,180 --> 01:18:47,020
..cascading through the landscape...

745
01:18:51,660 --> 01:18:54,700
..and filling hundreds of thousands of
lakes,

746
01:18:54,700 --> 01:18:58,180
carved from rock during the last Ice
Age.

747
01:19:01,420 --> 01:19:04,700
For Swedes, Varkanslor,

748
01:19:04,700 --> 01:19:06,940
or spring fever,

749
01:19:06,940 --> 01:19:10,220
begins with returning migrant birds.

750
01:19:11,740 --> 01:19:13,540
GRUNTING

751
01:19:13,540 --> 01:19:16,380
Moose are also on the move,

752
01:19:16,380 --> 01:19:21,980
following long-standing migration
routes towards new pastures.

753
01:19:29,060 --> 01:19:31,220
In the forest canopy,

754
01:19:31,220 --> 01:19:36,420
warmer days trigger the pine cones of
Norway spruce

755
01:19:36,420 --> 01:19:38,580
to ease open.

756
01:19:41,140 --> 01:19:46,940
Just one tree can release tens of
thousands of seeds every year.

757
01:19:53,260 --> 01:19:58,980
But only a few will survive to join
the Heartlands giants,

758
01:19:58,980 --> 01:20:05,100
standing up to 40 metres tall and
living for 600 years.

759
01:20:10,060 --> 01:20:13,500
Over half of Scandinavia is covered
with trees...

760
01:20:15,020 --> 01:20:16,980
..and ideas of the forest

761
01:20:16,980 --> 01:20:20,100
have always been entwined in Norse
folklore...

762
01:20:22,020 --> 01:20:26,460
..fabled to harbour many mythical
creatures.

763
01:20:28,340 --> 01:20:30,340
There are tales of trolls...

764
01:20:32,060 --> 01:20:33,820
..murderous giants...

765
01:20:36,940 --> 01:20:39,900
..and dangerous seductresses.

766
01:20:42,780 --> 01:20:48,140
One forest animal was renowned as the
companion of Freyja...

767
01:20:49,380 --> 01:20:51,460
..goddess of love -

768
01:20:55,180 --> 01:20:56,540
..the lynx.

769
01:21:01,700 --> 01:21:06,820
It's Europe's biggest and most elusive
wild cat.

770
01:21:10,300 --> 01:21:11,980
LYNX CALLS

771
01:21:11,980 --> 01:21:15,540
But its scream isn't as sinister as it
sounds.

772
01:21:18,100 --> 01:21:20,140
It's the mating season

773
01:21:20,140 --> 01:21:24,020
and this roving bachelor is looking
for love.

774
01:21:26,180 --> 01:21:29,900
He searches for special trees that
could help with his quest.

775
01:21:40,300 --> 01:21:45,100
He rubs his body all over the scaly
trunk of this Scots pine...

776
01:21:46,700 --> 01:21:51,500
..releasing odour from glands on his
cheeks and paws.

777
01:21:53,460 --> 01:21:57,100
A "love letter" to receptive females

778
01:21:57,100 --> 01:22:00,180
and a warning to other males.

779
01:22:03,140 --> 01:22:07,820
His signature is etched into the bark
and sealed with his scent.

780
01:22:11,340 --> 01:22:16,220
The textured surface will preserve his
smell for weeks

781
01:22:16,220 --> 01:22:19,340
and even snags a lock of his fur.

782
01:22:28,980 --> 01:22:31,060
He continues his patrol...

783
01:22:35,820 --> 01:22:39,340
..leaving fragrant messages on
distinctive landmarks.

784
01:22:41,780 --> 01:22:45,260
Lynx travel up to 30 miles each day.

785
01:22:48,060 --> 01:22:51,580
Over 3,000 of these rare cats

786
01:22:51,580 --> 01:22:54,340
wander the Heartlands of Scandinavia.

787
01:22:59,220 --> 01:23:00,660
LYNX CALLS

788
01:23:02,300 --> 01:23:04,220
Hopefully, a female will hear

789
01:23:04,220 --> 01:23:05,700
or smell him...

790
01:23:06,980 --> 01:23:10,020
..as he roams his vast territory

791
01:23:10,020 --> 01:23:12,220
of 300 square miles...

792
01:23:17,220 --> 01:23:19,860
..weaving through forests,

793
01:23:19,860 --> 01:23:21,780
increasingly fragmented...

794
01:23:23,180 --> 01:23:25,460
..by human expansion.

795
01:23:33,060 --> 01:23:36,700
During spring, the weather is still
changeable.

796
01:23:37,820 --> 01:23:39,980
A passing storm...

797
01:23:41,300 --> 01:23:43,500
..brings fresh snowfall.

798
01:23:58,300 --> 01:24:00,260
And there's a glimmer of hope.

799
01:24:04,620 --> 01:24:07,780
A beautiful female lynx

800
01:24:07,780 --> 01:24:11,940
has taken a keen interest in the
male's aroma

801
01:24:11,940 --> 01:24:16,300
preserved in the tree's craggy bark.

802
01:24:20,980 --> 01:24:23,780
She's smaller than him, with lighter
fur,

803
01:24:23,780 --> 01:24:27,420
and sprays her own calling card

804
01:24:27,420 --> 01:24:28,700
as a reply.

805
01:24:36,100 --> 01:24:40,140
It can take a lynx two weeks to patrol
his territory...

806
01:24:44,740 --> 01:24:48,380
..but this male returns to some good
news.

807
01:24:51,220 --> 01:24:56,100
The female's lingering perfume reveals
she was here recently

808
01:24:56,100 --> 01:24:59,020
and she's in season...

809
01:24:59,020 --> 01:25:01,940
HE PURRS

810
01:25:01,940 --> 01:25:04,380
..much to his delight.

811
01:25:06,140 --> 01:25:08,380
PURRING

812
01:25:08,380 --> 01:25:12,060
With the help of this distinctive
gnarled tree,

813
01:25:12,060 --> 01:25:16,660
this lynx has finally had his love
letter answered...

814
01:25:20,420 --> 01:25:23,900
..and hopefully his chance to meet her
face-to-face

815
01:25:23,900 --> 01:25:25,660
is just round the corner.

816
01:25:41,660 --> 01:25:44,540
Every creature here relies on the
forest...

817
01:25:45,900 --> 01:25:48,860
..and by late spring it is lush...

818
01:25:51,140 --> 01:25:53,540
..and green.

819
01:25:55,140 --> 01:25:59,660
After the long winter, this female
brown bear...

820
01:26:01,820 --> 01:26:06,020
..finally emerges from hibernation.

821
01:26:18,460 --> 01:26:21,100
With her two young cubs,

822
01:26:21,100 --> 01:26:23,540
she's amongst 5,000 bears

823
01:26:23,540 --> 01:26:25,540
left in Scandinavia.

824
01:26:36,180 --> 01:26:39,940
Their broad diet gives them an
important role

825
01:26:39,940 --> 01:26:43,300
as forest gardeners, spreading seeds.

826
01:26:45,940 --> 01:26:49,260
And this mum will teach her cubs

827
01:26:49,260 --> 01:26:52,420
over 70 different edible plants.

828
01:26:59,140 --> 01:27:01,580
But they're easily distracted.

829
01:27:06,220 --> 01:27:08,340
And always keen to play.

830
01:27:15,620 --> 01:27:18,380
Mum knows there's one lesson that
can't wait.

831
01:27:23,740 --> 01:27:28,180
These towering pine trees could save
their lives...

832
01:27:29,340 --> 01:27:31,860
..but only if they can climb.

833
01:27:33,180 --> 01:27:37,260
They will be their escape route out of
danger.

834
01:27:45,820 --> 01:27:47,940
Going up looks easy...

835
01:27:49,300 --> 01:27:51,980
CUB SQUEAKS, MUM GROWLS

836
01:27:53,380 --> 01:27:55,740
..but it's harder coming down.

837
01:28:00,580 --> 01:28:03,540
Mum encourages them from below.

838
01:28:04,620 --> 01:28:06,500
SHE ROARS

839
01:28:27,420 --> 01:28:29,300
Training over,

840
01:28:29,300 --> 01:28:32,740
the cubs snuggle in for a nourishing
feed.

841
01:28:35,420 --> 01:28:38,740
She has a couple more years to pass on
her specialist

842
01:28:38,740 --> 01:28:42,820
knowledge of the forest before they
become independent.

843
01:28:49,300 --> 01:28:51,780
The summer months bring longer days.

844
01:28:55,060 --> 01:28:57,540
A brief season of plenty...

845
01:29:04,540 --> 01:29:06,100
..and relaxation.

846
01:29:09,340 --> 01:29:12,060
But some creatures never rest.

847
01:29:15,540 --> 01:29:19,780
This woodland looks like a scene of
destruction.

848
01:29:28,340 --> 01:29:33,020
But it's only during twilight hours
that the culprit emerges.

849
01:29:37,820 --> 01:29:40,020
A Eurasian beaver...

850
01:29:45,420 --> 01:29:48,060
..Scandinavia's largest rodent...

851
01:29:51,260 --> 01:29:53,100
..over a metre long.

852
01:29:58,460 --> 01:30:01,380
The beaver's an industrious engineer.

853
01:30:04,740 --> 01:30:08,380
Building dams which flood the
forest...

854
01:30:10,020 --> 01:30:13,620
..he dramatically transforms the
landscape...

855
01:30:15,820 --> 01:30:20,100
..creating a water world so he can
access his food in safety.

856
01:30:26,540 --> 01:30:30,980
He dines on a vegetarian smorgasbord
of bark,

857
01:30:30,980 --> 01:30:34,340
branches, leaves, and shoots.

858
01:30:47,220 --> 01:30:50,020
In serving his own needs,

859
01:30:50,020 --> 01:30:54,340
he is the architect of this maze of
secluded rivers and lakes.

860
01:30:56,220 --> 01:31:00,060
The slower movement of water provides
nurseries for fish

861
01:31:00,060 --> 01:31:03,340
and underpins a rich diversity of
life...

862
01:31:24,380 --> 01:31:27,140
..including the osprey,

863
01:31:27,140 --> 01:31:29,460
a specialist fishing hawk.

864
01:31:33,100 --> 01:31:37,260
This male has flown over 4,000 miles
from Africa...

865
01:31:41,540 --> 01:31:45,100
..returning to this lake in southern
Scandinavia.

866
01:31:49,300 --> 01:31:52,300
He's now raising his two chicks
solo...

867
01:31:53,940 --> 01:31:58,580
..as osprey mums leave for Africa as
soon as their chicks can fly.

868
01:32:07,980 --> 01:32:09,460
He's a devoted parent.

869
01:32:11,540 --> 01:32:14,740
Every extra day he stays and provides,

870
01:32:14,740 --> 01:32:17,140
his fledglings will get stronger...

871
01:32:22,380 --> 01:32:24,740
..but he must also keep the reserves

872
01:32:24,740 --> 01:32:27,500
to make his own marathon migration
south.

873
01:32:31,100 --> 01:32:35,380
For now, his chicks still use the
family nest as their base

874
01:32:35,380 --> 01:32:38,820
and are completely reliant on him for
meals.

875
01:32:44,900 --> 01:32:49,100
With many years of experience, this
dad's a pro at fishing...

876
01:32:50,860 --> 01:32:54,620
..and the fledglings need to learn
from him fast.

877
01:33:00,460 --> 01:33:03,980
With exceptional eyesight, he
pinpoints a fish...

878
01:33:05,620 --> 01:33:09,540
..and dives at speeds over 75mph.

879
01:33:13,700 --> 01:33:15,700
He works relentlessly...

880
01:33:24,300 --> 01:33:26,300
..catching as many as ten fish a
day...

881
01:33:30,500 --> 01:33:32,300
..for his gluttonous chicks.

882
01:33:47,900 --> 01:33:50,180
By early September,

883
01:33:50,180 --> 01:33:53,620
it's time for dad to leave for Africa.

884
01:33:59,500 --> 01:34:01,340
One last feed,

885
01:34:01,340 --> 01:34:03,580
and his job is done.

886
01:34:15,140 --> 01:34:19,300
His chicks will now have to manage by
themselves.

887
01:34:20,580 --> 01:34:22,220
In just a few days,

888
01:34:22,220 --> 01:34:25,860
they'll begin their own epic migration
to Africa...

889
01:34:39,860 --> 01:34:43,220
..leaving these rich lakes quiet,

890
01:34:43,220 --> 01:34:47,540
until ospreys return again next year.

891
01:34:52,780 --> 01:34:57,460
At the end of summer, temperatures
begin to fall

892
01:34:57,460 --> 01:34:59,620
and days get shorter...

893
01:35:01,100 --> 01:35:05,940
..triggering an explosion of brilliant
autumn colours,

894
01:35:05,940 --> 01:35:09,340
known as Ruska in Finland.

895
01:35:11,940 --> 01:35:15,060
Deciduous trees like birch, aspen

896
01:35:15,060 --> 01:35:20,260
and rowan show off their magnificent
shades of yellow and orange.

897
01:35:27,020 --> 01:35:29,180
While on the damp ground,

898
01:35:29,180 --> 01:35:33,420
the forest's most fundamental
relationship is revealed...

899
01:35:40,620 --> 01:35:41,820
..fungi.

900
01:35:50,820 --> 01:35:54,540
They erupt from the forest floor as
mushrooms,

901
01:35:54,540 --> 01:35:58,500
to spread their spores before winter
returns.

902
01:36:05,380 --> 01:36:07,740
CHATTERING

903
01:36:09,180 --> 01:36:13,340
With almost 10,000 varieties across
Scandinavia...

904
01:36:13,340 --> 01:36:16,780
..many families have secret spots

905
01:36:16,780 --> 01:36:20,140
where they collect edible mushrooms
every year...

906
01:36:24,180 --> 01:36:30,020
..expressing their Allemansratten, or
every man's right,

907
01:36:30,020 --> 01:36:33,740
to roam and forage in nature.

908
01:36:40,100 --> 01:36:44,700
Mushrooms are all we can see at the
surface of a massive underground

909
01:36:44,700 --> 01:36:50,020
fungal network that links into the
roots of almost every tree...

910
01:36:51,380 --> 01:36:54,180
..and is vital for keeping the forest
alive.

911
01:36:56,620 --> 01:36:59,540
In this shallow acidic soil,

912
01:36:59,540 --> 01:37:03,140
fungi have the key enzymes

913
01:37:03,140 --> 01:37:06,900
to provide essential nitrogen to the
trees.

914
01:37:09,620 --> 01:37:12,500
But to do this, the fungi need fuel,

915
01:37:12,500 --> 01:37:18,940
which they get from the trees as
sugars, in this age-old association.

916
01:37:22,900 --> 01:37:26,020
Without this foundation of fungi,

917
01:37:26,020 --> 01:37:29,860
the landscape could turn to treeless
tundra...

918
01:37:31,540 --> 01:37:33,300
..but in partnership,

919
01:37:33,300 --> 01:37:37,460
the boreal forests have been able to
survive in the north.

920
01:37:53,660 --> 01:37:58,300
Autumn is an important season for the
Heartlands residents.

921
01:38:00,300 --> 01:38:03,660
A short window of opportunity to stock
up

922
01:38:03,660 --> 01:38:06,020
before the cold arrives once again.

923
01:38:17,540 --> 01:38:21,420
This male brown bear must pack on the
pounds

924
01:38:21,420 --> 01:38:23,500
before he goes into hibernation.

925
01:38:32,180 --> 01:38:37,580
Over the next few weeks, he must eat
20,0000 calories a day.

926
01:38:42,500 --> 01:38:47,780
And surprisingly, such tiny berries
can meet most of his needs.

927
01:38:53,460 --> 01:38:57,020
But he's not averse to a very
different meal.

928
01:39:03,340 --> 01:39:05,540
With a remarkable sense of smell...

929
01:39:06,940 --> 01:39:10,580
..he can sniff out food from several
miles away.

930
01:39:17,420 --> 01:39:20,820
A wolverine is first to the feast.

931
01:39:28,500 --> 01:39:32,460
This opportunist has no problem
breaking into a carcass

932
01:39:32,460 --> 01:39:35,980
with his powerful bone-crunching jaws.

933
01:39:39,300 --> 01:39:41,860
But he's not the only diner.

934
01:39:43,820 --> 01:39:46,020
RAVENS CALL

935
01:39:46,020 --> 01:39:49,420
The ravens' noisy calls draw the bear
closer.

936
01:40:02,060 --> 01:40:04,220
THEY CAW NOISILY

937
01:40:09,820 --> 01:40:14,180
He can eat as much as 40 kilos in one
sitting.

938
01:40:18,100 --> 01:40:19,940
But he needs to watch his back.

939
01:40:23,020 --> 01:40:25,540
DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

940
01:40:40,980 --> 01:40:44,660
Wolves were Odin's mythical warriors,

941
01:40:44,660 --> 01:40:48,700
and this hungry pack are on the
offensive.

942
01:40:52,580 --> 01:40:57,140
The bear is bigger and stronger than
any wolf, but he's alone.

943
01:41:04,180 --> 01:41:07,140
The ten-strong pack press closer.

944
01:41:11,340 --> 01:41:13,500
Led by the alpha pair,

945
01:41:13,500 --> 01:41:16,860
they work as a team to intimidate the
bear.

946
01:41:16,860 --> 01:41:19,820
SNARLING

947
01:41:25,580 --> 01:41:27,940
He can't afford to abandon his meal.

948
01:41:40,540 --> 01:41:43,420
One wolf tries to distract him away
from the carcass.

949
01:41:43,420 --> 01:41:45,820
GROWLING AND SNARLING

950
01:41:53,940 --> 01:41:55,540
But the bear's determined.

951
01:42:00,780 --> 01:42:02,340
He grabs whatever he can.

952
01:42:24,940 --> 01:42:27,660
The wolf pack have the remains...

953
01:42:30,780 --> 01:42:33,340
..but each must wait their turn to
feed.

954
01:42:41,820 --> 01:42:44,300
While this family is doing well,

955
01:42:44,300 --> 01:42:47,620
wolves are Scandinavia's rarest
carnivore.

956
01:42:50,660 --> 01:42:53,140
Hunted under a strict quota,

957
01:42:53,140 --> 01:42:55,740
there are fewer than 700 left.

958
01:43:00,980 --> 01:43:04,980
These stealthy predators soon melt
back into the shadows

959
01:43:04,980 --> 01:43:07,460
and safety of the forest.

960
01:43:07,460 --> 01:43:09,780
HOWLING

961
01:43:18,860 --> 01:43:20,860
The formation of ice...

962
01:43:24,260 --> 01:43:27,500
..and first dusting of snow,

963
01:43:27,500 --> 01:43:29,500
heralds the return of winter...

964
01:43:31,940 --> 01:43:36,220
..completing the seasonal cycle for
life in the Heartlands.

965
01:43:42,820 --> 01:43:45,220
But there are some who have been
eagerly awaiting

966
01:43:45,220 --> 01:43:47,260
the return of the ice.

967
01:43:53,700 --> 01:43:58,660
Oskar Karlin is one of thousands of
Scandinavians for whom wild,

968
01:43:58,660 --> 01:44:04,020
or Nordic, ice skating is a consuming
passion.

969
01:44:05,300 --> 01:44:08,380
- Winter is something I really look
forward to.

970
01:44:09,820 --> 01:44:13,460
You want to be on the ice as soon as
possible

971
01:44:13,460 --> 01:44:16,460
because the first ice is the best ice.

972
01:44:17,900 --> 01:44:20,620
- But as ice skating can be dangerous,

973
01:44:20,620 --> 01:44:24,380
he needs to be absolutely sure the ice
is thick enough.

974
01:44:44,340 --> 01:44:49,060
- You say 3.2 centimetres is the
thinnest you can skate on.

975
01:44:53,060 --> 01:44:56,020
And when it's almost 10cms,

976
01:44:56,020 --> 01:44:58,460
you can almost drive a small car on
it.

977
01:45:13,020 --> 01:45:18,140
- Oskar takes the lead, navigating a
safe route across the lake.

978
01:45:25,900 --> 01:45:30,340
- I would never ever skate alone.
That's so dangerous.

979
01:45:32,940 --> 01:45:37,020
It's important to be quite focused,
cos you never know

980
01:45:37,020 --> 01:45:39,940
if the ice is getting thinner, or
what's going to happen.

981
01:45:42,340 --> 01:45:44,820
Parts of your brain has to be

982
01:45:44,820 --> 01:45:47,940
scanning the ice and looking for
dangers.

983
01:45:51,380 --> 01:45:54,300
- There are lots of different kinds of
ice...

984
01:45:55,780 --> 01:45:57,980
..but the holy grail

985
01:45:57,980 --> 01:46:01,700
is newly-formed black ice.

986
01:46:01,700 --> 01:46:06,140
It's smooth, clear and precariously
thin.

987
01:46:06,140 --> 01:46:08,700
- If the conditions are perfect,

988
01:46:08,700 --> 01:46:11,540
when it freezes, it becomes like
purely black,

989
01:46:11,540 --> 01:46:15,020
and that's the most magical ice to
skate on.

990
01:46:16,420 --> 01:46:19,300
- ENIGMATIC PULSING BEATS

991
01:46:25,300 --> 01:46:28,900
- The sound from the ice when it's
quite thin sounds

992
01:46:28,900 --> 01:46:32,820
very strange, almost like laser beams
- tshoom, tshoom.

993
01:46:32,820 --> 01:46:35,420
It's the sound from another world.

994
01:46:36,500 --> 01:46:40,580
It's almost like watching the Northern
Lights, but with your ears.

995
01:46:43,940 --> 01:46:47,540
- EERIE PULSING CONTINUES

996
01:46:49,900 --> 01:46:53,060
- Sometimes, when there's a little bit
of water on the ice,

997
01:46:53,060 --> 01:46:55,780
it feels like you're skating in the
sky, or something,

998
01:46:55,780 --> 01:46:58,700
because the reflections are
incredible.

999
01:47:02,500 --> 01:47:05,660
Living in the city, I love it, but
it's quite hectic,

1000
01:47:05,660 --> 01:47:09,060
so when I come out, I'm not so
stressed.

1001
01:47:14,100 --> 01:47:16,900
You constantly see this beautiful
nature

1002
01:47:16,900 --> 01:47:21,620
and when you skate, you get happy from
it.

1003
01:47:23,220 --> 01:47:24,700
So, the more you move,

1004
01:47:24,700 --> 01:47:26,420
the happier you get!

1005
01:47:29,180 --> 01:47:33,180
- Scandinavia's raw wilderness is
exhilarating for those who

1006
01:47:33,180 --> 01:47:35,380
immerse themselves in it.

1007
01:47:37,020 --> 01:47:39,980
But this perfect balance in nature...

1008
01:47:41,700 --> 01:47:44,100
..is a fleeting and fragile one.

1009
01:47:46,300 --> 01:47:48,900
- The seasons, every year is
different.

1010
01:47:48,900 --> 01:47:52,900
If the temperature just changes a few
degrees,

1011
01:47:52,900 --> 01:47:56,420
then we will have almost no ice, so
it's such a small variation

1012
01:47:56,420 --> 01:47:59,620
in temperature that changes the whole
thing.

1013
01:48:02,380 --> 01:48:06,860
The more time I spend in nature, I
realise how fragile everything is.

1014
01:48:21,020 --> 01:48:23,540
- This extraordinary world

1015
01:48:23,540 --> 01:48:27,900
with its countless intricate
relationships

1016
01:48:27,900 --> 01:48:31,940
exists in a delicate balance across
the seasons.

1017
01:48:35,060 --> 01:48:38,180
Today, it's becoming more fragile,

1018
01:48:38,180 --> 01:48:40,100
impacted by human pressures

1019
01:48:40,100 --> 01:48:41,700
and climate change.

1020
01:48:46,980 --> 01:48:50,620
Yet, just as the legendary tree,
Yggdrasil,

1021
01:48:50,620 --> 01:48:53,380
was the centre of the Norse
universe...

1022
01:48:56,140 --> 01:48:58,980
..forests still play a vital role...

1023
01:49:00,060 --> 01:49:01,580
..interconnecting life.

1024
01:49:06,180 --> 01:49:11,740
They are the living, beating heart of
Scandinavia.

1025
01:49:20,700 --> 01:49:25,260
The Wild Scandinavia team filmed in
the Nordic Heartlands over

1026
01:49:25,260 --> 01:49:27,140
the course of a year,

1027
01:49:27,140 --> 01:49:29,180
braving the mosquitoes...

1028
01:49:30,940 --> 01:49:32,620
..cold water...

1029
01:49:33,860 --> 01:49:35,820
..and thin ice.

1030
01:49:38,700 --> 01:49:42,820
Using state-of-the-art cameras and
innovative techniques,

1031
01:49:42,820 --> 01:49:45,900
the crew captured the dramatic
behaviour...

1032
01:49:47,340 --> 01:49:50,460
..of some of Scandinavia's most iconic
animals.

1033
01:49:59,020 --> 01:50:03,380
But perhaps the most challenging of
the shoots was filming with

1034
01:50:03,380 --> 01:50:06,140
a family of Sami reindeer herders in
Sweden.

1035
01:50:13,220 --> 01:50:17,180
The film crew had to cope with extreme
winter conditions

1036
01:50:17,180 --> 01:50:18,620
to get their shots.

1037
01:50:18,620 --> 01:50:23,020
- I'm just about keeping feeling in my
fingers with some hand warmers.

1038
01:50:23,020 --> 01:50:26,300
My water has succumbed to the cold!

1039
01:50:29,980 --> 01:50:33,380
- Traversing with deep snow is tricky.

1040
01:50:33,380 --> 01:50:35,780
I don't know how the reindeer do it.

1041
01:50:35,780 --> 01:50:38,100
Deep snow! God!

1042
01:50:40,340 --> 01:50:41,740
Oh, my God!

1043
01:50:41,740 --> 01:50:43,460
- Pull you up by this?

1044
01:50:43,460 --> 01:50:45,220
Woo-hoo!

1045
01:50:45,220 --> 01:50:46,780
OK, pull!

1046
01:50:46,780 --> 01:50:49,620
- LAUGHTER

1047
01:50:53,980 --> 01:50:58,780
Margret and her family take great
risks, crossing frozen lakes

1048
01:50:58,780 --> 01:51:01,420
and difficult terrain to guide their
herds

1049
01:51:01,420 --> 01:51:03,620
to the precious lichen forests.

1050
01:51:05,540 --> 01:51:09,140
As the reindeer move fast over long
distances,

1051
01:51:09,140 --> 01:51:12,100
the only way to keep up is by
snowmobile

1052
01:51:12,100 --> 01:51:16,460
and Margret learnt to drive one when
she was just five-years-old.

1053
01:51:19,100 --> 01:51:21,780
- This machine is going really, really
fast.

1054
01:51:21,780 --> 01:51:25,020
And you can hurt yourself really,
really bad on that.

1055
01:51:27,500 --> 01:51:30,580
- The crew need to learn how to handle
one safely.

1056
01:51:30,580 --> 01:51:32,860
- Start.

1057
01:51:32,860 --> 01:51:34,060
Gas.

1058
01:51:35,660 --> 01:51:36,940
Brake.

1059
01:51:36,940 --> 01:51:39,020
Yes. Ready?

1060
01:51:40,620 --> 01:51:42,420
More, more, more.

1061
01:51:42,420 --> 01:51:44,220
Not so fast!

1062
01:51:45,860 --> 01:51:47,700
When the snow is deep,

1063
01:51:47,700 --> 01:51:49,500
you always get stuck.

1064
01:51:49,500 --> 01:51:52,660
When I teach people,

1065
01:51:52,660 --> 01:51:55,500
I force them to get stuck in the snow.

1066
01:52:02,500 --> 01:52:05,100
And if you don't know how to get
loose,

1067
01:52:05,100 --> 01:52:07,900
when you get stuck, it can be
dangerous.

1068
01:52:14,100 --> 01:52:16,220
Everybody need to come here and help.

1069
01:52:16,220 --> 01:52:18,140
One can take there.

1070
01:52:18,140 --> 01:52:20,860
- It's essential that the crew work as
a team.

1071
01:52:22,620 --> 01:52:24,660
And with Margret's training,

1072
01:52:24,660 --> 01:52:27,260
they're ready to deal with the
challenges ahead.

1073
01:52:31,180 --> 01:52:33,820
- Yeah, we're in.
- Victory!

1074
01:52:33,820 --> 01:52:37,660
They did really, really good, this
crew.

1075
01:52:37,660 --> 01:52:40,580
They are not afraid of speed. That's a
good thing!

1076
01:52:43,740 --> 01:52:45,620
- The crew can now get to work,

1077
01:52:45,620 --> 01:52:49,900
following and filming the Sami, as
they herd their reindeer.

1078
01:52:54,420 --> 01:52:57,940
They see for themselves just how
tricky it is.

1079
01:53:03,100 --> 01:53:06,380
- It's very difficult. They're just
sort of completely scattered

1080
01:53:06,380 --> 01:53:07,420
through the forest.

1081
01:53:07,420 --> 01:53:11,420
They're like water, they just flow
everywhere!

1082
01:53:11,420 --> 01:53:13,900
- Margret makes it look easy.

1083
01:53:15,420 --> 01:53:19,980
- Really cool, see how she moves the
reindeer and herds them and...

1084
01:53:21,780 --> 01:53:24,980
It's like cowboys in the snow!
Amazing!

1085
01:53:24,980 --> 01:53:27,300
I want to be a Sami now!

1086
01:53:30,540 --> 01:53:35,340
- But the job of a reindeer herder has
got even harder in recent years,

1087
01:53:35,340 --> 01:53:38,420
particularly with a changing climate.

1088
01:53:41,940 --> 01:53:45,180
The average temperatures in parts of
Sweden have gone

1089
01:53:45,180 --> 01:53:48,860
up by a couple of degrees Celsius over
the last 30 years.

1090
01:53:48,860 --> 01:53:52,220
- You can have three seasons

1091
01:53:52,220 --> 01:53:56,540
in one month. That's never happened
when I was growing up.

1092
01:53:56,540 --> 01:54:01,260
The skills that I learned from my
fathers about weather

1093
01:54:01,260 --> 01:54:03,340
is not working any more.

1094
01:54:03,340 --> 01:54:05,980
It's really, really

1095
01:54:05,980 --> 01:54:08,820
hard to predict where should we go,

1096
01:54:08,820 --> 01:54:10,900
for the best grazing.

1097
01:54:10,900 --> 01:54:13,220
We never know. We have to move them

1098
01:54:13,220 --> 01:54:15,860
all the time in the winter.

1099
01:54:20,380 --> 01:54:23,100
- With such unpredictable weather,
Margret

1100
01:54:23,100 --> 01:54:25,420
and her husband, Daniel, have had to
adapt...

1101
01:54:27,060 --> 01:54:31,180
..and have found a novel way to herd
the reindeer even if there's

1102
01:54:31,180 --> 01:54:33,820
not enough snow to use snowmobiles.

1103
01:54:35,060 --> 01:54:38,220
- We use the drone. It's an easy way
to

1104
01:54:38,220 --> 01:54:40,580
get a hold of where they are.

1105
01:54:40,580 --> 01:54:42,100
And it saves time.

1106
01:54:43,900 --> 01:54:47,940
- Daniel broadcasts some intriguing
recordings from the drone's

1107
01:54:47,940 --> 01:54:50,260
loudspeaker to get the deer moving.

1108
01:54:50,260 --> 01:54:53,060
SIREN-STYLE ALARM

1109
01:54:54,780 --> 01:54:56,740
BARKING

1110
01:54:56,740 --> 01:54:58,540
- That's some dog from the internet.

1111
01:54:58,540 --> 01:55:01,620
- BARKING CONTINUES

1112
01:55:01,620 --> 01:55:05,660
- This is the Tasmanian devil,
apparently.

1113
01:55:05,660 --> 01:55:07,700
- STRANGE ROAR AND HOWL

1114
01:55:13,380 --> 01:55:15,900
- You have to use that carefully

1115
01:55:15,900 --> 01:55:18,780
because they can get really, really
scared.

1116
01:55:18,780 --> 01:55:21,660
And you can record your own voice

1117
01:55:21,660 --> 01:55:24,660
and play it up in the drone.

1118
01:55:24,660 --> 01:55:27,460
- HE CALLS

1119
01:55:27,460 --> 01:55:29,660
RECORDING PLAYS

1120
01:55:37,180 --> 01:55:39,740
- It's about the same as when you
drive a snowmobile.

1121
01:55:39,740 --> 01:55:44,220
You just point them in the direction
you want

1122
01:55:44,220 --> 01:55:49,060
and just go round them like this,
holding them together.

1123
01:55:49,060 --> 01:55:53,180
- Out of the 70,000 Sami that live
within Arctic Europe,

1124
01:55:53,180 --> 01:55:57,020
only 10% of them still herd reindeer.

1125
01:55:58,740 --> 01:56:02,300
But despite this dwindling lifestyle,
Margret's

1126
01:56:02,300 --> 01:56:07,220
18-year-old daughter Alva is keen to
continue the tradition.

1127
01:56:09,260 --> 01:56:12,900
- I will want to go out in the forest
and work with the reindeers,

1128
01:56:12,900 --> 01:56:14,340
full-time.

1129
01:56:15,540 --> 01:56:18,500
Here, I get to be outside, I get to
see the

1130
01:56:18,500 --> 01:56:21,900
animals that I really love.

1131
01:56:24,380 --> 01:56:27,540
You can just see a reindeer one day by
the road

1132
01:56:27,540 --> 01:56:31,620
and you make it go to the forest and
then you feel like a superhero.

1133
01:56:37,260 --> 01:56:40,060
- Although the Sami herders of
Scandinavia

1134
01:56:40,060 --> 01:56:42,100
face many challenges today...

1135
01:56:44,300 --> 01:56:47,500
..Margret and her family have found
ways to modernise

1136
01:56:47,500 --> 01:56:50,140
and adapt their traditional way of
life...

1137
01:56:52,180 --> 01:56:55,980
..retaining their close alliance with
the reindeer, which will

1138
01:56:55,980 --> 01:56:59,300
hopefully continue far into the
future.

1139
01:57:03,340 --> 01:57:07,060
Next time, we travel to Scandinavia's
extremes...

1140
01:57:10,220 --> 01:57:12,740
..where the long, dark, polar night...

1141
01:57:14,500 --> 01:57:19,740
..melts into a sleepless rush of life
under the midnight sun...

1142
01:57:21,180 --> 01:57:23,940
..in the kingdoms of ice...

1143
01:57:25,420 --> 01:57:27,820
..and fire.

1144
01:58:02,100 --> 01:58:06,580
In the far north of Europe is a land
steeped in myth.

1145
01:58:08,300 --> 01:58:10,340
The realm of Thor...

1146
01:58:11,620 --> 01:58:13,420
..and Odin.

1147
01:58:17,160 --> 01:58:19,940
From Norway's frozen wilderness...

1148
01:58:22,420 --> 01:58:26,140
..deep into magical Swedish forests...

1149
01:58:28,500 --> 01:58:32,060
..across Denmark's windswept shores...

1150
01:58:33,900 --> 01:58:37,420
..to explosive Icelandic volcanoes...

1151
01:58:40,220 --> 01:58:43,220
..Scandinavia's breathtaking
landscapes...

1152
01:58:47,380 --> 01:58:49,900
..have shaped its people...

1153
01:58:58,700 --> 01:59:01,060
..and its wildlife.

1154
01:59:07,300 --> 01:59:13,140
At the extremes, Scandinavia gives way
to a kingdom of ice...

1155
01:59:16,820 --> 01:59:20,500
..where the long dark polar night...

1156
01:59:20,500 --> 01:59:23,620
..melts into a sleepless rush of
life...

1157
01:59:25,140 --> 01:59:27,660
..under endless summer light.

1158
01:59:32,300 --> 01:59:34,500
To survive here,

1159
01:59:34,500 --> 01:59:39,660
animals must navigate the most
dramatic seasonal shifts on Earth,

1160
01:59:39,660 --> 01:59:42,700
driven by the power of the sun.

1161
02:00:06,540 --> 02:00:12,460
Scandinavia's far north is in the grip
of winter.

1162
02:00:20,740 --> 02:00:26,180
Lonely mountains and isolated Arctic
islands...

1163
02:00:27,580 --> 02:00:32,300
..are locked under the weight of snow
and ice.

1164
02:00:35,620 --> 02:00:39,700
These are Scandinavia's most remote
places.

1165
02:00:43,380 --> 02:00:48,660
Starved of sunlight in winter and
plunged into the bitter cold...

1166
02:00:49,900 --> 02:00:52,660
..often reaching lows of -20C.

1167
02:00:57,740 --> 02:01:01,900
There are not many creatures who can
bear this long, dark season.

1168
02:01:04,500 --> 02:01:10,420
But for those who stay, this is a
final stronghold in a warming world.

1169
02:01:27,940 --> 02:01:31,860
Winds over 100mph greet the muskoxen

1170
02:01:31,860 --> 02:01:34,100
of Norway's remote mountains.

1171
02:01:41,580 --> 02:01:48,820
They are a relic of the Ice Age,
unchanged for over 600,000 years.

1172
02:01:52,580 --> 02:01:56,900
Layers of thick fur shield them from
the vicious weather.

1173
02:02:05,260 --> 02:02:09,340
Herding together, they're at home in
the long winter.

1174
02:02:14,820 --> 02:02:19,820
But even in the gloom, the sun does
not let the North forget her.

1175
02:02:29,220 --> 02:02:34,780
93 million miles away, a solar storm
is raging.

1176
02:02:40,260 --> 02:02:44,540
Electrically charged particles burst
from the sun's surface...

1177
02:02:47,660 --> 02:02:49,780
..and hurtle towards Earth.

1178
02:02:59,380 --> 02:03:01,580
As they reach our planet,

1179
02:03:01,580 --> 02:03:06,940
the attack is deflected towards the
poles by Earth's magnetic field.

1180
02:03:09,020 --> 02:03:12,340
But some particles break through to
the atmosphere

1181
02:03:12,340 --> 02:03:15,060
and react with gases in the sky...

1182
02:03:16,660 --> 02:03:20,340
..igniting the lights of the aurora
borealis.

1183
02:03:26,300 --> 02:03:31,380
Only in the darkness can they be seen
in their full glory.

1184
02:03:33,820 --> 02:03:39,380
Icelanders call them Nordurljos, the
Dawn of the North.

1185
02:03:42,820 --> 02:03:46,780
They are a reminder that the sun will
soon return.

1186
02:03:52,620 --> 02:03:58,380
On the western edge of Scandinavia
lies the island of Iceland.

1187
02:04:00,900 --> 02:04:04,060
Only a few miles below the Arctic
Circle,

1188
02:04:04,060 --> 02:04:08,620
the Hornstrandir peninsula spills out
towards the North...

1189
02:04:14,380 --> 02:04:16,940
..in a series of dramatic fjords...

1190
02:04:20,300 --> 02:04:23,140
..and vast tracts of tundra.

1191
02:04:26,380 --> 02:04:31,620
In February, the late winter heaves
thick sheets of snow and ice

1192
02:04:31,620 --> 02:04:34,380
downhill towards the sea.

1193
02:04:37,900 --> 02:04:40,980
Small patches of berries from last
autumn...

1194
02:04:42,100 --> 02:04:44,940
..are uncovered in the weak sunlight.

1195
02:04:51,820 --> 02:04:55,060
A morsel for Iceland's only native
mammal...

1196
02:04:57,100 --> 02:04:59,060
..the arctic fox.

1197
02:05:04,700 --> 02:05:09,860
Her fur is thick enough to tolerate
temperatures as low as -45C.

1198
02:05:14,980 --> 02:05:18,340
But it's not the cold that she needs
to worry about.

1199
02:05:20,860 --> 02:05:23,380
Prey is scarce in the winter months...

1200
02:05:24,340 --> 02:05:26,780
..and a few berries are not enough.

1201
02:05:29,100 --> 02:05:31,660
It pays to keep an eye on the tides.

1202
02:05:37,100 --> 02:05:41,500
To survive here, arctic foxes must
scavenge on the shoreline.

1203
02:05:48,540 --> 02:05:53,540
But on the edge of Iceland, foraging
is not always easy.

1204
02:05:56,660 --> 02:05:59,460
Every day that the sun grows stronger,

1205
02:05:59,460 --> 02:06:02,580
the cliffs of snow edge towards
collapse.

1206
02:06:09,420 --> 02:06:15,340
A formidable descent lies between her
and her only hope of survival.

1207
02:06:22,060 --> 02:06:24,540
She can't afford to miss low tide.

1208
02:06:25,940 --> 02:06:28,780
There is no choice but to go down.

1209
02:06:37,060 --> 02:06:41,500
Hornstrandir's coast is revealed for
just a few hours...

1210
02:06:43,580 --> 02:06:46,420
..and ravens have already arrived.

1211
02:06:57,020 --> 02:06:59,140
She works quickly,

1212
02:06:59,140 --> 02:07:02,500
trying to find something they might
have overlooked...

1213
02:07:04,060 --> 02:07:06,540
..before the tide cuts her off.

1214
02:07:15,500 --> 02:07:18,740
Every metre of the beach is explored.

1215
02:07:37,540 --> 02:07:42,500
This time, the strong currents have
provided what she needs.

1216
02:07:46,780 --> 02:07:49,500
A sea urchin is a lifeline.

1217
02:08:03,180 --> 02:08:07,460
In summer, these cliffs will come
alive with nesting birds...

1218
02:08:09,660 --> 02:08:12,740
..and her resilience will be rewarded.

1219
02:08:14,700 --> 02:08:18,500
As the earth shifts, the sun grows
stronger.

1220
02:08:22,180 --> 02:08:23,740
For an arctic fox...

1221
02:08:25,180 --> 02:08:27,820
..the change can't come soon enough.

1222
02:08:35,300 --> 02:08:37,420
In Iceland's highlands,

1223
02:08:37,420 --> 02:08:41,340
the lengthening daylight does little
to thaw the hills.

1224
02:08:44,300 --> 02:08:48,460
In March, this is still winter's
kingdom.

1225
02:08:52,260 --> 02:08:56,380
Each year, this is the first place to
greet the cold...

1226
02:08:58,540 --> 02:09:01,300
..and the last to say goodbye.

1227
02:09:09,100 --> 02:09:11,900
But it's not as deserted as it seems.

1228
02:09:19,020 --> 02:09:23,460
Bryn, Thorey and Birna are no
strangers to the cold.

1229
02:09:25,260 --> 02:09:29,180
These three friends take on a winter
expedition every year.

1230
02:09:32,140 --> 02:09:35,780
- I really love bad weather, there's
something healing in it.

1231
02:09:37,420 --> 02:09:40,420
It's just you against the elements.
It's great.

1232
02:09:43,060 --> 02:09:47,060
- Crossing hundreds of miles over a
single weekend,

1233
02:09:47,060 --> 02:09:51,300
they set aside any fears to navigate
over hidden rivers...

1234
02:09:52,620 --> 02:09:54,820
..across buried crevasses...

1235
02:09:56,300 --> 02:09:59,380
..and creep beneath heavy banks of
snow.

1236
02:10:02,220 --> 02:10:08,020
In exchange, they are liberated from
life's usual routines.

1237
02:10:10,940 --> 02:10:14,340
- For me as a woman, allowing me to
have interests,

1238
02:10:14,340 --> 02:10:18,020
to have something else than just being
a mother

1239
02:10:18,020 --> 02:10:20,220
and just being a good employer...

1240
02:10:21,380 --> 02:10:25,500
..I wanted to just put more adventure
into my life.

1241
02:10:44,540 --> 02:10:47,100
- On these trips they are
self-reliant,

1242
02:10:47,100 --> 02:10:49,220
carrying everything they need...

1243
02:10:50,620 --> 02:10:52,860
..and hours away from rescue.

1244
02:10:56,500 --> 02:10:58,660
- I like navigating, and that's my...

1245
02:10:58,660 --> 02:11:02,140
My strong suit is navigation and
reading maps.

1246
02:11:03,860 --> 02:11:06,340
Slowly, slowly you build up the
experience...

1247
02:11:07,740 --> 02:11:09,740
..and you get more confident.

1248
02:11:11,580 --> 02:11:15,740
- But survival isn't just about
mastering the conditions.

1249
02:11:18,060 --> 02:11:20,020
- It's a feeling of freedom.

1250
02:11:20,020 --> 02:11:23,500
I think freedom is the strongest
feeling I feel

1251
02:11:23,500 --> 02:11:25,540
when I travel like this.

1252
02:11:30,500 --> 02:11:35,940
- With daylight fading, their intended
destination comes into view...

1253
02:11:38,060 --> 02:11:40,540
..Iceland's hot springs.

1254
02:11:43,660 --> 02:11:48,740
No trip to the highlands should be
without this vital luxury.

1255
02:11:51,300 --> 02:11:54,780
- The hot springs are a treat all year
round,

1256
02:11:54,780 --> 02:11:57,620
but especially so in the wintertime.

1257
02:12:00,940 --> 02:12:06,420
You find a hot spring and just soak it
in and warm up.

1258
02:12:12,060 --> 02:12:15,780
- There are geothermal hot springs all
over Iceland.

1259
02:12:19,940 --> 02:12:22,580
The waters here are 40C

1260
02:12:22,580 --> 02:12:26,420
and rich in minerals thought to have
healing properties.

1261
02:12:29,140 --> 02:12:32,100
- You're a bit tired after the
challenge

1262
02:12:32,100 --> 02:12:36,820
you've taken on during the day, and it
is the most amazing feeling.

1263
02:12:38,460 --> 02:12:45,020
- These hot springs are known in
Icelandic as Landmannalaugar,

1264
02:12:45,020 --> 02:12:47,260
'the people's pools'.

1265
02:12:49,140 --> 02:12:54,580
For centuries, they have been used as
a rest spot for weary travellers.

1266
02:12:57,700 --> 02:12:59,740
Little has changed.

1267
02:13:10,380 --> 02:13:15,260
These hot springs are an oasis in a
desert of snow,

1268
02:13:15,260 --> 02:13:20,700
but humans aren't the only ones here
soaking up the warmth.

1269
02:13:25,620 --> 02:13:27,660
Hidden amongst the mosses,

1270
02:13:27,660 --> 02:13:30,860
a surprising creature stalks the
undergrowth.

1271
02:13:32,300 --> 02:13:33,820
Laugakongulo...

1272
02:13:34,780 --> 02:13:37,020
..Iceland's pool spider.

1273
02:13:39,740 --> 02:13:42,100
Only the size of a thumbnail,

1274
02:13:42,100 --> 02:13:46,340
these spiders are amongst the smallest
of the wolf spider family.

1275
02:13:49,700 --> 02:13:52,140
They're found all over the world.

1276
02:13:54,300 --> 02:13:56,460
Normally dormant in the winter...

1277
02:13:57,420 --> 02:14:00,980
..here they live a very different
life.

1278
02:14:06,020 --> 02:14:09,380
The constant heat allows these spiders

1279
02:14:09,380 --> 02:14:11,340
to defy the seasonal clock...

1280
02:14:12,980 --> 02:14:16,260
..thriving, even in the middle of
winter.

1281
02:14:23,820 --> 02:14:26,140
But there are limits even here.

1282
02:14:27,100 --> 02:14:30,660
Wolf spiders must walk a perilous line

1283
02:14:30,660 --> 02:14:34,580
between the worlds of ice and fire.

1284
02:14:42,700 --> 02:14:46,540
One wrong step means being boiled
alive...

1285
02:14:49,740 --> 02:14:52,260
..or swept away in the current.

1286
02:14:56,700 --> 02:14:59,460
Not everyone lives to see the summer.

1287
02:15:03,020 --> 02:15:05,860
But stray too far from the hot
springs...

1288
02:15:07,220 --> 02:15:10,020
..and a much colder death awaits.

1289
02:15:12,700 --> 02:15:16,260
Luckily, their prey is also marooned.

1290
02:15:18,620 --> 02:15:21,660
These flies are hot spring
specialists,

1291
02:15:21,660 --> 02:15:24,660
feeding on nutrient-rich algae.

1292
02:15:36,020 --> 02:15:38,940
Wolf spiders earned their name

1293
02:15:38,940 --> 02:15:42,220
from their predatory hunting
technique.

1294
02:15:57,100 --> 02:16:00,580
It's sometimes hard to see the
association.

1295
02:16:31,460 --> 02:16:34,860
Even the most hopeless spider gets
lucky sometimes.

1296
02:16:38,140 --> 02:16:43,300
They might not be agile hunters, but
in this warm oasis,

1297
02:16:43,300 --> 02:16:46,060
they have the luxury of time.

1298
02:16:55,420 --> 02:16:59,740
The hot springs across Iceland are a
sanctuary from winter.

1299
02:17:03,580 --> 02:17:06,780
But the volcanic forces that have
created them...

1300
02:17:09,540 --> 02:17:13,220
..are as powerful as they are
unpredictable.

1301
02:17:19,340 --> 02:17:21,540
Since the history books began,

1302
02:17:21,540 --> 02:17:25,980
Iceland has been a land dominated by
ice...

1303
02:17:26,940 --> 02:17:28,860
..and fire.

1304
02:17:33,140 --> 02:17:37,700
Though they coexist, it's fire that
reigns here.

1305
02:17:43,540 --> 02:17:46,300
Iceland has over 100 volcanoes.

1306
02:17:49,540 --> 02:17:53,300
Magma is the lifeblood of this
island...

1307
02:17:59,460 --> 02:18:03,460
..able to thaw Iceland's coldest
winters

1308
02:18:03,460 --> 02:18:09,100
and unleash ash clouds that turn day
into night.

1309
02:18:14,740 --> 02:18:17,620
More explosive eruptions of the past

1310
02:18:17,620 --> 02:18:20,900
might be behind the words of ancient
poetry.

1311
02:18:23,020 --> 02:18:27,300
Sol ter sortna - the sun turns
black...

1312
02:18:28,740 --> 02:18:33,180
..leikr har hiti - flames fly high...

1313
02:18:34,460 --> 02:18:39,500
..vid himin sjalfan - as if against
heaven itself.

1314
02:18:50,060 --> 02:18:56,740
Nowhere else in Scandinavia can the
Earth defy winter with such success.

1315
02:19:00,820 --> 02:19:05,060
Bur warmth is a distant memory in the
far North.

1316
02:19:10,220 --> 02:19:12,860
At Scandinavia's extremes,

1317
02:19:12,860 --> 02:19:18,420
the frozen islands of Svalbard lie
deep inside the Arctic Circle.

1318
02:19:28,740 --> 02:19:33,140
Here, the brutal winter has been one
long night.

1319
02:19:36,180 --> 02:19:40,180
But by March, the sun finally returns.

1320
02:19:50,580 --> 02:19:56,900
In just one month, the daylight swings
from one hour to 12.

1321
02:19:58,380 --> 02:20:01,180
Spring has finally begun.

1322
02:20:08,180 --> 02:20:13,860
The sun's reappearance ignites a
dormant lust in male polar bears.

1323
02:20:20,100 --> 02:20:25,300
This male is now entirely devoted to
finding a mate.

1324
02:20:32,420 --> 02:20:36,300
He might have to travel hundreds of
miles to find a female...

1325
02:20:39,340 --> 02:20:41,900
..and in the vast frozen landscape,

1326
02:20:41,900 --> 02:20:45,220
there's only one way to track down
romance.

1327
02:20:46,740 --> 02:20:49,020
He must follow his nose.

1328
02:20:53,980 --> 02:20:59,220
Scent glands on polar bears' feet mean
that every footstep they leave

1329
02:20:59,220 --> 02:21:02,660
encodes their identity on to the
ice...

1330
02:21:13,780 --> 02:21:18,020
..and he's following the faint
footsteps of a female.

1331
02:21:30,340 --> 02:21:32,820
After days of pursuing her...

1332
02:21:35,660 --> 02:21:37,620
..there she is.

1333
02:21:48,180 --> 02:21:51,340
Finding her is only half the
challenge.

1334
02:21:57,420 --> 02:22:01,620
Polar bear courtship is anything but
simple.

1335
02:22:03,140 --> 02:22:05,420
Males are usually so aggressive

1336
02:22:05,420 --> 02:22:07,700
that females spend most of the year

1337
02:22:07,700 --> 02:22:10,020
avoiding them.

1338
02:22:10,020 --> 02:22:12,380
If he wants to win her trust,

1339
02:22:12,380 --> 02:22:14,460
he'll need to turn on the charm.

1340
02:22:19,180 --> 02:22:22,820
Because it takes so long for a polar
bear couple to meet,

1341
02:22:22,820 --> 02:22:28,260
her ovulation will only be triggered
after several days of his company.

1342
02:22:34,660 --> 02:22:40,380
And it'll take much longer than that
for his efforts to bear any fruit.

1343
02:22:46,100 --> 02:22:50,300
After a winter alone, he's willing to
take on the challenge.

1344
02:22:55,860 --> 02:23:00,500
South of Svalbard, across the freezing
Barents Sea,

1345
02:23:00,500 --> 02:23:05,980
the northern tip of Norway is a
patchwork of tundra and snow.

1346
02:23:10,500 --> 02:23:13,860
In mid-May, sunset merges into sunrise

1347
02:23:13,860 --> 02:23:16,140
for the first time in the year.

1348
02:23:18,180 --> 02:23:22,300
The sun won't set again for another
eight weeks.

1349
02:23:25,500 --> 02:23:27,980
It's a silent starting pistol

1350
02:23:27,980 --> 02:23:31,020
that will transform the Arctic
landscape...

1351
02:23:32,580 --> 02:23:34,540
..and its animals.

1352
02:23:38,660 --> 02:23:42,500
Stunted willows provide the first
nectar of the season...

1353
02:23:46,940 --> 02:23:50,580
..and a song post for migrant birds
from the south.

1354
02:23:54,700 --> 02:23:59,340
But the tundra's most extravagant
visitors have just arrived.

1355
02:24:03,540 --> 02:24:05,300
Male ruffs...

1356
02:24:06,260 --> 02:24:08,580
..desperate for attention.

1357
02:24:16,140 --> 02:24:18,940
This is a lekking ground.

1358
02:24:18,940 --> 02:24:22,780
Here, males defend their own tiny
patch of tundra,

1359
02:24:22,780 --> 02:24:28,340
performing elaborate dances to seduce
their female audience.

1360
02:24:33,980 --> 02:24:36,580
With 24 hours of sunlight,

1361
02:24:36,580 --> 02:24:39,500
this performance goes on through the
night.

1362
02:24:43,500 --> 02:24:48,180
Whenever boundaries are crossed,
fights break out.

1363
02:24:59,340 --> 02:25:02,420
But there are some who don't play by
these rules.

1364
02:25:04,780 --> 02:25:09,220
Ruffs with white feathers are
genetically different.

1365
02:25:11,180 --> 02:25:13,900
They will never hold a dancing patch
of their own.

1366
02:25:18,180 --> 02:25:20,780
They're less aggressive than the other
males...

1367
02:25:22,900 --> 02:25:25,060
..and perhaps that's why...

1368
02:25:27,260 --> 02:25:30,620
..the dominant dancers tolerate their
presence.

1369
02:25:34,860 --> 02:25:39,820
They even co-ordinate dance moves for
a more dazzling display.

1370
02:25:52,140 --> 02:25:55,780
But white ruffs have their own mating
strategy.

1371
02:25:57,700 --> 02:26:00,940
He'll endure the leading male's ego

1372
02:26:00,940 --> 02:26:05,220
if it means he can get a little closer
to the ladies.

1373
02:26:07,340 --> 02:26:09,300
But too close...

1374
02:26:10,860 --> 02:26:13,500
..and he's quickly put back in his
place.

1375
02:26:18,900 --> 02:26:21,340
He'll need to be a little sneakier.

1376
02:26:23,060 --> 02:26:26,460
Perhaps he can trick this orange-maned
male?

1377
02:26:37,020 --> 02:26:40,460
But he's not the easiest dancing
partner either.

1378
02:26:43,700 --> 02:26:45,980
BIRD CHIRPS

1379
02:26:48,140 --> 02:26:50,300
An intruder interrupts.

1380
02:26:53,700 --> 02:26:56,060
This is his moment.

1381
02:27:13,140 --> 02:27:15,860
The white ruff steals the show...

1382
02:27:21,340 --> 02:27:24,540
..and there's nothing his competition
can do about it.

1383
02:27:31,540 --> 02:27:33,900
He'll take every chance he can get.

1384
02:27:35,460 --> 02:27:38,260
And with endless daylight on his side,

1385
02:27:38,260 --> 02:27:41,060
he has plenty of time to push his
luck.

1386
02:27:48,540 --> 02:27:51,180
Throughout June, across Scandinavia...

1387
02:27:52,900 --> 02:27:55,180
..as each day grows warmer,

1388
02:27:55,180 --> 02:27:58,980
the landscape becomes almost
unrecognisable.

1389
02:28:04,820 --> 02:28:07,860
The muted white of Iceland's highlands

1390
02:28:07,860 --> 02:28:10,940
gives way to a kaleidoscope of colour.

1391
02:28:18,940 --> 02:28:23,140
Meltwater braids across black volcanic
sands.

1392
02:28:33,620 --> 02:28:39,220
Flowers rush from seed to bloom in a
race against time.

1393
02:28:46,180 --> 02:28:50,420
In the ancient Norse calendar, these
weeks of light

1394
02:28:50,420 --> 02:28:54,820
were known as Solmanuour, the sun
month.

1395
02:29:05,060 --> 02:29:07,220
Even in Svalbard,

1396
02:29:07,220 --> 02:29:11,100
the stubborn remnants of winter are
finally overthrown.

1397
02:29:13,300 --> 02:29:16,380
The sun is at the height of her power.

1398
02:29:19,380 --> 02:29:23,900
Temperatures climb up from their
winter lows by nearly 30 degrees.

1399
02:29:31,220 --> 02:29:34,060
And this world of snow and ice

1400
02:29:34,060 --> 02:29:38,100
is unravelling at an unimaginable
pace.

1401
02:29:41,260 --> 02:29:45,860
Every year, Svalbard loses 18 billion
tonnes of water...

1402
02:29:51,340 --> 02:29:55,180
..and much of this water comes from
glaciers.

1403
02:29:59,660 --> 02:30:01,620
In recent years,

1404
02:30:01,620 --> 02:30:05,780
glaciers across Svalbard have been
behaving strangely.

1405
02:30:09,940 --> 02:30:13,380
Scientists know that the Scandinavian
Arctic,

1406
02:30:13,380 --> 02:30:17,460
like most of the North, is undergoing
a dramatic change...

1407
02:30:24,140 --> 02:30:30,260
..none more so than glaciologists like
Dr Heidi Sevestre.

1408
02:30:32,780 --> 02:30:36,940
- My job is to study big monsters of
ice, like this guy behind me.

1409
02:30:39,940 --> 02:30:42,980
I find glaciers endlessly fascinating.

1410
02:30:44,300 --> 02:30:47,820
They are absolutely beautiful. They
are just mesmerising.

1411
02:30:56,900 --> 02:31:00,140
- Heidi has been studying glaciers for
over ten years.

1412
02:31:05,580 --> 02:31:07,740
- Just another day in the office!

1413
02:31:12,220 --> 02:31:17,260
- Wahlenbergbreen is one of over 2,000
glaciers on Svalbard.

1414
02:31:19,620 --> 02:31:23,780
This is a river of ice, 16 miles long,

1415
02:31:23,780 --> 02:31:26,020
emptying into the sea.

1416
02:31:28,140 --> 02:31:33,300
- Glaciers in the Arctic are all being
deeply affected by climate change.

1417
02:31:33,300 --> 02:31:36,500
The one we have behind us is quite a
special one.

1418
02:31:38,420 --> 02:31:42,580
This glacier, five or six years ago,
was almost completely static.

1419
02:31:42,580 --> 02:31:47,020
It was completely dormant. So slow,
nothing was happening here.

1420
02:31:47,020 --> 02:31:51,340
And, simply, the glacier started to
wake up and to accelerate.

1421
02:31:52,700 --> 02:31:55,820
This is a glacier that is currently
surging.

1422
02:31:58,820 --> 02:32:04,340
- As the arctic heats up, Svalbard is
experiencing more rain every year...

1423
02:32:06,060 --> 02:32:08,460
..which erodes through glaciers,

1424
02:32:08,460 --> 02:32:12,180
making them slip faster towards
warming seas

1425
02:32:12,180 --> 02:32:14,820
in this process known as surging.

1426
02:32:17,620 --> 02:32:20,860
Heidi is here for the arctic melt
season

1427
02:32:20,860 --> 02:32:25,100
to find out just how fast
Wahlenbergbreen is moving.

1428
02:32:26,940 --> 02:32:31,100
- Time-lapse is really a revolution in
the field of glaciology.

1429
02:32:31,100 --> 02:32:33,660
Making the invisible visible.

1430
02:32:37,260 --> 02:32:40,940
- The team leave the time-lapse
cameras running over the summer

1431
02:32:40,940 --> 02:32:45,860
to monitor the glacier's movements
before retrieving the footage.

1432
02:32:50,620 --> 02:32:52,740
- Using the time-lapse footage

1433
02:32:52,740 --> 02:32:55,780
and tracking some of the features in
the ice,

1434
02:32:55,780 --> 02:32:58,660
it tells us that the glacier is moving

1435
02:32:58,660 --> 02:33:02,300
at about four to five metres per day,

1436
02:33:02,300 --> 02:33:05,540
which is super, super fast for a
glacier of this size.

1437
02:33:07,580 --> 02:33:09,940
- For scientists like Heidi,

1438
02:33:09,940 --> 02:33:12,660
Svalbard is a glimpse into the future

1439
02:33:12,660 --> 02:33:15,420
for places far beyond Scandinavia.

1440
02:33:17,700 --> 02:33:21,580
- It is very important to have people
to study what is happening here

1441
02:33:21,580 --> 02:33:24,300
because it's showing us what will
happen

1442
02:33:24,300 --> 02:33:27,180
in the rest of the world in the
decades to come.

1443
02:33:30,460 --> 02:33:31,980
- Because of climate change,

1444
02:33:31,980 --> 02:33:35,980
the Arctic is warming twice as fast as
the rest of the world.

1445
02:33:37,220 --> 02:33:40,700
But Svalbard is warming much faster
than that.

1446
02:33:42,180 --> 02:33:46,420
- We've seen glaciers in Svalbard
that, as the result of a surge,

1447
02:33:46,420 --> 02:33:49,980
lost 80% of their entire mass.

1448
02:33:50,940 --> 02:33:54,820
- That is ice that the glacier will
never recover.

1449
02:33:55,780 --> 02:33:57,940
- So what we are seeing here

1450
02:33:57,940 --> 02:34:00,900
is pretty much like a patient in
intensive care

1451
02:34:00,900 --> 02:34:03,060
and all the alarm bells are ringing.

1452
02:34:04,460 --> 02:34:08,500
- Temperatures here are expected to
warm by over ten degrees

1453
02:34:08,500 --> 02:34:11,140
by the end of this century...

1454
02:34:11,140 --> 02:34:14,300
..changing Svalbard beyond
recognition.

1455
02:34:21,380 --> 02:34:25,620
But Heidi believes there is still hope
for the Arctic.

1456
02:34:27,300 --> 02:34:30,780
- What's very clear is that you can
never stop an ocean that is rising.

1457
02:34:33,020 --> 02:34:36,380
We have all the cards in our hands
today to fight the climate crisis...

1458
02:34:38,700 --> 02:34:42,300
..and that makes me incredibly hopeful
for the future.

1459
02:34:56,620 --> 02:34:58,540
- 20,000 years ago,

1460
02:34:58,540 --> 02:35:02,180
great sheets of ice covered the whole
of Scandinavia.

1461
02:35:05,820 --> 02:35:09,700
Ancient glaciers carved Norway's
mountain valleys.

1462
02:35:12,700 --> 02:35:14,700
But in the midday sun...

1463
02:35:16,100 --> 02:35:18,860
..the Ice Age is a distant memory.

1464
02:35:31,020 --> 02:35:35,860
And the muskoxen of Norway were not
built for this heat.

1465
02:35:46,100 --> 02:35:51,460
With two layers of thick fur, the
leader of the herd is suffering.

1466
02:35:54,940 --> 02:35:58,940
His rank entitles him to this harem of
females...

1467
02:36:00,460 --> 02:36:03,180
..all mothers to calves that he has
fathered.

1468
02:36:10,380 --> 02:36:13,940
But this mating privilege comes with
responsibility.

1469
02:36:16,820 --> 02:36:20,260
He must protect and lead them until
winter.

1470
02:36:22,500 --> 02:36:26,220
They can't stay in the hot, airless
valleys.

1471
02:36:29,820 --> 02:36:32,700
Moving to higher ground brings
relief...

1472
02:36:33,700 --> 02:36:37,860
..but it also means the muskoxen
scattered across Dovrefjell

1473
02:36:37,860 --> 02:36:40,340
are slowly moving closer together...

1474
02:36:44,020 --> 02:36:46,940
..an unwelcome prospect for the male.

1475
02:36:51,020 --> 02:36:55,300
Late summer triggers the start of the
muskox rut.

1476
02:36:59,100 --> 02:37:04,100
His position of dominance must be
defended in battle every year.

1477
02:37:13,140 --> 02:37:14,660
A rival male.

1478
02:37:26,460 --> 02:37:30,260
This challenger knows he is an equal
match.

1479
02:37:36,260 --> 02:37:39,260
Presenting his broadside demonstrates
his bulk.

1480
02:37:42,620 --> 02:37:45,900
The defender won't tolerate such
insolence.

1481
02:38:08,220 --> 02:38:11,540
They charge at speeds over 30mph.

1482
02:38:25,460 --> 02:38:28,940
Despite having a skull thicker than a
brick...

1483
02:38:28,940 --> 02:38:31,460
..and a brain smaller than a fist...

1484
02:38:36,220 --> 02:38:39,420
..these impacts cause lasting damage.

1485
02:38:50,180 --> 02:38:53,180
They're too evenly matched to end the
fight quickly.

1486
02:38:56,220 --> 02:39:00,180
Instead, they try to throw their
opponent off balance.

1487
02:39:19,900 --> 02:39:22,780
The defending male times it right.

1488
02:39:25,100 --> 02:39:27,420
It's enough to finish it.

1489
02:39:35,820 --> 02:39:38,220
His legacy is protected...

1490
02:39:41,660 --> 02:39:43,220
..for now.

1491
02:39:46,140 --> 02:39:50,340
The muskox rut will only end at the
first signs of winter.

1492
02:39:54,980 --> 02:39:59,300
Under the glare of the sun, he'll be
tested to his limits.

1493
02:40:07,340 --> 02:40:11,380
Other arctic animals seem to be
revelling

1494
02:40:11,380 --> 02:40:13,820
in life under the midnight sun.

1495
02:40:16,940 --> 02:40:20,020
In Svalbard, freed from sea ice,

1496
02:40:20,020 --> 02:40:22,940
the shoreline provides summer visitors

1497
02:40:22,940 --> 02:40:25,980
with round-the-clock feeding
opportunities.

1498
02:40:42,740 --> 02:40:47,100
In Hornsund, the arctic's most
numerous sea bird...

1499
02:40:48,580 --> 02:40:51,260
..is permanently dressed for dinner.

1500
02:41:04,300 --> 02:41:09,340
This war zone of rock is the seasonal
home of the little auk.

1501
02:41:11,340 --> 02:41:13,660
Spending their life at sea,

1502
02:41:13,660 --> 02:41:17,420
little auks come on land for just a
few months of the year.

1503
02:41:24,820 --> 02:41:29,860
Concealed between the boulders lies a
badly kept secret.

1504
02:41:48,940 --> 02:41:52,100
Over 55,000 little auk chicks...

1505
02:41:53,300 --> 02:41:55,300
..hiding out of sight.

1506
02:41:57,820 --> 02:42:00,580
They need to grow up quickly and
fledge

1507
02:42:00,580 --> 02:42:03,580
before the temperature drops below
freezing.

1508
02:42:05,740 --> 02:42:08,020
They have just under four weeks.

1509
02:42:14,820 --> 02:42:19,500
Little auks mate for life and his
parents are a team,

1510
02:42:19,500 --> 02:42:24,580
coordinating daily trips over 60 miles
out to sea

1511
02:42:24,580 --> 02:42:27,740
to ensure their chick is never without
food for long.

1512
02:42:29,460 --> 02:42:33,380
Raising young like this is a massive
energy investment...

1513
02:42:34,620 --> 02:42:37,980
..so each pair will only have one
chick,

1514
02:42:37,980 --> 02:42:40,860
one shot at parenting, every year.

1515
02:42:43,820 --> 02:42:45,980
But they are devoted to the cause.

1516
02:42:51,020 --> 02:42:54,060
Each day, the chick will eat half its
body weight

1517
02:42:54,060 --> 02:42:56,460
in energy-rich zooplankton.

1518
02:43:01,580 --> 02:43:05,260
When he is not being fed, he's alone
in the nest.

1519
02:43:07,820 --> 02:43:10,580
But there is always someone watching.

1520
02:43:13,540 --> 02:43:15,260
Glaucous gulls.

1521
02:43:18,660 --> 02:43:20,980
They are ruthless predators.

1522
02:43:31,460 --> 02:43:36,340
Suddenly, the nest made of rocks makes
sense.

1523
02:43:36,340 --> 02:43:38,580
This is a fortress.

1524
02:43:41,580 --> 02:43:44,060
And enemies are everywhere.

1525
02:43:58,980 --> 02:44:01,380
As July gives way to August...

1526
02:44:03,140 --> 02:44:06,580
..the sun's power in the North begins
to wane.

1527
02:44:07,940 --> 02:44:12,540
The temperature on land drops and fogs
roll across the colony,

1528
02:44:12,540 --> 02:44:15,020
announcing the end of summer.

1529
02:44:21,220 --> 02:44:23,980
It's a warning that time is running
out.

1530
02:44:27,180 --> 02:44:30,900
At just two weeks old, this little auk
chick

1531
02:44:30,900 --> 02:44:34,540
must begin preparing for the flight of
his life.

1532
02:44:38,860 --> 02:44:41,140
But it's too cramped in here.

1533
02:44:42,380 --> 02:44:44,180
He'll have to go outside.

1534
02:44:50,860 --> 02:44:55,100
The gulls pick off unwary chicks as
they emerge.

1535
02:44:57,060 --> 02:44:58,940
Despite the risks,

1536
02:44:58,940 --> 02:45:01,980
he needs to exercise his wings before
he can fledge.

1537
02:45:10,220 --> 02:45:12,380
This practice is vital.

1538
02:45:18,740 --> 02:45:21,540
The gulls ignite terror in the young
chicks...

1539
02:45:27,700 --> 02:45:30,220
..but they must continue their
training.

1540
02:45:32,340 --> 02:45:36,180
Every fledgling chick has a guardian
for their first flight.

1541
02:45:37,860 --> 02:45:40,180
It's a nervous time for any parent.

1542
02:45:47,500 --> 02:45:51,900
Once they take off, they will have to
head straight to the open ocean.

1543
02:45:53,420 --> 02:45:55,380
There's no turning back.

1544
02:45:58,460 --> 02:46:01,420
A young female is also readying
herself.

1545
02:46:06,620 --> 02:46:09,260
And with some imperceptible signal...

1546
02:46:12,980 --> 02:46:14,580
..she's gone.

1547
02:46:19,860 --> 02:46:23,140
Not everyone can pluck up the courage
so quickly.

1548
02:46:29,700 --> 02:46:33,620
Soon, pairs begin disappearing into
the horizon.

1549
02:46:50,620 --> 02:46:52,340
True freedom.

1550
02:46:54,260 --> 02:46:56,780
And just in time.

1551
02:47:12,340 --> 02:47:17,180
By late August, Svalbard's slopes fall
quiet once more.

1552
02:47:19,420 --> 02:47:24,740
The sun dips below the horizon for the
first time in over 100 days.

1553
02:47:27,380 --> 02:47:31,020
Across Scandinavia, seasonal visitors
depart...

1554
02:47:32,900 --> 02:47:34,820
..fleeing the coming winter.

1555
02:47:41,340 --> 02:47:45,180
Many who remain welcome the return of
the cold.

1556
02:47:47,180 --> 02:47:53,020
Solitary polar bears are once again
free to roam the expanding sea ice.

1557
02:47:57,300 --> 02:48:00,700
Muskoxen regroup into larger herds...

1558
02:48:01,940 --> 02:48:04,060
..to face the winter together.

1559
02:48:07,220 --> 02:48:11,660
Iceland's foxes wait for new treasures
on the tides.

1560
02:48:13,500 --> 02:48:18,420
Over the next few weeks, the daily
temperature drops to -10C...

1561
02:48:21,460 --> 02:48:26,060
..and the sun finally surrenders to
the polar night.

1562
02:48:36,060 --> 02:48:38,140
The team spent a year

1563
02:48:38,140 --> 02:48:41,700
filming in Scandinavia's most extreme
environments,

1564
02:48:41,700 --> 02:48:47,580
capturing some of its toughest and
strangest characters.

1565
02:48:47,580 --> 02:48:49,940
But no shoot took the team further

1566
02:48:49,940 --> 02:48:54,260
than a trip to the High Arctic islands
of Svalbard

1567
02:48:54,260 --> 02:48:57,780
to film little auk chicks learning to
fly.

1568
02:49:01,340 --> 02:49:03,380
- It's just unbelievable, you know.

1569
02:49:03,380 --> 02:49:05,260
The sounds are just amazing.

1570
02:49:05,260 --> 02:49:07,940
You get, like, these big swooshes as
they go over you.

1571
02:49:07,940 --> 02:49:09,740
It just sounds like the wind.

1572
02:49:09,740 --> 02:49:13,940
It's just so beautiful and electric,
I'm just kind of in awe.

1573
02:49:13,940 --> 02:49:16,580
- To match the colony's peak activity,

1574
02:49:16,580 --> 02:49:19,860
the crew must work during the night
hours.

1575
02:49:19,860 --> 02:49:22,500
It's almost midnight.

1576
02:49:22,500 --> 02:49:24,140
- It's beautiful.

1577
02:49:29,020 --> 02:49:31,140
I think the biggest challenge for me

1578
02:49:31,140 --> 02:49:34,100
will be the fact there's just so much
going on.

1579
02:49:35,540 --> 02:49:37,700
- But the crew have help at hand.

1580
02:49:38,980 --> 02:49:43,940
Kasia Wojczulanis-Jakubas, from the
University of Gdansk in Poland,

1581
02:49:43,940 --> 02:49:48,060
has been studying little auks for
almost 20 years.

1582
02:49:48,060 --> 02:49:50,300
- Part of me treats them as data
points...

1583
02:49:53,300 --> 02:49:56,940
..parts of me treat them like, I don't
know, not even like pets,

1584
02:49:56,940 --> 02:49:59,340
but like family members.

1585
02:49:59,340 --> 02:50:01,380
- Every summer, Kasia and her team

1586
02:50:01,380 --> 02:50:05,420
monitor the behaviour and health of
the little auks,

1587
02:50:05,420 --> 02:50:09,820
giving Declan a chance to meet one of
this year's chicks.

1588
02:50:10,820 --> 02:50:12,580
- So how old's this little guy?

1589
02:50:12,580 --> 02:50:15,180
- Two weeks old.
- Do they grow pretty quick?

1590
02:50:15,180 --> 02:50:17,900
How long do they have until they've
got to leave the nest?

1591
02:50:17,900 --> 02:50:20,660
- They need three weeks to be fully
developed

1592
02:50:20,660 --> 02:50:23,140
and then to fledge it's like four
weeks.

1593
02:50:25,860 --> 02:50:28,620
- Good luck, little fella. I really
hope you make it.

1594
02:50:30,660 --> 02:50:32,580
- DECLAN CHUCKLES

1595
02:50:34,620 --> 02:50:36,060
- They're so cute.

1596
02:50:37,740 --> 02:50:42,220
- In return, the crew are hoping to
help Kasia see the chicks

1597
02:50:42,220 --> 02:50:44,740
as she has never seen them before.

1598
02:50:44,740 --> 02:50:48,380
- So I am just fitting this nest
camera into the nest,

1599
02:50:48,380 --> 02:50:51,740
so we can get a view of the chick as
he grows.

1600
02:50:56,140 --> 02:50:58,540
This is our view.

1601
02:50:58,540 --> 02:51:01,020
- Oh, yeah, there is a chick.
- There's chick.

1602
02:51:01,020 --> 02:51:02,980
- Oh, so cool.

1603
02:51:02,980 --> 02:51:05,980
- And it seems one of the chicks isn't
alone.

1604
02:51:05,980 --> 02:51:08,220
- There was another chick!

1605
02:51:08,220 --> 02:51:10,540
Come on, there is another nest!

1606
02:51:10,540 --> 02:51:13,180
- So they're neighbours, those little
chicks!

1607
02:51:13,180 --> 02:51:16,780
That one just pooed right into his
nest, which is very impolite.

1608
02:51:16,780 --> 02:51:18,540
- That's amazing.

1609
02:51:18,540 --> 02:51:20,660
The nest density is so big. Yeah,
yeah.

1610
02:51:20,660 --> 02:51:23,340
This is so unexpected.

1611
02:51:23,340 --> 02:51:24,780
Oh, so cool.

1612
02:51:26,060 --> 02:51:28,460
- After a week under the midnight sun,

1613
02:51:28,460 --> 02:51:30,700
the crew are making great progress...

1614
02:51:34,820 --> 02:51:37,780
..and attracting interest from the
locals.

1615
02:51:47,900 --> 02:51:50,340
- We've got distracted from the little
auks

1616
02:51:50,340 --> 02:51:53,860
because an arctic fox has just been
terrorising reindeer.

1617
02:51:56,140 --> 02:51:59,100
A* entertainment from the Arctic
Tundra.

1618
02:52:03,060 --> 02:52:07,100
- As another filming night ends, time
is ticking for the crew

1619
02:52:07,100 --> 02:52:10,500
to capture the moment a chick first
takes wing.

1620
02:52:10,500 --> 02:52:12,420
- It's coming up to 5am now.

1621
02:52:12,420 --> 02:52:14,780
So we've got about five nights left,

1622
02:52:14,780 --> 02:52:18,780
and hopefully he'll fledge in time
because he's late!

1623
02:52:20,100 --> 02:52:22,620
- And Kasia's observations are
suggesting

1624
02:52:22,620 --> 02:52:24,700
not everything is right in the colony.

1625
02:52:26,100 --> 02:52:29,860
- Working here for almost 20 years, I
can really say that this year

1626
02:52:29,860 --> 02:52:32,620
is very, very different from the
others.

1627
02:52:32,620 --> 02:52:35,100
They started to breed the earliest
ever.

1628
02:52:37,620 --> 02:52:39,500
And then, apparently,

1629
02:52:39,500 --> 02:52:42,700
they struggle a lot to get food to all
their chicks

1630
02:52:42,700 --> 02:52:45,500
and it seems like they travel really,
really far.

1631
02:52:45,500 --> 02:52:47,780
So it's like 100km.

1632
02:52:47,780 --> 02:52:50,300
- That's so much energy they're using.
- Yes, it is.

1633
02:52:51,260 --> 02:52:55,860
- The most nutritious food can only be
found in cold Arctic waters

1634
02:52:55,860 --> 02:52:59,700
that are becoming harder to reach in a
warming world.

1635
02:53:02,100 --> 02:53:07,060
100km per mouthful is a big ask for a
tiny bird.

1636
02:53:09,700 --> 02:53:12,420
- So they could keep struggling year
on year?
- Yeah, yeah.

1637
02:53:12,420 --> 02:53:15,660
You will always have better and worse
seasons, but the thing is,

1638
02:53:15,660 --> 02:53:19,100
these worse seasons, they happen to be
more and more frequent,

1639
02:53:19,100 --> 02:53:23,460
and this is very likely to be an
effect of this climate change.

1640
02:53:28,860 --> 02:53:31,180
- The weather takes a turn for the
worse...

1641
02:53:33,860 --> 02:53:37,180
..and the crew must retreat to the
research station.

1642
02:53:40,300 --> 02:53:42,540
All they can do is wait.

1643
02:53:44,740 --> 02:53:46,620
- The headphones are going back on.

1644
02:53:48,620 --> 02:53:50,300
- The next evening,

1645
02:53:50,300 --> 02:53:53,420
a break in the weather brings a change
in atmosphere.

1646
02:53:57,420 --> 02:54:00,180
- All of a sudden, it just seems a bit
different.

1647
02:54:00,180 --> 02:54:03,980
The colony, they're a bit more...
- Yeah.

1648
02:54:03,980 --> 02:54:09,420
- It's 8pm, and the crew spot a chick
that's looking ready.

1649
02:54:09,420 --> 02:54:12,940
- I really think these two are hyping
up for something.

1650
02:54:12,940 --> 02:54:14,420
- They should go tonight.

1651
02:54:14,420 --> 02:54:17,180
- Shall we just sit tight on them?
- Yeah, yeah, I think so.

1652
02:54:19,220 --> 02:54:22,260
- To be in with a chance of capturing
the moment,

1653
02:54:22,260 --> 02:54:25,140
the crew must focus on one chick.

1654
02:54:25,140 --> 02:54:28,900
He could fly any second, but it's a
big gamble.

1655
02:54:30,100 --> 02:54:32,460
- He's just biding his time, isn't he?
- Mmm.

1656
02:54:34,300 --> 02:54:36,300
There's going to be hours of this.

1657
02:54:37,300 --> 02:54:40,220
- Yeah. This guy's nervous. I'm
nervous too, actually.

1658
02:54:40,220 --> 02:54:42,300
- You would be nervous though,
wouldn't you?

1659
02:55:03,220 --> 02:55:06,260
I know it's a nerve-racking time but
you've got to do it.

1660
02:55:06,260 --> 02:55:07,860
Bite the bullet.

1661
02:55:09,700 --> 02:55:12,020
- After seven long hours...

1662
02:55:14,460 --> 02:55:15,980
- Ooh!
- Ooh!

1663
02:55:18,660 --> 02:55:21,140
- ..they finally have their shot.

1664
02:55:26,620 --> 02:55:28,460
- Whoa! That was stressful.

1665
02:55:28,460 --> 02:55:30,220
- All right, let's find the next one,
then!

1666
02:55:30,220 --> 02:55:31,620
- HE LAUGHS

1667
02:55:31,620 --> 02:55:33,740
- It's four in the morning, isn't it?
- Yeah, it is.

1668
02:55:36,940 --> 02:55:40,780
- With chicks fledging in their droves
and more shots in the can...

1669
02:55:40,780 --> 02:55:44,140
- Yeah, so cool!

1670
02:55:44,140 --> 02:55:46,460
Perfect angle, perfect moment!

1671
02:55:46,460 --> 02:55:49,380
- ..it's finally time for the crew to
leave.

1672
02:55:49,380 --> 02:55:51,180
- The little auks, I loved them.

1673
02:55:51,180 --> 02:55:55,380
I loved watching them finally have the
courage.

1674
02:55:55,380 --> 02:55:58,300
I'm definitely going to miss this
place. It's very special.

1675
02:55:58,300 --> 02:56:02,500
- I feel really quite attached to the
fledglings.

1676
02:56:02,500 --> 02:56:04,500
When we've been watching them go,

1677
02:56:04,500 --> 02:56:07,740
I can't help but wonder how scary it
must be

1678
02:56:07,740 --> 02:56:12,300
to go from your safe little nest to
the wide open ocean.

1679
02:56:12,300 --> 02:56:16,180
Tonight is quite a good example of
Svalbard's famous fogs,

1680
02:56:16,180 --> 02:56:19,140
So it's kind of nature's way of
telling you to leave,

1681
02:56:19,140 --> 02:56:22,220
and that's obviously what the little
auks are doing.

1682
02:56:22,220 --> 02:56:23,860
And us, too!