Hi, I'm bill pullman.
The film you're about to see
Reveals a side of yellowstone that few appreciate,
Soaring over the park with a bird's-eye view.
In the shadow of bison and bears,
Birds live a complex and fascinating life
In all of yellowstone's habitats.
There's a family of ospreys nesting hundreds of feet up
On a tiny column of rock
Overlooking the yellowstone falls.
There's a moment when the chicks are ready to take off
For their first flight.
It's a rare glimpse of the drama that plays out
In nests hidden all over the park.
This is the story of yellowstone's birds,
Life on the wing.
♪
It's home to birds of every feather...
[thrumming]
[chirping]
Drawn to its wildest reaches.
Hunters patrol the canyons.
Protectors stand guard in the wetlands.
[croaking and chirping]
Providers toil in the forests.
These are the wings that soar over yellowstone...
Gathering from distant horizons
To make the most of summer's brief abundance.
♪
[chirping]
They must survive among giants...
In a place where winter is never far away.
♪
A single purpose drives them on--
An urgent need they must fulfill.
[screeching]
To seize opportunity in the season of plenty
And give flight to the next generation.
♪
[chirping]
[squawking]
A winter morning in yellowstone.
Warmth and color are gone.
But a single song fills the air.
[twittering]
Wearing tiny slippers of ice,
The dipper is undeterred by subzero temperatures.
Rapids on the yellowstone river
Have frozen into a slippery staircase.
Perfect hunting grounds for the dipper.
♪
North america's only truly aquatic songbird
Dives beneath the ice
In search of insect larvae hiding on the rocky river bed.
Its waterproof feathers protect a downy coat
As it probes under pebbles in the swift current.
♪
Few birds remain in yellowstone through the bitter winter.
Resident bald eagles are resourceful scavengers,
Flying vast distances in search of meals.
Ravens track wolves,
Looting their kills.
And alone on this tiny stretch of open water,
The dipper thrives among the ice.
But soon its solitary winter on the river
Will come to an end.
♪
[honk honk]
[chirping]
As the days grow longer,
A chorus gradually returns to yellowstone.
[birds calling]
Spring is the season of arrival...
[honking]
Of emergence...
[chirping]
[honking]
A concert of new life.
[trilling]
[squawking]
Rising above it all is an unmistakable sound.
[warbling]
A pair of sandhill cranes,
Early migrants
From their winter range in the southwest.
[warbling]
They've landed in grizzly territory
In a high alpine meadow.
They must be cautious,
But they don't have time to waste.
They're here to take advantage
Of yellowstone's brief season of abundance--
A race...
To breed and rear their young before the cold returns.
Each spring, the sandhill cranes revive their courtship.
[warbling]
A dance.
[bear groans]
They coordinate their movements...
[warbling]
And call in unison.
[warbling]
She tilts her bill skyward in signal of readiness...
[warbles]
And the cranes renew their union.
[warbling]
Now they can begin their search for a home.
The ground nesters will seek a secluded wetland,
Out of the way of curious onlookers
And potential predators.
♪
For sandhills, a mate is a partner for life.
But for others,
Coupling can be a quick and dramatic affair.
Just outside of yellowstone's western boundary,
A remote valley opens up to a vast expanse of sage meadows.
♪
[thrumming]
An intriguing sound
Draws a female sage grouse to a spring gathering.
And she's not the only one who hears it.
All across the meadow, hens are converging on a lek,
A stage where males display their wares.
The hen peruses the offerings,
Judging every detail.
A fancy fan of tail feathers...
Bright yellow eye-combs...
Erect plumage...
A large breast pouch.
But most important to the hen is the sound.
A courting call produced from his air sac,
Which he fills
And flaunts.
His elaborate display attracts her interest.
But the morning is young.
And the field is full of prospects.
She continues her review.
In choosing the showiest males,
Female sage grouse select traits
That are useful only in courtship.
Bright decorations and ungainly pouches
Are a disadvantage in a world of predators.
By surviving in spite of these burdens,
A male proves that he has strong genes to pass on.
And the hen takes note.
♪
[thrumming]
She makes her selection.
But the male is wrapped up in his performance.
He keeps on strutting.
And someone else catches her eye.
A rival,
Ready to compete.
The standoff begins with posturing.
[clucking]
The males size each other up.
It's an even match.
And backing down now would mean losing the chance to breed.
♪
[clucking]
♪
The rival claims a beak full of feathers,
And with it, victory.
His opponent loses his chance.
The winner briefly serves his only purpose,
Passing his superior strengths to their offspring.
But the female sage grouse will raise them alone.
Late spring warms yellowstone's high country,
Melting the snowpack and revealing fields of green.
♪
Billions of gallons of water drain into yellowstone lake
And pour over the falls.
In a matter of weeks,
The yellowstone river surges to 25 times its winter flow.
The annual spring flood is underway.
The dipper's hunting grounds are transformed.
[chirping]
And new neighbors have moved in.
Harlequin ducks.
[quacking]
Like the dippers,
Harlequin ducks avoid competition
By exploiting a place few others can--
The whitewater.
Beneath the raging rapids,
Aquatic insects grow large in the oxygenated waters.
♪
The ducks have arrived
From wintering grounds on the pacific coast.
Lifelong partners are preparing to breed.
But some ducks have no mates.
The paired harlequins must be watchful.
[calling]
In the chaos of the rapids,
Bachelor males test the strength of the established couple.
They rush the female,
Working to separate her from her mate.
The male must drive away intruders
While guarding his partner.
♪
[chirping]
♪
Together, they ward off constant attacks
Until they successfully breed.
[calling]
[twittering]
The rituals of spring in yellowstone
Unfold in a steady rhythm.
[thunder]
But the season here is anything but predictable.
Everything can change in a moment.
[calling]
More than half of yellowstone's wetlands
Are seasonal.
[geese honking]
They fill with spring melt,
Then vanish in the summer heat.
As these ephemeral marshes come to life,
They provide pockets of habitat for the returning birds.
Using last year's reeds and sedges,
The sandhill cranes have built a nest.
A moat of water protects their site.
But the marsh offers no shelter from the sudden spring snow.
The parents-to-be take shifts,
Guarding two temperature-sensitive eggs.
They must trade posts quickly.
The warmth of their bodies will give the eggs
Their only chance of surviving the blizzard.
♪
Birds that lay their eggs early give their chicks a head start.
But they must commit to enduring the late spring storms,
Or lose everything.
[warbling]
♪
As the snowfall accumulates,
Mammals continue to move.
Bison push toward summer pasture.
Grizzlies forage,
Making up for calories lost during hibernation.
But the birds are bound to the nest as guardians...
Buried by responsibility.
Exposed in the storm,
An empty nest balances on a pillar of stone.
Perched hundreds of feet above the river,
It's buffeted by the wind that howls through the canyon
At the base of yellowstone's iconic lower falls.
In these conditions,
It's no place for an osprey to keep eggs warm.
[calling]
But she must take a gamble.
If she waits any longer to breed,
Her chicks won't have time to grow and fledge
Before their fall migration.
[calling]
So, in spite of the blizzard,
She calls in her mate.
♪
[chirp]
♪
[chirping]
♪
This pair's legacy
Is now at the mercy of the elements.
[chirping]
For their eggs to survive, the weather must change quickly.
[chirping]
And in yellowstone, it often does.
[thunder]
The mountain bluebird
Can take no chances in the fickle spring weather.
[thunder]
At the edge of a forest stands a gnarled fir tree.
Its days are numbered.
But still, it nurtures life.
Its hollowed refuge
Holds the bluebird's mate and their eggs,
Sheltering them from the extremes.
[chirping]
After 10 days of incubating her clutch,
The bluebird is restless,
And beneath her, she feels stirrings.
♪
A tree is a wonderful place to hide from the big world.
But climbing back down to the ground can be tricky.
While their mother was foraging,
Two tiny black bear cubs hid stashed in the canopy,
Out of the path of aggressive grizzlies
That roam the meadows.
She retrieves them when it's time to nurse.
♪
The bluebird summons his mate.
[chirping]
He delivers his gift--
A fat caterpillar,
The bluebird's favorite meal.
[chirping]
His song, sung for her,
Reassures her that all is well outside the nest.
♪
[chirping]
80% of yellowstone is covered in forest.
Its edges provide both protection and opportunity.
♪
[cub screeching]
As the cubs begin to explore the rich habitat,
Their mother will teach them
The resourcefulness of the omnivore...
[screeching]
Seeking out meals wherever they can be found.
[chirping]
All along their route, the neighbors keep close watch.
[squawk]
There's a reason the northern flicker
Chooses a home with sturdy walls and a very small door.
♪
[chirping]
The black bear's short claws make her an agile climber.
[groaning]
She can hear the flicker
And its chicks moving in the nest.
[bird chirping]
[chirping]
But try as she might, she can't get to them.
The protection of the cavity holds.
[chirping]
And everyone can relax.
[calls]
[groaning]
[chirping]
After two weeks of incubation,
The baby bluebirds begin to push against their shells.
[chirping]
Their mother calls with encouragement.
Maybe tonight she'll meet her chicks.
Melting snow and falling rain have revived the marsh.
[croaking]
All around the crane, the wetland wakes...
[croaking]
Fills with sound.
[croaking]
[screeching]
[squawking]
She's sat through the night
And waits to be relieved by her mate.
[screeching]
But he's late.
In his approach, he's trespassed.
The red-wing blackbird is fiercely territorial.
[chirping and warbling]
And it has backup.
[chirping]
♪
When he finally arrives, he's met with his new task.
♪
Parenting.
♪
Only hours old,
The colt stands,
Ready to meet its protector.
[warbling]
The cranes reaffirm their bond
As they embark on this new phase of their union...
[warbling]
The care of a tiny colt.
In the nest, a second egg hasn't yet hatched.
But concern for the egg is quickly pushed aside
By more pressing danger.
♪
[warbling]
A life on the ground means a life among predators.
The sandhill cranes meet danger head on,
Putting themselves between the coyote and their nest.
[warbling]
But in their effort to defend their chick,
The parents have exposed the colt to another threat.
♪
The northern harrier courses yellowstone's marshes,
Gliding low.
Flightless, without shelter,
The colt is an easy target.
♪
[chirping]
[squeak]
♪
Today's catch is a mouse.
The colt is spared.
But the close call serves as a reminder.
The success of this family of ground nesters
Will require the constant vigilance of both parents,
Until they're ready to leave their summer residence.
♪
Yellowstone national park is no ordinary home.
Here, an active volcano rumbles beneath the surface.
[hissing]
It releases gases and heats groundwater,
Transforming the terrain.
Yellowstone is constantly in flux,
A land reforged.
The flow of mineral-rich waters builds dramatic features.
And when geothermal formations become dormant,
New habitats rise.
On the vertical face of an old hot spring,
Dawn erupts in a frenzy.
[chirping]
Cliff swallows migrate thousands of miles
From wintering grounds in south america.
They live life on the wing,
Visiting the ground only when they must,
To collect something simple but crucial--
Mud.
They ferry tiny droplets back to the cliff,
Gradually constructing their home for the season.
[chirping]
Each nest is built from a thousand individual pellets,
Which means a thousand trips to the river.
Hard work.
But not everyone is so industrious.
Some will try to steal from a neighbor.
Leaving a nest unattended is risky.
Partners exchange guard duty.
And short trips out are best.
At this colony of swallows, visitors lend a helping hand.
♪
As herds of bison move,
They transform the landscape.
[chirping]
All around the cone of the dormant spring,
The bison churn the earth.
[chirping]
♪
Even the playful calves do their part.
Stirring the mud...
[chirping]
Making a perfect mix.
With the bison's help,
The cliff swallows have a shorter commute...
[chirping]
Which means more time for work.
[chirping]
The result is rapid expansion.
Throughout the spring,
The population of yellowstone continues to rise.
♪
Just minutes after it's born, a bison calf stands.
In less than an hour, it joins the herd--
Its only defense against predators.
♪
For calves, every moment spent frisking and sparring
Builds strength and speed...
And makes more mud.
♪
The swallows' construction project
Lasts for about a week.
They'll lay their eggs even before the mud has dried.
The work of nurturing the next generation
Fills the meadow...
[groaning]
And the skies.
Mammals carry nourishment with them,
Nursing their young with milk.
But birds must leave the nest to gather food for their chicks.
♪
The eagle traces the river corridor,
The lifeblood of its summer habitat.
It scans the channel for fish,
The banks for waterfowl.
♪
[chirping]
Its mate feeds hungry mouths the last remains of a duck.
But their appetites grow faster than their wings.
And hunger can turn siblings into savage rivals.
♪
Hunting has become a constant chore
For both of the bluebirds.
Liberated from the nest, the female joins the pursuit.
Six chicks require a perpetual supply of insects.
And each delivery compels a separate hunt.
♪
[chirping]
♪
Together, the parents make over a dozen trips each hour.
[chirping]
♪
And the chicks grow with remarkable speed.
Their demand is timed perfectly with yellowstone's supply.
[chirping]
[tweeting]
At the height of summer,
Insects are plentiful in the meadow.
[chirping]
Bluebirds aren't the only winged hunters
Reaping the bounty.
Dragonflies evolved 300 million years ago
And took to the air before any other creature.
♪
Four wings power the most primitive form of flight.
Over the millennia,
The dragonfly has perfected the art of the attack.
It has 360-degree vision
And processes images five times faster than a human.
Nothing escapes its attentions.
Few can avoid its grasp.
♪
[fluttering]
♪
[chirp]
Fed by this summer's abundance,
The bluebird chicks have grown.
After less than three weeks,
They're nearly ready to fledge,
To hunt on their own.
Their parents encourage them to leave quickly.
Summer won't last forever,
And the bluebirds are ready to get started on batch number two.
♪
Deep in the grand canyon of the yellowstone,
The male osprey returns to its nest empty-handed.
♪
[falls roaring]
♪
[chirping]
Perched high above the falls,
His family waits expectantly.
But he has nothing to offer the three chicks,
Who are still far from fledging.
[chirping]
His mate heads off in search of better luck.
There are signs of trouble here.
The youngest chick huddles motionless
Between its larger siblings.
[chirping]
When food is limited, the youngest suffers most.
Its survival may depend on today's hunt.
[chirping]
The osprey is a specialist.
Evolved for life on the water,
She preys exclusively on live fish.
She spots her target from above
With vision that cuts through the glare
On the river's surface.
[chirping]
[splash]
A miss.
But her hunt is just beginning.
♪
Still, she has nothing for the chicks.
♪
[chirping]
But in a quiet lake,
Her mate has found a better opportunity.
Here, each summer, trout gather to spawn.
They're occupied with the task at hand,
Laying their eggs,
And oblivious to the osprey's approach.
[chirping]
[splash]
[chirping]
♪
He heads for home.
But his catch is not safe yet.
[squawking]
A peregrine falcon,
The world's fastest bird,
Is after his prize.
Today's attack is unusual.
Peregrines are superb hunters on the wing,
But they're not known as thieves.
♪
[chirping]
[squawking]
Against the superior flier,
The osprey has only one tactic that might work--
Ditching into the water,
Where the peregrine can't follow.
♪
[squawking]
Thanks to his evasive maneuver,
He has something to bring his waiting chicks.
♪
[chirping]
[chirp]
[chirping]
His mate feeds the two larger siblings.
But the smallest,
Crouched at the edge of the nest,
Is too weak to join the feast.
[chirping]
At the eagle nest on the river bend,
Competition is also taking a toll.
Driven by self-preservation,
The larger sibling works to eliminate its rival.
Its parent watches on,
Unmoved to act.
One healthy chick is better than two going hungry.
[chirp]
Now the chick can take every meal for itself.
[chirp]
The victor dons new plumage:
The black feathers of a fledgling.
In the coming weeks,
He'll begin testing his strengths,
Preparing to leave the nest.
As summer ends, new journeys approach.
The sandhill chick now stands nearly as tall as its parents.
The urge to fly will soon take hold.
♪
But for the dipper, life will always be aquatic.
[chirping]
And fledging is not a matter of taking to the air.
The juvenile dipper,
Distinguished by a yellow beak,
Has just left the nest.
It watches closely
And tries out all the moves.
Foraging...
[chirp]
Dipping...
[chirp]
And, of course, swimming.
♪
Some skills you're born with.
The juvenile dipper will be completely independent soon.
[squawking]
But a meal is always welcome.
When the young dipper is ready,
It will move into its own territory
Not far away.
Perhaps just around the riverbend.
But not every nest is so easy to leave.
A first osprey has fledged.
Its only surviving sibling hesitates.
There's no room for error here.
Cautiously, it tests its wings in the wind.
[chirping]
♪
A maiden voyage
Over one of the greatest landscapes on earth.
♪
New challenges lie ahead.
For most of yellowstone's birds,
A long migration.
For the few who stay,
Winter's hardship.
As the summer draws to a close,
Seasonal visitors part ways.
But they will return to yellowstone,
And fill its skies with life on wings.
[warbling]
It's an image I'll hold for a lifetime--
The position of that osprey nest,
Perched on a pinnacle
Overlooking the yellowstone falls.
And when you continue the journey down the river,
You realize that the story of yellowstone
Doesn't end at the park boundary.
In the next "epic yellowstone,"
We discover how a river that's allowed to run free
Carries with it that same wild spirit.
It's an epic journey,
Down the river wild.