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Scoured by ice
and weathered by storms...

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..20,000 square miles of rugged
coastline, lochs and mountains.

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On the face of it, it looks bleak
and lifeless...

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but wildlife is thriving
in this unforgiving place...

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..if you know where to look.

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The seasons may be harsh...

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..and the opportunities fleeting.

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But animals and people
have found ways to succeed here,

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turning adversity into advantage.

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This is Scotland's wild heart

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- the Highlands.

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It's late March in the Cairngorm
mountains and the hills are on fire.

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The old heather is being
put to the torch

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to stimulate new growth
for the grouse season.

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Traditionally, this inferno
marks the end of winter

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and the start of spring
in this wilderness.

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But spring is the most unpredictable
of all the seasons in the Highlands.

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Temperatures regularly
range from -10 to 20 degrees.

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So, to achieve success here, animals
have to battle with the extremes.

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It's all about timing.

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Mate, nest, or give birth at the
wrong time and lives can be lost.

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But get it right
and these mountains, forests

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and rivers provide the perfect place
to raise the next generation.

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BIRD CHIRPS

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It can be so good that some travel
thousands of miles to reap

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the bounty the Highlands
has to offer.

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It's an osprey.

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Newly arrived from his wintering
grounds in West Africa

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and heading back into the heart
of the Highlands.

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200 pairs of ospreys make
the Highlands vast network of river,

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loch and mountain their home.

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The hills start to rise just
20 miles north of the country's

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Central Belt and cover two thirds
of the entire nation.

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To most of the world, the Highlands
define what Scotland is all about.

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BIRD CAWS

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One mile south of iconic Loch Ness,

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this valley has been home to
breeding ospreys for a decade.

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OSPREY CALLS

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The female is already on the nest,
waiting for her mate.

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They've spent the winter
in different parts of Africa

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but osprey's mate for life

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and now they're reunited on the same
nest they used last year.

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But, after the gales of winter, it
needs some urgent home improvements.

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Already more than five feet wide,
this platform will need to

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withstand strong winds, heavy rain
and maybe even sleet or snow.

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They need to complete
the makeover as quickly as possible

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because, once the eggs are laid,
the female won't leave the nest

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until she's raised her family.

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For the next 13 weeks, she'll be
completely dependent on the male.

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Spring's the busiest time
for the animals in the valley.

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Brown hares, curlews,

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and stoats are all getting ready
for the breeding season.

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This male roe deer is keeping
close watch on a female,

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but she won't let him near.

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She's already heavily pregnant

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and searching for a quiet spot
to give birth.

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The next few days will be critical
for all the wild animals here.

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A new generation is about to arrive.

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But the conditions are still
far from settled.

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Although it's now April,
the temperatures still haven't

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climbed above 10 degrees
and clouds hang heavy

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from Loch Awe in the west
to the Cairngorms in the east.

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But, in the great Caledonian
pine forest of Abernethy,

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there's change in the air.

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It's a red squirrel.

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Although they've been
displaced by grey squirrels in most

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of Britain, they're thriving
here in the Caledonian Forest.

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There are 120,000
of them in Scotland -

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75% of the British population -
and they're increasing.

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The habitat here is ideal for them,
with abundant food

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and plenty of potential nest sites.

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With double jointed ankles
and small, sharp claws,

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they can get
up and down trees fast.

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Early spring is a busy time
for red squirrels.

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Already pregnant with kittens,
this female is

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looking for a comfortable nest site,
away from predators.

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She'll either build
a drey from twigs and leaves

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or use an uninhabited tree hole.

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She'll need to keep searching.

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But this female's territory
is large,

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she's got 17 acres of pine forest
and river to search yet.

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50 miles beyond the forest,
on the River Braan,

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a pair of special Highland birds
have already built their nest.

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They're dippers,
birds that are marvellously

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adapted for life in this
fast-changing environment.

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Britain's only aquatic songbird,
dippers have waterproof plumage

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to keep them dry, and long, flexible
feet for gripping slippery rocks.

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Their white bibs and dark bodies
keep them well camouflaged as

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they dive for insect larvae amongst
the boulders and rapids.

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In spring, these are
in plentiful supply.

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DIPPER CHIRPS

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The dippers are working nonstop
as they've already got

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hungry mouths to feed.

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Carefully covered by
a neat moss dome,

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the nest's position may look
dangerous...

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..but it offers total protection
from predators

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like stoats and weasels.

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Food goes in and waste comes out.

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Even a large fish is delivered,

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an indication that
the chicks are well-grown.

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00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,000
For now, the river's level is
just right for the chicks to make

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an easy exit.

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But if heavy rain arrives,
the waterfall will become a torrent,

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which could sweep the nest away.

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00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,000
At last, the weather is warming.

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For the first time this year,
temperatures climb to 15 degrees.

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It's now a priority for the Highland
animals to feed themselves up,

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ready for the next phase of spring.

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Over the next couple of months,
the male osprey will need to

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catch more than 400 fish
to keep his family going.

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He makes hunting look easy but
it's a game of stealth and patience.

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Only one in four strikes
are successful.

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He needs to find a fish in the right
position and get the speed,

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angle and point of entry
exactly right.

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After hitting the water
and grabbing the fish,

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the game still isn't over
for the osprey in its quarry.

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He needs to get airborne again.

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His talons are equipped
with adhesive scales

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and long, curved claws
for an unbreakable hold.

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But a big trout can match him
weight-for-weight

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and the instinct of the fish
is to swim down.

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There are tales of weak and hungry
ospreys being dragged to the bottom,

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unable to release the fish or lift
off from the water successfully.

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But osprey wings are adapted to give
maximum lift from the water.

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And this male is young and strong.

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This is a struggle
he's destined to win.

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He carries the fish headfirst,

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making it easier to fly
the 20 mile journey home.

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Back in the valley, the female
waits in the nest.

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Their need to feed
is even more urgent now.

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She's no longer alone in the nest.

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There are definitely
chicks in there!

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They're not the valley's
only new arrivals.

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Deep in the long grass, at the edge
of the field, lies another new baby.

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With immaculate camouflage,
it instinctively lies motionless.

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The roe deer has given birth.

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Leaving her offspring
alone like this

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seems like a high-risk strategy.

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But the mother needs to feed

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and the youngster is too young
to run away from danger,

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so hiding is the only option.

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The mother approaches warily.

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00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,000
She mustn't reveal the location
to any watching predators,

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like eagles or foxes.

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But it's not predators that are the
greatest threat to young roe deer.

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A sudden drop in spring
temperatures could be fatal.

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The male osprey is back
with the fish.

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00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:06,000
He's now got a lot more
mouths to feed.

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00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,000
There are three hungry
chicks in the nest.

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Fuelled by their high protein
fish diet, osprey chicks become

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full size in just five weeks.

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And once they're 12 weeks old,
they face an even bigger test.

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A flight to distant Africa.

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Just one mile north of the ospreys'
valley lies the Great Glen.

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Once a mighty glacier, it divides
the Highlands in two.

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At its heart is the most famous
body of water in Scotland...

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..Loch Ness.

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It deserves its legendary
reputation.

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23 miles long, it contains
more fresh water

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than all the lakes in England
and Wales combined.

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As for the monster...it still
hasn't been found.

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But the Highlands are full
of mysterious creatures.

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POPPING NOISE

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It's 4am in Abernethy Forest,
and something is stirring.

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Capercaillie -
the world's biggest grouse.

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There are just
over 1,000 left in Scotland...

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..and their stronghold
is here in the pine forest.

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Their bizarre popping call
penetrates deep into the forest.

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It attracts the females to
a ritualistic display

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called a lek.

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Here, in a forest clearing,

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the males will compete for
the right to mate exclusively

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with all the females.

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Weighing in at more than 4kg,

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this young male
is in superb condition.

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But an older male
is up for the fight, too.

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This veteran, with a bald patch
on his neck, has been

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king of the lek for many years.

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The females look on from the
treetops desperate to see

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which suitor will be victorious.

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It's time to raise the stakes.

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Game on!

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They're evenly matched - it's simply
a question of who gives way first.

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The younger male is on the run...

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handing victory to the dominant,
older bird.

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Like an Emperor of the forest,
he's retained mastery of the lek.

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All the females are his.

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00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,000
Nearby, the female squirrel
is feeding on pine cones.

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00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:27,000
The small seeds between the scales
are a protein-rich food source

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and she needs extra nourishment now.

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00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,000
She's just given birth.

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00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,000
There are two new kittens,

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hidden deep in her drey
high up in a Scots pine.

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00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,000
Soft moss is ideal
for lining the nest.

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00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,000
Squirrels are fastidiously
clean animals.

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00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:10,000
But the tiny and blind babies can't
leave the nest for a toilet break.

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00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,000
So, regularly changing the bedding
is an important part

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00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,000
of the female squirrel's routine.

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00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,000
Although the drey is
only ten inches across,

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00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:27,000
it takes at least six mouthfuls of
moss to fill it up and make it snug.

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00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,000
Once the youngsters are able
to grip and climb,

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00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,000
they'll start leaving
the drey to explore.

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00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:45,000
But that's still many weeks away.

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00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:51,000
So, for now...she's stuck with this
time-consuming chore.

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00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:19,000
High above Abernethy Forest,
snow is still lying thick

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00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,000
and deep on Cairngorm,
Cairn Toul and Ben Macdui.

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00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000
But it's 1st May,
and spring is picking up pace.

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00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:41,000
Further down on the moorland edge,
wild flowers are coming into bloom.

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00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,000
Bumblebees are buzzing...
and newborn lambs are playing.

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00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,000
There we go, shall
we empty your bucket, Ernestine?

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00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,000
But despite the sunshine, the hill
farmers know that it's still

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00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,000
too early to risk taking
the sheep on to the mountains.

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00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,000
Even in May, heavy snow
can fall in the Highlands,

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00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:33,000
so, for now, they'll feed them here
in the valley, close to the farm.

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00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,000
SHEEP BAA

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00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,000
But for the wild creatures
of the Highlands,

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00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:55,000
there's no chance of holding back
and waiting for better conditions.

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00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,000
They just have to make the best
of it, whatever the weather.

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00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,000
Tawny owl and wagtail chicks

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are already on the verge
of independence.

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00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,000
And the osprey chicks
are growing fast, too,

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00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,000
demanding more and more
fish from the male.

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00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,000
The roe deer can sense
change is coming.

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00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000
Her youngster is now more mobile

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00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,000
and she's instinctively moving it
towards higher ground.

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00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,000
It could be a wise move.

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00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,000
This valley has flooded
many times in the past.

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00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,000
She can't help it across the fence.

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00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:09,000
Now it's a week old, it has to work
the problem out for itself.

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00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,000
FAWN CRIES OUT

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00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,000
THUNDER RUMBLES

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00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:19,000
The weather has taken
a turn for the worst.

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00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,000
It's deteriorating fast.

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00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,000
Temperatures are sliding
into single figures

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00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:37,000
and a cold front is now
sweeping in from the Atlantic.

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00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,000
Heavy rain is on its way.

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00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,000
THUNDER RUMBLES

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00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:48,000
The three osprey chicks
huddle beneath their mother's wings.

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00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,000
The nest is vulnerable now.

240
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,000
Spring downpours like this have been
known to destroy osprey nests.

241
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,000
But for the dipper family,
the situation is far more serious.

242
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,000
Practically a month's rain
has fallen in 24 hours

243
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:31,000
and the river is still rising.

244
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:16,000
The torrent has completely obscured
the little nest and the adults

245
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:20,000
can only get in and out by flying
behind the wall of water.

246
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000
It's the worst possible time
for the chicks to fledge.

247
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,000
But the adults are calling them out.

248
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:41,000
There's no option now.

249
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,000
If they stay inside any longer,
they'll be drowned.

250
00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,000
They're in mortal danger.

251
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:08,000
Young dippers are weak flyers.
One mistake and it's all over.

252
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,000
One across.

253
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,000
The other four seem reluctant to go.

254
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000
The female has stopped feeding
the chicks to encourage them out.

255
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,000
If they're to eat, they must leave.

256
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,000
They're using the same route
as the first chick.

257
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,000
But the surface is wet and slippery.

258
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,000
There's just one left in the nest.

259
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,000
It's made it across.
They're all out on their own.

260
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,000
The chicks are desperate for food.

261
00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:00,000
But rather than help her young,
the females goes straight back to

262
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,000
repair the nest for a second brood.

263
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,000
The desire to reproduce is more
powerful than feeding

264
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:07,000
the newly-fledged young.

265
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,000
Without guidance from the adults,

266
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,000
the chicks could still
be washed away.

267
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,000
This one's far too close
to the edge.

268
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,000
But the male is calling him
upriver, away from danger.

269
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:38,000
Little...by little.

270
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,000
And, at last, he gets his feed.

271
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,000
Now for the first dip.

272
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:19,000
Dipper chicks need to swim well
from soon after they emerge.

273
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,000
In a week, their father's
attention will end

274
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,000
and they'll have to
catch their own food.

275
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:38,000
Despite the perilous location,
dippers have nested here

276
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,000
on this Highland river
for many years.

277
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000
And, hopefully, will be here
for generations yet.

278
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:28,000
At last, after two days of constant
rain, the weather has cleared.

279
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,000
The osprey nest is intact...

280
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,000
..the young roe deer is thriving...

281
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,000
..and the squirrel kittens make
their first forays from the drey.

282
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,000
Now temperatures are rising.

283
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,000
And the Caledonian
pine forest is awakening.

284
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,000
Warmed by the rays of the sun,

285
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,000
the understory
now seethes with life.

286
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,000
They're Scottish wood ants.

287
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:45,000
Over six feet wide and teeming
with a colony 100,000 strong,

288
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:49,000
this nest has stood in the heart
of the forest for decades.

289
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:04,000
With the sun now high overhead,
the ants will do everything

290
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,000
they can to get the benefits
of the warmth it brings.

291
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:16,000
Teams of female worker ants
sunbathe on the surface in shifts.

292
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:27,000
Once they've heated up,
they travel deep into the nest,

293
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:31,000
to transfer their warmth to the eggs
and larvae in the brood chambers.

294
00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:41,000
On the forest floor,
ants swarm along regular trails

295
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:44,000
capturing insects to bring back
to the nest for food.

296
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,000
Because these insects eat plants,
this, in turn, protects trees

297
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:53,000
and saplings from destruction.

298
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,000
So, remarkably, these tiny ants
safeguard the future of the forest.

299
00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:30,000
Rare timberman beetles
also emerge in spring.

300
00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,000
With antennae four times
the length of his body, this is

301
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:42,000
the longest insect in Britain and
another real pine forest speciality.

302
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:49,000
He's just emerged as an adult,

303
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:51,000
after spending two years
as a bark-eating grub.

304
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:57,000
And he's on a mission to mate.

305
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:17,000
Quite why the antennae are
so long is something of a mystery

306
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:21,000
but it's certain that picking up
the smell, sound and taste

307
00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,000
of a female beetle is a major
reason for their incredible length.

308
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,000
He's got a female in his sights.

309
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:02,000
A successful meeting.

310
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:17,000
The female will now lay her eggs
in a suitable cleft in the bark,

311
00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:20,000
but it will be the last
act of her life.

312
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,000
The adult beetles live for just
a couple of months.

313
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:01,000
Back in the valley, the osprey
chicks are exercising

314
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,000
their young wings in the sun.

315
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:10,000
They're almost ready to fly.

316
00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:18,000
And they're not the only ones
enjoying the warmth.

317
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:25,000
Common lizards live in the dry-stone
wall beneath the nest.

318
00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:28,000
The Highlands are on the very
northerly edge of their range

319
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:31,000
as they can't live without sunshine.

320
00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:33,000
So now is the time
they're most active.

321
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:47,000
They're safe from the fish-eating
ospreys but they do have enemies.

322
00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:04,000
Adders -
Scotland's only poisonous snakes.

323
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:14,000
The lizards need to constantly
watch for danger.

324
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:27,000
But, today, the snakes
are unlikely to strike.

325
00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,000
They're about to shed their skins.

326
00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:44,000
Yawning wide may help stretch
the skin to help it split.

327
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:51,000
But the moult will take many days..

328
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,000
..and the lizards are safe...

329
00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:01,000
..for now.

330
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:05,000
OSPREY CALLS

331
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:12,000
The female osprey's
calling in alarm...

332
00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:17,000
..and down go the chicks
into the bowl of the nest.

333
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:23,000
There's an intruder in the valley.

334
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:32,000
It's another osprey,
a male who's failed to find his own

335
00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:34,000
territory this year
and he wants to move in.

336
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,000
He wouldn't try to kill the chicks
but if they were

337
00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:49,000
knocked from the nest they'd be
unable to fly back to safety.

338
00:48:57,000 --> 00:48:59,000
That's far too close.

339
00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:01,000
Time for direct action
from the male.

340
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:18,000
And up flies the female.

341
00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:35,000
Female ospreys are much
bigger than males

342
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:38,000
and quite capable of seeing off
an unwanted intruder.

343
00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:45,000
Especially
when there are chicks in the nest.

344
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:53,000
The family is safe.

345
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:04,000
It's now only a matter of days
before the youngsters

346
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:05,000
make their first flight.

347
00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:22,000
The wheel of the seasons
is turning...

348
00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:26,000
..and spring is rapidly
becoming summer.

349
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:42,000
The mountains and glens are at their
greenest as the natural world

350
00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:44,000
enters its busiest time
in the Highlands.

351
00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:58,000
And nowhere is this more evident
than in the sea.

352
00:51:05,000 --> 00:51:09,000
Here in the Moray Firth, a pod
of dolphins are heading to a feast.

353
00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:22,000
They're bottlenose dolphins,
one of 23 different species

354
00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:25,000
of cetacean that have been seen
off Scottish coasts.

355
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:34,000
Nearly 200 individuals have been
recorded here socialising,

356
00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:36,000
breeding and hunting together.

357
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:48,000
They usually seek out mackerel,
squid and herring

358
00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:51,000
but there is one species of fish
that the bottlenose dolphins

359
00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:52,000
prize above all others...

360
00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:58,000
..Atlantic salmon.

361
00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:12,000
With Highland rivers now swollen
to the brink, due to heavy rain,

362
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:16,000
the fish are heading towards the
interior to start their journeys

363
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:17,000
to the spawning grounds.

364
00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:26,000
And the dolphins
will be waiting for them.

365
00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:33,000
The best place to ambush the fish
is Chanonry Point near Inverness.

366
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:01,000
The tidal run here means the fish
are directed

367
00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:03,000
into a deep and narrow channel

368
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:04,000
where the dolphins wait

369
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:07,000
to ambush them in the murky,
fast-moving water.

370
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:18,000
Very big fish are running today.
Some are 20lbs or more.

371
00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,000
But swallowing such a huge
fish isn't easy.

372
00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:48,000
They need to slip down in exactly
the right way and that means

373
00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:52,000
regurgitating and reswallowing
until the position is exactly right.

374
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:03,000
Sometimes twisting your body
actually seems to help.

375
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,000
And down it goes.

376
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:29,000
Over the next few weeks,
the dolphins will be catching more

377
00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:32,000
and more salmon as the fish
start their migratory

378
00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:34,000
journey into the heart
of the Highlands.

379
00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:47,000
But other migrants will be leaving
the Highlands behind.

380
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,000
In the valley,
there are big changes.

381
00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:34,000
All three chicks have learned to fly
and are spending longer

382
00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:36,000
and longer out of the nest.

383
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:48,000
Now the chicks can fly
independently,

384
00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:50,000
their parents are preparing
to switch roles.

385
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:55,000
For nine weeks, the male has caught
every single fish

386
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,000
while mum has delivered
all the care in the nest.

387
00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:02,000
Now the entire burden of
childcare will shift to him.

388
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:14,000
For the next fortnight,
it'll be his job to teach them

389
00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:16,000
all he knows about how to soar,

390
00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:20,000
dive and catch fish before they
head off on their epic migration.

391
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:32,000
As for the female, relieved of her
parental duties, she's already on

392
00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:37,000
her way south, starting out on the
3,000 mile journey to West Africa.

393
00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:52,000
The extreme spring weather
of the Scottish Highlands provides

394
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:55,000
endless challenges
for all its residents.

395
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:03,000
But animals here are resilient,
adaptable and strong.

396
00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:11,000
For them, these mountains,

397
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:15,000
forests and rivers
offer unmatched opportunity.

398
00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:36,000
That's why the ospreys will return
here year after year.

399
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:46,000
Back to their home,
in Scotland's living wild heart.

400
00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:04,000
Next time...

401
00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:08,000
Highland animals race towards
independence before summer's end.

402
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:13,000
Young otters need to stop playing
and learn to catch fish.

403
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:18,000
Golden eagles ceaselessly
hunt for mountain hares.

404
00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:24,000
And tiny guillemot chicks
face a desperate leap for life

405
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:27,000
as they fall to the sea
from 400-foot cliffs.