All language subtitles for Penguins Spy in the Huddle 2of3 First Steps 720p HDTV_Subtitles01.ENG

Penguins - behind their feisty charm
lies an amazing character.

These cheeky birds
have to bring up their chicks

against the most
extraordinary odds.

Spycams discover just how special
they really are.

THEY SQUAWK

From the freezing Antarctic...

..to the scorching tropics.

This is the story of nature's most
devoted parents,

filmed as never before.

Throughout the long, dark days
of the Antarctic winter,

Emperor penguins have endured
the harshest weather on the planet.

But not all the penguins here
are quite as they seem.

Emperorcam.

It is one of 50 spycameras

being used to film

three different types of penguin.

It has a camera in its body,
as well as its eye.

It is about to witness
a momentous event.

PENGUINS CHIRRUP

His egg has started to hatch.

The father cared for this

bundle of life for two whole months

while his partner was out at sea.

He hasn't fed. His only concern

has been the egg's survival.

The chick sees her father
for the first time.

A moment that will create
a bond between them.

Her dad proudly shows off
his new baby to another father

whose egg is still to hatch.

CHICK CHIRPS

THEY CHIRRUP

CHICK CHIRPS

The chick's calls

encourage her unhatched neighbour

to emerge as well.

CHICK CHIRPS

In this way, the colony's young
all arrive together.

The new chick joins over
2,000 others

that are starting to appear
throughout the colony.

The new fathers have no time to
celebrate. Their babies are hungry.

His supplies won't last long.

The chick's survival
depends on her mother's return.

In the Falklands,

Rockhopper penguins
are also under surveillance.

SPYCAM WHIRRS

Rockhoppercam not only has
a camera in its eye,

it can walk
to find the best locations.

It picks a prime spot
to film the new chicks

that are arriving
all over the colony.

Eggcams capture an even closer view.

Here, too,
Dad's looking after the new baby.

But he has it easy -
his shift only lasts two weeks.

He's on duty 24/7 and
he must be prepared for anything...

..even an invasion.

Rockhoppercam spots
the first arrival.

THEY SQUAWK

They are King cormorants
and they're moving in.

THEY HONK AND SQUAWK

They make unruly neighbours

and they're a hazard to the chicks.

CHICK CHIRPS

They steal any nesting material
they can find.

The Rockhoppers
protect their chicks,

as their own nests
vanish before their eyes.

THEY SQUAWK

The cormorants also
squabble among themselves.

CHICKS CHIRP

In the brawl,
his chick becomes separated.

And a cormorant runs right over him.

DISTRESSED CHIRP

His father hasn't noticed. He's
still attacking the nest robbers.

Then, as the chaos subsides, he
realises his chick has disappeared.

He looks in desperation.

CHICK CHIRPS

Then he hears his chick's call.

He's badly shaken, but alive.

CHICK CHIRPS FRANTICALLY

It's nothing some fatherly comfort
can't heal.

The penguins' new rowdy neighbours
make themselves at home.

It's just one of the many trials

the new chicks now face.

In Peru, our third penguin,
the Humboldt,

returns to its desert nest.

They are the only mainland penguin
to survive in the tropics.

They have their own dedicated
spycamera - Humboldtcam.

SPYCAM WHIRRS

They rear their two chicks
in burrows

to protect them
from the baking sun and predators.

The parents share
chick-rearing duties between them.

The male took the night shift,

hunting fish
and squid just offshore.

As they rarely have to travel far,

compared with
the two other penguins,

these lifelong couples
spend a lot more time together.

But at home,
it's hard to get any peace.

TERNS SQUAWK

Inca terns like these burrows too,
especially those with a sea view.

Like Rockhoppers, the Humboldts
dislike having neighbours too near.

But the terns
aren't easily discouraged.

Being a penguin parent
is a full-time job.

Humboldtcam will stay on watch.

The penguins will soon face far
greater threats than a few terns.

In Antarctica,

more specialist spycams keep a close
view on the Emperor penguins.

Eggcams are everywhere.

Robot Emperorcams,
positioned in the colony,

give yet another view
of their subjects.

To coincide with
the chicks' arrival,

there's a new kid on the block.

Chickcam!

Its role is to capture
a chick's viewpoint,

as the young develop and grow.

For now,
the dads are still in charge.

Their chicks are hungry,

but the fathers

are running low on food stores.

He gives the little he has left, but
these were his emergency rations.

His chick calls for more.

But there is nothing left.

The mothers are running late.

At this time of year, the sea they
must cross can freeze for 50 miles.

The chick's future depends on

his mother arriving back in time.

At the Rockhopper colony,

the chicks face
a more imminent danger -

Turkey vultures.

These scavengers

are quite prepared
to attack live chicks,

if they can.
CHICKS CHIRP

The penguins use their body
as a shield,

protecting their chicks.

The vulture can't penetrate
the centre of the colony,

so he tries his luck
along the borders.

SQUAWKING

But Rockhoppers
are pugnacious birds.

He even leaves his nest,
to drive the threat away.

It's a brave, but risky move.

Another vulture sneaks in
and grabs his chick.

The colony can't protect itself

without risking more lives.

But reinforcements arrive.

The females, back from fishing.

Their massed ranks
are an intimidating sight.

SQUAWKING

The vulture tries to eat
what he can,

but the penguin army
has other ideas.

THEY SQUAWK

While the vultures fight among
themselves, the penguins hold back.

When the squabbling's over,
they press home their attack.

THEY SCREECH FEROCIOUSLY

The vultures retreat

and the victors return

to their partners.

A well-earned celebration.

THEY CLUCK

The mother hasn't seen
her chick before,

but she takes over
responsibilities immediately.

Her first job is to give the chick

a fresh fish meal.

At the Emperor colony,

the dads are still waiting.

With no food left,

eating snow eases hunger and thirst.

But if their partners
don't arrive soon,

the males will have to abandon
their precious chicks

and return to the sea.

CHICK CHIRRUPS

Then, the sight
they have waited for.

The females trekked across
a frozen ocean

to arrive back in the nick of time.

The chick has never seen her mother.

She could be any one of

the new arrivals.

The mother is equally keen
to see her new chick,

but she must first find her mate,

among more than 3,000 males.

She rushes into the crowd,

nothing stands in her way.

But there's a problem.

THEY CHITTER AND CLUCK

She's now stuck in the middle
and no closer to finding her mate.

But the males have a solution.

They peel away
and form an orderly line.

Their chicks are safely tucked in

the brood pouch between their legs.

To help their partners,

they have formed an identity parade.

The female inspects them,
one by one.

THEY CHITTER

She finally
catches sight of her mate...

..and calls
to check it's really him.

Her partner takes himself
out of the line.

A couple once more, she views
her chick for the first time.

CHICK CHIRRUPS

It should be her turn
to look after the baby,

but her partner's not so sure.

He may not have eaten
for three months, but the bond

with his chick
is stronger than hunger.

He finally accepts the inevitable,

but transferring the chick

needs perfect coordination.

Things could hardly
have gone better.

It's time for the father
to leave for the ocean,

but he's in no hurry.

He makes his decision...

CHICK CHIRRUPS

..then has second thoughts.

He endured the Antarctic winter
all for the sake of this chick.

Saying goodbye isn't easy.

This time, there's no turning back.

The mother rewards her chick

with her first solid meal.

Lumps of fish so fresh, they appear
as if they were caught yesterday.

Food is preserved
for up to three months

by unique antibiotics
in the penguin's stomach.

The male joins a leaving party.

They won't return from the sea
for around four weeks.

THEY CHITTER

In Peru,
when Humboldt penguins go fishing,

they are almost unrecognisable.

They are plastered with muck
from their burrows.

THEY HONK

The desert sun will soon
cake the dirt into their plumage

and they must take a bath
to survive.

Unfortunately, it means
leaving their chicks alone.

Predators have waited
for this moment.

THEY SQUAWK

Belcher gulls -
common killers of young chicks.

GULLS CAW

The chicks may seem defenceless, but
they have a few surprises in store.

Their final deterrent
is truly repulsive.

Gull's can't risk
clogging their feathers.

It seeks a more wholesome meal.

At the Rockhopper colony,

it's time for a change of shifts.

The Rockhopper fathers have been
relieved of parenting duties.

It's now their turn to go fishing.

THEY SQUAWK

They have a 100-metre cliff
to get down.

They must take
the knocks on the chin.

THEY SQUAWK

At the bottom, Rockcam
prepares to film their departure.

Rockcam is here to observe,
but some rules

are made to be broken.

They haven't been to sea
for two weeks.

They will soon be back
in their element.

WIND WHISTLES

The male Emperors
have yet to reach the sea.

But sometimes,
luck can go their way.

A seal hole in the ice.

It's a shortcut,

a portal to the ocean below.

After three months on land,

they will spend the next four weeks
in the open ocean,

chasing fish along the edge of
the ice sheet.

They're back in their natural home.

Before the Humboldts
can take their bath,

they must cross a dangerous barrier.

Sea lions block their route
to the sea.

SEA LIONS SNARL

Descending the cliff
is the easy bit.

On the shore,
they must walk on tiptoe

to avoid disturbing
the sleeping giants.

Sea lions are deadly predators
in the sea,

but they're lazy and sleepy on land.

It should be just a matter of

not waking them up.

The first finds a safe route.

The rest sneak up behind.

They squeeze between the mass of
slumbering blubber and the rocks.

SEA LION BARKS

They're spotted...

SEA LIONS GROWL

..but they escape just in time.

The penguins make a last dash
to the sea.

They need their bath.

Their plumage must be

in perfect condition for fishing.

A new Humboldtcam arrives.

It's a robotic submersible,

with a camera in its eye.

The shy penguins
are relaxed in its presence

and they can be filmed underwater

for the first time.

The sea around
is overflowing with fish.

The shoals thrive
on the nutrients brought here

by the Humboldt current.

This cold upwelling

allows these penguins to survive

so close to the Equator.

But the fish shoals attract more
than just penguins.

A fur seal surfaces
near Humboldtcam.

Unlike sea lions,
they rarely kill penguins,

but they do love

chasing them for fun.

If the penguins
are to fish in peace,

they must brave the open ocean.

Back with the Emperors, the females
are now firmly in charge.

Their first big challenge arrives -
an Antarctic blizzard.

The penguins protect their chicks

by turning their backs to the wind.

THEY CHITTER

But soon, it's not enough.

The chicks are still exposed to
the swirling winds.

To survive the worsening weather,

they must huddle closer together.

They start to gather
in even greater numbers.

PENGUINS CHITTER

A huge mass of penguins

can share warmth and shelter.

But the crush means
it's a risky place

for a young chick to be.

At first, penguins with chicks
circulate on the outside,

avoiding the pressure within.

As the weather worsens,

they'll all have to look for
a place to tuck in.

Eventually, a huge huddle forms.

THEY CHITTER

While those in the centre
are warm and protected,

those on the outside
are still struggling.

To share the heat around,

the penguins take tiny steps

to change position.

Waves of movement
ripple through the huddle,

giving everyone a chance
to have a go in the centre.

The huddle is so efficient, penguins
in the inner core can even overheat.

As these penguins try to cool down,

the colony starts to break up.

The collapse acts as a release
valve, shedding excess heat.

But it's dangerous for the chick.

As everyone moves position,

some mothers topple in the crush.

She tries to stop her full weight

falling on her chick.

Getting back up

is especially difficult,

with a chick nestled in her pouch.

Her care finally pays off.

She and her chick rejoin the huddle
as it starts to reform.

Not all have been so lucky.

This penguin has been searching for

her lost chick.

SHE CALLS

SHE CONTINUES CALLING

She hopes it might still be alive.

Her pouch is the only lifesaver
she knows.

A female companion

shows her concern.

SHE CALLS

The mother invested
everything into her chick.

To lose it is a tragedy.

She will have to wait another year.

In Peru, the young chicks face
other risks - they are hungry.

On the shore below, their mother
returns from her fishing trip.

She has plenty of food, but getting
back to her chicks won't be easy.

The sea lions have woken up.

Alone, she's an easy target.

A booby bird
has already paid the price.

SEA LIONS GROWL

After a good sleep,
the sea lions are ready for a meal.

They even clamber the rocks

that sometimes offer escape.

SEA LIONS SNARL

Using the enemy as stepping stones

is never going to work.

She freezes, trapped by
several tons of immovable blubber.

THEY GROWL

She finds a gap,
but doesn't get far.

PENGUIN HONKS

She keeps them at bay
by pecking their noses.

But she can't reach her chicks
while the sea lions are so active.

She must play a waiting game,
but her chicks are hungry and alone.

In the Antarctic,

the chicks can no longer

squeeze into their mother's pouch.

Walking on Mum's feet

exercises the chick's legs,

before she takes steps of her own.

Some have yet to get the hang of it.

Even the experts
can end up in trouble.

The chick's fluffy down
and her mother's pouch

help cushion the blows.

She's become familiar
with every kind of snow,

but she has yet
to step foot on any of it herself.

This is about to change.

Her first baby step.

MOTHER PENGUIN CHITTERS

She stands on her own two feet

for the first time.

Like any toddler,

she's a bit unsteady.

But Mum offers tough love.

The ice is covered by tiny chicks,

all trying out their new legs.

for the mums, it can all get
a bit confusing.

As the chicks gain confidence,

they start to hesitantly
follow their mothers.

CHICKS CHIRRUP

But once she tastes freedom,
there's no stopping her.

She tumbles out of sight of
her mother.

CHICK CHIRRUPS

She struggles to regain
her composure.

At this size, every lump of snow
is like a boulder.

CHIRRUPING

Separated from her mother,
the colony is a reassuring sight.

Back on the flat,
her confidence returns.

She heads for the security of
the huddle.

But now she's lost in the crowds...

..and out of sight of her mother.

Her mother calls.

LOUD CHIRPING

But her chick is lost
in a penguin maze.

She starts to realise
the danger she's in.

PENGUINS CHIRP

She won't survive alone for long.

In Peru, the cameras are operating
using low-light technology.

The Humboldt chicks
are long overdue a feed.

Their mother is still trapped
on the beach with the sea lions.

But she has gained an advantage.

She often hunts at night,

so her night vision
is better than the sea lions'.

This gives her confidence.

SEA LIONS GRUNT

She holds her ground, but sea lions

aren't the only danger here.

Vampire bats have woken up.

She tries to sneak away,

but the sea lions block her path.

The vampires skip among them,
looking for a meal.

Sea lions make a larger target

and are easier to sneak up on.

But he feels
the bat's razor incision.

It must find
a less suspecting victim.

The bat's saliva
encourages the blood to flow.

She's soon lapping it up.

With the sea lions
distracted by the vampires,

the penguin creeps back to her nest.

Her hungry chicks finally get
the meal they were waiting for.

In the Antarctic,

the weather is on the turn again...

..and the chick is still lost.

If her mother doesn't find her soon,

she'll perish. She calls.

But the deepening snow
deadens the sound.

She's protected by down,

but it's not enough.

She's beginning to struggle
against the cold.

Then, just in time,
a mother's warmth.

In the Falklands,
Rockhoppercam waits for the males

to return from their fishing trip.

In the two weeks they've been away,
they may have travelled

over a thousand miles
in their quest for food.

They arrive in small
landing parties, but numbers build,

as they come ashore.

Rockhoppercam watches,
as they start the long ascent

to their partners and chicks.

Popular routes form bottlenecks.

It's so easy
to be in the wrong place.

But Rockhoppercam
always picks itself back up again.

Their partners may be waiting,

but once over the first hurdle,

the males have other ideas.

They go to the spa.

This natural shower
washes off the sea salt

that penetrates their feathers.

It also quenches their thirst.

The shower is in high demand.

Disputes break out
over whose turn it is to have a go.

No-one can bathe in peace
for more than a few moments.

But one smart penguin has an idea.

He deploys
a mountaineering technique

known as a chimney climb.

And at the top,

all any penguin requires -

his own private power shower.

He's enjoying himself so much,

he's in no rush
to get back to his partner.

While he was away,

the female hasn't left her
chicks' side for a single moment.

Gulls watch
for any lapse of concentration.

CHICK CHIRRUPS

They snatch a chick

the moment a back is turned.

Skuas add to the mounting toll...

..and soon, some pairs are left

without any chicks at all.

The bereaved couples are desperate.

They look for another chick

to care for,

and they don't mind

if it's someone else's.

They plan a kidnap.

The mother's defence is to sit tight

and stop her chick being stolen.

But the kidnappers

won't be put off easily.

Just in time, her partner returns,

spruced up from the shower.

He takes on the would-be kidnappers.

The fight gets even more heated,

but there are few tougher
than a Rockhopper.

They can take the punishment,
as well as dish it out.

The baby-snatchers have had enough

and the male returns to his mate.

He might need another shower,

but at least his chick is safe.

Kidnapping is also rife

in the Emperor colony.

The newly-walking chicks
are irresistible to females

that have lost their own chicks

or failed to breed.

The mother tries to repel
the kidnappers

with a few well-aimed pecks.

But they won't give up.

And others had the same idea.

The chick heads for the main colony,

hoping to find protection
among the crowds.

She disappears
in a mass of bodies...

..and reappears alone.

But it's only for a moment.

A large crowd has gathered,

all trying to adopt the chick.

She's soon overwhelmed by
doting admirers.

One child snatcher tries to force

the chick into her pouch,

but she's way too big.

She makes a break for it,

then gives them the run-around
through the colony.

Finally, they have her surrounded.

They're all desperate to mother her.

She's in danger

of being smothered with love.

But the fluffball
is accidently flipped away...

..and caught by her mother.

She'll stay closer to her next time.

At the Rockhopper colony,

yet more predators are gathering.

A striated caracara,

another chick hunter.

As ever, the Rockhoppers

leap to the colony's defence.

The caracara finds what he thinks

is an easy meal.

With all the real eggs hatched,

eggcam is an irresistible
temptation.

It not only looks like a real egg...

..it rolls like one too.

With eggcam finally in his claws,

he does what comes naturally -

takes it into the air.

A quick readjustment,

and eggcam captures the first aerial

of a penguin colony,
shot by a flying bird.

But then eggcam
slips from his grasp.

But immediately, it catches the eye
of a turkey vulture.

The game continues
with different players.

Finally, eggcam is back
in the Rockhopper colony.

This childless couple
can hardly believe their luck.

Eggcam is a gift from the skies.

She tenderly takes it into her nest.

For a few moments,

she even tries to incubate it.

But she won't be fooled for long.

Back in Peru, the rest of the
fishing party have finally arrived.

While they've been away, the nesting
colony has undergone an invasion

far greater than anything
the Rockhoppers have faced.

Their numbers

have to be seen to be believed.

There are half a million birds
in all.

Guanay cormorants.

Global weather
has pushed the birds southwards

and they've gathered in far
greater numbers than normal.

For the returning males,
it's utterly bewildering.

For the females and their young,

it's a disaster.

The cormorants
nest outside the colony,

but the penguins and their chicks

are just where these invaders

prefer to take off.

Their chicks
could easily be trampled

if the cormorants
overshoot the runway.

The young take cover

as the invaders move ever closer,

pushed forward by the others,

eager to take off.

And that was just the start.

Thousands upon thousands
are stacked up behind.

The Humboldts
just have to hold their ground

and protect their chicks
the best they can.

She shields her offspring.

She has never experienced
anything like it.

She even tries to snatch
the cormorants from the air.

As the cormorants stream out to sea,

the pressure is released.

It takes a whole hour
for them to leave.

With most of the cormorants gone,

the males can finally return
to their young.

The family is reunited,

and Dad has brought back dinner.

At the Emperor colony,

the freezing winter

has kept other predators at bay.

But spring brings new dangers.

A giant petrel suddenly arrives,

looking for a meal.

He weighs up his options.

Chicks protected by their mother
are difficult to catch.

Mum's pouch is now of little use,

it just hides the danger from view.

But it's the mother
that keeps the petrel at bay.

While some rely on their mother
for protection,

others huddle together.

He tests the group's reaction,

to see if any will run.

By breaking up the huddle,

he can isolate a victim.

He gets one.

But he only has it by her feathers.

She breaks free

and runs to her mother.

PENGUIN SQUAWKS

Petrels are huge birds,

but they still won't mess with

an adult Emperor.

Protected by her mother,

the chick survived another day.

But soon, the parents will leave

and these chicks have to stand on
their own two feet.

Next time, from the frozen Antarctic

to the scorching desert,

we discover the challenges

faced by all our chicks,

as they learn to become adult
penguins.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd