Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

Somewhere high up in the north,

in the vast and barren terrains of the tundra

lives a very mysterious animal.

Often symbolic of wisdom,

historically revered as a medium between the worlds.

(dramatic music)

The snowy owl.

Best known by fans of Harry Potter.

(dramatic music)

In some years it undertakes the long journey

westwards to Europe, sometimes to Germany.

(birds chirping)

Why does it exert itself to such extremes?

(dramatic music)

Lemmings and snowy owls are entwined.

Their relationship exists over thousands of years.

Most, for the lemming, end with it's death.

For the owl it is essential.

(chicks peeping)

The prey is not for the hunter.

His mate is waiting,

the pair have four offspring to rear.

(chicks peeping)

The father has to leave again straight away,

the mother stays to feed the three week old chicks.

They have to gain weight quickly because

autumn will begin in three months time.

(chicks peeping)

In the land of the snowy owl

the sun won't set for many weeks,

and thus, quite untypically for owls,

it hunts in the daylight,

it's eyes are accustomed to it,

nothing escapes it's attention.

(birds chirping)

Watching and waiting, that is it's strategy.

(duck quacking)

But not for water fowls,

they're not so well suited for the chicks.

The owl is waiting for the lemming above all else.

(chicks chirping)

It's taking too long for the female,

the cicks need at least four rodents per day.

Not a problem in good lemming years

when the male can provide one after the other.

(wings flapping)

(chicks chirping)

Then the owls can manage to raise up to eleven offspring.

(chicks chirping)

But right now there are few to be found,

that's why the family is so small.

When food is in short supply, owls lay fewer eggs.

But nevertheless, it is still

not enough for the little ones.

(gentle music)

Around every four years

there is an explosion in the lemming numbers.

At least that's how it's been until now.

But now such a boon time for lemmings is long over-due.

What is it that has disrupted this cycle?

(chick chirping)

If there is too little food,

it is the last born, and therefore the smallest,

that will pay the price in it's development.

It's chances to compete for it's share against

the larger chicks will be evermore remote.

(gentle music)

The male is out for increasingly prolonged

amounts of time to find prey.

It's vital that the mother manages to protect her young

against the icy winds.

(dramatic music)

In a short time the temperature will drop

to near freezing point.

(splashing)

The mother deepens the hollow of the nest for protection

while the father searches in vain for lemmings.

(owl screeching)

The family is starving.

(dramatic music)

(wings flapping)

(owl screaming)

It's as if the lemmings have been

swallowed up by the ground.

The mother has nothing more

to offer the pleas of her nestling.

(dramatic music)

She seems to have run out of ideas

as to how to help her dying chick.

(somber music)

The adults can deal with far lower temperatures.

(chicks chirping)

But for the smallest, in these circumstances,

there is no chance.

(dramatic music)

The male has no time to lose,

he has to make sure, at least,

that the other chicks survive.

(somber music)

The owl will feed the dead chick to the other chicks.

Every form of nutrition is imperative

as long as the male continues to have problems.

(chicks chirping)

The fortune of the family is uncertain.

One thing is for certain though,

an increase in lemming numbers this summer

has not materialized.

(gentle music)

The chicks have to manage to achieve

a weight of at least two kilos within the next three weeks.

If not, they will not survive the winter.

(dramatic music)

(chick chirping)

The fog hardly clears at all.

All ready in the middle of August,

it is autumn.

(geese honking)

The geese begin their escape to the south.

Snowy owls however, are not migratory birds.

They remain where they are.

(geese honking)

(dramatic music)

A little later,

and the tundra is covered with snow.

Much earlier than expected.

(dramatic music)

(wind howling)

The landscape is in the grip of temperatures

that sink to -40 degrees Celsius.

It is only they who can adapt that will survive.

Even the feet, velvety soles,

are covered with feathers, as is the beak.

(wind howling)

It's the same with the Arctic fox.

White as camouflage,

and warmly covered with fur

even under the paws.

(wind blowing)

Owls and foxes share a similar fate,

in that they both hunt lemmings.

And for both of them it is now essential

that they find some as the temperature sinks.

(snow crunching)

The owl now has a difficult decision.

Should it try to bear it out here

and continue searching like the fox?

(wind blowing)

Or is the snow too deep and hard?

And it will be under threat of diminishing fat reserves.

The fox has no choice in the matter,

(gentle music)

but the snowy owl does.

It doesn't always migrate like other birds,

but will travel if the conditions are too extreme.

(gentle music)

It leaves the Siberian desert of ice behind,

and travels westwards.

(gentle music)

Traveling at up to 85 kilometers per hour,

it can cover large areas of Russia.

(gentle music)

Ahead lay the fells of North Scandinavia,

2,500 kilometers away from it's breeding grounds.

(gentle music)

Here the wind clears the tops of the mountains,

increasing the owl's chances of finding some lemmings.

(gentle music)

The open terrain is an invitation to rest.

The owl needs the clear view for it's hunting.

(gentle music)

The strangers presence doesn't go unnoticed.

(grunting)

However, the reindeers soon return their attentions

to the arduous process of uncovering moss and linchen.

(grunting)

(pawing snow)

The secret as to why they don't suffer from hypothermia

lies with their large snouts.

The icy air warms up through the long nasal passage,

and the heat is retained when they breath out.

(grunting)

Their wide hooves act like snowshoes

and prevent the animal from sinking

too deeply into the snow.

(grunting)

(playful music)

But the true master of walking on snow

is the Alpine Rabbit.

With it's white fur and smaller ears,

it's perfectly suited to the sub-polar environment.

(playful music)

This elegant snowshoe sprinter would be

the perfect catch for the owl,

if only it wasn't so very quick.

What else is on offer?

(playful music)

Snow grouse!

They've spent the night

in a well-insulated snow chamber,

a bit like an igloo.

(playful music)

But hunger has forced them to leave their cover together,

many eyes are their best protection to survive.

(playful music)

The owl observes them attentively.

However, it's attentions don't go unnoticed.

(bird calling)

(wings flapping)

No luck again.

(owl screaming)

(playful music)

Finally a mountain lemming!

A little more be-speckled

than it's brown cousin in Siberia,

but just as delicious!

(rustling)

It's collecting grasses and linchen

to stock up it's pantry under the snow.

That's where is spends most of it's time in the winter,

well protected and hard to find.

(rustling)

The snowy owl must use it's chance.

(rustling)

(owl screaming)

The lemming is watchful.

Walking on it's snowshoes, it stalks the lemming,

trusting in it's camouflage and the element of surprise.

However, it's cover has been blown.

(dramatic music)

The lemming is confoundedly fast!

(playful music)

(owl screaming)

Another attempt is for now out of the question.

(gentle music)

(wind blowing)

Heavy snowfall impedes the visibility.

(grunting)

This is the beginning of a very hard time

even for the reindeer, who are so well used to the cold.

(dramatic music)

They only have the chance to remain and starve,

or to make the energy sapping journey

through the deep snow to search out new pastures

for their meagre diet.

The lemming has absolutely no problem with the snow.

Quite the opposite, it's an ally.

Foraging, stocking up, eating,

raising it's young up to six times throughout the winter.

It manages all that buried under the snow,

and rarely ventures out.

If there's a new covering of snow,

it offers the perfect protection

against the cold and enemies.

For the owl it's a trajedy,

because it makes the rodents much harder to find.

It's only in those places where the wind blows a clearing

that it has a chance.

(owl screaming)

(wings flapping)

(gentle music)

The first attempt,

the rodent hidden in it's labyrinth has a clear advantage.

(clicking)

(suspenseful music)

(clicking)

(squeaking)

And it's no stranger to protecting himself.

Deep snow hunting, it seems,

is not for the owl.

(reindeer running)

The reindeer leave the inhospitable terrain.

(gentle music)

The snowy owl is also forced to move on.

Indeed, the perennial aviator will cover

the circumference of the pole throughout the winter

in search of nourishment.

If it doesn't meet with success,

the journey will be very risky.

(gentle music)

Will it's undernourished energy reserves

last long enough to reach the south

where it can hunt again?

(gentle music)

The energy-sapping flight is grueling.

A short catch in-between could be much needed,

but here also, the snow is far too deep.

(wings flapping)

The great grey owl shows how to

be a good deep snow hunter.

(owl hooting)

It seeks out the mice from above

and makes it's approach silently gliding,

before plunging the last meters with the full force,

landing deep in the snow.

Although only around two kilos in weight,

in manages to pin-pointedly capture it's prey

up to 40 centimeters under the snow.

The competition lurks in the background.

The supply of mice is small,

but the hunger is big.

Every little bit counts in the winter.

(wings flapping)

The hunter has already swallowed his well-earned rewards,

but it takes a while for his competition to notice.

(owl screaming)

With such tough competition around,

the snowy owl has no chance.

(dramatic music)

It has to leave the Tiger's Forests behind,

it can't hunt between trees.

Open spaces with a milder climate are the aim,

but it's destination is still as yet a long journey away.

(dramatic music)

After a further 500 kilometers,

it has still not crossed the undesirable coniferous forest.

Exhausted, it stops for a rest.

(wolf howling)

As dusk approaches,

the Forest of the Trolls is suddenly awake.

(birds chirping)

Millions of bramblings are heading south

and are looking for a place to rest for the night.

(wolves howling)

(birds chirping)

(owl hooting)

(owl screaming)

A very real spirit of the forest makes an entrance.

The snowy owl must heed him attentively,

he could be very dangerous.

A wolverine.

(sniffing)

This Geraint Martin can cover up to 45 kilometers in a night

in it's relentless search for food.

In the winter it'll eat anything it can find.

(suspenseful music)

Nothing escapes it's highy tuned sense of smell.

A leftover carcass distracts it's attentions.

(chomping)

However, it's attentions don't go unnoticed.

(low growling)

(suspenseful music)

The lynx is not impressed when it discovers

someone hunting on it's terrain.

The wolverine thinks better of it,

and ambles on.

(low growling)

The lynx is already full,

and is looking for a quiet brunch

to settle down for the night.

(rustling)

(low growling)

(owl hooting)

(rustling)

Taken.

The lynx decides not to trouble itself

with an argumentative owl.

Long and cold hours lay ahead of the owl.

(gentle music)

It's a night as if made for myths and fairy tales,

where the Northern Lights dance

like fluorescent ghosts in the night sky.

(gentle music)

Perhaps the myths about the ambassadors to the other side

stem from such nights as this.

They are the stuff of J.K. Rowling's creation,

Hedwig, the messenger owl in Harry Potter's magical world.

A little more factually seen,

they are a result of a natural phenomenon.

The solo winds, highly charged particles

collide with the earth's atmosphere,

triggering the atoms into this majestic play of light.

(subdued music)

As the sun rises

this intriguing spectacle is total absorbed by the daylight.

(birds cooing)

(wings flapping)

The starting gun for the black grouse

who come to the same place year after year

to perform their commutal courtship rituals.

(birds cooing)

(bird cawing)

Every male occupies his own small personal territory,

and sets out to impress the competition.

Not only acoustically,

but dramatically as well.

(bird cawing)

The red wattles above the eyes

swell up for the annual occasion.

(bird cooing)

The oldest and the highest ranking

occupy the center of the courting arena.

(bird cooing)

A younger member of the group

is staking his challenge to the helm,

a duel is called.

(wings flapping)

(bird cawing)

Like two swordsmen,

the birds set at each other with their powerful beaks.

(dramatic music)

They attempt to hit each other on the red wattles.

(bird cawing)

(dramatic music)

A direct hit!

The younger has managed to grab hold of the older.

(dramatic music)

For this, it will have to endure

some powerful retaliatory swipes with the wings.

(birds fighting)

With this duel, both young and old can be dis-plumed.

It will only be the winner

who is allowed to mate with the females.

(birds cooing)

(wings flapping)

It seems grouse won't be on the menu for breakfast.

(gentle music)

It forces the owl to continue it's journey southwards

and to leave the Scandinavian Tiger behind.

It has to finally get to suitable hunting grounds.

(gentle music)

By and by, deciduous trees such as birch,

are mixed into the pallet of the forest,

and the days grow longer and warmer.

(gentle music)

After another ten days flight,

it finally reaches the North Sea

on the south cast of Scandinavia.

However, instead of finding a large stretch

of open water with resting seabirds beneath,

there is nothing else but an icy desert.

This year the arctic temperatures have even

gripped the expanses moderate climes.

Across Denmark, land of the Vikings,

the picture remains the same.

5,000 kilometers now lay behind it.

(gentle music)

It's only as it reaches the open sea around

the German North Sea Islands,

that things look better.

(birds chirping)

In between the tidal waves swim schools of flounders

without the protection of ice.

Has it finally reached it's goal?

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

A young snowy owl has arrived two weeks earlier.

Although less experienced, the younger birds

intuitively set off for the journey earlier.

(birds chirping)

(water flowing)

It's found a fully set table

on Germany's North Sea Coast.

Sea birds as far as the eye can see.

(birds quacking)

(splashing)

From mallards to sheldricks,

all fighting for a place as the evening sets in

on the interior fresh water lakes behind the coast.

Here they're best protected overnight

against such nocturnal predators like the marten or the fox.

(birds quacking)

By the next morning most of them have survived

the uncomfortable cold of the night.

And in ice cold water with bare feet at that!

(birds quacking)

How do those water birds manage not to freeze?

(playful music)

Astonishingly enough,

they actually lose very little heat on the ice.

They're equipped with a perfect

heat exchange system in their legs.

(birds quacking)

Warm blood flows downwards,

and the cold bood upwards.

(playful music)

At an abundantly flowing bottleneck,

the warm blood exchanges with the cold blood

which travels back into the body.

Saving energy by keeping ones feet cold, in principle.

(birds chirping)

(playful orchestral music)

Without such an ingenious heat recovery system,

the smaller birds, above all else,

would quickly freeze.

But despite this impressive wonder of nature,

the birds are constantly under pressure

throughout the winter not to starve.

The grey heron normally hunts fish.

However, when the waters are frozen a plan B is needed.

It keeps it's eyes on the sheldricks,

fish hunter like itself.

(birds quacking)

Perhaps it can wrangle something out of them.

The smew comes from far away,

from Siberia like the snowy owl,

which is watching on as ever.

(splashing)

(birds chirping)

The owl waits.

Perhaps one of the many birds won't be paying attention.

(gentle music)

(birds quacking)

This solitary duck, perhaps.

(wings flapping)

The lemming hunter transforms into a bird hunter.

The tactic remains the same,

it'll take what is easiest to overpower.

But hunting birds is not such an easy undertaking.

(birds quacking)

What makes it even more difficult

is that the birds warn each other.

The snowy owl has to stay hungry for now.

(birds chirping)

(feet sliding on ice)

(splashing)

A sheldrake is having a bit more luck with it's catch.

(splashing)

However, that is only short-lived.

Here, thievery is the order of the day.

Thieves abound everywhere.

No movement escapes attention.

(wings flapping)

Or be it, when two are having a dispute,

the third one reaps the benefits.

(dramatic music)

(birds calling)

But the herons haven't given up yet,

the gull doesn't even get a chance to swallow.

(birds calling)

So much commotion,

all over one fish.

Nothing illustrates the necessity of the birds more.

(dramatic music)

(birds calling)

It's not absolutely the strongest that perseveres here,

but more they with the most cunning.

The clever gull swallows the fish straight away.

(birds calling)

Should the waters freeze completely,

it will come down to a basic fight for survival.

A fight has flared up over the last fish among the herons.

(birds fighting)

(suspenseful music)

No rule is barred

in the birds efforts to stop the other swallowing.

They who run out of steam to struggle will die.

During the harder winters

around 50% of the herons will starve.

(dramatic music)

Only the most resourceful of them will survive.

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

(wind blowing)

Some animals decide not to trouble themselves

at all with the hardships of winter.

Hidden away in the hollow of a tree,

a garden dormouse takes it's leave

of the inconveniently cold season.

It's body temperature has sunk to just above freezing,

and it's metabolism has reduced itself to a minimum.

It's heart beats only slightly per minute.

(gentle music)

A whole range of animals disappear from the picture

altogether during the winter months,

and emaciate themselves

from their fat reserves while sleeping.

Tree hollows are mostly favored by

the household and the edible dormice.

The hedgehog, on the other hand,

likes to bury itself under dried out foliage and grass.

Hunters like the snowy owl have no chance

to find them in their hideaways.

Many other animals simply have to bear it out.

With it's bushes filled with berries and it's apple trees,

the coastal region in the North of Germany

serves as a gigantic fridge for the birds.

(gentle music)

Fieldfares and the common blackbirds

absolutely love the rich frozen fare.

(rustling)

Apples contain large amounts of sweet fructose

and are good sources of energy.

Every apple harvested could be a life-saver.

Even the newcomers arriving from the Tiger

enjoy the benefits of the fruit.

(wings flapping)

The waxwings are not the only guests

who have made the arduous journey from the North.

The older snowy owl arrives on the scene.

(wings flapping)

Famished after a flight of nearly 5,000 kilometers,

it is in urgent need of nutrition.

Bu the partridges are all too aware.

(owl clucking)

(wings flapping)

But finally there is a hope for the owl again.

On the relatively open plains,

chances are much better for hunting.

(gentle music)

(snow falling)

A hundred years ago,

the snowy owl's numbers were much larger

in the central Europe.

Today, it is extremely rare.

(gentle music)

Some even come as stowaways.

During a storm in 2014,

five American owls found shelter on a ship bound for Europe.

From board they flew over the Netherlands,

and back home again,

a modern winter's fairy tale.

(gentle music)

(rustling)

Such a comfortable journey

wasn't had by this owl.

Added to that it now faces competition,

Fox

and ermine.

(playful music)

All are chasing the same thing,

the mouse.

The ermine looks as if it could have a plan.

(playful music)

What could be the reason

for this sprightly little romp?

(playful music)

The fox is taking it's time.

It's monitering for slight sounds beneath the snow.

(crunching snow)

The performance was not without it's merit.

The ermine aims to shock the mouse

andn try to scare it out of it's safe haven.

(playful music)

And it works!

(rustling)

The victory is short-lived,

try again.

Very fortunate for the patient guest.

(chewing)

(digging)

Ermines and foxes hunt mice

as their primary source of prey.

They are dependant on it for their numbers.

(dramatic music)

As ever, the snowy owl watches on.

(playful music)

The ermine has to keep a close eye on the owl.

Sometimes owls can't just resist

their kleptomaniac urges.

A younger snowy owl enters the scene.

The feathers of the young and the females

are covered with brown speckles.

Perhaps it's one of her own chicks.

(playful music)

The ermine has had enough for the day.

End of the show!

(gentle music)

(birds honking)

Not all are such rare guests as the snowy owl, though.

(gentle music)

Whooper swans rest in their thousands

in the North of Germany before undertaking

their return journey to the Siberian Tiger.

(gentle music)

(water splashing)

(wings flapping)

Throughout February the suns rays increase,

and the spirit of departure reverberates across the lake.

(swans honking)

(water splashing)

Getting eleven kilos off the surface is a job in itself.

(gentle music)

For the young snowy owl

their departure is the signal to return.

It takes the route along the Baltic coast.

(gentle music)

It's following the route of the other birds.

(birds calling)

The best hunting chances

are wherever they choose to take a break.

(birds calling)

(gentle music)

Finally comes the fall.

Without snow and ice, everything is much easier.

(gentle music)

Hunting strategies suddenly change.

(water splashing)

This time the owl wants the ducks to see it,

and it glides directly towards them,

forcing them to dive.

(ducks quacking)

(splashing)

It hovers above with patience.

(ducks quacking)

(birds honking)

The first to come up for air dies.

Today it is catered for.

(wings flapping)

Around 50,000 barnacle geese

now set off for their Arctic breeding grounds.

The snowy owl also has to endure this last grueling stage,

over 4,000 kilometers, passing by the Arctic Circle.

(birds calling)

An unusually hard Northern winter

has led the owl to Europe.

However, such years will become less common.

(gentle music)

Who knows if it'll find it's way to these shores again?

Climate change will also have an effect on it's life.

The cyclical lemming outbreak in many regions of the tundra

has dropped drastically over the last 20 years.

(birds chirping)

A possible reason is the rise in temperature in the Arctic.

At present, it is around one degree centigrade per decade,

the winter's become shorter and more clement.

(dramatic music)

As a result, the lemmings lose their deep

and protective layer of snow early in the year.

The large scale outbreak of the last generations

has been dramatically reduced.

(water flowing)

The gradual floor of the Arctic

will have pronounced effects on many

of the specialized inhabitants of the Arctic.

And yet, the exact ecological consequences

remain largely unknown.

The snowy owl has returned

just in time for the Arctic spring.

(birds chirping)

(gentle music)

(bird singing)

The Lapland Longspur

is at the height of it's mating season.

(birds chirping)

When the cotton grass' heads are formed,

the first half of the six week Arctic summer

has already passed.

(gentle music)

The birds have to hurry in rearing their new offspring.

(gentle music)

The growing season, to the advantage of many chicks,

will increase due to climate change.

(birds chirping)

Even the geese which feed on grass

will be a benificiary.

(gentle music)

(chicks chirping)

The snowy owls have yet again

a small family this year.

Now, as before,

they're dependent on their supply of lemmings.

How the diminishing numbers

will have an effect over the long term,

remains to be seen.

(chicks chirping)

On the other hand,

perhaps they won't be forced to fly so far south

as a result of the milder Arctic winter.

(gentle music)

One thing remains clear for the snowy owls,

to survive in the magical world of the winter,

one needs particular qualities:

intelligence, a sense of adventure,

and immense powers of endurance.

(dramatic music)