All language subtitles for Wild Balkans PBS Nature 2010 EN

IN EUROPE,
THERE EXISTS A WORLD

WHERE RARE, ELUSIVE ANIMALS

MAKE THEIR HOME AMIDST
PRISTINE LANDSCAPES.

THIS IS THE BALKANS --
NOTORIOUS FOR THE WARS

THAT DEVASTATED SO MUCH
OF ITS LAND,

YET VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN
FOR THE WILDERNESS

THAT THRIVES THROUGHOUT.

HERE, SHEER CLIFF WALLS
AND ANCIENT TREES

HAVE STOOD GUARD FOR CENTURIES,

PROTECTING TREASURES WITHIN...

KEEPING THEM SECRET

IN A LAND
TRULY FORGOTTEN BY TIME.

THE WILD BALKANS.

THICK FORESTS...

VAST WETLANDS...

DEEP CHASMS...

THIS IS A WILD,
INACCESSIBLE LAND

WHICH BELONGS AS MUCH TO MYTH
AS TO REALITY.

THE BALKAN PENINSULA,

WHERE REMNANTS OF
THE PAST STILL WALK THE EARTH.

HERE, TOLKIEN MIGHT HAVE PLACED
HIS MIDDLE EARTH.

THE JAGGED CONTOURS OF
THE LAND HAVE THROWN

LONG, DARK SHADOWS OVER
THE HISTORY OF THE PENINSULA,

ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE,

BETWEEN THE FORCES OF
THE EAST AND WEST.

THIS REGION HAS BEEN

ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLEGROUNDS
OF HISTORY --

SUBJUGATED BY ROME,

INVADED AND PLUNDERED
BY BARBARIANS,

CONQUERED BY THE OTTOMANS --

A NO-MAN'S LAND BETWEEN
THE CROSS AND THE CRESCENT,

PILLAGED AND SACKED
BY BOTH CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS

AND THE ARMIES OF ISLAM.

INTO THE 20th CENTURY,

WAR WAS THE ONLY LAW
THAT RULED THE BALKANS.

ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS

DOES IT SEEM THAT PEACE
MAY HAVE FINALLY COME

TO EUROPE'S POWDER KEG...

WHERE, THROUGHOUT ITS LONG
AND BLOODY HISTORY,

THE SMOKE AND FIRE OF WAR
CONSPIRED TO CONCEAL

THE NATURAL WONDERS HERE.

THE LANDSCAPE IS STILL
UNTOUCHED,

AND THOUGH THERE ARE
NO ORCS OR ELVES HERE,

THERE ARE WILD ANIMALS

THAT HAVE ALL BUT VANISHED FROM
THE REST OF EUROPE.

THIS IS
A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

DEEP INTO THE HEART
OF THE BALKANS,

DEEP INTO THE HEART OF
MIDDLE EARTH...

TO THE LAST STRONGHOLD OF
EUROPE'S VULTURES,

TIKVES,
IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA.

EAST TO THE COLORFUL FIELDS OF

BULGARIA'S DOBRUDZA.

NORTHWARDS TO ROMANIA

AND THE GREAT DELTA OF
THE DANUBE,

GUARDED BY
A SEA OF MOSQUITOES.

THEN UPSTREAM,
PAST THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS,

INTO CROATIA'S
KOPACKI RIT WETLANDS,

SOUTHWARDS TO
THE DEEPLY CARVED CHASMS

OF MONTENEGRO'S DURMITOR
MOUNTAINS,

AND ON TO

SKADARSKO JEZERO,

THE "BIG LAKE."

THE NAMES ALMOST SOUND LIKE
THOSE OF TOLKIEN'S MIDDLE EARTH,

BUT THIS IS A LAND VIRTUALLY
UNKNOWN BUT FOR ITS WARS,

A LAND STILL UNTAMED BY PEOPLE.

THE WILD BALKANS.

THE BALKAN PENINSULA
IS NAMED AFTER A MOUNTAIN RANGE

IN BULGARIA.

IT WAS ONCE THOUGHT THAT

THESE MOUNTAINS CROSSED
THE ENTIRE REGION,

BUT THEY ARE JUST ONE OF MANY
SMALL MOUNTAIN RANGES

IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE.

IN WINTER,
THE SNOW-CAPPED BALKAN MOUNTAINS

RESEMBLE THE ALPS,
BUT HERE THE HIGHEST PEAK

IS NO MORE THAN 8,000 FEET.

DESPITE THEIR DEEP WINTER SNOW,

THESE LOW MOUNTAINS ARE
A FAR CRY FROM

THOSE IMAGINARY PEAKS
THAT TOLKIEN WROTE OF.

THE WILDERNESS OF
THE DURMITOR MASSIF

SEEMS FAR CLOSER
TO MIDDLE EARTH.

EVEN THE NAME CONJURES UP IMAGES
OF "THE LORD OF THE RINGS."

DURMITOR LIES IN
THE NORTH OF MONTENEGRO.

THICK PRIMEVAL FORESTS
CLING TO ITS MOUNTAIN SLOPES

ABOVE SHEER ROCK FACES
AND GORGES.

IT'S SUCH REMOTE

AND WILD COUNTRY THAT IT STILL
REMAINS ALMOST INACCESSIBLE.

NATURE NOT ONLY SURVIVES HERE,
IT THRIVES.

THIS IS A TRULY ANCIENT FOREST,

POPULATED BY BLACK PINES,
160 FEET TALL,

THAT HAVE STOOD FOR HALF
A MILLENNIUM

AND ARE THE LAST OF THEIR KIND
IN EUROPE.

CLOSING RANKS, THE TREES HAVE
GUARDED CREATURES HERE

SINCE BEFORE RECORDS WERE KEPT.

[ WOLVES HOWLING ]

WOLVES STILL ROAM THROUGHOUT
THE DURMITOR MOUNTAINS,

THEIR HOWLS,
A PRIMAL CALL OF THE WILD.

[ WOLVES HOWLING ]

A PAIR OF HONEY BUZZARDS
NEST ABOVE THEM.

THEY USUALLY FEED ON THE LARVAE
IN WASPS' NESTS,

BUT GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY,
THEY'LL TAKE OTHER PREY TOO,

LIKE THIS FROG.

NEXT TO THE BUZZARDS,

A BLACK WOODPECKER
HAS HOLLOWED OUT ITS NEST.

[ CHICKS CRYING ]

THE HONEY BUZZARDS HAVE ONLY
HATCHED A SINGLE CHICK,

BUT IT'S RAPACIOUS!

[ CHICKS CRYING ]

THE WOODPECKERS HAVE A LARGER,
FAR NOISIER FAMILY TO FEED.

THESE MOUNTAINS ARE ALSO HOME
TO THE BROWN BEAR.

IT'S LATE AUTUMN

AND THIS BEAR IS PUTTING ON
AS MUCH FAT AS POSSIBLE

BEFORE FINDING A CAVE
TO HIBERNATE IN,

DURING THE HARSH WINTER.

THE LYNX.

SHY AND WARY,

IT SILENTLY MOVES AND HUNTS
IN THESE FORESTS.

IT IS THE LARGEST

OF EUROPE'S WILD CATS,
AND ONE OF THE RAREST.

ONLY 100 ARE SAID TO REMAIN
IN THE BALKANS.

THE GREAT BEAR HAS A NICKNAME --
"MEDVED," THE HONEY EATER.

AND IT FITS, FOR ITS FAT BELLY
IS ALMOST ENTIRELY

THE RESULT OF HONEY PLUNDERED
FROM MANY BEE HIVES.

THE BEAR'S FOREST CLINGS
PRECARIOUSLY

TO THE STEEP MOUNTAIN SLOPES.

THE GORGES AND CHASMS THAT CUT
INTO THE DURMITOR MOUNTAINS

ARE THE DEEPEST IN THE BALKANS.

THERE ARE NO NATURAL ACCESS
ROUTES DOWN INTO THEM,

EVEN FOR BEARS.

THESE DEEP GORGES
REMAIN PRISTINE.

THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL IS
THE CANYON OF THE TARA RIVER,

A SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF
THE RAW POWER OF NATURE.

ALMOST 10,000 FEET DEEP
AND 50 MILES LONG,

THE TARA CANYON IS THE DEEPEST
AND LONGEST IN ALL OF EUROPE.

BECAUSE THE FLOWING WATER IS

TURQUOISE BLUE AND CRYSTAL CLEAR
LIKE TEARDROPS,

LOCAL PEOPLE HAVE NAMED THIS
"EUROPE'S TEAR."

ONLY DEFT SWIMMERS LIKE
THE EUROPEAN OTTER

ARE ABLE TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON.

ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE,
OTTERS HAVE TURNED NOCTURNAL

TO AVOID ENCOUNTERING PEOPLE.

AN OTTER IN BRIGHT DAYLIGHT

IS A SIGN OF HOW REMOTE
AND UNDISTURBED

THIS STRETCH OF THE TARA IS.

BUT HE STILL HAS TO SWIM
FOR ALL HE'S WORTH.

THE RIVER IS TIGHTLY CHANNELED
BY THE CANYON

AND RUSHES THROUGH THE GORGE

AT HIGH SPEED.

SO FAR, ITS SHEER WALLS HAVE
BEEN A NATURAL FORTRESS

FOR THE GORGE
AND ITS INHABITANTS,

TOO GREAT A CHALLENGE FOR ALL
DESIGNERS OF DAMS

FOR HYDROELECTRIC
POWER STATIONS.

AND DURMITOR'S STATUS

AS A NATIONAL PARK HAS GIVEN
THE CANYON ADDED PROTECTION.

PEOPLE NOW COME TO THE PARK
TO WITNESS ITS WONDERS.

HIKING PATHS ARE BEING CUT
INTO THE CANYON,

AND HOSTELS ARE BEING BUILT
TO MAKE

THIS UNIQUE NATURAL HERITAGE
ACCESSIBLE TO LIMITED TOURISM.

THE EUROPEAN OTTER
IS IN ITS ELEMENT,

A MASTER FISHERMAN

AFTER ITS CATCH --
TYPICALLY RIVER TROUT.

THE CLEAR MOUNTAIN WATER IS NOT
RICH IN NUTRIENTS.

BUT IT SUPPORTS JUST ENOUGH FISH

TO SUSTAIN A SMALL POPULATION OF
THESE HIGH OCTANE HUNTERS.

THE GOAL OF THIS NATIONAL PARK

IS TO COMBINE WILDERNESS

WITH RESPONSIBLE ECO-TOURISM,
AND IT IS HOPED

THE RESULTS WILL BENEFIT
THE ENTIRE

SURROUNDING REGION
OF MONTENEGRO.

MORE THAN 3,000 FEET ABOVE
THE TARA CANYON

LIES AN ALMOST BARREN LANDSCAPE,

A PERFECT SETTING FOR
THE WANDERING HEROES

OF "THE LORD OF THE RINGS."

THIS IS A DESOLATE PLATEAU.

IT COULD BE THE END OF
THE WORLD.

BLEAK, LONELY, AND SEEMINGLY
DESERTED --

YET PEOPLE STILL LIVE HERE.

FORGOTTEN BY TIME AND ISOLATED
BY THEIR ENVIRONMENT,

THEY REMAIN VERY MUCH
A PART OF IT.

REMARKABLY, IT'S A WORLD
OF HARD WORK DONE BY WOMEN.

MOST OF THE MEN LEFT LONG AGO

IN SEARCH OF MORE
PROFITABLE LABOR.

STANA CEROVIC

IS ONE OF THE INDOMITABLE SOULS
WHO HAVE REMAINED WITH THE FARM

AND THE ANIMALS AND THE DAILY
STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE.

EACH SUMMER, SHE HEADS UP TO
THE HIGHLANDS WITH HER FIVE COWS

AND PREPARES TO DEFEND THEM
AND HERSELF

AGAINST HER GREATEST FEAR...

CENTURIES OF STORIES
HAVE FED HER IMAGINATION,

TURNING WOLVES INTO NIGHTMARES.

WOLVES DO TAKE A RARE CALF
FROM TIME TO TIME,

BUT DESPITE LOCAL LEGENDS,

THEY HAVE YET TO ATTACK
A SINGLE HUMAN HERE.

TO THE NORTH OF DURMITOR'S
JAGGED AND SOLITARY PEAKS

LIES A DIFFERENT WORLD.

CLOSE TO WHERE THE DANUBE
AND DRAVA RIVERS MEET

IS KOPACKI RIT,
IN EASTERN CROATIA.

IF THIS WERE MIDDLE EARTH,

THE FOREST ELVES WOULD FEEL
COMPLETELY AT HOME.

STRETCHING OUT ACROSS
THE FLOODPLAINS,

THIS IS ONE OF EUROPE'S

MOST EXTENSIVE
AND IMPORTANT WETLANDS.

ONE OF THE LARGEST AND OLDEST
RIVER FORESTS

TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE ALONG
THE DANUBE GROWS HERE.

OVER 260 DIFFERENT SPECIES
OF BIRDS

ARE ALSO FOUND HERE,

SOME IN HUGE COLONIES.

FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS
EVERY YEAR,

LARGE PARTS OF
THE FOREST ARE FLOODED

BY SEASONALLY RISING WATER.

THIS IS A GREAT CRESTED GREBE,

WITH ITS RECENTLY HATCHED CHICK.

LIFE JUST COULDN'T
GET ANY BETTER.

WHILE SITTING COMFORTABLY
AND SECURELY

ON THE BACK OF ONE PARENT,

IT ACCEPTS A SMALL FISH
FROM THE OTHER.

BUT AGAINST ITS WISHES,

THE CHICK HAS TO TAKE
A SWIM NOW AND AGAIN.

ALTHOUGH THE CHICK IS ABLE
TO SWIM AND DIVE

AS SOON AS IT HATCHES,

A RIDE ON A PARENT'S BACK IS
ALWAYS PREFERRED.

BUT WHEN BOTH PARENTS ARE BUSY,

THE CHICK
MUST MAKE IT ON ITS OWN.

ANOTHER FRESHLY CAUGHT FISH
KEEPS IT HAPPY FOR A WHILE.

BUT THAT'S IT, ENOUGH SWIMMING
FOR ONE DAY!

AT LAST, THE CHICK'S
PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF.

FOR THE MOMENT, KOPACKI RIT
SEEMS LIKE A PARADISE.

YET DANGER STILL LURKS,

FOR NOT LONG AGO,
THIS WAS A WAR ZONE.

THE FRONT LINE IN THE 1991
CROATIAN WAR

WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH THIS AREA.

LARGE TRACTS OF THESE WETLANDS
WERE RIDDLED WITH LAND MINES.

MOST OF THE MINES
HAVE NOW BEEN CLEARED,

BUT SOME WERE NEVER FOUND.

AND FLOODWATERS CAN SHIFT THOSE
THAT REMAIN FROM PLACE TO PLACE.

A ZONE DECLARED SAFE TODAY
COULD BE A DEATH TRAP TOMORROW.

THE KOPACKI RIT FORESTS
WERE ONCE

A HUNTING GROUND FOR AUSTRIA'S
HAPSBURG DYNASTY,

AND LATER FOR HIGH-RANKING
YUGOSLAVIAN POLITICIANS.

BUT SINCE THE MINES WERE LAID,
HUNTERS HAVE STAYED OUT.

IT'S AN IRONY OF WAR --

THE DANGER TO PEOPLE KEEPS
OTHER CREATURES SAFE.

PROTECTED BY THE UNDISCOVERED
MINES, LIFE FLOURISHES HERE.

THERE ARE OVER 40 SPECIES
OF FISH IN THESE WETLANDS.

THEIR ABUNDANCE HELPS MAINTAIN
THE DENSEST POPULATION

OF WHITE-TAILED EAGLES ANYWHERE
IN THE BALKANS.

FEW ANIMALS WOULD DARE TRY

TO STEAL
A WHITE-TAILED EAGLE'S CATCH --

BUT A WILD BOAR
IS NOT JUST ANY ANIMAL.

IF ANYONE IS BRAVE ENOUGH,
OR FOOLISH ENOUGH,

TO WANDER INTO THE KOPACKI RIT
DESPITE THE RISK OF MINES,

THEY'D BE WISE TO
FOLLOW THE BOARS.

THEIR SENSE OF SMELL IS SO
WELL-DEVELOPED,

THEY CAN FIND EVEN THE SMALLEST
OF BURIED TRUFFLES.

STEERING CLEAR OF
STRANGE-SMELLING MINES

IS NO PROBLEM AT ALL,
AND IN FACT

THE TRAILS AND CLEARINGS USED
BY THE WILD BOARS

ARE RELIABLY MINE-FREE.

[ BOAR SNORTS ]

[ BABY BOARS SCREECH ]

THE BOARS ARE
ADEPT AT FINDING FOOD,

BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN

THE WATERS OF KOPACKI RIT DO ALL
THE WORK FOR THEM.

EACH YEAR,
WHEN THE RIVERS RISE

WITH THE SPRING RAINS,

FISH FOLLOW THE WATERS INTO
THE FLOODED MEADOWS TO SPAWN.

AS THE WATERS RECEDE,
THE FISH BECOME TRAPPED

IN SMALL POOLS AND CHANNELS,
UNABLE TO MAKE THEIR WAY

BACK TO THE RIVER.

A BANQUET OF CARP NOW WAITS
IN THE MUDDY MEADOWS.

IT'S AN UNUSUAL FEAST
FOR WILD BOARS.

THEY TYPICALLY ROOT FOR
INSECT LARVAE, NUTS AND TUBERS.

THEY HAVE NO WAY

TO CATCH FRESH FISH
FOR THEMSELVES.

IT'S A BOUNTY THEY FIND
VERY HARD TO SHARE.

[ BOAR SNORTS ]

TO THE SOUTH OF THE WETLANDS OF
KOPACKI RIT

ARE THE BARREN, WINDSWEPT
TABLELANDS OF TIKVES.

IN A TALE OF MIDDLE EARTH,

IT WOULDN'T BE TOO MUCH
OF A SURPRISE

TO SEE A DRAGON EMERGE
FROM BEHIND THESE HILLS.

BUT THIS IS MACEDONIA,

AND TIKVES IS NOW THE BALKAN'S
LAST STRONGHOLD OF VULTURES.

SITUATED NEAR THE BORDER
BETWEEN MACEDONIA AND GREECE,

THESE MOUNTAINOUS TABLELANDS
ARE

INHOSPITABLE, DESOLATE
AND ALMOST UNINHABITED.

CLOUDS MOVE OMINOUSLY
ABOVE A LANDSCAPE

THAT SEEMS TO STRETCH
TO INFINITY,

BLURRING THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN
EARTH AND SKY.

FEW ANIMALS FIT THE IMAGE
OF THIS BLEAK LANDSCAPE

BETTER THAN THESE.

GRIFFON VULTURES LIKE TO LIVE IN
THESE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,

WHERE THERMAL UPDRAFTS CAN
CARRY THEM HIGH

WITH LITTLE EFFORT.

THEY RISE IN SMALL GROUPS
UNTIL THEY REACH

ABOUT 3,000 FEET,
AND THEN THEY CIRCLE,

SCANNING AN AREA OF PERHAPS
A HUNDRED SQUARE MILES

UNTIL THEY SPOT A CARCASS.

GRIFFON VULTURES TYPICALLY LIVE
IN LARGE BREEDING COLONIES,

BUILDING THEIR NESTS
ON STEEP ROCK FACES.

ONCE WIDESPREAD
THROUGHOUT THE BALKANS,

THEIR NUMBERS HAVE DWINDLED
IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS,

AND ALL THAT REMAINS ARE
A FEW BREEDING PAIRS.

TOXIC BAITS
ARE PARTLY TO BLAME,

BUT GRIFFON VULTURES
HAVE BEEN HIT HARDER

BY THE GRADUAL DISAPPEARANCE
OF LIVESTOCK.

VULTURES ARE CARRION EATERS
AND EACH BIRD NEEDS ABOUT

A POUND OF MEAT EACH DAY,

BUT NOW THERE
ARE FEWER CARCASSES

OF SHEEP, GOATS
AND COWS TO RELY UPON.

AND THERE IS COMPETITION
FOR THE DWINDLING MEAT SUPPLY.

EVEN IN FLIGHT, VULTURES ARE
CONSTANTLY HARASSED BY RAVENS.

THESE CUNNING BIRDS
LEARNT LONG AGO

THAT WHERE
THE VULTURES SETTLE,

THERE WILL ALSO BE SOMETHING
IN IT FOR THEM.

THE VULTURES HAVE SPOTTED
A DEAD COW,

BUT A GANG OF RAVENS
IS ALREADY THERE.

AS SOON AS THE VULTURES GET
TO WORK ON THE CARCASS,

THE RAVENS START PULLING
AT THEIR TAILS.

THIS MAY BE BAD TABLE MANNERS,

BUT IT'S AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY
ALL THE SAME.

THEN, TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE,
A WOLF TURNS UP.

THE VULTURES GIVE UP,
BUT THE RAVENS ARE RELENTLESS.

[ WOLF SNARLS ]

[ RAVENS CROAKING ]

EVEN THE WOLF HAS TROUBLE
GETTING RID OF THEM.

[ RAVENS SQUAWKING ]

VULTURE NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED
TO ABOUT 70 BIRDS.

THE GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA

NOW FEEDS THE BIRDS
ON A REGULAR BASIS,

IN THE HOPE THAT
THE POPULATION MAY RECOVER.

IT'S HARD TO SAY WHICH OF
TOLKIEN'S MYTHICAL PEOPLES

WOULD HAVE SETTLED IN TIKVES.

PERHAPS THE ORCS.

CERTAINLY NOT THE RIVER ELVES.

THEY WOULD BE SEEKING WATER
AND SOLITUDE --

PERHAPS IN THIS MAZE OF CHANNELS

NEAR THE ADRIATIC SEA
TO THE WEST.

THIS IS SKADARSKO JEZERO,
OR "SKADAR LAKE."

THE LAKE IS A REMARKABLE
LANDSCAPE OF PEAKS AND WATER.

ITS MANY ISLANDS MAKE IT LOOK
MORE LIKE A VAST RIVER SYSTEM,

BUT IT IS ACTUALLY THE LARGEST
LAKE IN THE BALKANS,

MEASURING ABOUT 30 MILES LONG
AND 9 MILES WIDE.

DESPITE THERE BEING NO TIDES,

WATER LEVELS CAN FLUCTUATE
AS MUCH AS 16 FEET.

IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE SEASONS
AND THE RAINS.

RUINS OF MONASTERIES
AND FORTRESSES STAND

ON MANY OF THE ISLANDS,

A REMINDER OF THE LAKE'S
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

THROUGHOUT A LONG HISTORY
OF SETTLEMENT AND CONQUEST.

SOME OF THE ISLANDS

ARE NO MORE THAN HILLS
WHICH ARE ACTUALLY CONNECTED

TO THE MAINLAND
DURING A VERY DRY SUMMER.

IN THE NORTHWEST SECTION
OF THE LAKE,

ON ONE OF THESE HILLS,

STANDS
THE FORTIFIED MONASTERY OF KOM

BUILT IN THE 15th CENTURY.

A MONK OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
LIVES HERE ALONE,

DEVOTING HIS LIFE TO HIS FAITH

AND HIS BELIEF
IN THE POWER OF PRAYER.

[ MAN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

HIS WORSHIP IS STRUCTURED ROUND
AN ANCIENT RITUAL --

THE LITURGIES OF THE HOURS,

EIGHT OF THEM EVERY DAY.

HE BELIEVES THAT THE CEASELESS
PRAYERS JOIN TOGETHER TO BECOME

A FORCE FOR GOOD, HELPING
TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD.

IN EARLY SUMMER,
THE SOUND OF PRAYER

IS ACCOMPANIED BY THE CALLS OF
THOUSANDS OF BIRDS.

SKADAR LAKE
IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT

RESTING AND BREEDING GROUNDS
FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS IN EUROPE.

BIRDS ARE COSMOPOLITAN
CREATURES.

EVEN THEIR SUMMER LAKE BELONGS
TO TWO COUNTRIES,

MONTENEGRO AND ALBANIA,

BOTH OF WHICH HAVE DECLARED
THE LAKE A NATIONAL PARK.

AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, WATER
PLANTS SPREAD OUT THEIR LEAVES,

AND DENSE REED BEDS
GROW AROUND THE SHORES.

THE FLOATING CARPET
OF WATER LILIES PROVIDES

A SAFE BREEDING GROUND
FOR TERNS.

[ TERNS SQUAWKING ]

HUGE COLONIES BUILD THEIR NESTS
IN THE MIDST OF A CACOPHONY

OF CEASELESS CALLS.

FROGS ARE BREEDING TOO,
AND THEY JOIN IN THE CHORUS.

THESE FLOATING ISLANDS ARE
A SANCTUARY AGAINST PREDATORS.

BUT IT CAN BE CONFUSING.

NOT EVERY TERN CAN EASILY FIND
ITS WAY BACK TO ITS OWN NEST

ON THE FIRST TRY.

THOUSANDS OF CORMORANTS USE
DEAD TREES FOR THEIR NESTS.

YOUNG CORMORANTS
POKE THEIR HEADS

FAR INTO
THEIR PARENTS' GULLETS

TO GET REGURGITATED FISH.

IT'S A WONDER THEY DON'T
PUNCTURE THEIR PARENTS' THROATS.

OTHER SPECIES BREED

IN MIXED COLONIES,
LIKE THE ELEGANT LITTLE EGRET

AND THE SPOONBILL.

BENEATH THEM,
A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON

STALKS AMID THE REEDS,

WHILE A SQUACCO HERON
SETTLES DOWN TO BROOD.

COLLECTIVE BREEDING IS
A STRATEGY THAT GIVES

A GREATER DEGREE
OF SECURITY TO ALL,

AS THERE ARE MANY VIGILANT EYES
ON THE LOOKOUT FOR NEST ROBBERS.

AND CHICKS ARE WELL HIDDEN
BETWEEN THE REEDS.

SKADAR LAKE, AT THE WEST OF
THE BALKANS, IS A MAGICAL PLACE,

EVEN IF THERE ARE NO ELVES.

ON THE EASTERN BORDER, THERE IS
A VASTLY DIFFERENT LAND,

BLANKETED BY A MOSAIC
OF COLORFUL FIELDS,

SOME PLANTED, SOME NOT.

THIS COULD BE THE SHIRE WHERE
HOBBITS SET OUT ON THEIR QUEST.

IN THE BALKANS,
THE REGION IS CALLED DOBRUDZA.

ITS VAST GRASSLANDS,
CALLED STEPPES,

LIE IN THE NORTHEASTERN TIP
OF THE BALKAN PENINSULA.

ONLY A FEW SUBSISTENCE FARMERS
LIVE HERE.

FERTILE FIELDS AND FALLOW GROUND
LIE SIDE BY SIDE,

MAKING THE COUNTRY RESEMBLE
A PATCHWORK QUILT.

IN MAY, WILD POPPIES
AND CORNFLOWERS

SPRINKLE THE CORNFIELDS
WITH VIVID COLORS.

THEY THRIVE BECAUSE FARMERS HERE
USE LITTLE FERTILIZER

AND NEVER SPRAY THEIR FIELDS
WITH PESTICIDES.

THE PLOW IS STILL HORSE-DRAWN,
AS IT HAS BEEN FOR CENTURIES.

IN DOBRUDZA,

THE ENDLESS STEPPES PROVIDE
SPACE FOR MANY ETHNIC GROUPS...

BULGARIANS, ROMANIANS, RUSSIANS,

TARTARS AND ARMENIANS --

PEASANT FARMERS
AND NOMADIC SHEPHERDS.

GRASSES GRAZED BY SHEEP

MAKE THIS AN IDEAL HABITAT FOR
SPECIALIZED STEPPE DWELLERS

LIKE EUROPEAN GROUND SQUIRRELS.

DURING THE DAY,
THESE RODENTS

LEAVE THEIR TUNNEL SYSTEMS
AND COME ABOVE GROUND

TO SEARCH FOR ROOTS, TUBERS
AND INSECTS.

STONE CURLEWS ARE RARE
AND SELDOM SEEN.

THEY PREFER DRY AND STONY AREAS,

SO THE UNSEEDED FIELDS OF
DOBRUDZA ARE IDEAL.

BOTH THE STONE CURLEW
AND THE GROUND SQUIRREL

ARE WELL CAMOUFLAGED.

IF THEY REMAIN STILL

THEY ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
SPOT IN THE GRASS.

BUT THE EUROPEAN BEE EATER
IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE.

THESE GAUDY CAVE BREEDERS
FLAUNT THEIR VIBRANT PLUMAGE.

WHETHER FLAMBOYANT AND COLORFUL
LIKE THE BEE EATER

OR DRAB AND INCONSPICUOUS LIKE
THE CURLEW AND SQUIRREL,

THEY STILL SHARE
SOMETHING IN COMMON.

THEY ALL REQUIRE

FALLOW, UNCULTIVATED LAND.

BEE EATERS TYPICALLY DIG THEIR
NESTS INTO VERTICAL CLIFF FACES,

BUT SINCE SO MANY RIVERBANKS
ARE NOW REINFORCED,

THE BIRDS MUST USE GRAVEL PITS

OR ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL LAND
INSTEAD.

BUT IT'S NO GREAT LOSS
SINCE THE BEES AND WASPS

THAT THE BIRDS CATCH IN FLIGHT
CAN BE FOUND ALMOST ANYWHERE.

THIS OLD QUARRY IN DOBRUDZA WILL
BE SHUTTING DOWN SOON.

BUT EVEN WHILE THE DREDGERS
ARE STILL AT WORK,

THE BIRDS TAKE FULL
ADVANTAGE OF THE SITE.

THIS YEAR THEY ARE JOINED BY
THOUSANDS OF ROSY STARLINGS,

WHICH SUDDENLY APPEARED
AND MOVED INTO THE QUARRY.

THIS IS SOMETHING UNUSUAL,

FOR THE ROSY STARLINGS
COME FROM INDIA.

THEY SPEND THE WINTER

ON THE SUBCONTINENT,
AND IN SUMMER,

THEY NORMALLY MIGRATE

TO THE STEPPES OF MONGOLIA
AND KAZAKH.

BUT THIS YEAR, SOME HAVE
TRAVELED WEST,

PROBABLY FOLLOWING
INSECT SWARMS,

UNTIL THEY ENDED UP
IN THE BALKANS --

IN THIS STONE QUARRY
IN DOBRUDZA.

THESE BIRDS NEED ROCK FACES
TO NEST AND BREED,

SO DESPITE THE HEAVY MACHINERY,
THIS QUARRY IS AN IDEAL CHOICE.

ROSY STARLINGS HAVE
A SHORT BREEDING SEASON

AND THEY'LL BE GONE BY AUGUST.

NO ONE KNOWS IF THEY'LL RETURN
NEXT YEAR.

BUT THEIR PRESENCE THIS YEAR
HAS CERTAINLY ADDED

ANOTHER INTERESTING HUE

TO DOBRUDZA'S
ALREADY RICH PALETTE.

IN "THE LORD OF THE RINGS,"

GANDALF RIDES ON THE BACK OF
A GIANT EAGLE,

BUT HERE IN THE BALKANS,
WE MUST TAKE A RUSSIAN BI-PLANE.

FROM THE COLORFUL MOSAIC OF
DOBRUDZA'S FIELDS,

WE FLY EAST TO THE SPREADING
WATERS OF THE DELTA DUNARII --

TO THE "SEA OF MOSQUITOES."

EUROPE'S MOST EXTENSIVE WETLAND,

THE DANUBE FLOWS INTO
THE BLACK SEA,

ITS DELTA STRETCHING BETWEEN
ROMANIA AND UKRAINE.

THREE MAIN BRANCHES OF
THE RIVER,

ALONG WITH COUNTLESS
TRIBUTARIES,

MAKE THE DANUBE ESTUARY

A MAZE OF ISLANDS, LAKES
AND FORESTS.

IT IS THE WORLD'S
LARGEST REED HABITAT.

THESE WETLANDS ARE HOME TO

A THOUSAND DIFFERENT PLANTS

AND OVER 4,000 ANIMAL SPECIES.

THE BEST KNOWN OF THE BIRDS IS
THE PELICAN.

ITS HUGE POUCHED BILL

MAKES IT INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

HIDDEN AMIDST
THIS MAZE OF WATER CHANNELS,

WITH THEIR FORESTS
AND REED BEDS,

ARE ENORMOUS BREEDING COLONIES
OF PELICANS, SOME CONTAINING

HUNDREDS OF PAIRS.

TWO PELICAN SPECIES ARE FOUND
IN THE DELTA --

THE DALMATIAN PELICAN
AND THESE WHITE PELICANS.

EVERY SUMMER,

4,000 BREEDING PAIRS FLY NORTH
FROM AFRICA TO NEST

IN THE DANUBE DELTA.

PELICAN NESTS ARE UNTIDY,

AND CHICKS DEPEND ON
THEIR PARENTS FOR 14 WEEKS,

A LONG TIME FOR A BIRD.

THESE NESTING COLONIES
IN THE CENTER OF THE DELTA

ARE VIRTUALLY INACCESSIBLE
AND STRICTLY PROTECTED.

DURING THE BREEDING SEASON,

NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO COME
ANYWHERE NEAR

WHAT IS THE LARGEST
PELICAN COLONY OUTSIDE AFRICA.

BUT NO HUMAN LAW COULD PROTECT
THE PELICANS MORE EFFECTIVELY

THAN MOSQUITOES.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD SAY

THAT AN ARMY OF ATTACKING ORCS
WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO THE BITES

OF THESE MILLIONS
OF MOSQUITOES AND MIDGES.

BUT THESE MOSQUITOES PLAY A KEY
ROLE IN THE DELTA'S ECOSYSTEM.

THEY ARE THE BASE
OF THE FOOD CHAIN --

EVERYTHING ULTIMATELY
DEPENDS ON THEM.

THE BIOMASS OF MOSQUITOES
IN THE DANUBE DELTA

IS AWE-INSPIRING.

IT'S GREATER THAN THAT

OF ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS
PUT TOGETHER.

IT'S THE REASON

MILLIONS OF BIRDS
FLOCK HERE EVERY YEAR.

BIOLOGIST ALES TOMAN
HAS SPENT MORE THAN 12 YEARS

IN WHAT MAY WELL BE EUROPE'S
MOST FAMOUS BIRD PARADISE...

BUT HE'S NOT LOOKING FOR BIRDS.

HE'S BEEN UP AND DOWN THE RIVER
SYSTEM COUNTLESS TIMES

IN PURSUIT OF AN ANIMAL RARER

THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER IN THIS
HUGE, WATERLOGGED WILDERNESS.

IT'S CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST
ENDANGERED CARNIVORE IN EUROPE.

[ THUNDER ]

ALES TOMAN IS SEARCHING
FOR THE EUROPEAN MINK --

A SHY, CRYPTIC ANIMAL BELONGING
TO THE MARTEN FAMILY.

THE SPECIES WAS PUSHED TO
THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION

WHEN SOME OF THE LARGER,
IMPORTED AMERICAN MINKS

ESCAPED FROM FUR FARMS
AND ESTABLISHED WILD POPULATIONS

TOO DOMINANT FOR
THE NATIVE EUROPEAN MINKS.

THE DANUBE DELTA MAY VERY WELL
BE THEIR LAST REFUGE.

IN THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN FOOD
IS READILY AVAILABLE,

EUROPEAN MINKS OCCASIONALLY
VENTURE OUT,

BUT ONLY AT NIGHT.

THIS ANIMAL COULD BE A MINK,

CAPTURED BRIEFLY
IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

BUT IS IT A EUROPEAN MINK
OR JUST A MARTEN?

BEFORE ALES CAN FIND OUT,

THE ANIMAL VANISHES
INTO THE NIGHT.

THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY,

IT CALLS FOR
A RADICAL CHANGE IN TACTICS.

TO STUDY THE DELTA'S
MINK POPULATION,

ALES MUST FIRST CATCH SOME,

BUT SUMMER IS NOT THE SEASON
FOR CATCHING MINK.

NOW, WINTER HAS SET IN.

THE LAKES ARE FROZEN.

LIFE SEEMS TO HAVE COME
TO A STANDSTILL.

BUT ONLY AT FIRST GLANCE.

MIGRATORY BIRDS FROM THE ARCTIC
HAVE ARRIVED

TO SPEND
THE WINTER HERE.

THE COLD IS FAR LESS INTENSE
THAN ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE,

AND THE BIRDS ARE ABLE
TO FIND ENOUGH FOOD HERE.

WHOOPER SWANS FROM
NORTHERN EUROPE

FLOCK TOGETHER IN HUGE NUMBERS.

AND WHEN 60,000 RED-BREASTED
GEESE TAKE OFF AS ONE,

THE SKY TURNS DARK.

EVERY YEAR,

ALMOST ALL OF THE WORLD'S
POPULATION OF RED-BREASTED GEESE

MIGRATES TO THE DANUBE DELTA
FROM SIBERIA.

HUMAN BEINGS ARE THE RAREST
SPECIES HERE.

THIS IS THE LEAST DENSELY
POPULATED REGION IN EUROPE.

TOURISTS ONLY COME IN
SPRING AND SUMMER,

AND UNESCO HAS DECLARED
THE ENTIRE AREA

A BIOSPHERE RESERVE.

FOR THE FEW PERMANENT HUMAN
RESIDENTS,

WINTER IS HARVEST TIME.

FISH AND REEDS EARN THEM
A MODEST INCOME.

IN WINTER THE FISHERMEN ARE
ALLOWED LARGE CATCHES.

BUT FROM SPRING ONWARDS,

A RIGOROUS QUOTA
IS STRICTLY ENFORCED

TO PROTECT BREEDING STOCKS.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE
LANGUAGE ]

HUMANS ARE NOT
THE ONLY ONES TO DISCOVER

THAT REEDS CAN BE USED IN MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS.

FOR THE HARVEST MOUSE,

THE REEDS PROVIDE
BOTH NESTING MATERIAL AND FOOD.

THESE TINY RODENTS ARE ABOUT
TWO INCHES LONG

AND WEIGH LESS THAN
HALF AN OUNCE,

AN IDEAL SIZE
WHEN YOU HAVE TO

MOVE UP, DOWN AND ACROSS REED
STALKS ALL DAY LONG.

THEIR TAIL IS LONGER THAN
THEIR BODY, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE.

AS THE MICE MOVE BACK AND FORTH

ACROSS THE SHAKY
AND UNSTABLE STALKS,

THEY OFTEN NEED A SAFETY ROPE.

SOMETIMES THE MOUSE EVEN GRABS
THE STALK WITH ITS TAIL

AND HANGS UPSIDE DOWN.

CUTE AS THEY MAY BE, HARVEST
MICE HAVE MANY PREDATORS --

BIRDS OF PREY, FOXES,
SNAKES, EVEN FISH.

AND THE RARE EUROPEAN MINK ALSO
HAS THEM ON ITS MENU.

ALES TOMAN'S SEARCH CONTINUES.

IN WINTER MONTHS, THE MINKS
MUST ALSO HUNT BY DAY,

MAKING IT EASIER TO OBSERVE
AND POSSIBLY CATCH ONE.

THE BIOLOGISTS HAVE CHANGED
THEIR TACTICS.

THEY NOW SET TRAPS

WHICH WON'T HARM THE ANIMALS
WHEN THEY ARE CAUGHT.

EVERY DAY THE MEN PUT OUT
ABOUT 50,

LEAVE THEM OVERNIGHT,

THEN CHECK THEM
THE NEXT MORNING.

ONE TRAP'S GOT SOMETHING,

BUT NOT WHAT THEY WANT.

AH, IT'S A RAT ONLY.

NEXT TIME, OKAY.

Narrator: THE MEN PROCEED
TO THE NEXT TRAP.

DAYS AND WEEKS PASS,
WITHOUT SUCCESS.

ANOTHER DAY,

ANOTHER TRY.

THERE ARE NOT MANY TRAPS LEFT
TO BE CHECKED NOW.

HOPEFULLY,
THERE'LL BE NO MORE RATS.

AH, TITI, COME -- MINK.
EXCELLENT.

TITI, LOOK WE HAVE MINK.

Narrator:
AND THEN AT LAST,

A MINK.

ALES TOMAN HAS A BROAD SMILE
ON HIS FACE,

BUT THE CAPTURED MINK
PROBABLY ISN'T SO HAPPY.

SINCE THE 1950s THE EUROPEAN
MINK HAS BEEN LOSING THE BATTLE

TO ITS FAR HARDIER
AMERICAN NAMESAKE.

ADDED PRESSURE FROM HUNTING
AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION

HAVE PUSHED THE EUROPEAN MINK
TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.

NOW THE LAST REMAINING
POPULATIONS LIVE IN SPAIN

AND THE BALTIC.

AND HERE.

THE AMERICANS HAVEN'T
CONQUERED THE DANUBE DELTA YET!

THE MINK IS CHECKED FOR HEALTH
AND CONDITION,

AND LOSES A FEW HAIRS FOR
GENETIC TESTING,

ALL THE WHILE DECLARING ITS
DISPLEASURE.

ALES TOMAN IS CONVINCED

THE DATA HE IS GATHERING
WILL PROVE

THAT THE ONLY SURVIVING,
HEALTHY AND STABLE POPULATION

OF THE EUROPEAN MINK

IS HERE IN
THE DELTA OF THE DANUBE.

[ MINK SCREECHING ]

ALL IN ALL,
IT WAS A GOOD DAY.

ALES FOUND MINKS
IN ANOTHER THREE TRAPS.

THE SUN IS ALREADY LOW
WHEN THE TWO RESEARCHERS

START THEIR JOURNEY HOME.

BUT THE DAY IS NOT QUITE
FINISHED YET.

THE DELTA TURNS ON AN AMAZING
NATURAL DISPLAY.

MILLIONS OF EUROPEAN STARLINGS
GATHER IN HUGE FLOCKS,

FORMING EVER CHANGING PATTERNS
IN THE EVENING SKY.

THE FLOCK HANGS IN THE AIR,
THEN SHIFTS AND CHANGES.

FOR THE BIRDS,

IT'S TIME TO FIND A ROOSTING
SITE FOR THE LONG, COLD NIGHT.

STARLINGS ARE MASTERS OF
COORDINATION IN THE AIR.

NO MATTER HOW MANY OR
HOW SMALL THE SPACE BETWEEN,

THE BIRDS NEVER COLLIDE.

ONE MINUTE THEY LOOK LIKE SMOKE,
THEN WITHOUT ANY EFFORT

THEY CHANGE INTO SOME PULSATING
SUPER-ORGANISM

SEEMINGLY FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

IN TOLKIEN'S NOVEL
"THE LORD OF THE RINGS,"

MIDDLE EARTH IS THE LAND WHERE
THE ULTIMATE STRUGGLE BETWEEN

GOOD AND EVIL IS FOUGHT.

AND THE BALKANS MAY STILL BE
COMING TO TERMS

WITH ITS VIOLENT HISTORY.

BUT DESPITE ITS REPUTATION,
THIS IS NOT MORDOR,

THE LAND OF DOOM AND SHADOW.

THERE IS BEAUTIFUL MAGIC HERE.

SOMEHOW, THE BALKANS HAS
MANAGED TO REMAIN

WILD, UNSPOILED,

A WELL-KEPT SECRET AT THE HEART
OF A CHANGING WORLD.

THIS "NATURE" PROGRAM
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