All language subtitles for Alps 01

A thousand peaks crowning a
continent.

The Alps.

Between sea and summits.

A trove of natural treasures.

Alpine grasslands, arctic tundra,

Mediterranean gardens.

Gigantic glaciers.

Gaping canyons echoing
the sound of thundering waters.

Dark woodlands full of mystery,

barren crags,

and slopes of vivid green.

A raw expanse to overwhelm the eye
of all but one,

the one who soars above
it all.

(Eagle whistles)

It takes an eagle's eye
to appreciate the Alps.

Their majesty and their dimensions.

From its rise over their eastern
foothills,

until it lights up their
western valleys,

the sun takes nearly an hour.

Grim north faces forever
steeped in frosty shadows,

back to back with sunny
southern slopes and valleys.

This ice clad barrier splits
Europe into north and south.

While its valleys have always been

a bridge between east and west

Arching across 1,000
kilometers, and rising steadily

from eastern lowlands
westward to the highest peak,

this crumple zone between converging
plates sends major rivers to three

different seas.

Surrounded by crowded land,

the Alps are shared by eight
nations.

Towards sunset, they do not end,

but dip down steeply into the depth
of the Mediterranean Sea,

where they are merged.

From the coast below, a whiff of
spring arrives.

While 2,000 meters higher up,
the crests are Arctic, and so is the
wildlife.

(Wind whistles)

An eagle's flight between these
contrasts is just a matter of
minutes.

Erosion of the rising Alps, turns
coastal canyons into plains,

attractive human habitat.

Steep slopes rising from these
plains, are terraced by thousands of
stone walls.

Ancient olive gardens are the haunt
of Europe's biggest lizard.

The Oscillated lizard ranges from
the western Mediterranean,

to the foothills of the French and
Italian Alps.

(Birds chirping)

Spring is the time, for a male
to visit a female's territory.

This is where she lives.

A self dug hole, or one
taken over from a rodent.

For a while, they move in together.

The sunny southwestern fringes
of the Alps, are now resplendent
with bright colors,

alive with the rhythmic song of
cicadas,

fragrant with wild and
cultivated herbs.

(Buzzing)

Lavender fields are vibrating
with the hum of a zillion bees.

A griffin vulture,
plunging from a thousand meters
to nearly sea level.

Deep canyons like Verdon and Remusa,
offer ideal nesting places for
griffins.

Cut out by cold mountain streams,

while inhaling warm ocean winds,

these canyons invite Mediterranean
vegetation and wildlife, deep into
the Alps.

It's a short cycle of rain clouds
flowing inland from the nearby se

and these southern rivers rushing
back towards the coast.

When the morning sun heats up the
canyon walls,

hundreds of master gliders
launch into the thermals.

But in this season every other
adult stays grounded.

For vultures of course, the ground
is vertical.

(Squawking)

Males and females take turns feeding
their offspring in a lofty crib.

The nestlings need lots of moisture
gathered from carrion.

Along these cliffs, the southern sun
and hot upwinds,

make for a climate like in the
Sahara.

(Buzzing)

From this vertical desert,

the birds soar into freezing
spheres, covering hundreds of
kilometers each day.

But for Griffins, the peaks and
glaciers

are just flyover country.

Also, just passing...a young golden
eagle,

a nomad searching for a space
unoccupied by breeding pairs,

he's made it through a long winter.

Now morning temperatures
are finally above freezing.

Remaining snow is wet and heavy now.

Up here, the sounds of spring,

are rather different from the
birdsong and cicadas buzzing in the
foothills below.

(Rumbling)

Each sunny afternoon, the rumble and
roar of wet snow avalanches,

echoes from all sides like muffled
thunder.

An avalanche's megaton momentum,
will thrust huge boulders across a
valley floor

and heap up mountains of compacted
snow, as hard as concrete.

Finding a safe and soft spot between
ravines, is crucial.

After six months of hibernation deep
in the ground,

marmots need exercise.

Neighborhood scuffles, offer
a perfect opportunity.

Breaking the fast is also welcome.

But the leftovers of last year's
grazing

are still a far cry from the fresh
herbs that will soon sprout.

Some, like it wet.

An amphibian, way above two and a
half thousand meters, sounds like a
record.

Brown frogs have spent the winter
in underground bodies of water.

On the very day the ice on high
alpine lakes begins to break, brown
frogs appear

as if summoned by a magic
revet.

Marmots are impatient to feed,

but not the frogs.

In their hundreds,
they race towards the water.

None wants to miss the annual orgy.

In order not to freeze to death,

the frogs must move in the daylight.

Their skins have a built in
sunscreen.

Ultraviolet radiation at this
altitude is powerful.

Just above freezing in here.

Quite agreeable.

But in the shallows, over dark peat,
the water is lukewarm,

the perfect spot to spawn.

(Croaking)

The males ride piggyback on the
larger females,

eager to fertilize the spawn
as it's released into the water.

(Bubbling)

The orgy lasts three or four days.

Some males embrace their partners in
autum,

and cling to them all winter, until
this super productive spring event.

High mountain populations lay
bigger eggs than those in the
valleys,

giving their offspring a boost
for the short alpine summer.

(Birds chirping)

Voraciously a warm,

dry wind licks the last snow
from the slopes.

Millions of crocuses, have only
been waiting for this moment.

(Birds chirping)

Alpine flowers now turn the meadows
into an inverted star spangled sky.

Neon colors and fluffy leaves
shield many

of these plants against
aggressive radiation.

Some visitors are not coming for the
stunning scenery.

(Birds chirping)

After a long winter of deprivation,

roe deer are arriving
from the mountain forest.

The females especially
need fresh vitamins.

They'll soon give birth.

The thawing ground is soaked now.

Deep down below the surface,
cracks and cavities in the bedrock
are filling up with water.

Springs are gushing,

streams are in spate.

The mountain's green lungs are
breathing again, exhaling the rich
fragrance of life.

From bursting buds and the bubbling
of a thousand brooks,

a strange percussion takes its
cue.

(Clicking sound)

To capercaillie hens, this sound is
music.

(Croaking and squwaking)

The artist is eager to impress
the female audience.

Flashy iridescence, high jumps

and wildly flapping wings, on a
carefully chosen stage, are sending
a message.

'Look at me.'

Enchanted, a female fan has dived
down from the gallery, right
onto the stage floor.

She too has something to offer.

(Croaking)

He's got what he wanted.

But it's not the end of the show,
which has turned on the neighbors.

They want more than just to watch.

Lines are crossed.

This is his hen, on his very own
claim.

(Clattering)

To be enamoured, embattled and
embroiled, means to be blind to
one's surroundings.

This hunter, however,
is anything but blind.

Careful calculation is critical.

With an eagle's wingspan, a rapid
attack between the trees is risky.

When a life is taken,
it nurtures others.

This eagle was not hunting for
himself.

These nestlings are a few days old,

two or three days apart
from the moment of birth.

they are competitors.

(Chirping)

For about six weeks now, the female
stays put while the male provides.

Later on, both parents will hunt

(Chirping)

for a nestling,

it takes about twelve weeks.

In a brief mountain summer,
a lot of growing has to be done.

While some lives start high up in
dazzling sunlight,

others begin way down in the dark.

Within just a few weeks,

a new generation is born, in
thousands of dens and nests across
the Alps.

With a litter of five, suckling and
warming the cubs, cleaning the den
and hunting,

will push parents to their limits

(Squeaking)

Vast tracts of the Alpine landscape
are woodland.

The mix of broadleaf and conifers,
varies with altitude, orientation
and topography

and harbors a wide
variety of habitats.

A young boreal Tengmalm's owl,

one of ten different owl
species

in the Alps and a typical
inhabitant of conifer forests.

Even fox parents will hunt in
daylight now.

For these youngsters,
everything is new, exciting.

They are still too young to hunt,

but they'll soon go for the sort
of prey the fox has just missed.

Fortunately, there's no shortage
of rodents in Alpine woods.

Nor a shortage of enemies.

(Birds chirping)

A lynx will not tolerate
foxes in its domain.

The fox is lucky.

The lynx has something else in
mind.

European lynx, missing from the
Alpine forests for a century,

were reintroduced to various
regions in the 1970s.

Their preferred prey are roe deer,
chamois and young red deer.

But also smaller game.

Lynx have a habit of hiding it
from ravens, foxes and other
scavengers.

Another home comer from the woods
of south-eastern Europe.

(Birds chirping; insects buzzing)

This brown bear cub was born in the
Alps.

Its mother would be an immigrant.

The two are poking around for
insects, roots and rodents.

A bear mother will shift aside
a 200 kilo rock with ease.

(Buzzing)

Now and then, bears sniff
out a real treasure.

Wild honeybees tend to hide their
sweet gold in hollow trees.

(Growling)

This is a moutwatering treat.

(Growls)

No matter how viciously the angry
bees attack,

a bear won't be deterred
from the taste of honey.

A few decades ago, there were only
a handful of bears in the Alps.

Now there are well over
a hundred individuals.

Some have wandered all across the
Alps.

1,000 meters higher, the snow is
gone.

Another thousand meters, and snow
still lingers in the shadows.

And up here, not just the snow is
going.

Animal Alpinists, are shedding their
winter wool.

Not really a pretty sight.

Just weeks ago, this cocky ptarmigan
was still completely white.

For IBEX bucks, getting rid
of a mangy coat is an itchy affair.

(Vocalising)

The ptarmigan is also itching, but
in a different sense.

With some urgency, he's making
himself heard,

hoping to impress a hen.

This may not be the only use of
horns,

but it might explain their
extraordinary length, and their
elegant curve.

Horns, of course,
are not just for scratching.

Bucks are busy all year round
testing their powers and prowess.

The swelling of the male's red eye
bulges clearly signals his desire.

Already one step ahead,
a marmot is busy with parental
tasks.

The little ones are just
over two weeks old.

Changing the hay is the marmot
way of changing nappies.

A newly born weighs as much
as two tablespoons of salt.

To survive their first winter,
they must increase their birth
weight

fortyfold within three months.

Mountain hares have already
replaced

their snow white winter coat
with the camouflage of summer.

Right from birth,
they are out in the open.

Unlike marmots, they're
born with fluffy fur.

In cold weather,
the mother keeps them warm.

With the snow melt nearing its end,
the roar and rage of spring's 10,000

torrents has faded, but glacial
rivers are now running high.

Swelling to a maximum under the
midday sun, and waning in the cool
of night.

Glacial runoff carries megatons of
finely ground rock out into the
lowlands.

Europe's highest waterfalls and
longest cataracts are the
glaciers' spectacular gift.

When glaciers vanish, rivers run dry
and valleys are filled with silence.

As long as mighty rivers in the sky
bring

masses of moisture from the Atlantic
and the Mediterranean,

lush green mountain meadows above
the treeline,

invite summer guests,
as they have since the end of the
last Ice Age.

After half a year down in the woods,
red deer seem impatient to enjoy

the sprawling pastures, with their
luxury of fresh herbs.

Stags shed their antlers after the
rut.

To grow new ones, just takes three
and a half months from March to mid
July.

During the summer, the stags flock
together in all male groups.

Calves and their mothers form their
own herds.

Among red deer, twins are a rare
sight.

Some ranges are not green at all.

Limestone cast formations are
usually dry and rugged,

uninviting, except for avid
alpinists.

The grip and traction of these
hooves, are almost magical.

Total control of balance,

sureness of foot and no fear of
heights, are among the outstanding
features,

alpine IBEX have developed,
in their giddying habitat.

It's lonely at the top, and that's
exactly why IBEX came to live up
here.

Once humans had conquered the high
Alps, IBEX were nearly wiped out.

Today they are back,
but face new challenges.

(Bleating)

IBEX are best adapted to the cold,
and suffer in hot weather.

At this time of year,

mothers and kids like to play
and rest on the last snowfields.

But now, instead of old snow,

they often rest on dry screed.

500 kilometers west, and some 2,000
meters up on granite, a similar
scene.

Grazing is sparse up here,
but the world of the IBEX is
changing.

The high Alps are getting greener,
just like the Arctic.

Glaciers are losing ground, which is
soon colonized by hardy green
pioneers.

Carrying those heavy horns is
tiring.

But after grazing,
ruminants must rest in any case.

Lately, however, even up here,
the peace has been disturbed.

Ever warmer summers bring horseflies

and other parasites to an altitude
where they had not ventured before.

The animals are stressed.

(Buzzing)

Many lose weight and get sick.

Worst of all, the new pests are
affecting their reproduction rate.

A warming climate, means more than
just stifling heat.

While baking and drying out the
slopes, the summer sun forces a
glacial runoff.

The net loss of ice each year is
stunning.

As hanging glaciers disintegrate,
huge volumes of ice and rock
thunder down into the deep.

Once this ancient ice is gone, it's
gone.

Debris covered glaciers may last a
little longer,

but also waste away from
inside.

On the last snowfields, mothers and
aunts run an Alpine kindergarten.

(Bleating)

Some of these aunts are
gifted dance instructors.

Delighted, the kids join in.

And now, refreshments.

But all of a sudden, the party is
over.

A few weeks chamois kids are
just the perfect size for a hunting
eagle.

A welcome change from the eagle's
staple food, and easier to get.

However, eight out of ten eagle
kills are marmots, most of them
youngsters.

Even these heavyweights
once had a risky childhood.

When rough play gets too rough,
mother has to interfere.

The eagle is always on her mind.

The old eagle's trick, pretending
to leave, letting the target relax.

(Squeaking)

Then, a surprise return...under the
radar.

Decelerating from 200 km an hour.

Not even a cheetah would outrun an
eagle.

They must have heard the mother
panting,

and also that deadly swoosh of
wings.

How good to be alive.

For the eagle mother too,
someone is waiting.

Of the two hatchlings of three
months ago, one has survived.

It's time for take-off.

The mother goads him on.

Knowing that he's hungry,
she's placed a carcass.

And yet, the most glorious
moment in an eagle's life,

and so satisfying to a mother.

Leaving behind the limits
of a single viewpoint.

It's an explosion of perspectives.

That ravenous hunger is forgotten.

Together they soar.

During the year ahead,

both parents will teach the young
bird, how to make it in this
mountain wilderness.

In this harsh environment,

the bud of a glacier crowfoot
takes two years to blossom.

Now the flowers are gone,
within minutes.

Both the snow vole and this hardy
plant, are Ice Age relics and
champions of altitude.

No other Alpine mammal, covers
a range from 300 up to 4,700 meters.

Down under the scree, snow voles
may seem like miniature marmots.

But in spite of living under even
harsher conditions up here,

they do not hibernate,

but spend the best part of the year
in a labyrinth of tunnels under snow
and ice.

(Squeaking)

Everything flows...the light,
the ice, even the rocks.

Glaciers are gigantic conveyor belts
moving enormous volumes of rock.

This is the longest valley
glacier in the Alps.

The famous Aletsch.

In 2020, it's still more than 20
km long, and nearly 1 km thick.

Due to a warming climate, nearly all
the glaciers of the Alps are
shrinking.

By the end of this century, not much
will be left, of the Aletsch
glacier.

Melt water from the surface seeps
deep into the ice,

transporting heat into the
glacier's core.

When a glacier shrinks
sooner or later, accumulations of
boulders,

scree and sand dropped by the ice
flow,

are conquered by the hardiest
of trees.

Prominent among these
pioneers, the stone pine.

How does it get up here?

The rasping calls of a special bird
echo along the timberline, where
stone pines define the scenery.

The spotted nutcracker and the stone
pine, have a win win deal.

Stone pine seeds are too heavy
to be spread by the wind.

This is where the nutcracker comes
in.

Harvesting stone pine seeds, is less
a matter of strength than skill.

Begging from a parent is easier.

(Squawking)

An adult flying off, his crop
bursting with pine nuts.

Making sure that no one's watching,
he buries his load.

Dozens of seeds in a single cache.

Adding up to 16,000 per season,

these larders will get
the bird through the winter.

Next spring, leftover seeds will
sprout.

In the high Alps, there are really
just two seasons...

...one short and
warm, the other long and cold.

When cold air from the Arctic
flows south, the sky changes.

And not just the sky.

Frosty nights paint the green
slopes red, brown and yellow.

The colder the air, the warmer the
hues,

and the hotter the rut of the
red deer.

(Growling)

Commotion, aggression, jealousy,

unbridled lust, rough roars and
pungent perfumes, make up a rutting
ground.

(Growling)

Each mature, strong stag has
staked a claim for his harem.

Once females have made their choice,

they group around their stag.

(Growling)

while rivals close in from every
side.

Their females are synchronized,
ready to conceive for just a few
hours at a time.

(Growling)

Experienced stags will recognize
this time window.

Pushy young rivals don't.

(Growling)

Relentlessly, they try to steal
hinds from stags of high status.

The females run from these invaders,

while a boss struggles to stave them
off, and round up his harem.

(Growling)

These constant scuffles are
gruelling.

(Horns clatter)

A neighbor attempts a hasty
copulation.

(Growling)

He fiddles and fails, and enrages
the boss.

(Horns clatter)

(Growling)

The challenger has lost the fight,

but he can force a straying
female back into his fold.

The calving season in spring, will
show whether their all out
efforts have been fruitful.

The warm half of the year is over.

Up on the highest peaks,

winter has never really ended.

For the eagle and all the wildlife,
harsh days lie ahead,

but also the stunning glory
of winter in the Alps.

It takes an eagle's eye and wings
to pan out across the full range and
richness,

the gamut of life and landscapes
encompassed by the Alps.