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It's a universal dream
to fly like a bird.
To soar on wings into the heavens.
But it's nothing
compared to the reality.
This is our planet
seen as never before.
A bird's-eye view.
Theirs is a journey
that covers the world.
Filled with astonishing
natural events.
Extreme challenges.
And hard-won rewards.
This is the world on the wing.
Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia.
The southernmost tip
of South America.
The Andean condor reigns supreme
over this remote wilderness.
It's a world dominated by glaciers
and icy lakes.
A huge contrast
to the lush rainforest
found in the continent's interior.
Here, the deep ravines and crevasses
sometimes trap the unwary,
and might provide
the king of scavengers with a meal.
It's an ever-changing world.
Lumps of ice as big as apartment
blocks carved from glaciers.
There's no food here today.
But condors think nothing
of travelling 100 miles
in search of carcasses.
For a male with a hungry youngster
to feed,
the best chances lie further inland.
The condor soars on wings that
are larger than any other bird's.
His pin-sharp vision
is second to none.
And he knows just where to look.
The breeding grounds of the guanaco.
These wild relatives of the llama
live in herds in the mountainous
regions of much of South America.
Condors watch for opportunities
as males fight it out over females.
Their below-the-belt techniques
include attacking
each other's genitals.
Their defence is
to sit on their assets.
All this machismo
causes casualties,
and opportunities for a scavenger.
Caracara birds arrive first
at every carcass.
They are the condor's food tasters.
Once they've eaten and not come
to harm, he knows he's safe to land.
The caracaras tuck in while they
still have the carcass to themselves.
Once the first condor feeds,
others are quick to follow.
Males, recognised by the comb
on their head,
are usually first on the scene.
Females, who lack the
flamboyant headgear, arrive next.
Brown juveniles are at the bottom
of the condor pecking order.
Everyone knows their place.
It's all very civilised.
Families feed happily,
side by side.
But as they eat,
someone is always on sentry duty.
The Patagonian fox has spotted
the commotion. He hunts birds.
The first condor to feed
is now at a disadvantage.
He's carrying 1.5 kilos
of excess baggage in his crop.
Take-off isn't easy
at the best of times,
but it's just got
a whole lot more difficult.
He finally makes it
on a wing and a prayer.
on the Patagonian coast,
a giant petrel
is also looking for a meal.
Seal colonies are this scavenger's
favourite stomping ground.
But to find a meal,
he needs a partner in crime.
Killer whales.
The seal's greatest enemy,
but friend to the petrel.
Young seals are innocent
to the danger.
The petrel shadows the whales,
waiting for them to attack.
He looks for likely victims.
The whales rely on speed
and surprise.
Before she can try again,
she has to get seven tonnes
of blubber off the beach.
No easy task.
A killer whale calf
is learning the technique.
Only two whale families in the
world know how to hunt like this.
At the end of the seal's breeding
season, they get lots of practise.
Success for the whale
means a feast for the petrel.
And these whales can kill
several times a day.
Today, there's plenty to go round.
The petrels
may only get the leftovers,
but there's still enough
to be worth fighting for.
THEY SQUAWK
The interior of the continent is
covered by the vast Amazon jungle.
Scarlet macaws understand
the many secrets found within.
They are highly intelligent
and travel as a family,
teaching their young the ways of
the largest rainforest in the world.
The jungle covers
and macaws inhabit every part.
The birds migrate to wherever
the best food can be found.
The macaws know
which trees are producing seeds
and when fruits
are ripe for the taking.
BIRDSONG
But not everything they eat
is so delicious.
Many plants protect themselves
with poisons.
After a morning feeding on
toxic seeds and forbidden fruit,
the race is on to find something
to settle their stomachs.
The macaws' detailed knowledge
of the forest
tells them just where to go.
Along the riverbank
are special sites
where a natural remedy can be found.
Smaller parrots
have beaten them to it.
Mealy parrots are joined
by rose-crowned parakeets.
The macaws are naturally cautious.
They use the little parrots as bait
to see if any predators are around.
These parrots are here
for the same reason as the macaws.
The healing qualities of the clay.
This special mud neutralises
the toxins they've acquired
through a less than perfect diet.
The macaws are still too nervous
to join the gathering.
Monkeys have arrived,
putting them on edge.
But the spider monkeys are more
a distraction than a danger.
He weighs up the risks
and takes his chance.
Time's up for the flocks
of smaller parrots.
With the competition gone,
the rest of the macaws
feel brave enough to come down.
The clay settles their stomachs,
but it also works as a vitamin pill,
providing sodium and calcium
supplements.
But the macaws won't get the chance
to take their medicine.
A harpy eagle,
their living nightmare.
The eagle kills.
But it's a monkey
hanging from its talons.
South America's greatest aerial
predator has a hungry chick to feed.
Fortunately,
their favourite food is monkeys.
The macaws are safe this time,
but they must find their medicine
elsewhere.
Back in Patagonia,
the condor returns to his nest site.
His youngster is excited.
The condor's throat crop
bulges with stored food.
The male is a devoted father.
Condors mate for life,
and usually have one chick
at a time.
They care for their single child
for two years
until it's old enough
to survive on its own.
This couple have chosen
an ideal spot to bring him up.
The sheer cliffs
create huge updrafts,
perfect for lifting
the condors' huge bodies in the air.
The rock face creates
a perfect apartment block,
with holes that seem made to measure.
At six months old,
their youngster is ready to fly.
She just needs
some gentle encouragement.
Flight school begins with her father
showing just how it should be done.
She isn't keen to follow.
It's hardly surprising.
Throwing yourself into a 200 metre
drop requires a huge leap of faith.
Her mother makes the choice for her.
She's in flight,
but still getting the hang of it
and heads straight back to safety.
Dad encourages her to try again.
She has another go,
but it's hardly any better.
Finally, she gets the idea.
She's looking more confident,
and even executes
an impressive flyby.
Her father joins the new air cadet
and they fly together
in perfect formation.
Despite an unpromising start,
her maiden flight has gone well.
She joins the more advanced aviators
in the thermals.
She has earned her wings!
Macaws are still seeking
the medicinal clays they need.
The jungle is mostly impenetrable,
and macaws either stay in the canopy
or follow rivers
that wind their way through.
But deep in the forest is
another clay-lick,
and the macaws
know just where it can be found.
But here, the clay lies
on the forest floor
a risky place
for a tree-living bird to land.
Butterflies are after the same
minerals that attract the macaws.
They, in turn, provide a snack
for the sun bittern.
She uses the salty mud
as a dipping sauce.
It also helps them
slip down more easily.
Just as the macaws
are about to risk it,
a strange new creature appears.
It's a tapir
a distant relative of the horse
that lives in the deepest forest.
A rare sight even for birds
that have seen it all before.
Tapirs use these jungle pools
as mud-wallows.
Somewhere to cool off
in the heat of the day.
Tapirs might be harmless, but macaws
have reason to be cautious.
They aren't as nimble
as the smaller parrots,
and so it's risky
to land on the ground.
But if the macaws
don't take their medication,
they will suffer the consequences,
and, unfortunately, black spider
monkeys have jumped the queue!
This is the busy season
at the clay-lick.
Ripe fruit is scarce and the
alternatives are hard to digest.
This is one time
no-one minds taking their medicine.
But the macaws are still weighing up
the risks.
In the jungle,
everyone is continually on edge.
But it's the nervousness
of the monkeys
that could give the macaws
the break they need.
A final few checks
But then more visitors arrive.
Peccaries, wild relatives of the pig
that roam the jungle
in gangs up to 100 strong.
This is not the macaws' lucky day!
Like other jungle animals,
the peccaries also use mud
as a health supplement,
but even they won't eat for long.
A jaguar.
The macaws were wise to be cautious.
They have survived,
but at the cost of a stomach-ache.
They must look elsewhere for a cure.
On the river's edge, black vultures
are scavenging on a carcass.
They are the condor's
smaller cousins,
replacing them in low-lying areas
away from the Andes.
But the owner of the carcass
isn't far away.
The vultures are used to this game.
The trick is not to be intimidated.
The jaguar saves her energy
it's not worth the effort.
Good things come to those who wait,
and, like the macaws,
patience is a virtue in the jungle.
And there are plenty of ways
to pass the time.
As they chill out,
a giant otter and her pups
feel brave enough to show themselves.
They travel around in family groups
and are found in waterways
throughout the Amazon.
As the hot sun takes its toll
on the jaguar,
the otters
vanish as quickly as they came.
Vultures live for moments like this,
grabbing what they can
while the jaguar's distracted.
It's tough being a scavenger,
but black vultures can last two weeks
without a meal.
There are
plenty of other places to explore.
A favourite vulture location
is Iguassu Falls,
one of the world's
greatest waterfalls.
It straddles the border
between Argentina and Brazil,
and is made up of 275 separate falls.
Half the water funnels into
a vast chasm known as Devil's Throat.
The vultures love the turbulent winds
created by the cascades,
and many make Iguassu their home.
But some birds live even closer
to the falls.
Dusky swifts miraculously vanish as
they arrive at the curtain of water.
It's a mesmerising trick
that involves flying through the
cascades to reach the cliffs behind.
There's method in their madness, for
this is where they build their nests.
The wall of water acts
as a force field,
stopping predators
in their tracks.
In the early morning,
the birds leave the falls behind
as they set off to catch insects.
But the cascades attract
plenty of other birds
that never leave
its mist-filled canyons.
Hummingbirds love the flowers
that flourish among the spray,
and visit them like clockwork.
Their brain
may only be the size of a pea,
but it can remember the location
of every flower
and the precise times
they produce nectar.
At every feed, their brain starts
an inbuilt stopwatch,
telling them when the flower
will next restock its supplies.
They do this for hundreds
of flowers,
creating a time management schedule
that humans would struggle with.
They need to be efficient
wings that flap 70 times each second
eat up energy.
But all this careful clock-watching
would be an utter waste of time
if others steal
their precious nectar.
Competition is intense.
Arguments are common as the
hummingbirds fight for possession.
Ear-feathers flash a warning
to rivals.
As the ultimate deterrent,
they wield their bill like a sword.
After a day of marking time
and arguing with the neighbours,
a cold shower goes down a treat.
It's now that the dusky swifts
also return to the falls,
gathering in their thousands
before plunging
through the cascades to roost.
Prime spots attract
hundreds of birds
all crammed together
for warmth and protection.
The relentless roar of the water
can be heard several miles away,
but to the birds, it's like
a lullaby soothing them to sleep.
They rest easy,
knowing that few predators dare face
the raging torrents.
Now that the condors' youngster
can fly,
the family are able to move
to a new location.
It doesn't get much better
than this
huge cliff buttresses
offer perfect roost sites,
and the birds can simply step off
the edge to soar into the heavens.
A single condor is a rare sight,
but here,
dozens take to the air together.
The adolescent joins
these early warm-up flights
before setting off
with her parents to find a meal.
The condors rarely stray far
from the Andes
as they need its winds for soaring,
but few carcasses
can be found at this altitude.
Instead, they use the mountains
as a springboard to the plains below.
Here, meals can come
from the most unexpected places.
Even Santiago
the capital city of Chile
offers opportunities for condors.
Its five million human inhabitants
generate vast quantities of rubbish.
Even here, the rules of the wild
still apply.
Caracaras are first to find the food.
They just have to dodge
the garbage trucks.
But feeding among rubbish could be
dangerous for the rare condor.
So the landfill operator
provides decoy carcasses
at the edge of the site
to lure condors away from anything
that could endanger their health.
They prove irresistible.
This unruly scrum
consists of over 40 individuals.
It may look like a free-for-all,
but even here a strict hierarchy
applies.
As before, the males take precedence
over the females.
The youngsters are left
arguing over the scraps.
Condors are long-lived birds.
This magnificent male
is perhaps 50 years of age.
His extraordinary comb and wattle
set him apart
from less impressive mortals.
He's already fed, so he's happy
to let others take their turn.
He's treated with respect
by other condors.
When he returns for seconds,
they soon back away.
Paradoxically, in the shadow of one
of South America's biggest cities,
this is the greatest gathering
of condors on Earth.
Elsewhere, it's black vultures
that are the city scavengers.
Rio de Janeiro is
one of their favourite haunts.
Like Santiago,
it is surrounded by mountains
perfect for soaring birds.
And as sea breezes hit
the high-rise buildings,
they create a carnival ride
for the vultures.
Although city life has its pleasures,
to find a more natural meal,
black vultures head
for the vast grassy plains
that cover much of the continent.
In the rainy season,
these grasslands quickly flood,
and birds converge on here
from all over the continent.
Before the vultures migrate onwards
to North America,
many stop off at one of
the best wetlands of all
the Llanos in Venezuela.
This mecca for birdlife
covers an area
nearly twice the size of Britain.
More species are found here than
in the whole of the United States.
It's not just birds that make
this flooded paradise their home.
The capybara,
the world's largest rodent,
grazes on the aquatic plants
that are found here.
Orinoco geese
goose-step in the shallows.
While caymans
add an element of danger.
Scarlet ibis
are the most colourful visitors.
They love the giant water bugs
that lurk here.
Most birds come here
for the 300 species of fish
that fill the lagoons to bursting.
Skimmers have one of the most
extraordinary ways of fishing.
They scythe the water
with strangely mismatched bills.
The lower beak projects further
than the upper,
allowing the skimmer to scoop up
tiny fish as they fly.
They feed by touch.
Their head flicks down
whenever they catch something.
Meanwhile, spoonbills use
their aptly-named beak
to ladle fish from the water.
An egret uses his bill
like tweezers.
The less skilful birds
follow the experts,
willing them to drop something.
The scavenging vultures
are among those that live in hope.
The osprey's technique is spectacular
and rarely fails.
But the fish here can be huge, and
there's always one that gets away!
It's a much-appreciated meal
for the vultures,
one that will help fuel their journey
onwards towards north America.
Back in the Andes,
the vulture's bigger cousin
searches for another meal.
A condor's eye-view reveals
some of Peru's greatest mysteries.
Machu Picchu,
the lost city of the Incas.
The Nazca Lines,
ancient desert carvings
that depict the local wildlife.
A hummingbird.
And a monkey.
Little life survives
in this desert now.
But once the condors
reach the other side,
they enjoy one of the richest
coastlines in the world.
The bays of Peru's Paracas coast are
alive with thousands of sea lions.
It's worth the long journey here
for the promise this huge
gathering brings.
Weighing in at 350 kilos, these
testosterone-fuelled giants body-slam
as they fight for females,
and casualties are inevitable.
The condor
just needs to find a victim!
But the fighting males
are too tough to be killed.
It's the baby bystanders
that suffer the consequences.
The circling condors
are joined by turkey vultures
all looking for their next meal.
Like black vultures, they are smaller
relatives of the condors.
They are first at the carcass
and eat as much as they can
before the condor arrives.
They lack the condor's more refined
table manners.
The condor takes his time,
then makes a grand entrance.
He gets the reaction he demands.
Here condors rule the roost.
It's "All hail the king".
No turkey vulture would dare
challenge a condor at his banquet.
At the end of the condor's journey,
he takes his rightful place
as the overlord of the Andes.
For many of the vultures, it's time
to head northwards up the coast.
Birds from all over the continent
converge at the Panama Canal,
an artificial waterway that joins
the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Every spring they join black vultures
and over two million hawks on
a mass exodus out of South America.
The largest gathering
of birds of prey in the world
passes over Panama city
and into Central America.
Just over the border in Costa Rica,
it's time for dinner.
The vultures head for the beaches.
Here, they expect
a fine and nutritious meal.
They just have to wait
for the tide to turn.
This is what they have come for
an Olive Ridley turtle.
Some can hardly contain
their excitement
because these turtles
never come alone.
This is the famous Arribada,
the mass gathering of turtles.
As soon as they arrive,
they lay their eggs deep in the sand.
But as quickly as the eggs appear,
they are gone,
wolfed down by the hungry vultures.
But the turtles just keep coming,
oblivious to the hungry hordes
that surround them.
As they try to bury their eggs,
they dig up those of others.
It's a gift for the vultures.
With most of their eggs
well and truly scrambled,
it looks hopeless for the turtles.
Especially when eggs start flying
like a game of ping pong.
But, just in time, the rain arrives
and the turtles get the break
they need.
The vultures hunker down,
but at least they won't go hungry
on the rest of their long journey
north.
Back in the rainforest,
the macaws finally find a clay-lick
where they can gather in peace.
As well as acting
as a natural dispensary,
clay-licks are just as important
for the macaws' social life.
It's where they get to know
each other.
Here, macaws seem most at home, they
only have each other to argue with
and they clearly enjoy every minute.
These colourful and lively
get-togethers can last for hours.
The sites where medicinal clay
can be found are just part of
the macaw's vast knowledge of the
greatest rainforest on the planet.
They, more than any other bird,
represent a disappearing
and mysterious world.
When all the macaws
have had their fill,
they leave in a blaze of glory.
It's a privileged sight
in a diverse and secret continent.
Next time, we will journey
across Asia and Australia
to see these contrasting continents
through the eyes of birds.