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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.
Our story begins
on the southern tip of Africa.
A bird's-eye view
of Cape Town's Table Mountain
gives no hint of what's stirring
in the seas far offshore.
Beneath the waves a great gathering
is occurring.
Its innermost secrets
are known by a bird.
The Cape gannet.
An intelligent and curious creature
that works as part of a team.
Small groups spread out across
the ocean looking for clues
that might lead them
to the great event.
They keep their eye on humpback
whales as they seek the same reward.
But dolphins make even better allies.
The two creatures work together.
The gannets are the dolphins' eyes
in the sky.
From their high vantage point,
the gannets can see
what the dolphins can't.
One finally spots
what they're looking for.
He dives
a signal to all his followers
that they've finally arrived.
they reach their target.
The Great Sardine Run,
the biggest fish migration
in the world.
But at this depth the sardines
are quite a challenge.
He comes up with nothing.
But guiding the dolphins here
is about to pay off.
They attack from below,
breaking up the shoals
and driving them to the surface.
Now the sardines
are much easier to catch.
But the commotion also attracts
bronze whaler sharks.
At every dive,
the birds now dice with death.
And some hunters could swallow
a dozen gannets in just one gulp.
Fortunately, Bryde's whales
are only here for the sardines.
It's their extraordinary knowledge
of ocean life
that allows 65,000 pairs
to thrive here.
Back on the mainland, vultures
have an unrivalled knowledge
of the creatures
that live on the land.
These canny scavengers
soar for hours,
studying the movements of animals.
Their all-seeing eyes watch for clues
that might lead them to a meal.
Running animals are a good sign.
But lions are even better.
But in the high-stakes world
of the African bush,
the watched also do the watching.
There is an uneasy alliance
between vultures and lions
as both spy on one another
to find fresh meat.
This time there's nothing,
but she will keep looking.
Her bird's-eye view
reveals many secrets.
This S-shaped island
is actually alive.
It is made up entirely
of lesser flamingos.
Flamingos may be the most beautiful
and graceful birds in Africa,
but they spend their lives
in the most unsavoury places.
They wade in toxic soda lakes.
The only lagoons
where the algae they eat is found.
They filter it from the caustic water
with their bills.
It not only keeps them alive,
pigments in the algae create
their flamboyant colour.
As the amount of algae varies
with the seasons,
the flamingos are on a continual
quest for the perfect lake.
But wherever they go,
these delicate birds fall prey
to hunters of every kind.
Fish eagles are their main enemy.
These clever and solitary predators
are found over every body of water
south of the Sahara.
They eat mainly fish,
but here flamingos are easier prey.
Fish eagles have become expert
at hunting them.
The fish eagle is small
and highly manoeuvrable.
But it still won't be easy.
This battle plays out
wherever flamingos roam.
For now, the lake's algal bloom
gives them all they could wish for.
But all good things must end.
Soon they will be gone.
Vultures never get the chance
to stop travelling.
Her broad wings ride the air
for hours
as she searches for the dead
or done for.
Every feather reacts
to the tiniest breath of air,
adjusting its angle
to perfect her flight.
She splays her wing-tip feathers
to reduce drag.
And uses her tail to steer.
Her efficient flight is helped
by a weather phenomenon
often found in these hot climes.
Dust devils form
when the sun bakes the ground
and hot air rises in a thermal,
sucking up dirt.
Thermals are usually invisible,
but vultures know
just where to find them.
She uses them as express elevators
to the sky.
Just as she watches other vultures,
they watch her too.
Sharing their knowledge
of where thermals can be found.
When she finds lift, others rush
to join her on her free ride.
Gliding from thermal to thermal,
she surveys hundreds of square miles
with hardly any effort at all.
A descending spiral of other birds
marks the spot
where a carcass might be found.
She folds her wings to lose height
and uses her legs as air brakes.
Feathers along her wings spring up
to slow her even more.
With two and a half metres of wing
to deal with,
landing among trees is a challenge.
Once down,
the hard bit is finding the carcass.
But backup is never far behind.
The spiralling vultures
have also attracted the lions.
Things could easily turn nasty.
Especially as something
doesn't seem right.
Swallows and carmine bee-eaters
are here,
not the usual suspects
at a *** scene.
Marabou storks, the undertaker birds,
are more like it.
But these wily scavengers
are not here for a carcass.
They're eating termites.
The vultures and lions
have messed up, big-time.
It was an easy mistake to make.
A gathering of birds
always means food.
They weren't to know that for them
it wouldn't even be a snack
Only the smaller hooded vulture
has the right tool for the job.
Much to the lion's frustration.
When messing with lions,
the stakes are high.
Unfortunately,
it's an occupational hazard.
Cape Point,
at the southern tip of Africa,
is home to another bird that mixes
with dangerous predators.
Kelp gulls may not have
the charisma of a vulture,
but they certainly
know their wildlife.
The aptly-named Seal Island
is home to 10,000 Cape fur seals.
The perfect meal,
if only the gulls were hunters.
But by studying the seal's behaviour,
these inoffensive birds have put
seal meat at the top of their menu.
They pick out the youngest
and wait for them to brave
the open waters of the bay.
Then they look for someone
to prepare their meal.
A great white shark will do nicely!
To be first at the kill
means a feast.
But the shark
has to catch dinner first.
The commotion is a signal
to other gulls.
In the killing season,
over 30 attacks happen
around Seal Island each day.
The gulls have become experts on
the great white's killing technique.
Back on the South African mainland,
a very different wildlife spectacle
occurs every evening.
These are barn swallows.
Three million of them.
They roost in these reed beds
before travelling 6,000 miles
to their spring breeding grounds
in northern Europe.
They are well equipped
for their migration.
Few can beat their aerobatic skills.
They even drink
without missing a beat.
Their streamlined body
and long, pointed wings
allow them to effortlessly manoeuvre,
and their forked tail
helps their sublime control.
Taking a bath couldn't be easier.
Their flying abilities
will soon be tested
as they embark on one of the riskiest
and most epic journeys on earth.
But they will not be alone.
In the skies above,
thousands of white storks join them
in a race against time to reach
their European breeding grounds.
But while swallows
flap their wings all the way,
white storks glide on thermals.
On a good day, the storks
can travel 300 miles
with hardly any effort at all.
But flying isn't always
such a breeze.
They can only travel
when the sun shines.
Victoria Falls is a major landmark
on their journey.
they first set off.
As the Zambezi river plummets
into the chasm below,
it creates huge updraughts
that make the falls a paradise
for soaring birds.
It's the perfect place
for a fish eagle to set up home.
It might be wet and wild, but these
are the conditions eagles relish.
He patrols the mile-long canyon,
surfing on air
pushed up by the falling water.
Birds understand and feel
the air currents
in ways that are difficult
to imagine.
As well as detecting thermals,
they see their landscape in terms of
how it shapes and deflects the air.
This knowledge allows them
to glide with little effort,
allowing them to concentrate
on what really matters.
Finding a meal.
Swooping from the air provides
the best element of surprise.
the thermals that support storks
in the air simply vanish.
Below lies the problem.
Lake Malawi.
The first of many lakes
in East Africa's Great Rift Valley.
Thermals can't form over water,
so the storks have to work hard
just to stay airborne.
And these soaring birds
aren't designed
to flap their wings for long.
But a promising apparition
suddenly appears.
Dust devils seem to be rising
from the lake.
But these aren't thermals.
In fact,
they're made entirely of flies.
Each month, billions of lake flies
swirl together
in a huge mating dance,
creating the biggest swarms on Earth.
Storks must head inland
to find the real McCoy.
But flapping flight takes its toll.
Tired storks must make frequent stops
to rest and feed.
Tornadoes of flies
may be useless for storks,
but they are a godsend for
the swallows travelling close behind.
Like the storks, they have already
flown over 1,000 miles at this point.
They too are ravenous.
They head into the very heart
of the swarm.
Swallows put on little weight
before their journey,
so must feed at every opportunity.
Windfalls like this make the
difference between life and death.
Refuelled,
they continue their travels.
Further north, along the Rift Valley,
the land opens up
into a huge expanse of grassland.
Here, vultures command the skies,
soaring up to five miles
above the Earth.
From these heights, they can drop
down at any time to check out a meal.
Her favourite scavenging grounds
are the Serengeti plains.
Home to the largest land migration
in the world.
Below, around one and a half million
wildebeest
perform their yearly journey.
Vultures escort the herd,
and are an expert on their habits,
especially as they might
bring a meal.
They know the torrential waters
of the Mara river
are an accident waiting to happen.
Thousands of wildebeest must
negotiate its dangerous waters
and casualties are inevitable.
The crocs have waited a year
for this moment.
They won't waste their chance.
It's carnage.
But there won't be much left
for the vultures.
But as the wildebeest
reach the other side,
a four-metre wall blocks their path.
It's a death trap.
All it takes is just one slip.
And there it is.
The perfect meal,
ripe for the taking.
Now the arguing begins.
The marabou stork is back.
He uses his bill
to dismember carcasses.
But he's quite happy
to use it as a spear.
Vultures never get to eat in peace.
That's why they always keep moving.
Flamingos are also driven
by the quest for food.
In desperate times,
many travel up from southern Africa
to join East African flamingos
as they seek the perfect soda lake.
Just south of the equator
is Lake Nakuru,
the most famous flamingo lake
in the world.
The lake is a favourite
stopover for flamingos
and thousands can arrive
in a single day.
But despite its past glory,
it's now a bitter disappointment.
A change in water quality
means little algae grows here now.
There are other signs of change.
Great white pelicans arrive,
attracted to the salt-tolerant fish
that have been introduced
by local fishermen to the lake.
They cruise over the water surface,
riding a cushion of air created
by the down thrust of their wings.
The recent appearance of pelicans
shows that the lake is changing.
The flamingos face
other problems, too.
Here, scavengers have turned hunters.
The delicate flamingos
make easy prey for the hyenas.
They need space for takeoff.
It's not good
to be at the back of the queue.
And to make things worse, many have
been weakened by a lack of food.
The hyenas' technique
is crude but effective.
Just charge and grab the slowest.
Lake Nakuru has become a dangerous
place with few attractions.
Hungry and out of condition,
the flamingos must try their luck
elsewhere.
Above, the storks
continue their migration.
They carry few reserves and need to
make frequent stops to feed.
Here, the open plains
are their best chance
of catching the insect life
they need.
But stopovers bring
their own hazards.
The hungry lion will hunt anything.
Fortunately for the storks, the lions
have set their sights on bigger prey.
On his 6,000-mile safari,
the stork must be ready for anything.
Some birds can't get enough
of hunting lions.
One vulture has hit the jackpot.
The lionesses have killed.
And so too has the male.
She makes her choice.
Finding the carcass is easy.
Getting it from the owner won't be.
Some sneaky tactics are required.
Tiptoeing around the back
could be the answer.
Hungry lions may be big,
but they aren't stupid.
Dealing with the vulture
would be like swatting a gnat.
Hardly worth the effort.
But reinforcements arrive,
swelling the ranks.
They include the more burly
lappet-faced vultures.
She has attracted strong support
but she must be careful.
Her masterplan is simple,
but dangerous.
Tease the lion to distraction.
Lions get hot and bothered
keeping vultures from their kill.
And that's exactly what they want.
The vulture plays dare,
goading the lion.
In the hot sun,
it is a war of attrition.
Their cunning plan has worked.
The lion heads for shade.
Vultures rush in
where others fear to tread.
Now it's everyone for themselves.
Then the neighbours from hell arrive.
Somewhere in the mayhem,
everyone eventually gets something.
High in the skies above,
the flamingos continue their quest
for the perfect lake.
Just past the equator,
in central Kenya,
they finally find it.
Lake Bogoria.
Here, flamingos gather
in their millions,
the greatest concentration on Earth.
Breathtaking gatherings like these
happen just once in 20 years.
Their bodies become a pink blanket,
veiling the shallows of the lake.
For the new arrivals,
the lake lives up to its promise.
It's brimming with all the algae
they can eat.
At Lake Bogoria,
they can stop for a while
and feed to their heart's content.
They have reached their Shangri-la.
But there's trouble in paradise.
Here, baboons have turned killers.
And it's not only baboons
that hunt in the lake.
Fish eagles always know what's going
on and want a piece of the action.
They know that baboons hunt in packs
and usually there are leftovers.
Staying airborne puts him
in pole position.
With baboons attacking
from every direction
the flamingos have little chance.
The pent-up aggression
causes fights to break out.
Exactly what the eagle
was hoping for.
Although he's a hunter,
he's never too proud to scavenge.
But two can play
at the thieving game.
A steppe eagle drops in, at 150mph.
He sends it packing, but many more
are waiting in the wings.
Fish eagles are plucky birds,
and don't give up their food easily.
But, in the end, it's a numbers game.
Beaten by overwhelming force, the
fish eagle has barely had a mouthful.
Vultures are used to competing
for their meals.
For a scavenger,
it comes with the territory.
But there is one place that usually
gives enough to go round.
The Grumeti river.
All they have to do is wait for
the conveyor belt of food to arrive.
This river is a favourite drinking
spot in the wildebeest migration.
But it is also
one of the most dangerous.
The vulture waits as the crocodiles
demonstrate their lethal skills.
By the end of the killing spree,
the crocs are full
and there are carcasses to spare.
But where there are big crocodiles,
there are also little ones.
And they have to practise somewhere.
Even at this hallowed spot,
there's no rest for the wicked.
A vulture's life is
a never-ending journey to find food.
Among the hot springs
and geysers of Lake Bogoria,
the flamingos have finally
found peace.
But they must be on their guard.
The fish eagle is still hungry.
He looks for any breaks in the ranks.
He can't afford to fail this time.
Success at last.
As ever, the marabou stork
never misses a thing.
He could spear the eagle
with just one jab.
It's David versus Goliath.
Like all bullies, the marabou
crumbles when challenged,
pecking the dirt in frustration.
At last, the fish eagle enjoys
the sweet taste of success.
The flamingos may have lost
one of their number,
but it's a small price to pay
for staying in a pink paradise.
With two million together
in peak condition,
they can take time out for dancing.
True love blossoms as they mirror
each other's actions perfectly
and lifelong relationships
are formed.
Soon hundreds join the parade.
Their synchronised dance is one of
the most beautiful in the bird world.
It happens when the birds are fit
and truly happy.
A prelude to breeding
that occurs only in special years.
For the flamingo, it's a fitting end
to her journey.
But the swallows
have a long way to go.
They have travelled 3,000 miles
from South Africa to reach here,
but they are still only halfway home.
A hatch of midges will help
power their journey onwards.
It's a vital meal. The swallows
still have to cross the Sahara.
An area as big as the United States.
The white storks choose
a safer but longer route,
one that avoids
the Sahara altogether.
They follow the life-giving
waters of the Nile.
The swallows rely on oases. Without
them, they could never survive.
Meanwhile, common cranes
have joined the migration
and are heading out of Africa
towards Europe.
It's a route that takes them
over the Mediterranean Sea.
The storks try to avoid
the sea altogether.
But things don't always go to plan.
Thermals can't form over water,
so the storks are heading
for disaster.
If a wing tip touches the water,
they will fall in and drown.
Next time, we will follow
the storks' fate,
as they try to reach
their breeding grounds.
On the wings of birds,
we will discover the human
and natural world of Europe
as it has never been seen before.