BBC: Wings 3D Page #4

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Two million converge...

...on this one prime location alone.

But such an astonishing gathering

can hardly be ignored.

The peregrine falcon...

...looking for his evening meal.

It won't be easy.

He's hunting the world's best

aerial flying team.

Their rapid movements

and mesmeric waves...

...confuse the peregrine...

...stopping him locking on

to a single target.

To achieve such defensive synchrony...

...each starling flies in formation...

...with seven of his nearest neighbors.

They move as one...

...with reflexes 10 times faster...

...than any human fighter pilot.

Despite the peregrine's best efforts...

...he has been outmaneuvered

and outperformed.

The tables turn.

A squadron of several thousand birds

chase the peregrine away.

The starlings can finally

come home to roost.

Elsewhere in Italy...

...the southerly migration

of common cranes...

...have taken some over Venice.

Different families take different routes.

Each follows the path taken

by their parents before them.

Venice was once an area of marshland...

...where migrating cranes

could rest and feed.

The passage of time...

...has seen many changes...

...but still these traditional routes endure.

[HONKING]

[HONKS]

[HONKS]

[HONKS]

Soon, they will take their new family

across the Mediterranean...

...to spend the winter

in the welcoming warmth of North Africa.

Back in North America,

snow geese...

...have also felt

the cold winds blowing...

...and start to head south.

Those taking the eastern route...

...pass through another

of the world's great cities.

[HONKING]

Despite New York's immense

human population...

...the city is a busy crossroads

for traveling birds.

Over 250 different species...

...migrate through each year.

Like the rock formations

of Monument Valley...

...the buildings create uplifts of air...

...helping speed their journey.

[AIR WHISTLING]

[HONKING]

Birds are ever adaptable.

By passing on new knowledge

to their families...

...they have learned to survive

in a world transformed by human hand.

The geese leave New York behind.

[CAR HORN HONKS]

The welcoming warmth

of the Deep South beckons.

As the year draws to an end...

...all the birds stop traveling.

Japanese cranes celebrate the change...

...as they gather in the marshes

of Hokkaido in Japan.

[SQUAWKING]

Their population was once reduced...

...to just 25 birds.

Now, they number well over a thousand.

Gifts of fish left out by local people...

...have helped them thrive once more.

But it's not all Zen serenity.

In winter...

white-tailed eagles

gather here too.

They are notorious bird hunters.

[SQUAWKING]

[SQUAWKING]

Faced with the danger,

the cranes fearlessly fight back.

[SQUAWKING]

They offer quite a challenge.

They are the largest cranes

in the world.

[SQUAWKING]

For the eagles,

there is a far easier meal:

The food...

...given to the cranes.

The eagles leave...

...and tranquility returns once more.

To the Japanese,

the cranes' courtship dance...

...is a symbol of peace, harmony...

...and long life.

The birds can live for over 60 years...

...making their faithful partnerships...

...among the most enduring of any bird.

The relationships that birds have

with each other...

...and with other animals...

...allows them to thrive

in every comer of the globe.

Their flights to find food,

make homes, and rear young...

...embrace countries...

...and continents.

As they teach their offspring

the skills of survival...

...they connect life on earth...

...in ways we are only just beginning...

...to fathom.

For a brief moment, these cranes

may have stopped traveling.

But across the planet

and throughout the seasons...

...the journeys of birds...

...unite the world.

To capture...

...a bird's-eye view,

the team employed the latest...

...state-of-the-art techniques.

On the way...

...they witnessed behavior

that had never been seen before...

...and looked anew at some...

...of the greatest...

...wildlife events on Earth.

Wherever they took us...

...they showed us the world with fresh eyes.

With their help...

...we flew on wings...

...across the world.

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

[BICYCLE HORN HONKING]

[CHIRPING]

[MOTOR WHIRRING]

[MOTOR WHIRRING]

[English - US - SDH]

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