Snow Chick: A Penguin's Tale

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Midwinter in Antarctica

and one of nature's most extraordinary

stories is about to begin...

Through two months of biting winds,

blizzards and unimaginable cold

these male emperor penguins

have each nurtured a single precious egg.

One by one they welcome

their tiny chicks into the world.

But not all eggs will hatch

and one father is still waiting.

A neighbour shows off

his own new youngster.

His calls will encourage

the chick to emerge.

Finally, the youngest member

of the colony is born.

But growing up in the world's most

extreme nursery will be a huge challenge

for in just 6 months he must have

learnt enough to fend for himself

in the great Antarctic Ocean.

This is the dramatised story

of one extraordinary little bird.

Far from their chicks

the mothers have spent the last two months

catching fish and fattening up

while the fathers were left alone

to hatch their eggs.

Now the race is on to get back

and feed their young.

Among the excited crowd

is Snow Chick's mother.

She's got a belly full of fish

for her newborn

but between them is a gruelling

100km trek across the frozen sea.

Waddling at less than 3km an hour,

it will take many days to get home.

Instinct drives them on...

their babies' lives depend

on them arriving in time.

Back at the colony,

the father is getting to know his chick.

He gives him some high-calorie baby milk

produced from a gland in his throat.

But these supplies

will only last a few days.

It's just as well his mother

is on her way.

Following her maternal instinct

she and all the other females are making

steady progress on their journey home.

But, in places, the ice is wafer thin!

Below, a predator tracks their every move.

A leopard seal...

the penguins' greatest enemy.

The chick's mother senses danger.

She was right to be cautious.

Broken ice is a death trap.

For the rest, their chick

is their only concern.

But the seal needs just one victim...

A near miss, and she still has

60 treacherous kilometres ahead of her!

While the chick waits for her return,

outside temperatures are at minus 30.

But the pouch covers him like a tea cosy

and keeps him at a comfy plus 37 degrees.

For a new father, walking with a chick

on your feet is a tricky balancing act.

He'll get the hang of it soon!

The mothers are also struggling

with the icy conditions

and they are crossing some of

the toughest terrain on earth.

Their sharp claws grip the ice,

while scales on their feet act like treads.

But where the snow melts and re-thaws

it creates slippery conditions

that even a penguin finds challenging...!

Back at the colony,

it's been a week since the chick was born.

At these temperatures,

survival depends on getting enough to eat.

His father tries,

but there's nothing left to give.

The mothers battle on.

Sadly, some years they

simply don't make it in time.

The chick is getting weaker by the hour.

Then, at last, some weary figures appear.

Utterly exhausted by the walk

the mother still has one final challenge

before she can meet her chick...

Finding him!

There are over three thousand fathers

with chicks here

and, even to penguins,

they all look the same.

For the chick, time is running out.

But the penguins have a solution.

The fathers get in line

and dad and his chick join them.

They form an identity parade!

All she has to do is simply

work her way along the line.

Sounds simple enough

but among all the penguin lookalikes,

her partner is still tricky to recognise!

So every so often she stops and calls!

Her cry is unique and the father responds

with a call of his own.

It's what she was hoping to hear.

After 2 months at sea,

and a 100km trek across the ice

she's made it back in the nick of time.

In a miracle of natural timing,

he gets a morsel that will save his life.

It's now his mother's turn

to take over the childcare.

But they must be careful...

a few seconds too long on the ice

and their chick will die.

Finally, they unite as a family.

The bond they share is one of

the most remarkable in nature.

For over the next 5 months

they'll take it in turns to trek to the sea

to bring back food

for their ever-growing baby.

His father endured so much

to get the tiny chick this far...

saying goodbye is hard...

This time there's no looking back.

In 4 weeks he will return

with fresh supplies.

But first there's the little matter

of a 200km round trip to the sea.

Now it's mum's turn to feed him...

a natural preservative has kept the fish

as fresh as the day it was caught.

The chick may be satisfied,

but his father hasn't eaten for 4 months.

He and the rest of the hungry fathers

are now two days

into their long walk to the sea.

But sometimes the ice offers a shortcut...

An ice hole... a portal to the sea,

which could cut their journey by days.

And when you're famished,

it's got to be worth investigating!

But such holes don't appear

by themselves....

There had to be a catch!

They can either stay

and hope the leopard seal goes away

or continue their long,

risky trek to the sea.

Time to regroup.

This must be a joint decision.

Emperors rely on each other

for their very survival,

so learning social skills starts early.

Penguins are naturally argumentative,

so his first lesson

is sticking up for himself.

His mother only intervenes

when things go too far.

But no kid likes being told off!

At the ice hole, the standoff continues.

No one is keen to be first!

But they egg each other on,

as penguins like to do.

The coast is clear.

Their gamble paid off.

At the colony, two weeks have passed.

The chicks are testing their independence

and spending time away from their mothers.

All, that is, except one.

As the last to hatch,

he's way behind in development!

While the older chicks

are boisterous and confident

he still feels most comfortable

in his mother's pouch.

But penguins are sociable birds

and, to survive, he must learn

to play his part in the colony.

It's a daunting prospect...

but the little chick finds some courage.

It's a shaky start...

but he mustn't lose his nerve.

Time for a bit of tough love.

With every step he gains more confidence.

It's just as well...

he has so many friends to make!

But when you're the smallest,

it's tough to join the gang.

For now, there's always mum!

Out in the open ocean

the fathers are revelling

in being back in the water.

They haven't eaten for four whole months

and have lost half their body weight.

To stock up on fish and squid,

they hold their breath for up to 20 minutes

and dive to nearly 600 metres...

deeper than any other bird.

At the colony, three weeks have passed

and the chick is confidently

following his mother wherever she goes.

He's still learning

how things should be done.

And how they shouldn't!

He soon thinks

there's nothing left to learn...

so nervous toddler turns cocky explorer.

But at this age,

she mustn't let him out of her sight.

She's lost him...

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