0:00:09 > 0:00:15I'm Johnny Kingdom. Some people call me the wild man of Exmoor.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I don't know about that,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20but I've spent years and years filming the wildlife here.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I've even got shots of salmon leaping.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27There's another one over there!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I've filmed the salmon for years and years
0:00:31 > 0:00:35but I've also had one or two for supper with my dad!
0:00:36 > 0:00:39When I was a youngster, I used to get into the river and catch them
0:00:39 > 0:00:41with my bare hands.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I don't do things like that any more.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49But I've always wanted to see how the real experts do it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56And now I've finally got the chance!
0:00:56 > 0:01:01I'm going to Alaska to film the best salmon catchers on Earth -
0:01:01 > 0:01:04the brown bears!
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I'll be filming them in the river.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08He's a big beast, isn't he?
0:01:08 > 0:01:09In a field.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Oh, this is brilliant!
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And even on a beach!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15He's so close. He's too close now.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21But what I want to film more than anything is bears catching salmon.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25If I can do that, it would be a dream come true.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I can't believe what I'm looking at!
0:01:28 > 0:01:29It's happening to me.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It's happening. That's incredible.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I've travelled 5,000 miles to Kodiak Island in Alaska
0:01:48 > 0:01:49with my wife Julie.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53It's the furthest we've ever been from home before.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00Well, we've been travelling 19 hours,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04me and the wife, and I'm absolutely shattered.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08But you know, it's so nice to be here.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11What a lovely countryside this is.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13You can see why they call it the Emerald Island.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It's beautiful man, beautiful.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Kodiak Island is going to be our base for the trip.
0:02:21 > 0:02:28It's in southwest Alaska, right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32We're here in the summertime when the snow's already melted
0:02:32 > 0:02:35because that's when the bears come down from the mountains
0:02:35 > 0:02:37to look for food, and it makes them a lot easier to find.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It's also when the salmon return from the ocean to
0:02:44 > 0:02:48breed in the rivers where they were born.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52So it should be the perfect place to film the bears catching them.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56It's here somewhere that we've got to turn right, Julie.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But first, we've got to find where we're staying.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01They said outside there'd be a moose.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02It's a moose.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05This must be it.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Our host for the next few days is Robyn Haight and her daughter Laura.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- You're Robyn?- Yes, my name's Robyn, Johnny.- And I'm Julie.- Welcome.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27We're about 10 miles from the main town of Kodiak.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30This reminds me of home - of Exmoor,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33except this stream will soon be full of salmon.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Back home, they've gone from most of our rivers.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44And here's something now, right opposite our room.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It's America's national bird, the bald eagle.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01What a lovely bird. In a tree right above the river.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Now this is the bird that takes the fish, the salmon.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11About the same size as our golden eagle.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19This is the first bit of wildlife I've seen.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It's beautiful, man.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29This is a bird I'd love to get some really close shots of.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And it looks like I should be able to do it round here.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It won't be that simple with the bears, though.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44They are in remote areas, which you can only reach by seaplane.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50And for that, we need good weather.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53It's very changeable here so we'll just have to wait
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and see what the morning brings.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08RADIO: "It's another rainy day in Kodiak.
0:05:08 > 0:05:14"The forecast is calling for overcast skies, fog, heavy rain all day today."
0:05:14 > 0:05:19It's raining and very, very misty and they will not fly in this.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23So I've got to wait until I've got a nice sunny day.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26But I'm looking forward to it but still very,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29very nervous with the flying, also the bear!
0:05:43 > 0:05:46So today instead, I'm going out on a boat,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50but first I'm going to have a look around Kodiak Harbour with Julie.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57It may not look it, but it is the third largest fishing
0:05:57 > 0:06:00port in America and salmon is the biggest catch.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The fishermen deliver to him. They weigh it out.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07The fleet load the fish onto boats like this
0:06:07 > 0:06:11out in the Pacific Ocean - 100 million pounds of it every year.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Five, six pounds average.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18They catch five different types of salmon
0:06:18 > 0:06:21so first they have to sort them.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25I've never seen so many fish in all my life! They're coming from everywhere. Look at them!
0:06:27 > 0:06:31This is the kind the bears like best - the sockeye.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I'd love to see them catch one this size.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41This is a huge operation.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Just about everyone on Kodiak works in fishing.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The chances are if you've had wild salmon,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52it came from the waters around here.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Right, now it's time for me to try and catch one for my supper.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Hey, are you Johnny Kingdom?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Yeah! Let's go fishing!
0:07:05 > 0:07:07I recognised you because of your hat.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Of course, yeah.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I hope there is only one of those in the world!
0:07:11 > 0:07:18Lee Robbins is a champion fly fisherman and has lived on Kodiak Island since 1969.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I'm glad you brought your binoculars cos you'll need them
0:07:21 > 0:07:26for the size fish you'll catch. Come on, let's go catch some salmon!
0:07:26 > 0:07:34Thanks, mate, thank you. You've got a lovely boat, fantastic boat.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50We're heading out to one of Lee's favourite fly-fishing spots.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57And on the way, we're hoping to see other wildlife.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04They call that Elephant Rock. I like that.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09And Lee says there's another one up here,
0:08:09 > 0:08:10should have some sea lions on it.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14I can hear them already!
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Beautiful. I've never seen anything like this before.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30The reason these sea lions are out here is this is the spot
0:08:30 > 0:08:32where there's a lot of salmon that swim by
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and that's some of the prime food for these animals.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37So they can come out here
0:08:37 > 0:08:40when the salmon are going around this corner and then they have this
0:08:40 > 0:08:44haul-out spot. This is called a haul out so they can come in and rest.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48And you can hear by the growling why they're called sea lions.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Fantastic!
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Hello!
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Roarrr!
0:09:01 > 0:09:03He answered me. Ha ha!
0:09:05 > 0:09:10And what a sight that is. They're right beside of us, but very difficult to film.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Soon as you start zooming in, it goes all over the place.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22These are called Stellar sea lions and they're very rare.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26These animals are recently protected
0:09:26 > 0:09:29because salmon fishermen used to shoot everything - eagles,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33bears, sea lions - anything that they had competition with, they'd kill.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38And it's just recently, I'd say within the last 15 years,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41that the sea lion has become protected and a fisherman shooting
0:09:41 > 0:09:45a sea lion now can lose his boat and have a huge fine and go to prison.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Seems like to me Kodiak Island is all about fish and salmon.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Sure is. I think that's the whole key to everything on Kodiak.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Right, here we are at Kalsin Bay.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It's a popular spot for locals now
0:10:17 > 0:10:23because the salmon have started to make their way up the estuary here.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Lee reckons I stand a good chance of catching one.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35I've had a go at fly-fishing before and it's not as easy as it looks.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Let's step out here and talk a little bit about what's going on here.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43We have five different species of salmon.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm going to straighten this line out while we're talking.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51The ones that we're after right now are called the pink salmon.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53All of our salmon have two names.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The pink salmon's second name is humpback, or humpy.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59OK, there you go.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06The biggest fish we have is the King salmon, or the chinook,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and they can be up to 100 pounds.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- 100 pounds?- 100 pounds. How would you like to hook
0:11:11 > 0:11:15one of those on this rod?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Everybody has a different kind of fish that they prefer,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- like I think you like the red salmon the most, sockeye.- I love the red salmon.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I like the silver salmon a lot and I love these fish,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- These are great. - I know I'm doing it wrong.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Back cast. Stop.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- Stop?- The same amount of energy on the back cast.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37That's better. That's great. Just like that. Perfect.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39OK, let's fish that one.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42OK, now the fish we're after here, Johnny,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45are pink salmon. They're the most abundant fish.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47How can I tell I've got a bite?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It'll stop coming in. It'll start going out.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52You had your strike!
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Yay!- OK, now let him go.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Strip. I'm sorry, you've got to fish them. Get the rod up.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59You've caught one.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- Oh, he's gone away.- No, he's not.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05He's gone now.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06He's gone. I didn't do it quick enough.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Now you're reeling backwards. Reel forwards.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- No, no!- He's still there. I think he's still there.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- I don't think he is. - Reel it. Reel it. Reel it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17There she is.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19You've got him, Johnny!
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Yay!
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Let him go if he wants to run. You're going the wrong way.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Take your hand off the reel. Take your hand off the reel.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Now, let him take the line. Back towards me. Reel it down.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Don't give him slack. Reel it down.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- Faster, faster, Johnny, faster! - OK!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- Wow!- Come here! Let him go!
0:12:41 > 0:12:43You've got 100 yards of line!
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Come back!
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Yeah, I'm all right. He's going to sea!
0:12:46 > 0:12:49No, he's not. He's on your side.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- Hey!- Let's get you over here and on dry ground.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- You're reeling backwards. - What did I do?
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- What did I do that for? - It's great. Go ahead.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02I can't do it now.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Great. Great. Great. Don't go forwards. Back up.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I think I'll just get out of the way and let you catch this fish.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- OK.- Take your hand off the reel until the rod straightens up.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22There you go. Back him right up. Keep coming. Beautiful. Beautiful. Keep coming.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25All right, I'll beach him when you're ready.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27I'm not sure he's ready yet. Let your hand off the reel.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Want me to get him?
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- It's a beautiful!- Ah, nice fish!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Look at the size of that.- Fantastic!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- He's thick, isn't he? - Better use two hands.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47You did such a great fish-hooking this fish. He swallowed it all the way down to his gills
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and he's bleeding a little bit. So we'll harvest this one and cook it for dinner.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54OK. OK. Look at that. Beautiful.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56That's a lovely salmon.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00The limit on these fish is ten fish per day.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Well, I only want one!
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I know, but we're not hurting anything by keeping this fish is my point.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- Thank you very much. - You did great, man.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12If you had about two more hours, you'd feel a lot more comfortable,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and you'd catch fish after fish after fish.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18The only problem is, I've got to do something about changing because I'm wet.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23- Everything I've got is drenched. - I think it came from the top down, not the bottom up!
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Johnny, I want you to know something. I realise it was a little confusing at times.
0:14:31 > 0:14:38- Yes, it was, yes!- But look what you did. You cast in really windy conditions, I think it's fabulous.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- I appreciate that.- I mean I love it! - Yes, I know.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Lee said, "You'll catch a salmon but you won't land one."
0:14:49 > 0:14:54And he was surprised that I landed it. I just can't get over it.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57And the taste of the salmon is lovely.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Fantastic. Oh, man!
0:15:00 > 0:15:01I'm proud of myself, really.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05- Julie, you're proud of him, too, aren't you?- Of course she is! Cheers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22I just had a call from my bear guide, with the news that I'd been hoping for.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27The mist is going to clear later on, which means we can fly
0:15:27 > 0:15:29and I can go looking for my first bears.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Brilliant.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- Would you like another sausage? - Thank you.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I haven't quite made up my mind about these strawberry
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and sausage pancakes though.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- They are nice, John.- He's not going to admit to it, but he likes it!
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Don't tell until you try it properly.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Mm! It's lovely!
0:15:50 > 0:15:51- I enjoy them.- Awesome!
0:15:51 > 0:15:52LAUGHTER
0:15:54 > 0:15:59I've also got time this morning to try and get some bald eagle shots.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I've heard a right racket going on between an eagle and a magpie
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and I'd like to see what's happening.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Oh, yes! Cracking shot. Look at that.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Cor, it's fantastic.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Now the magpie's just coming up to
0:16:20 > 0:16:24interfere with the bird, and the eagle's looking down at the magpie.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28The magpie's so close to that big bird. I can't believe it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I've got a magpie a foot away from the bird.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And the eagle's looking down and terrifying him.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Now he's spread his wings. This is a really big bird.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48I don't know quite for sure, but I'm told that these wings are about two metres wide.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Look at that. He's trying to drive that big bird away.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01I've never seen anything like that before.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05That's wonderful. Cor!
0:17:05 > 0:17:09He flies up to him. He's making sure that the eagle won't get him.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19This is another bird I've never filmed in my life before.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20Fantastic.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21BLUEGRASS MUSIC
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Well, this is it.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I'm on my way, hopefully, to see a bear!
0:17:36 > 0:17:37# I think I'm going to Alaska
0:17:37 > 0:17:41# Where the heat of the summer's coming down
0:17:43 > 0:17:44# Boots made of leather
0:17:44 > 0:17:50# My coat's for the winter and you won't find me hanging around
0:17:50 > 0:17:52# I think I'm going to Alaska
0:17:52 > 0:17:57# Where the heat of the summer's coming down. #
0:17:57 > 0:18:00My only problem is the little plane I've got to go in.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- Morning, mate.- Good morning. - I'm Johnny.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- Johnny. My name's Willy. - Nice to meet you, Willy.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Are we ready to go right away? - We are. You ready?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- I'm a bit nervous.- Oh, no problem. I'll get you right over.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- You sure? - Oh, yeah. Slide on in there.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19OK.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Quite looking forward to it, really. Until we get up in the sky!
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The salmon are only just beginning to arrive
0:18:59 > 0:19:04so there's not many places to see bears catching them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08So today I'm actually leaving Kodiak Island
0:19:08 > 0:19:13and travelling just across the water to the mainland.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18I'm heading for Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22a huge nature reserve where about 3,000 bears live.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It's one of the best places to see what the bears are up to,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29before the salmon arrive.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Willy's just pointed out something all along the shoreline.
0:19:38 > 0:19:44Lots of timber and bits and pieces that have washed up from the tsunami in Japan!
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Unbelievable!
0:19:49 > 0:19:52This is the first time I've ever landed on water.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Wee bit bumpy, never mind.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Right, we're touching down now.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04As you can see by my camera, you've got a job to keep her still.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Oh! This is a bit rough.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Dear, oh, dear!
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Ha ha!
0:20:17 > 0:20:20During the winter in Katmai, the bears hibernate
0:20:20 > 0:20:23up there in the mountains.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28They don't eat anything for six months but in April, once
0:20:28 > 0:20:32the weather warms up, they come down here looking for food.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Until the salmon arrive in late summer, they'll eat anything.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39You've seen some evidence out here somewhere, have you?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I've seen a lot of evidence of bears out here on the front beach.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Jo Murphy has been taking people out to see bears for over 20 years.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54This place is excellent for finding bears in all the beginning
0:20:54 > 0:20:55parts of the season.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59In the first part of the season, the bears are coming in here to
0:20:59 > 0:21:03feed on the grasses, and they always have the clams on the front beach.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Oh, I see. OK, yeah. It's funny they eat the clams and eat grass,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10so there must be a diet between the two things.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Yes. The bears have a very wide variety in their diet.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Oh, do they? OK.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Now, look down on the ground there, Johnny. See that?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25D'you know what that is? This is a place where a bear has been having a little clam breakfast.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Oh, I see. Like a shell.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Yes.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35See, the bear has totally eaten all the clam from inside the shell.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Oh, I see. Yeah. And just pulls it out with his paw?
0:21:38 > 0:21:43I can see the big print. Oh, look! That's his tool mark there.
0:21:43 > 0:21:49Now, the bear track, this actually shows us a lot of the size of the bear. This is the bear's front paw.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51So if you're trying to figure out how big a bear is by the track,
0:21:51 > 0:21:56you look at only the front paw, you measure from one side to the other,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and add one inch. So if that's five inches across,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02to add one, six inches becomes a six-foot bear
0:22:04 > 0:22:06from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Six-foot high?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Six-foot from the tip of the tongue to the base of the tail,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15so when the bear is standing up, you can add at least a foot because that's not counting the legs.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Now, look here - there's a bear! Look there!
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Good grief! He's on the same beach as us! You sure that's a bear? He looks...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Oh, it's a bear, all right. Shall we go take a closer look?
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I don't want to go too close. You know that, don't you? I just want to see a bear.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- To me, that looks very, very big. - That's a female. It's a sow.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38And the bears get much larger than that.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41It's making me a wee bit nervous.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43The bear's paying no attention to us.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45A bear that means to move you
0:22:45 > 0:22:48out of the area that you're occupying will look you in the eye
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and move towards you without breaking eye contact.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55A bear that's non-aggressive just gives a quick sideways glance
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and looks away. So that is a sign that a bear is non-aggressive.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I understand.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02OK, I'm trusting you for the minute.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06'Jo doesn't carry a gun, just a can of pepper spray.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10'and the bear would have to be pretty close for that to work,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14'but it seems to me she knows what she's doing.'
0:23:14 > 0:23:17You see now that we're giving her more of the beach to look for clams
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- On this side, she's going to walk right past us.- Yeah, OK.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22So we're going to go just a little bit over here.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'm not trying to tell you something,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26but I am getting a wee bit nervous.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Do you want to stop for a minute?
0:23:27 > 0:23:28Well, just, you know...
0:23:28 > 0:23:31OK, let's go ahead and wait right here for a minute.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33You see, she's just smelling for clams.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34Can we go down on a knee?
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Certainly. You ready? Let's go down.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Right, let's get a shot like this.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Wow.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I don't want to go any closer, because, I tell you now,
0:23:50 > 0:23:51I can see its toenails.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53JO LAUGHS
0:23:53 > 0:23:55I can, honestly.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And that is something worth seeing.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Now, if I was home, you see, with a red deer,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I'd want to go closer,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07because I know my animals, but I don't love this one.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- I'm not comfortable. - Now, look at the bear, though.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14See, the bear is just going about its business
0:24:14 > 0:24:16that it was doing before we got here,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- and that's just looking for clams. - I tell you, I'm not being funny,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21I'm not worried about the bear, I'm worried about myself.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23THEY LAUGH
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I didn't honestly think I'd be coming to see you
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and get that close to that big animal. That's close!
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Oh, jeez!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Oh, look at that.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Digs a fair bit, you know, in so many seconds.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42This is fantastic.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Oh, jeez!
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Wonderful.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Brilliant, it's brilliant, but...
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Cor.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58One thing that we really have in our favour is
0:24:58 > 0:25:00our bears are very well fed,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04so they really are much less aggressive than the inland grizzly.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07About 60% of their diet is vegetation,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12the rest is a combination of fish, they eat sand fleas,
0:25:12 > 0:25:19they eat barnacles, they eat animals, other mammals.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24I've seen a bear actually catch a seal and kill it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25I'm shaking, Jo.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Do you know, I'm experiencing something
0:25:31 > 0:25:32which I've always wanted to do.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I'm so, so close to this big, big animal,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and this lady beside me,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41she's brilliant, to take me in like this.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43I can't believe...
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I'm not kidding, you can see...
0:25:45 > 0:25:48you only see my fingers, look. And that's not Johnny Kingdom.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Because I'm not afraid of anything in my own country,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54but now I am really shaking.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Won't you watch the bears for a little while?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Then you'll be just as comfortable as you are with your deer at home.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Yes.- The bears are very predictable in their own way.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Because a bear can do so much damage to each other,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10they have developed just perfect body language
0:26:10 > 0:26:14that tells exactly what their next move is going to be.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21This is incredible. If I only see just this one.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23When everybody sees this, they will say,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25"You can see why he wanted to go there.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29"To get that close to a big, big animal."
0:26:32 > 0:26:33Oh, look at that.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Now the bear just looked up then.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Do you see she had a bit of clam in her mouth when she looked at us?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Yeah, yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46I still can't believe I'm right in the middle of a beach,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and I've got a bear right beside me.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Now, you see the tide is very slowly creeping in.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- Yeah.- So, pretty soon that bear is going to get
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- pushed a little closer to us.- Yeah.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- Now she's smelling for another bear.- Eh?
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Did you see her just pick up her head and smell?
0:27:11 > 0:27:12She's smelling for another bear.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- Now look over there. There's another bear over there.- Where, where?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Right there.- I can't see it. - Can you see?
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Oh, I see it. Yes, I do.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- He's coming this way as well. - That's right.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Oh, look, he's got a flounder.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- That bear has a fish. - Oh, yes, yes. He has too.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Star flounder.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Yeah, this looks like another female bear.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- It doesn't look like a male like I thought in the beginning.- No.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Now, looking as the bear has its back to us,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44a female has very round hips,
0:27:44 > 0:27:50where the males have very narrow hips, very slim hips.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53He's still quite large to me, seeing him there like that.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- There he goes. - He's turning around, look.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- He's turning around. Look, he's smelling at us.- Is he?
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Their best sense is their sense of smell,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09so a bear smells about ten times as well as a dog does.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13When conditions are right, they can smell something up to five miles.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Five miles! That's a long, long way.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19He's a lovely colour, isn't he?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And that bear is still wearing most of its winter coat.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24OK. Oh, I see what you mean.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27So he's like the deer then, he loses its coat.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33That's right. They're actually losing their coats right now,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35since it's the summer season,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and their summer coat is much shorter than the winter coat.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42It's also darker. They're beautiful.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Well, that was incredible - bears on the beach!
0:28:52 > 0:28:53I still can't believe it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58And now Jo is taking me to the meadows,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01where we might even see more bears in the grass.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Now, Johnny, I know that you've been telling me you wanted to see a bear den,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08but most of those are way up in the mountains.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- Yeah, yeah.- So this is the summertime equivalent
0:29:11 > 0:29:14of a bear's den. This is what we call a day bed.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16This is a spot where a bear will just dig out a big hole,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20and you can see there is no grass in the middle of it,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22but they will come back here, and, as they feed day after day,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25they'll often come to the very same spot
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- to take naps in the back meadows.- Yeah.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33What this tells us is that there are bears near here that are feeding,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36so if we just keep looking, we're going to be seeing some bears.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44All these grasses here, is this what they eat?
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Yeah, they're feeding on all the different grasses
0:29:47 > 0:29:48here in the meadow.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- Let's stop here for a minute.- OK.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Wow, wow.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00Big bear!
0:30:00 > 0:30:04So close. He's too close now. Oh, dear.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09OK. Let's see if I can just get one shot of that, yeah?
0:30:10 > 0:30:11OK.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14He's a big beast, isn't he?
0:30:16 > 0:30:19There. That's a really brilliant shot.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23What sort is that? Is that the female?
0:30:23 > 0:30:25No, that's a male. That's a boar.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30That's our first male. Just lying down there, he's eating grass.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31That's what he's doing.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Now, looking at that bear's ears,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- do you see how they're still fairly close together?- Yes.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40So I'd say this bear is probably no older than seven years old.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42About seven years old? Yeah.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47And we're not that far away.
0:30:47 > 0:30:48Just a few metres away from them,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and I can keep this still without a tripod.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54It's very, very hard to keep it still. At least I can get...
0:30:54 > 0:30:56- Here he comes.- Oh, oh, oh!
0:30:56 > 0:30:58And now you'll see the difference, mate.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Oh!
0:31:02 > 0:31:04Now he's...that's the difference.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06That's big. It's huge.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Look at the body on that.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13That is ...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17You'll notice even the way he stands tells us he's a boar.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19The bore is a lot longer than the sow.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- You see the way he's got that long face and that long nose?- Yeah.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26That's classic boar, but the length in his body tells us he's a boar.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27Yeah, he is very long.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I noticed that when he was sideways on just then.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35My heart is going thump, thump.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39You hear stories about bears and things like that and...
0:31:39 > 0:31:40This is a big boar,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44and he's showing absolutely no signs of aggression right now.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48- He has totally gotten comfortable with the fact that we're here.- Yeah.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54When you're afraid of bears, your body actually makes a chemical
0:31:54 > 0:31:55the bears can smell,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59and they really do respect it when you're not afraid.
0:31:59 > 0:32:00They respect confidence.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Honestly didn't think we'd be as close as this.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08- That's only just a few metres away. - Mm-hm.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Looking at that just now, to me, he looks like a lion.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16- Like a male lion with a big mane. - Yeah.- Looks like that, doesn't it?
0:32:16 > 0:32:20- Yeah, he's shedding out his long winter coat.- Yeah.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22You can see the hair on his hump is still long
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and the hair is very short on his back,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27so that's his summer coat we're seeing on his back.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29- OK.- Usually, the last place they lose that winter coat
0:32:29 > 0:32:32- is right on the hump and on the front legs.- Yeah.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35That's fantastic, isn't it?
0:32:35 > 0:32:37The bear is getting up now.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40He's all right there, isn't he, Jo?
0:32:40 > 0:32:44- Yeah, he's fine.- He's beautiful, isn't he?- He is beautiful.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11Now Willy's arrived to take me back to Kodiak.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14But it's all still happening with the bears!
0:33:15 > 0:33:19This is brilliant, man, fantastic.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20I can't believe it.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26These two boars know each other quite well,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28and they're very friendly with each other,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31- so they're simply playing right here.- This is playing.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37It's incredible, that.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45This is fantastic, you know? To see that happening.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Do you see another bear there on the left?
0:33:55 > 0:33:57That bear walks across the front,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59coming right past him. Look at that.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03What a lovely shot. There's three bears in one shot.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06What a shot to capture that is.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16FOLK MUSIC PLAYS
0:34:23 > 0:34:27'Well, I got to say, what a day that was.'
0:34:27 > 0:34:28Cheers, mate.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31'I definitely need a drink after that.'
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Yes, brilliant.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Course, I still haven't seen a bear catching the salmon,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45but if today's anything to go by, I won't be disappointed.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Next clear day, I hope that's what I'll be doing.
0:35:06 > 0:35:07# Let it rain
0:35:07 > 0:35:08# Let it pour
0:35:08 > 0:35:10# Let it rain a whole lot more
0:35:10 > 0:35:14# Because I've got them deep river blues... #
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Well, I'm out of luck with the weather today.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20It's not to going to be clear, and that means no bears.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26But right now, I've got a chance to see
0:35:26 > 0:35:30more of the island's wildlife, like these Yellowlegs.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31You don't get them at home.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36And have another go at filming the bald eagle.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Later I'm going out on Lee's boat again,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43this time to film sea otters.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Brilliant!
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Damn.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Aargh!
0:35:50 > 0:35:51Wow!
0:35:53 > 0:35:54Ooh! Missed it.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57One ready for outside.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02I've got a shot now.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05That's better.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07That's a wonderful shot, that is.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16There's a chance we can find our first sea otter
0:36:16 > 0:36:17laying over in that spot.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21'Well, Lee has got a real treat in store for me.'
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Cos I've never seen a sea otter before.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25So, I can fool you, then.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27I can tell you anything I want, and you'll believe it.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Well, yeah, but you...
0:36:29 > 0:36:30OK, if you like.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35The route we're taking to see the sea otters
0:36:35 > 0:36:39passes through an area where humpback whales come to feed.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41They're not after the salmon.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45They like other fish like herring and mackerel.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47And Lee's warned me to keep my camera ready,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49because we could see one any minute.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53There he is, right there. Dead ahead.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55I did see it. There he is, look.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57There, look. I just saw him then.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02I spotted my first whale, but I didn't get a shot of it.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04He's down for a bit. When he comes back up,
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- we'll see if we can get a look at him.- There, look, there.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I'll go after him. Hang on, boys.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12- I saw him then.- Sit down.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15I saw him then. You want me to sit down?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Two whales.
0:37:21 > 0:37:22Keep still. I saw...ohhh!
0:37:22 > 0:37:24I missed it again, see.
0:37:24 > 0:37:25Cor, what a...cor!
0:37:25 > 0:37:27I missed it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28Saw two humpbacks here.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31What's that? Up there, look.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32Right over there, look.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36I just saw the back fin of him there. It was a long ways away.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38I heard it. Shhh!
0:37:40 > 0:37:41One right beside us here now.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Oh! Oh! Cor! The whale!
0:37:45 > 0:37:47He's coming up beside me!
0:37:48 > 0:37:50I nearly had a heart attack!
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- Another nice tail shot.- Where, where, where? He ain't gone that far.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55There, look!
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Oh, there, yeah, I see his wings.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Ohhh!
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Cor, I can't believe it!
0:38:04 > 0:38:05Did you see that?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08A whale came right up here beside me! Right there!
0:38:08 > 0:38:11A flipping tail came out! Yeah-h!
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Cor! What about that, then?
0:38:14 > 0:38:15That's incredible, man.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Cor.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20I'll keep my eyes peeled,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23you keep your eyes peeled and we'll see if we can find some more.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26We gotta get it on film.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Wow. Wow.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Oh, awesome.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38I don't believe it. It's all happening.
0:38:41 > 0:38:42Whoa.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Tail!
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Ohhh, cracker!
0:38:49 > 0:38:52This is unbelievable, cos all I've seen
0:38:52 > 0:38:55is big, big tail on movies.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58But here we are seeing it in real life!
0:38:58 > 0:39:00I can't tell you how excited I is.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I'm here amongst the whales!
0:39:02 > 0:39:06I'm waiting to get another shot now, please. One more shot.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Ohhh, look at this.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Ohh, look at...
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Ohhh! Look at that, man.
0:39:17 > 0:39:18By gum.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22It's bigger than any fish I've ever seen.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Well, I wasn't expecting to see that when I got up this morning
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and there are still sea otters to come.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37It's very tricky to make them out
0:39:37 > 0:39:40because they hide amongst the seaweed, the kelp.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43And we've got to be careful we don't get tangled up in it.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47There's one in there and I believe it's a female.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I'll get us right up to the edge of that kelp
0:39:50 > 0:39:52and we'll see if she stays for us, OK? You see it, right?
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- Right out there, yeah.- OK.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57I'm going to drift a bit.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01- Very, very difficult, Lee. - It's a really light-coloured head.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06I think... I'm not 100% sure.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Here's one right in front. Here's one right in front of us.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- Where?- Right to that rock.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- With a little baby on the belly. See it?- Oh, yes, yes.- OK.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Right in front of that rock.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21- See the baby on the belly? - I can see something there.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22And I...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Yes, I do see one now.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26He's sailing along with a baby, on his back,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28and I've got a job to get anything at all.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Well, I know where there's a place where there's more habitat like this,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35but it's quiet water. We can get closer,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38and if there's sea otters there, we'll be able to get a lot closer,
0:40:38 > 0:40:43then you can have undeniable proof that sea otters really still exist
0:40:43 > 0:40:45and Johnny saw one or two.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46OK, good man.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56This part of Alaska is incredible for wildlife.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00The waters are so rich, all sorts of animals come here
0:41:00 > 0:41:02through the summer months to feed.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Look at all the kittiwakes.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10BIRDS SQUAWK
0:41:10 > 0:41:11Hear that noise!
0:41:14 > 0:41:16They're black-legged kittiwakes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18See the black feet?
0:41:20 > 0:41:23We get these at home on Lundy Island,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25but not numbers like this.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27All the cliff is just covered in them.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Unbelievable, you know, until you come to see it in real life.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41And Lee has told me they've got the world's biggest puffin out here.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43The tufted puffin.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44I've never heard of it!
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- There's a bunch of puffins out... - Hang on a minute!
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Hang on! Hang on! I didn't see them.
0:41:51 > 0:41:52Oh, yeah.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55I can see all the colours, like reddish. Yeah.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01Keep still, boat, please. Lee, keep the boat still.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04That's better.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09They are a very attractive bird.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Something like the puffin at home, but...
0:42:16 > 0:42:19I've got a job to tell you. I mean, I don't...
0:42:19 > 0:42:20They get the red feet and that,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23but their head looks funny because of that striped tuft
0:42:23 > 0:42:24back over its head.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28He's got two tufts on top of his head, one each side, man.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Both the male and the female are out gathering feed now
0:42:32 > 0:42:35to bring into the burrows. Did you see some burrows in there?
0:42:35 > 0:42:36I saw holes, yeah.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- Yeah. And they aren't very graceful flyers, really.- No.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42They come up and stall and fall in, then they go in the burrow,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45and they come shooting out and they bail out off the cliff
0:42:45 > 0:42:48until they get up enough airspeed, then they start flying again.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Wow, wow. They are lovely.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Cor, look at that, now. That's a cracking shot, there.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I'm right on a tufted puffin now.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Wow, that's the closest I'm going to get. It's a beautiful bird.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Handsome. Beautiful.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15That's what they say out here. "Handsome". No, "awesome".
0:43:15 > 0:43:17I'll get it right in a minute.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Come on, boy, fly down.
0:43:21 > 0:43:22Look at that.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26That is beautiful, my friend.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27That's perfect.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Well, I'm still looking across there
0:44:05 > 0:44:09and I'm still trying hard to get a close shot of a sea otter.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12So, we've not got a real good shot yet.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16I have got shots but not good enough, not passable yet,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19so we'll keep trying until we get that good shot, yeah?
0:44:37 > 0:44:41To the right of the islands, that long black-brown line of kelp?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43- Yes, I do.- Look there.- That long...?
0:44:43 > 0:44:47To the right of the island, on that long line of kelp, what do you see?
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Oh, yes, I can see now.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52One... two.
0:44:52 > 0:44:53How many?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55- Three...- How many?
0:44:55 > 0:44:56Oh! Oh.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Must be 20, 30!
0:44:58 > 0:45:01LEE LAUGHS
0:45:08 > 0:45:12There's otters. They're sea otters, would you believe it?
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Oh, look at this, man. It's incredible.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28There must be 100 there now.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Look at that.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Wow, wow, wow.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39At last, I've seen our sea otters.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Oh, over the moon.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Wonderful! Cor!
0:45:47 > 0:45:48Dearie, dearie me.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55The last time I filmed otters was in Scotland,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58but these ones here are completely different -
0:45:58 > 0:46:02a lot bigger and they spend most of the time in the water.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Look at this one beside me.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08He's just rubbing his ear, look.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10That's an incredible shot!
0:46:12 > 0:46:14That's incredible stuff.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19He's crossed his legs over, look. I don't know what he's doing now.
0:46:19 > 0:46:20He's rubbing his tail.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Yeah. He's just rubbing his tail.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31Years ago, these animals were nearly hunted out for their fur,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34but they're protected now, so no-one can touch them.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Hello, mate. I'm Johnny from England.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Just look at that.
0:46:45 > 0:46:46Beautiful, man.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Well, I've never seen anything like this. This is another thing.
0:46:54 > 0:46:59It's definitely the best bit of footage we've ever had with otters.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01That's incredible stuff.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Incredible.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05I wanted to see a sea otter,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08but I didn't think I was going to see 100 of them.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Look! I take off my hat to you, my friend.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19That is fantastic. More than I expected.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21I can't believe what I've seen.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24- Great!- OK, you carry on with your good work, my friend.
0:47:24 > 0:47:29That's fabulous! But I do have a question. Did you see more than two?
0:47:29 > 0:47:32JOHNNY LAUGHS
0:47:35 > 0:47:41Well, I'm just going to say cheerio to the sea otters
0:47:41 > 0:47:44as I pass through.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54I don't think I've ever filmed anything so pretty as that, you know.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59Not so close as that. There were so many of them there.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03That was excellent. Wonderful! Cor!
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Well, well, well!
0:48:05 > 0:48:08I'm just overwhelmed. Honest!
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Cheerio my fluffy friends.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18Awesome you!
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Well, it's a beautiful morning, and after years
0:48:31 > 0:48:36and years of waiting, it looks like it's finally going to happen.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40I'm going to try and film bears catching salmon.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Wonderful!
0:48:42 > 0:48:46I know John is really, really excited about seeing the bears.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49I think he dreams about it as well,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53but he's wanted to do it for such a long time.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57I think it's because they catch fish with their hands
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and that's what he used to do.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10I still can't believe it.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12I don't even feel that nervous about flying
0:49:12 > 0:49:16and this plane is almost as old as me!
0:49:16 > 0:49:19It was built in 1943.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Today, my bear guide, Jo, is coming with me on the flight.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39She's taking me to a waterfall on the Dog Salmon River
0:49:39 > 0:49:44close to Frazer Lake in Kodiak Island's largest national park.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Bears have just started to arrive there
0:49:48 > 0:49:51to fish for the sockeye salmon that are making their way up the river.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56The salmon are only here for about six weeks
0:49:56 > 0:50:00so the bears have to eat as many as they can in that time.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Oh! Look at the water, look at the water!
0:50:16 > 0:50:18Wow, that was fantastic, pilot!
0:50:18 > 0:50:21I'd like to thank the pilot and you, Jo.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24You're very welcome. All the credit goes to Steve.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28Yeah, the pilot. And, now, it's Bear Time!
0:50:29 > 0:50:34This is Frazer Lake, where the sockeye salmon now come to spawn.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39This waterfall was too difficult for them to swim up
0:50:39 > 0:50:43so they built the fish ladder to help them
0:50:43 > 0:50:48and now over 100,000 sockeye salmon make the journey every year.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54And that means the bottom of the ladder is the perfect place
0:50:54 > 0:50:56for a hungry bear.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Look at that, look here!
0:50:58 > 0:51:01That's fantastic! Look at that!
0:51:01 > 0:51:05I'll get a shot before it goes.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07I can film it from here.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Wow, look at that! Look how he's bouncing!
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Oh! Look at the size of that!
0:51:20 > 0:51:24My heart is burning inside. I'm not very far away from this bear.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Oh! Well, well! He's got a salmon.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31I don't believe it.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34Oh, this is real, man! Real real!
0:51:34 > 0:51:36Look at the salmon he's got there.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39That's not a sockeye fish, surely.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43- That is a sockeye. - Oh! I'm making a right mess of it.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46I just can't believe it.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49I can't explain to you how I feel.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53I actually saw my first bear actually catch a salmon -
0:51:53 > 0:51:59right in front of me. Now, that's hard to believe. Hard to believe.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02But, look at that! And the little baby one, look at that!
0:52:02 > 0:52:04JOHNNY LAUGHS
0:52:06 > 0:52:09I can talk and talk forever because they're eating the fish,
0:52:09 > 0:52:11they're eating it, you see. Look at him though.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15He's took that salmon right back to his cub.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Instead of chewing it, he's eating the lot.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Look at that, look at that!
0:52:23 > 0:52:25In one sitting, she may eat ten fish at one time.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28Ten fish at one time!
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Yes. They can gain more weight eating salmon
0:52:31 > 0:52:34than they can any other single food source.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36And they will actually give birth to more cubs
0:52:36 > 0:52:40- when they have more body fat. - Oh, I see. OK, yeah.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45The bears begin to hibernate about two months
0:52:45 > 0:52:49after the salmon have gone, so this is their best chance
0:52:49 > 0:52:51to put on as much fat as they can.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55There's another bear coming on the left.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Oh, look at how close he's coming to us.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02He's coming right close to us.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07This could be a young female.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- This is a young female, yes. - It definitely is, is it?
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Females tend to fish a little bit better than the males do
0:53:13 > 0:53:17because they need to be better fishers to feed their cubs.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19There's a baby one coming up now.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Baby's coming in to see mum.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Look at that! Isn't that brilliant!
0:53:25 > 0:53:29I wasn't expecting to see that.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32I expect the baby's saying, "Come on, Mum, catch us a fish!"
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Whoa, we saw the salmon then.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46Whoa!
0:53:46 > 0:53:49So, Jo, how old would that baby be?
0:53:49 > 0:53:51That baby would have been born in January,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54so it is about six months old.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Cor!
0:54:02 > 0:54:05She's got her head under the water now for some reason.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08- She's scanning for fish.- Oh, yeah.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12All the bears have different techniques for fishing.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25The baby one up there on top, waiting.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28CUB BLEATS
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- Ah, look at that!- You hear that little sound the cub is making?
0:54:31 > 0:54:33Yeah, what was that for?
0:54:33 > 0:54:37That means no fish. When they want to nurse, they make that sound.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40That's what the bear's doing, is it?
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Now the bear's trying to get a salmon. Getting up speed, look!
0:54:48 > 0:54:50That's incredible. Look at that!
0:54:53 > 0:54:55How she could kill here!
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Oh, come on, look at this! This is what I wanted to see.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04And he's caught that thing. Well done, he's caught it.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Brilliant! That's what I wanted to see.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Wow, wow, wow!
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Incredible!
0:55:13 > 0:55:16She'll take it right across the other side, will it, Jo?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20She may take it on the other side.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Did you see that glance she just gave the cub?
0:55:22 > 0:55:26- She told him to come with her. - Yeah. Incredible, that was.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Some bears are very good at fishing and there's other bears
0:55:29 > 0:55:31that are very good at fish stealing,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34so they like to take them a little bit away from the river.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37- A private place like. - Right, private!
0:55:37 > 0:55:42Take it up on a high point. Look at that! How they walk up a hill.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44Look at her big feet!
0:55:48 > 0:55:51And now tackling into this salmon. Now, look at that!
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Right into it.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Ripping it to pieces.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01He's just stripped it. He's just stripped the skin right off.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06- Jo, stripped it off like that. - The skin is their favourite part.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10- The only thing they like better... - Eating the tail now.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15The little baby one's not having none.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17The mother will get the best of the fish first,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20- and then she'll give the scraps to the baby.- OK.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23She's making milk for the cub, so she needs the fish more.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Incredible to watch.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Hard to believe.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13Well, well, well! What excitement I've had for this lovely lady, Jo.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16I've been trying all my life to see these lovely animals.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20Now I've seen them, well, I can't explain how I feel.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24It's been wonderful. I've got to thank you, Jo, very, very much
0:57:24 > 0:57:28for giving us the opportunity to come and film these lovely animals.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32You are so welcome. Nothing could be more fun than taking someone out
0:57:32 > 0:57:35- to see the bears that enjoys it as much as you do.- Thank you.
0:57:58 > 0:57:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd