Flying High Earthflight

Earthflight took us on an extraordinary journey

into the birds' world.

It took four years to make,

filmed over 100 species,

and covered 40 different countries in six continents.

To capture a bird's-eye view,

the team employed the latest state-of-the-art techniques.

On the way, they witnessed behaviour that had never been seen before...

..and looked anew at some of the greatest wildlife events on earth.

But at its heart, the series depended

on some extraordinary relationships between people and birds.

With their help, we flew on wings across the world.

It's Spring, and here in Central France

an extraordinary story is about to unfold.

Avid bird-enthusiast Christian Moullec

is about to raise his very own flock of geese.

THEY SPEAK FRENCH

Ga-ga-ga-ga.

Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga.

For the first two years of their life,

these chicks will think of him as mother.

They'll trust and follow him above all others.

It's a process known as imprinting,

and it's something that many birds do from the moment they're born.

A few hours later, the hatchlings are already following

their oversized mother goose wherever he goes.

Allez, allez, allez.

HORN HONKING

Ga-ga-ga-ga.

Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga.

Christian's ultimate goal is to film these chicks

retracing the great journeys of wild birds from his microlight.

It's a huge commitment that will continue long after the filming is over.

And it will take months of tender care and devotion

before he and his new bird family take to the air.

But Christian is just one of countless professionals

and cameramen who devoted their skills to the Earthflight series.

In the heart of the Amazon, the series enlisted the help

of another remarkable group of people who have

a similar relationship with macaws.

They have the power to call the birds out of the wild.

Felix and Bon Bon are two rangers in a reserve in deepest Peru.

WHISTLING

Nearly a year ago, as part of a conservation programme,

they hand-reared a group of scarlet macaws.

But they've long since been released into the wild...

Will they still come to Bon Bon's call?

WHISTLING

There's a lot invested in the plan -

a special microlight has been shipped from France

to film the birds from the air.

While the ground crew tries to call the birds down,

the microlight films elsewhere along the river.

Suddenly, it spots four macaws heading over the treetops.

The birds are flying purposefully along the river

as if they have a destination in mind.

Then many more join the party.

From the air, it's clear that they are heading towards trees

that have just come into fruit.

The news is passed on to the local team,

who head off to where the birds are gathering.

WHISTLING

The hand-reared birds might be somewhere in the flock,

but no matter how hard Bon Bon and Felix try,

none of the birds show any interest in coming down.

WHISTLING

The plan is for the birds to fly alongside the boat,

but this is starting to look like a distant dream.

Back in France, Christian is spending all his time with his young goslings.

It's important that they trust him completely.

Pet dog Loovy is introduced to these new family members.

He's seen it all before and will make sure they never come to harm.

While Christian is raising a flock of geese,

his colleague, Cedric, is mum to some baby cranes.

GENTLE BURRING

Just like any devoted mother, he coos to them

and teaches them what is food.

Allez, allez, allez, allez...

And at the farm pond, Christian's daughter, Lisa,

has her hands full with yet more new babies.

The parasol isn't just for shade -

it's a portable substitute for a microlight wing.

Lisa wants them to learn they are safe in its shadow.

But to fully prepare them for flying with a microlight,

something has to shatter the rural peace.

LOUD ENGINE

A chainsaw mimics the noise of the microlight's engine.

But, with Lisa on hand,

the chicks soon learn the sound is nothing to be afraid of.

HORN HONKS AS ENGINE REVS

Allez, allez, allez, allez.

Meanwhile, Christian introduces another batch of chicks to the real microlight,

or rather a parasol attached to the real microlight.

For the goslings, the engine's quite a surprise,

but the reassuring figure of Christian confirms

there is nothing to be scared of.

Their next task is to follow the microlight

with Christian offering encouragement.

HORN HONKING OVER ENGINE

These are just baby steps -

they have many challenges ahead before their mission is accomplished.

But Christian isn't alone in hand-rearing geese.

Along the Mississippi in North America,

a flock of snow geese are at a later stage of training.

Cameraman Neil Rettig is their foster mother.

Like Christian's birds,

they follow Neil and his wife, Laura, wherever they go,

but this is the first time they have been flown.

They will help retrace the flight paths of wild birds

that Neil has filmed across America.

The geese are so keen to be with Neil and his team

they're flying too close for filming -

or at least too close to film without the boat being in shot.

But these training sessions help the birds develop their flight muscles -

vital for the ambitious plans that lie ahead.

As well as learning to make long, sustained flights,

they must also perfect formation flying.

HORNS HONKING

A Mississippi steamer is a handy prop to practise on.

The aim is to get the birds, steamboat and camera boat to line up perfectly -

but the birds are all over the place.

"OK, yeah, go. I would go now."

They try one last time.

With a bit of encouragement,

the geese start to line up alongside the boat.

They just have to stay like that for a little bit longer....

And there it is - perfect formation flying.

-Well done, guys.

-Good, guys.

It has taken seven months to get the geese to this point,

but Neil has far more ambitious plans for his foster children.

Next stop is New York City.

Back in Peru, Bon Bon and Felix

are having no success luring the macaws down to the boat.

With so much fruit around, the birds just aren't hungry.

WHISTLING

But then, suddenly, two birds veer away from the flock,

fluttering down to the boat.

It seems the bond's still there.

Felix can still offer something they can't get in the wild -

a good scratch.

He reaches the parts that beaks fail to reach.

Even after six months living with wild flocks

the birds won't miss this chance of a tickle.

But will these be the only macaws to respond to the call?

WHISTLING

It seems someone else remembers his old friends.

Then another.

All four share some tidbits for old time's sake.

The birds may be onboard, but for the plan to work

Bon Bon must persuade them to fly alongside the boat.

Cameraman Richard Cook is ready and waiting.

The macaws fly with the boat exactly as planned.

Richard finally gets his chance to capture some arresting images.

Got some nice stuff.

There's a lovely shot,

the macaw coming up the side of the boat here,

and on this side, so we're looking down on her.

Worked quite well.

The visit provides just a few magical seconds of footage.

It took four weeks in total

to capture all the close flying shots seen in the film.

New York City,

and, for the snow geese, their big day has finally arrived.

The plan is to fly past the famous Manhattan skyline

retracing the flight path taken by thousands of wild snow geese.

For adoptive parents Neil and Laura it's a big moment.

The birds have never been flown this far from home.

The geese are now seasoned aeronauts,

so they don't need much encouragement to get airborne.

By now the birds have formation flying down to a fine art.

Even the New York coastguard

comes to investigate the astonishing sight.

Come on, guys!

Come on, babies!

HORN HONKING

Success.

But there is an even more ambitious plan for one of the birds.

Amazing.

He has been trained to carry a tiny HD camera.

He joins the rest of the flock

and captures a viewpoint that has never been seen before.

He has such control he lands back on the boat

as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The rest of the flock keep in formation

but, as their confidence grows, their natural desire to explore kicks in.

HORN HONKING

They're heading off into town.

Can you still see them?

The only contact Neil and Laura have is a signal from a transmitter

attached to one of the birds.

-I think they're still flying.

-OK.

Wild birds make similar exploratory flights away from their parents,

but human parents are at a distinct disadvantage -

they can't fly after them.

Neil and Laura now have a real challenge on their hands.

Back in France, Christian's geese are now three weeks old.

Allez, allez, allez!

Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga...

It's time for Christian to teach the birds some of the skills

a mother goose passes on to her own offspring.

First, he must make them feel comfortable

in the largest expanse of water they've ever seen.

But they must also learn to be aware of danger.

Christian keeps looking up,

teaching the birds to watch for predators overhead.

Allez...allez...

He also shows them that they must kick hard to strengthen their legs.

Even this improvised water pistol isn't for fun -

wetting the birds encourages them to preen and produce oil

to waterproof their plumage.

Allez, allez, allez...

These early bonding sessions are vital

if the birds are to grow up with all the natural skills they need.

Back in New York, the signal from the goose's transmitter

has taken Neil to the streets of Brooklyn.

But the buildings are confusing and bouncing the signals.

It's turning into a real wild goose chase.

-Anything?

-Nothing.

Yeah, go, go!

-You've got a signal?

-Yeah.

But suddenly, a breakthrough.

OK, let me out right here.

Go straight ahead and there's a park.

Let me come with you, Neil.

They shouldn't be too far away.

I think it's unbelievable, they might be up here in this park.

-Let's just pray that the transmitter hasn't been taken.

-Yeah.

-I think they're in this park up here.

-OK.

We're going to get caught jaywalking.

-I see them.

-Where?

-I see them, straight ahead.

-Really?

What are you doing here?

Hey, guys.

Wee-wee-wee-wee.

Good boy!

Just like wild birds, they simply headed

for the best grazing they could find.

Good boy.

Now Neil just has to wait for backup to arrive.

We got them, we got them.

Obviously we don't have them, but we're with them in a little park.

Yeah, we've got them.

They're in that same park we saw from the road.

So we need to regroup and get the kennels...

Although many birds went AWOL over the course of the series,

all were ultimately reunited with their owners.

But knowing this doesn't make it any easier

when you lose the birds you've spent so long nurturing.

It's a relief for Neil and Laura -

they are as attached to the geese as the geese are to them.

-Well done.

-Oh, my gosh!

-Thank goodness.

We are going to run out of miracles!

To fly amongst birds, Earthflight used a huge variety of techniques.

In South Africa, a paraglider soars among flocks of wild vultures.

He uses the same updrafts and thermals as the birds,

making it the perfect way to film in their midst.

The paragliders are piloted by biologists,

who use them as part of their work.

It was this kind of cooperation with experts in the field

that made much of the filming possible.

But there is yet another way to get even closer to vultures.

This is the latest spy in the flock.

Model maker Malcolm Beard spent hundreds of hours

designing and building this perfect full-scale replica of a vulture.

Vulturecam even has a moving tail, just like the real thing.

It also carries a pan and tilt camera,

allowing 360 degree filming.

Fortunately, the vultures are fascinated by this new, strange bird

that can soar with them in the thermals.

The pictures are sent back to ground,

allowing producer Rob Pilley to control and adjust the camera.

But, despite the success, the team fear they might never

get their radio-controlled vulture back in one piece.

Unlike a real vulture, Vulturecam needs a smooth path to land on.

And it doesn't get rougher than a rocky mountain top.

To make matters worse, the cliff face creates strong updrafts.

But, with the camera's memory card full,

they can't put off landing any longer.

It could have been far worse.

That's what you call nose-dive, jeez.

Look, you've actually scratched the granite!

But Earthflight needed to get even deeper into the vultures' world.

This is a world first -

a camera-carrying vulture trained to fly from a microlight.

Vultures usually need perfect weather conditions to get airborne,

but this pampered bird can let an aircraft do the hard work...

..taking off when she reaches the correct altitude.

Her normal routine is at this airfield not far from Geneva,

but it's time for her to attempt something far more ambitious.

Her next flight will be in amongst her wild cousins in Africa.

HORN HONKING

Back in France, the young geese are preparing

for their first flight.

They are happily following the microlight,

but will they fly with it?

On a nearby airfield, the moment of truth finally arrives.

The birds are certainly enthusiastic,

but they aren't sure what's expected and most fall at the first hurdle.

Only two birds have got the idea.

But even this limited success is short-lived.

The microlight lands without its out-riders.

These first flights are always the most stressful.

Then, relief - the flock is reunited.

Christian knows he must try again as quickly as possible.

This time, the two leading birds encourage the others into the air.

But there's always one that doesn't quite get it.

Up above, things are starting to gel.

They could hardly fly any closer.

This is what six months of training has been about -

flying and filming as part of the flock.

A perfect test flight, but soon the real challenges will begin -

flying the route of their wild counterparts.

As the vulture crew assemble in Kenya,

the camera-bird takes it all in her stride.

Like a pet dog she follows her owner, Yohann, wherever he goes.

The eventual aim is to fly high over many other African locations.

It may be a different plane, but the vulture knows the routine.

She always sets off from around 1,500 feet up.

For her safety,

the engines of the plane are stopped just before she flies.

This is her first taste of African skies,

and she's clearly enjoying the view.

The onboard camera reveals the bird is turning in a thermal,

soaring upwards.

It's an exhilarating moment for the vulture team.

But the thermals are far stronger here than in Europe.

Time to call her back down.

But the strong winds are taking the vulture away -

she's heading to the peak of a very high hill.

The launch plane touches down to join in the search.

SPEAKS INTO THE RADIO IN FRENCH

Johan and team are going to need all the help they can get

to find their missing bird.

Across the world, in the wilds of Alaska,

another contingent of the Earthflight team

are going on a bear hunt.

Leading the group is bear expert Derek Stonorov,

a man who knows everything there is about working in grizzly bear country.

Following behind is field producer Matt Gordon.

They are here to film eagles stealing fish from the bears,

but right now it's the bears that are focusing the mind.

Hey, bear. Hey, bear.

CLAPPING

Hey, bear, hey, bear...

For safety, the drill is to follow the trails made by bears,

and make a lot of noise so you don't surprise any hiding in the bushes.

Grizzly bears are the most aggressive and dangerous animals in North America.

No-one can take any chances.

But the crew knows that to film the bears' interactions with eagles

they will have to get closer than usual.

The bears are gathering for a salmon run.

But they're still waiting for all of the fish to arrive.

The bears turn up early, anxious to bag the best fishing spots.

It's a chance for the bears to get used to people.

And for the people to get used to the bears.

Pretty cool, man.

As a zoologist, Matt is more aware of the dangers than anyone.

When working close to bears, it's important to understand

their body language and act in a calm and non-threatening manner.

That was close!

The plan is to film from a large crane,

so the bears need to become used to its movements,

as well as the presence of the team.

It's all going to plan, but not a single eagle has been seen,

and without them there is no story.

The bears are poised and ready,

and the salmon are gathering at the mouth of the river.

Then, as if on cue, the first eagle arrives.

That's one eagle.

There is an eagle, see it?

Then another.

As so often occurs, the birds know exactly

when nature's greatest events are set to happen.

It's action stations - the salmon run has started.

The team have to work quickly, but, thankfully,

the bears are more interested in the salmon than the crew.

And the eagles do exactly what was expected,

stealing great hunks of fat salmon from under the noses of the bears.

Back in Africa, the lost vulture is concerning the ground crew.

A spotter plane goes up to see if it can locate where she's landed.

The onboard pictures show that she is safe and well...

..but where?

There is no shortage of willing helpers.

RADIO: 'I try to see it.'

'I think it's the other guys have gone off down and up again,

'so I'll get them to stop...'

The ground crew head to the distant hills.

No, we can't see anything, because there are many trees

and she lands somewhere up there but now we have to find her.

It is difficult because there is no tracks to find her.

Look at the plane.

-You see?

-No, no, no.

The plane's right above us so hopefully it's not too far.

Thank you, Willie.

The plane circles the spot.

She's just there, on the top of a mountain, now we have to climb.

But it's not going to be easy.

All onboard cameras are designed so the bird can remove them,

but it's clear from the relayed signal

that the vulture hasn't a care in the world.

The same can't be said for Yohann and the team.

She hears the approaching voices.

Some sharp-eyed local children are first at the scene.

Crazy bird!

But it's Yohann that the vulture has been waiting for.

Great.

Well done. Well done.

Amazing.

A moment for the whole team to reflect on the hard-earned success.

But this was just the beginning.

The vulture captured a bird's-eye view

in many different locations after this.

-Can't believe how high that bird is.

-She's very stable.

-Incredibly.

Oh, it's amazing.

Now you really are flying with the birds.

You're really up in the sky with it, thermalling like a vulture does.

She really is behaving like a wild vulture.

-Good climb.

-Well done, you. That's awesome.

Back in Europe, Christian's team have set their sights

on the next big challenge -

a flight over Edinburgh in Scotland,

following the tracks of thousands of migrating barnacle geese.

It's time to see whether all the hard work will pay off.

But it's not going to be easy -

permissions have been difficult to obtain,

and they have been given a narrow window of only an hour

to get the shot.

All other air traffic

has had to be diverted around Edinburgh for the flight.

The birds seem eager to stretch their wings.

Air traffic control give the signal,

and the geese emerge with a spring in their step.

It's a good start - all the training is paying off.

But their designated take-off site was five miles from the city.

To succeed, the birds need to be fit enough

to keep up with the microlight all the way.

The birds must maintain a tight formation -

if any get lost, the shoot will have to be abandoned.

10 minutes of flying takes them over Arthur's seat -

the famous hill overlooking the city.

They now power onwards towards the heart of Edinburgh.

In case of engine failure, Christian must maintain good altitude -

he must always be able to glide to safety.

The geese perform to perfection -

by now, flying with a microlight comes naturally to them.

They even take on the classic formation of a migrating flock,

with Christian at the helm.

Just like wild geese, their mother shows them the way.

Finally, they've got what they came for -

the view that wild flocks see as they fly over Scotland's capital.

It's a success,

but Christian has even greater ambitions for his birds.

Back in Africa, at Kenya's Lake Bogoria,

flamingos are the next challenge for the Earthflight team.

Wild flamingos are one of the most nervous birds in the world.

To film among the masses requires a variety of spycams.

Producer Philip Dalton buries a remote camera

in the steaming hot mud at a favourite drinking spot.

It captures intimate images like these.

He also deploys another camera,

disguised by its own mini-flock of flamingos.

But to capture shots

of these notoriously skittish birds from the air needs stealth tactics.

This futuristic drone is the team's secret weapon.

Its tiny rotor blades allow an almost silent approach,

and its alien shape is nothing like any predator they've seen.

The drone hardly ruffles a feather as it captures a view

of the greatest gathering of flamingos seen for 20 years.

Then, at the flick of a switch, it returns to base.

But this was just part of a much bigger sequence

shot at Lake Bogoria -

one that took a hundred filming days to complete.

The beautiful dance of the flamingos

only happens when conditions are perfect.

To capture extraordinary behaviour always takes time.

In Bogoria, baboons have turned killers.

Behaviour like this takes countless days to capture.

Patience is also of the essence when dealing with red tape.

London is the most overcrowded airspace in the world,

and for two years, the production team sought permission

for Christian's birds to fly over it.

It finally came in the last summer of filming.

The venue is London City Airport.

But there's a catch -

the birds can only fly if they become part of the airshow

that is closing the airport for the day.

Like the other participants, the birds must perform on cue.

For a display pilot this goes with the territory,

but Christian's birds need perfect wind conditions -

it's not going to be easy.

The microlight is assembled in double-quick time,

while the display goes on around them.

THEY SPEAK FRENCH

HORN HONKS

But the team have some concerns -

the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the stunt planes

may disturb the birds.

-With the buildings... There is turbulence, over there...

-OK.

I will try to climb.

And Christian has other worries.

Geese moult their feathers at this time of year,

so he thinks only a few of them are able to fly strongly enough

in these weather conditions, and their flying speed is limited.

The birds don't want to climb.

He is particularly worried by turbulence from hot air

rising from the sun-baked runway.

So, to make it easier for them,

Christian is now using a slower- flying, single-seat microlight.

Everyone's aware that if the geese don't fly on cue,

there will be no second chance.

I have to wait, and this plane will land.

-RADIO:

-Ready.

As the allocated time slot arrives, the geese take up position.

Now it's the moment of truth.

HORN HONKS

Christian is using a special lightweight camera,

but flying and filming at the same time is never going to be easy.

Despite all of the distractions,

the bond between Christian and his birds is as strong as ever.

They hold a nice tight formation.

But he has to juggle everything to achieve what he came for.

His amazing affinity with his birds is paying off once more.

For Christian and his geese, it's mission accomplished.

But one more big challenge still faces the team,

one that will take huge resources and military planning.

Istanbul is the gateway into Europe

for many birds migrating from Africa and Asia.

The team is interested in one bird

that arrives here in the hundreds of thousands - the famous white stork.

To spot the approaching birds, a network of ornithologists

are stationed at different points along the migration route.

Even so, the bird's arrival is spontaneous and unpredictable.

And strong winds can push them high out of sight.

After a week of false alarms, the storks suddenly appear.

..to the front one, which is now thermalling a bit.

Then others join them, heading right for the city.

HE SPEAKS TURKISH

The filming teams have been waiting for this moment.

A microlight is first to be scrambled.

Then a helicopter with a stabilised camera mount.

The helicopter has been cleared to fly over the city...

..while the microlight shadows the flocks through the city outskirts.

Then a spotter sees an unexpected sight -

thousands of storks in trouble way out to sea.

The helicopter crew capture the moment the storks reach safety.

The Princes Islands, seven miles from the mainland.

Thermals rising from the rocks

gives them the boost they need to make it to the mainland.

In Istanbul, the ground teams are waiting.

One crew are even on the minarets of the famous Hagia Sophia.

They capture another view of this great invasion.

The stork's story was an epic Earthflight tale of endurance,

and it became a fitting start to the programme on Europe.

Telling the story of the birds' great journeys

across the world's continents

was a project that involved hundreds of dedicated people.

Helped by new technology and new filming techniques,

the birds' lives were captured as never before.

But at every stage,

the story was guided by the behaviour of wild birds

who had an incredible tale to tell.

They took the film crews to sights never seen before...

..and retold familiar stories from a whole new perspective.

They continually surprised with their ingenuity...

..their intelligence...

..and their devotion.

They showed us their challenges...

..and their triumphs.

We shared in their dramas...

..and their greatest successes.

Wherever they took us, they showed us the world with fresh eyes.

Earthflight was their story -

and it continually surprised the team that helped tell it.

Our view of birds will never be the same again.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media

E-mail [email protected]