1 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:09,120 The sky is one of the most challenging places to live. 2 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,920 But all across the world, extraordinary animals do 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,640 something we can only dream of... 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,040 ..take to the air. 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,800 Some spend their whole lives up here. 6 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,760 Others only visit for a moment. 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,520 We'll discover how many incredible animals thrive in the sky... 8 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,360 ..and what clever tricks they use to get airborne. 9 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,600 With the help of some specially trained animals, 10 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,160 the latest technology and special effects techniques, 11 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,160 we'll reveal brand-new discoveries 12 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,800 that explain how animals take to the skies. 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,960 This is Life In The Air. 14 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,920 It's one thing to take to the air 15 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,640 and let gravity do the rest... 16 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,440 ..but to stay airborne, 17 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,000 to master true flight, 18 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,800 you need to push the laws of physics right to the very edge... 19 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,640 ..using power, speed, 20 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,400 agility, endurance 21 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:43,960 and acceleration. 22 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,160 These are the masters of the sky. 23 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,480 Meet the whooper swan, 24 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,320 one of the largest and heaviest of all flying creatures. 25 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,200 Every year, families fly enormous distances, 26 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,520 migrating between vital feeding and breeding areas. 27 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,320 But weighing a whopping 14 kilos, 28 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,520 how are swans able to fly at all... 29 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,040 ..let alone so far? 30 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,160 To push the limits of what's possible in the air 31 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,800 they need strength - and lots of it - every day. 32 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,960 To fuel their huge bodies, swans need to eat 33 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,960 over a kilogram of vegetation a day. 34 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,440 They're constantly in search of enough food to survive. 35 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,160 And that means flying. 36 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,440 But when you're this size, just taking off 37 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,600 is nearly impossible and requires some very clever techniques. 38 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,600 So, how does he do it? 39 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,920 To get airborne, he's going to need raw power... 40 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,640 ..and apply it in a very precise way. 41 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,680 First, he must break free of the water, 42 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,400 but it clings to his body, holding him back. 43 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,600 His huge webbed feet need to drive him upwards and forwards. 44 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,080 Now his gigantic metre-long wings can move freely. 45 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,720 They push air down and back, delivering yet more power 46 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,480 to accelerate him further. 47 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,120 Wings and feet work together to give him the speed he needs to take off. 48 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,880 Once at this speed, 49 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,400 the air is moving fast enough over his wings to create a huge 50 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,280 upward force called lift. 51 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:58,680 This fights the downward pull of gravity. 52 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,960 So how is lift created? 53 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,840 The special shape of his wing, known as an aerofoil, 54 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,680 causes air to flow differently above and below his wing, 55 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,880 and this affects its pressure. 56 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,120 With low pressure above and high pressure below, 57 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,040 the wing is pushed upwards. 58 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,120 The faster the swan goes, the more air flows over the wing, 59 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,240 and that creates more lift. 60 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,880 He needs to reach 21 kilometres an hour, 61 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,040 the critical speed where lift cancels out gravity altogether. 62 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,840 Then it's undercarriage up, and we have takeoff. 63 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,320 For such a huge bird to take to the sky, 64 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,880 everything must come together in one explosive moment 65 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,040 that lasts just a few seconds. 66 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,080 Once he's really flying, the same air that helped him 67 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,720 get up here gives him a new challenge. 68 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,200 As he powers forwards, the air pushes him back, 69 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,200 a force known as drag, 70 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,560 slowing him down and reducing the lift in his wings. 71 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,800 By beating his wings, he creates a constant source of power 72 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,520 to maintain air speed. 73 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,600 Without this thrust, he would soon slow to a standstill... 74 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,400 ..and literally drop out of the sky. 75 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,720 So swans must keep flapping, 76 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,040 all the way to their new feeding grounds. 77 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,880 All flying animals have to wrestle the powerful conflicting forces 78 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:26,320 of gravity, lift and drag, 79 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,880 but the faster they go, the thicker the oncoming air feels, 80 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,600 and drag becomes an ever bigger problem. 81 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:38,960 So what if you're one of the fastest animals on the planet, 82 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:43,320 and you're moving at more than 320 kilometres an hour? 83 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,400 The peregrine falcon. 84 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,640 Its breakneck speed gives it the edge to surprise 85 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,760 and strike its prey with devastating force. 86 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,440 It's spring here in California, 87 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,320 and a pair of peregrines has a new family, 88 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:23,920 and with it, a new problem. 89 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,600 At four weeks old, each ravenous chick eats more than an adult, 90 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,120 so both parents need to hunt successfully every day. 91 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,920 Feeding their growing youngsters is a full time job. 92 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,720 So what is it about peregrines that makes them 93 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,920 so much faster than almost any other animal on the planet? 94 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,800 They've got flying at speed perfected, 95 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:02,720 down to the tiniest detail. 96 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,760 See-through eyelids stop their eyes drying out... 97 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,600 ..and specially shaped nostrils 98 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,800 slow down the air to make breathing possible at high speed. 99 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:20,320 When off on a hunt, 100 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,800 a peregrine uses updrafts from the cliff face to gain height. 101 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,640 Up here, it can spot potential prey. 102 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,640 And when it does, it starts a specialist dive, 103 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:40,000 known as a stoop. 104 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,000 A few deep wing strokes help it accelerate 105 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,200 to 190 kilometres an hour. 106 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,360 At this speed, oncoming air smashes into every part 107 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,680 of the peregrine's body, slowing it down. 108 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,480 By tucking in its wings, the falcon can slip through the air 109 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,160 that much easier 110 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,040 so now 240 kilometres an hour becomes possible. 111 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:22,600 But the faster you go, the more of a problem drag becomes. 112 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,760 At top speeds, every bump on a bird's body will disturb the air 113 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,640 flowing over it, 114 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,320 and this turbulence slows the peregrine down. 115 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:42,200 But that same turbulence makes special feathers pop up over 116 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,480 the peregrine's back, 117 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,440 and this pulls the air back into line 118 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,760 so it flows smoothly over its body again. 119 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:55,560 With drag minimised, peregrines can top 320 kilometres an hour. 120 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:05,040 At this speed, they can cover the length of a football pitch 121 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:06,200 in only a second. 122 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:15,040 This sheer, unadulterated speed makes them masters of aerial attack. 123 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,680 Top-gun skills allow these falcon parents to keep their chicks fed. 124 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,600 But these same skills also allow them 125 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,560 to protect the chicks from anything they think might attack the nest. 126 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,240 They really don't like intruders. 127 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,640 At the slightest hint of a threat, 128 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:49,400 the falcons will scramble and intercept in seconds. 129 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,920 The falcon may be smaller and less powerful than many of her targets, 130 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,120 but pure speed gives her the edge to harass 131 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,760 and then escape before they can react. 132 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:26,040 Pelicans are ten times her size, 133 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,280 and here's a whole squadron of them. 134 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,040 But size is no match for precision, high-speed flying. 135 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,080 Each attack aims to disrupt the pelican's own flight. 136 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,680 Just jerking their head to one side is all it takes to send 137 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:56,400 the pelican out of control. 138 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:12,000 Meanwhile, her own high-speed, top-gun skills 139 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,600 keep her out of harm's way. 140 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:28,200 Speed helps a peregrine mother own the skies around her nest. 141 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,120 But what if you're a high-speed hunter 142 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:39,000 and you don't have big, wide open airspaces to fly in? 143 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,760 What if you lived in an English country garden? 144 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,280 Flying fast, close to the ground, 145 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,000 and around a veritable assault course of obstacles... 146 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,320 ..there's a skilful hunter that does just this. 147 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:09,920 Meet the master of high-speed aerial agility - the sparrow hawk. 148 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:15,920 As his name suggests, 149 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,760 this pocket-sized predator hunts small birds, 150 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,640 using surprise as his strategy. 151 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:24,960 And this is how it works. 152 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:32,280 The targets are right in the middle of a garden over 50 metres away, 153 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,880 with escape routes in all directions. 154 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,880 He'll need to use as much cover as possible to hide his approach. 155 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,440 And by knowing every tree and shrub in his territory, 156 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,320 he can pick the perfect route - 157 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:49,720 skimming hedges 158 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,840 and hurtling through the undergrowth to maximise the element of surprise. 159 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,680 But there could be 20 pairs of eyes on the lookout. 160 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,560 And if any of them spot him, they'll sound the alarm. 161 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,880 Nine out of ten sparrow hawk hunts fail because of this, 162 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,800 so he's got to be fast and agile, 163 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,400 and strike in just four seconds. 164 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:28,600 Few flying creatures can do this. 165 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,280 But then few have the sparrow hawk's supreme flying abilities. 166 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,960 He has explosive acceleration. 167 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,360 Long legs fire him out of the blocks. 168 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,920 Short, rounded wings powerfully scoop up the air, driving 169 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,080 his lightweight body forwards 170 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,040 to hit attack speed in under two seconds. 171 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,440 Now at speed, he keeps a low profile, hugging the ground. 172 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,720 This low position gives him an extra advantage. 173 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,680 The air is squeezed between his wings and the ground, 174 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,400 giving him a high pressure air cushion to ride on. 175 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,880 This keeps him airborne and saves valuable energy. 176 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,840 But hurtling along at 50 kilometres an hour gives him 177 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,640 just hundredths of a second to avoid a collision. 178 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,280 Short wings are pulled in to pass through the tiniest gaps. 179 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,120 A long tail does the steering, constantly making fine adjustments. 180 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,960 And when he needs to turn sharply, 181 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,720 he slams on the brakes by fanning it out. 182 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:20,640 As he gets closer, precision flying becomes critical. 183 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,640 He needs to stay hidden until the very last moment. 184 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,720 The last thing a garden bird might see...is this. 185 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,720 It's all over in seconds. 186 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,240 The sparrow hawk masters the skies with speed and agility, 187 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,800 but what if you have neither speed nor agility? 188 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,240 There's a creature that's so slow and clumsy 189 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,960 many would doubt it could fly at all. 190 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,520 And yet, it performs the seemingly impossible. 191 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,520 The Japanese rhinoceros beetle is covered in protective armour. 192 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,880 In the world of beetles, he's a colossus, 193 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,320 weighing a hefty 10g. 194 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:51,000 He's on a mission to find a mate, and she could be miles away. 195 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:57,400 He doesn't have long, and it's too far to walk. 196 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,600 So he has to fly. 197 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,240 But attempting to fly whilst carrying all that heavy body armour, 198 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:09,800 he's going to need a combination of power and some extreme moves. 199 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,160 So how does such a huge beetle stay airborne? 200 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,880 He has a special flight technique, 201 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,160 very different to that of most birds. 202 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:52,840 Slowed down, you can see that he twists his wing at the base. 203 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,280 We need a special flight laboratory to see how this helps. 204 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,400 Now we can see just how the air moves around the beetle's wing. 205 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:13,400 Those mini tornadoes spinning off the wing show where 206 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,840 the beetle is pushing the air back, thrusting him forwards. 207 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:25,400 And because it's being pushed down, we know he's also producing lift. 208 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,000 So far, that's much like a bird. 209 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,440 But critically, by twisting his wings at the base, 210 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,200 he can also push air backwards as they move back up. 211 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,160 And there's the proof. 212 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,320 This gives him thrust on both the down stroke and the upstroke, 213 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,320 and that's something that most birds can't do. 214 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,920 But he doesn't leave it there. 215 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,040 Even his armoured wing cases are working in his favour, 216 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,920 forcing air down to create even more lift. 217 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,960 So he effectively has an extra pair of wings. 218 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,760 This magnificent beetle is a flying marvel. 219 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,360 His clever wings give him the extra lift 220 00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:34,280 and thrust that he needs to cruise at nearly 15 kilometres an hour. 221 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:37,960 He's hardly a boy racer, 222 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,240 nor is a he a long-distance flyer, 223 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,840 but he can cover half a kilometre in a night. 224 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,200 And in a jungle, that's enough to find a female. 225 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,280 This huge beetle's flying mission may have seemed impossible, 226 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:53,920 but it's worth the effort. 227 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,920 Special wings that rotate at the base 228 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,240 allow the beetle to get more from the air around him, 229 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,480 keeping him airborne, albeit, rather clumsily. 230 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,040 But in Central America, there are other creatures who have 231 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,400 taken this to the next level 232 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,360 using this technique to fly in almost any direction 233 00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:20,520 with ultimate precision. 234 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,120 They're not insects but tiny birds. 235 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,160 Hummingbirds, each the size of your little finger. 236 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,880 To the human eye, their flight is no more than a blur. 237 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,360 It's only when slowed down 50 times you can appreciate 238 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:01,160 their incredible control. 239 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,800 So, why are hummingbirds so special? 240 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,200 This is one of the world's most spectacular flyers, 241 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,200 a booted racket-tail hummingbird. 242 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,320 On the face of it, he's got it made. 243 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,800 Here in Ecuador, his forest home is full of flowers, 244 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,560 each with sugar-rich nectar hidden inside. 245 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,920 But he has a problem. 246 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,480 These flowers don't provide perches, 247 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,120 neither do they make nectar easy to get at. 248 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,480 Now the hummingbird's extraordinary flight technique starts to 249 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:09,520 makes sense. 250 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,640 It hovers so it can move its needle-like beak into position 251 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,160 with surgical precision. 252 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:21,200 Running down the inside of the beak, 253 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,520 a forked tongue laps up the nectar at up to 13 times a second. 254 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,360 But just performing a simple hover breaks all the rules 255 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:34,800 of traditional flight, so how does he do it? 256 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,800 It's a technique similar to the beetle's, 257 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:41,920 but impossible for other birds, 258 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,760 and requires a very special pair of wings. 259 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,080 They're short and stiff to cope with the stress of beating 260 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:53,560 at up to 80 times a second. 261 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,920 But it's how a hummingbird beats its wings that allows it to hover. 262 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,640 On close inspection, the wing tips move in a figure of eight. 263 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,360 A unique wrist joint means the wing can rotate through up 264 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:20,920 to 140 degrees... 265 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,560 ..so he can thrust air down and back 266 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,920 not only on the down stroke but also on the upstroke. 267 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:31,840 That gets him hovering. 268 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:40,080 By having constant power, he can also make tiny adjustments 269 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,560 throughout the wing beat, and this gives him more control. 270 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,000 Added precision comes from the way he rolls his body, 271 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,680 instantly changing the angle he's pushing at. 272 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,320 With incredible wings like these, he can fly forwards, left, 273 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,040 right, even backwards. 274 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:12,160 This gives him the power and control he needs to get at the nectar 275 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:13,880 and move between the flowers. 276 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:19,640 But this super powered flying ability comes at a huge cost. 277 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,920 A thermal camera shows just how much heat is given off when hovering. 278 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,240 This heat is just a fraction of the energy that a hummingbird 279 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:32,800 needs to stay airborne. 280 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:38,000 Hovering burns far more calories than any other form of flight. 281 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,080 To provide his muscles with enough oxygen, 282 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:45,160 his heart has to beat at 20 times a second, 283 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,840 and he needs to drink his body weight in sugary nectar every day. 284 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:59,080 In fact, this tiny little bird has the highest metabolism 285 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:00,840 of any warm-blooded animal. 286 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:13,600 So our hummingbird might have the ultimate control in the air, 287 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,120 but he'll always be a slave to his uniquely manic lifestyle. 288 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,320 Trapped in a world where he needs to hover to feed 289 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,560 and needs to feed to hover. 290 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,760 Hummingbirds can afford a high-energy lifestyle 291 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:38,960 because food is always close by. 292 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:45,760 But what if your next meal is hundreds of kilometres away 293 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:47,760 and you have to go searching for it? 294 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,680 You're going to need a completely different flight technique. 295 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:59,440 Patrolling the ocean around South Island, New Zealand, 296 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,480 this is a royal albatross. 297 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:08,800 Albatrosses spend the vast majority of their lives out at sea. 298 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,360 The one time they need land is to nest. 299 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:27,280 This albatross is providing for one of the world's biggest chicks. 300 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,960 At two months old, her chick will eat half a kilo of fish 301 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:39,480 and squid in a single sitting, 302 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,760 so she'll have to travel far and push the limits of flying. 303 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,880 She's chosen to nest on this wind-blasted cliff 304 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,520 for a very good reason. 305 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,240 To take off, she spreads her three-metre wings, 306 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,880 and the cliff top wind provides the lift. 307 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,560 Ungainly on land, she is now in her element. 308 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,440 Out here, fish and squid can be extremely difficult to come by. 309 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:29,080 So a mother albatross will scour the ocean 310 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,240 for up to 1,000 kilometres a day. 311 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:37,280 During her lifetime, 312 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:41,600 she'll travel nearly two and a half million kilometres. 313 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,880 That's to the moon and back three times. 314 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,920 And remarkably, she can do this with barely a wing beat. 315 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,640 She's one of the world's most efficient fliers, 316 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,360 using the energy of the air just above the ocean 317 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,440 to save her own energy. 318 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,200 She's riding the air like a rollercoaster, 319 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,320 in a super efficient way. 320 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,280 But snaking from side to side like this 321 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,880 seems to make no sense at all 322 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:17,080 until you understand how air behaves above water. 323 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,880 At the water surface, the air collides with the rough waves, 324 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:27,200 slowing it down to a virtual standstill. 325 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:33,760 But ten metres above the waves, the air flows that much faster. 326 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,320 It's this difference in air speed that allows the clever albatross 327 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:43,640 to fly for free. 328 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:55,160 By sweeping up and down, she can use both the fast air 329 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,160 ten metres above the waves 330 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,760 and the still air at the water's surface. 331 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:05,280 And here's where the sheer efficiency of those long, 332 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,280 narrow wings is so important. 333 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,120 As she climbs into the faster wind, 334 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,440 she can create more and more free lift. 335 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,320 Then with height on her side, she turns sharply, 336 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:24,560 and a combination of gravity and wind now slingshots her downwards 337 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,160 up to 120 kilometres an hour. 338 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,320 Known as dynamic soaring, 339 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,640 the ability to use changes in air speed like this 340 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:44,240 means that albatrosses rarely need to flap their wings. 341 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,840 This energy-saving technique allows them to travel 342 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:58,080 huge distances to find food in the open ocean. 343 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:00,880 And when you're a mother, 344 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,720 scraps from a fishing boat are too good an opportunity to miss. 345 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,640 Now full of food, an albatross's next challenge is to get home again. 346 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,800 But unlike before, when she could wander in any direction, 347 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,160 she must now fly directly back to her chick, 348 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,040 even if that means heading straight into the wind. 349 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:39,040 Once again, she reads the air in front of her 350 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,320 and uses its movement to her advantage. 351 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,800 Albatrosses use a special organ hidden inside their nostrils 352 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,600 to constantly measure tiny changes in air speed. 353 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,600 This guides her to pockets of still air behind each wave. 354 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,240 Flying is much easier here. 355 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,520 And when she needs extra lift, 356 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:16,800 she can even seek out upwards moving air that flows over each wave crest. 357 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:27,520 This way, she can fly all the way home really efficiently, 358 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:28,840 even against the wind. 359 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,720 The chick gets fed because its mother can read the air 360 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:44,360 and ride it effortlessly. 361 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,480 In six months, it will be doing the same. 362 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,480 The albatross's ability to fly far in search of food allows it 363 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,640 to exploit the patchy resources of the Southern Ocean. 364 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:04,680 But they aren't the only creatures 365 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,760 that survive by travelling huge distances. 366 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:10,920 Others move with the seasons, 367 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:13,680 flying between winter and summer homes, 368 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,400 in the biggest journey of their lives. 369 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:19,960 Migration. 370 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:24,520 Over thousands of kilometres, 371 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:28,720 across countries, sometimes even entire continents. 372 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:38,000 Insects, bats and birds all make these journeys to find food, 373 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,880 and breed as the seasons change. 374 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,560 These are some of the toughest physical challenges 375 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,920 any animal undertakes. 376 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:57,640 Many die en route, and exhaustion is the biggest killer. 377 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:04,200 So any way that you can save energy might save your life. 378 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:14,240 There's one animal that that flies with incredible efficiency, 379 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,320 not on its own but as a team. 380 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:24,440 European cranes migrate nearly 3,000 kilometres every year 381 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,680 between their wintering grounds in Spain 382 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:28,880 and their summer home in Scandinavia. 383 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,760 These cranes travel together as a family, 384 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,200 with the chicks learning from their parents. 385 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,920 It's how they fly as a group that's going to give them 386 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,400 all a crucial advantage on their long and arduous journey. 387 00:35:48,240 --> 00:35:50,200 Adult pairs mate for life, 388 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,880 and they dance together every year to strengthen family bonds. 389 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:01,800 THEY WARBLE 390 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,200 This is no frivolity. 391 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,560 How they bond and work together might make the difference 392 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:24,480 between life and death, particularly for the youngsters. 393 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,640 To understand how teamwork helps them, 394 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,880 we need to see the world from a crane's perspective. 395 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,520 Cranes are relatively large and heavy birds, 396 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,560 yet they'll fly multiple marathons in just one day. 397 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:51,200 This burns a lot of energy. 398 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:56,680 Like albatrosses, they're going to have to fly efficiently 399 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,760 if they're going to make the distance. 400 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:01,600 But unlike albatrosses, 401 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,760 cranes can't rely on saving energy by soaring all the time. 402 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,760 To make this journey, 403 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,160 they will need to flap their wings hard... 404 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,440 ..so they make every flap count by working together, 405 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,000 and that means formation flying. 406 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,520 All crane species will fly in the same ingenious way. 407 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:42,520 Each flock member flies 408 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:46,440 slightly behind and slightly to the side of the bird in front, 409 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:48,800 creating a characteristic V shape. 410 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,520 But each bird must be positioned exactly 411 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,520 if the teamwork is going to pay off. 412 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,440 To understand why, we need to see how the air moves 413 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,400 around a crane wing in flight. 414 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:12,120 Each bird leaves a wake in the air behind it. 415 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,600 A tube of spiralling air trailing behind the wing tip 416 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,400 still contains energy from the bird's last flap. 417 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:23,440 If the bird behind gets in the right position, 418 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:27,040 it can use the upward motion of the spiral to keep itself up, 419 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,520 and therefore save its own energy. 420 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:35,960 So one flap can be used by more than one bird, 421 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,360 they're literally sharing the load. 422 00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:49,960 Formation flying could save each bird in the team 423 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,560 over 10% of its energy. 424 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,640 On a long migration, this could make the difference 425 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:57,760 between success and failure. 426 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:09,360 The leader of the V formation has to work the hardest, 427 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,840 with no energy to inherit from the birds in front of it, 428 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:15,560 so the cranes take it in turn to lead 429 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,160 and share the work around the team. 430 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,800 They also share their knowledge. 431 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:27,760 Youngsters learn the migration route from their parents, 432 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:31,120 so eventually they'll be able to lead a family of their own. 433 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:38,160 Cranes may not be the strongest or the fastest flyers, 434 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,840 but their technique as a team 435 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,520 gets them to their breeding grounds each year. 436 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,480 Formation flying is used by many birds, 437 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,400 it's an energy-saving trick that makes long distances 438 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:56,800 that little bit easier. 439 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,120 Many flying creatures have one particular flying skill that 440 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:09,920 gives them an edge. 441 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:14,440 But perfecting one skill means you might not be so good at others. 442 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:21,440 When you're built for speed, it's difficult to be an acrobat. 443 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,920 Amazing acceleration burns energy, 444 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:30,800 but that's no good if you're a long distance flyer. 445 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:41,320 And if you need to power a large body into the air, 446 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,680 being manoeuvrable becomes more of a challenge. 447 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,040 It can work to be a specialist, 448 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,800 but what if you need to be good at everything? 449 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:03,040 What if you need to combine many different flying skills 450 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,040 into the ultimate flying machine? 451 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:09,560 There are some creatures who've done just that. 452 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:14,880 They aren't birds, they aren't bugs - they're mammals. 453 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:22,760 Dawn in Texas, 454 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:25,360 and half a million Brazilian free-tailed bats 455 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:27,960 are returning home after a night out feeding. 456 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:31,480 During the next few seconds, 457 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:34,280 their flight skills will be pushed to the limits. 458 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:39,000 For these aerial masters, the last part of their journey is 459 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,960 the most dangerous. 460 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:43,680 Predatory hawks are waiting. 461 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:56,680 The bats are heading to the safety of a cave. 462 00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:00,120 Their challenge is to completely change the way they fly 463 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:01,560 more than once. 464 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:12,080 First fly fast, 465 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,280 topping a 100 kilometres an hour. 466 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,360 Next, hit the brakes as they fly into the pitch dark. 467 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:28,320 Finally, fly alongside the half a million other bats in the dark cave. 468 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:35,640 Now it's about being manoeuvrable and trying to avoid collision. 469 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,840 Within a few seconds, the bats have to perform a range of completely 470 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:47,480 different flight techniques, each of them highly specialised. 471 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:55,000 This requires incredibly versatile responsive wings. 472 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:01,080 Bats do something unique in the natural world. 473 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:05,720 They fly not with their arms but with their hands. 474 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,680 A bat's wing is a miracle of flight engineering, 475 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:15,280 complete with thumb and four fingers and self tensioning skin in-between. 476 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,240 Its shape can shift in all three dimensions 477 00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:22,480 and far more than any bird or insect. 478 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:27,840 No other wing gives this level of control. 479 00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:35,360 Innovative wing design allows the bats to cover huge distances 480 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,040 to feed, 481 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:39,800 fly fast to evade predators 482 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,400 and manoeuvre tightly in their crowded cave. 483 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:56,200 This expert flying ability allows the bats to use the caves 484 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:58,480 as giant underground nurseries. 485 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:04,520 Hundreds of thousands of baby bats huddle together for warmth. 486 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:11,640 In here, all bats are as safe as they're ever going to be. 487 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:15,240 But for the adults, that's about to change. 488 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:25,800 Outside, dusk is fast approaching, so soon the adult bats 489 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:28,120 must leave the cave again to feed for the night. 490 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:32,160 But the hawks are waiting. 491 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:35,960 The hawks can't see in the dark, 492 00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:40,160 so every second the bats stay underground gives them an advantage. 493 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,440 But sooner or later, each bat is going to have to 494 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,440 push its flying skills to the limit once more. 495 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,560 Their strategy is to emerge together giving safety in numbers - 496 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,680 an incredible feat of synchronised flying. 497 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,480 More bats swirl up from deep underground 498 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:15,360 until the cave entrance is full to bursting point. 499 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:29,640 With their wings now outstretched, they can build up speed. 500 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:38,400 Tens of thousands of bats, 501 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:41,240 all waiting until the last possible moment. 502 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:55,280 With deep powerful wing beats, 503 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:58,200 the bats can accelerate through the danger zone. 504 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:06,880 The hawks are overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, 505 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,800 their manoeuvrability and their speed. 506 00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:20,880 Now safely away from the cave, 507 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:23,960 they're free to fly as far as they need 508 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:26,080 to their night-time feeding grounds. 509 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:38,840 A radical innovation in wing design, 510 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:40,520 flying with their hands 511 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:45,400 has made bats perhaps the most versatile of all flying animals. 512 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:51,880 They're the only mammal to have truly mastered life in the air. 513 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:59,880 For all flying creatures, staying airborne is a constant challenge. 514 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,360 A life in the air requires special skills and remarkable techniques. 515 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:10,560 But if you can survive up here, 516 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:13,560 there are huge opportunities to be had, 517 00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:18,080 so every animal has its own strategy to give it an edge... 518 00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:22,120 ..as it masters the sky. 519 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:42,360 In Life In The Air, the team's mission was to reveal the incredible 520 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:46,240 abilities of airborne animals in more detail than ever before. 521 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:52,040 Weeks of patient filming allowed the team to capture real-life events, 522 00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:55,520 like peregrine falcons attacking their animal neighbours. 523 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,640 But to reveal the science behind how these animals master the skies 524 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:03,720 required additional filming tricks 525 00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:07,480 and some incredible individuals who would allow the team to capture 526 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:08,920 their unique behaviour... 527 00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:13,680 ..impossible to achieve in any other way. 528 00:48:16,120 --> 00:48:18,880 To film the planet's most accomplished flyers, 529 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:20,920 the team needed to become part of their flock. 530 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:26,440 Key to their success was a unique relationship between the animals 531 00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:28,440 and the people that work with them. 532 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:32,360 The more ambitious the shoot, 533 00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:35,400 the more important this relationship becomes, 534 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:37,800 and none presented a bigger filming challenge 535 00:48:37,800 --> 00:48:41,280 than keeping up with four tame whooper swans in Scotland 536 00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:44,560 and flying alongside a family of European cranes 537 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:46,760 high above the French countryside. 538 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:54,280 First meet Olive, Earther, Yellow and White, 539 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:56,800 and their human mum, Rose Buck. 540 00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:58,600 If their mum's here... 541 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:02,400 When the swans first hatched nine years ago, the first thing 542 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,920 they saw was Rose, so to them, she's the leader of the flock. 543 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:11,680 Rose and her husband, Lloyd, have a close bond 544 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:14,280 with over 20 different bird species... 545 00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:15,920 Oh, yes. 546 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,000 ..all film stars in their own right. 547 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:22,360 And whilst the swans are on centre stage this time, 548 00:49:22,360 --> 00:49:25,080 the whole family comes along for the ride, 549 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:27,720 including a golden eagle called Tilly. 550 00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:30,720 Basically, when we go away, they all have to go with us 551 00:49:30,720 --> 00:49:32,560 because they're like our extended family, 552 00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:34,440 and that's when they're at their happiest. 553 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:36,920 You wouldn't leave your children behind if you went away, 554 00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,320 so they expect to come with us. 555 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:43,000 The Buck family are heading to Loch Lomond in Scotland, 556 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,920 where the plan is to film alongside the swans in their natural habitat, 557 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:49,320 capturing their flight in minute detail. 558 00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:55,640 At the heart of this immense technical challenge is 559 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:58,160 a state-of-the-art stabilising system, 560 00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:00,200 to smooth out any bumps in the water... 561 00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:06,080 ..and a high-speed powerboat that can top 65 kilometres an hour. 562 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:14,040 After some final words of encouragement from Rose, 563 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,160 it's time to put the plan into action. 564 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:21,880 Let's go, go, go! 565 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:28,640 With Rose at the bow, 566 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:31,920 the swans are totally unfazed by the speeding boat, 567 00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:34,880 which is more than can be said for the director. 568 00:50:34,880 --> 00:50:37,800 It's a really difficult thing to do when 569 00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:39,200 something as amazing as this 570 00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:41,600 to be thinking about your job and the shots, 571 00:50:41,600 --> 00:50:44,480 cos it's utterly awe-inspiring. 572 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,640 Without an image stabiliser, it's virtually impossible to get 573 00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:48,960 a steady shot at speed. 574 00:50:49,960 --> 00:50:53,560 Cameraman Rob Drewett has the advantage of the stabiliser, 575 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:56,600 but wind gusts are causing him unexpected problems. 576 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:02,920 Uh... It's gone. What's happened? 577 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:06,840 As the boat hits 65 kilometres an hour, 578 00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:09,320 the stabiliser really starts to struggle. 579 00:51:11,040 --> 00:51:13,880 As soon as I took it away from my body, 580 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,840 you...you felt the wind take it. 581 00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:19,080 The elements aren't beating the stars, 582 00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:21,680 but they're causing big problems for the technology. 583 00:51:21,680 --> 00:51:23,640 Ah, it just died. 584 00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:25,560 We've got a bit of a problem. Yeah. 585 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,920 When you're pushing the limits of filming technology, 586 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:36,000 sometimes you really need to think on your feet. 587 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:40,000 We're now having to go to new extremes to try and get 588 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:42,160 our equipment working well, 589 00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:44,640 and we...we're going to use a dustbin! 590 00:51:44,640 --> 00:51:48,120 With a rather unorthodox wind guard taking shape, 591 00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:50,320 there's nothing the Buck family can do, 592 00:51:50,320 --> 00:51:52,520 except indulge in some family time. 593 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:57,400 You wouldn't want to be skinny dipping! 594 00:51:57,400 --> 00:51:59,360 Gor, struth, you wouldn't. 595 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:05,080 Meanwhile, the camera crew work on into the night. 596 00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:13,360 It's the last day in Scotland, and the crew have their hopes 597 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:17,880 pinned on a £15 bin shielding a £50,000 camera system. 598 00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:20,720 This is the 11th hour, 599 00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:26,080 it always seems to boil down to the last day, but that's all we've got. 600 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:30,720 Now everything needs to come together in one perfect run. 601 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:45,600 Lovely. 602 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,760 So it looks like the shroud is doing the job, which is 603 00:52:48,760 --> 00:52:52,080 brilliant cos it took us two hours last night to turn 604 00:52:52,080 --> 00:52:55,160 a dustbin into something that can make us film swans. 605 00:52:55,160 --> 00:52:57,640 Look at this! Oh, wow! 606 00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:05,480 Filming flying animals at speed has proved difficult enough on water... 607 00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:10,360 ..but it's that much harder when you take to the air 608 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:14,960 with a flock of European cranes half a mile above the Earth. 609 00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:23,440 To get a true bird's-eye view, you need a microlight, 610 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,200 a pilot with a family of friendly cranes 611 00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:28,480 and a cameraman with a head for heights. 612 00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:32,920 Like Rose is mother to her swans, 613 00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:36,680 Frenchman Christian Moullec knows each of his family by name. 614 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:40,160 Is this Dennis? No, no, no. Dennis, no. 615 00:53:40,160 --> 00:53:41,840 THEY LAUGH 616 00:53:41,840 --> 00:53:44,600 Christian has been working with these particular birds 617 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:47,680 for two years, so when the microlight engine roars... 618 00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:50,760 ..they know it's time to fly. 619 00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,160 The cranes follow the microlight in formation, 620 00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:04,840 using the updraft from its wing to save energy. 621 00:54:08,240 --> 00:54:10,560 They're performing perfectly, 622 00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:15,000 just in completely the wrong place for cameraman Richard Cook. 623 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:18,640 Getting them away from the wing and into the right spot requires 624 00:54:18,640 --> 00:54:22,440 precision teamwork, and this is extremely difficult. 625 00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:36,720 The birds move around so much, so quickly, 626 00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:39,280 and then just trying to guess where they're going to be. 627 00:54:39,280 --> 00:54:41,280 So they drop off the wing here and they come down 628 00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:43,520 and then underneath the aircraft, up the other side. 629 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:46,960 It's very frustrating, but we will get there. 630 00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:52,720 Christian. Yes? Your birds are terrible! 631 00:54:52,720 --> 00:54:54,560 No, you are a terrible cameraman. 632 00:54:54,560 --> 00:54:56,600 RICHARD LAUGHS 633 00:54:56,600 --> 00:55:00,720 With something this complicated, there's no substitute for practise. 634 00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:04,440 But the longer you're in the air, 635 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:07,520 the more chance something very serious will go wrong. 636 00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:14,680 The engine has cut out, and with no power, 637 00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:17,960 Christian and Richard have to make an emergency landing. 638 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:27,840 It's at times like this that 25 years of experience comes 639 00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:29,120 sharply into play. 640 00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:37,360 On the final approach, they are fully committed. 641 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:46,960 Thankfully, it's a perfect touchdown. 642 00:55:50,440 --> 00:55:53,960 And the cranes don't seem to know what all the fuss is about. 643 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:57,080 We landed safely, just glided in, but there's not a lot we can do. 644 00:55:57,080 --> 00:55:59,280 As you can see, this is absolutely jammed solid. 645 00:55:59,280 --> 00:56:02,000 So we're going to take the engine apart this afternoon 646 00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:03,480 and see what's broken. 647 00:56:03,480 --> 00:56:06,440 In the middle of the French countryside, any rescue, 648 00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:09,200 however unusual, is extremely welcome. 649 00:56:16,640 --> 00:56:18,680 Just looking at the top, the piston crown, 650 00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:22,080 the bit at the top, is all hammered and dented. 651 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:24,360 Anyway, it's given up. 652 00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:26,280 The engine isn't repairable, 653 00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:29,120 so the team resort to the backup microlight. 654 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:33,160 And with it comes a new dose of luck. 655 00:56:39,560 --> 00:56:42,200 With some perfect turns from Christian, 656 00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:45,720 Richard finally gets eye-to-eye with a flying flock of cranes. 657 00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:52,640 And after all they've been through, the team are truly delighted. 658 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:57,600 But even with the latest technology 659 00:56:57,600 --> 00:57:01,400 and some resourceful individuals, we only get the briefest window 660 00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:04,000 into the world of these amazing creatures. 661 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:09,440 And this only highlights just what an achievement it is 662 00:57:09,440 --> 00:57:11,960 to spend your life in the skies. 663 00:57:16,800 --> 00:57:21,000 Next time, we'll discover that the skies are crowded 664 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,680 full of creatures in a battle for survival. 665 00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:29,440 There's competition for mates, 666 00:57:29,440 --> 00:57:31,760 for food... 667 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:36,120 ..and even for life itself. 668 00:57:38,400 --> 00:57:40,800 Only the best flyers need apply.