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# The Secret Routes of Migratory birds | Documentary
# https://www.youtube.com/watch/w8e5bBIeL3s
00:00:11.119 Every year, migratory birdsmake their epic journey across Europe.
00:00:15.680 South in the autumn,north in early spring.
00:00:19.360 They have been flying herefor thousands of years,
00:00:21.920 but recently,there have been fewer in our skies.
00:00:25.959 Some species have even vanished entirely.
00:00:29.600 Why?
00:00:34.560 My name is Christian.
00:00:36.200 For over 20 years,I have watched and studied birds.
00:00:39.479 I learned to pilot a microlightto fly alongside them.
00:00:43.080 I have been sharingthis magical experience
00:00:45.439 with anyone wishing to see these wonders.
00:01:01.360 But I can't bear standing byand watching these birds disappear.
00:01:07.360 What could be discouraging themfrom flying over our lands?
00:01:10.800 The expanding towns?
00:01:12.519 The disappearing meadowland?
00:01:15.120 Are there any other reasons?
00:01:18.800 I want to understand and act.
00:01:21.879 I want to do everything I can
00:01:23.879 to help these birds continuetheir seasonal pilgrimages.
00:01:34.879 So I have dreamt upa slightly mad project,
00:01:38.440 a school of migration.
00:01:40.480 I will fly offwith a small group of geese,
00:01:43.000 discover with them the pitfallsand dangers of our modern world
00:01:46.400 and find a new way of crossing our lands.
00:01:54.800 Then I will leave them to their freedom
00:01:57.839 with the hope that my pupilswill retain their journey's lessons
00:02:03.680 and one daypass these on to other wild geese.
00:02:09.720 Come with me.
00:02:11.639 Let me show youthe secret routes of migratory birds.
00:02:26.199 Here we go,I am flying with my birds.
00:02:34.800 It's August and this is the momentI've chosen to begin our great
journey.
00:02:54.360 We are leaving the plains of Alsace,borrowing the route from the
storks.
00:02:59.039 Then over the forestsof the Vosges to Auvergne.
00:03:02.960 From the Loire all the wayto the marshlands of the Atlantic coast,
00:03:07.240 a migratory bird's paradise.
00:03:15.520 Oh, sorry,I've forgotten to introduce you.
00:03:18.960 Here are my eight young geese.
00:03:21.279 All of them are grey geese,the most common breed in these lands.
00:03:27.759 The five ones with the yellow beaksare from the Scandinavian side
family
00:03:32.720 and the three pink-beak sisters,from the Siberian side.
00:03:37.399 So here I am,
00:03:38.839 the head of this little familyof wild geese.
00:03:41.360 All born this spring,but in incubators at my home.
00:03:50.119 So how did I become the adoptive father?
00:03:54.119 First,I stayed with the eggs day and night,
00:03:56.639 talking to themright up until they hatched.
00:03:59.759 It's my voice, along with my face,that the goslings recognize.
00:04:04.880 Hey, baby.
00:04:07.399 That's me 20 years agolearning how to do it.
00:04:11.800 Geese identify with whoever is with themin the first few hours of
their lives,
00:04:16.279 even if it's a man.
00:04:18.279 Over the coming weeks,I would reinforce this bond.
00:04:23.600 The same methodhas worked for my geese today.
00:04:27.320 If they seem at ease with the microlight,
00:04:29.799 that's because I taught them to waddle,flap and then fly alongside.
00:04:39.480 That's why they have no problemfollowing me today.
00:04:53.399 Grey geese migrate from northern Europeto the south of Spain to spend
the winter.
00:04:59.839 In the wild,they learn the route of this migration
00:05:02.760 by following their parentson the way down.
00:05:05.799 On the way back up,they often manage it on their own.
00:05:12.440 Flying in the crisp morning light,
00:05:15.000 the landscape appears clearly.
00:05:18.399 Castles, church towers, villages, rivers.
00:05:24.079 Many landmarks for my student navigatorswho wedge the route into their
memory
00:05:29.079 with eyesightthat is eight times sharper than mine.
00:05:33.640 They calculate their positionusing the stars and the sun,
00:05:37.920 and possess cells capable of sensingthe Earth's magnetic field,
00:05:42.559 a compass built into their eyeand a GPS in their beak.
00:05:48.040 They are perfectly equippedand yet it is me they follow.
00:06:04.079 It's hot, beaks opened,
00:06:06.600 their tonguescatching the tiniest drop of moisture.
00:06:09.440 So many clear signs they are thirsty.
00:06:13.679 Below us,a gravel pit with strange turquoise water.
00:06:18.320 Out of instinct,a wild grey goose would not land here.
00:06:24.239 Time for the first lesson.
00:06:38.440 Odd place for a swim.
00:06:48.040 Indeed, my geese aren't keen to diveinto this Caribbean water.
00:06:52.600 Here, nothing is wild.
00:06:56.160 Yet, it's a safe place.
00:07:31.000 By overcoming their suspicion,
00:07:33.239 my geese have one moreresting place on their route.
00:07:37.640 Taking advantageof what man has done to nature.
00:07:41.359 That's the moral of this afternoon.
00:07:50.799 We've been flying since morning,hunger is setting in.
00:07:55.119 They're still unaccustomedto long flights.
00:07:58.440 In the wild, they feast on tender shootsof soft grass and seeds.
00:08:03.000 But here, no meadows,
00:08:04.640 just cultivated farmlandas far as the eye can see.
00:08:09.200 It's the same story elsewhere,nothing to peck at.
00:08:21.760 I decide to set down near a cornfield.
00:08:25.000 Lesson number two,taking advantage of the harvest.
00:08:37.119 Seeds, leaves, corn.
00:08:41.280 A gourmet feast for starving birds.
00:08:53.080 I'm afraid the smallest of the pink beakswinds her away through the
rows of corn.
00:09:02.599 I keep my eye on her, but let her go.
00:09:06.599 Migration is also growing up.
00:09:09.400 You soon learn caution.
00:09:42.520 That was close.
00:09:44.280 A good lesson.
00:09:46.760 The leftovers from the harvestare a godsend for migrating birds.
00:09:51.200 Some farmers know this
00:09:52.640 and leave the stubblefor a few weeks before plowing.
00:09:59.320 My geese have learned to take advantage.
00:10:01.880 Bellies full,we leave the plain of Alsace,
00:10:04.440 heading for the Vosges mountains.
00:10:27.719 Above the forest,the geese stay close to the microlight.
00:10:34.559 Instinct tells themthat this ocean of trees beneath
00:10:37.520 offers no suitable place for landingor space to take off in case of
danger.
00:10:49.760 I decide to take us downonto this reservoir,
00:10:53.239 closed in and surrounded by trees.
00:10:55.440 Its black water fascinates the birds.
00:11:56.159 For their first ever long flight,
00:11:58.359 my geese have hadto draw on their reserves.
00:12:03.640 They will spend the night feeding on algaein the water and drinking.
00:12:07.200 Drinking water whose tastethey will memorize
00:12:10.640 like the addressof a good hostel to visit again one day.
00:12:23.919 Auvergne.
00:12:25.679 We're at the foot of the Puy Mary volcano.
00:12:34.479 As with every new landscape we fly over,conversation picks up.
00:12:47.400 They're a chatty bunch of geese.
00:12:49.960 They sound their position to the groupto avoid a mid-air pileup.
00:12:54.479 They cannot turn their headsto look at each other.
00:12:57.039 It's also a wayof checking everyone's there.
00:12:59.640 They recognize each individual caw.
00:13:04.599 They expect me to join inwith these conversations too.
00:13:09.119 I do my best.
00:13:17.599 The geese at the frontspotted this enticing peat bog
00:13:20.559 long before me.
00:13:27.280 You can call the migration of wild geese,the tour of France's lakes
and ponds.
00:13:31.719 So vital to them is water.
00:14:13.679 On the ground,I have to admit, it's a perfect site.
00:14:20.200 Any predators like foxes or birds of preywould be spotted from far
away.
00:14:26.520 As for the other guests,they seem quite harmless.
00:14:33.159 As a goose, your first task in a new placeis to really take in the
scenery.
00:14:42.559 After the exertion and stress of a flight,nothing beats a good swim.
00:15:02.799 The water's full of great things too.
00:15:05.719 Larvae, insects,roots pulled up from the bottom.
00:15:50.679 I'm amazed at the thingsthey can do without ever having seen
00:15:54.440 or learned them from anyone.
00:15:56.640 It's innate,maintaining 20,000 feathers,
00:16:01.520 not just as decoration,but a flying machine.
00:16:05.799 Fuselage, wings, rudder, propeller.
00:16:19.080 With the tip of their beak,they apply wax from a gland on their rear,
00:16:23.479 leaving their feathers waterproof,flexible and resistant to parasites.
00:16:29.719 One flaw in their plumagecan cause exhaustion over a long flight.
00:16:37.679 Real contortionists.
00:16:40.479 I couldn't teach them that.
00:17:00.960 I keep a close eyeon the little pink beak.
00:17:03.840 A little cheeky, she wanders offfrom her brothers and sisters.
00:17:07.598 Inquisitive, adventurous, or careless?
00:17:13.560 The grass is always greener, as they say.
00:17:23.400 Neck stretch upward,the big male is not happy.
00:17:27.560 Instinct tells him that a lone birdattracts predators
00:17:30.319 and puts everyone in danger.
00:17:36.119 She stamps the ground.
00:17:37.719 She's worried.
00:17:39.839 I do not interfere, on purpose.
00:17:46.000 Eventually,the oldest pink-beak sister takes control,
00:17:51.079 bringing the little oneback to her senses, back to the fold.
00:18:00.719 Stretching out and swaying the neckis how we say hello.
00:18:08.199 Get back before it's too late.
00:18:49.839 The incident is over,
00:18:51.760 but a rift has appearedbetween the pink beaks and yellow beaks.
00:18:57.839 We don't need to wait longbefore the group indulges
00:19:01.079 in a little argument,goose to goose.
00:19:23.079 The yellow beaksquickly take the upper hand.
00:19:25.520 They're dominant.
00:19:27.880 The pink beakswill have to tread carefully.
00:19:39.839 Every family group needs a hierarchy.
00:19:42.400 It reassures everybody.
00:19:58.520 Nothing like a grooming sessionto repair family bonds.
00:20:13.439 I am always touched by the attachmentmy geese have shown since they
were young.
00:20:18.800 I'm attached to them too.
00:20:21.280 Yet I will have to leave themat the end of the journey.
00:20:31.479 By the evening,their wings are itching.
00:20:34.560 It's an irresistible urge.
00:20:37.439 There are young,they've got to move, they've got to fly.
00:21:10.680 At the end of a summer's day,
00:21:12.920 hot and cold currentswhip up the air in the valley.
00:21:16.920 I make the most of it.
00:21:18.640 They will soon need to facehigh winds, storms, turbulence.
00:21:23.439 So, kids, you wanted some exercise.
00:21:26.439 Tonight's lesson, acrobatics.
00:21:31.520 If the air was visible,this valley would be a rough sea
00:21:34.640 with waves crashing against the cliffs,lashing my geese and my
machine.
00:21:51.839 Here come the gusts.
00:22:00.280 I keep counting them in my head.
00:22:02.560 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
00:22:07.520 One's missing.
00:22:10.719 Eight.
00:22:15.920 The group is breaking up.
00:22:17.599 My geese drift from one side to the other,above and below.
00:22:20.839 It would only take a second to lose one.
00:22:26.959 She would try to find us,flying until complete exhaustion
00:22:31.520 and eventually abandoning us.
00:22:34.640 She would have no chanceof survival on her own.
00:22:38.319 That's my greatest fear.
00:23:00.359 Above a certain altitude,the turbulence stops.
00:23:05.079 The air carries us like a strong current,calm and smooth.
00:23:13.599 They have to learn this for the daythey must cross higher mountains,
alone.
00:23:31.359 With the tips of their long outer feathersor flight feathers,
00:23:36.119 each bird learnsto feel the slightest breeze
00:23:40.560 and shape themselves to it.
00:23:44.040 Not flying, but surfing.
00:23:59.800 No longer pink or yellow beaks,we're a family.
00:24:04.160 The sky is ours.
00:24:28.000 September.
00:24:31.359 A thick fog keeps usgrounded in the morning.
00:24:35.319 Flying is impossible.
00:24:37.439 There's a constant fearof losing one another.
00:24:41.119 The geese stay close.
00:24:51.560 As usual, the little pink beakexplores the surroundings alone.
00:24:57.520 In a group of geese, there's always onemore inquisitive than the
others.
00:25:02.119 That often benefits the group.
00:25:05.479 I let her go,but keep her in sight.
00:25:27.599 Then everything happens at once.
00:25:29.680 The sun breaks through the fog.
00:25:31.800 The big male surprises everyoneand preempts my signal to leave.
00:25:39.319 I have to catch them up.
00:25:42.319 Our little explorer is caught off guard.
00:25:52.680 In the wild, she would have a slim chanceof adjoining the group.
00:26:00.000 I force the squadronto fly close to the surface
00:26:02.479 to stay visible for the little one.
00:26:16.719 At the last moment,she rejoins the group.
00:26:21.079 The pink beaksget close to their little sister.
00:26:28.239 This accidental lesson of cautionwill have been useful to her, I hope.
00:26:43.839 We leave the lake,the mountains and Auvergne.
00:26:57.079 A new day,a new challenge, the Loire.
00:27:03.800 For millennia, migratory birdshave followed the courses of rivers.
00:27:09.079 There, they have placesto feed, to land, and to rest.
00:27:13.479 A direct route to the sea.
00:27:15.880 A route that never changes.
00:27:21.280 The leading birds maintainan impressive pace, 30 miles an hour.
00:27:28.359 The strongest take turns at the frontand use 20% more energy.
00:27:33.439 The others glide in their wakeand are drawn in like the cyclists
00:27:36.920 in the Tour de France by the chasing pack.
00:27:55.400 We look for a riverbank.
00:27:58.280 But after the autumn rains,
00:28:00.599 the swollen Loirehas swallowed its islands
00:28:04.280 and eaten into its banks.
00:28:14.479 The big male and the little pink beakcompete for attention and lead
the group.
00:28:42.520 I notice we are fighting against the wind.
00:28:45.319 Our ground speed is practically zero.
00:28:53.520 My geeseare tiring themselves out for nothing
00:28:55.959 and my motor is beginning to suffer.
00:28:59.800 No wild birdwould be stupid enough to carry on.
00:29:02.719 We have to land, quick and safe.
00:29:58.760 At this quiet little airport,I'm not taking a big risk
00:30:02.199 and being on the groundgives me a chance to check the motor
00:30:05.640 and leave when the conditions allow.
00:30:44.479 But leaving this little gang of teenagersunsupervised is a mistake.
00:31:15.000 In the end, I thinkthis little fright will be useful to them.
00:31:33.439 Airports offer tempting meadowlandfor migrating birds,
00:31:37.680 but they have to learn to be cautious,get to know the limits.
00:31:45.439 I have to resolve myselfto spend the night.
00:31:49.920 Securing the campsite is still vital.
00:31:52.719 Foxes attack at night.
00:31:54.760 They'd fly off into the darknessand I'd lose them all.
00:32:12.319 A fox's cry puts them on alert.
00:32:18.560 Like every night, they only sleepfor a few minutes at a time,
00:32:22.079 with only one eye shut, like me.
00:33:18.160 In the morning the wind has dropped,but the clouds are low.
00:33:23.560 The microlight is soaked.
00:33:25.719 The thick cloud coverwould swallow us like flies.
00:33:29.599 We'll have to wait.
00:33:31.959 They're getting restless,so I let them blow off some steam.
00:34:42.679 No traveling today, just a fly by.
00:35:01.879 The little explorer and her sisterventure to where the current is
strong,
00:35:05.679 like a treadmill beneath their feet.
00:35:08.719 They drift where I wouldn't want them to.
00:35:21.320 In the middle of the river,
00:35:23.879 the trap is set.
00:35:26.879 Live ducks,one foot tied down,
00:35:30.439 call passing birds and fake ducksmake it seem like a peaceful place.
00:35:40.439 A hunter's hide.
00:35:43.439 Empty?
00:35:57.479 Lucky.
00:35:58.560 Useless hunters.
00:36:01.479 They have to get back quick.
00:36:08.080 I hope that this fear will stayin the memories of my geese
00:36:11.639 and they'll rememberto avoid similar traps elsewhere.
00:36:18.879 Hunting is one of our traditions,
00:36:21.679 but it kills 17,000of the 50,000 grey geese
00:36:25.120 that still attend this journey every year.
00:36:45.760 A weather window signals our departure.
00:36:48.919 The oldest of the pink beaksappears to memorize the location
00:36:52.239 for next year.
00:36:55.600 Direction, due west.
00:37:00.159 The stages follow one anotherbetween grey and blue sky,
00:37:04.280 between countryside and town,
00:37:06.280 where another formidable rival specieshas been living for a long time.
00:37:11.159 Man.
00:37:12.879 He is everywhere.
00:37:18.600 But his activitiesare not always harmful to wild birds.
00:37:26.080 Here's a chance for a new lesson.
00:37:31.560 Some motorwayshave become navigational tools for birds.
00:37:35.280 Visible by day and night,less winding than the rivers.
00:37:42.280 The big male and the pink beaksare mesmerized and can't look away.
00:37:52.000 Some species are already used to theseeasy-to-follow routes.
00:38:03.600 Tired?
00:38:05.239 Well, try one of the many rest stopsalong the way.
00:38:10.439 A few 38-ton trucks,okay, but no hunting and no hassle.
00:38:27.760 Wind farmsare not the geese's best friends.
00:38:32.040 With headwinds and low visibility,the instinct for geese is to fly
low.
00:38:38.760 Surprised by these giant fans,they panic and their group breaks up.
00:38:43.560 Some get lost.
00:38:46.000 I could pass further away,but I prefer to flirt with danger.
00:38:53.040 Tame their fear.
00:39:14.639 Every day,new windmills spring up like mushrooms.
00:39:19.280 Next time they might be less surprised.
00:39:58.439 It's October and autumn is upon us.
00:40:03.879 Day after day we follow the Loireand its fertile plains.
00:40:10.040 Their super sharp eyesight
00:40:11.719 allows the geeseto distinguish all the shades of green
00:40:14.919 and to pick outthe best grass by instinct.
00:40:20.000 They're never wrong.
00:40:21.199 Well, almost.
00:40:39.600 My pink beaks have drawn the group
00:40:42.000 to the most deliciouslooking part of the course,
00:40:44.399 the green.
00:41:05.760 At this time, their comfortaround people comes in useful.
00:41:10.360 I encourage them further.
00:41:17.760 Other species have already gatecrashedpublic parks and gardens
00:41:21.040 where people presumethey are decorative birds.
00:41:28.320 This Bewick's swan, for example,
00:41:30.560 has probably come from Siberiato spend the winter here,
00:41:34.199 where the water won't freeze.
00:42:02.120 Clearly, the three pink-beak sistersare drifting away from the group.
00:42:18.879 The dominance of the yellow beaks,like my paternal authority,
00:42:23.080 is starting to wane.
00:42:28.600 It's normal they're cutting loose.
00:42:30.800 Deep down I know it's for the best.
00:42:39.600 As we are about to leave,a bird invites himself over to the group.
00:42:46.280 A duck, separated from her own kindand trying to find some company.
00:42:57.719 I have often seen lone birdsmingle in colonies of different species.
00:43:04.000 Anything but aloneis the motto of the migrators,
00:43:07.520 and they are happy to welcome a birdthat doesn't speak their language.
00:43:36.600 Today the air is full of a new scentthey inhale at length.
00:43:42.879 I know what lies in store, but they don't.
00:43:59.479 Suddenly, there it is,the endless blue of the Atlantic,
00:44:06.040 which must awaken within themmillennia of hidden memories.
00:44:10.879 We have reached an essential stageon this great migration.
00:44:17.080 Some birds stop here.
00:44:28.639 The abandoned duck takes command.
00:44:32.399 Where to go?
00:44:34.000 She knows.
00:44:35.719 She must recognize the terrain.
00:45:15.120 Everything is new,the sand, the sounds,
00:45:20.000 the smells, the light,even the taste of the water.
00:45:29.600 The crashing waves intrigue them.
00:45:43.919 The big male keeps a lookout,cautious as ever.
00:45:51.719 The pink beaks,led away by the little explorer,
00:45:54.879 look for a venture away from his gaze.
00:46:08.040 The beach is full of temptations,for better or worse.
00:46:23.879 With no hands,they use their beaks.
00:46:27.600 They nibble each item,examining its taste, smell, texture.
00:46:34.239 They stamp the ground,hoping to dislodge a tasty morsel.
00:46:42.719 Birds die in their thousands
00:46:44.679 from accidentally ingestingthe tons of litter dropped on beaches
00:46:48.080 or returned by the sea.
00:46:54.800 They're grown up now.
00:46:57.080 I won't be with them forever.
00:46:59.239 They must learn for themselves
00:47:00.840 the difference between what's okayand what isn't.
00:47:11.320 The big male hears the duckbut cannot see her.
00:47:14.879 Is she lost?
00:47:31.399 It sounds like there's nothing they can doto save her now.
00:47:38.919 How could she resist such a male,with that two-tone outfit?
00:47:53.399 She shows off her catch one last time.
00:47:57.080 We won't see her again.
00:48:00.600 One day my geesewill also have to find a partner.
00:48:04.760 One they'll keep for life.
00:48:12.199 The tide rises, the sun sets.
00:48:16.280 Now is the time for roosting.
00:48:20.879 This great flight,common to migratory birds the world over,
00:48:25.959 takes them from the shoreto inland marshes to spend the night.
00:48:31.399 Then return again in the morning.
00:48:34.840 This coming and goingis a vital lesson for my geese,
00:48:38.879 who will spend many months here.
00:49:20.959 We are a little early,
00:49:22.360 but a few cranes have already startedarriving from Northern Europe.
00:49:27.239 The wild geesewill arrive in the next few days.
00:49:38.159 There is one final lesson to be learned.
00:49:41.280 The most difficult, the less certain.
00:49:47.360 The time has cometo give my geese their freedom.
00:49:55.040 In this nature reserve with no hunting,they have every chance.
00:50:03.560 But they will have to forget about me.
00:50:06.800 The yellow beaks are already distant,the pink beaks, still so
affectionate.
00:50:19.919 But I must leave them now.
00:50:59.479 Rushing forward with them one last time.
00:51:03.199 I picture themjoining the wild geese to stop here.
00:51:08.199 The school of migrationhas prepared them for it,
00:51:12.040 not only to learn from the other geese,
00:51:14.760 but also to pass onwhat we have discovered together.
00:51:27.479 I imagine them crossing the mountainsto reach their winter pastures.
00:51:41.879 And, I see them,one day teaching their own young
00:51:48.239 the routes of migration.
