40x02 - Season of the Osprey

[bunniefuu]

It's your first day
in the world,

your first step into a vast

and daunting landscape...

...full of possibilities...

wonder...

and peril.

You've just been born
in the Rockies,

an untamed wilderness
in the heart of North America.

And you have much to learn.

Each new challenge
will test your resolve.

Every new opportunity
will hone your skills.

Above all, you'll need
to stick close to Mother.

Only her care and vigilance
can protect you...

and prepare you for a life

in the wilds of the Rockies.

It's late February

in the high deserts
of central New Mexico.

Evening temperatures can
drop well below freezing,

locking these Sandhill cranes
in a layer of ice.

Those that have freed themselves

must walk gingerly.

They're huddled together
in this shallow wetland

for a simple reason...

security.

Coyotes are patrolling
the shoreline...

...looking for any openings.

But there are far too many eyes,

and the cranes
are already awake.

About 20,000 cranes
over-winter here,

mostly family groups made up
of couples and their young.

It may not seem like
the most romantic setting,

huddled together
with a few hundred

of your closest relatives.

But make no mistake.

This is a love story.

In the still of the morning,
couples call to each other...

keeping track
of their lifelong mates.

Some have been together
for more than a decade.

But the end of winter marks
the beginning of a new journey.

Cranes signal with their heads
that it's time to take flight.

One by one, they launch
awkwardly into the sky.

Countless generations
before them

have undertaken
this same journey...

an unbroken migration that has
lasted thousands of years.

They are headed north,

across the sandstone cliffs
of New Mexico

and into the heart
of the Rocky Mountains.

The Rocky Mountains stretch
some 2,000 miles,

forming the backbone
of North America.

From central New Mexico,
the Rockies continue northward

across six western states
to the northern edge of Canada,

encompassing at least


and dozens of unique habitats,

from shifting sand dunes

to deep river valleys.

Each providing a home
for countless animal families

on the verge of a new beginning.

And just as they have done
for millions of years,

the Rockies begin to shed
the months of frozen dormancy...

...and prepares to welcome

the next generation
into their midst.

Weeks after leaving New Mexico,

Sandhill cranes arrive
to their natal range

in Yellowstone Valley.

When it comes to settling down,
cranes prize personal space.

This is a call to anyone
in earshot...

"This spot is ours."

Having flown here
with his parents,

the yearling tags along.

But now it's time for Mom
and Dad to renew their vows...

with a dance.

The youngster watches
his parents intently...

...learning the very moves

he will one day employ
to woo his mate.

At last, all this extravagance
culminates in one final move.

And now all they have
to do is wait.

Nestled in the heart
of the Rocky Mountains,

Yellowstone is the world's
first national park...

...and the largest nearly intact
temperate ecosystem on Earth.

Spring is the time
when new families

are taking their first
tentative steps into the world.

For many young, it's their first
big adventure aboveground.

It's a time to play...

explore...

and torment your siblings.

And in some cases,
test your mother's patience.

Play is an essential part
of childhood...

...and one that, sadly,
will not last forever.

For this playful grizzly mom
and her 3-year-old cub,

this will be their last
spring together.

For some, this time of year
marks the end of a relationship,

while for others,
it's the beginning of a new one.

In the open grasslands
of Yellowstone,

a mother bison is giving birth.

Mom frees her calf from
the membrane that entangles it.

For her,
this is love at first sight.

The same hormones that surge
through a human mother's brain

now surge through hers.

For the next several months,

this calf will be the singular
focus of her life...

the one thing she will nurture
and protect.

Yellowstone is slowly awakening,

puling itself out
from under winter's grip.

It's a treacherous time,

as the ground is melting away
beneath them.

And for a newborn
still finding its footing,

it's easy to get knocked
off course.

This is a deadly situation.

Many bison, much older than this
calf, have met their ends here.

But there is little
his mother can do.

He's on his own now.

Although he's only days old,
he must find the strength...

...the will to survive,

to fight with every muscle
in his body.

To fight or to die trying.

The relieved mother
hurries to greet him...

...licking him dry, as she did
the day he was first born.

He was fortunate.

But in the months ahead,

the Rockies will continue
to test our calf's resolve.

Some 55 to 80 million years ago,

an intense period
of plate tectonic activity

reshaped the western half
of North America

and gave birth
to the Rocky Mountains.

This massive wall of mountains
has an enormous influence

on weather patterns
across North America.

Air currents moving eastward
from the Pacific

are disrupted by the Rockies...

...generating massive cyclones

across the Great Plains
of North America.

And just as the Rockies
have transformed the land,

they have also shaped
the animals that call it home.

Mountain goats survive
where few others can,

even in the depths of winter.

Nannies and their week-old kids
pick their way carefully

through the ever-softening snow.

Mom has memorized every nook
and crag of this mountainside.

And she knows an avalanche
risk when she sees one.

Her kid was born
into a vertical world,

with all the tools
he needs to become

an accomplished mountaineer.

Now all he needs is experience,

and he's enrolled in
the ultimate master class.

Their destination
is a high alpine meadow

they hope will have
verdant new shoots.

At 10,000 feet,
weather can turn quickly.

But mom is patient
and reassuring.

And no one is better equipped
to weather the storm.

As the days grow longer,

spring unfolds in a spectacular
display of wildflowers.

Bear grass covers
the alpine meadows

of Glacier National Park.

And balsamroot blankets
the low, rolling hills

of Western Montana.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
and mountain goats

eagerly gobble up
the new blossoms.

Bighorn births are perfectly
timed for this bounty of spring.

And in secluded spots
all along the mountainside,

mothers are tending
to their newborn lambs.

This imprinting isolation
can last for several days.

It's a chance for mothers and
young to bond with each other,

learning their individual scents
and sounds

before rejoining
the rest of the herd.

For one new family,
that task is doubly hard.

She has birthed twins,

an exceptionally rare
occurrence for Bighorn sheep...

...and one that obviously makes
the task of mothering

twice as demanding.

With each passing hour,
the twins grow stronger.

They are playful
and energetic...

but still wobbly on their feet.

Predation from mountain lions,
coyotes, and golden eagles

are an ever-present threat,

and the sooner mom and the twins
can rejoin the herd,

the safer they will be.

To survive in the Rockies,
young must grow up fast...

...many within the span
of a single season.

But in these early stages
of life,

offspring are wholly dependent
on their mother's care.

For some, the job is more
demanding than others.

With 11 hungry pups to feed,
this fox mom has her hands full.

Raising this many pups is not
only a physically demanding job,

but one that requires
an extraordinary amount

of patience...

which this mom seems to have
in abundance.

It's a good lesson
for our mother of twins,

and one she'll need
to take to heart,

as her lambs grow
more adventurous.

For one crane family,

the raising of their young
has only just begun.

After a month of waiting,
the eggs are beginning to hatch.

One of the colts
has already emerged,

but his sibling
is not quite ready.

The thick crane egg has been
slowly weakening,

as the tiny colt inside absorbs

the shells' calcium
into her young bones.

This process can take hours.

And now that her first colt
is out and ready to feed,

mom is anxious
for colt number two.

She nudges the egg to break
the rest of the shell.

And with a gentle assist,

her second colt, still weak
from its cramped quarters,

is finally free.

Dad won't take any chances
with visitors close by.

But within a few hours,

both colts
are shakily on their feet.

Their first meal

will be the pulverized eggs
they lived in.

This will help them grow
strong from the start.

The first hatched is quick
to challenge his sibling.

Like many first-time parents,
they learn through experience.

By feeding the colts separately,
they avoid in-fighting

and ensure they both
get equal portions of food.

Foraging through the muddy mess
for small worms and insects

is a routine that comes
more easily to some...

than others.

By the end of summer,

these tiny colts will be as tall
as their parents.

The very act of having young
heightens a mother's senses.

And it is, by far,

the most consuming relationship
in an animal's life.

A mother grizzly emerges
from the dense forest

with three tiny cubs in tow.

Named after the black
volcanic glass

that forms Yellowstone's
Obsidian Cliff,

she leads her cubs
on their first big outing.

Obsidian's cubs were born
in the depths of winter.

And for months, their mother
fed them, without eating.

These cubs are her entire world,
and she is theirs.

Despite their fiercely
protective mother,

these cubs are vulnerable

and sticking as close to mom
as possible,

trying hard to get
her attention.

But Obsidian will need more
than grasses to sustain them.

It's time to introduce her cubs
to their new home...

...a fantastical world

of bubbling pools
and steaming mountains.

They live atop one of the
largest active volcanic systems

on Earth.

Beneath the Yellowstone Caldera
is a reservoir of hot magma,



And it lies just under
their feet.

With each passing day,

Obsidian takes her cubs farther
and farther into her territory.

But these journeys are not
without their risks.

A single encounter
with a male grizzly

could prove fatal for the cubs.

Obsidian will need
to remain vigilant

if she hopes
to keep her family safe.

Up in the high elevation,

these snow-free days
won't last long.

So, while mothers
are busy feeding,

kids are getting to know
their extended family

while playing an endless game
of King of the Hill...

learning skills
that will prepare them

for life in a vertical world.

Soon, mothers hurry
to collect their kids

as the herd continues to move.

But amidst the excitement,

one kid has lost track
of his mom.

He calls to her, but no reply.

And he can't see
or smell her anywhere.

All the goats are rapidly
shedding their winter coats,

so mom looks different
from day to day.

The only way to find out
is to get close enough to smell.

One by one, he's rejected.

Nobody seems to want him around.

The sun is beginning to set,

and the kid is growing
increasingly anxious.

In a last-ditch effort,

he chases after a lone nanny
walking away.

When he reaches her,
he sniffs cautiously,

having made
so many wrong guesses already.

This time...

he guessed right.

As twilight descends
over the mountain,

the two bed down together
on a nearby cliff.

The kid is overjoyed
to have his mother back.

On this mountain,
their bond is everything.

A fog has enveloped the craggy
peaks of western Montana.

Bighorn sheep are just
beginning their day.

And for these young lambs,
the fun is about to begin.

Playgroups have formed.

Many lambs are still timid,
uneasy with their footing

on the steep testing ground

packed so tightly
with the rest of the young.

Mothers, too, are rightfully
concerned with their world

so suddenly expanded,

they must try to keep
their young ones safe.

These young rams
have no such concerns.

And they seem intent on
provoking this year's new lambs

into action.

If they can brave these games,

it will serve them well
in the years ahead.

Bighorn sheep form alliances
that last lifetimes.

The twins have settled
into this new friend group,

almost as important
as their mother's care.

Mom is quick to comfort
her small lamb

but equally quick
to nudge him back into play.

Building confidence is crucial
to their survival.

For parents, growing up seems to
happen in the blink of an eye.

For young, every day
brings a new adventure.

It's all about
building relationships...

...testing your boundaries...

and finding out...

exactly what you're capable of.

Raising these young colts
is keeping Mom and Dad busy.

Colts have the appetite
of a teenager

and can grow an inch a day.

They will need every morsel

if they are going to migrate
south this autumn.

But this family has a bigger
problem on their hands.

Their little wetland

is wedged in the middle
of a sea of townhouses.

Long before this suburb
of Bozeman, Montana, was here,

this area was part of a vast
network of wetlands

that may have been home
to generations of cranes.



This couple has stubbornly clung
to this tiny patch of wetland,

but that's become
a dangerous choice.

Only about 1 in 10 colts
survive to adulthood,

and those odds are considerably
worse in urban settings.

Even as protective
as these parents are,

in this urban maze,

they will need a new set
of skills to survive.

Dad paces rapidly back
and forth,

tossing grass and sticks
into the air.

He's sending a message...
"Stay back!"

Safety and security are choices
typically made with their wings.

But until these colts
are old enough to fly,

this family is grounded.

But the colts are growing fast.

And their parents must decide

just how much of the suburbs
they can take.

Once the family leaves their
home, there's no looking back.

If they are to find safety,

they will need to make
the journey on foot.

The parents take their first
cautious steps into the road.

And the tiny colts

slide down the hot asphalt
to follow behind.

This 4-lane road is the most
exposed these colts have been

in their young lives.

Much like walking a tight rope,

you have to keep looking
straight ahead.

Whatever you do,
don't look down...

on the road.

They have survived
their first big step.

Growing up and raising a family
is tough enough,

but we've made
that task doubly hard.

Expanding suburbs
and industrial development

continue to fragment habitat
across the Rockies.

For some, roads and fences
become barriers to migration...

...often splitting apart
families

and making animals
vulnerable to predators.

And each year, the wild becomes
just a little less so.

Yet the Rockies still remain
our last best chance

for preserving many of North
America's most iconic species.

By early summer, snow that
has been locked away

in these high mountain peaks
begins to melt away.

Rivers swell as spring
run-off reaches its peak.

It's a powerful force.

The Lamar River is raging.

And this presents a new set of
challenges for our bison herd.

The cold, quick-moving water
bottles up the herd

at the shoreline.

As the leaders wade out,
testing the current strength...

...calves must stay close,
trust in the herd,

and remain calm.

The current is beginning
to pick up

and causing many newcomers
second thoughts.

Midway, in the deepest section,
panic sets in.

The calf tries to turn back.

Quickly, he's swept downriver,

farther and farther
from his mother.

He struggles to swim upstream...

...as his mom can only watch
from the shoreline.

His legs slow
from icy-cold exhaustion...

...the lucky calf is reunited
with Mom.

Maybe a little wiser

about the power
of the wild world around him.

Not all youngsters in
Yellowstone Valley are so lucky.

Sometime in the twilight hours,
tragedy struck.

Now, in the light of day,

Obsidian seems restless,
nervous.

She huffs to call her cubs.

But now her family of three...

is down to two.

One of her cubs is missing.

We may never know
just what happened

in those twilight hours,
but the cubs certainly do.

Losing a youngster has made
Obsidian even more vigilant.

She retreats into the forest
to nurse her two remaining cubs.

No family is immune
to the harsh reality

of growing up in the Rockies.

Life here is tenuous.

And while the loss of life for
one means survival for another,

nothing is ever so simple.

Our bison herd rushes
to the place

where one of their own
has fallen...

a female that died during labor.

We gather together to mourn
the loss of our loved ones.

Is it so difficult to imagine
that bison may do the same?

Tails are raised in distress
by the sight of a wolf

waiting in the wings.

Eventually, the herd
begins to disperse...

...leaving one lone 3-year-old.

Perhaps a son, still grieving.

While his sense of smell
clearly tells him she's gone,

he's determined to defend her
a while longer.

There is far more that
connects us than separates us,

especially in matters
of love and loss.

In the small clearing, Obsidian
is still nursing her cubs.

A shadow on the hillside above
her draws her to her feet,

perhaps a passing bison.

But Mom is not taking
any chances now.

She keeps a watchful eye
while her cubs play.

Obsidian faces the same
struggle of every parent...

how much freedom is too much?

As the summer sun bakes the
plains, tensions are building.

It's mating season.

And for our young calf,
everything has suddenly changed.

For months, he's been tied
to his mother's side,

but now her attention
is focused elsewhere.

And the large bulls he's watched
all summer

are suddenly too close
for comfort.

They're agitated
and chasing his mother around.

He tries to keep up with her,
but that's a dangerous choice.

This time of year,

bulls are competing
for the right to breed.

And they display their fitness
in the most dramatic fashion...

kicking clouds of dust
into the air as they urinate

and then roll their


against the bare earth.

This bull is sending a message.

It's a chemical billboard.

It tells the other bulls
he is at the peak of his game.

One of the large bulls
is sticking close

to the calf's mother,
tending her.

But he's treading
a difficult path.

He's surrounded...

and the competition is stiff.

If he wants to keep her
to himself,

he's going to have to prove
that he can.

It's a deadly serious game.

The success
of future generations

depends upon the outcome
of these gladiatorial battles.

And as the two bulls
exhaust themselves,

someone seizes an opening.

Amidst the chaos, the calves
seek comfort in each other.

And as with every competition,
there is a victor.

These are the calves'
last days of childhood.

And in just a few years,
they'll compete for real.

If they hope to be so fortunate,
they must endure

all that the Rockies
have in store for them

in the months ahead.

As colors shift into autumn,

Obsidian's calm demeanor
has returned.

She calls for her
two remaining cubs.

Now, at the end of their season,

her cubs are chubby
and confident

as they follow after Mom.

Soon, Obsidian and her cubs
will retreat to the warmth

and safety of their winter den.

While some take refuge
underground,

others must prepare
to head south

to outrun winter's icy grip.

But for many others,

they will have to endure
winter's fury head on.

There will be battles
to fight...

...and alliances to forge.

Some must rely on the strength
of their tribe.

While others must go it alone.

For all these brave souls,

the experience of growing up
in the Rockies

has only just begun.

To learn more
about what you've seen

on this "Nature" program,

visit pbs.org.