[narrator] The forests of Germany are steeped in myth and legend. The sea of trees
is a refuge for rare animals. Jousting for the favor of females, roaming their territories and fighting for survival. This is their story. Around one-third of Germany
is covered in forest, making it one of the most
heavily wooded countries in the European Union. In the world-famous Black Forest, spring has teased the shoots
from the beech trees. This is the largest area
of forest in the country. [birds twittering] One particularly rare species only returned here a few years ago, the wildcat. It had been more than 90 years
since the last sighting of a wildcat in the Black Forest. Now, in the north of the region, they've bred and are bringing up
offspring once more. Young wildcats are hard to distinguish
from domestic cats. When they grow older, their tails take on the typical bushy form and black rings. As with all cats, climbing up is no problem with curved claws, but getting down is more of a challenge. These kittens can enjoy
their mother's care for a few more weeks. [wildcat purring] Not long now and they'll have to
look for their own territory. In the sandstone cliffs of the region known
as Saxonian Switzerland, the trees use every plateau and crevice to spread out. [cuckoo calls] The rocks are remote and inaccessible, ideal conditions for black storks. These two have been returning
to this spot for years to breed and bring up their young. By now, their nest resembles a fortress. One or other parent
stands guard over the nest for more than a month
before the young are left alone for the first time. Plenty of opportunity to spoil the kids. In contrast to their white cousins, black storks only rarely clatter. [storks croaking] Just at the shift changeover,
rain sets in. The water could be dangerous
for the young storks, which have not yet grown
their water-repellent plumage and could catch cold. It's very practical having parents prepared to act
as your own personal umbrella. What's bad for baby birds
is good for the plants. Fir trees need at least 600mm of precipitation a year.
Ideally, even more. In weather like this, the vixen stays in the den with her cubs. The little ones are just three weeks old and still haven't seen the outside world. Their mother provides for all their needs. [fox moans] The cubs aren't yet on solids. To suckle, the vixen frequently stands up to make sure all her babies
get a fair chance at a teat. [cub crying] With a family this hungry, the vixen has to go hunting fairly often to keep her own strength up. Spring has now reached
the upper levels of the Black Forest. In the lower regions,
the cherry trees are already in flower, each one bearing up to a million blossoms. Only when the blossoms have successfully been pollinated by bees will the cherries grow that end up in the famous local specialty, Black Forest Gâteau. In the orchard, danger lurks. The vixen has got uncomfortably close
to a roe deer fawn separated from the others.
Its mother is alarmed. The vixen decides
it's more sensible to move on and the fawn has had its first taste
of life's dangers. There are about
two million roe deer in Germany and around half that number
are shot every year by hunters. The deer multiply so successfully,
however, that such statistics have no real effect on the overall population. While the vixen is off hunting, the cubs have plenty of time to play. Every day there's something new
to discover. Finding a mouse, for example,
arouses the hunting instinct. The pursuit doesn't go unnoticed, but as long as the fox is occupied, the squirrel can go about its business. Time to go. A horde of ruffians like this
isn't the nicest company. They only start behaving again
when Mum returns. The cub begs for food, but the vixen hasn't brought
anything with her. She's still feeding her cubs
almost exclusively on milk. Not all her teats yield the same quantity but fighting for a drink is good practice for the rough and tumble of later life. The young are still completely
dependent on their mother. Male foxes don't usually get involved in bringing up their offspring. Germany has a total
of 11 million hectares of forest. Large areas like the Harz National Park
are protected. This has allowed one very special
but rarely seen big cat to be reintroduced to the wild, even in densely populated Germany. [woodpecker calling] Sounds like the call of a black woodpecker can be heard by a lynx over a kilometer away. This makes it fairly easy for the cats to avoid contact with humans. Prey, on the other hand,
has an almost magnetic effect. A courting quail, for example. [quail calls] The bird is oblivious to the danger, only having eyes for the hen
its calls have attracted. [quail calls] Both are preoccupied
with their mating ritual. Pairs of quails often mate
more than ten times a day. A great opportunity for the lynx. No luck this time. The big cat will have to
find some other prey. The Harz National Park was created across the former inner-German border after the reunification of Germany
in 1989. [birds chirping] [birds chirping] There are plenty of trees here
for black woodpeckers to install their nurseries in. The chicks are already half-grown. Soon, the parents won't be able to satisfy their offspring's hunger by themselves. But until then, the adolescents
will have it nice and easy. The biggest mammal in the forests
of Germany is the red deer stag, or at least, so long as
brown bears and elks remain only occasional visitors. Stags weigh in at up to 250 kilos. In forest animals, running is infectious. If one runs, the rest will follow, be it red deer or wild boar. There might be an enemy
lurking in the undergrowth. After a while,
the boars have calmed down again. The sows live together with their piglets in groups called sounders. Males are only tolerated
until they're sexually mature. In the summer heat, cooling mud baths are a way to get rid of irksome parasites. After the boar has had a good wallow, the mud dries and falls off, taking ticks, mites and lice with it. It's also good protection
against mosquitoes and horse-flies. Boars remove the stubbornest pests by rubbing themselves up against trees. [boar squealing] There are now over a million
wild boar in Germany. In the region close
to the Czech-German border, the forest has penetrated deep ravines and the sandstone is covered
with yellow lichen. In a cliff niche,
coal tits are bringing up their chicks. The adult wants to feed them
some caterpillars, but something seems to be bothering it. [bird chirping] At first, it flies off again without delivering
its eagerly awaited load. The reason, a pygmy owl nesting in the immediate vicinity. The tits would be a welcome feast
for the raptor, if only its front door weren't so small. Tits avoid pygmy owls at all costs, as they also hunt in the daytime. Summer in the hills
of Saxonian Switzerland. The difference in temperature
between ravines and plateaus has now risen to 10°C. Up top, it's boiling hot, while deep down, it's cool. The black storks knew what they were doing when they chose to nest
in the shade of a stone pine. The fledglings are now two months old and almost ready to leave the nest. They're already trying their wings out. In four weeks' time,
they have to be prepared to take on the long flight south with their parents. [storks nattering] They need to weigh three kilos by then, as the journey requires
a great deal of energy. By now, the storks have had enough to eat and it's time for some preening. The birds are most particular about tidiness and personal appearance. The siblings demonstrate a phenomenon that has hitherto scarcely been studied, social or allopreening. Birds only allow good friends
or partners to pluck feathers. This serves a hygienic purpose, but also cements bonds between the animals in a similar way
to apes grooming each other. The feather is proving obstinate. But the stork cannot help itself, instinct forces it to continue. This may take a while. The German forest, an expression first used by the romantics at the beginning of the 19th century to describe a place full of symbolism. And one tree was of particular interest, the German oak, known in Britain as the English oak. The nine centimeter-long stag beetle, too, has a special relationship with this tree, taking as it does
most of its nutrition from the sap. The stag beetle's antlers are in fact huge jaws. At a part of the tree
where sap is secreted through the bark, the beetle has discovered a female, of rather nondescript appearance
compared to the magnificent male. Another male has been attracted
to the same spot, making a duel inevitable. The titanic struggle is over. To the victor, the spoils. On the French border
lies the Palatinate Forest. Red, mottled sandstone
marks the remains of a seabed, deposited by an ocean more than 250 million years ago. After the last Ice Age, a typically European forest formed over thousands of years from tundra. Foxes are also native to the Palatinate. The vixen's booty of mice from the hunt is awaited with enthusiasm. [cubs whining] She brings up the prey for her cubs. [cubs whining] Sharing is not a characteristic
valued by foxes. In contrast to wolves,
they eat their prey alone and fight over every scrap. They're loners, not pack animals. Not every cub gets its fair share. But it's no use whining to Mum, all the provisions
have already been shared out. Until the next feed, playing with sticks
will have to do as a substitute. Further south, in the Bavarian Forest, the silver firs are beginning to blossom. These trees don't start to bloom until they're over 50 years old, and then only every three to five years. The wind spreads the pollen
from the male flowers and pollinates the female. Both grow on the same tree. The female blooms turn into cones. The summer, meanwhile, is providing plenty of activity
on the ground. Wood ants are swarming out into the trees to collect honeydew from their aphids. The ants use their feelers to animate the aphids
to secrete their excrement. The ants then suck up the sticky honeydew and take it back to the nest, providing the woodpecker
doesn't get them first. [woodpecker chirping] In a dead beech tree,
its chicks are waiting to be fed. Their hunger can hardly be sated. It's a good job
the anthill is so close by. As long as it's in the shade,
the ants are sluggish and easy prey for the woodpecker. Food in abundance for the blackbird, too. But the woodpecker
isn't so keen on competition. The warmth of the sun
arouses the ants from their torpor and they rush to defend themselves. Intruders are sprayed
with searing formic acid. Intolerable for the woodpecker, but a joy for the jay. It doesn't even bother to turn up
until the ants get really aggressive. The bird promptly takes
a formic acid shower to free its plumage of pests
and parasites. At some point though,
even the jay has had enough. The German forest is also home to sprites. Red squirrels. Always on the hunt for berries, mushrooms and nuts. Their sharp front teeth
are perfect nutcrackers. Red squirrels come in all shades, from orange to brownish-black. The colors are genetic variations and the animals shed their coats
twice a year. This one is still in its summer look. Squirrels are usually loners and drive rivals out of their territory. It might be a better idea
to steer clear of trouble. There's plenty more food
up in the treetops. Fir cones grow on the branch. They're seldom found on the ground, as they usually fall apart in situ. At 45 meters high, the most famous tree in Germany must be Grandfather Fir
in the Black Forest, a king among trees. Banks of mist in the early morning are evidence of the approach of autumn. In the forests of the Weser Uplands, the red deer are getting ready to mate. The hinds now scarcely have time to graze. The dominant stag
tirelessly rounds up his harem. It has no desire to lose even a single hind to a rival. [deer roars] Usually, roaring is enough
to get the respect it seeks. The stag keeps checking
to see if the hinds are ready to mate, but the time isn't right yet. [deer roaring] Roaring rivals are also making
the alpha stag nervous. [stag roars] Then, a worthy challenger appears. [stag roars] A short test of strength is sufficient. The alpha stag can keep its harem, for the moment. Before the first night frosts, comma, peacock and red admiral butterflies take the opportunity
to fill up with nectar. The signs of autumn are everywhere, fungi in all shapes and colors. This is the time when they expand
their fruiting bodies in order to multiply. The squirrel is collecting
and hiding provisions for the winter. Its pointed snout serves as a drill bit to make the holes it hides the nuts in. They certainly won't be discovered
by other animals, and maybe not even by the squirrel itself. The darker squirrel is harvesting cones. Fir cones seldom reach the ground
by natural means. But if there's a squirrel involved, everything's liable
to get turned on its head. The only thing it has to worry about now is the nimble claws
of its lighter-colored colleague. Fortunately, not all squirrels are fans of the resinous fruit. It takes a bit of practice
to get at the seeds. First, the scales have to be removed. Another forest dweller is also hungry. For sparrowhawks,
squirrels represent a tasty meal. The birds are experts
at woodland obstacle courses. This time, however,
all its agility is in vain. The days are getting shorter
and the deciduous trees are transporting all valuable materials
from their leaves into their trunks, including the chlorophyll
that makes them green. What remains is the carotene that gives the autumn leaves
their familiar color. In autumn, the Palatinate Forest offers an abundance of food for wild boar. Despite being enthusiastically hunted, their numbers show a strong increase. In the extensive woods of sweet chestnut, the fruits are now ripe. The local specialties are a big draw
for the forest dwellers. From the Middle Ages
right through to the 19th century, sweet chestnuts
were the main source of food for the rural poor in the mountainous
regions of Southern Europe. [boar grunts] Wild boar, too,
are nuts about the prickly delicacies, rolling them around
until the fruit falls out of the shell. The sweet chestnuts
make it easy for the boar to cover their daily requirements of up to four kilos of food a day. In the sows sounder, the not yet sexually mature boars
are measuring their strength. At only nine months, they already weigh an impressive 50 kilos. [deer grunts] There's trouble brewing
in the neighborhood. The gladiator enters the mating arena, where every year the fallow deer gather. Each stag has a territory to defend here. Sharpening their weapons
is designed to impress the females. The hinds crowd around the stag
they think is the strongest. The stag, in turn, checks to see
if the hinds are ready to mate by allowing their scent to pass through a special organ in the roof of its mouth, a process known as flehming. [deer grunting] The female's chewing motions signify that it is not yet ready. [deer grunting] But the alpha stag
isn't prepared to give up so easily. In contrast to red deer stags, it doesn't round up a harem. If a female leaves its territory
within the mating arena, it has lost that female for good. This is why it has to demonstrate its strength to both hinds and rivals, graphically if necessary. The first thing the victor needs
is a cooling bath. Courtship is an exhausting process with stags losing
up to 20 percent of their weight. November brings the first frost and the first snowflakes fall
before Christmas. In the higher regions,
like the Harz Mountains, it's now hard
for the wildlife to find food. There's a lot of snow this year, food will be scarce everywhere. In buzzard circles, prey is automatically a source of envy. The birds spread their wings
in an effort to cow their rivals. These two, however,
are a match for each other. And when two quarrel, it's often the third that benefits. [boar squeals] In this case,
it's wild boar that settled the fight. These omnivores possess
one enormous advantage, their sensitive snouts
which can smell out food under 30 centimeters of snow. It's the mating season and while the young ones practice, for the adult boars
things are getting serious. [boars roaring] For the winner
a romantic rendezvous awaits and he prepares himself accordingly, putting on his best scent. The object of his affections seems anything but disinclined. Deep in the south of the country too, in Germany's oldest national park
in the Bavarian Forest, winter now reigns. In the snow,
the roe deers camouflage colors are useless and the animals have attracted
the attention of a predator. A lynx. The red deer are aware of the danger, but the roes seem oblivious. Not being great sprinters, lynxes hunt by ambushing their prey. A tree offers ideal cover. For the red deer,
the situation is getting too risky and they withdraw to safety, which, in turn, sets off the roes. The ambush was successful. For 150 years, lynxes were extinct
in the Bavarian Forest. Since the 1980s, a project to reintroduce them to the wild
in the neighboring Czech Republic has resulted in the animals
returning to Bavaria. The national park is now home to 15 lynx. About 300 kilometers to the north-east, Saxonian Switzerland. The region gained its title
over 200 years ago, when two Swiss artists christened it thus on their postcards home. An anthill is a reliable source of food
even in winter. The male woodpecker has opened it up
to look for larvae. The female, meanwhile,
is seeking insects on a spruce tree. The tree is dead,
thanks to the bark beetles, nutritious nuggets of protein now spending the winter
with their larvae under the bark. Others seek to profit
from the woodpecker's hard work. A treecreeper is hoping
there may be something in it for him. At almost 50 centimeters long, the woodpecker is nearly
five times as big as the songbird, which doesn't have the strength
to peel the bark by itself. It has to take the opportunities
life offers. Even if it means
getting within pecking range of that nasty-looking beak. The woodpecker, however, obviously doesn't see
the treecreeper as competition and tolerates the smaller bird. In the Black Forest,
the hungry wildcat leaves its den. Mice are hard to find
under the blanket of snow, so the cat has to look
for alternative prey. A bird would make a good substitute. [bird chirping] But the bullfinch is tipped off
by a blackbird's warning cry. [bird chirping] A missed opportunity, the cat has to keep looking. In February, the days are getting longer and the sun is slowly gaining in strength. The snow begins to thaw. Wild boar are among the first animals in the year to have offspring. Their piglets are playful and insatiable. [piglets grunting] The sow and her little ones
have left the pack and will stay separated
until the piglets are old enough to follow the sounder. The mortality rate among piglets is high, with only one in ten
reaching the age of four. In particular, the cold and wet
are hard to survive. [piglets grunting] Being born early in the year
does have its advantages. The newborn females
will be sexually mature and able to mate before the next winter. In the Harz Mountains, the last snow dissipates
in the form of mist, turning into steam without melting first. This phenomenon is called sublimation and occurs only under certain
meteorological conditions. The midday sun finally puts an end to the spectacle and dissolves the mist. Black storks have arrived at their regular nesting place
in the Spree Forest and are now courting
and looking for material for their nests. While for white storks clattering
is part of the mating ritual, black storks tend to limit themselves
to high-pitched whistles. [stork whistling] The male does all he can to convince his partner
of his amorousness. In the end, she cannot resist such an abundance of affection. With luck, the storks
will bring up their young here, which would be a welcome rarity, as at the moment only three pairs
breed in the area. In the Black Forest, the wildcat has also had offspring this year. The return of the big cats to German forests is a success story, but one which,
without reintroduction projects and strict protection,
wouldn't have happened. Today, like many other animals, wildcats once again have a home in the forests of Germany.
