The Baltic Coast: Wild Animal Paradise | Free Documentary Nature

the baltic coast line primeval and while some of its inhabitants come from the south others from the north of Europe they all live on the Baltic Sea the islands offer breeding grounds for many kinds of seabird and our islands of hope for other almost extinct species [Music] the caronian spit in Lithuania [Music] the doones some over 70 meters tall are among the highest in Europe like a sickle made of sand the spit separates the open Baltic Sea from the wide Bay of the lagoon a natural dam 98 kilometers long at some points only 400 meters wide [Music] in the lagoon fresh water of the new munis river collects as in a shallow basin three times bigger than lake constance but barely six meters deep it's spring young white-tailed eagles have discovered a dead fish the birds still have their darker adolescent plumage after the long winter the birds begrudge each other even the smallest stupid and bitter squabbles are the result their claws are as sharp as daggers and can cause nasty cuts to intimidate their opponents the birds spread their wings wide fighting Eagles sometimes get so tangled up in each other that they can no longer disengage and both birds die it's clear who the victor is in this battle the caronian spit consists mainly of sand [Music] in the early 17th century the dunes were thickly wooded later the trees were cleared then the sand began to move Baltic Sea wings drove the wandering dunes northwards towards the lagoon burying 14 villages nothing and no one could hold back the constantly shifting sands planting beach grass didn't help not until 1870 when new trees were planted could the dunes be halted by which time the fishing village of meda right on the lagoon had already been moved twice today the caronian pennants follow the breeze once they were attached to the masts of fishing boats now they indicate the wind direction and the fishermen's homes port 60 kilometers further north are the endless sandy beaches of Latvia directly behind the coastal woods lies Lake Papa the swampy former Beach Lake is in many places only 30 centimetres deep over time it would become ever more overgrown with reeds and finally disappear to prevent this large hoofed animals have been introduced into the Nature Reserve to conserve the landscape heck cattle and conics descendants of Europe's last wild horses it is mainly the robust conics that keep the reeds down and dig up their roots in winter which grazing sheep would not be able to [Music] in the meantime large herds have formed that are almost wild and do not need feeding [Music] conics are a primeval race of Polish ponies a barely 1 meter 40 tall they recall tarpans an extinct race of European wild horses it's the end of May the foals are just three weeks old for them trials of strength for still a game for others they're for real a stallion is flaming picking up the scent of the mares soon after giving birth they're ready to mate again then the stallion has become competitors they beat on the ground with their hooves to intimidate their rivals the tension is transmitted to the herd some stallions still bear the scars of earlier confrontations if the warnings are ignored the wild horses begin a grim battle one powerful kick can break bones [Music] the herd is getting restless the mayor on heat is being hustled and chased by several stallions simultaneously all of which want to get as close as possible so that they can father her next fall [Music] the phones fall looks dramatic fortunately it's quickly on its feet again without getting caught under the flying hooves [Music] for now mayor and fall are reunited today the Papa Nature Reserve has a population of over a hundred conics without them the open spaces with their orchids and meadow birds would soon be covered by Woodlands [Music] to the north untouched sandy beaches extend along the Latvian coast wild and uninhabited on the dunes and in the hinterland grows sparse pine woods this is probably how it used to look on the caronian spit conifers and dense blueberry undergrowth in sandy earth low in nutrients the delicate flowers of the round leaved wintergreen smell of lily of the valley the sand carnation prefers dry areas as does the greater butterfly orchid the woods beyond the dunes are home to European Lola's once they were ruthlessly hunted for their plumage today the roller is mostly to be found in southern Europe in the breeding season it prefers a warm dry environment like here in the woods on the Latvian coast mosses and Pixie cups with their red fruit thrive in the barren soil every spring the crow sized rollers return from East Africa to Latvia their most northerly breeding ground with tumbling nosedives the male roller marks the perimeters of its territory perhaps it was this behavior that gave the birds their name to cement their bonds the male gives his mate a wedding present of a cocked a fur rollers mainly eat large beetles crickets and butterflies which are becoming ever rarer in Europe one reason why these birds are also becoming more scarce in the 1970s the Baltic had a population of thousands of rollers now only 20 pairs breed in Latvia anxiously monitored by ornithologists the present has the desired effect unable to make their own lists holes rollers depend on finding disused dwellings of other birds thanks to the rings fitted by ornithologists we know that the oldest Latvian roller has been nesting here for 27 years slippery plastic foil is a barrier against predators plundering the eggs nesting boxes have been attached to the trees far enough apart to prevent pine martens from getting at them Latvian nature conservationists use every trick in the book to keep these colorful birds coming back [Music] Europe's largest species of cat also brings up its young here with a population of around 500 in that fear the Lynx about three weeks ago a mother animal gave birth to her offspring under a fallen tree the Cubs was born with hair but only opened its eyes a few days ago now it wants to find out more about the outside world under the strict supervision of its mother of course she will suckle her cub for ten weeks within a few days the young Lynx will be eating meat and at the age of six or seven months undertake its first attempts at hunting next year Carbon mother will go their separate ways [Music] [Music] first steps to independence for the mother however enough curiosity is enough if a gentle nudge doesn't have the desired affected getting a little one to go back only a gentle bite in the neck area will help and at once the cub goes into Karim emo motionless the cub hangs from its mother's mouth allowing it to be transported painlessly the best place for it at the moment is deep inside the cozy den Western Latvia which extends to the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Riga is called cozinha the coast is lined by dune woods and long sandy beaches which are deserted even ants [Music] occasionally steep cliffs of clay up to 30 meters high tower over the beach in many places they're peppered with holes tunneled by sand Martin's Europe's smallest species of swallow has just returned from Africa in pairs the birds check if the old holes in the cliff face are still suitable for nesting Sand Martins are gregarious birds and congregate in large flocks even away from breeding grounds this colony is home to about 500 pairs they're nesting tunnels all as long as a human arm rising towards the end and opening out into a nesting area upholstered with grass and feathers this pair has found a suitable holes but they're too late the nesting tube is already taken and the occupants have no intention of giving it up the other tubes also have crowns of interested potential tenants and those Martens already in possession in the hole should on no account leave their new home unguarded beyond the beach Korra's eomer is characterized by expansive Meadows rich in species along with the occasional farm [Music] [Music] in mid-june when the cuckoo can be heard calling the fields glow with the bright flowers of the ragged Robin and the field cow Pete Marsh orchids are in bloom The Meadows are inhabited by some impressive insects like the rose gold beetle without such colorful blooms and blossoms that veers most important festival of the year could not be celebrated midsummer night [Music] the day before when the Sun is at its highest all over the country flowers are picked according to legend the healing powers of grasses and flowers collected on herb day are particularly effective [Music] during the summer the anteater bird is active in the greenery the wryneck it's searching for ants available here in abundance it's six centimeter long sticky tongue is ideal for fishing out insects and larvae its chicks are almost fully fledged and are waiting in an old fruit tree rhynocs usually live in tree holes or old woodpecker nests eleven chicks are waiting to be fed every day the parents have to deliver ten thousand ant larvae to fill their hungry beaks the wryneck takes its name from its ability to turn its head more than 180 degrees which it does either when performing mating rituals or when it feels threatened the meadows in cosima are also home to Elks in 1998 there were still eight thousand in Latvia but their numbers are shrinking winters in the Baltic are becoming warmer and shorter meaning that plants are starting to grow earlier in the year and when they young Elks eat their first herbs they're no longer as nutritious old greens aren't as easy to digest but the result that the calves grow more slowly and have a harder time getting through the winter this may be one reason that the elk population is falling it is midsummer on farms all over the country flowers are being woven into Garland's such headdresses are not only designed to protect humans from evil animals and buildings are also decorated some farmsteads offer shelter for particular animals the Hoopoe has made its nest in a crack in a wall [Music] like the rollers they live mainly on large insects such as mole crickets the chicks are fed for 30 days in the nest then for another week outside before they leave the farmstead the wooded dunes of ZM open location of Latvia's most beautiful beaches [Music] the shortest night of the year the summer solstice begins the locals celebrate with singing and dancing on the beach traditionally the men wear oak leaves in their hair while the women decorate themselves with Garland's of flowers the celebrations continue on the beach until sunset thereafter in the farmsteads until the small hours No [Music] sunrise of a cape kaga in Latvia [Music] the tip of the Cape is where the Baltic Sea meets the bay of Riga 30 kilometers further north lies Estonia land of the fifteen hundred and twenty-one islands [Music] most of them are minut but still highly desirable resting places four baltic grey seals for instance a hundred years ago there were more than 100,000 here they were driven almost to extinction by fishermen worried about too much competition adult gray seals need an average of 10 kilos of fish a day even fast fish like salmon or cod a no problem for the agile seals since no longer being hunted they have lost their shyness and their numbers have increased again nowadays the northern Baltic is home to more than 20,000 grey seals occasionally a few young seals even turn up on the German coast where they have long since ceased to be native this seal in Estonia's Ville sandy National Park knows where it's going far out to sea there's an old wreck [Music] the perfect spot for gray seals it combines a remote hunting ground with a Sun Deck to chill but sadly the REC is no longer an inside tip [Applause] in this way the fishermen have created a place in the Sun for their old ridings Island number fifteen hundred and twenty-two in the estonian baltic sea two-thirds of the va's and a national park lie in the sea and consists of more than 150 islands and islets ideal for grey seals to Sun themselves on [Music] some are nesting places for colonies of birth for Caspian turns for example the biggest in Europe with a wingspan of almost one and a half meters the first chicks have already hatched and are now waiting impatiently for fresh fish almost 60 pairs of terns nest on the island the parents brood ultimately for about three weeks often there's only about a meter of room between nests which can lead to trouble with the neighbors the chicks only eat fish after several patient attempts the fat morsel is finally delivered to the hungry offspring living in a colony has its advantages in times of danger all the birds take off at once which puzzles predators and distracts them from the chicks in the nests [Music] this time however it was a false alarm the turns were confused by a passing Swan [Music] in summer the gray seals love to just lie around and doze and a son they've started molting because their skin cells are now suffused with blood their coat itches [Applause] at this time of year the seals need the warmth of the Sun if they had to spend all day in the water because of the molt they would lose a lot of heat the rocks in the mills and a national park are thus highly sought after the last warm rays at the end of the day are particularly desirable those as yet without a rock now try their luck with subterfuge the current occupant can twist and turn as it likes its colleague in the water is so pushy that at some point it simply gives in [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Estonia the land of violence [Music] the 50-meter hi Sara lighthouse stands at the southernmost tip of Saaremaa the biggest island in the country just 40,000 people live in an area the size of Luxembourg the panga cliff with its 20 meter high escarpment [Music] an impressive wall of limestone it stretches through the whole of northern Estonia and can be seen particularly well here [Music] the limey soil is perfect for rare plants [Music] the oakwoods at Lord ed are home to 14 different kinds of orchid Lady's Slipper is especially abundant it can take 10 or even 15 years for an orchid to flower the slipper like bloom is a trap for insects lured by scent and color there's only one way out and when they find it the insects automatically pollinate the orchid unspoiled habitat Christine's dreams at the end of the 1990s the neighboring island of humor was the scene of a very special conservation project here the European mink was given a chance of survival there are now only about a thousand left in Europe after the animal had been hunted for centuries for its fur its habitat cultivated by man and rivers straightened there are unspoiled streams on humor where the mink can hunt small rodents fish and crustaceans along the banks and crevices and among tree roots the mink dig out dens where they give birth the litter of five six or sometimes as many as ten babies a tiny at birth weighing less than 10 grams they only open their eyes after five weeks that European mink have been born on humor as a major success American mink were farmed for years for their silky coats and escapees from the farms had driven out the weaker local mink at the end of the 1990s nature conservationists caught all the American mink on humor and reintroduced the European species which has been able to multiply ever since [Music] autumn is approaching the Elks arrived at their rotten grounds [Music] [Music] for more than 500 years the lighthouse at kuku on humor has shown Mariners the way along the tricky coastline the bishop's castle in chorus ara on sorry ma was built in 1381 and is one of the best-preserved medieval city doors in the Baltic [Music] [Music] on the mainland east of Tallinn lies the LaHaye my national park the land of the bays [Music] the coast is marked by hundreds of rocks and boulders every year thousands of cranes stopover here the huge boulders offer shelter from wind and waves flying is a thirsty business as the seawater this far north contains scarcely any salt the cranes can drink it without qualms the birds spend the night in knee-deep water that way they're safe from predators like foxes or wild boars while some take an extended path others stick their necks out to make sure the coast is clear the more watchful eyes the better if an Eagle attacked for instance they would sound the alarm and close ranks [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] late comers join their fellow cranes until late in the night [Music] [Applause] [Music] as dawn breaks the older and younger birds gather their strength one more time and then take off together [Applause] cranes are early risers the first birds leave before dawn and then give the signal for the others to follow [Applause] they have a long journey before them they're heading for the Bosphorus and then Egypt back to Latvia in the Bay of Riga far offshore stands the lighthouse of Cape Cod car [Music] we're the open baltic sea meets the bay of riga lies the sleet at a national park here the brown more water of the arabic flows into the baltic sea [Music] the rivers sand banks changed their position from year to year [Music] in late autumn fish move up the herbart to lay their eggs [Music] brown trout while swimming upstream they live on their reserves of fat related to the salmon the fish cover up to 40 kilometres a day they're emaciated when they reached the spawning area the females dig a trench with their tail fins in which to lay their eggs closely followed by the males who then fertilize the eggs in contrast to salmon the fish do not die after performing their arduous Trek would swim back to the sea to return again next year the bar-tailed Godwit have come down from the northern Tundra they use their long beaks to extract sand hoppers from the shore one more rest then they'll fly south for the winter and leave the Baltic coasts to the autumn storms which are already brewing the water boils in gale force winds what Evers on the seabed is churned up by the waves dislodging seaweed and crustaceans much to the pleasure of the done lives [Music] when the winds pick up they stir up the sediment which is rich in amber [Music] on the morning after the storm in smitten Asst head of the Papa Lake Nature Reserve sets out to uphold an age-old tradition using a landing net he fishes seaweed out of the drift line in which he hopes his booty has also become trapped yNN's is in luck Amba was once a valuable trading article and stood for wealth and power the baltic gold was formed from the resin that used to flow from prehistoric trees [Music] the subtropical climate there's been a thing of the past for the last 40 million years it's turned cold winter has arrived [Music] snow now covers the baltic coast [Music] the woods beyond the dunes have new visitors from Russia when it gets too chilly over there great gray owls migrate to the baltic from its vantage point the owl can even hear my scurrying about under half a meter of snow a striking garland of feathers concentrates sounds and channels them to the Owls sensitive ears the great gray owl hunts even by day it's soft fringed feathers enable it to fly almost silently even if it's only to take up a better vantage point [Music] from cape kaga in latvia to the estonian island world the Baltic Sea is now freezing over almost completely February in many places the sea has been replaced by stacks of pack ice below lie the gray seals nurseries sheltered from the icy wind thanks to this trick gray seals can give birth even in the Arctic Ocean their presence in the Estonian Baltic is the most southerly in the world [Music] the mother seal has been away hunting for powers well camouflaged by its white fur the pup waits for her return as soon as the mother pops her head out of the ice the pup slithers off its hungry the mother seal is busy keeping her breathing hole open suddenly the baby falls in a potentially lethal situation the pups coat is not yet waterproof and it has also not yet eaten enough to provide a layer of insulating fat fortunately sufficiently strong to clamber out again by itself the mother uses her powerful claws to keep the hole open even though the surrounding ice is more than two meters thick due to global warming in some years the ice on the Baltic Sea melts earlier a dangerous development for the seals if the ice disappears too quickly the pups will freeze to death in the icy water mother seals suckle their young for five to eight weeks with extremely nutritious milk the pups put on two kilos a day their growth is a race against time as soon as the ice melts they'll have to look after themselves [Music] to the north of the island of saaremaa the Baltic stays ice-free the cliffs and craggy bays of the coast the broad beaches and wooded dunes are blanketed in snow and will remain so until well into spring in winter a nursery for polar animals in summer a breeding ground for southern Europeans in all seasons the coasts of the Baltic are a paradise for rare animals [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

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Rating: 4.7534332 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Documentary, Wild Animals, Baltic Coast, North East Europe, Baltic Sea, Estonia, Latvia, lithuania, Amber Coast, curonian spit, konik, Koniki Horses, Ringed Seals, Seals, Seal Documentary, Wild Life, animal documentary, animal documentary 2020, full documentary, nature, Wild Baltic

Id: MNnVC3oPZC8

Length: 48min 0sec (2880 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 12 2020