The Resurrection of the Vipper (Germany's Wild Amazon) | Go Wild

[Music] this river is unique [Music] 116 kilometers teeming with life the Untamed voper the home of innumerable fantastic species both in and around the water [Music] this has a stage for all the facets Nature has to offer almost like it's South American cousin the Amazon this is a special River in the burgish land the heart of the western part of Germany thank you [Music] the vulpa the pulsing artery of the burgish land but it was not always well cared for by people the Moonstone a bridge and the world famous suspended monorail in vopatal still bear witness to determined entrepreneurial efforts to take control of Nature and the countryside in the Middle Ages it was the Dukes of berg who resided in the castle called schlossborg these Dukes kept a watchful eye on the River of upper for good reason in those days the 13th century the crystal clear unsullied Waters of the river were a plentiful source of tasty fish [Music] to their excellent quality trout and salmon from the river were particularly coveted north of cologne the vupa joins the Rhine by this time it will have meandered 116 kilometers from its source in the southern part of the zawa land shrouded in myths according to Legend a gnome King plunged his staff into the ground here and cast a spell over the source [Music] the marshy undergrowth with its Myriad of rivulets encourages the myth of the river's magical Origins we may have no evidence of Enchanted princes but there are still plenty of enchanting amphibians around as spring breaks the pregnant European Fire Salamanders come out of their winter hiding places this female has found a suitable place to give birth to her larvae foreign the babies are independent [Music] the Fire Salamanders live on land but the females will find their way to water to give birth to their larvae [Music] after a few months spent living in the water the larvae will metamorphos into young salamanders and leave the streams [Music] the striped salamanders feel particularly at home on the soft Mossy cushions in the damp called deciduous Woods that line the vopper [Music] their seldom seen as openly as this though because despite being slightly poisonous Fire Salamanders do have predators [Music] for example [Music] foreign spotted Orchid is often called The vupa Orchid here on the Upland Moors near burlinghausen is the source of the vopper a veritable refuse for rare plants and animals a place steeped in its own Magic [Music] with its colorful fauna and Flora the Cradle of the vupa is one of the most beautiful Wetland habitats in the baggish land and is even a nature Conservation Area more than 30 Springs feed into this young River the cold water with its high oxygen content is packed with insect larvae and water fleas ideal feeding conditions for the Great Crested newt foreign this particular species has become rare in other locations [Applause] spring fever does not only affect frogs and dragonflies beginning of May is also the breeding season for grass snakes this snake wedding is a phenomenon rarely observed after mating the two go their separate ways again the male has now done his duty in mating with the female thank you the swamp Woods close to the river are just what these snakes who love water really relish later on in the summer the females will lay up to 50 soft-shelled eggs in the muddy soil the heat generated by decomposition is enough to hatch the eggs after around one and a half months around the stream below the source are meadows this is one of the rainiest parts of Germany there's no shortage of water here in the upper reaches the bed of the stream is very much the way Nature Made It [Music] at this point the river in its early stages is still called the vipper rather than the buffer a linguistic shift developing River drops rapidly from its source 441 meters above sea level at this rate of current the grass snake keeps well into the bank it doesn't like fast-flowing water at all but on the other hand there is prey in reach [Applause] the grass snake likes nothing better to eat than a water frog foreign akes are non-venomous but they have very powerful jaws and this one is going to make a meal of the large frog further Downstream lies the breeding ground of a pair of Kingfishers the gentleman is in the process of getting ready for today's big event his lady friend has appeared from inside the nesting hole he aims to make this little lady happy just have to pick up a little present that helps to cement the relationship [Music] attractive Hunter is the master of his trade this is why he has a family it's important to hold the fish in such a way that she can take it by the head first he seems to have done everything right in the nesting hole the chicks are calling because they're hungry and the next course is on its way down here below ground the chicks are safe from most predators and Cloud bursts which can be dramatic here in the burgish land the vopper and the weather are a constant topic of conversation and not only an academic one [Music] thank you [Music] in some parts of the region average annual rainfall can be 1400 liters per square meter possibly a record in Germany [Music] nature is prepared for this [Music] [Music] when the heavens open the water can't simply soak in now the peaceful hilly region River becomes a raging torrent [Music] have no great concern to the chaffinch and yellowhammer [Music] as soon as the high water has subsided the latent power of the vipper becomes evident [Music] wild and unpredictable but also peaceful and romantic this artery flowing through the burgish land has many facets the white-throated Dipper is well able to deal with the waves on the vipper wide-throated Dippers are the only indigenous songbirds that hunt their prey on the bed of a river caddisfly larvae are an absolute culinary highlight of these feathered Predators the cases of the larvae have a very resilient structure but are no protection against this sharp beak Dippers crisscross the bed of the river partly swimming partly walking they disappear and then suddenly appear again somewhere else like a goblin [Music] the fruit-growing regions of the baggish land well known throughout Germany are home to a different kind of goblin The squirrel-tailed Dormouse wastes no time in discovering the rich choice of fresh fruit close to the river [Music] as an accomplished climber he will devour almost anything from bark and leaves to eggs and fledglings but a ripe apple is a real delicacy [Music] the summer is drawn to a close and Autumn is approaching [Music] a contemplative calm settles over the course of the river and yet nature is not yet ready to sleep [Music] in the neighboring Woods numerous shy and not so shy residents are highly active there is much to do along the Riverbanks for the wild boar body contact is in demand during the siesta [Music] if you roll around in the mud your skin is likely to itch sometimes but the plentiful supply of acorns beech nuts and other tidbits and a marshy ground are evidently worth such minor discomfort [Applause] in the river itself there is considerable activity even if this is hardly noticeable at first glance from a distance the Grayling are swimming in the current these are now the most important fish species in the vipper and they're a river trout close to the bank something is moving a neat cut with the egg tooth and the young grass snake is able to leave the leathery shell of his egg [Music] the last few days in September [Music] the black Spruce are guaranteeing their next generation the puff ball and other mushrooms are busy spreading their spores [Music] everywhere mushrooms are thrusting their heads upwards which is acts give rise to Common stinkhorn and Australian octopus stinkhorn the greater red slug knows exactly what treats the mushroom season brings [Music] November in the vipper the sun-dependent algae now die off the European catfish is out hunting it must be this burbot's lucky day [Music] the mouse eared back have made a disused ore mine from the 19th century their upside down home in this frost-free Subterranean Retreat the temperature and humidity remain virtually constant ideal winter quarters [Music] the high level of moisture in the air prevents the surroundings drying out foreign Countryside on the other hand moisture is causing a mystical metamorphosis in the river and plant world [Music] a sudden drop in temperature is forcing many to seek Refuge under the crystalline canopy in a silent wintry world [Music] oh [Music] the robin can't afford to be choosy [Music] for most of the inhabitants of the woods hard times are approaching especially those that are having to cope without their preferred moderately tempered homes foreign check between the white cushion covered Banks the vipper is holding out against the winter but only just [Music] a red fox out hunting mice its fine senses locate the next meal under the snow if a competitor encroaches on Reynard the fox's territory there's trouble the rules are well defined as the Victor he takes what is now his even though it's a poor reward the frost is beginning to take over the river but the stream does not want to give in voluntarily to the icy clutches when the last open stretches finally freeze over such fishing experts as the gray Heron will have to find other waters for the Buzzard this will also probably be the last chance for a fish supper [Music] anchor ice is developing a rare natural phenomenon that has not been seen here for decades The Vapor usually Nimble and lighter foot is freezing from the inside outwards to avoid the deep snow this secretive animal swings from tree to tree in search for food hardly visible during the periods of lush vegetation is highly noticeable In The Bleak winter Woodlands raccoons originated in North America but have become firmly established in the baggish land [Music] as an omnivore this newcomer is not very choosy but he does enjoy a nice trout one year Blends into the next the winter releases its hold ly but surely the countryside brings forth New Life [Music] [Applause] on the first warm day a pair of Greater spotted woodpeckers appears while he visits himself with building a home she demolishes a rotten branch in her search for hidden insects we are now at the beginning of March and the wedding season for common frogs common frogs spawn earlier than all the other amphibians the female will lay up to 4 500 eggs in one or two gelatinous masses [Music] Partners will usually come together in the water spring awakens and the water Meadows around the viperfort area from here on the river is called the vupa as the sun warms the countryside a feeling of optimism takes hold of the river the Grayling are affected by spring fever the males with their flag-like Dorsal fins are attempting to win the favors of the female one of them has been successful She lays her eggs in a Gravelly depression and covers them with sand despite the peaceful appearance of the vopper along this section Springtime on the Riverbanks can be a time of stress for many of the inhabitants [Music] [Applause] [Music] these Fox Cubs have been allowed outside their Earth but they're made to stay in the immediate vicinity of their parents Earth but still great fun for the Cubs but less so for the vixen thank you [Music] the spotted woodpecker parents have their beaks full keeping their young fed [Music] high up in a beech tree young black woodpeckers are waiting for their breakfast mum delivers on time [Music] a barn owl crosses the vopper which has by now reached impressive Dimensions it meanders snake-like between the hills and through the baggish land [Music] Guided by natural or re-naturalized river banks with numerous quiet backwaters the wupper has proved to be a paradise for many animal and plant communities both above and below the water [Music] thank you the submerged floral world of the vupa reservoir is a Mystic one the Undisputed lord of the territory is a ghostly giant a one meter European catfish [Music] these Predators can reach a length of three meters foreign [Music] this particular caring father is keeping a watchful eye on the spawn this is a mysterious Sinister World a place the catfish likes to frequent because the thick vegetation provides excellent cover although he's normally to be found at the bottom of the reservoir this giant of a fish is partial to unwary swimming water Birds the coot must be careful this pair have built themselves a floating Castle from branches and twigs the children left alone at home after only three or four days cooked chicks can leave the nest [Music] despite being mature so early they still have something to learn when it comes to eating the parents share the tasks of nest building brooding and bringing up the young together [Music] they may be courageous and Keen to explore but it will take around eight weeks before they're independent of their parents feeding [Applause] the dab chicks are extremely busy looking after their young [Music] if danger threatens they're allowed to hitch a ride on the parents back but laziness is not to be tolerated the family feels safe in the shallow water close to the reeds these two crested grieve are in the process of planning a family [Music] tools company threes a crowd but the problem is soon solved these two have come to an agreement [Music] mating takes place on the waterbed this Nest is floating and lightly anchored [Music] when it Dives the crested green controls movement with its fin-like feet he's out hunting besides slugs and insect larvae he most appreciates fish the little water shrew was equally at home on land and underwater [Music] it's a most accomplished diver [Music] its main praise fish but it will also catch invertebrate mollusks which it stuns with its toxic saliva [Music] its high rate of metabolism requires it to eat more every day than its own body weight [Music] it comes to this the 20 gram featherweights turn out to be energetic Fighting Machines [Music] [Applause] [Music] lesser fighting machine than an eating machine the grub of a cop chaifer sees daylight for the first time after spending several years underground this is also an inhabitant of the bumper Banks [Music] the aid of his sensitive scent detectors he soon finds a female but this female is not interested she's hungry [Music] in the woods beside the bank the fox Cubs have sneaked out of the earth to play the mother is obviously away [Music] foreign [Music] they will come out during daylight hours it's hardly possible to fool around in the restricting Earth hide and seek is only really fun during daytime at the latest after 10 months this will have to cease then there will be adults and have to be more careful [Music] before they transform into strictly nocturnal Predators the young cubs are thoroughly enjoying a life without responsibilities in the sunny Woods by the voper [Music] the vupa Reservoir built between 1974 and 1987 to help regulate high water levels this Reservoir is a complete world of its own [Music] in 1989 the Hamlet of cravenkel was submerged the remains of the buildings are now on the floor of the reservoir before it was flooded everything in the village was thoroughly cleared up there are unlikely to be any Treasures left to find here today the catfish are the Lords over these old walls before the waters flooded everything tall buildings were knocked down but there are still a few aids to orientation stop as if from nowhere suddenly a pike perch appears he obviously feels this diver is an intruder this male is defending his spawn [Music] his teeth are impressive in the meantime a perch feasts on the distracted Pike perches spawn these fish and others have become well established in the artificial Lake after the valley was flooded the water had to be restocked with fish the fish could not repopulate the river naturally from Downstream because the dam blocked their way nobody had to restock these wherever there are fish there will soon be cormorants contrast to ducks cormorants feathers soak up water this enables them to dive very efficiently where they are successful underwater Hunters they are the sworn adversaries of fish farmers and many Anglers [Music] there are two nesting colonies of these fish catchers around the vupa reservoir to convince the female of inherent qualities the male bats his wings presents his beak and spreads his tail feathers the method works as we can see foreign the couple will be brooding over three or four eggs the vopper is also home to True everyday feathered Heroes this white-throated Dipper for example that will Traverse walls of water for its children [Music] concealed in The Woodlands by the river is an ornithological highlight it takes an expert to recognize that these Downy Nest inhabitants are in fact young black storks [Music] these rare timid woodland birds are only to be found in a few places in Germany here by the vupa they find ideal conditions not until late in the summer will they migrate to Africa in search of warmer climes the smaller Reservoir near Bayern Borg was built in 1953 to regulate high water levels today it's a paradise for Canada geese and other waterfowl [Music] Canada geese originate from North America but have established themselves well beside the vopra [Music] the parents and their young exhibit tremendous appetites as they feed on the fresh vegetation of The vopper Meadows [Music] the African Egyptian goose must be The Offspring of escaped Zoo inhabitants [Music] whether they are classified as migrants or indigenes it makes no difference and the baumburg reservoir the various waterfowl all feel completely at home [Music] [Applause] [Music] tufted ducks on the other hand are true Europeans the species has been spreading further southwards [Music] Cox have got into a dispute and are solving it by kickboxing on The Meadows close to the vopper gray herons go hunting for frogs and other small animals [Music] the Heron populations have increased considerably there are now several colonies of these large gray Birds on this section of the river [Music] town the town on the vopper has forced the river into a tight corset [Music] above the rivers the world famous suspended monorail it also crosses the island where the courthouse is thanks to re-naturalization activities by the authorities this is a Bridgehead of nature there are now Grayling living in this part of the vooper again after a long absence a sign of excellent water quality however despite the Green Banks the vupa in vopatal is still an urban River [Music] go a few kilometers Downstream and things are far different koipu have made the vopper their home [Music] normally the South American rodents are to be found by the Amazon since around 1930 The Offspring of a few escaped fur Farm detainees are to be found in Germany many of them will not survive a really tough winter [Music] the vopper the Amazon of the burgish land purified of sewage and treated vapor water is once again the elixir of life even the noble crayfish once thought extinct is reproducing again here the mating of these small-scale lobsters is a spectacle that raises hopes no sign any more of what used to be more a cesspool than a river today the course of the river vopper is one of the most beautiful countryside elements in the region the many species of dragonflies make full use of heavily overgrown quiet back waters for their courtship and egg laying foreign [Music] but many aquatic plants are not as harmless as they appear [Music] [Applause] the bladder word looks soft and filigree but it's extremely dangerous for such small creatures as water fleas it uses special bladder-like traps to suck in plankton-like organisms and digest them [Music] in The Woodlands close to the river we can also find eagle owls [Music] this female eagle owl has chicks her simple Nest depression is in a nearby niche in the rocks [Music] children are always hungry to keep their insatiable chicks fed it's even necessary for these nocturnal Hunters to go out in the daylight foreign an at this point the Valley of the vapor is crossed by Germany's highest Railway Bridge the 107 meter high moonstone abroker at the foot of this bridge called locally the baggage Eiffel Tower badgers have dug themselves a set in the hill thank you a rare occurrence Badgers during daylight hours [Music] as a rule these stocky animals are only nocturnal [Music] it's very much as if the afternoons playtime is drawn to a close a plan not supported by the young Badger cub [Music] mother has given in again it'll be evening soon anyway [Music] as Darkness Falls this colossal steel construction becomes the stage for a Mystic but beautiful activity [Music] this is when the nocturnal spirits in the neighboring Rocky walls of the rubber Valley wake up around the vupa there are 10 to 15 different species of bats one of these is dorbenton's bat [Music] up in the rafters of a nearby Barn there's nervous expectancy email mausiad bats ready to give birth [Music] this one is ready a baby mouse head bat appears in the darkness of its mother's summer quarter [Music] initially baby bats are naked and blind but still strong enough to hold tight and seek the teats [Music] the morning after now we take our leave of the bridge close to the castle schlossborg the vupa shows its original nature the fast-flowing water is rich in oxygen like in the Middle Ages as the Dukes of berg watched suspiciously from the high walls of the castle to guard their well-stocked River [Music] but it was not only fish they were interested in crayfish were also popular but they were wiped out later by the crayfish plague the American replacement has caused many problems the Dukes of bag would probably have been in two minds about this one they might have been pleased that the foreign Invader was eating up the undesirable crayfish but they would also have been concerned that the raccoon loves to hunt the newly returned trout and they are no doubt as delicious now as they were 800 years ago balkhauser cotton can look back over a 500-year heritage Cutlery and Blades Workshop now a museum demonstrates today how the world famous blades from zolingen were Ground using water power [Music] on the bed of the river in front of balkhauser cotton large freshwater mussels filter tiny organisms and other nutrients from the Waters of the vopa as it plows its way through the riverbed it turns up tiny particles that it can then eat the bitterling male has chosen this muscle as the backdrop for his wedding [Music] Central Point is the aperture through which the muscle sucks in water from which it obtains oxygen and food [Music] the meantime the bitterling male has been able to attract a female to his muscle the female extends her long ovipositor into the mantle cavity of the muscle and deposits her eggs there while he ejects his sperm into the muscles inherent water current fertilization takes place within the host [Music] at Viber cotton there is the last opportunity to watch the knife grinding that shaped the baggish region in real life laughs it's nearly time for the worktop to close but nobody even thinks about what's happening in front of the building in the shallows [Music] the night shift has arrived at the voper and they have plans for the pike it's just business as usual but the eel has a remarkable plan foreign heavily moist nights are good for eels the Weir across the river prevents them getting to the upper reaches but for an eel this is not an obstacle as long as The Meadows on the bank are wet enough it Glides smoothly around such obstacles over land by Daybreak though it ought to be back in the water otherwise the early Heron catches the eel [Music] they are also usually active at Twilight or in the night little ringed plovers interestingly the only plumbers that breed on Germany's Rivers the sparrow-sized birds need sand banks or gravel banks for their well-being the vopper can offer even these foreign for many fish this is the end of the line hardly any migrating fish can get past here sea trout in particular gather below this Weir fortunately there are suitable spawning grounds here tagged salmon have been noted in increasing numbers a sure sign that the fish introduced into the vupa years ago have found their way home after migrating through the oceans [Music] a fairy tale River with many facets a key River for both people and nature in the baggish land thank you the return of the trout to Borg is as much a vopper miracle as the returning salmon that are now spawning again in the re-naturalized river the vopper today has developed so many fascinating sides that one may be forgiven for giving it the nickname the Amazon of the baggish Land There can surely be no greater compliment for this small but gigantic River [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: Go Wild

Views: 48,025

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, wildlife, free documentary, watch full documentary, nature films, wildlife films, go wild, nature, natura

Id: HUuDJRJF-6I

Length: 51min 24sec (3084 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 01 2023