Wild Harz: The Secret Life of Germany's Northern Mountains | Full Documentary

[Applause] [Music] a forest silent and [Music] mysterious one that guards its Treasures well [Music] rare birds overhead high up between dense Treetops a region closely linked with Legends and myths tales and [Music] truths but more than anything else it is a refuge for many animals [Music] the hearts a natural Jewel covering some 770 square miles what exactly makes this area so special to which the rare lyx has also returned [Music] shrouded in mist and darkness this is how Germany's northernmost mountain range often presents [Music] itself a rough Wilderness Windswept by violent galeforce storms shaped by Cold Winters and Arctic temperatures food becomes scarce for many [Music] animals in the hearts deer must be especially attentive a rare Hunter is on their Trail Road deer are the main course on the diet plan of the lyns they are not in safety until they reach the open field and he loses out a lynx never chases its prey it stalks it out in the open there is no chance nowhere else in Germany are there as many links currently around 90 of them are living here timid loners that we seldom notice winter holds the hearts in a tight grip trees bent with their snow loads remind one of tussled Mountain Spirits to hike here is to enter an enchanted [Music] kingdom the hearts is famous for its surprising weather changes in the high altitudes sprues are completely iced over from up here the world appears to be miniature at 3,600 ft the summit of the brocken is often host to the winter until [Music] April the higher altitude udes are densely forested and 2,700 Square ft of them are protected by one of Germany's largest Forest National [Music] Parks for weeks temperatures rarely climb above freezing point but eventually the power of the sun can no longer be curbed and the mountains release their water [Music] loads slowly winter lifts off its white [Music] blanket beneath the last snow a fox senses mice led by his fine hearing [Music] capabilities he my sleep draws the attention of a [Music] robu he doesn't want a fox on his [Music] territory now even at altitudes above 2,300 ft the the snow blanket begins to reveal gaps small meltwater pools are created grass frogs are on their way to their spawning pools the robust amphibians have even made it to the [Music] summit it's time for those still without a female partner to do something about [Music] it they have to cling on to someone no matter what the dark males are real powerhouses with strong arms and tight [Music] calves frog wrestling here everything's allowed [Music] Levering strangling [Music] obviously the old Pig here and there grass frogs are quick Off the Mark in 2 to 3 days their eggs are fertilized and the the show is [Music] [Music] over spring has finally made it to the hearts the courtship choruses of robins and nut hatches ring throughout the [Music] forest and a kind of barking this sound has him listening intently a young Lynx just 3 years old roams about his territory which in the hearts region can be anything up to 135 square miles characteristic calls magically attract him links are actually loners but at the end of March The Mating Season the male searches for a partner and therefore follows the distant call but something is unusual about this Rondevu the female Lynx rubs herself against a tree her scent informs the male of her Readiness to mate but all of her Amorous efforts are thwarted by a fence as she lives in an [Music] enclosure in a similar place not far from here the return of the links to the hearts has begun the cat was wiped out throughout Germany from 2000 to 2006 24 links from wild parks were initially familiarized with the new environment and then released into the hearts and now he wishes to [Music] reproduce the female Lynx is only in mating mood for a few days but she cannot leave her enclosure she is infertile and is no longer able to hunt in the forest she wouldn't stand a [Music] [Music] chance the male is tasting the air a special organ in his oral cavity enables him to perceive a female scent more intensively than with his [Music] nose both may like one another's smell but don't seem to [Music] fit he will have to look for another partner his chances are pretty good in the meantime more than 50 fertile lynxes are currently roaming the [Music] hearts at the beginning of April the last Brown of the winter gives way to the green of [Music] spring initially in the lower elevations and at the edge of the [Music] mountains the distinctive scent of wild garlic wafts around the still young Beach leaves in the lower Hearts Offspring is on its [Music] way 10 days before birth muflon mothers isolate themselves from the pack as soon as the Lambs are 4 days old they return together at theend the end of April the little ones are already 4 weeks old muons arrived in the hearts around 100 years ago the wild sheep originally came from Sardinia and Corsica and were settled there explicitly for hunting purposes around 600 of them now live in the Eastern Hearts the youngsters are all gathered in the pack time to [Music] play the older animals are stimulated by the exuberance of the little [Music] ones [Music] headbutts and trials of strength swiftly determine the [Music] ranking movement makes you hungry the Lambs are suckled for around 5 months the pack moves on a small mlon has missed his connection a lynx his only enemy here is close by [Music] perhaps he failed to notice the little lamb or perhaps he is no longer hungry the lynxes are doing well in the hearts all territories are occupied some of the big cats are already beginning to leave the mountains on their way to new forests they have to cross fields and meadows as well as Villages and roads this lyns is resting in a hedge row surrounded by [Applause] Fields unnoticed and apparently unimpressed by the noise of a tractor although we rarely catch a glimpse of the big cats they sometimes use territories in the immediate vicinity of humans the lynx wouldn't stay in areas like this but he can and must cross this border on his way to new territories but just what keeps him here and in the daytime this Crow has known why for some time the lynx has hidden his prey close by Road deer are plentiful between the fields but the prey shouldn't be so easy to find especially with crows and magpies in the area in true Link's manner he eats the deer from behind the annoying scers wait for their chance as long as his prey lasts he will keep hidden close by then move on this Lynx will sometime perhaps far from here establish a new territory Rising fog mysterious natural phenomena have always inspired the people of the Bewitched mountains it's the 30th of April [Music] all witches are supposed to gather on this day on the summit of the brocken an ancient belief made famous by gtis [Music] F there are many myths and Relics of pgon days Falcon Stein castle 900 years old and never conquered it rests on a Rocky Ridge high above the S Valley the selia is one of the most beautiful rivers of the region though anything but the only [Music] one Oka in of the bord dozens spring from here and have created inaccessible valleys the white-throated Dipper feels good here raging floods are its territory the imminent fledglings are very hungry Dippers are the only song birds that can both swim and dive in the currents the parents search for insect Lara crustations or [Music] snails to be able to raise their 4 to six chicks both birds fly to the nest more than 3,000 times every day the parents also dispose of the feces of their offspring which are practically encased in a fine membrane and [Applause] biodegradable after just 3 weeks the young Dippers leaves the nest still a little clumsy they wait at the river for food the parents are nervous a gray Heron lurs Downstream he doesn't miss a [Applause] movement the big bird is on the hunt a young Dipper would make a welcome meal for the heron [Music] the parents fish one cadis fly lar after another out of the river they haven't always got the hunter in their [Music] [Applause] sides but the Heron is after something more substantial a trout fortunately for the Little [Applause] Dipper [Music] now from the picturesque Valley back to the high [Music] [Music] altitudes storms have uprooted several [Music] [Music] trees bark beetles transform once green forests into Deadwood in some cases entire slopes not a very nice sight but a natural process in the hars National Park the forest is left to its own devices the old make room for New Life tiny spr Ro trees take root on those that have fallen dead trees don't spell the end they are the dawn of a new Forest that will provide protection and food for [Music] many the lynx for example his eyes and ears are quite rightly proverbial he never misses even the smallest move [Music] movement wherever you find Red Deer he is not far away small clearings offer Doe's and their offspring good hiding places as well as food the cat has killed a deer Cal nearby and in true Link's manner has covered with plants apart from food there are also countless nesting possibilities in the amply structured Forest but there is unrest in the bird paradise the reason for the excitement is a small [Music] owl when she leaves her home everyone sounds the alarm pygm owls hunt down Birds even by day the little owls have Offspring to take care of while one of the owls has captured a great tit the partner is waiting with a mouse in its [Music] grip [Music] the mouse gets stuck at the entrance a sign for the Woodpecker to [Music] attack when the owls are no longer visible the great spotted woodpeckers in the neighborhood calm down forests left to the their own devices bark beetles and windfall create room for new and diverse life the spruce forests present a completely different picture even in this monoculture there are those that still find enough food wood ants their impressive nests are almost 6 ft High dozens of heaps with a myriad of animals what do these insects feed on only very rarely can one see how they carry their loot to their nest and this requires much energy from the industrious creatures their secret can be found on the upper floors of the forest 65 ft up in the spruce Treetops bar Li when an ant touches a l with its feeders it secretes nutritious honeydew just small droplets but within an hour each louse is capable of dispensing a quantity corresponding to its body weight then it's back to the antill with a bulging abdomen an Empire kept alive thanks to the inconspicuous barli up in the [Music] Treetops the dense deciduous and coniferous forests the remote valleys with their rocks and steep Cliffs are Retreats for animals that live hidden from sight [Music] one of the greatest treasures is the lynx considered extinct for 200 years Lynx is born here regularly again occupying almost all possible territories [Music] here in lyns country 3 months ago the mother gave birth to two Cubs she is's on the hand a good reason to follow her the pigeon is the right size but one needs experience to catch a bird and a generous portion of luck playfully the brother rehearses The Killing [Music] bite they learn everything that a lynx has to know from their mother she especially trains them from the hunt to to lurk to stalk and to strike Mankind's intensive persecution of the lyns throughout Central Europe 200 years ago led to their extermination now they are [Music] back the success story of the lyns is closely linked to the protection measures of this place once the East German wall traversed today's National Park the entire area was a no-go zone for many years and in several places nature remained mostly untouched [Music] warm dry summer weather never lasts long in the hearts Westerly winds carry damp air masses that rain down on the mountains there is about three times as much precipitation in the hearts than in the surrounding area if it rains cats and dogs as it were all of the lakes and dams are soon full to the brim the water searches for new ways through the [Music] [Music] [Applause] forest the streams reach their [Music] limit the enormous water masses from the mountains pour into the forand the result is flooding in the record year of 2017 up to 80 gallons of rain fell in just 48 hours [Music] the low mountain range is already a valuable water source in normal years billions of cubic gallons are deposited on its surroundings the hearts conceals many natural Treasures some lie underground deep in the rock of the [Music] mountains cavities eluted from a mighty Limestone massive the EEG stti cave a formal coral reef created some 400 million years ago fossilized snails wrinkled corals and the spiral formed homes of goniatites extinct relatives of today's squids prove [Music] this [Music] these rocks were forced into a vertical position as the region Rose more than 100 million years ago extremely hard quart Sandstone that weathers very slowly the devil's wall on the northeastern heart's boundary more than 12 M [Music] long God and the devil argued about who now owns the Earth the devil would receive the hearts if he could complete a border wall before the first [ __ ] Crow as just one stone was missing the [ __ ] crowed and the devil furiously destroyed his work from afar piercingly shrill calls Echo across the countryside they belong to unusual birds that usually breed in towns however in the hearts region they are drawn to the bright open forests with their steep slopes and ancient Oaks Swifts they only come to the hearts to Nest the elegant Birds spend the rest of the year in the [Music] [Music] air the fact that they can live here at all is due to the woodpeckers almost annually they create a new Hollow for their offspring the tree tries to close the opening but the woodpeckers keep the hole open as they occasionally sleep here this is how the short entrance tunnel is created as an ideal Runway common Swifts that breed in Hollow trunks can only be found in a handful of places in Germany here there are roughly 50 pairs they hunt for insects above the [Music] forests life in the air that's what Swifts are made for but perhaps not not for landing in small tree Hollows their feet are too small to hold on tight the birds slow down by flapping their wings the Swifts only stay for 3 months then they recuperate to make ready for the flight to Africa and fill the air one last time with their typical calls their offspring with the brighter head coloring will soon follow their parents the mighty zaxon Stein or Saxon Stone lies in the southern Hearts it's a part of a cast landscape that extends 62 Mi along the edge of the region [Music] in the nearby kufa mountains rainwater has washed out the interior this is how the Barbarosa cave was created bizarre flaps of plaster hang from the ceiling the cave owes its name to Emperor fredrich the first also known as Barbarosa due to his red beard in the underground Castle he is said to sleep an enchanted sleep whilst awaiting his [Music] return He is immortalized in Bronze in front of the Imperial Palace in Gola the old Emperor is supposed to wake up every 100 years and should Ravens still encircle the mountain he has to sleep for a further Century deep down in the cave it looks like barbarasa is going to have to wait for a long time as Ravens are numerous in the hearts they benefit from the abundance of game in the forests in addition to the leftovers from Lyn's feasts the end of September ratting [Music] season red deer on the lookout for the opposite sex the traditional mating areas are usually Small clearings hidden deep in the forest with plenty of food an offer for the deer [Music] cows his calls are echoed call jewels in which even young deer participate in a fight the younger one wouldn't stand a chance the old deer tries to keep hold of his pack at the ratting area and pulls out all the stops to impress the ladies he then marks the wallow with his urine and rolls around in it this proves irresistible for the deer cows and is a clear signal addressed to the competition to back off [Music] one solitary creature ignores the PowerHouse mayor and celebrates his success at the edge of the clearing mid October for a short period the deciduous forest display their most colorful [Music] side not long afterwards the weather turns chilly for the muons it's now mating season season the Rams have joined the groups of females disputes are the order of the [Music] day a salord stone hidden by hunters in a tree stump attracts the animals the best place close to the mineral source is hotly contested these two present themselves as large as possible a proven strategy designed to intimidate Rivals the Sheep are now constantly pestered by the Rams they regularly monitor the urine of the females these are only fertile for 3 days so timing is of the essence the Rams will mate with the females until the beginning of December they have to be constantly aware of the links the big cat is an effective Hunter whether on the Cliffs of the deeply indented valleys or in the spruce forests of the higher [Music] altitudes this female has killed a red deer calf and wants to secure her prey the cat is nervous something is bothering her the carcass lies just a few feet away from a hiking trail nonetheless it remains undiscovered just like the lynx female people keep coming and going going but adhere to the pathways when no humans are in sight the lynx tries to hide her prey this also protects it from Hungry crows and [Music] Raven the deer calf is heavy she can't move very far through the uneven terrain and remain [Music] undiscovered the lyns probably won't be able to eat in peace until nightfalls lyns need space this is not endless even if in the hearts in the forand the forests give way to a mosaic of fields and [Music] meadows here another smaller species of cat resides a rarity in Germany the European wild cat she is on the hunt for her main prey which she hunts mostly by ear from a distance she is often dismissed as a domestic cat close up however she reveals herself due to the blood fur markings and her seemingly plump body [Music] a further distinguishing feature of the timid mice catcher is the bushy tail with the dark rings and its blunt ending hunt and habitat's loss have virtually wiped out many of Germany's wild cats their stocks in the hearts remain stable with more than 500 animals their hunting success doesn't go unnoticed bazit and grey herand are also after mice in Wildcat [Music] territory the Heron is a master stalker but contrary to the cat he has to be able to see the [Music] prey a fat water Vall the Buzzard would love that but he is much too [Music] late if she finds enough mice she will get through the coming winter well a wild cat can eat between 15 and 20 daily initial light snowfall adequately announces the approaching winter for many months the hearts will soon once again disappear beneath a dense blanket of snow [Applause] whatever wild cats links and many other wild animals need to live they can find it here in the legendary Mountain Wilderness located in the heart of Germany [Music] [Music]

Channel: Get.factual

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Keywords: Documentary, Documentary series, Full Documentary, Nature, science, history, historical documentary, wildlife, wildlife film, wildlife documentary, nature documentary, Documentaries, get factual, get.factual, getfactual, get factual documentary, documentary, history documentary, documentaries, Harz Mountains, German Wildlife, Uwe Anders, Nature Documentary, Lynx and Wildcats, European Wild Cats, Harz Landscape, Animal Behavior, Seasonal Changes in Nature, Conservation and Biodiversity

Id: AkyUTKZ8PSw

Length: 52min 14sec (3134 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 18 2023