01x01 - Flight of the Condor: Ice, Wind and Fire

[bunniefuu]

I'm an ecologist,
and bears are my specialty.

I've been fascinated by them
since I was a kid.

But although I've spent 20 years
working with bears,

It's often just been
glimpses of them in the wild --

Brief encounters,
isolated moments in their world.

When I met with
the producers of "nature,"

It gave me the chance
to do much more.

Well, here we are
on the alaska coast,

One of the last, best places
for bears on the planet.

Hey, bear.

It was just crazy
looking into her eyes.

The most intense bear experience
I've ever had.

These are
the bears of the last frontier.

Our journey begins
in the midst of one

Of the largest concentrations
of bears on earth.

These are grizzlies --
giant alaskan brown bears.

And there are so many
in this incredible place

That we call it
"the city of bears."

"nature" is made possible
in part by... and there are so many in this incredible place

leave it untouched
inspby your presence.re..

capture its image
and preserve it forever.

canon --
living and working together

to appreciate today
and care for tomorrow.

the corporation
for public broadcasting.

and by contributions
to your pbs station

from viewers like you.

We all form some impression
of them...

As cuddly bears
or terrifying beasts.

But, of course, the truth lies
somewhere in between.

Grizzly bears once roamed
across

The western half
of the continent,

From above the arctic circle
to central mexico.

Today they are found

In just a few small pockets
of wilderness.

Alaska is one of the last places
left in north america

Wild enough for grizzlies
to thrive.

All three species

Of north american bears
are found here --

Black bears, brown bears,
and polar bears.

My name is chris morgan.

I've dedicated half my life

To the study and conservation
of bears.

Now, I've embarked upon

A 3,000-mile journey

Into the heart of
the bears' world.

With me, my good friend
and filmmaker, joe pontecorvo.

I think this is
our best bet.

It looks like a good spot,
doesn't it?

Together, our goal is to peel
back the layers of myth

And misunderstanding
on this complex creature.

The first thing this young male
does when the big fella leaves,

Starts putting on a show
for the ladies again.

To better understand
their personalities.

To witness firsthand

How they live today,

And what the future
might hold

For the bears of
the last frontier.

We begin our journey along
an isolated

Stretch of
the alaska peninsula,

An area nearly untouched
by mankind.

Wow.

It just...

Looks and feels like
bear country out there.

Vast and wild.

No way!

Oh, wow, look at that!

Wow, two bears, play fighting.

It's early june
and bears are just beginning

To gather in the lush meadows.

You can imagine the sense of joy
they must feel after being

Cooped up in their dark den
for the past six months.

I can't believe we're here.

I love it, I love this place.

It just feels so right to be
here, and I'm so dying to see

What the bears are up to,

Especially this early
in the season.

I've never been here
this early before,

So it's completely new
to me.

Think we got
enough stuff?

It looks like like we're going
to be here for a year.

Our hope is to follow these
bears through an entire season,

To better understand
their world.

As an ecologist studying bears,

There's no better place to be
than right here.

It's got everything
a bear might need --

Rich sedge meadows in spring

And salmon in late summer.

For a brown bear,
this is paradise.

And because of that,

There's an awful lot
of bears here.

This is the manhattan
of bear country.

Letting brown bears
approach you like this,

Anywhere else,
would be unthinkable.

In most places, bears keep

A healthy distance
from each other.

But these bears have become
very, very socially tolerant

Because there are so many
of them in this habitat.

And they seem to extend
that tolerance to us.

But it's super unusual,

It's like nowhere else on earth.

Bears have lost nearly 50%
of their body weight

Over the winter, and they are
eager to get it back.

What they are looking for --
smelling for, actually --

Are tiny razor clams.

It's not much of a meal,

But this time of year, they'll
take whatever they can get.

This is unbelievable.

There's a female here
with two tiny cubs.

They probably weigh
less than 10 pounds.

I've never seen any
this small before.

These cubs were only born in
january in the den

And they probably have only been
out of the den

For about three weeks --
since mid-may.

Can you imagine
the sensory overload

That these cubs are
going through right now?

I mean,
they're playing with things

And discovering the world
around them.

One of them is playing with
a piece of grass there.

A year from now,

They'll start to wander a little
bit further from her...

And right now they're sticking
to her like glue.

They don't want to let her
out of sight,

And she certainly doesn't want
to let them out of sight.

There's a lot of big, feisty,
testosterone-driven males

Right now, and one of these cubs

Would make a very easy,
tasty snack for them.

And I just really hope that
she keeps them safe.

Mating season lasts
just two months,

But during that time,
bears from all around

Gather in the lush meadow
below.

It's a dangerous time
for a mum with young cubs,

But experience
has taught her well.

The bluff provides
both sanctuary

And a view
of her surroundings.

With this many big males around,

She's just got to have her wits
about her the whole time.

So this swagger,
we call it the cowboy walk.

And he's really doing
two things here --

Trying to impress the female,

But it's also trying to
make themselves

Feel as big as possible,

And look as big as possible
to the other bears,

Their competitors.

Now he's a real cowboy,

A big, brutish-looking guy.

Everyone is keeping a close eye
on brutus.

Look at him salivating!

When these big males
get worked up,

They'll start salivating
like this.

This is unbelievable,
this big, brutish male.

He's being super aggressive.

It's a pretty gutsy move to walk
up on a mating pair like this.

Brutus pushed the older male
right off the young female.

I don't think grandpa is willing
to risk his life

Over this one female.

Look at the face on grandpa,

He just looks so forlorn.

Now brutus is stomping his scent
into the ground,

Erasing all traces of grandpa
from the meadow,

Stomping him out of existence.

The males here
will try and mate with

As many females as possible,

While the females are looking
for the biggest,

The most dominant male around.

That'll give her cubs

The best chance of survival.

Oh, there's another guy
coming in from behind her.

He doesn't look big enough
to take on the big guy.

Looks like he's gonna
give it a shot, though.

Wow! This female is getting
a lot of attention.

Four males around her
right now.

It's almost like
she's insignificant, you know?

The males are
fighting among themselves

And the winner
gets to take her home.

They are two feet away from
these massive giants

When they're clashing
in a big aggressive fight,

And these females
are assessing the males.

And he's definitely at
the peak of his game right now.

And all the other males can do

Is sit around watching.

And then the female goes home
with the winner.

And that's why all of the males
around here are

At least twice as big
as the females.

And that's because the big guys
win the fights

And they get to breed.

A quiet calm
returns to the meadow.

And life resumes,

As if nothing
had happened at all.

These cubs are very lucky.

She knows how to rear them

In a place where there are
all these threats

For them to be aware of.

She's a good mum.

I've decided to call her
"nadie," which means wise.

These cubs learn
so much every day --

What's good to eat,
what bears to avoid,

How to be safe,
and by following mum,

They'll learn what it takes
to survive

In this busy city of bears.

[ Wolves howling ]

Our camp is situated

Well away from the main meadow

Where most of
the bear action is.

But even so, the occasional bear
wanders through camp.

And you can never be too careful
in bear country.

But it's tough, though,
because these bears

See the whole world
through their nose.

So you've really got to start
looking at the world

Through their perspective,
through their nose,

And they can smell this from
two miles down the valley here.

There's a certain tension
in the air.

You're always
looking over your shoulder.

Any one of these creatures could
wipe you out in an instant.

But they choose not to.

They choose to allow you to be

A part of their landscape
and their habitat and their home

For as long as
you want to be there.

Hi!

Wow...

Beautiful thing! Hey!

[ Laughing ]

It almost looks like
the national park service

Maintains these, doesn't it?

But these are all bear trails.

Generation after generation
after generation of brown bears

Have created these trails

As the most efficient route
from "a" to "b."

It's a perfect system,
and we've been following it.

We are doing the same thing,

Except we're not eating
the sedges.

There's a lot of traffic
in these meadows

During mating season.

And in a population this large,
with this much competition,

It's all about scent,

And any male coming up to this
can smell the 10 previous males

That had come up to this
and done the same thing.

Checking out
who's on the meadow here,

Who they're
competing with tonight.

They know who's on this meadow
long before they even see them.

Their noses are planted

Firmly in the sedge meadow
all the time,

And they're reading
this landscape like a barcode.

Scent is powerful advertising
in the bear world,

And works for both sexes.

You know, the females will
kind of sit down.

They will plant themselves
in the meadow

And coyly look around, you know,

To see which males might be
eyeing them up.

And then the male will approach

And she'll move away,

And he plants his nose
right in the grass

To smell whether she's going
to be receptive.

It's almost like
her placing a singles ad.

"Single, hairy,
brown female

Seeks massive,
promiscuous male."

[ Laughing ]

In a population this size,
bears learn to watch their back.

Their eyes are looking
left, right and center,

Trying to figure out
who's there,

Who they can breed with,
and who they need to avoid.

So the sedges are
just a kind of distraction.

Competition is not limited
to males.

Females will compete

With other females for access
to the best males.

It's really unusual,

And something
I haven't seen before.

Many of these bears
have grown up together,

Or are related in some way.

Spending season after season
in these same meadows.

Brothers that come together
and play as adults.

Or two teenagers that have
grown up as neighbors.

These social complexities mean
cubs here

Have a whole lot more to learn

Than almost anywhere else.

Normally, brown bear cubs

Stay with their mum
for about three years,

But here cubs might stay
with mum for even longer.

These guys
have a good head start.

Nadie is definitely a dominating
presence on the meadow.

Joe: she's moving
right towards him.

Chris: she's charging!
She's charging at him!

While mum grazes,
the cubs are on high alert,

Smelling the air for danger,

Alarmed by anything unfamiliar,

Which for them is quite a lot.

They've only been
in this grand outside world

For maybe six weeks now.

These cubs are facing
so many different choices

And learning experiences
every day,

And it's nice to feel
that we're an easy one.

[ Chuckling ]

You're not quite sure how close
to come, are you?

It's important they stay
cautious, like their mum,

But they're cubs,

And the temptation to play
is too great.

They are gladiators
as tall as grass blades.

The scent of a large male
is carried on the wind.

Mum can identify an individual
from 200 yards away

Just by their scent.

She is obviously very cautious
of this male,

Probably knows him
and is keeping her distance.

It's really interesting because

There is this tolerance thing

Going on this time of year.

The rest of the year,

These females avoid the males
like the plague.

They don't want anything
to do with them.

They can be quite aggressive,
so they just keep apart.

These females know that
the big males

Are more cautious than they are
when there are people around.

So she might use us as a barrier
for his advances.

He's getting hyper focused
on her right now.

This is going to be close,
I think, you know?

This big male is all worked up,

So it's difficult to know
what he might do.

We should be careful
as well here, joe.

It's best for us to just stay
put, stay low, and don't move.

This is going to be close, joe.

Okay, the male is coming up
right behind you here, joe.

Okay, okay, it's okay,
it's okay.

It's okay,
we're not touching her.

It's okay.

It's all right, bud.
It's okay.

It's okay.

He's pretty wound-up.

[ Chris sighs ]

She clearly needs the protein
that these sedges are providing,

But at the same time, she's got
to keep the cubs safe

From these big males
that are coming over.

Trying to pick up
the weather forecast.

I just want to know what we're
letting ourselves in for here,

You know, because the weather
really seems to be coming in.

[ Static on radio ]
seas eight feet.

We should probably make sure
your gear's okay, joe.

Actually, you know, just get it
all inside the tent

And figure things out.

Ha, look at that,
that's not my pillow,

I don't use pillows
when I'm camping!

I usually -- I sleep on a stake,
because I'm a real tough guy,

And if I feel like treating
myself, maybe a boot,

But definitely not
one of these pillows.

I don't know
where that came from.

Did you put that in here, joe?

It's been a really stormy
couple of days.

It's pouring with rain outside.

You can perhaps hear it
on the tent here.

And it's difficult

Just being holed up
in the tent all this time.

But I've rigged a tarp,

And I've got
a bit of a porch here,

And it's keeping a lot of
the rain out,

So fingers crossed.

But it's tiring.

It's tiring just
dealing with it, you know?

[ Pressing buttons on radio ]

So I'm going to try
and get some sleep

And hope that my tent and tarp
is all intact in the morning.

The seas are calm again.

But something is upsetting
the flock.

This guy is headed straight for
a puffin colony.

Brown bears don't normally
hunt puffins.

But bears are opportunistic

And experimental animals,

Especially when driven
by hunger.

Even the puffins are surprised.

In this case,
the bear is rewarded.

With the good weather
comes carefree days.

The entire family is having
a good time tonight.

She's even grown more relaxed.
Look at that.

You can tell they've put

A considerable amount
of weight on,

And they're probably three times
further away

From the safety of the bluff

Than we've ever
seen them before.

Where did she go?

Oh, she's in the middle
of the meadow there.

Oh, yeah, she's moving away.

This bear just came out
of the trees here.

See it in the alder
to your right, joe?

Nadie has settled down
quite a bit

But still keeps a healthy
distance, and for good reason.

Mating season is winding down.

A quiet desperation hangs
in the air

As the bears anticipate
the arrival

Of the first salmon.

Lately, nadie hardly gives me
a glance.

I realize it's incumbent on me
to respect her boundaries.

I have to constantly remind
myself what they're capable of.

I wish I could join them

With this little tussle.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Just jump in and roll around
there with them.

It's impossible not to get
caught up

In how adorable all
this play is.

But all this play has a purpose.

The sticks and driftwood
they pretend

Are the salmon they've
never tasted.

All the affection they show
mum...

The sparring,
it all has a purpose.

The environment these cubs
grow up in is dangerous,

Highly competitive,

And often unpredictable.

We're all cool, it's okay.

No, we're okay.
It's all right, it's okay.

Nadie is so comfortable with us
that's she's grazed

Very close to us now.

[ Clears throat ]

In this situation it's best just
to remain as still as possible

And just let her pass.

It's all right, everybody.
Just chill.

It's all right.

Don't you come any closer,
though, you guys.

You'll get us into trouble here.

It's okay, yeah.

It's okay.
No, don't come any closer, yeah.

It's all right.
Yeah, I know.

That was intense.

She was closer then any bear
has been to me bef

And I just sat here in
the meadow to start with.

I was probably 80 yards
away from her,

And she grazed to within five,
six feet away from me.

And there's no way,
not in a million years,

Would I ever
approach this situation.

But it was her choice to come
to me.

It's intense, though.

I'm exhausted from just
having her that close

And staring at me in the eyes.

It's a prehistoric feeling.

It's really raw,
that's for sure.

She's 30 feet away right now,

And she might as well be at the
other end of a football field.

She seems like a long way away.

Life for these little guys,

Like us all, is never going
to be more carefree than this.

In these still moments,

It's easy to forget
the season is racing by.

Two months have gone by
since I first arrived.

It's this in-between time
that's toughest of all.

The wolves, with a new litter,
are desperate for a hunt.

The fields are drying up

And pushing the bears
towards the water,

But their feast has yet
to arrive.

Females gather
at the river mouth,

With the anticipation
of an early run.

[ Bear snarling ]

This early, there are more bears
than fish.

And it's still unclear whether
there's anything worth eating

In the shallow tide.

Joe: oh, it's a flounder.

Chris: no salmon yet.

The competition
is becoming fierce.

The early females are suddenly
being boxed out of their spot.

All this splashing around,

It's hard to tell whether
they are on to something

Or simply chasing ghosts.

Oh, wow, she's got it!

She's got it, it's a salmon!

The feast has begun.

The salmon are coming home.

It feels as if
the river itself

Has been anticipating
this moment,

And for a short time,
salmon will be

The life-blood of this place.

But now the clock
has started

On this narrow window
for the bears.

This is a pretty mature female,

And she really knows
what she's doing,

And she's got this really
healthy, fat,

Cuddly looking cub.

He's never more than 10 feet
behind his mum.

She shares nearly every fish
she catches with her young cub.

He'll grow fast,

And her determination
will pay off in how quickly

He learns how to live here.

With all his needs met,

He's relaxed to hone his skills.

Oh, look, he's snorkeling.

He's got his head right
underwater

So that he can see the fish.

It's incredible.

Time after time,

She's catching female fish.

And it's important that she
catches the female fish

Because they're full of fat,
in the form of their eggs,

That the cub
can really benefit from.

And that's why he's so
chunky looking.

This young male has been closely
watching her,

And now that she's resting,

He's decided to test out
her fishing spot.

Probably in his first year of
life without mum

And he is suitably overwhelmed
by the environment

And the number of bears here.

The river is so
densely packed right now

That bears need to employ
a number of strategies

To catch salmon,

And keep a safe distance
from each other.

The bears that are forced into
the deeper water

Have to snorkel
to track their prey.

The salmon hide in these
deep pockets, out of reach.

Even as some of the bears are
struggling to catch anything,

Others are
becoming much more selective

And giving some lucky salmon
a second chance.

The salmon pack
the dense channels,

Trying to reach the spawning
ground,

The completion
of their journey.

But first, they have to get
through this gauntlet of bears.

Still, many will make it far,
far up river,

Where they will spawn
and end their journey.

Life is not so easy
for the wolves.

The salmon taunt them,
but the chase

Is more an act of
desperation than anything.

The salmon are still too deep
for the wolves to catch.

This mum has just arrived
with three cubs.

The first triplets we've seen
this year.

It's unusual for her

To still have all three cubs
this far into the season.

It's probably her first trip
down to the river,

And they will
take whatever they can get.

It's certainly a different
situation than fatso is used to.

The river definitely shows off
the social diversity here.

But even poaching scraps around
this many bears

Is more than
she's comfortable with,

So they'll eat this meal
on the road.

She's found a quieter stretch
of the river.

It seems that, for
a couple of them at least,

These are their first litters,
so first time

They've experienced having
to look after their young cubs.

And there is this incredible,
almost panic, more than urgency.

It's almost just a panic
to feed right now.

The anticipation of denning

For the whole winter
without enough fat,

Just is this innate fear
that they have.

The density of bears here
makes things tense

For these larger families.

Wow, she is just frantic!

She senses that if she doesn't
catch something fresh,

They won't
last very long.

The cubs aren't comfortable yet
with mum thrashing off

Into the deep without them.

She tries to reassure them

And guides them to a safe beach
to wait for her,

But they aren't so easily
convinced.

You can definitely tell
that she senses

The pressure to catch
fish right now.

She's just arrived,
later than the other bears,

And it's just a matter of time

Before these fish dry up here,

And so she's got a lot of work
on her hands.

All this company,

There is no chance to catch
anything.

Her quiet window of opportunity
is gone.

And it's back to
leftovers for the family.

Even during salmon season,
there are waves.

The fish come in with the tides,

But that doesn't mean
every tide has fish.

I thought I'd scout down
to the mouth of this river

And see what

Was happening downstream.

If there's any action to be had,
that's where it would be.

Well, that's a familiar face.

I almost didn't recognize her,

But that's definitely nadie
and her two cubs.

Hardly recognizable from
the tiny little cubs

That we saw a few weeks ago.

They're not only larger
and healthier and fatter

Than they were a few weeks ago
when I last saw them,

But they've grown up as well.

You know, they've got
this different attitude now.

This is such an important time
of year for and her cubs.

I'm so relieved to see that
she's got both of them.

Neither of them
have been k*lled,

And that's really common
with young cubs.

And not only that, they look
in great shape as well.

See, she's yawning like that.

That's a sign of anxiety when
they yawn like she's doing now.

Look how well trained
the cubs are.

They're butterballs right now.

And I think the other bears
have noticed

That she's a little feisty
and potentially aggressive,

So they don't mess
with her at all.

[ Chuckles ]

Using mum as a barricade there,
that's priceless.

She's gone off to fish
and she's left them behind,

And they know not to disturb mum
when she's fishing.

They've got a few weeks
until they den,

But the urgency is on now.

Her senses are definitely
tuned in.

That's all she's thinking about

Right now is fish.

Every movement in the water,
every scent on the air,

And she's focused on it.

And her senses are tuned
to any intruder.

Especially any male that might
threaten her cubs.

[ Bears snarling ]

She has two precious things
to look after here.

And she'll fight to the death
to protect those cubs.

For the moment, it looks like

She's got the river to herself.

But this male won't give up

Trying to carve out a small
fishing hole for himself.

It only takes a moment
to run down this salmon,

But does he have time?

This may be the last I see
of them this year.

I'm sure nadie and her cubs will
be here when I return next year.

We normally think of bears
as solitary animals,

But in this dense population,
in this city of bears,

They have learned how
to be social,

How to get along
with each other.

You know, never before
have I lived among these bears

For such a long period of time,

Basically being their neighbor,
and really watching

Their lives
unfold on a daily basis.

And I've seen another side
of these bears,

A tenderness and a complexity
that's really been eye-opening.

This is the first bear
I've seen in a few hours.

Those that I have seen are along
the river bank,

And kind of looking out
hopefully into the water

To see if there's
any more fish.

The salmon run's coming
to an end here.

The seasons are short in alaska,
and we haven't much time

Before the bears den up
for the winter.

It's time to head north,
time to hit the road.

I'm a little bit lost for words,
to be honest.

I just feel like

I've had this intimate
relationship with it.

I feel very at home here.

Uggh!

What makes this place
really wild

Is knowing the tracks
I leave today

Will be bear tracks

Or wolf tracks tomorrow.

Wilderness isn't

The wide open spaces,

But the wild things
that fill it.

Ahead of me lies a completely
different world.

From here,

I'll travel north to anchorage,
alaska's largest city...

Until next time, bears.

Leaving behind this city
of bears...

For a place where bears
and people must share the land.

With a single step.

It's time to head north to
the largest city in alaska.

Can you run fast
with that camera, joe?

Bears have woven themselves
into this urban setting.

Not a good situation.

I'm looking forward to
my next adventure --

Denali national park.

This bear is frantically
searching for something.

She's behaving like when
they lose their cub.

See that?
She's really agitated.

"nature" is made possible
in part by... she's behaving like when they lose their cub.

leave it untouched
inspby your presence.re..

capture its image
and preserve it forever.

canon --
living and working together

to appreciate today
and care for tomorrow.

the corporation
for public broadcasting.

and by contributions
to your pbs station

from viewers like you.

Announcer: available now
from shop pbs.

What are things made of?

It all comes down to elements.

And this must be
hydrogen.

Oh! Oh!

Announcer: "new york times"
tech guru david pogue

Gives an off-the-charts tour
of the periodic table.

My gloves are
on fire!

"Hunting the elements"
on "nova."

To order, visit shop pbs,

Or you can download on itunes.

on a dvd/blu-ray set,
or the companion book,

call 1-800-336-1917.

to learn more about what you've
seen on this "nature" program,