01x03 - Minnesota

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Minnesota,

home to the Twin Cities

and over 10,000 lakes.

Among this mosaic

of natural havens and cityscapes

exist vast, green urban spaces

often used as tranquil backdrops

for leisurely activities.

But this lush, green landscape

is also home

to some very unusual characters.

A mixture of undulating grassy hills,

dense woodlands, sandy bunkers,

and freshwater lakes,

golf courses stand as an oasis of green

amid human habitation.

And it's not just humans

who are enticed by these open spaces.

Many wild animals

can't resist their appeal.

This unsightly hole

wasn't the golfer's intended target.

This rabbit hole

seems to go on indefinitely.

To the golfer's surprise,

the ball seems to have a mind of its own.

[hissing]

A warning.

[hissing continues]

Whatever's down there,

the message is received loud and clear.

In no hurry to find out what it is,

that's one ball

this golfer can live without.

Disgruntled by this disturbance,

the creature knows

exactly where to put the ball.

That's another one to add to the pile.

At nine inches tall,

with comically long legs,

it's a burrowing owl,

one of the smallest owls in North America.

[chirps]

Satisfied with a job well done,

he retreats inside

his subterranean home.

And this particular burrowing owl

lives alone.

And the longer he stays on his own,

the more antisocial he has become.

It's morning,

and time for him to find breakfast.

In the right conditions, burrowing owls

can co-exist alongside people.

While this can place them in harm's way,

it can also provide

untold opportunities.

Every golf course needs

round-the-clock maintenance.

With so many easy pickings

at their disposal,

urban animals can't resist

raiding human dwellings.

And this greenskeeper's hut

is no exception.

Yet it's a curious place

for the owl to visit.

But he knows

exactly what he's looking for

trash.

While burrowing owls

consume many things,

including small mammals and insects,

trash isn't one of them.

And yet strangely,

he rummages inside the bags,

grabbing at scraps of food

and any interesting objects he can find,

and he returns to his tunnel.

Although they can fly,

these terrestrial animals are more suited

to life on the ground

and prefer to travel on foot.

He drops the piece of litter

outside his own burrow.

A curious behavior,

and one he seems compelled to repeat.

For some reason,

this animal's intention

is to build a collection

of old food and inedible objects

right outside his home.

[chirps]

Not very hygienic,

but there is method to his madness,

and he reveals for the first time

his cunning strategy.

The smell of rotting debris is there

to attract attention.

Flies swarm around the waste.

He's devised

a personalized dining service,

delivered straight to his front door.

It's a clever solution

to risking life and limb

out on the golfing green.

Why go out when food can come to you?

These items are also there

for another purpose:

to advertise a clear message to others.

"This burrow is taken. Keep out."

He retreats to his nest just in time,

for he knows that above ground,

the sprinklers start

at the same time each day.

Content, he goes to sleep.

[engine whirs, stops]

A loud rumble above

announces the next morning.

The greenskeeper

cannot allow the golf course

to become cluttered with trash.

The owl eagerly exits the tunnel

to find out what delicacies

he has waiting for his breakfast.

But he's disheartened to find

his collection has been cleared away.

[chirps]

[squawks]

As if to add insult to injury,

it's another stray ball.

[chirps]

That's the last straw.

[owl squawking]

The golfer believes he's hit

a hole in one.

Yes!

As they drive away,

the owl isn't finished yet.

[squawks]

To further show his annoyance,

he kicks soil onto the pristine green.

Such unruly behavior

could have him evicted.

That's it. The greenskeeper is tired

of cleaning up after the owl.

As a last resort,

he's brought along a professional

to assist him

in the cleanup operation:

a ferret.

An inquisitive and lively creature,

it's eager

to start hunting down its target.

This carnivore is trained to flush out

anything hiding underground.

The ferret relies on its incredible

sense of smell to locate the owl.

Its sleek body allows it

to quickly slip effortlessly

down the passageways at great speed.

It's hot on the owl's tail

but danger lurks around every corner.

But he's no match for the sharp beak

of this common snapping turtle.

[owl hissing]

Now that the ferret can see the owl,

it intensifies its efforts,

but he's held back by the tangled roots.

With his harness caught,

his struggling is seriously damaging

the integrity of the tunnel system.

The owl can't hang around.

He's in serious trouble.

[ferret squeaks]

These old subterranean systems

have been weakened

by the animals' commotion.

[ferret squeaks]

[owl chirps]

Now any slight movement above

could spell disaster.

[chirping frantically]

This disaster, however,

has given the owl a lifeline.

Unharmed, the ferret is unable

to break through the mound of earth

that divides them.

It has no choice but to turn back.

Having lost sight of the owl,

the ferret heads out of the tunnel

empty-handed.

[chirps]

The owl is forced to take

an unfamiliar path.

He pauses to survey his new surroundings.

[squawks]

Stretched out before him

are tall, dense swaths of grass.

Any golfer unfortunate enough

to mishit beyond the fairway

into these long grasses

will have little luck

in finding their ball again.

While the owl prefers shorter grass

to keep a lookout for danger,

left uncut, these patches are home

to a variety of insects.

Like other owls,

his eyes are fixated into position,

so he must move his head

to focus his gaze onto his prey.

If it's small enough

to catch and eat it, he will.

A good first attempt,

but he was thwarted by the long grass.

Any of these insects

would be a welcome meal.

For too long, he's relied on capturing

food attracted to his doorstep

and his hunting technique

is a little rusty.

A more profitable animal

catches his attention.

It's an American five-lined skink,

basking in the sun.

A brightly-striped reptile

with a talent for speed,

it gets a head start on the owl.

These traveled pathways

allow the owl

to race as fast as he can after his prey.

To escape, the skink darts for shelter.

This confined space

could give the owl the upper hand.

Inside the core of the rotten tree,

it's cooler, darker.

There's an uneasy feeling in the air.

The owl looks around for the skink.

He hasn't noticed something sinister

is hiding in the dark

watching the owl's every move.

[chirps]

The tension is broken by the lizard.

The owl bumbles outside

to resume its chase.

A lucky escape for now.

[screeches]

He gets a good position on the skink.

[squawks]

Fed up and irritated,

the owl can't do anything around here

without being interrupted.

Frustrated and annoyed,

he gives up hunting for the day.

[chirps]

With little luck catching insects

in the meadow,

the owl returns to collect more trash.

The tried-and-tested methods never fail.

However, this time he isn't alone.

The greenskeeper is back,

fixing one of the golf carts.

He must tread carefully.

[chirps]

[chirps]

The owl knows something isn't right.

[squeaks]

[chirps]

[chirps]

This time,

there are no tunnels to save the owl.

All of a sudden, the ferret turns tail

and quickly goes back to its kennel.

Having tracked the owl

from the fallen tree,

it's a young red fox,

here to dine on fresh meat.

He must be quick.

The owl's natural instinct

is to run and hide underground.

[growls]

[squawks]

This barrier isn't going

to hold the fox for long.

[squawks]

Pausing to catch his breath,

it's clear the owl isn't safe

aboveground.

Too big to fit down the owl's burrow,

the fox tracks him from above.

[chirps]

With extremely keen hearing,

the fox can pick up low frequency sounds

from below the surface.

Detecting the quietest movement,

it pauses to listen.

[growls softly]

It hears an opportunity.

As he arrives at the burrow exit,

all sounds from belowground cease.

But the fox is an expert

in cunning and stealth.

He hides from view and patiently waits

for the owl to emerge.

Uncertain of where the fox may be,

the owl keeps quiet.

It's become an ultimate test of patience

between predator and prey.

It's essential

the owl times his move perfectly.

If he puts a foot wrong,

he'll be fox food.

[whimpers]

In the chaos of an unprovoked attack,

the fox has taken its eye off the ball,

and the owl seizes its opportunity.

He needs to make sure this predator

will never return.

But the fox is confused.

Its prey never stands its ground.

[chirps]

The owl used its know-how

to outwit the fox,

and it leaves

with its tail between its legs.

Yet the owl's celebrations

are short-lived.

In his absence, one of the tunnels

has been blocked by a mound of earth.

Taking an alternative route,

he finds another exit blocked.

The greenskeeper has resorted

to devastating tactics:

filling in the burrows and tunnels

to trap the owl.

Without the use of his tunnels,

he's uncertain of what to do now.

He finds himself in unfamiliar territory.

The greenskeeper has caught

the final prize.

Carefully, the keeper releases the owl

into an alien landscape.

Situated on the edge of the golf course,

the keeper has been hard at work

establishing a new home for the owl.

Free from golfers, pesky foxes,

and other unwanted intrusions.

[chirping]

Although it's not home,

it feels strangely familiar.

He's greeted with a glorious vision

a female burrowing owl.

He wastes no time

in trying to impress her.

Collecting the first gift he can find

he hastily offers her a juicy cricket.

Once they decide to pair up,

burrowing owls often stay together.

A social animal by nature,

he was never meant to live alone.

[squawks]

And they're not the only ones here:

an established, protected colony of owls,

and a fresh start.

These owls

are just some of the fortunate ones.

As human-dominated landscapes

continue to spread,

species like the burrowing owl

are increasingly edged out

of their wild homes.

With a little planning,

urbanized environments

can present a future

where both people and wild animals

can co-exist and flourish.

Ecosystems are not built on a single

organism alone.

All beings must learn to coexist

in this forever-changing landscape.

In a few weeks' time,

these owls must escape

the cold grip of winter

and head south to warmer climates.

By spring, they'll return to raise

the next generation of burrowing owls.

They face a long journey ahead.

[chirps]

Yet this owl

has a new perspective on life,

because for the first time,

he will not face it alone.