the ice is melting on the Iberian Peninsula in Inland areas the plant life has been dormant for the last four or 5 months but temperatures are on the rise there is more Daylight and humidity the snow becomes liquid good for drinking and the rivers flow with a new strength as the main producers in the food chain the plants have begun to flourish once more everything is New Again in the [Music] springtime [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] whether herbivorous or not animals are sustained by the plant kingdom Both Worlds need each other in order to survive but
the principal biomass that paves the way for all other life cycles is that of plants spring means sunlight which shines higher overhead each day and once again photosynthesis transforms the inorganic into living matter there is plenty of food for everyone sap is flowing through each stem and the leaves and flowers announce themselves loud and clear starting on the southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula it's still cold in the ecosystems found in the northern regions but in Andalusia the algar and most of the East the explosion known as Springtime has [Music] [Applause] begun Knight may be
be falling on Valencia's alueta freshwater wetlands but spring is Wide Awake the colors of the flowers are highlighted by the mating call of frogs the European tree frog has just one vocal sack to make itself heard but its voice carries long distances and there's no question as to its message they all want the same thing territory and a mate this Midwife toad already has a head start it's a male with eggs between its legs the female laid them there 2 weeks ago and the Tad BS have developed on the move today he will leave them
in the water and they will find finally set out on their [Music] [Music] own [Music] in mid-march just south of desp peros knights have gotten quite noisy but the barn owl is not confused by the clamor thanks to their ability to locate prey by sound using ears which are placed asymmetrically and aided by their facial disc this Hunter can locate and distinguish the sounds that are of the most interest it all depends on who is making them and which direction they're coming [Music] from mating season will soon begin so they must build up their strength
toads and frogs are not a favorite meal they often have toxins on their skin and they're cold he prefers mice with their warm red meat full of protein and energy the common barn owl is a master of sound and of Silence the feathers on the front of their wings are uneven creating a pattern like a strange comb that slices through the air without making even the slightest noise the number of tiny mammals hunted by Nocturnal Birds of Prey is incredible making them essential players in the balancing out of the ecosystems where they live and the
common barnow lives all over the world just north of Andalusia in extremadura there are more signs that mating season is about to begin these are the lakes of Los baros a place where the wind and the passage of time have molded Granite stones into strange rounded shapes this is a singular landscape with virtually no trees but where many living creatures gather around its calm Waters here the Great Crested gree is ready to mate and ready to hunt the gree is not a duck it's carnivorous and will eat whatever fish happens to enter its mouth tench
trout perch or carp this female has more than enough fuel to produce two [Music] eggs just today the Spanish Pond Turtle has come out of hibernation it's not Def definitive there will still be cold days when they will have to submerge themselves in the mud and plants and they'll sleep a bit more but this morning they are soaking up the first Heat giving rays of sunlight that they've had in 5 [Music] months in Diel the European pond turtle is also beginning to poke its head out to check and see if the weather is really getting
warmer its shell provides effective protection against predators but it also acts as a solar panel that helps to raise its body [Music] temperature [Music] the Ducks at theas court each other for quite a while before choosing a definitive mate some of them have been flirting since [Music] January they swim and stroll around together for most of the day as their relationship grows they gain confidence and their attraction becomes stronger and the males and females begin to copy each other's [Music] movements each species has a different choreographed mating ritual but they are all [Applause] [Music] [Applause]
synchronized the male wheh headed ducks are still fighting over their territory their threats are fun to watch if you don't know what they mean but the truth is there's much at stake [Music] the Tas National Park is growing both in size and in ecological significance all around the bodies of water stretches of prairie that were once used for agriculture have been returned to their natural [Music] ecosystems in the spring this land is a spectacular sea of flowers spring is an unstable season as regards the climate it's a little crazy clear sunny skies can turn cold
and Gray in a very short period of time for weeks at a stretch it can seem like summer has come early but the following week whether it's March or May the weather can turn upside down and February's climate can come rushing back but strange weather is the norm in the springtime the frogs were waiting for the sunshine to warm them up but it's really their hormones that have them all excited singing and fighting for their rightful place in the pool of [Applause] water their meeting call is an attempt to show which of the males is
the biggest and [Applause] strongest the notes they sing change according to the size of their vocal sack and the strength of their breath Frogs make a croaking Sound by blowing the air from their lungs over their vocal cords and amplifying the vibration through their vocal sacks this species has two such membranes and by using both Sachs it croaks in Stereo this helps the female to better locate the male whose calls she likes [Applause] best the mating call has still not attracted a sing single female but it has caught the attention of a [Applause] hedgehog he
seems to have awoken with an empty stomach after the long winter's sleep but no the Hedgehog is merely thirsty he's not trying to hunt frogs so there's nothing to fear the Hedgehog knows he's too slow and the sun has brought the Frog's legs back to life although just to be on the safe side they move out of the way and when one frog moves the others follow [Music] suit [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] in the peninsula's Inland regions it's still cold the leaves on the trees are still not out but they
will soon be hiding bird nests the woodpeckers have also begun to sing their mating call is quite curious they make it by pecking on the tree trunks with their powerful beaks up to 12 times per per [Applause] second year after year they Peck at the same dried up dead trees they choose these old trees because they Echo throughout the forest like an enormous sounding [Applause] board [Music] [Music] almost every kind of bird is building its nest each one uses a special technique and some engage in truly complex Feats of engineering the grebs build nests that
float made of durable aquatic vegetation if the water level goes up or down the nest too will go up or down a top branches that are fixed to the bottom of the pond this requires a refined technique that is part Instinct and part learned or at the very least the fruit of experience [Applause] the construction is quite stable and as if to prove the point mating takes place right here The Nest is held up so they can now pass on to the next level the Spanish Imperial Eagle is also working on its nest this time
of year this species which is unique to the Iberian Peninsula was on the brink of Extinction but now 400 mating pairs seem to have a bright future the Imperial Eagle has white shoulders and is a bit smaller than the golden eagle but some consider it to be even more beautiful perhaps because there are so few of them this female is waiting for her preferred male to bring her a gift if it is a rabbit or another bit of prey she may confirm her choice as he proves he can feed their offspring well just as nests
vary from species to species the wedding dance also differs in a way that offers information about the individual performing [Music] it [Music] with GS the idea is to mimic the other bird like a [Music] mirror [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] come although the snow is slacked off in the Pyrenees the water temperature in the Mountain Lakes and pools is not much above freezing but even so Springtime finds new Su engaging in their mating ritual something they're known to do in the middle of winter depending on the latitude the cold has no effect on them when they're
in this state still before they mate they have to recover part of the fat lost during the months they've spent hibernating Frozen beneath the [Music] ice [Music] on the lower slopes below the peak of pelada the Eurasian black vulture manages to get by despite having to share his Feast with the Griffin vulture who makes life quite difficult at this point in Spring the Griffin vulture already has chicks in the nest and must provide them with food the adults must eat more than normal and can become very aggressive and there are many more of [Laughter] them
in spite of their larger bodies and greater strength the black vulture is far less common and they don't gather together to feed their carrying is normally much smaller in size and they're perfectly happy with a dead rabbit as a result they're not used to sharing or fighting over every bite this black vulture was the one who discovered the carry but he's been shoved aside he's not happy at these crowded Banquets what's more unlike his cousin the Griffin vulture he can digest the toughest parts of the animal like the tendons and high black vultures and Griffin
vultures are closely related but their demographic success is quite different on the Iberian Peninsula there are 25 Griffins for every black vulture consider the relationship between the black store and the white store a symbol of spring the powerful white stor is a species that has adapted and proliferated amazingly well in Spain and Portugal the black store count however is one of the most seriously threatened birds in Europe and 90% of black STS mate and Nest exclusively on the Iberian Peninsula in and around monfrague National Park on the banks of the tagis river the population is
strengthening its numbers little by little new generations of STS have either hatched or are about to in the last 20 years their numbers have doubled there are now 500 mating pairs in all but when it comes to the white stor there are currently more than 30,000 mating pairs from the moment it's born the Spanish Ibex is able to walk even on these steep rocks this is its great evolutionary Advantage which keeps most Predators at Bay whether in the Sierra Nevada korla greos or Guama ranges the males move upward toward the mountain [Music] peaks they stop
to take a final look at their children but Instinct insists that they separate from the females and their offspring they spend the winter together but do not see each other for the rest of the year from a very young age the male ibcs are prepared to prove who is best although for the moment these are just educational games the breeding grounds where different species of birds gather together to build their nests are a logical part of Springtime on the Iberian Peninsula the weather that is right for mate doesn't last long here and the ideal places
for incubating eggs and caring for chicks are quite limited many birds coincide in their choice of timing and a spot like this one is perfect that's why it's chosen by so many [Music] pairs in addition in an evolutionary sense this strategy has its advantages is the gry Heron hasn't reached an agreement with the Eurasian bter or the catrett but when they gather together there is safety in numbers and they're able to warn each other in advance of approaching dangers and of course as a group they can ward off many of the Predators stalking their young
no Fox would ever dare to approach this place he would end up Peck to pieces the downside is that the birds often argue with their neighbors nearby nests mean that tensions among the multitudes often result in fights they don't usually lead to Serious injury between the contenders although they are capable of killing each other with their huge beaks [Laughter] interestingly the only showdowns occur between different species which is to say that no one argues with members of their own species disagreements about the Twigs provided by each member of The Mating pair have no solution sometimes
the stick is too long which is obvious even to non-ar but if he or she [Applause] insists the location and position of the materials is also a delicate question but the opinion of the female usually prevails ultimately she's the one who will be sitting on the eggs that's animals for you [Music] to the north as far north as you can go on the Iberian Peninsula between the shoreline and the contaban mountain range we find the greenest of all Spain's regions audius the humidity here keeps temperatures mild all year round in almost all Geographic areas the
region is quite mountainous so at high altitudes where the last few bears in southern Europe take refuge it can get cold at times but not today a bear is taking her first Springtime [Music] stroll trailing behind her is her little CB who spent the whole winter in the den with her this rare subspecies of brown bear is recovering its numbers in the highest mountains in the Picos deopa range in mythical spots like SoMo and munus and also on the Saka Reserve in the santand region like all members of her species this female is afraid not
only of humans but also of male brown bears which have been known to kill Cubs in an effort to seduce the [Applause] mother by late May spring is everywhere from the Lush canaban Coast to the Arid stands of palm trees and as spartor grass in alia and Moria insects are in charge of spreading the pollen necessary for creating the next generation of plants in the coming year they are also a staple in the food chain making up part of the abundance that sustains the new Offspring born to all animals and others who are more fully
grown but insects are not only here to help [Music] others they have their own lives and it's in the spring when the majority of them are busy undertaking their most important task multiplying by the [Music] billions [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] might [Music] [Applause] [Music] spiders are the main consumers of insects their ecological labor consists of keeping the population of their cousins the arthropods in check otherwise they would proliferate wildly devouring everything in their path the female noes in the Pyrenees are finally ready to lay their eggs it's very interesting how each one chooses every single
leaf looking at it carefully as if each one were completely different as though Sumer were worthwhile and others aren't when they finally make their decision they deposit a single egg in the cup of the chosen leaf and then interlace their toes over it squeezing [Music] gently [Applause] [Music] she waits a few minutes while the harmless adhesive secreted by the egg takes [Music] hold this allows her to seal up the leaf and keep the egg hidden from [Music] predators there another another chance to keep the Jean Pool [Music] strong not many unhatched eggs remain on the
Iberian Peninsula ducklings are already waddling after their mothers but the Greaves are still waiting they're always last the mother seems impatient but the due date still hasn't arrived the nest has stood up to the effects of water in time it's a little worse for the wear but it doesn't have to last too much longer [Music] the dab chick which is directly related to the greed hatches its eggs a little earlier but its way of caring for its chicks is exactly the same they carry their babies on their back hidden among their feathers two little chicks
the adults hunt for them for the first few [Music] weeks they dive again and again in search of an endless supply of tiny prey they make a huge effort with very little return but only fish this size will fit in the chick's tiny mouths the strategy also works to protect the newborns not many predators are able to identify the parents and chicks separately it's very efficient when compared to the single file system used by the Ducks the mother and father work together taking turns feeding and resting this is exhausting work but today the chicks are
getting their first lessons in Independence [Music] for the first time they're eating in the water rather than on their parents' [Music] backs this morning's class is one of the hardest [Music] immersion summer will be here soon and there are many skills to learn before it [Music] arrives in the spring all new creatures must be prepared to deal with unexpected changes in the weather especially when the season lasts longer than expected if the springtime ends quickly there will be an even more dire shortage of water and many pools will dry up fast if it lasts longer
than usual many more offspring May survive at first but as they grow abundance will turn to scarcity nature tends to balance out the numbers and and its tactics are always based on the fact that many Young die so that a select few May [Music] survive Iberian lyx kittens can now be seen in the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula this is a sign of plentiful resources including rabbits and open space [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] perhaps humans have aided the process in this instance and it's about time the most threatened feline in the world seems to
be enjoying its own personal [Music] Springtime but this is only the beginning of the species recovery [Music] and summer could bring with it new [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] problems a Eurasian blue tit has returned with food only to discover that her chicks have flown the coupe summer is here with all its challenges even the ants are crowded into their anthills some of them see War as their only chance at survival [Music] [Music] [Music] w today is June 21st summer it's hot there's no water and every day will get worse for some conditions are so
tough that they must take shelter from the Sun but for the Young born in springtime this is their moment the time to grow and learn has come it's now or never life gathers in the few spots that are not completely dry most activity occurs during the short night because the temperatures are much cooler at midday no one can resist moving into the shade this is simply part of the cycle the hot part the part that will allow Only the strongest to carry on the bats are giving birth now when the mosquitoes are hatching when the
Scorpions are fighting when the black vulture must abandon its peaceful [Music] nest [Music] [Music] [Applause] all [Music]
