DVD BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Mastery Of Flight (2000)

BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Mastery Of Flight (2000)

Index

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough presents a ten part study of "the life of birds," beginning with their origins and evolution and covering their life histories and abilities to adapt to nearly every environment. As is usual with Mr. Attenborough's productions, camera work is ground-breaking, and every continent is visited.

For all their grace and agility, birds face serious challenges in getting into the air, staying there, and landing safely. Among their many adaptations is the single weight-saving feature that only birds possess - feathers.

Peter's DVD rating: 4 stars

01:30 Streaked Shearwater climbs trees to launch, nests in woodland (Japan) 03:05 Ringneck Dove jumps off ground 03:40 Waved Albatross taxies along "runway", glides
06:45 Great Knot flapping 07:25 Mallard flying 08:00 Osprey catches fish facing forward to reduce drag
09:20 Great White Pelican in synchronized formation flying 11:00 Griffon Vulture sails on thermals (Spain) 12:20 Attenborough in glider
14:10 Brown Pelican landing 14:30 Whooper Swan landing on water 15:00 Albatross crash landing
15:40 Griffon Vulture lands on cliff 16:10 Golden Eagle light weight beak, bones, feathers; preens 19:05 Sword-billed Hummingbird combs feathers with foot
19:30 Lesser Flamingo preening and bathing 20:50 Quail dust bathing 21:30 White Cockatoo has powder feathers
22:20 Crow anting by landing on nest 24:10 Peregrine Falcon diving 24:55 Barn Owl silent flight
26:50 Common Kestrel hovering 28:20 Hummingbird figure-of-8 beating 30:20 Andean Hillstar hibernates (torpor) in cave (Andes)
31:45 Giant Hummingbird feeds on cactus 32:30 Purple-throated Woodstar can beat wings 75 times/sec (Ecuador) 33:00 Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (south England)
33:20 Snow Goose chicks (northern Canada) 35:00 Western Sandpiper probes for worms in mud (Arctic) 35:25 Dickcissel feeds young (prairie)
36:10 Red-tailed Hawk chick 37:20 Western Sandpipers migrate to same patch in Panama 38:20 Hawks and Vultures need thermals to migrate as far south as Argentina
39:10 Snow Goose can navigate by stars at night; migrate to California 42:15 Western Sandpipers in Mexico 43:30 Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrates across Gulf of Mexico nonstop, to Mexici, feeds on Delphinium nectar, then to Panama
46:15 Dickcissels migrate in gigantic flocks, up to half a million strong, to Venezuala farms 48:50 Humminbirds feeding, pollinate plants 50:00 Andean Hillstar feeds on Chuquiragua , torpor at night
50:50 Giant Hummingbird feeds on Puya , nests on cactus bound with spider webs, feeds young with nectar

01:30 Streaked Shearwater
03:05 Ringneck Dove
03:40 Waved Albatross

06:45 Great Knot
07:25 Mallard
08:00 Osprey

09:20 Great White Pelican in synchronized formation flying
11:00 Griffon Vulture sails on thermals
14:10 Brown Pelican

14:30 Whooper Swan
16:10 Golden Eagle
19:05 Sword-billed Hummingbird

19:30 Lesser Flamingo
20:50 Quail dust bathing
21:30 White Cockatoo

22:20 Crow anting
24:10 Peregrine Falcon diving
24:55 Barn Owl silent flight

26:50 Common Kestrel hovering
30:20 Andean Hillstar
31:45 Giant Hummingbird

32:30 Purple-throated Woodstar
33:00 Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
33:20 Snow Goose chicks

35:00 Western Sandpiper
35:25 Dickcissel feeds young
36:10 Red-tailed Hawk chick

39:10 Snow Goose
43:30 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
43:30 Delphinium

46:15 Dickcissels
50:00 Chuquiragua
50:50 Giant Hummingbird

50:50 Puya

Index Dec 04, 2005 Peter Chen