Predator Vs Prey: The Eagles Battling For Survival In Open Skies | White-Tailed Eagle Documentary

[Music] Eagles dramatic predators that have inspired myths and legends for [Music] millennia though top of their food chain they battle for survival working tirelessly to raise their young powerful diverse agile [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is an epic story of Conquest for one individual but what does it take to become a ruler of the [Music] Skies nearly a meter long one of the largest flying birds it takes 2 and 1/2 M Wings to get its six kilo body into the air the white tailed Sea Eagle is a master of survival in Bleak winter when food is

in short supply fly it hunts wild [Music] fowl driving the Coots underwater until they [Music] Tire there are 60 species of eagle they are among the largest and most impressive Birds United by their killing skills soaring on huge broad Wings scanning the landscape with eyes some three and a half times more acute than our own [Music] they can swipe prey with enormous talents and devour their victims with meat cleaver beaks [Music] but the white tail is distracted by the calls of his mate Eagles paay for life and every year this couple return to their nest

they have built their home in the cold Northern forests of Scandinavia calling helps renew their bonds they may be together for 20 years or [Music] more mating is a delicate balancing act that requires patience and Trust from both parties but they won't be able to enjoy this intimate moment for long one of their offspring from last year is hoping to be welcomed home to the nest it'll be several years before the chocolate brown chick will lighten and get its characteristic white tail the youngsters will often stay close to their birthplace for their first few years

the plaintiff calls beg for a free meal but it's not going to [Music] work with the female pregnant they need to make some preparations it's March and still pretty cold around their Wetland home the male Eagle is searching but he's not after food or even the Frozen drinking water he diligently gathers the driest Reeds and grasses he can find and takes them back to the nest the huge platform or iy gets bigger each year with the Home Improvements the grass goes on the inside to create a bowl it's like papering the nursery for when the

baby comes blue tis appreciate his handiwork smaller birds often nest in the underside of the iy as long as the Eagles don't eat them they'll do a good job of keeping other the Predators at Bay all Eagles build enormous nests and in the Amazon there is plenty of building material for Harpy eagles providing they can break it from the trees their impressive iies can be a meter and a half across and well over a meter deep it's a good platform but doesn't offer much shelter and the rainforest lives up to its [Music] [Applause] [Music] name

the eight long weeks of incubation can be an uncomfortable period for the parents to be over the years the nests of sea eagles can become so huge that trees have been known to collapse under their weight after a few weeks the female lays two baseball-sized eggs the grass Bowl lining the nest will form cups around the eggs keeping them warm and stopping the parents from squashing them now Begins the arduous period of incubation for over a month both parents will take turns tending to the clutch while the partner goes off to feed sea eagles are

Supreme Hunters of fish but before long even their fish catching skills are being put to the test there are now two new mouths to feed sea eagles eat around 500 G of food a day and it won't be long before the chicks are begging for a similar portion the male returns to the nest for his share of babysitting relieving his larger mate female Eagles are always a kilo or so so bigger than the males she performs her tolet away from the nest helping to keep the house clean he butchers his latest catch into bite-sized [Music]

chunks back in the Amazon the weather is finally brightening up [Music] mother's able to dry off just in time to welcome her new chick harpies usually only brooded one of their eggs meaning only one will [Music] hatch the male does most of the hunting for the family she calls him in her voice echoing across the Forest the pair regularly swap rolls to help share the [Music] burden dad's brought dinner and a clawed hand reveals the victim a three- toad sloth Harpy eagles often snatch sloths monkeys and other animals from the tree [Music] canopies across the

eagle family all manner of meals are brought to the nest from ducks to Deer but for our young white Tales it's usually fish Eagles are fastidious in their cleaning both the nest and themselves requiring constant attention to be able to hunt they must maintain their feathers which are so dense and strong that they make up 5% of the parent Bird's weight with their chicks flourishing the parents almost seem to celebrate their success they need to be totally committed to the little ones who will be dependent on their help for the next 5 [Music] months another

fish supper [Music] at 5 weeks old they are starting to look a lot like their parents but already it's clear that one youngster is getting all the food the parents work hard to try and provide for them both Eagles usually lay two or three eggs but in some species it's unusual for all to survive often the largest and fittest of the chicks will get the most food and the runt will waste away the parent birds will fish throughout the day though only around 30% of tries will result in a meal [Music] he having favoritism seems

cruel but ensures the parents can invest all their energy in one Offspring and that it's the one with the best chances of a successful future but despite their best efforts by July there is just one youngster in the [Music] nest it's possible the brother fell but most likely he was starved or displaced by his larger [Music] sister when there is only one Survivor it's usually female even at this age she's the bigger sex does this take the pressure of the parents or just make their Quest all the more important they can't afford to lose another

chick she spotted a dead eel easy pickings no Eagle turns its nose up at a free [Music] [Music] meal while Mom's fishing dad delivers his Catch of the Day [Music] sea eagles are real generalists the chicks big enough to swallow the young rat [Music] whole summer is a productive time for the forests of Europe long hours of sunlight result in an abundance of food [Music] as the season passes the young female goes from strength to strength having lost most of her infant down but today her parents seem less forthcoming with food they are trying to

encourage their daughter to start exploring her world the parents come and go teasing their chick she seems agitated at their lack of parenting but her frustrations are their intention she suddenly seems to discover her [Music] wings the first steps of exploring are called branching branching out on the limbs of the tree for 12 weeks all she's known is the inside of the nest but that's about out to [Music] change sea eagles are often described as flying bors her huge Wings will take a while to [Music] master after a few days her confidence grows and she

can start to explore [Music] further she feels ready for her first hunting trip [Music] she has a lot to learn luckily her parents will still offer food for a few more weeks plenty of time to practice with acute binocular vision Eagles have amazing depth perception making them Masters at snatching prey on the wing and none more so than the African fishing eagle to perform such aerobatics their feathers need a great deal of Maintenance like all their family the African fishing Eagles perform a duet to Proclaim their lifelong devotion the young female still has a long

way to go to become a true Queen of the [Applause] sky but she has another attempt attt at self-sufficiency the first thing to catch her eye doesn't look too promising a dead fish on the other hand is much more what she's accustomed [Music] to rocks are useful tools for cleaning her beak [Music] winter lies ahead a tough time for all [Music] [Applause] [Music] animals [Music] [Applause] [Music] as summer draws to a close the wetlands are getting busy with migrating wild [Music] foul this is the first time our female has seen ice her parents are still

around but are no longer offering free food there are other eagles too birds that have moved from Northern Territories to a more sheltered wintering spot copying the adults examples she finds weaker patches in the ice using 4 and 1/2 CM claws to expose drinking water it can also expose unexpected Treasures but now now there are a lot of hungry neighbors this is her first taste of the competition she'll face just because she found the dead fish doesn't mean she'll be able to eat it unless she UPS her game it's a free for all even a

red kite and Heron seek the crumbs that drop from the Eagle's table it's winter when all animals are tested by the elements many birds migrate to avoid the worst of winter and some Eagle population ations do the same in northeastern Russia the white Tales flee freezing Inland valleys and head for the coast and Eagle Mecca but they are not alone the 9 kilo Stellar Sea Eagle the heaviest of [Music] all [Music] several hundred will spend the winter on the ice flows at first there seems to be an awkward tolerance as the birds assemble the reason

they have picked this spot is that the chilly open Waters around the ice flows are teeming with [Music] fish [Music] for landlocked birds like Ravens Eagles unlock the desirable resource the stellers and Whit tailed are closely related sea eagles deploying the same tactic to secure a [Applause] [Music] meal [Music] with freezing temperatures the stakes are high and every scrap is worth fighting for among Eagles the Stellar's characteristic beak is the biggest but there is a third Eagle here smaller than the sea eagles the golden has a fiery personality and while it's not such a confident

Fisher it enjoys a fish supper when the food is running low it seems everyone has their eye on the Catch of the Day and as snow starts to fall tensions rise it's like David and Goliath but the golden eagle isn't shy about stealing steing a meal he may only be 2/3 their weight but he's a fighter soon Claws and beaks are drawn all over the ice the Eagles Reserve their lethal beaks for feeding and instead arm wrestle trying to pin each other down with powerful Talons throwing punches with their muscular wings [Music] all Eagles are

quite solitary for most of the year only hanging out with their Partners in young but now the Goldens seem happy to feed together giving the cold shoulder to the watchful sea [Music] eagles [Music] despite the abundance of fish it's a long tough winter for these Russian [Music] eagles they may be Fighters but nature really will let only the fittest [Music] survive [Music] this youngster lost the [Music] fight but victims of winter can become Banquets for adaptable Birds of Prey a dear carcass has attracted the adult Whit Tales it's worth walking on thin ice but while

her parents feed the young female is given the cold [Music] shoulder she needs the meal but they are just not not willing to share it's her huge mother who finally puts her foot [Applause] [Music] down the message is clear it's time to fly the nest sea eagles rule the roost here keeping other birds on their toes pretty much any of the animals living here could end up on the [Music] menu though if there's Caron available it's a better energy saving [Music] alternative a fox is drawn by the carcass but it's not [Music] welcomed [Music] it's

injured and knows even a young Sea Eagle could make a meal of him better not stick [Music] [Music] around out in the big wide world there are all kinds of strange neighbors to [Music] meet sea eagles can kill birds as big as swans but for now she's more interested in Scavenging she and the crane race for any fishy scraps she seems happy foraging alongside the crane but in Japan her white-tailed cousins are happy to snatch the food straight from their [Applause] [Music] mouths cranes are revered in many parts of the world and in some areas

of Japan Farmers try to help them through the winter by offering food something the Eagles are quick to [Music] [Applause] spot [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh badgering among birds of different species is common known as mobbing harassing until the victim gives up its [Music] [Applause] food [Applause] one of the adult white Tales has found caran but it's not immune to the Raven mobbing and this time a red kite wants a piece of the action [Music] surprisingly it seems spooked by its lighter cousin's [Music] agility [Music] but yet another eagle has been

watching the proceedings the Lesser spotted eagle isn't much bigger than the kite but it has the family's fighting spirit once he's got it he's not going to surrender it to the crows about half the size of the sea eagle and perhaps more closely related to Hawks he's got guts meaning he doesn't mind standing his ground or being scared off by lanky Intruders like all Eagles the Lesser spotted is adaptable he'll scavenge but hunt as well he uses his sharp eyesight to spot his prey but but has an unusual technique to catch it his prey can

be anything from Rabbits to [Music] frogs this time a lizard has caught his eye this species can sore and dive like the others but it's also perfected the stalk and pounce our young female has settled in some Wetland where she's finding food easy to scavenge from around the shores the pool side is busy by late summer everyone wanting Waterfront accommodation she's got a new Eagle neighbor a greater spotted many young sea eagles will stay in one area often with other non-breeding birds for their first 5 years or so While others are known to settle far

from their birthplace with so many sea eagles and the spotted it's too crowded for our female so she decides to move on again eagles use large territories some moving widely with the seasons and others staying local sea eagles typically use 30 to 70 square km though she might have to travel a while to find a patch that isn't already taken [Music] as she travels the colors of autumn disappear as winter claims the [Music] land she spots some Carion that will help sustain her journey though of course with sharp eyed birds around she's not the only

one to notice crows and magpies try to lay claim to the carcass but with their straight bills they are having trouble getting into the frozen body a buzzard joins the [Music] feast his tin opener beak is just what the macp is needed while they are happy for the Buzzard to get things started the crows try to police the portions ah a second Buzzard adds to the chaos they don't expect an eagle to be passing over the usually quiet Fields she's wary Eagles always approach a scene with caution [Music] after a brief Pit Stop she continues

her [Music] [Music] [Music] Journey her Quest t into the [Music] mountains this is the realm of the golden eagle this one's taking advantage of a fox's Misfortune golden eagles are capable of hunting foxes and even modest sized [Music] deer as well as the usual mob of crows it now has some bigger [Music] competition she has landed on her feet a good spot for any Eagle to call home craggy mountains and deep Lakes teeming with fish and only one other Eagle in [Music] sight it's a young male a few years older than her and already a

skilled fisherman [Music] she seems [Music] [Music] impressed [Music] [Music] winter firmly grips the landscape but with experience the male isn't having any trouble finding food he's followed the noisy crows to a winterkilled deer here the discovery of a carcass will see him through hard times the female has decided to stay in the mountains and now is her chance to make an impression she boldly pushes in she's younger but being female already has a weight Advantage she's taken a stand and secured her [Music] future our female still has a few years until she'll be ready to

breed perhaps the male will stick around in a final Act of defiance she proves her worth not just as a powerful scavenger but a hunter as well with strength adaptability and determination she's truly become a queen of the sky that