1
00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:09,135
BERTIE: Oh! There's so many bats!
2
00:00:10,219 --> 00:00:14,891
So, this eagle needs to hunt now
or he'll probably just wait for me
3
00:00:15,058 --> 00:00:16,642
to run out of battery and then hunt.
4
00:00:18,686 --> 00:00:21,064
-(DRONE BEEPS)
-FEMALE VOICE: Battery level is low.
5
00:00:21,481 --> 00:00:24,525
BERTIE: Do I come back now
and change the battery
6
00:00:24,609 --> 00:00:28,154
or stay out and use the rest
of the battery.
7
00:00:31,157 --> 00:00:32,450
(DRONE BEEPS)
8
00:00:32,617 --> 00:00:33,910
Come on, Mr. Eagle.
9
00:00:35,203 --> 00:00:36,621
Now or never, buddy.
10
00:00:37,038 --> 00:00:38,581
(DRONE BEEPS)
11
00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:42,460
(BERTIE LAUGHS)
12
00:00:42,710 --> 00:00:43,586
You ready?
13
00:00:43,795 --> 00:00:47,381
BERTIE: I'm Bertie.
Filming animals is my job.
14
00:00:47,465 --> 00:00:48,925
That is not a chase you see every day.
15
00:00:49,217 --> 00:00:51,552
BERTIE: And I take it really seriously.
16
00:00:51,803 --> 00:00:53,179
I'm trying to film penguins.
17
00:00:53,346 --> 00:00:54,347
(GROWLS)
18
00:00:54,472 --> 00:00:55,348
And I've missed it.
19
00:00:56,933 --> 00:00:58,768
Well that was quite close.
20
00:00:59,727 --> 00:01:03,981
BERTIE: I want to tell wildlife stories
in a rapidly changing world.
21
00:01:04,732 --> 00:01:07,110
That sounded like a big crack!
22
00:01:10,321 --> 00:01:12,281
These are my adventures.
23
00:01:19,914 --> 00:01:21,624
BERTIE: I'm heading to Zambia,
24
00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,420
to film Africa's
most powerful aerial predator...
25
00:01:28,131 --> 00:01:29,298
the crowned eagle.
26
00:01:31,217 --> 00:01:33,719
They're strong enough to kill an antelope
27
00:01:34,220 --> 00:01:35,221
and wily enough
28
00:01:35,513 --> 00:01:37,473
to rip a monkey from a tree.
29
00:01:41,185 --> 00:01:44,147
But filming this predator in action
won't be easy.
30
00:01:45,022 --> 00:01:48,276
They lurk in the forest
and hunt in the shadows.
31
00:01:49,485 --> 00:01:52,864
Being in the right place when it kills
is almost impossible.
32
00:01:54,198 --> 00:01:56,325
There's only one place they're tied to.
33
00:01:58,077 --> 00:01:59,871
Somewhere in this park is an eagle nest.
34
00:02:01,247 --> 00:02:03,833
We're searching a very big area.
(CHUCKLES)
35
00:02:04,625 --> 00:02:06,544
But I finally got a lead.
36
00:02:13,342 --> 00:02:14,802
(WHISPERS)
That's the nest tree there.
37
00:02:15,887 --> 00:02:17,513
Our fingers crossed it's in use.
38
00:02:18,264 --> 00:02:21,058
So then we can start to figure out
what they're up to.
39
00:02:22,268 --> 00:02:23,561
Whoa! (CHUCKLES)
40
00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,480
That's a crowned eagle nest and a half.
41
00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,400
That nest is huge.
42
00:02:33,237 --> 00:02:35,698
No way, just in the middle,
43
00:02:36,449 --> 00:02:38,242
the top of the pile of sticks,
44
00:02:39,035 --> 00:02:42,079
I can see an eyeball.
45
00:02:42,163 --> 00:02:44,081
It's head of an adult,
and I'm guessing
46
00:02:44,165 --> 00:02:46,417
the fact that it sat down low
in the nest like that,
47
00:02:46,584 --> 00:02:47,585
I'm guessing it's a female.
48
00:02:47,835 --> 00:02:49,879
Hopefully, that means,
she's sat on something.
49
00:02:49,962 --> 00:02:52,048
Either a little egg
or maybe a little chick.
50
00:02:55,092 --> 00:02:57,011
BERTIE: I need to get up high
for a better view.
51
00:02:57,511 --> 00:02:59,305
And we're in luck.
52
00:03:00,348 --> 00:03:04,101
There's another tall tree nearby
and it's the perfect place
53
00:03:04,227 --> 00:03:05,603
to build a treehouse.
54
00:03:05,978 --> 00:03:06,979
Here comes platform.
55
00:03:10,942 --> 00:03:13,402
If I can see what prey comes back
to the nest,
56
00:03:13,653 --> 00:03:16,072
it'll help us figure out
their hunting strategy.
57
00:03:19,367 --> 00:03:20,326
Home sweet home.
58
00:03:21,244 --> 00:03:22,536
(WHISPERS) It's lovely in here.
59
00:03:24,580 --> 00:03:27,208
All right let's see what we got here.
60
00:03:33,005 --> 00:03:34,507
Oh, wow.
61
00:03:36,384 --> 00:03:39,428
I've got the female on the nest.
62
00:03:42,098 --> 00:03:44,892
Oh, she's just beautiful.
63
00:03:47,186 --> 00:03:48,271
Oh, she's getting up.
64
00:03:52,483 --> 00:03:54,235
What she got there?
65
00:03:57,029 --> 00:03:58,823
She's pulling little chunks off
66
00:03:59,573 --> 00:04:00,783
and offering them down at the nest.
67
00:04:00,950 --> 00:04:02,451
That means there must be a chick there.
68
00:04:11,043 --> 00:04:12,128
There it is.
69
00:04:12,628 --> 00:04:14,130
I just saw a little white head.
70
00:04:15,423 --> 00:04:16,716
We've got a chick!
71
00:04:18,634 --> 00:04:21,137
It can't be more than a few days old.
72
00:04:22,305 --> 00:04:26,976
But that little ball of fluff
will be the same size as Mum
73
00:04:27,101 --> 00:04:29,270
-in just four months.
-(CHICK CHIRPING)
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00:04:29,895 --> 00:04:32,189
BERTIE: That is crazy!
75
00:04:40,072 --> 00:04:44,118
Oh, that is just the most magical view.
76
00:04:45,202 --> 00:04:48,247
You need a lot of food
to grow so big so fast.
77
00:04:50,166 --> 00:04:53,544
Lucky it's parents are such
incredible hunters.
78
00:04:54,337 --> 00:04:57,923
They smash over 130 mammals a year.
79
00:04:58,716 --> 00:05:01,427
That's about 1,000 pounds of meat.
80
00:05:03,721 --> 00:05:05,681
Oh, another adult, another adult,
another adult.
81
00:05:07,391 --> 00:05:08,684
That must be the male.
82
00:05:09,435 --> 00:05:11,645
(BIRD CALLING)
83
00:05:12,104 --> 00:05:13,314
BERTIE: It's got something.
84
00:05:13,522 --> 00:05:15,775
Oh, it's got a monkey. It's got a monkey.
85
00:05:16,525 --> 00:05:19,028
Whoa!
He's just ripped that monkey in half!
86
00:05:19,820 --> 00:05:23,366
They'll do that if their kill
is too heavy to fly home with whole.
87
00:05:23,908 --> 00:05:26,619
Is he gonna bring the monkey
into the nest?
88
00:05:28,037 --> 00:05:30,873
Female certainly wants it.
89
00:05:33,918 --> 00:05:36,003
She's gonna go.
She's gonna go get it off him.
90
00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:40,174
Here she comes. Here she comes.
91
00:05:41,967 --> 00:05:43,636
"Are you gonna bring in
the takeout, honey?"
92
00:05:45,262 --> 00:05:48,015
She's got it, she's got it, she's got it.
He's not letting go, he's not letting go.
93
00:05:50,476 --> 00:05:52,144
Whoa! (CHUCKLES)
94
00:05:55,356 --> 00:05:57,441
Didn't make any sense.
They're gonna come back.
95
00:05:57,525 --> 00:05:58,692
Here she comes, here she comes.
96
00:05:59,985 --> 00:06:00,903
(CHUCKLES)
97
00:06:01,487 --> 00:06:05,199
I thought the-- the female
when she ran up the log,
98
00:06:05,282 --> 00:06:07,284
I thought the male was just gonna
let it go but he didn't.
99
00:06:07,368 --> 00:06:09,745
He held on to it
and they had this weird tussle.
100
00:06:12,331 --> 00:06:15,459
BERTIE: There's clearly a lot more
to these eagles than meets the eye.
101
00:06:16,961 --> 00:06:19,880
And if we can put
a remote camera right by the nest,
102
00:06:20,089 --> 00:06:21,549
we'll see even more.
103
00:06:21,715 --> 00:06:28,013
(EAGLE CALLING)
104
00:06:31,517 --> 00:06:33,060
BERTIE: Once mom leaves the nest,
105
00:06:33,227 --> 00:06:35,771
we'll have
a maximum of 30 minutes for the rig.
106
00:06:36,439 --> 00:06:38,732
We'll need to work
with military precision.
107
00:06:40,067 --> 00:06:42,319
-This is Olly. He's our ropes ninja.
-Hello.
108
00:06:42,486 --> 00:06:45,990
And he's gonna be getting us up
into the trees.
109
00:06:47,366 --> 00:06:49,201
BERTIE: We also have Leslie with us.
110
00:06:49,535 --> 00:06:52,913
He's a eagle wizard
and here to ensure their safety.
111
00:06:53,664 --> 00:06:54,665
She's still there.
112
00:06:58,252 --> 00:07:01,213
BERTIE: Our first challenge is to get
a line up into the tree
113
00:07:01,464 --> 00:07:03,591
using a great big catapult.
114
00:07:06,844 --> 00:07:10,306
We're entering the personal space
of a powerful predator
115
00:07:10,681 --> 00:07:13,434
and although experts say
they rarely attack people,
116
00:07:14,101 --> 00:07:15,936
I'm taking a few extra precautions.
117
00:07:18,522 --> 00:07:20,483
These might look pretty ridiculous,
118
00:07:21,692 --> 00:07:24,195
but these eagles hunt using
the element of surprise,
119
00:07:24,278 --> 00:07:26,238
they love to come up behind stuff.
So we figured...
120
00:07:27,198 --> 00:07:30,618
if we put our faces
on our backs
121
00:07:31,827 --> 00:07:33,412
they won't come up behind us.
122
00:07:38,542 --> 00:07:41,629
BERTIE: With their powerful talons,
crowned eagles can pierce
123
00:07:41,795 --> 00:07:44,298
the skull of their prey in a single blow.
124
00:07:46,926 --> 00:07:50,513
I don't think a final safety briefing
will do much to settle the nerves.
125
00:07:51,180 --> 00:07:56,393
If it's a hole, you know, on the head,
get this open and stuff that inside,
126
00:07:57,102 --> 00:07:59,355
and then put a lot of bandage on it.
127
00:07:59,605 --> 00:08:01,232
If it's ridiculously messy, like...
128
00:08:03,025 --> 00:08:07,530
open that up and sprinkle all the granules
in that wound.
129
00:08:10,449 --> 00:08:11,534
LESLIE: She's moved.
130
00:08:12,159 --> 00:08:13,452
BERTIE: Should we climb?
131
00:08:13,786 --> 00:08:14,870
Yeah, confirmed. Carry on.
132
00:08:15,746 --> 00:08:16,705
BERTIE: Okay, climbing.
133
00:08:17,373 --> 00:08:18,791
We're being watched.
134
00:08:19,917 --> 00:08:23,170
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
135
00:08:25,047 --> 00:08:28,217
Okay, she's in the nest tree,
up to the right.
136
00:08:29,301 --> 00:08:30,553
All right, we've gotta be quick.
137
00:08:31,428 --> 00:08:33,264
Okay, let's do this
a bit quickly, guys.
138
00:08:33,514 --> 00:08:35,182
Okay, that's very solid.
139
00:08:37,518 --> 00:08:38,561
She's moved.
140
00:08:39,478 --> 00:08:41,230
She's landed above you on the right.
141
00:08:43,023 --> 00:08:44,650
BERTIE:
Yeah, I'm just keeping my eye on her.
142
00:08:46,777 --> 00:08:48,237
(WHISPERS)
I'm gonna take that over there.
143
00:08:49,196 --> 00:08:50,364
Sam, you there?
144
00:08:50,948 --> 00:08:53,617
Okay. Bertie, I have a picture.
145
00:08:53,826 --> 00:08:57,079
BERTIE: Can you turn the camera?
Yeah, camera's moving-- camera's moving.
146
00:08:57,371 --> 00:08:58,956
Tell me when you're framed up
on me and rolling.
147
00:08:59,164 --> 00:09:01,000
Okay, I'm rolling on the nest.
148
00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:02,960
BERTIE: Sam, you happy with that view?
149
00:09:03,294 --> 00:09:04,503
SAM: (OVER RADIO)
Yeah, very happy.
150
00:09:05,504 --> 00:09:07,339
BERTIE: Okay, let's bounce.
You ready, Olly?
151
00:09:07,673 --> 00:09:08,966
OLLY: Right behind ya, buddy.
152
00:09:14,221 --> 00:09:15,931
Good stuff, guys, well within time.
153
00:09:17,725 --> 00:09:20,728
She's gonna come back on the nest
and that's gonna be a heck of a show.
154
00:09:27,526 --> 00:09:29,403
BERTIE: Mom and chick reunited.
155
00:09:30,362 --> 00:09:33,115
I'm gonna leave them alone
to get used to the camera now.
156
00:09:33,657 --> 00:09:35,409
I'll check on them in a few days.
157
00:09:39,747 --> 00:09:42,499
This place has taught me
a valuable lesson.
158
00:09:43,292 --> 00:09:45,836
Our eagle family are accomplished killers.
159
00:09:46,670 --> 00:09:50,215
But which tree dad pluck that monkey
from is anyone's guess.
160
00:09:52,885 --> 00:09:55,971
My chances of seeing
an actual hunt here are slim.
161
00:09:57,139 --> 00:10:00,559
But there's another forest
200 miles northeast of here
162
00:10:01,310 --> 00:10:03,562
with ten million eagle meals
163
00:10:04,021 --> 00:10:06,273
in a much smaller area.
164
00:10:08,025 --> 00:10:10,194
And our timing couldn't be more perfect.
165
00:10:11,403 --> 00:10:15,532
One of the greatest mammal migrations
on Earth is just beginning.
166
00:10:18,577 --> 00:10:21,789
Every rainy season,
straw-colored fruit bats
167
00:10:21,872 --> 00:10:25,167
from all over Central Africa
flock to Kasanka
168
00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:28,045
to take advantage of a fruit bonanza.
169
00:10:28,253 --> 00:10:30,172
(BAT SCREECHING)
170
00:10:30,881 --> 00:10:33,217
BERTIE:
It's an extraordinary wildlife spectacle,
171
00:10:33,509 --> 00:10:36,970
and we've been given special access
to a tower to film it from.
172
00:10:37,346 --> 00:10:39,640
-(SCREECHING CONTINUES)
-(BERTIE CHUCKLES)
173
00:10:39,848 --> 00:10:41,975
BERTIE: Just look at all of these bats.
174
00:10:42,059 --> 00:10:44,269
They're streaming in
from all directions.
175
00:10:47,690 --> 00:10:48,941
It's just
176
00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:50,818
madness.
177
00:10:56,156 --> 00:11:01,578
I've seen some epic migrations,
but this is on another level.
178
00:11:05,416 --> 00:11:07,918
You get told that there
are ten million bats here,
179
00:11:08,001 --> 00:11:12,756
I thought that's a big exaggeration.
But, it's completely believable.
180
00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:20,305
And it's not like the sky
just goes dark for a few seconds
181
00:11:20,389 --> 00:11:21,765
as a big group flies past.
182
00:11:22,891 --> 00:11:25,978
It just goes on and on and on.
183
00:11:27,229 --> 00:11:31,608
And if you think about it too hard,
it really does make your brain explode.
184
00:11:34,445 --> 00:11:36,113
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
185
00:11:38,866 --> 00:11:44,037
BERTIE: I can feel the vibration from two
and a half thousand tons of bats
186
00:11:44,163 --> 00:11:45,622
beating their wings.
187
00:11:54,423 --> 00:11:57,634
If these were birds,
it would be crazy enough.
188
00:11:58,010 --> 00:12:01,764
But each one of those silhouettes
is a furry mammal.
189
00:12:05,476 --> 00:12:06,810
BERTIE: It's estimated
190
00:12:06,935 --> 00:12:11,064
that they can go through
5000 tons of fruit every night.
191
00:12:12,065 --> 00:12:13,984
So, they won't be here for long.
192
00:12:16,361 --> 00:12:19,281
Once they've stripped the trees bare,
they'll move on.
193
00:12:19,823 --> 00:12:20,908
And when they go,
194
00:12:21,116 --> 00:12:23,994
so do my chances of filming
a crowned eagle hunt.
195
00:12:29,291 --> 00:12:31,919
These bats are in a race against time.
196
00:12:34,296 --> 00:12:37,800
The safest places in the forest
get taken quickly.
197
00:12:38,801 --> 00:12:42,471
When the sun comes up,
hungry eagles start to hunt.
198
00:12:46,475 --> 00:12:47,851
That's extraordinary.
199
00:12:48,519 --> 00:12:50,270
Just the number of animals...
200
00:12:52,314 --> 00:12:54,900
in a single field of view.
201
00:12:55,025 --> 00:12:57,194
I mean, I say single field of view,
they're everywhere.
202
00:12:57,319 --> 00:12:58,570
They're just filling the sky.
203
00:13:01,365 --> 00:13:05,035
And the way that their wings
are all twinkling in the morning light.
204
00:13:08,664 --> 00:13:13,627
I-- I just don't feel like
I have any words to do that justice
205
00:13:13,961 --> 00:13:16,672
other than look. (CHUCKLES)
206
00:13:17,172 --> 00:13:21,218
(BATS SCREECHING)
207
00:13:22,719 --> 00:13:25,764
BERTIE: If you're a crowned eagle,
why go through the trouble
208
00:13:25,848 --> 00:13:29,226
of hunting monkeys when you've got
all of this food in one place?
209
00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:34,439
I reckon they'll definitely be staking out
this bat roost,
210
00:13:34,898 --> 00:13:36,358
so I'm going to do the same.
211
00:13:38,193 --> 00:13:40,070
Time to put my plan into action.
212
00:13:40,696 --> 00:13:42,948
Oh, there's Sam. I can just see...
213
00:13:44,575 --> 00:13:46,368
our other camera man, Sam.
214
00:13:46,952 --> 00:13:48,370
(CHUCKLES)
215
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,583
BERTIE: I've got Sam here to help me film
the hunt.
216
00:13:53,959 --> 00:13:56,420
We'll be working
from separate lookout towers
217
00:13:56,503 --> 00:13:58,297
at opposite ends of the bat forest.
218
00:13:59,590 --> 00:14:02,926
With his powerful lens,
Sam's chief spotter.
219
00:14:04,887 --> 00:14:08,640
And if a crowned eagle does rock up,
I'm gonna film it on my drone.
220
00:14:12,269 --> 00:14:14,980
It's an hour since sunrise,
and most of the bats
221
00:14:15,105 --> 00:14:16,982
have already settled into the roost.
222
00:14:19,693 --> 00:14:22,154
Now, it's just a waiting game.
223
00:14:24,281 --> 00:14:25,490
Bertie, do you copy?
224
00:14:25,782 --> 00:14:26,783
BERTIE: (OVER RADIO) Go ahead.
225
00:14:26,992 --> 00:14:31,121
SAM: (OVER RADIO) There's a martial eagle
right in front of me in the dead tree.
226
00:14:32,122 --> 00:14:33,165
Okay, roger that. Thank you.
227
00:14:34,750 --> 00:14:35,792
Finally!
228
00:14:38,086 --> 00:14:39,838
Oh, got it, got it, got it, got it.
229
00:14:40,339 --> 00:14:42,132
Whoa! (CHUCKLES)
230
00:14:42,299 --> 00:14:44,801
That is a beast.
231
00:14:47,346 --> 00:14:50,349
All right, well, it's not the species
we came for,
232
00:14:50,557 --> 00:14:53,769
but the martial
is Africa's biggest eagle.
233
00:14:54,561 --> 00:14:55,604
Get in.
234
00:14:57,773 --> 00:15:00,901
And it has got a really nice perch
in the dead tree
235
00:15:00,984 --> 00:15:02,736
right above where all the bats are.
236
00:15:04,738 --> 00:15:09,326
These eagles will take just about anything
from a snake to a jackal.
237
00:15:10,118 --> 00:15:14,206
But this one definitely looks like
he fancies bat for breakfast.
238
00:15:15,415 --> 00:15:16,541
Sam, Sam, you there?
239
00:15:17,334 --> 00:15:18,210
Yeah, roger.
240
00:15:18,418 --> 00:15:22,047
Dude, I've got two fish eagles
in about 200 meters,
241
00:15:22,756 --> 00:15:24,549
slightly to your right-hand side.
242
00:15:25,300 --> 00:15:26,343
Yeah, affirmative.
243
00:15:27,844 --> 00:15:31,223
Very hard for me to see him.
I can just make him out.
244
00:15:32,015 --> 00:15:37,729
But he's sat about a meter above
a huge group of bats roosting below him
245
00:15:38,063 --> 00:15:40,607
and he keeps looking down
as if he wants to try and grab one.
246
00:15:42,526 --> 00:15:46,154
BERTIE: These bats
are just a massive eagle magnet.
247
00:15:50,742 --> 00:15:53,412
There's even a juvenile fish eagle
perched above that adult.
248
00:15:54,830 --> 00:15:57,165
This place is just eagle central.
249
00:15:59,084 --> 00:16:01,878
Hang on a second. That's the--
That martial's still there, right?
250
00:16:02,004 --> 00:16:03,046
The one on the tree.
251
00:16:03,255 --> 00:16:05,549
Yeah, that's affirmative.
He's on the far side.
252
00:16:05,716 --> 00:16:06,675
BERTIE: (OVER RADIO) Roger.
253
00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:11,221
Okay.
I've got a bird way up in the sky.
254
00:16:13,598 --> 00:16:15,809
Ah-ha! It's a different eagle.
255
00:16:16,059 --> 00:16:19,521
See those wings,
they're short but really chunky.
256
00:16:20,022 --> 00:16:23,025
The tail's long
and it's got those stripes on it.
257
00:16:23,567 --> 00:16:25,694
Bingo, this is why we're here.
258
00:16:26,862 --> 00:16:27,946
Sam, do you copy?
259
00:16:28,196 --> 00:16:29,239
Yeah, hey, Bertie.
260
00:16:29,865 --> 00:16:30,866
Okay, I got a crowned eagle.
261
00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:35,162
About halfway between you and I,
in the top of a bushy tree
262
00:16:35,245 --> 00:16:36,455
that has a dead top.
263
00:16:38,165 --> 00:16:39,875
SAM: (OVER RADIO)
Yeah, okay, yeah, I can see it.
264
00:16:41,543 --> 00:16:44,755
BERTIE: These crowned eagles
are the leopards of the eagle world.
265
00:16:44,921 --> 00:16:47,132
They're compact and powerful.
266
00:16:49,968 --> 00:16:50,886
This is tense.
267
00:16:51,011 --> 00:16:56,141
Got the crowned eagle in hunting mode
and both Sam and I have good angles.
268
00:16:57,601 --> 00:16:58,810
Come on.
269
00:17:00,020 --> 00:17:02,064
Okay, he's going, he's going, he's going.
270
00:17:02,439 --> 00:17:04,691
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
271
00:17:04,983 --> 00:17:08,904
BERTIE: Whoa! He's skimming
right over the trees! He's so close!
272
00:17:12,657 --> 00:17:14,326
Oh! He's gonna grab one!
273
00:17:17,370 --> 00:17:19,081
(CHUCKLES EXCITEDLY)
274
00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:23,877
Oh! Where have you gone?
275
00:17:24,127 --> 00:17:25,212
He's got one, he's got one.
276
00:17:26,463 --> 00:17:28,215
Ah! My view is blocked by trees.
277
00:17:30,175 --> 00:17:31,176
Missed the hit.
278
00:17:31,510 --> 00:17:33,428
(MUSIC ENDS)
279
00:17:33,804 --> 00:17:36,348
That thing is just
an aerial killing machine.
280
00:17:38,266 --> 00:17:39,810
BERTIE: And to make matters worse...
281
00:17:39,935 --> 00:17:41,394
(LIGHTNING CRACKS)
282
00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:43,146
Whoa! It's going off!
283
00:17:43,730 --> 00:17:45,816
(THUNDER RUMBLES)
284
00:17:46,691 --> 00:17:48,944
I'm sure I remember being told
something about how
285
00:17:49,027 --> 00:17:52,614
if you're in a lightning storm,
you shouldn't be connected
286
00:17:52,823 --> 00:17:55,283
to a very tall object covered in metal.
287
00:17:58,954 --> 00:18:00,497
African storms are brutal.
288
00:18:01,873 --> 00:18:05,752
While I love filming cool things,
I also don't like dying.
289
00:18:06,461 --> 00:18:08,672
(THUNDER CONTINUES)
290
00:18:09,256 --> 00:18:10,674
BERTIE: The bats are hunkered down.
291
00:18:12,008 --> 00:18:16,263
And now it's fed,
this eagle won't hunt again anytime soon.
292
00:18:17,556 --> 00:18:19,641
Tomorrow, we'll try again.
293
00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:34,239
(TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING)
294
00:18:39,494 --> 00:18:43,290
BERTIE: There aren't many places
in the world where a wildlife spectacle
295
00:18:43,456 --> 00:18:46,835
of this magnitude happens
every day like clockwork.
296
00:18:50,463 --> 00:18:53,967
The first bats returned to the roost
at 5:15 am.
297
00:18:54,676 --> 00:18:56,720
Followed for the next half an hour
298
00:18:57,679 --> 00:19:00,682
by the other ten million... ish.
299
00:19:06,396 --> 00:19:10,108
It's amazing to think that these bats
have been on an epic adventure at night
300
00:19:10,317 --> 00:19:11,484
in search for fruit.
301
00:19:14,571 --> 00:19:17,824
Just look at them all. What a scene.
302
00:19:21,870 --> 00:19:23,580
I could film this forever.
303
00:19:26,875 --> 00:19:28,460
(MUSIC FADES)
304
00:19:28,627 --> 00:19:30,921
-(DRONE BEEPS)
-FEMALE VOICE: Battery level is low.
305
00:19:31,254 --> 00:19:34,174
BERTIE: But I need to remember
that I need to save my batteries
306
00:19:34,299 --> 00:19:35,425
for when the eagles turn up.
307
00:19:39,846 --> 00:19:41,014
SAM: Bertie, do you copy?
308
00:19:42,098 --> 00:19:43,099
BERTIE: Yeah, go ahead.
309
00:19:43,475 --> 00:19:46,186
-SAM: I've spotted the martial eagle.
-BERTIE: Copy, thank you.
310
00:19:46,686 --> 00:19:48,521
Whoo. (CHUCKLES) Here we go.
311
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:56,821
BERTIE: My ultimate aim is to film
a crowned eagle hunting from the air.
312
00:19:57,197 --> 00:19:59,741
But the drone doesn't have
a powerful zoom.
313
00:19:59,991 --> 00:20:02,535
So, just finding this martial
is hard enough.
314
00:20:05,121 --> 00:20:09,334
I rely on Sam and eagle-eyed spotters,
like Rustin, to guide me in.
315
00:20:09,501 --> 00:20:10,835
Is he at the top of the tree?
316
00:20:11,836 --> 00:20:13,088
RUSTIN: (OVER RADIO) One at the top,
317
00:20:13,171 --> 00:20:15,006
I think he's probably
one of those burned trees.
318
00:20:17,717 --> 00:20:19,302
There's a tree behind.
319
00:20:19,594 --> 00:20:21,596
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
320
00:20:21,846 --> 00:20:24,099
RUSTIN: You see another tree behind.
It's sitting there.
321
00:20:25,976 --> 00:20:27,852
BERTIE: Oh, got it,
got it, got it, got it.
322
00:20:29,229 --> 00:20:34,150
It's super tricky trying to predict
which way it's gonna take off.
323
00:20:35,652 --> 00:20:40,323
And what I'm doing is I'm positioning,
so I'm over the shoulder of the eagle.
324
00:20:40,490 --> 00:20:42,117
So, I can see what it can see.
325
00:20:42,450 --> 00:20:44,786
And what I'm trying to do
is being in position
326
00:20:44,911 --> 00:20:46,705
for when it takes off and goes for a bat.
327
00:20:47,622 --> 00:20:51,835
But hanging around hovering,
burns batteries.
328
00:20:54,838 --> 00:21:00,969
It's the odd bat up fluttering around
but most of them are settled.
329
00:21:02,637 --> 00:21:03,847
Come on, Mr. Martial.
330
00:21:05,223 --> 00:21:09,269
Martial eagles and crowned eagles
have very different hunting strategies
331
00:21:09,811 --> 00:21:13,565
but getting to film either
is bonkers.
332
00:21:14,190 --> 00:21:16,359
Such a cool view, being over his shoulder.
333
00:21:18,111 --> 00:21:19,863
Bats spooking in front of him.
334
00:21:20,030 --> 00:21:21,323
Breakfast time.
335
00:21:22,532 --> 00:21:23,950
Come on Mr. Eagle.
336
00:21:25,493 --> 00:21:26,661
Okay, there he goes.
337
00:21:27,912 --> 00:21:29,664
Find a target! Find a target.
338
00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:35,170
I feel like this is a view
that you're not allowed to get,
339
00:21:35,295 --> 00:21:38,298
way above the forest,
flying with the eagles.
340
00:21:39,966 --> 00:21:41,634
Here he goes!
There's a bat right in front of him!
341
00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,136
He's got it! He's got it! He's got it!
342
00:21:45,138 --> 00:21:48,892
He made that look very easy. (CHUCKLES)
343
00:21:51,936 --> 00:21:53,772
-(DRONE BEEPS)
-FEMALE VOICE: Battery level is low.
344
00:21:53,938 --> 00:21:55,523
BERTIE: Uh-oh, drone's out of juice.
345
00:21:56,232 --> 00:21:58,735
Right, time for the fastest battery change
of our lives.
346
00:21:59,819 --> 00:22:01,071
Coming in hot.
347
00:22:02,447 --> 00:22:04,783
Come on, landing gear down.
348
00:22:07,911 --> 00:22:10,413
BERTIE: (OVER RADIO) Sam, I'm grounded.
Shout if he jumps.
349
00:22:12,290 --> 00:22:15,502
The eagle is in a dead tree
right at the other end of the forest,
350
00:22:15,585 --> 00:22:17,087
really near to where Sam's position is.
351
00:22:17,295 --> 00:22:19,464
So, I gotta get in the air
as quick as possible
352
00:22:20,340 --> 00:22:21,383
and get back over there.
353
00:22:22,092 --> 00:22:23,635
Let's just do checks.
354
00:22:28,932 --> 00:22:30,392
Confirm he's in the same tree still?
355
00:22:31,184 --> 00:22:33,895
I think there might be another one.
You know, he's behaving quite strangely.
356
00:22:35,188 --> 00:22:36,356
Here we go.
357
00:22:38,024 --> 00:22:39,734
Wow, there's a young fish eagle.
358
00:22:43,363 --> 00:22:45,073
BERTIE: (OVER RADIO)
Could you line me up?
359
00:22:46,032 --> 00:22:48,284
SAM: Keep going another 100 meters or so.
360
00:22:49,077 --> 00:22:50,328
BERTIE: (OVER RADIO)
Okay. Roger.
361
00:22:52,038 --> 00:22:54,249
Okay, I'm up alongside...
362
00:22:54,833 --> 00:22:55,917
the fish eagle.
363
00:22:57,460 --> 00:23:01,548
Okay, the fish eagle is perched
right above the martial eagle
364
00:23:01,756 --> 00:23:03,508
that has the bat,
and the martial eagle's mantling.
365
00:23:03,633 --> 00:23:05,135
Oh, that's crazy!
366
00:23:05,301 --> 00:23:08,346
It's when it puts its wings out
in a big protective shield.
367
00:23:08,847 --> 00:23:11,391
And it's staring right up
at the fish eagle going,
368
00:23:11,516 --> 00:23:13,601
"No, no, no, this is my dinner."
369
00:23:13,893 --> 00:23:17,272
(EAGLE SCREECHES)
370
00:23:17,564 --> 00:23:20,525
Well, that is a brave fish eagle.
371
00:23:20,608 --> 00:23:23,111
Those martial eagles
are big and powerful,
372
00:23:23,278 --> 00:23:25,822
and this one does not want
to give up its lunch.
373
00:23:29,075 --> 00:23:30,952
I think it's finally got the message.
374
00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:36,916
Oh, funny style, it's like,
375
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,460
"Well, I'm not very good
at hunting myself.
376
00:23:38,585 --> 00:23:42,255
But I saw you nail that bat,
so I'm gonna come and get a free lunch."
377
00:23:44,674 --> 00:23:47,760
We caught some really rare behavior
on the drone.
378
00:23:47,927 --> 00:23:52,098
And I'm starting to build up
a picture of how this bat forest works,
379
00:23:52,223 --> 00:23:54,726
and what triggers the eagles to hunt.
380
00:23:55,935 --> 00:23:58,104
The really weird thing to me
about these bats
381
00:23:58,396 --> 00:24:04,027
is that having settled in the forest,
in the safety of the trees,
382
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,156
they'll sometimes, just randomly
spook up into the air.
383
00:24:08,406 --> 00:24:11,367
And that's when, often,
the eagles will zoom in and catch one.
384
00:24:11,534 --> 00:24:16,039
So, why would you leave the safety
of the trees and go up into danger?
385
00:24:17,207 --> 00:24:20,335
If I can figure this out,
it will help me decide where and when
386
00:24:20,460 --> 00:24:21,961
to launch the drone.
387
00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:27,842
But there must be something going on
in that forest that we don't know about.
388
00:24:28,176 --> 00:24:30,595
And the only way we're gonna have
any chance of figuring that out,
389
00:24:30,762 --> 00:24:32,847
is to put cameras in the forest.
390
00:24:35,975 --> 00:24:39,562
BERTIE: Sounds simple,
but we'll have to do it after dark,
391
00:24:40,146 --> 00:24:41,898
when the bats are out feeding.
392
00:24:44,859 --> 00:24:47,529
Apparently, there are snakes
and crocodiles in there.
393
00:24:49,489 --> 00:24:51,241
Sounds like a fun night out.
394
00:24:57,288 --> 00:24:58,831
It takes an hour to hike in.
395
00:24:59,541 --> 00:25:00,458
And it turns out,
396
00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:03,169
killer reptiles aren't the only thing
we have to worry about.
397
00:25:04,712 --> 00:25:06,756
It's crawling with army ants in here.
398
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:07,924
Ooh, there's one.
399
00:25:08,091 --> 00:25:10,051
-Come on, mate. Oh, God.
-Oh, look at that.
400
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,221
BERTIE: And when it's not bitey bugs
slowing us down...
401
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,557
-(THUNDER CRASHES)
-BERTIE: Whoa!
402
00:25:15,723 --> 00:25:18,393
Big storm's rolled in,
so if it wasn't already spooky enough,
403
00:25:18,476 --> 00:25:19,852
it just got next level.
404
00:25:21,271 --> 00:25:23,064
-Here comes the rain. (CHUCKLES)
-Here comes the wind.
405
00:25:23,147 --> 00:25:24,190
Yeah, the wind.
406
00:25:25,191 --> 00:25:26,901
BERTIE: The camera's finally going up.
407
00:25:27,318 --> 00:25:30,572
And with a bit of luck,
it'll show us why the bats spooked.
408
00:25:31,823 --> 00:25:34,450
If I can predict where
and when it happens,
409
00:25:34,576 --> 00:25:36,327
it'll help with our crowned eagle mission.
410
00:25:37,287 --> 00:25:40,623
Okay, cool. Yeah.
Had back to the heights.
411
00:25:40,707 --> 00:25:41,666
Nice one, guys.
412
00:25:46,796 --> 00:25:49,132
What I thought would be
a quick in and out job,
413
00:25:49,257 --> 00:25:50,550
has taken all night.
414
00:25:50,925 --> 00:25:54,429
And by the time we finish,
the bats are flooding back in.
415
00:25:55,221 --> 00:25:58,683
(BATS SCREECHING)
416
00:26:01,269 --> 00:26:04,647
BERTIE: They make this place
feel wild and primeval,
417
00:26:04,939 --> 00:26:07,025
like something from Jurassic Park.
418
00:26:10,194 --> 00:26:11,321
But it's far from it.
419
00:26:14,949 --> 00:26:18,119
From the air, I've seen
how fragile this place is.
420
00:26:19,078 --> 00:26:22,248
Even though the park and the bat
roost itself are protected,
421
00:26:22,915 --> 00:26:26,669
the buffer zone that surrounds them
is in terrible danger.
422
00:26:29,505 --> 00:26:32,467
Huge areas of forests have already
been felled
423
00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:34,594
for illegal industrial farming.
424
00:26:36,554 --> 00:26:41,434
Less forest means less fruit.
Less fruit means fewer bats.
425
00:26:43,436 --> 00:26:48,024
And if the bats stop coming all together,
it'll be terrible news for the eagles.
426
00:26:48,191 --> 00:26:50,151
(BATS SCREECHING)
427
00:26:55,657 --> 00:26:57,867
Come on. Give me a picture.
428
00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:01,496
Give me a picture.
429
00:27:02,205 --> 00:27:05,291
Whoa!
430
00:27:05,833 --> 00:27:08,503
(BATS SCREECHING)
431
00:27:13,925 --> 00:27:17,887
BERTIE: We are inside the bat colony.
432
00:27:21,099 --> 00:27:24,143
And they are perched
all around the camera.
433
00:27:31,067 --> 00:27:34,529
I'm sorry, anyone that thinks bats
are creepy
434
00:27:34,821 --> 00:27:36,781
needs to look at them this close.
435
00:27:38,825 --> 00:27:40,785
You can see they've all
got little personalities,
436
00:27:40,868 --> 00:27:42,286
they're all individuals and...
437
00:27:42,912 --> 00:27:46,374
their little faces look like little foxes
or little dogs.
438
00:27:51,212 --> 00:27:54,757
BERTIE: While I film the bats,
Sam scans for eagles.
439
00:27:55,758 --> 00:27:57,969
And it appears we're being watched.
440
00:27:59,554 --> 00:28:02,056
It's our old friend, the martial eagle.
441
00:28:03,224 --> 00:28:05,101
Give me a shout the moment it takes off.
442
00:28:05,226 --> 00:28:06,436
SAM: (OVER RADIO)
Copy that, we will.
443
00:28:09,897 --> 00:28:13,109
BERTIE: So there's very little movement
in the roost.
444
00:28:14,193 --> 00:28:17,280
Just bats hanging out
with their buddies.
445
00:28:18,865 --> 00:28:21,617
Does the eagle know something we don't?
446
00:28:23,035 --> 00:28:24,662
Whoa, these two are going for it.
447
00:28:25,079 --> 00:28:26,914
(SCREECHING)
448
00:28:26,998 --> 00:28:29,876
Oh, bat life isn't as touchy feely
as I thought.
449
00:28:30,334 --> 00:28:32,378
There's quite a lot of fights going on.
450
00:28:33,171 --> 00:28:35,465
And it's really interesting,
every now and again,
451
00:28:36,257 --> 00:28:40,052
there'll be a fight between two
that are near some sleeping bats,
452
00:28:40,136 --> 00:28:42,513
and those sleeping bats will get...
get a fright and spook.
453
00:28:44,015 --> 00:28:46,893
(BATS SCREECHING)
454
00:28:48,102 --> 00:28:49,437
BERTIE: Whoa! Look at all of them!
455
00:28:50,229 --> 00:28:52,565
This is what we've been waiting for,
they're spooking.
456
00:28:54,275 --> 00:28:57,862
Now they're up into the sky.
They're in the martial eagle's world.
457
00:28:59,030 --> 00:29:02,074
Okay, he's going. He's taking off.
Yeah, he's gone.
458
00:29:05,870 --> 00:29:07,997
This is crazy!
I can see him on the bat camera.
459
00:29:09,582 --> 00:29:10,833
He's got one!
460
00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:15,963
BERTIE: We've solved the mystery
of the spooking bats.
461
00:29:17,673 --> 00:29:21,052
But filming of the martial eagle hunt
was a real bonus.
462
00:29:24,806 --> 00:29:26,432
I didn't think I'd see that today.
463
00:29:26,974 --> 00:29:28,726
(SCREECHING)
464
00:29:28,893 --> 00:29:33,648
BERTIE: With ten million bats here,
a fight could break out anywhere.
465
00:29:34,899 --> 00:29:38,444
Something so random
won't help us film a crowned eagle hunt.
466
00:29:40,780 --> 00:29:43,950
I need to glean more information
from the birds themselves.
467
00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:46,661
It's time to check in on our nest.
468
00:29:51,332 --> 00:29:52,750
While I set up in the treehouse...
469
00:29:53,292 --> 00:29:54,710
It's a little blowy up here.
470
00:29:56,337 --> 00:29:59,048
...Sam's gonna operate
the nest camera from the ground.
471
00:30:03,928 --> 00:30:06,514
Sam,
she looks pretty close to your camera.
472
00:30:07,390 --> 00:30:10,268
Yeah, man.
This camera could not be in a better spot.
473
00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:14,146
It's like being in the nest.
474
00:30:16,732 --> 00:30:18,359
(WHISPERS) Oh, that's so cool.
475
00:30:19,986 --> 00:30:23,573
BERTIE: Now we can get a close-up view
of what makes these eagles
476
00:30:23,656 --> 00:30:25,032
the ninjas that they are.
477
00:30:27,493 --> 00:30:29,912
Those mottled feathers
help them blend in
478
00:30:29,996 --> 00:30:31,956
with the dappled light
you get in a forest.
479
00:30:32,498 --> 00:30:34,750
It's like having an invisibility cloak.
480
00:30:37,962 --> 00:30:43,134
And she's got that massive hooked beak
to tear prey up into chick-ready chunks.
481
00:30:48,431 --> 00:30:50,975
(CHUCKLES) Full frame eyeball.
482
00:30:52,059 --> 00:30:54,687
BERTIE: Eagle eyes, of course.
Need I say more?
483
00:30:55,646 --> 00:30:57,231
Have you seen how big their eyebrow is?
484
00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:01,485
Yeah, it's enormous. Super thick,
like a crusty leather eyebrow.
485
00:31:01,986 --> 00:31:04,113
BERTIE: Yeah, it's pretty unique
to crowned eagles,
486
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,866
'cause they hunt under the canopy
in the undergrowth.
487
00:31:07,074 --> 00:31:09,994
It... It provides a really good bit
of protection for them,
488
00:31:10,161 --> 00:31:12,747
when they're piling into a bush
after a monkey.
489
00:31:14,206 --> 00:31:16,083
Whoa! Nice shot of her rear talon.
490
00:31:17,835 --> 00:31:20,880
Whoa, my God, that's massive!
491
00:31:21,047 --> 00:31:25,843
Yeah, dude, that rear talon
is bigger than a lion's tooth.
492
00:31:26,552 --> 00:31:30,890
And that makes it the biggest
natural killing weapon in Africa.
493
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:37,688
Don't stand on the kids
with your big knives, Mom.
494
00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:46,739
I would not want to be a little monkey
around here.
495
00:31:48,491 --> 00:31:49,617
(SCREECHES)
496
00:31:50,326 --> 00:31:52,954
-BERTIE: Oh, she's calling.
-(SCREECHES)
497
00:31:53,204 --> 00:31:55,206
-Why is she calling?
-(SCREECHING CONTINUES)
498
00:31:55,498 --> 00:31:56,874
There's a hornbill above her, I think.
499
00:32:01,003 --> 00:32:06,092
BERTIE: Oh, that's a big trumpeter
hornbill. She is not gonna like that.
500
00:32:07,551 --> 00:32:10,930
Yeah, hornbills usually eat fruit,
but they'd chomp on a baby eagle
501
00:32:11,055 --> 00:32:12,139
if given half the chance.
502
00:32:15,101 --> 00:32:17,311
Whoa, that is crazy, look at her.
503
00:32:21,565 --> 00:32:25,486
That hornbill flew past,
she's just got total missile lock.
504
00:32:27,780 --> 00:32:30,199
The feathers on her head
just went "Ping!"
505
00:32:30,658 --> 00:32:32,493
Yeah, that's why they're called
crowned eagles.
506
00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:38,040
It's an automatic response,
like an angry scowl, or a death stare.
507
00:32:41,585 --> 00:32:45,506
As soon as the danger is gone, that crown,
look! It's gone back down again.
508
00:32:47,550 --> 00:32:50,511
That said, she's clocked something
out to the right.
509
00:32:53,639 --> 00:32:56,851
Ah, now we've got more visitors,
malbrouck monkeys.
510
00:32:58,185 --> 00:33:00,563
The monkeys are on the ground
and in the trees,
511
00:33:00,688 --> 00:33:02,356
back behind my right-hand side.
512
00:33:03,232 --> 00:33:07,403
If they aren't small monkeys, they can
weigh almost twice as much as her.
513
00:33:10,114 --> 00:33:12,366
(WHISPERS) The female's looking shifty.
514
00:33:13,367 --> 00:33:15,536
We could be in for some action here.
515
00:33:21,709 --> 00:33:23,502
She's gonna go for it.
Here she goes, here she goes.
516
00:33:26,130 --> 00:33:28,007
Jeez!
517
00:33:29,216 --> 00:33:34,180
We have never seen her leave
that fast, that low into the bushes.
518
00:33:34,764 --> 00:33:36,599
-(CHICK CHIRPING)
-BERTIE: Chick is making a racket.
519
00:33:38,184 --> 00:33:40,519
(MONKEYS CALLING)
520
00:33:40,644 --> 00:33:42,521
Just monkey alarm calls everywhere.
521
00:33:43,981 --> 00:33:45,900
There's definitely a rumble in the jungle.
522
00:33:47,193 --> 00:33:48,778
Here she comes.
Here she comes. Here she comes.
523
00:34:03,084 --> 00:34:04,376
Whoa,
524
00:34:05,002 --> 00:34:07,797
that... is a big monkey.
525
00:34:08,881 --> 00:34:13,469
It's like, mom just brought home
the biggest takeaway of all time.
526
00:34:15,846 --> 00:34:20,017
And that chick is gonna get
a really good meal.
527
00:34:20,267 --> 00:34:21,977
(CHICK CHIRPING)
528
00:34:23,187 --> 00:34:24,605
BERTIE: Ah, she's panting.
529
00:34:25,689 --> 00:34:27,942
She looks totally exhausted.
530
00:34:29,902 --> 00:34:30,945
No wonder.
531
00:34:32,404 --> 00:34:36,909
She must have fought it, killed it,
chopped it up and flown it back here.
532
00:34:38,410 --> 00:34:40,996
Monkeys are smart, social mammals, so
533
00:34:41,497 --> 00:34:44,458
she probably had other angry monkeys
to deal with too.
534
00:34:45,918 --> 00:34:49,255
What an absolute legend of an animal.
535
00:34:49,588 --> 00:34:51,090
I'm so happy for her.
536
00:34:55,553 --> 00:34:57,346
BERTIE: She's taught me so much.
537
00:34:58,889 --> 00:35:01,392
The head bobs she gives
when she locks on to prey.
538
00:35:02,476 --> 00:35:04,687
That little shuffle before launching.
539
00:35:06,313 --> 00:35:09,441
The way she banks and turns
in the air like a fighter jet.
540
00:35:12,444 --> 00:35:15,447
It'll be the same with the crowned eagles
at the bat forest.
541
00:35:16,657 --> 00:35:18,826
So, I'm heading back there,
with a new game plan.
542
00:35:25,457 --> 00:35:26,542
Here we go.
543
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,089
Sam's setting up on the long lens.
544
00:35:33,757 --> 00:35:36,010
But the thing
that truly defines this mission,
545
00:35:36,135 --> 00:35:38,512
is to film a crowned eagle
hunting from the air.
546
00:35:39,763 --> 00:35:42,808
But it turns out,
the drone is also my Achilles heel.
547
00:35:43,893 --> 00:35:46,478
It burns through batteries,
limiting each flight
548
00:35:46,562 --> 00:35:47,980
to less than 20 minutes.
549
00:35:49,648 --> 00:35:52,276
So, to maximize
my chances of filming a hunt,
550
00:35:52,526 --> 00:35:56,405
I'm not even gonna look
for a crowned eagle until the bats spook.
551
00:35:58,490 --> 00:36:01,911
So, instead of being hovering ready,
I'm gonna be waiting,
552
00:36:02,286 --> 00:36:04,622
and if the bats go up,
then I'll take off, get out there,
553
00:36:04,997 --> 00:36:06,373
and hopefully film the moment.
554
00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:09,668
What could possibly go wrong?
555
00:36:12,463 --> 00:36:14,131
SAM: At the moment,
most of the bats
556
00:36:14,215 --> 00:36:16,467
are staying pretty curtained
in the vegetation.
557
00:36:18,510 --> 00:36:21,013
So, I guess the bats just need
to hold their nerve and stay put.
558
00:36:21,931 --> 00:36:23,891
That's what I would do if I was a bat.
559
00:36:31,482 --> 00:36:33,192
There's quite a few taking off now.
560
00:36:35,027 --> 00:36:36,445
Okay, roger. Taking off.
561
00:36:39,073 --> 00:36:40,866
Come on, quick!
562
00:36:41,742 --> 00:36:43,035
Ooh, come on!
563
00:36:43,244 --> 00:36:45,287
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
564
00:36:46,956 --> 00:36:48,540
BERTIE: Oh, this is crazy!
565
00:36:49,041 --> 00:36:50,209
This, just, wave of panic
566
00:36:50,376 --> 00:36:53,963
has spread through the colony,
and they're all blasting up in the air.
567
00:37:01,929 --> 00:37:04,848
I want the eagle, just to get on with it,
before the battery dies,
568
00:37:04,932 --> 00:37:06,183
and I have to fly home.
569
00:37:07,893 --> 00:37:09,228
No pressure.
570
00:37:11,438 --> 00:37:13,107
(EAGLE SCREECHING)
571
00:37:13,399 --> 00:37:17,528
BERTIE: What was that that just landed?
It's just below where the drone is.
572
00:37:20,197 --> 00:37:23,284
Whoa! The eagle gods
have answered my prayers.
573
00:37:23,784 --> 00:37:25,452
We have got a crowned eagle.
574
00:37:26,620 --> 00:37:27,871
Sam, look at the drone.
575
00:37:28,163 --> 00:37:30,749
Yeah, roger.
I'm just trying to locate your drone now.
576
00:37:32,167 --> 00:37:34,128
BERTIE: I've seen how fast
these birds hunt,
577
00:37:34,295 --> 00:37:36,547
so I'm not looking away from this monitor.
578
00:37:38,257 --> 00:37:39,550
Still can't see the drone.
579
00:37:40,259 --> 00:37:44,138
The tree that it's in bends up,
just, it leans to the left.
580
00:37:46,974 --> 00:37:48,183
SAM: (OVER RADIO)
No, I see it, yeah.
581
00:37:49,018 --> 00:37:50,519
BERTIE: Awesome, good luck, mate.
582
00:37:52,062 --> 00:37:53,022
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
583
00:37:53,314 --> 00:37:54,565
I'm so excited.
584
00:37:55,899 --> 00:38:00,279
Following these birds is so difficult,
this would be a really bad time
585
00:38:00,446 --> 00:38:01,572
to spank the tree.
586
00:38:01,697 --> 00:38:04,325
so I'm gonna keep my distance
until it decides to hunt.
587
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:08,037
Come on, buddy. Come on.
588
00:38:09,413 --> 00:38:10,539
Grab one.
589
00:38:11,832 --> 00:38:15,711
BERTIE: This battery is not
gonna last forever. Come on! Go!
590
00:38:16,962 --> 00:38:18,547
Oh, there's so many bats.
591
00:38:19,006 --> 00:38:20,674
Oh, you can see he's locked on.
592
00:38:20,799 --> 00:38:22,634
His head bobbing,
he's trying to find a target.
593
00:38:24,178 --> 00:38:26,013
-(DRONE BEEPS)
-FEMALE VOICE: Battery level is low.
594
00:38:27,931 --> 00:38:29,808
"Is it going to go
in the next four minutes?"
595
00:38:29,933 --> 00:38:31,060
is the big question.
596
00:38:31,435 --> 00:38:33,103
(DRONE BEEPS)
597
00:38:33,896 --> 00:38:35,439
Here we go. Here we go.
598
00:38:38,108 --> 00:38:40,152
-(DRONE BEEPS)
-Two minutes to hunt, Mr. Eagle.
599
00:38:42,363 --> 00:38:45,366
Come on.
There's so many bats around him.
600
00:38:46,784 --> 00:38:48,577
Thirty seconds.
601
00:38:50,996 --> 00:38:52,373
Now or never, buddy.
602
00:38:54,249 --> 00:38:55,751
We can see his head jiggling.
603
00:38:56,418 --> 00:38:57,711
He's gonna go.
Surely, he's gonna go!
604
00:39:00,214 --> 00:39:01,965
(CHUCKLES)
605
00:39:09,306 --> 00:39:10,808
Into the bats. Into the bats.
606
00:39:12,559 --> 00:39:16,021
Oh, he's got one! He's got it! Yes!
607
00:39:18,899 --> 00:39:20,609
SAM: Yeah, I've lost sight of him
behind this tree.
608
00:39:20,734 --> 00:39:22,027
Has anyone got eyes on?
609
00:39:22,486 --> 00:39:24,488
BERTIE: There he is, flying left to right,
left to right.
610
00:39:25,114 --> 00:39:26,490
That is unreal.
611
00:39:28,325 --> 00:39:31,495
FEMALE VOICE: The aircraft will go
to the home point in ten seconds.
612
00:39:41,130 --> 00:39:42,798
BERTIE: Well, that was
a pretty tense few minutes.
613
00:39:42,923 --> 00:39:46,343
The bats spooked up and then,
I got a low battery warning on the drone,
614
00:39:46,427 --> 00:39:47,594
classic.
615
00:39:48,053 --> 00:39:50,305
So, sort of deciding,
"Should I come back? Should I go?"
616
00:39:50,431 --> 00:39:55,018
And then he went, and... and I could
just see he nailed the bat.
617
00:40:01,733 --> 00:40:04,111
I mean, just... just to see
618
00:40:04,611 --> 00:40:08,574
a crowned eagle is an extraordinary sight.
619
00:40:08,657 --> 00:40:10,367
You know, I never thought
620
00:40:10,909 --> 00:40:12,995
we'd get one actually hunting a bat.
621
00:40:14,204 --> 00:40:15,330
Amazing.
622
00:40:15,998 --> 00:40:18,917
(SERENE MUSIC PLAYING)
623
00:40:21,336 --> 00:40:24,131
BERTIE: While the lions
might be the top predators on land,
624
00:40:25,132 --> 00:40:27,593
crowned eagles definitely rule the sky.
625
00:40:29,219 --> 00:40:30,762
What a hunter.
626
00:40:37,394 --> 00:40:39,605
(THEME MUSIC BEGINS)
627
00:40:39,771 --> 00:40:42,316
BERTIE: Since making this film,
there's been some good news.
628
00:40:43,025 --> 00:40:45,777
A judge in Zambia has granted
an injunction
629
00:40:46,111 --> 00:40:48,697
stopping two companies
from cutting down forests
630
00:40:48,780 --> 00:40:50,365
on the edge of the National Park.
631
00:40:51,366 --> 00:40:54,703
It's a small but vital step
in the long battle
632
00:40:54,870 --> 00:40:56,371
to save Kasanka's wildlife.
633
00:41:01,126 --> 00:41:03,045
(THEME MUSIC ENDS)