Dzika Rosja Odcinek 1: Kamchatka

Kamchatka, land of fire and ice: we arrive at the Bering Strait, the eastern border of the Russian empire and close to Alaska. This is a region where volcanoes and pristine forests, huge eagles and giant bears, ice and ocean meet. Russia’s natural history, the primeval power of this land finds its climax here. 200 volcanoes are strung out across the huge peninsula from north to south. Kamchatka never sleeps – powerful forces from the planet’s interior constantly change the landscape. It has over thirty active volcanoes and geysers constantly shooting huge fountains into the air. It is a surreal background for a spectacular mass migration. Away from fire and ice, the region offers dramatic landscapes – forests of Erman’s birch, oceans of flowers, and winding coasts. In the birch forests, huge elks can be found, and the tundra regions away from the coast host snow sheep and marmots. On the coast noisy Steller’s sea lions use their fat layers to stave off the cold. Out here otters are found too, sometimes coming together in a super group to make living floating raft with up to 150 individuals joining the party. For millennia, salmon have been moving up the streams there. This of course means predators and so we find our key characters, including Kamchatka’s bears fishing out in the fast moving water taking advantage of the influx of protein. Big Steller’s sea eagles come fishing here too and take advantage of the food supply to coincide with their breeding on pumice rocks at the sea of Okhotsk. We see the bears feeding on salmon, feeding on caddy flies and also fighting. The Bears mother climbs trees with her cubs to get wild honey and we also see them playing in the mountains. We’ve already filmed Sika deer feeding on kelp on the Pacific coast; Paradise flycatcher feeding chicks on the nest; Chinese merganser feeding, diving and during courtship; and the Chinese Soft-shelled turtle sun bathing, diving, hunting for food and displaying territorial behaviour. We also feature the biggest owl on earth – the Blakiston’s Fish-owl as she sits on her nest, feeds her chick and fishes for food. With underwater filming of Harlequin ducks and Lharga Seal as they dive in kelp waters. We’ll also see - the Amur rat snake hunting and feeding on bird eggs; the Himalayan bear climbing, feeding in Ussuri taiga and playing with her cubs; the Amur Tigers in the snow, feeding on kill and the female with her cubs and Raccoon dogs at Lake Khanka feeding on turtle eggs.