Wild North

Deep in the forest we are treated to the sight of a female bear and not just one or two but three cubs emerging in the sunshine after hibernation. On the forest edge, the mighty elk is in rut; an enormous, ghostly bull emerges out of the fog to lovingly court an accommodating cow. But an even rarer sight awaits us at the courting grounds of the Capercailie. Blinded by battle rage, one of the cocks take on a mighty Eagle and meets a brutal end.

In the mountainous highlands, we encounter two endangered predators, both relying on a plentiful supply of lemmings. Luckily, this year there is a surge in the lemming population and so the Arctic Fox and the Snow Owl breed successfully and we get to watch their rearing of the young in intimate detail. The reindeer wandering the plains in a spectacular eternal migration encounter their own challenges breeding. Foxes, ravens and eagles are on a constant lookout for vulnerable calves and the cow even eats her placenta after giving birth so as not to attract the attention of predators.

Far North in Svalbard, the polar bear depends on the ice to hunt seal. With the ice receeding, it turns to larger, trickier prey – the walrus. The hunt is unsuccessful and leave us wondering about the long term survival of the polar bear. On stark bird cliffs we follow the drama of a puffin family, falling apart in the face of starvation. And finally we learn of the remarkable symbiosis between human and eider.