America the Beautiful: Wild Frontier (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Land of 10,000 Lakes - full transcript
Narrator: Question... which state
has more freshwater lakes
than any place in the lower 48
and winter temperatures
that can drop to minus 60?
(growling)
the answer... Minnesota.
Its wilderness
tests the american spirit
and the mettle
of our hardiest wildlife.
(bellows)
now, see what it takes
to survive the winter
and manage the thaw...
...In the land of 10,000 lakes.
(growls)
♪
Whiteout.
It's winter,
and the land of 10,000 lakes
has become
a land of ice and snow.
Temperatures plunge
below minus 10.
There's nowhere nearby to fly
or run to that's warm enough.
The only blanket to be found
is made of snow.
♪
(chirping)
Minnesota has more than
1,000 bald eagle nests,
more than any other state
in the lower 48 except Florida.
And those Florida ones,
they got it easy.
You got to be at least
as tough as a bald eagle
to survive winter in Minnesota.
♪
But the bird's-eye vistas
up here
may just be worth the hardship.
♪
No one knows how Minnesota
got the nickname
land of 10,000 lakes,
but that number holds up.
There's also six million acres
of water-drenched peatlands.
That's ten percent of the state.
Prairies once covered the west.
And the forest is split in two,
more evergreens in the north,
and in the southeast,
trees that shed their leaves.
In winter, it's a good place
for a fur coat.
♪
♪
This is a gray wolf,
also called a timber wolf.
He may grow to weigh
up to 175 pounds.
It all depends on how much
he can find to eat.
Right now, he's got
more on his mind than himself.
He's starting his own pack.
He bonded with this female
after the first snow.
In nine weeks,
she'll give birth,
somewhere between 1 and 11 pups.
♪
♪
Wolves were close to extinction
in Minnesota in the sixties,
but now they're back
from the brink,
and the land of lakes supports
more than 500 packs.
♪
They mostly hunt after dark,
and a few nights ago,
these two made a kill.
♪
It'll keep them content
for a few hours longer.
♪
(howling)
♪
Wolves are always on the lookout
for a feed on four legs,
but there is one menu item
up here
that gives them pause...
♪
...Minnesota's
largest wild animal...
(bellows)
...The moose.
Their antlers can be
five feet across.
They aren't aggressive,
but they'll defend themselves
and their young to the death.
(bellows)
the climate in the land
of lakes is perfect for them.
They only live in areas
that have seasonal snow cover,
and they can't tolerate
temperatures above 80 degrees.
Winter for them
is barely an obstacle.
Some moose exceed 1,200 pounds,
and 100 pounds of that
can just be the food
in their stomachs.
Finding a meal up here in winter
is all about knowing
where to look...
around the lakes and...
...Under them.
In some places, the ice
on the lakes is a foot thick,
perfect for die-hard
ice fishermen.
It's a seasonal tradition,
and Minnesotans don't hesitate.
The state has more than
a half million anglers.
♪
Experience alone tells them
just how thick this ice is.
♪
They can safely walk on ice
that's four inches thick.
Five or six inches,
and they can use sleds
or even four-wheelers
and snowmobiles.
Special gear includes an auger.
(revving)
♪
♪
♪
After that, it's pretty much
like any other fishing trip.
♪
♪
♪
♪
Near Brownsville, Minnesota,
they don't have to wait long
for a nibble.
♪
From the depths,
it's a one-way ascension
through a tunnel
to the bright, shiny light
of the surface.
But all the glory
goes to the fishermen.
Man: Catch another couple
more of those,
and we'll have a meal.
♪
Narrator: A feast to behold.
Not a favored walleye or a pike,
but bluegills are
a popular pan-fried fish.
And out here,
you can work up an appetite.
♪
♪
There are more than
150 species of fish here...
Man: Oh, yeah.
Narrator: ...Served on ice,
courtesy
of the land of 10,000 lakes.
Food is out here,
even in the dead of winter.
In the surrounding treetops,
the great gray owl is a master
of the winter hunt.
Minnesota marks the southern
border of her range.
At dusk, her hunt begins.
She scans the bare trees
and barren lands.
Her deep-set yellow eyes
are legendary,
but it's the shape of her face
that helps here.
Her two large circles of plumage
are called facial discs,
and they're the largest
of any owl species.
They act like satellite dishes,
only instead
of receiving the nightly news,
they channel
the smallest sound...
(whirring)
...Even the scurry
of tiny rodent feet.
♪
♪
She can't see her prey
once it ducks under the snow,
but hovers above the sound.
♪
Then, an incredible maneuver
rarely seen.
♪
Narrator:
The great gray owl is a master
of the silent, but deadly,
vertical plunge.
♪
♪
(crunching)
it's one of only a few species
that will drop deep into this
Minnesota snow for a rodent,
like this field mouse.
♪
By height, she is the largest
owl in North America,
but she's a silent flier.
That's why Minnesotans call her
the phantom of the north.
♪
The more food
this female eats now,
the more eggs she'll lay
in the spring.
In a good year,
she may lay up to five eggs,
and this looks like a good year.
The land of lakes
serves up a feast,
and the bounty
continues each night,
through the heart of winter
and into the big Minnesota melt.
♪
Hard luck for this frozen treat.
This gray tree frog, partially
froze inside, like a slushy.
♪
But wait.
♪
As the land thaws,
so does the tree frog.
♪
Then...
(heart beating)
no worse for wear, he moves on.
He survived
subfreezing temperatures
for months at a time
by producing glycerol,
a natural antifreeze
that prevents tissue damage.
(chirping)
(chirping)
at night, he sings in the spring
with other
recently defrosted males.
(frogs chirping)
14 frog and toad species
withstand the chill
in the land of lakes.
♪
The gray tree frog
prefers limbs to legs
and spends most of his life
in the canopy.
Their climbing skills
may not match a monkey,
but they know
how to stick to a stick.
♪
Their unique rounded toes
ooze a gummy mucus
for gripping branches.
♪
They hang out and hunt.
♪
In their arsenal...
patience,
stealth,
and a sticky tongue.
And they can change colors
like chameleons
to give themselves
the best camouflage possible.
They only leave these trees
after the thaw
to search for mates.
This season for sex
is also a time of terror.
Down at lake level,
these hunters become the hunted.
♪
♪
Narrator: The garter snake
may be more tolerant
of cold weather than any other
snake in North America.
The tree frog's best chance
is to stay still
and make like a log.
They all hope they're not seen,
but for some, the danger
is too close for comfort.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
(chirping)
it's March, and the eagle nest
is now free of snow.
They add more lining
every chance they get.
Their powerful wings,
nearly seven feet across,
help them do the heavy lifting.
They are treehouse masters.
Bald eagle couples have built
the largest tree nests
of any bird species
on the planet.
One measured 20 feet deep
and more than 9 feet wide.
They can weigh
more than two tons.
They work together to create
complex layers
of limbs and sticks...
♪
...And pack it with soft grass
in the middle
to protect
some valuable merchandise.
With triplets on the way,
someone needs to always be home.
The female does
most of the egg minding
and turning of the eggs,
but dad pitches in, too.
The days can still be chilly,
but they can't let the eggs
get any cooler than 29 degrees.
Vigilance...
all day, all night.
It's a waiting game
for just over a month.
♪
Then...
It can take up to two days for
a chick to break out of an egg,
but eventually,
one little fluff ball.
♪
♪
♪
Make that two.
♪
♪
Number three takes his time,
but soon enough.
(peeping)
♪
(crow cawing)
down below, the land of lakes
is also transforming.
(chirping)
spring in these woods
brings out the appetite
in all kinds of critters.
♪
This is a long-tailed weasel...
strong, fast,
and incredibly flexible.
He can slip through a hole as
small as a couple of quarters.
Don't insult this guy
by thinking he's a rodent.
He's closely related
to the wolverine.
There are rodents around here,
too, like this deer mouse.
(squeaking)
he survived all winter
in his warm, safe den,
but now he's on the move,
spreading his scent.
A deep hole
will keep out most predators,
but not the long-tailed weasel.
♪
He is a sleek interceptor,
built for home invasion.
♪
♪
♪
He follows his nose.
Escape for this deer mouse
seems impossible.
Narrator: The weasel
has the mouse cornered.
Now for his signature move...
...A lethal bite
to the back of the neck
and a grip like death.
♪
♪
♪
Now the den, and all that's
in it, is his and his alone.
He has a choice of home,
but he'll take his log for now
and keep watch
to see what other juicy morsels
enter the parlor
he's just left vacant.
Everyone
in the land of 10,000 lakes
enters spring with an appetite,
but none bigger than right here.
This black bear mom
lost a third of her body weight
over winter,
and now she needs to bulk up.
She has little ones
dependent upon her milk.
(bear cubs cooing)
other bears in the area also
emerge for a spring jamboree.
(grunts)
it's like a party,
the kind where no ice is a plus.
♪
♪
(growling)
(cooing)
it's all fun and games,
until this guy shows up.
He's around 300 pounds
of danger.
Adult males sometimes kill cubs
that aren't their own.
(growling)
it makes the mom nervous.
♪
♪
♪
(growling)
♪
♪
(growls)
her surprise charge
startles the male,
but it doesn't send him far.
Now she has a problem.
The kids are slowing her down.
She needs to do
some intensive foraging,
but she can't leave them alone
with predators around.
The solution?
A babysitter
in the shape of a tree.
The cubs will be safe
from attack
if they can climb high enough.
♪
♪
♪
The year-old cousins know this
and have already
taken the high road.
♪
♪
There are as many as 20,000
black bears in Minnesota.
♪
Sometimes,
it's like they grow on trees.
♪
♪
The cubs have
no fear of heights,
but that doesn't mean
they can't fall.
♪
Once settled, they can nap away.
And mom can get on
with her work...
looking for berries,
nuts, seeds,
and insects like termites.
♪
(grunting)
♪
(coos)
♪
At the end of the day,
one last task for the cubs
to master... getting down.
(coos)
(coos)
♪
(growls)
♪
♪
♪
♪
They leave the treetops
to the birds.
(chirping)
it's getting crowded up here
in the eagles' nest,
and there's
a lot of mouths to feed.
The most common treat... sushi.
Everything these young need
to grow big and strong.
(chirping)
the white and gray fluff balls
have grown dark and speckled.
They won't get their white heads
for another three or four years.
Before they earn
that sparkling white crown,
they must master the sky.
Narrator: Minnesota
has 10,000 or so lakes,
but perhaps most remarkable
is an area with water
you can't see.
It may be
the state's biggest secret.
This is the peatlands.
♪
♪
Few have heard of it,
yet this six-million-acre
landform
covers ten percent of the state.
♪
It's impossible to drive on
and difficult to explore,
so it's mostly untouched.
A protected ecosystem trapped
in its own time warp.
♪
♪
These spindly black spruce trees
may be more than 200 years old,
but grow little more
than 30 feet high.
Nutrition is a challenge.
♪
The soil drains poorly,
and there's more precipitation
than evaporation.
The result...
a super-sized sponge.
Peat moss and piles
of decomposing vegetation
soak up the water
and turn it acidic.
Life struggles
in this liquid desert.
But nearly 300 bird species
live in and around
this unique habitat,
one with a haunting call.
(wailing)
this wail comes
from a land of lakes icon...
the loon.
(wailing)
it's the state bird
of Minnesota.
(wailing)
there are about 12,000 here,
more than anywhere else
in the lower 48.
(wailing)
these are the heavyweights
of the waterbird community.
Ducks and geese swim with
their bellies above the water.
Loons swim
with their bellies under.
And there's a reason.
The bones of most birds
are hollow and light,
but loons have solid bones
to help them dive deep.
They can hold their breath
for up to five minutes
and duck down
as far as 250 feet deep
to look for food.
They have unique calls
for different reasons.
This soft call to a mate...
(hooting)
just checking in.
They, too, have a family
on the way.
While one gets some lunch,
the other stays on the nest.
They've been doing this
for a month.
(peeping)
one chick has hatched,
and already it's in the water,
eager for dad's protective wing.
The other egg
has not yet hatched.
Loons lay their eggs
one to three days apart.
This one needs
just one more day,
but a day can be
a long time out here.
(quacking)
the threats are many.
Vigilance is vital 24/7.
This raccoon is a night raider.
He launches a surprise attack.
Narrator: A raccoon
charges in on the loon nest.
♪
♪
She fends him off
with a sharp peck.
The land of 10,000 lakes
can be a war zone,
but these birds
are not easily shaken,
and that protective instinct
pays off.
♪
By morning,
they have another little loon.
♪
Within 24 hours,
both chicks are out for a swim.
It's still a dangerous time.
Not much will threaten
an adult loon,
but the babies are prized
by the birds above and the fish
and turtles below.
Mom and dad keep a close watch
and offer something remarkable.
If this little loon
can manage it,
he'll get a free ride
on mom's back.
♪
♪
♪
It's a mission to land
on the loon.
♪
One giant step for birdkind.
♪
It's the safest
and warmest place for a chick.
But there's still a threat
to this family's harmony,
and it comes from another loon.
It's a male who wants
to move in on dad's turf.
Now the signal is a yodel.
(yodeling)
all at once,
it says, 'stay close, dear, '
and 'back off, buddy.'
(yodeling)
(yodeling)
(yodeling)
the intruder takes the hint,
but not far enough.
He sees them coming for him
from below.
♪
♪
♪
♪
That's more like it.
♪
Peace is restored
in the land of 10,000 lakes.
♪
And the year moves on.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
A sure sign
of the changing season...
flashes of fluttering color.
Once a year,
monarch butterflies
float in to Minnesota
to soak up the sunshine
and some nectar
from Minnesota's
blooming wildflowers.
♪
They've been a sight to behold
all the way from Mexico.
♪
♪
But the journey
has taken its toll.
Rain and wind
from a thunderstorm
ripped through
this one's delicate wings.
Monarchs will start their
journey back south in the fall,
but none of this generation
will ever make it.
Some monarchs only live a month.
♪
So it's
their great-grandchildren
who'll finally cross
the Rio Grande.
♪
♪
Late summer turns to fall.
♪
♪
The young eagles
are now in full flight.
And they've learned
a pretty nifty trick.
♪
♪
(chirping)
♪
Now they can snatch fish
on their own
or sometimes steal a catch
from a sibling.
(squawking)
♪
♪
♪
It sounds easy,
to live
in a land of 10,000 lakes,
even inviting.
♪
But now these young eagles
are getting ready
to head into their first winter,
continuing a tradition
of toughing it out.
Surviving year-round
in Minnesota takes grit...
...Skill, and adaptability.
And it creates
some of the hardiest creatures
on the planet.
(bellows)
(growls)
maybe that's the point.
If it were easy,
everyone would be here,
living it up.
Man: Oh, yeah.
Narrator:
Instead, it's a select few,
just the very best.
(coos)
Minnesota creates an elite club
of the extraordinary...
...Who must work it out
just to survive...
(howling)
(bellows)
...In a land of 10,000 lakes.
♪
has more freshwater lakes
than any place in the lower 48
and winter temperatures
that can drop to minus 60?
(growling)
the answer... Minnesota.
Its wilderness
tests the american spirit
and the mettle
of our hardiest wildlife.
(bellows)
now, see what it takes
to survive the winter
and manage the thaw...
...In the land of 10,000 lakes.
(growls)
♪
Whiteout.
It's winter,
and the land of 10,000 lakes
has become
a land of ice and snow.
Temperatures plunge
below minus 10.
There's nowhere nearby to fly
or run to that's warm enough.
The only blanket to be found
is made of snow.
♪
(chirping)
Minnesota has more than
1,000 bald eagle nests,
more than any other state
in the lower 48 except Florida.
And those Florida ones,
they got it easy.
You got to be at least
as tough as a bald eagle
to survive winter in Minnesota.
♪
But the bird's-eye vistas
up here
may just be worth the hardship.
♪
No one knows how Minnesota
got the nickname
land of 10,000 lakes,
but that number holds up.
There's also six million acres
of water-drenched peatlands.
That's ten percent of the state.
Prairies once covered the west.
And the forest is split in two,
more evergreens in the north,
and in the southeast,
trees that shed their leaves.
In winter, it's a good place
for a fur coat.
♪
♪
This is a gray wolf,
also called a timber wolf.
He may grow to weigh
up to 175 pounds.
It all depends on how much
he can find to eat.
Right now, he's got
more on his mind than himself.
He's starting his own pack.
He bonded with this female
after the first snow.
In nine weeks,
she'll give birth,
somewhere between 1 and 11 pups.
♪
♪
Wolves were close to extinction
in Minnesota in the sixties,
but now they're back
from the brink,
and the land of lakes supports
more than 500 packs.
♪
They mostly hunt after dark,
and a few nights ago,
these two made a kill.
♪
It'll keep them content
for a few hours longer.
♪
(howling)
♪
Wolves are always on the lookout
for a feed on four legs,
but there is one menu item
up here
that gives them pause...
♪
...Minnesota's
largest wild animal...
(bellows)
...The moose.
Their antlers can be
five feet across.
They aren't aggressive,
but they'll defend themselves
and their young to the death.
(bellows)
the climate in the land
of lakes is perfect for them.
They only live in areas
that have seasonal snow cover,
and they can't tolerate
temperatures above 80 degrees.
Winter for them
is barely an obstacle.
Some moose exceed 1,200 pounds,
and 100 pounds of that
can just be the food
in their stomachs.
Finding a meal up here in winter
is all about knowing
where to look...
around the lakes and...
...Under them.
In some places, the ice
on the lakes is a foot thick,
perfect for die-hard
ice fishermen.
It's a seasonal tradition,
and Minnesotans don't hesitate.
The state has more than
a half million anglers.
♪
Experience alone tells them
just how thick this ice is.
♪
They can safely walk on ice
that's four inches thick.
Five or six inches,
and they can use sleds
or even four-wheelers
and snowmobiles.
Special gear includes an auger.
(revving)
♪
♪
♪
After that, it's pretty much
like any other fishing trip.
♪
♪
♪
♪
Near Brownsville, Minnesota,
they don't have to wait long
for a nibble.
♪
From the depths,
it's a one-way ascension
through a tunnel
to the bright, shiny light
of the surface.
But all the glory
goes to the fishermen.
Man: Catch another couple
more of those,
and we'll have a meal.
♪
Narrator: A feast to behold.
Not a favored walleye or a pike,
but bluegills are
a popular pan-fried fish.
And out here,
you can work up an appetite.
♪
♪
There are more than
150 species of fish here...
Man: Oh, yeah.
Narrator: ...Served on ice,
courtesy
of the land of 10,000 lakes.
Food is out here,
even in the dead of winter.
In the surrounding treetops,
the great gray owl is a master
of the winter hunt.
Minnesota marks the southern
border of her range.
At dusk, her hunt begins.
She scans the bare trees
and barren lands.
Her deep-set yellow eyes
are legendary,
but it's the shape of her face
that helps here.
Her two large circles of plumage
are called facial discs,
and they're the largest
of any owl species.
They act like satellite dishes,
only instead
of receiving the nightly news,
they channel
the smallest sound...
(whirring)
...Even the scurry
of tiny rodent feet.
♪
♪
She can't see her prey
once it ducks under the snow,
but hovers above the sound.
♪
Then, an incredible maneuver
rarely seen.
♪
Narrator:
The great gray owl is a master
of the silent, but deadly,
vertical plunge.
♪
♪
(crunching)
it's one of only a few species
that will drop deep into this
Minnesota snow for a rodent,
like this field mouse.
♪
By height, she is the largest
owl in North America,
but she's a silent flier.
That's why Minnesotans call her
the phantom of the north.
♪
The more food
this female eats now,
the more eggs she'll lay
in the spring.
In a good year,
she may lay up to five eggs,
and this looks like a good year.
The land of lakes
serves up a feast,
and the bounty
continues each night,
through the heart of winter
and into the big Minnesota melt.
♪
Hard luck for this frozen treat.
This gray tree frog, partially
froze inside, like a slushy.
♪
But wait.
♪
As the land thaws,
so does the tree frog.
♪
Then...
(heart beating)
no worse for wear, he moves on.
He survived
subfreezing temperatures
for months at a time
by producing glycerol,
a natural antifreeze
that prevents tissue damage.
(chirping)
(chirping)
at night, he sings in the spring
with other
recently defrosted males.
(frogs chirping)
14 frog and toad species
withstand the chill
in the land of lakes.
♪
The gray tree frog
prefers limbs to legs
and spends most of his life
in the canopy.
Their climbing skills
may not match a monkey,
but they know
how to stick to a stick.
♪
Their unique rounded toes
ooze a gummy mucus
for gripping branches.
♪
They hang out and hunt.
♪
In their arsenal...
patience,
stealth,
and a sticky tongue.
And they can change colors
like chameleons
to give themselves
the best camouflage possible.
They only leave these trees
after the thaw
to search for mates.
This season for sex
is also a time of terror.
Down at lake level,
these hunters become the hunted.
♪
♪
Narrator: The garter snake
may be more tolerant
of cold weather than any other
snake in North America.
The tree frog's best chance
is to stay still
and make like a log.
They all hope they're not seen,
but for some, the danger
is too close for comfort.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
(chirping)
it's March, and the eagle nest
is now free of snow.
They add more lining
every chance they get.
Their powerful wings,
nearly seven feet across,
help them do the heavy lifting.
They are treehouse masters.
Bald eagle couples have built
the largest tree nests
of any bird species
on the planet.
One measured 20 feet deep
and more than 9 feet wide.
They can weigh
more than two tons.
They work together to create
complex layers
of limbs and sticks...
♪
...And pack it with soft grass
in the middle
to protect
some valuable merchandise.
With triplets on the way,
someone needs to always be home.
The female does
most of the egg minding
and turning of the eggs,
but dad pitches in, too.
The days can still be chilly,
but they can't let the eggs
get any cooler than 29 degrees.
Vigilance...
all day, all night.
It's a waiting game
for just over a month.
♪
Then...
It can take up to two days for
a chick to break out of an egg,
but eventually,
one little fluff ball.
♪
♪
♪
Make that two.
♪
♪
Number three takes his time,
but soon enough.
(peeping)
♪
(crow cawing)
down below, the land of lakes
is also transforming.
(chirping)
spring in these woods
brings out the appetite
in all kinds of critters.
♪
This is a long-tailed weasel...
strong, fast,
and incredibly flexible.
He can slip through a hole as
small as a couple of quarters.
Don't insult this guy
by thinking he's a rodent.
He's closely related
to the wolverine.
There are rodents around here,
too, like this deer mouse.
(squeaking)
he survived all winter
in his warm, safe den,
but now he's on the move,
spreading his scent.
A deep hole
will keep out most predators,
but not the long-tailed weasel.
♪
He is a sleek interceptor,
built for home invasion.
♪
♪
♪
He follows his nose.
Escape for this deer mouse
seems impossible.
Narrator: The weasel
has the mouse cornered.
Now for his signature move...
...A lethal bite
to the back of the neck
and a grip like death.
♪
♪
♪
Now the den, and all that's
in it, is his and his alone.
He has a choice of home,
but he'll take his log for now
and keep watch
to see what other juicy morsels
enter the parlor
he's just left vacant.
Everyone
in the land of 10,000 lakes
enters spring with an appetite,
but none bigger than right here.
This black bear mom
lost a third of her body weight
over winter,
and now she needs to bulk up.
She has little ones
dependent upon her milk.
(bear cubs cooing)
other bears in the area also
emerge for a spring jamboree.
(grunts)
it's like a party,
the kind where no ice is a plus.
♪
♪
(growling)
(cooing)
it's all fun and games,
until this guy shows up.
He's around 300 pounds
of danger.
Adult males sometimes kill cubs
that aren't their own.
(growling)
it makes the mom nervous.
♪
♪
♪
(growling)
♪
♪
(growls)
her surprise charge
startles the male,
but it doesn't send him far.
Now she has a problem.
The kids are slowing her down.
She needs to do
some intensive foraging,
but she can't leave them alone
with predators around.
The solution?
A babysitter
in the shape of a tree.
The cubs will be safe
from attack
if they can climb high enough.
♪
♪
♪
The year-old cousins know this
and have already
taken the high road.
♪
♪
There are as many as 20,000
black bears in Minnesota.
♪
Sometimes,
it's like they grow on trees.
♪
♪
The cubs have
no fear of heights,
but that doesn't mean
they can't fall.
♪
Once settled, they can nap away.
And mom can get on
with her work...
looking for berries,
nuts, seeds,
and insects like termites.
♪
(grunting)
♪
(coos)
♪
At the end of the day,
one last task for the cubs
to master... getting down.
(coos)
(coos)
♪
(growls)
♪
♪
♪
♪
They leave the treetops
to the birds.
(chirping)
it's getting crowded up here
in the eagles' nest,
and there's
a lot of mouths to feed.
The most common treat... sushi.
Everything these young need
to grow big and strong.
(chirping)
the white and gray fluff balls
have grown dark and speckled.
They won't get their white heads
for another three or four years.
Before they earn
that sparkling white crown,
they must master the sky.
Narrator: Minnesota
has 10,000 or so lakes,
but perhaps most remarkable
is an area with water
you can't see.
It may be
the state's biggest secret.
This is the peatlands.
♪
♪
Few have heard of it,
yet this six-million-acre
landform
covers ten percent of the state.
♪
It's impossible to drive on
and difficult to explore,
so it's mostly untouched.
A protected ecosystem trapped
in its own time warp.
♪
♪
These spindly black spruce trees
may be more than 200 years old,
but grow little more
than 30 feet high.
Nutrition is a challenge.
♪
The soil drains poorly,
and there's more precipitation
than evaporation.
The result...
a super-sized sponge.
Peat moss and piles
of decomposing vegetation
soak up the water
and turn it acidic.
Life struggles
in this liquid desert.
But nearly 300 bird species
live in and around
this unique habitat,
one with a haunting call.
(wailing)
this wail comes
from a land of lakes icon...
the loon.
(wailing)
it's the state bird
of Minnesota.
(wailing)
there are about 12,000 here,
more than anywhere else
in the lower 48.
(wailing)
these are the heavyweights
of the waterbird community.
Ducks and geese swim with
their bellies above the water.
Loons swim
with their bellies under.
And there's a reason.
The bones of most birds
are hollow and light,
but loons have solid bones
to help them dive deep.
They can hold their breath
for up to five minutes
and duck down
as far as 250 feet deep
to look for food.
They have unique calls
for different reasons.
This soft call to a mate...
(hooting)
just checking in.
They, too, have a family
on the way.
While one gets some lunch,
the other stays on the nest.
They've been doing this
for a month.
(peeping)
one chick has hatched,
and already it's in the water,
eager for dad's protective wing.
The other egg
has not yet hatched.
Loons lay their eggs
one to three days apart.
This one needs
just one more day,
but a day can be
a long time out here.
(quacking)
the threats are many.
Vigilance is vital 24/7.
This raccoon is a night raider.
He launches a surprise attack.
Narrator: A raccoon
charges in on the loon nest.
♪
♪
She fends him off
with a sharp peck.
The land of 10,000 lakes
can be a war zone,
but these birds
are not easily shaken,
and that protective instinct
pays off.
♪
By morning,
they have another little loon.
♪
Within 24 hours,
both chicks are out for a swim.
It's still a dangerous time.
Not much will threaten
an adult loon,
but the babies are prized
by the birds above and the fish
and turtles below.
Mom and dad keep a close watch
and offer something remarkable.
If this little loon
can manage it,
he'll get a free ride
on mom's back.
♪
♪
♪
It's a mission to land
on the loon.
♪
One giant step for birdkind.
♪
It's the safest
and warmest place for a chick.
But there's still a threat
to this family's harmony,
and it comes from another loon.
It's a male who wants
to move in on dad's turf.
Now the signal is a yodel.
(yodeling)
all at once,
it says, 'stay close, dear, '
and 'back off, buddy.'
(yodeling)
(yodeling)
(yodeling)
the intruder takes the hint,
but not far enough.
He sees them coming for him
from below.
♪
♪
♪
♪
That's more like it.
♪
Peace is restored
in the land of 10,000 lakes.
♪
And the year moves on.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
A sure sign
of the changing season...
flashes of fluttering color.
Once a year,
monarch butterflies
float in to Minnesota
to soak up the sunshine
and some nectar
from Minnesota's
blooming wildflowers.
♪
They've been a sight to behold
all the way from Mexico.
♪
♪
But the journey
has taken its toll.
Rain and wind
from a thunderstorm
ripped through
this one's delicate wings.
Monarchs will start their
journey back south in the fall,
but none of this generation
will ever make it.
Some monarchs only live a month.
♪
So it's
their great-grandchildren
who'll finally cross
the Rio Grande.
♪
♪
Late summer turns to fall.
♪
♪
The young eagles
are now in full flight.
And they've learned
a pretty nifty trick.
♪
♪
(chirping)
♪
Now they can snatch fish
on their own
or sometimes steal a catch
from a sibling.
(squawking)
♪
♪
♪
It sounds easy,
to live
in a land of 10,000 lakes,
even inviting.
♪
But now these young eagles
are getting ready
to head into their first winter,
continuing a tradition
of toughing it out.
Surviving year-round
in Minnesota takes grit...
...Skill, and adaptability.
And it creates
some of the hardiest creatures
on the planet.
(bellows)
(growls)
maybe that's the point.
If it were easy,
everyone would be here,
living it up.
Man: Oh, yeah.
Narrator:
Instead, it's a select few,
just the very best.
(coos)
Minnesota creates an elite club
of the extraordinary...
...Who must work it out
just to survive...
(howling)
(bellows)
...In a land of 10,000 lakes.
♪