America the Beautiful: Wild Frontier (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - America the Beautiful: Wild Frontier - full transcript
These are the pastures
and the animals you know.
(bleating)
they feed a nation.
(clucking)
but look closer.
There's more at play
on America's farms
than you ever imagined.
Now, take a journey
through the seasons,
over the barn,
into the fields,
and beneath the plow,
to discover a wild world
of conflict
and hidden drama.
(clucking)
it's the secret life of a farm.
(birds chirping)
♪
♪
♪
This little spread in Wisconsin
has all the farm animals you'd
expect in midwest America.
♪
♪
These are the critters that
farmers see day in, day out.
(bleating)
then there are those
that lurk in the shadows.
Watching, waiting.
(clattering)
(clattering)
one man's trash...
...Is a raccoon's treasure.
That was just an appetizer.
(owl hoots)
nighttime brings out
the wild side on the farm.
♪
Four walls should protect
a home from the vermin outside.
♪
But on the counter, temptation.
♪
♪
This is a return visitor.
Once more, a breach.
Raccoons are known
for their intelligence.
Once they crack a puzzle, like
how to access a quiet kitchen,
they've been proven
to remember that solution
for as long as three years.
Breaking and entering;
no problem.
Or should that be
enter and break?
♪
(crash)
♪
♪
♪
♪
These bandits are
not fussy eaters.
That's one of the reasons they
like hanging around people.
Their diet includes
grubs and insects.
It's part meat and part greens,
but it's 100% opportunistic.
There's good eating on the farm,
but only one in a hundred
wild raccoons
live beyond the age of seven.
What can shorten a life?
Getting caught.
♪
♪
♪
♪
(chittering)
this raccoon's home range
could be as big as 7,000 acres.
But when life around a farm
is this good, why venture far?
(birds chirping)
there are plenty of farms
to choose from.
♪
The bright green shows where
farmland is at its densest.
These are the lands we rely on
to feed America and beyond.
In the warmer months, wildlife
looks to this land, too.
It's been a good season
for critters of all kinds
to bulk up.
But now the year is marching on.
♪
Summer soon becomes a memory...
And fades away.
Fall drains the green
from the landscape
and a chill sweeps
across the farm.
Much colder months lie ahead.
(birds chirping)
blackbirds and grackles
will head south
to avoid the worst
of the ice and snow.
But not before one last banquet.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the birds scatter across
the land to devour leftovers.
(chirping)
the farmer's waste is enough
to feed a horde.
Then...
(chirping)
(chirping)
right before dusk,
they must all look for a secure
place to roost for the night.
(chirping)
and there is safety in numbers.
(chirping)
as groups return from foraging,
the flock swells.
(chirping)
each individual tracks
the bird beside it.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the most prized spot is in the
middle, safe from predators.
Birds on the edges risk
getting picked off.
Same with those
who are first to land.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the result of this
survival function...
synchronized flying at speeds
up to 28 miles an hour.
♪
It's called a murmuration.
Mesmerizing waves
of avian beauty.
♪
♪
♪
♪
The ritual continues here
every day throughout the fall.
And then, together,
they head south,
leaving the farm to those who
must stay and brace themselves
for the bone-chilling challenge
that lies ahead.
♪
♪
Among them, an animal
that takes a page out
of the farmer's almanac.
♪
♪
Farm workers aren't the only
ones who know how to plow.
Nature has its own diggers.
One sits among the strangest
creatures on the planet.
This is a short-tailed shrew.
A little guy with a big problem.
His life includes
an extraordinary daily routine
that defies logic.
(sniffing)
life on an american farm
may seem laidback,
but not for
the short-tailed shrew.
His metabolism is
fast and strenuous.
Shrews have a tiny heart
that in some species races
up to 1,500 beats a minute.
That takes a lot of calories
to sustain.
He has to eat every
three hours, or he'll die.
Not that he's fussy.
Dead or alive, he'll take it on.
♪
There's not much he'll
let stand between him
and his next meal.
♪
♪
But that's only
part of the story.
He also needs lots of rest.
♪
On average, he must rest for
about 50 minutes of every hour.
5-0.
So, that meal he must eat
every few hours to survive?
He only has a handful
of five-minute bursts
to find it, kill it, and eat it.
♪
♪
♪
It's a daily grind,
down among the weeds,
hidden from view.
Just above, the regular
autumn harvest
has its own little-known
life-and-death drama.
Rows of standing straw make a
perfect hideout for these guys.
♪
Wild pheasants.
♪
♪
The colorful one,
that's the man of the house.
He's happy to chill out here
with his girlfriends
to pick up spilt seed
and search for insects.
They blend in
with the corn husks.
Ring-necked pheasants
are not native to America
but were introduced from Asia
in the 1700s.
Since then, they have spread
far and wide,
to every state in the Midwest.
They remain a favorite
game bird for hunters.
Hunters both human and non.
♪
The great horned owl is one of
the most powerful owl species
in the Americas.
This one moves to high ground.
♪
From up here, he can look down
into the fields,
into the standing straw.
Owls have fixed eye sockets,
meaning they can't rotate
their eyeballs.
To look in different directions,
he must move his entire head.
His flexible neck gives him
270 degrees of coverage.
♪
The camouflage isn't
good enough for this pheasant,
and she knows it.
♪
♪
Her only chance is to get
a jump-start into the sky.
♪
♪
A chase of up to
40 miles an hour.
A race of life and death.
In America's heartland,
this wild pheasant
swoops over the farm
with a good head start
on a great horned owl.
♪
Then, a wrong turn.
♪
♪
♪
♪
One less pheasant on the farm.
♪
It's harvest time
for the owl, too.
♪
♪
It's already winter.
Soon it will snow.
The great horned owl
has made the best of fall.
But from here on out,
life on the farm gets tough.
♪
♪
Now it's hard to find feed
in the fields.
♪
Enter a vermin
new to these parts.
Possums have stretched
their range north,
now reaching into farmland
with colder climates.
It's a risky business.
Some perish
in the harsher winters.
Others get frostbite
on their ears and tails.
(chirping)
possums are the only native
marsupial in the united states,
more closely related
to kangaroos and koalas
than anything
in their home country.
That means the males have
a double-headed penis,
and females carry
their young in a pouch.
♪
In summer they hunt and forage
under the cover of darkness,
but in winter they need to take
advantage of the sunlight.
Rodents, insects, frogs, plants;
they'll take it all.
But nothing is as good
as an animal already dead.
♪
♪
They ain't too proud
to take advantage
of another's misfortune.
This deer died
trapped in a fence.
Possums have more teeth than
any land mammal in the U.S.,
perfect for this feast.
♪
♪
♪
He'll be back for more.
On the farm, there's no rest
for the wicked...
Or the responsible.
Chores don't wait
for any season.
There are still fields
to prepare
and spread with
nitrogen-rich manure.
And there's firewood to stack.
♪
He brings the forest
to the farm.
(purring)
and with it,
some unsavory critters...
spiders, maybe snakes,
and of course, mice.
♪
♪
This home would appear perfect,
with easy access
to a nice, warm barn.
But he's got company.
(purring)
the job description
goes like this:
Wanted for America's heartland.
One barn cat.
(purring)
must have alert eyes
and silent steps.
Title: Rodent killer.
♪
♪
♪
A good mouser can kill
three or four mice in a day.
♪
♪
♪
(purring)
♪
♪
But this cat needs to
work harder on her résumé.
♪
♪
(purring)
(meow)
(purring)
(meow)
the barn has been an enviable
shelter for four months,
but now, things heat up.
♪
By April, the last of the snow
is washed away
by warm spring rains.
And on the farm,
that means new life.
Nature's clock sets births
to coincide with ample food.
(bleats)
one study notes that more
mothers will give birth
on days when the
barometric pressure is high.
(bleating)
might as well start out life
in the sunshine.
♪
(bleating)
these are lazy days
for the young,
who spend it feeding and growing
and learning to eat solid food.
(bleating)
(bleating)
corn's on the menu today,
served buffet style.
(bleating)
♪
♪
(clucking)
(bleating)
under hoof, the ground
is soft and spongy.
That makes for easy plowing.
(snorts)
just ask the barn's
most intelligent resident.
Time to wake up and get to work.
(squealing)
pigs dig for worms, roots,
grain, any food they can find.
The mud also helps
keep them cool
and protects them from the sun.
They may also pee in it,
because, well,
that's what pigs do.
(squealing)
there are other diggers
on this farm
that mostly stay hidden
from sight,
like the ground squirrel.
The ground squirrel's home range
can be as little
as half an acre.
So the same family has
likely lived on this farm
for generations.
♪
But for them, spring is about
to take a turn for the worse.
♪
There's a big threat
on the horizon,
and none of them
can see it coming.
A year on the american farm
means close attention
to the elements.
Earth, wind, and fire.
♪
♪
♪
Fire is not a threat
on this farm,
but a tool to help
native grass recover.
The invasive weeds
die off in the burn.
The native grasses have
deeper roots that survive.
Some of the creatures
who call these fields home
are caught off guard.
♪
It's a slow burn, but fast
enough and with choking smoke.
♪
At least ground squirrels
have a natural fire escape.
(birds cawing)
underground, they are insulated
from the heat.
♪
It's may,
and in just a few weeks,
spring bounces back through
the black and the smoke...
Bigger and greener than ever.
That makes the fields here
a promising spot
for a couple
of hungry red foxes.
♪
♪
Foxes aren't pack animals, but
they do live in family groups.
They need enough food for
mom, dad, and four adolescents.
♪
For them, this farm
and its fields
are brave new worlds to explore.
♪
They're too young yet for rules.
It's carefree play all day long,
learning to fight and tussle.
They can play a game of
'who's on top' for an hour.
♪
♪
(growling)
♪
But nothing seems
to make them happier
than when a parent comes home.
♪
They're only a few months old,
still young enough
to get a drink from mom.
♪
That's what life on the farm
is all about...
working hard to provide
for a family,
weathering hardships together,
and having fun when you can.
♪
♪
The farm is a hub.
The centerpiece for a patchwork
of trees and fields
filled with life.
This is how some animals
see it every day...
From up high.
♪
♪
The kestrel is welcome here.
They never build
their own nests,
so this predator was quick to
sign a lease on a pre-fab loft.
The farmer built it
for one good reason.
The kestrel is a hunter
of bugs and rodents.
She helps keep
rats and mice in check.
(chirping)
kestrels often hover
above prey out in the open.
That's easiest when
the wind is right.
Today, it's still,
so she takes a perch
and watches for movement
in the fields.
Kestrels can spot a small
rodent from 300 yards away.
She can also see
ultraviolet light,
so her prey's urine will shine
in a field like a glow stick
and give them away.
Ground squirrels and the shrew
also risk being ambushed.
♪
♪
For an aerial attack,
her timing must be perfect.
♪
♪
She seizes the moment.
♪
♪
(chirping)
♪
Air power reigns supreme
on the farm.
The kestrel may be the smallest
falcon in America's heartland,
but she's a mighty huntress.
♪
♪
(chirping)
eating on the fly is
all part of a busy spring.
Her wingspan is
less than two feet,
but she can easily manage
an ounce or two
of carry-on weight.
♪
She'll take down as many
as ten kills a day.
Depending if she is just
feeding herself or her family.
♪
(chirping)
♪
(cheeping)
♪
♪
It's mealtime for
her four nagging chicks.
(cheeping)
(cheeping)
mom brings home the bacon,
carves it up and serves.
(cheeping)
the chicks won't hunt
for themselves
until the middle of summer.
(cheeping)
but their dinner is not
on mom's shoulders alone.
(cheeping)
she does the delivering
and may take the credit,
but outside, it's actually dad
who does most of the hunting.
♪
He hands this catch over to his
lady and keeps going for more.
♪
How much food do you need to
keep four hungry chicks happy?
♪
♪
♪
They know the answer.
It's always just
a little bit more.
♪
♪
♪
(cheeping)
there's really only one thing
that's hard to swallow
in this cozy condo.
Just one drawback to all this
feasting and bunking
with your sibs:
What goes in, must come out.
♪
♪
♪
♪
Of course, not all birds
in the barn are wild.
This isn't a big egg-producing
or chicken farming operation,
but they have the grain
and the space for some poultry.
(clucking)
(clucking)
these hens lay enough
to keep this farmer
and his neighbors happy.
♪
Only one problem:
There's also a neighbor
that no one wants.
(clucking)
as the sun sets, he moves in.
♪
A long-tailed weasel
can slip through a hole
barely bigger than its own head.
(clucking)
he often eats rodents, but this
evening, he has other plans.
(clucking)
(clucking)
it's an invasion most 'fowl.'
(squawking)
(squawking)
(squawking)
♪
♪
♪
(clucking)
the weasel could easily
take out a chicken,
but something else on the menu
catches his dark eyes.
A favorite.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
It's a hearty dinner of eggs.
♪
Scrambled.
(sniffing)
♪
♪
♪
♪
(clucking)
outside, the chickens
continue to raise the alarm.
(clucking)
(clucking)
he'll have to eat on the run.
♪
♪
♪
And take one egg to go.
♪
♪
(clucking)
(clucking)
the battles between
farmers and vermin
are as old as farms themselves.
♪
That's part of living
in America's heartland.
♪
It goes without saying
that farms feed America,
but like it or not, they also
support abundant wildlife.
It's a secret ecosystem
that flows with the seasons.
Up high, down low...
In dark, hidden corners...
Conflict and drama
is everywhere.
Not always welcome,
but always giving a wild edge
to life on the farm.
and the animals you know.
(bleating)
they feed a nation.
(clucking)
but look closer.
There's more at play
on America's farms
than you ever imagined.
Now, take a journey
through the seasons,
over the barn,
into the fields,
and beneath the plow,
to discover a wild world
of conflict
and hidden drama.
(clucking)
it's the secret life of a farm.
(birds chirping)
♪
♪
♪
This little spread in Wisconsin
has all the farm animals you'd
expect in midwest America.
♪
♪
These are the critters that
farmers see day in, day out.
(bleating)
then there are those
that lurk in the shadows.
Watching, waiting.
(clattering)
(clattering)
one man's trash...
...Is a raccoon's treasure.
That was just an appetizer.
(owl hoots)
nighttime brings out
the wild side on the farm.
♪
Four walls should protect
a home from the vermin outside.
♪
But on the counter, temptation.
♪
♪
This is a return visitor.
Once more, a breach.
Raccoons are known
for their intelligence.
Once they crack a puzzle, like
how to access a quiet kitchen,
they've been proven
to remember that solution
for as long as three years.
Breaking and entering;
no problem.
Or should that be
enter and break?
♪
(crash)
♪
♪
♪
♪
These bandits are
not fussy eaters.
That's one of the reasons they
like hanging around people.
Their diet includes
grubs and insects.
It's part meat and part greens,
but it's 100% opportunistic.
There's good eating on the farm,
but only one in a hundred
wild raccoons
live beyond the age of seven.
What can shorten a life?
Getting caught.
♪
♪
♪
♪
(chittering)
this raccoon's home range
could be as big as 7,000 acres.
But when life around a farm
is this good, why venture far?
(birds chirping)
there are plenty of farms
to choose from.
♪
The bright green shows where
farmland is at its densest.
These are the lands we rely on
to feed America and beyond.
In the warmer months, wildlife
looks to this land, too.
It's been a good season
for critters of all kinds
to bulk up.
But now the year is marching on.
♪
Summer soon becomes a memory...
And fades away.
Fall drains the green
from the landscape
and a chill sweeps
across the farm.
Much colder months lie ahead.
(birds chirping)
blackbirds and grackles
will head south
to avoid the worst
of the ice and snow.
But not before one last banquet.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the birds scatter across
the land to devour leftovers.
(chirping)
the farmer's waste is enough
to feed a horde.
Then...
(chirping)
(chirping)
right before dusk,
they must all look for a secure
place to roost for the night.
(chirping)
and there is safety in numbers.
(chirping)
as groups return from foraging,
the flock swells.
(chirping)
each individual tracks
the bird beside it.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the most prized spot is in the
middle, safe from predators.
Birds on the edges risk
getting picked off.
Same with those
who are first to land.
(chirping)
(chirping)
the result of this
survival function...
synchronized flying at speeds
up to 28 miles an hour.
♪
It's called a murmuration.
Mesmerizing waves
of avian beauty.
♪
♪
♪
♪
The ritual continues here
every day throughout the fall.
And then, together,
they head south,
leaving the farm to those who
must stay and brace themselves
for the bone-chilling challenge
that lies ahead.
♪
♪
Among them, an animal
that takes a page out
of the farmer's almanac.
♪
♪
Farm workers aren't the only
ones who know how to plow.
Nature has its own diggers.
One sits among the strangest
creatures on the planet.
This is a short-tailed shrew.
A little guy with a big problem.
His life includes
an extraordinary daily routine
that defies logic.
(sniffing)
life on an american farm
may seem laidback,
but not for
the short-tailed shrew.
His metabolism is
fast and strenuous.
Shrews have a tiny heart
that in some species races
up to 1,500 beats a minute.
That takes a lot of calories
to sustain.
He has to eat every
three hours, or he'll die.
Not that he's fussy.
Dead or alive, he'll take it on.
♪
There's not much he'll
let stand between him
and his next meal.
♪
♪
But that's only
part of the story.
He also needs lots of rest.
♪
On average, he must rest for
about 50 minutes of every hour.
5-0.
So, that meal he must eat
every few hours to survive?
He only has a handful
of five-minute bursts
to find it, kill it, and eat it.
♪
♪
♪
It's a daily grind,
down among the weeds,
hidden from view.
Just above, the regular
autumn harvest
has its own little-known
life-and-death drama.
Rows of standing straw make a
perfect hideout for these guys.
♪
Wild pheasants.
♪
♪
The colorful one,
that's the man of the house.
He's happy to chill out here
with his girlfriends
to pick up spilt seed
and search for insects.
They blend in
with the corn husks.
Ring-necked pheasants
are not native to America
but were introduced from Asia
in the 1700s.
Since then, they have spread
far and wide,
to every state in the Midwest.
They remain a favorite
game bird for hunters.
Hunters both human and non.
♪
The great horned owl is one of
the most powerful owl species
in the Americas.
This one moves to high ground.
♪
From up here, he can look down
into the fields,
into the standing straw.
Owls have fixed eye sockets,
meaning they can't rotate
their eyeballs.
To look in different directions,
he must move his entire head.
His flexible neck gives him
270 degrees of coverage.
♪
The camouflage isn't
good enough for this pheasant,
and she knows it.
♪
♪
Her only chance is to get
a jump-start into the sky.
♪
♪
A chase of up to
40 miles an hour.
A race of life and death.
In America's heartland,
this wild pheasant
swoops over the farm
with a good head start
on a great horned owl.
♪
Then, a wrong turn.
♪
♪
♪
♪
One less pheasant on the farm.
♪
It's harvest time
for the owl, too.
♪
♪
It's already winter.
Soon it will snow.
The great horned owl
has made the best of fall.
But from here on out,
life on the farm gets tough.
♪
♪
Now it's hard to find feed
in the fields.
♪
Enter a vermin
new to these parts.
Possums have stretched
their range north,
now reaching into farmland
with colder climates.
It's a risky business.
Some perish
in the harsher winters.
Others get frostbite
on their ears and tails.
(chirping)
possums are the only native
marsupial in the united states,
more closely related
to kangaroos and koalas
than anything
in their home country.
That means the males have
a double-headed penis,
and females carry
their young in a pouch.
♪
In summer they hunt and forage
under the cover of darkness,
but in winter they need to take
advantage of the sunlight.
Rodents, insects, frogs, plants;
they'll take it all.
But nothing is as good
as an animal already dead.
♪
♪
They ain't too proud
to take advantage
of another's misfortune.
This deer died
trapped in a fence.
Possums have more teeth than
any land mammal in the U.S.,
perfect for this feast.
♪
♪
♪
He'll be back for more.
On the farm, there's no rest
for the wicked...
Or the responsible.
Chores don't wait
for any season.
There are still fields
to prepare
and spread with
nitrogen-rich manure.
And there's firewood to stack.
♪
He brings the forest
to the farm.
(purring)
and with it,
some unsavory critters...
spiders, maybe snakes,
and of course, mice.
♪
♪
This home would appear perfect,
with easy access
to a nice, warm barn.
But he's got company.
(purring)
the job description
goes like this:
Wanted for America's heartland.
One barn cat.
(purring)
must have alert eyes
and silent steps.
Title: Rodent killer.
♪
♪
♪
A good mouser can kill
three or four mice in a day.
♪
♪
♪
(purring)
♪
♪
But this cat needs to
work harder on her résumé.
♪
♪
(purring)
(meow)
(purring)
(meow)
the barn has been an enviable
shelter for four months,
but now, things heat up.
♪
By April, the last of the snow
is washed away
by warm spring rains.
And on the farm,
that means new life.
Nature's clock sets births
to coincide with ample food.
(bleats)
one study notes that more
mothers will give birth
on days when the
barometric pressure is high.
(bleating)
might as well start out life
in the sunshine.
♪
(bleating)
these are lazy days
for the young,
who spend it feeding and growing
and learning to eat solid food.
(bleating)
(bleating)
corn's on the menu today,
served buffet style.
(bleating)
♪
♪
(clucking)
(bleating)
under hoof, the ground
is soft and spongy.
That makes for easy plowing.
(snorts)
just ask the barn's
most intelligent resident.
Time to wake up and get to work.
(squealing)
pigs dig for worms, roots,
grain, any food they can find.
The mud also helps
keep them cool
and protects them from the sun.
They may also pee in it,
because, well,
that's what pigs do.
(squealing)
there are other diggers
on this farm
that mostly stay hidden
from sight,
like the ground squirrel.
The ground squirrel's home range
can be as little
as half an acre.
So the same family has
likely lived on this farm
for generations.
♪
But for them, spring is about
to take a turn for the worse.
♪
There's a big threat
on the horizon,
and none of them
can see it coming.
A year on the american farm
means close attention
to the elements.
Earth, wind, and fire.
♪
♪
♪
Fire is not a threat
on this farm,
but a tool to help
native grass recover.
The invasive weeds
die off in the burn.
The native grasses have
deeper roots that survive.
Some of the creatures
who call these fields home
are caught off guard.
♪
It's a slow burn, but fast
enough and with choking smoke.
♪
At least ground squirrels
have a natural fire escape.
(birds cawing)
underground, they are insulated
from the heat.
♪
It's may,
and in just a few weeks,
spring bounces back through
the black and the smoke...
Bigger and greener than ever.
That makes the fields here
a promising spot
for a couple
of hungry red foxes.
♪
♪
Foxes aren't pack animals, but
they do live in family groups.
They need enough food for
mom, dad, and four adolescents.
♪
For them, this farm
and its fields
are brave new worlds to explore.
♪
They're too young yet for rules.
It's carefree play all day long,
learning to fight and tussle.
They can play a game of
'who's on top' for an hour.
♪
♪
(growling)
♪
But nothing seems
to make them happier
than when a parent comes home.
♪
They're only a few months old,
still young enough
to get a drink from mom.
♪
That's what life on the farm
is all about...
working hard to provide
for a family,
weathering hardships together,
and having fun when you can.
♪
♪
The farm is a hub.
The centerpiece for a patchwork
of trees and fields
filled with life.
This is how some animals
see it every day...
From up high.
♪
♪
The kestrel is welcome here.
They never build
their own nests,
so this predator was quick to
sign a lease on a pre-fab loft.
The farmer built it
for one good reason.
The kestrel is a hunter
of bugs and rodents.
She helps keep
rats and mice in check.
(chirping)
kestrels often hover
above prey out in the open.
That's easiest when
the wind is right.
Today, it's still,
so she takes a perch
and watches for movement
in the fields.
Kestrels can spot a small
rodent from 300 yards away.
She can also see
ultraviolet light,
so her prey's urine will shine
in a field like a glow stick
and give them away.
Ground squirrels and the shrew
also risk being ambushed.
♪
♪
For an aerial attack,
her timing must be perfect.
♪
♪
She seizes the moment.
♪
♪
(chirping)
♪
Air power reigns supreme
on the farm.
The kestrel may be the smallest
falcon in America's heartland,
but she's a mighty huntress.
♪
♪
(chirping)
eating on the fly is
all part of a busy spring.
Her wingspan is
less than two feet,
but she can easily manage
an ounce or two
of carry-on weight.
♪
She'll take down as many
as ten kills a day.
Depending if she is just
feeding herself or her family.
♪
(chirping)
♪
(cheeping)
♪
♪
It's mealtime for
her four nagging chicks.
(cheeping)
(cheeping)
mom brings home the bacon,
carves it up and serves.
(cheeping)
the chicks won't hunt
for themselves
until the middle of summer.
(cheeping)
but their dinner is not
on mom's shoulders alone.
(cheeping)
she does the delivering
and may take the credit,
but outside, it's actually dad
who does most of the hunting.
♪
He hands this catch over to his
lady and keeps going for more.
♪
How much food do you need to
keep four hungry chicks happy?
♪
♪
♪
They know the answer.
It's always just
a little bit more.
♪
♪
♪
(cheeping)
there's really only one thing
that's hard to swallow
in this cozy condo.
Just one drawback to all this
feasting and bunking
with your sibs:
What goes in, must come out.
♪
♪
♪
♪
Of course, not all birds
in the barn are wild.
This isn't a big egg-producing
or chicken farming operation,
but they have the grain
and the space for some poultry.
(clucking)
(clucking)
these hens lay enough
to keep this farmer
and his neighbors happy.
♪
Only one problem:
There's also a neighbor
that no one wants.
(clucking)
as the sun sets, he moves in.
♪
A long-tailed weasel
can slip through a hole
barely bigger than its own head.
(clucking)
he often eats rodents, but this
evening, he has other plans.
(clucking)
(clucking)
it's an invasion most 'fowl.'
(squawking)
(squawking)
(squawking)
♪
♪
♪
(clucking)
the weasel could easily
take out a chicken,
but something else on the menu
catches his dark eyes.
A favorite.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
It's a hearty dinner of eggs.
♪
Scrambled.
(sniffing)
♪
♪
♪
♪
(clucking)
outside, the chickens
continue to raise the alarm.
(clucking)
(clucking)
he'll have to eat on the run.
♪
♪
♪
And take one egg to go.
♪
♪
(clucking)
(clucking)
the battles between
farmers and vermin
are as old as farms themselves.
♪
That's part of living
in America's heartland.
♪
It goes without saying
that farms feed America,
but like it or not, they also
support abundant wildlife.
It's a secret ecosystem
that flows with the seasons.
Up high, down low...
In dark, hidden corners...
Conflict and drama
is everywhere.
Not always welcome,
but always giving a wild edge
to life on the farm.