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00:00Wind speed of 10, gusts of 100 km per hour over the water, storm warning, an alpine lake
00:16is born as a thousand oceans, a lake full of surprises.
00:24The Chiemsee, the Bavarian sea, is again very calm and peaceful.
00:50In the shallow water, there are strange chunks that look like organs.
00:54The so-called brain stones retain their fragile surface of lime-forming and lime-eating blue algae.
01:06The brain stones also inhabit mussels.
01:09The migratory mussel honors its name.
01:14The little ones can sit still at least.
01:22In the middle of the 20th century, zebra mussels were brought in from the Black Sea region.
01:27They spread quickly across the entire lake, very much to the delight of many water birds.
01:39But mussel harvest is not an easy affair.
02:01Zebra mussels are not the only strangers here.
02:06A few flamingos, who fled from aviaries and zoos years ago,
02:10have come together on the Chiemsee to form a small swarm.
02:20When the spring sun gains strength, an animal awakens from its winter sleep,
02:26which is loved by some, but hated by others all the more.
02:36Tree caves are its favorite hiding place.
02:41A stinging nettle female.
02:44It has endured the winter in a stinger.
02:47Now it wakes up, like an estimated 250 million species all around the lake.
02:57As soon as spring has arrived, myriads of insects are lurking in the reeds,
03:03especially the most diverse flies and mosquito species.
03:16In the nest halls, the female is looking for protection from predators.
03:21Others have retreated deep into the reeds.
03:25The larvae of fern flies and gall mosquitoes live and eat inside the reeds
03:31and are a coveted prey for numerous stinging nettles.
03:39With a fat moth, it is off to a good start into the new day.
03:45Blue-crested geese, maize and crows do not come here because of the good view.
04:01Beyond the reed belt, there is a small pond.
04:05The water is warm and the fish are active.
04:09The water is warm and the fish are active.
04:14There are also unfertilized meadows.
04:17The key flowers are the optical proof that spring is finally here.
04:30Spring feelings are spreading in the bird world.
04:45Spring
04:58It is less fierce with the pigeon divers.
05:04The fighter only makes a rest here.
05:07His breeding area is in northern Europe.
05:15The exhausted cranes are also only guests on the journey.
05:25Although reed areas are regular monocultures,
05:29countless species of animals have adapted to this amphibious habitat.
05:34The reed is the most populous representative of the domestic grazers.
05:39In the jungle of old and new reeds, the animals do not only find food.
05:45Our smallest mouse, the dwarf mouse, lives here.
05:50She likes to build her ball nests in the reed.
05:54Building material in the form of old fruit stands is available in shells and pots.
06:00And because the reed grows in the water, hardly a mouse hunter dares to come here.
06:11A few floors below, the pigeon divers work on their nest.
06:17The reed forest protects the most diverse animals from enemies that cannot swim.
06:24Small fish are swarming everywhere.
06:27Red-eyed, sea lions and river perch with their special striped pattern, typical for Kiemsee perch.
06:43The reed forest is a place of peace and tranquility.
06:48There are two professional fishermen in front of the reed belt.
06:53There is no competition here.
06:56The times when pigeon divers fought as fishermen are luckily over.
07:07Some even leave fish waste for their feathered colleagues.
07:13Something like that does not escape the black Milan.
07:19Even seagulls and cranes are attracted.
07:23And because there is not always enough for everyone, there are usually fights.
07:33Will there be a follow-up?
07:37The fox does not dare to get out of the cover at first.
07:46Cranes and black Milan play tug-of-war in the meantime.
08:07Today, 17 professional fishermen live from catching fish in the Kiemsee.
08:11Like countless birds.
08:14The supply of small and large fish seems to never run out.
08:24The Kiemsee is fenced by huge shallow water zones.
08:28They quickly warm up in the sun and produce plenty of food.
08:36On warm spring days, insects slip out of the lake.
08:41In masses.
08:43Especially mosquitos and one-day flies.
08:48For a few spring days, the evening sky darkens regularly.
08:53Especially on the northern shore of the Kiemsee.
08:56Plankton Delfte.
08:59The basis of life for many species of animals on the lake.
09:12The one-day flies lay their eggs on the surface of the water.
09:16This attracts hungry birds.
09:20But not only the 100 species of birds benefit from the annual mass hatching of the one-day flies.
09:28When the evening comes, the Kiemsee is full of water.
09:42The most beautiful time of year for birds is summer.
09:47The winter is in full bloom.
09:51Nothing is bigger or less beautiful than this.
09:55When dusk falls,
09:57ferocious moths come out of the depths.
10:25Moth-rats pick up the one-day flies from the surface
10:29and hurry so that they don't become prey themselves.
10:48The land around Lake Chiem is inhabited since the Stone Age.
10:52It lies at the feet of the Chiemgau Alps
10:55and the Kampenwand,
10:57whose summit looks like a rooster's den.
11:09Even at night, many animals are active.
11:12The largest predator in the lake, for example.
11:26The red-eyed one doesn't dare to move.
11:33The body of the pike is tense.
11:43The pike is not afraid.
11:49Again and again, anglers pull pikes
11:51from almost 1.5 meters from Lake Chiem.
12:00The deepest part of the lake, at 73 meters,
12:03is located 2 kilometers east of the Fraueninsel.
12:07In the middle, however, Lake Chiem is only 25 meters deep
12:10and, especially on the edge, the banks are very flat.
12:15At the beginning of May,
12:17in the low-water zones near Lake Brugg,
12:20on the northern bank of Lake Chiem,
12:22it gets muddy again and again.
12:28The water from the lake comes from the mountains
12:31and is naturally purified in the lake.
12:34Perfect conditions for the moths to reproduce.
12:41In one week, the moths lay millions of fish eggs
12:44in the gravel ground.
12:52For the stock duck, there is caviar today.
12:58On the bank, a river rain pipe has its nest,
13:01if you can call four eggs on a naked ground a nest.
13:05After its creation,
13:07Lake Chiem was four times as large as it is today.
13:10Its tributaries, especially the Tyrolean Arches,
13:13transport more than 300,000 cubic meters of
13:16floating matter and gravel into the lake every year,
13:19so that it slowly lands.
13:23Man has artificially lowered the sea level
13:26in order to preserve the land.
13:28Thanks to the 80 square kilometers of large water surface
13:31and the location of Lake Chiem in the Alps' reservoir,
13:34the weather here is often capriolous.
13:38In Chiemgau, there is twice as much rain as in the German average.
13:42Since Lake Chiem was born about 10,000 years ago
13:45from a dying glacier,
13:47it is one of the largest lakes in the world.
13:50Forests that stand under water.
13:54Wooden mountains that tower up.
13:58The purest are flood.
14:01But the fewest animals flee in panic.
14:05Even the most beautiful birds of prey
14:08are afraid of the rain.
14:11They are afraid of the rain.
14:14They are afraid of the rain.
14:16But the fewest animals flee in panic.
14:19Even if they have some visual difficulties.
14:25Knot ants are driven out of their nests.
14:28They float like shipwrecks through the meadows.
14:35A real loser.
14:37The river rainfall.
14:39His clutch has fallen victim to wet and cold.
14:47Again and again, the inhabitants of Lake Chiem
14:50are subjected to such atrocities.
14:52But how do they deal with the consequences?
15:012,000 hectares of Chiemsee land are now flooded.
15:05Even after the rain, the level continues to rise,
15:08because the water from the whole area
15:10flows together at the deepest point.
15:17Species of flood areas, like the knot ants,
15:21have survival strategies in place.
15:25They take the queen in the middle
15:27and form a raft out of her bodies.
15:30Conquering a new habitat.
15:47Even some farmers become Robinson
15:50and save themselves and their cattle
15:53on a temporary island.
16:01Tourism is also suffering.
16:03Even the access to the holiday area is blocked.
16:07Instead of traffic, only muddy water flows
16:10on the highway to Salzburg, at the height of Lake Chiem.
16:17A natural disaster for the people who live on the lake.
16:21For the plants and animals,
16:23the water masses mean a chance.
16:33Mosquitoes buzz, the air is filled.
16:36The meadows are barely flooded,
16:38small ships are floating on the surface.
16:41About 300 mosquito eggs in a package,
16:44laid by the females from the tree cave.
16:48A week later,
16:50small lids open at the bottom of the ships.
16:53Tiny mosquito larvae slip out,
16:56one after the other.
17:02In the flood area,
17:04the water is so deep that the ants
17:07can't get out of the water.
17:10But not only small animals
17:13appear in the flood area.
17:20The pike is looking for a place to spawn.
17:25The largest predator of Lake Chiem
17:28presents itself as a tender admirer,
17:31holding on to the fin of a female.
17:37Meters long fish
17:39swim deliberately from the lake
17:42into the flooded meadows to spawn here.
17:46There can't be a better nursery for their offspring.
18:16When they have laid and fertilized their eggs,
18:19the pikes return to the lake.
18:47The pike reaches the shore area unscathed.
18:51It benefits from the fact
18:54that the sea eagle, at least as a brood bird,
18:57has disappeared on Lake Chiem.
19:06Meanwhile, a new generation of pikes
19:09grows in the meadows.
19:12Several hundred thousand eggs
19:15are laid by each female pike,
19:18which remain stuck to grass and moss plants.
19:23After hatching, the pike larvae
19:26hang on to grass heaps
19:29with their gills on their bellies.
19:34A week later,
19:36thousands of mini-pikes
19:39appear in the meadows,
19:42hunting everything that moves.
19:53The pikes need food in large quantities.
19:56Supply is on the way.
20:01Herds of mosquito larvae
20:04breathe on the surface
20:07through the water.
20:10Sweet water plankton.
20:20Because mosquito larvae are particularly protein-rich,
20:23the pikes grow rapidly.
20:26After only 14 days, they are finger-long.
20:31They have to make the most of the abundant food supply,
20:34because soon the water will retreat.
20:37Only the predatory fish will survive,
20:40who find their way back to the lake well-fed.
20:54Many flooding areas
20:57are cut off from the lake beforehand.
21:00Then the small pikes are lost.
21:04The lake is flooded.
21:12No matter how many of them are eaten,
21:15enough mosquito larvae close their development
21:18and turn from a twitching,
21:21in the water-living larva and pupa
21:24into a flight-capable land insect.
21:28For about an hour,
21:31the freshly baked pikes have to harden.
21:34Then they rise on glass swings
21:37and populate the surroundings
21:40of their birthplace.
21:50Much to the delight of many wetland dwellers.
21:57But what about the pikes?
22:08Even small pikes need something to eat
22:11if they want to grow up.
22:16But the medal has a downside.
22:20A cosy time at the lake,
22:23on a lazy summer evening,
22:26when the pikes are finally disturbed.
22:32In years of flooding,
22:35there are estimated 50 billion pikes
22:38all around Lake Chiemsee.
22:41Twelve different species swarm around.
22:44And while the male pikes behave inconspicuously,
22:47the females become mini-vampires.
22:50Blood as food
22:53is the biggest challenge for the little mosquito.
22:56Because when it sucks in
22:59three times its body weight
23:02of warm blood,
23:05its body temperature suddenly rises
23:08by more than 10 degrees.
23:11To survive this,
23:14the mosquito produces special heat shock proteins.
23:21The age of their victims
23:24does not matter to the mosquito.
23:31So that the mosquito plague
23:34does not harm tourism,
23:37the state takes the extreme.
23:44With the help of helicopters,
23:47the shallow water zones and flooding areas
23:50around the lake are treated against mosquitos.
23:54Tons of a refined cocktail
23:57are sprayed with special containers.
24:00Also in nature reserves.
24:09Ice cubes, packed with a protein
24:12that is obtained from the Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.
24:17An organic weapon
24:20in the service of the tourism industry.
24:30When the ice cubes melt,
24:33the active ingredient BTI is released.
24:36The mosquito larvae then take it
24:39involuntarily.
24:42Mosquito larvae
24:45absorb everything that comes into their mouths.
24:48The larvae continue to filter
24:51until the Bacteria protein
24:54has destroyed their digestive tract.
25:00The gut has dissolved.
25:03The larva is starved.
25:07Up to 95% of the mosquito larvae
25:10end up in such a treated water.
25:14Studies have shown
25:17that the killer bacteria
25:20in addition to the mosquitos
25:23only a few other insect species
25:26fall victim.
25:29For this, plankton is the food
25:32basis for the animals
25:35that feed on plankton.
25:41At some point, the water
25:44retreats from the flooded meadows.
25:48Now botanical beauties bloom,
25:51which can only grow
25:54on such alternate habitats,
25:57such as the mealworms.
26:05In the wet meadows,
26:08more than a dozen
26:11different species of orchids grow.
26:14They now live,
26:17where the water is gone,
26:20undisturbed.
26:27On the southern shore of Lake Chiemsee,
26:30the Siberian sword lily
26:33is one of the largest stocks in Bavaria.
26:37All these herbal delicacies
26:40grow on meadows that are rarely,
26:43but regularly mowed.
26:56Smoky swallows
26:59are lucky for many people.
27:02But this is not the case here.
27:06You can still hear the loud squawking
27:09from the places around Lake Chiemsee.
27:12But the swallows are getting fewer and fewer.
27:15Although only well-spoken rodents
27:18would do something to the swallows themselves
27:21and their nests,
27:24but because of the intensification
27:27of the Greenland and the dewatering of meadows,
27:30the swallows have it more and more difficult
27:33to feed the young.
27:38French scientists have proven
27:41that the Bacillus thuringiensis
27:44against mosquitos
27:47has a negative effect on the size of the clutch
27:50and the survival rate of young birds.
27:55Thousands of swallows and other birds
27:58flock to Lake Chiemsee
28:01to rest and to fill their bellies
28:04before crossing the Alps.
28:10Mosquitoes, flies and others
28:13are the basis of life for the bird world.
28:16Without small insects,
28:19the swallow can't get enough of a cuckoo.
28:22Of the 150 species of bird of prey on the lake,
28:25about a third rely directly on this food source.
28:30Not only those who raise their or other young
28:33in the nest.
28:44In the past, the reed was harvested on Lake Chiemsee
28:47and used to cover the houses.
28:51Today, the reed belts remain untouched
28:54and are left to the many bird species
28:57that breed in the reeds.
29:00Like the roe deer.
29:03Ultimately, the roe deer also benefits
29:06from the insect abundance in the region.
29:09But some of their prey animals
29:12are only numerous here
29:15because they feed on small insects.
29:18Among them eidex, frogs and hawks.
29:25Pipe wine is dependent on large pipes.
29:28Inside the reed surface,
29:31they build their nests,
29:34usually directly on the ground.
29:37If a flood comes here at the wrong time,
29:40the brood is lost.
29:55The lake is a hunting ground,
29:58breeding grounds
30:01and a wedding arena at the same time.
30:07And when the temperatures rise in summer
30:10and humans and animals suffer under the heat,
30:13the cool wet of the lake creates a shiver.
30:24The colorful bird world
30:27is not to be overlooked for the bathing guests.
30:30But other creatures,
30:33which also share the water with humans,
30:36and the birds,
30:39are not to be overlooked either.
30:42But other creatures,
30:45which also share the water with humans,
30:48are not to be overlooked either.
30:51But other creatures,
30:54which also share the water with humans,
30:57and the birds,
31:00are not to be overlooked either.
31:05Like in the sea,
31:08many species of animals live floating in the big lakes.
31:11In the open water.
31:14Many of them are transparent
31:17to avoid eating enemies.
31:20Thorns and a hard shell also help.
31:23Thorns and a hard shell also help.
31:26There is also an almost transparent predator down here.
31:29There is also an almost transparent predator down here.
31:32The glass crab.
31:35It is over 1.5 cm long
31:38and is thus the largest water flea in the world.
31:41The glass crab only comes at night
31:44in higher water layers.
31:47During the day, it dives,
31:50where it hunts for tadpoles and small water fleas
31:53at a depth of 20 m.
32:01The glass crab is transparent
32:04and thus invisible to its prey animals.
32:07and thus invisible to its prey animals.
32:11Eating and being eaten
32:14is what it means here in the swimming bladder of the lake.
32:17is what it means here in the swimming bladder of the lake.
32:20That is why many youthfish
32:23search for protection under the leaves of ponds and seawater plants.
32:26At least out of the air
32:29there is less risk than in the open water.
32:32This is done by mixed fish
32:35which seek protection in the same swarm.
32:38But there is a fish hunter who knows his way around in the labyrinth of the floating plants.
32:59The pigeon diver, with his prey, delivers extensive pursuit hunts.
33:08On the back of the mother, more hungry snails are waiting.
33:31This young bird is already one month old.
33:34It will be independent only in six weeks.
33:37Until then, the parents provide him with fresh fish, like this pike.
33:44A comparatively large pike.
33:59There are three islands in Lake Chiem, which together form Bavaria's smallest political community.
34:05Fraueninsel, Krautinsel and Herren-Chiemsee.
34:11In the middle of the forest, on this largest island of the lake, there is a small sensation to admire.
34:17After the break-in of the darkness, blue lights flash around on the underside of the tree mushrooms.
34:39These are the larvae of the largest native mushroom mosquito.
34:44A time-lapse camera and long exposure times make movements and the blue gleam of the almost two-centimeter-long animal visible.
34:57It is unknown why the larvae shine at night.
35:01Otherwise, you only know a little about them.
35:04Except that they prefer to live on buccal pores, typical tree mushrooms of old beech forests.
35:14When the morning dawns, the lightworms hide and wait for the food to fall into their lap.
35:30On warm and dry days, the tree mushrooms leave their tracks to multiply.
35:37In fine clouds, they fly through the forest and sink somewhere to the ground.
35:43An unused source of energy.
35:48For all animals, it is vital to find a source of food and to use it as effectively as possible.
35:57The mushroom mosquito larva has specialized in these mushroom tracks.
36:03It builds traps from the finest silk under the mushroom consoles and catches the traces of the mushroom.
36:12In the following night, it is harvested.
36:15The catch net is eaten up with traces left under blue light.
36:24All under the protective hat of the mushroom console.
36:30The Herrinsel also offers a habitat for countless other animals.
36:35Many of them are residents of old forests.
36:38The trees that stand here owe their existence to King Ludwig II.
36:44In the year 1873, the fairy tale king bought the island, including the tree stock, from the possession of wood speculators.
36:53The noblemen wanted to expel them.
36:56Thus, the monarch ensured that the coveted giants remained standing.
37:01However, the king of Bavaria was not primarily interested in nature conservation.
37:06He wanted to create something gigantic.
37:14In 1878, they began to build Bavaria's most elaborate king's seat.
37:20Lord Chiemsee Palace.
37:23More expensive than Neuschwanstein, it was built by the king himself.
37:28More expensive than Neuschwanstein and Linderhof combined.
37:33Countless commissioned works of the construction and palace masters made Munich a center of the art craft at that time.
37:43Today, Lord Chiemsee is one of the most lucrative and popular attractions in Bavaria.
37:49And at the same time, a hotspot of biodiversity.
37:58The Chiemsee only has one drain, the Alz.
38:08It drains the lake at Seebruck.
38:17There are several tributaries against it.
38:20The largest of them is the Tiroler Aachen, which comes from the Chiemgauer and Tiroler mountains.
38:28The other streams that flow into the lake are smaller, like the Lachsgang on the edge of the Aachen delta.
38:36On the west bank, the Prien flows into the Chiemsee.
38:40Like all streams, it flows slowly into the lake.
38:44But just a few hundred meters above, it erupts as a mouth-watering mountain stream.
38:49Since the Chiemsee tributaries are usually short or flow through areas that are hardly used by agriculture, their water is clear and clean.
38:58There are also stream trout here, which can survive in most Bavarian waters only thanks to the fishing club's occupation measures.
39:06A male with a mouth shaped like a hatchet and a small beak.
39:13They tremble with excitement.
39:16Stream trout belong to the so-called autumn ponds,
39:20to which decreasing water temperatures in the already cold mountain streams testify.
39:25The female hits the ponds more and more deeply.
39:32The male is a little more active than the female.
39:36The female hits the ponds more and more deeply.
39:44Then, all of a sudden, the fish parents release rodents and milk into the water.
39:51The fertilized eggs then sink into the soil, which has been loosened and cleaned by the beating.
40:01In the lake, the fish offspring are already one step ahead.
40:06Mixed young fish heat protects them from predators.
40:20In summer, the boat houses house people's swimming and bathing equipment.
40:26In autumn, they become refuges for tens of thousands of fish.
40:31Among them are sea urchins, red-eyes, sea trouts and crows.
40:36The fish eaters know that there is something to catch here.
40:41A male sea urchin keeps an eye on what is happening.
40:46The female sea urchins also keep an eye out.
40:51A pike has come.
40:54But all predators have to create the swarm effect.
40:58They simply cannot concentrate on a single victim.
41:07A green-footed pond chicken appears.
41:15It is probably the worst fish in the collection of Petri fish.
41:20But the cold winter is coming.
41:23And every opportunity to catch big fish is going to be used.
41:29The eel, which is exploited by fishermen in the Chiemsee,
41:32and which does not occur here by nature, is also on the hunt.
41:43The pigeon diver, the feathered king of fish, is trying his luck.
41:55For the moment, it is in vain.
41:58But the pond chicken has a successful hunt.
42:07For the first meal, it swims towards the sleeping place.
42:19One year at the Chiemsee,
42:22the sea urchins and the sea trouts
42:25One year at the Chiemsee is coming to an end.
42:29For the animals, it is now all about surviving the cold season.
42:35Some have moved south,
42:38to return only next year.
42:41Others are hiding in hiding places,
42:44to survive frost and snow in a deep sleep.
42:48StegmĂŒckenweibchen are waiting here for their turn next year.
42:57Again others belong to the usual picture in winter.
43:05The Bavarian sea is a home for all of them.
43:18The Bavarian sea is a home for all of them.
43:26The Bavarian sea is a home for all of them.
43:32The Bavarian sea is a home for all of them.
43:47The Bavarian sea is a home for all of them.