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00:30In the northeast of Germany lies the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau with the Müritz, Germany's largest lake.
00:41A mosaic of water and forest makes the primeval landscape a paradise for nature lovers.
00:49With a fascinating animal world both below and above water.
01:01The fish eagle is the national bird of the region.
01:13The almost 2,000 lakes and forests of the Müritz National Park and its surroundings offer countless rare species a home.
01:22Also thanks to many people who help them.
01:30A spring morning on Lake Warnker.
01:41In the Müritz National Park on the east bank, there is peaceful tranquility.
01:49The fish abundance of the lake plate attracts hungry predators.
02:00A fish otter female is on the hunt.
02:19The otter female needs about a kilo of food per day.
02:34She eats almost everything she finds underwater.
02:40Most fish, but also river crabs and amphibians.
02:49Otters are quick swimmers and prey on small and weak fish.
02:54This one is immediately swallowed on the spot.
02:56But she's not quite full yet.
03:08Often fish are hidden in the shallow shore.
03:11An ideal hunting ground.
03:21Done.
03:26This time the prey is brought to the shore.
03:29So she can no longer escape.
03:33Fish otters are one of the rarest mammals in Europe and are strictly protected.
03:42At the Müritz they can be found almost everywhere, but almost never to be seen.
03:48Like phantoms they live in the unknown.
03:51So the National Park biologist is only looking for traces of places where the otters regularly go ashore.
04:05The clear water and natural shores make the almost 2,000 lakes in the region so unique.
04:12The Müritz National Park was founded in 1990.
04:17Since then, 322 square kilometers of nature have been under strict protection.
04:23The Mecklenburg Lake Plateau and part of the Feldberger Lake Landscape form the park where nature remains independent.
04:34Cranes like to control the east bank of the Müritz on their way north.
04:39Some dozen pairs even stay and breed in the moors and forests.
04:43The birds need a lot of rest for this.
04:48In spring, however, they make a lot of noise themselves.
04:58The pair of cranes has occupied a territory and is ready for the bite.
05:28The pair follows as the highlight of the loud spectacle.
05:58Their names are thanks to the Old High German Kranuh, which means as much as hoarse call.
06:11And the calling goes on for a few more days until it is quiet again at the Kranichsee, when the big birds come to the brood.
06:28In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, more than 3,800 pairs are now breeding.
06:33This is almost half of all cranes breeding in Germany.
06:41The old beech forests also make the Müritz region unique.
06:46So the Serrana part of the national park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
06:57Fred Bollmann is out and about in the forests on the Tiensee Bridge.
07:01He grew up in the Müritz region and knows the lake plate inside out.
07:07Again and again, the nature fan is out and about to observe rare animals.
07:13The former nature park ranger wants to repair a fish eagle horn this time.
07:26For this he has to climb 25 meters into an old beech tree.
07:30In recent years, the mighty migratory birds have brooded here.
07:34A storm in winter has destroyed the horn.
07:44The nest must be set up in early spring before the fish eagles return from Africa.
08:00Not a dangerous job, but Fred Bollmann takes it up for his birds.
08:06He wants to help with the action to preserve their stock in the Müritz region.
08:13This is my home. I think this is the reason for all the activities I do.
08:18I do this not because I have to, but out of conviction.
08:22And I enjoy it. Everyone should contribute.
08:25I like to climb and build such nests.
08:29And when the birds are there and move in, I only have to pay rent, which I don't do.
08:36But that's my wage and I'm happy about it.
08:38Fred Bollmann has to be patient for another month.
08:41Then the first of his fish eagles from the south will be back.
09:11April
09:25On an April morning, the waiting has come to an end.
09:29The eagles have arrived.
09:35The female is already waiting for the male.
09:38The male brings a wedding present.
09:40This is mainly building material at the beginning.
09:48The eagle female seems to like it.
09:51Because it begins to prepare the common nest for the breeding season.
10:01Spring cleaning.
10:03Nesting material from last year has to be removed.
10:07The newly brought branches and grass bushes are arranged in such a way that a deep nesting hole is created.
10:14It protects the eagle female and the eggs in the coming weeks from rainfall and strong winds.
10:25In the meantime, the eagle male makes it clear to Horst that this territory is occupied.
10:32The otherwise so rare eagle is so widespread in the Müritz region,
10:36that there are already disputes between the pairs about desired nesting places.
10:47Sometimes the fish eagle is just before extinction.
10:51Thanks to intensive protection efforts, more than 190 pairs are now breeding in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
10:57Tendency rising.
11:01Music
11:16The forests are still bare at the Müritz.
11:19But on the ground between the centuries-old beech trees it becomes colorful.
11:32The first early flowers.
11:37Liver flowers.
11:40And bush dandelions.
11:56In the beech forests between Waren and Feldberg
11:59they form huge carpets within a few days.
12:19The first warm days and nights lure amphibians out of the winter rest.
12:29Music
12:41Pond mice are on their way to their nesting waters in the protection of the night.
12:48The male is still inconspicuous until it has reached its nest.
12:53In the water in which it was born, the male begins to transform in a few days.
13:02The inconspicuous female is to be impressed.
13:10The pond mouse has now put on its so-called water costume.
13:14So cleaned out, the male stands across from his chosen one,
13:18shows itself from the best side and also adorns the female with lures.
13:24That doesn't work at first, but the little dragon will put up with it.
13:29the male stands across from his chosen one,
13:32shows himself from the best side
13:35and also adds sedatives to the female.
13:50This does not work on the first attempt,
13:52but the mini-dragon is stubborn
13:54and finally it comes to the love bite,
13:57which finally convinces the female.
14:18In the middle of the national park,
14:20a few kilometers south of Waren,
14:22lies the Müritzhof.
14:25Here, four-legged nature guardians
14:27provide landscape care.
14:32For the herd of Gotland sheep,
14:34entering the nature reserve
14:36is expressly desired.
14:42The sheep maintain an old tradition.
14:45Already 150 years ago,
14:47Waren farmers drove their cattle
14:49to the east bank of the Müritz
14:51and ensured that a unique
14:53hat landscape was created with
14:55Wacholder heaths and rare orchids.
15:01The small and large sheep are to eat.
15:04Juicy grass disappears,
15:06the stout Wacholder remains standing.
15:14The robust Gotland sheep
15:16live outside all year round
15:18and there they also get their offspring.
15:22The beginning of spring is the lamb season.
15:2690 mother sheep bring
15:28their young to the world at the same time.
15:36The herd includes about 200 animals,
15:39exactly the right size
15:41to run a sustainable pasture economy.
15:45For the lambs, only three things count now.
15:48Mother's milk.
15:55Discover the world.
16:02And enough sleep.
16:15In the vicinity of the Müritz farm
16:17lie the Wienpiech lakes.
16:19They are the stage
16:21for an extraordinary show.
16:28The first spring sun has lured them out.
16:31Ringelnattern on Rautschau.
16:35Mothers come from all over the world
16:37to the Wienpiech lakes.
16:39Ringelnattern on Rautschau.
16:42Males come from all over the world
16:45to find one of the females.
16:59On dry shore,
17:01the males first gather
17:03to warm each other.
17:09With their tongues,
17:11the harmless snakes smell
17:13where the females are hiding.
17:17Sometimes there are several adopters
17:20swallowing a chosen one.
17:24When the sun finally puts
17:26the alternately warm animals
17:28on display,
17:30the males are ready
17:32for the show.
17:35When the sun finally puts
17:37the alternately warm animals
17:39on display,
17:41the mating begins.
17:52With rhythmic twitches,
17:54the males rub against
17:56the skin of the females
17:58and bring them into the mood.
18:04Ringelnattern on Rautschau.
18:08A game that can last
18:10for several hours.
18:17Spring has now transformed
18:19the forests of the Müritz National Park.
18:26Outstanding is especially
18:28one area of the Feldberger Seenlandschaft.
18:32The Heiligen Hallen.
18:34The nature reserve is the oldest
18:36beech forest in Germany.
18:39Some of the giants
18:41are up to 350 years old.
18:50Where the forest borders the lake,
18:52the fish eagle male goes hunting.
19:02With spectacular plumes of water,
19:04the eagle male catches fish
19:06around 4,000 species of fish.
19:10The eagle male is the
19:12largest fish in the world.
19:16He is the largest fish
19:18in the world in terms of
19:20weight and length.
19:24The eagle male is the
19:26largest fish in the world
19:28in terms of weight and length.
19:31He takes the fish out of the lake
19:33and brings it directly to the nest.
19:38After six weeks of brood,
19:40the young have hatched.
19:44The hunting drive of the father
19:46is so strong that he can hardly
19:48separate himself from his prey.
19:50The mother has to tear the
19:52fish apart regularly.
19:58She feeds tiny pieces,
20:00because the young are just
20:02three, four and five days old.
20:12The father is now tolerated
20:14only when the prey is handed over
20:16to the nest.
20:30Warming the tiny eagle chicks
20:32is not so easy when their own
20:34feet are sharp weapons.
20:36She has to crawl towards
20:38the young with folded claws
20:40so as not to injure them.
20:46For a good two weeks,
20:48the mother constantly warms
20:50the young, only interrupted
20:52by the feeding.
20:55The lake landscape of the
20:57National Park is new.
21:01The former residence of the
21:03Mecklenburg Duke is still
21:05remembered today as a
21:07castle park with orangerie
21:09and a castle church,
21:11much of the splendor of
21:13earlier times.
21:25Right on the outskirts of
21:27Neustrelitz, nature has
21:29its say again.
21:33Some areas are almost
21:35reminiscent of the Amazon.
21:37Terry Benny and his wife
21:39Fred Bollmann are on the
21:41Kröseliner Bach, a secret
21:43tip in the Feldberger lake
21:45landscape for everyone
21:47looking for solitude.
21:49And Fred does not need more
21:51to be satisfied.
21:53There are so many beautiful
21:55places here where you can
21:57relax, which is also a
21:59kind of vacation for me.
22:01I just fell in love with
22:03my homeland.
22:05In the clear water of the
22:07Feldberger lake landscape,
22:09the fish are also in love.
22:13The male has the scent of
22:15a female in his nose.
22:17Normally, fish are
22:19other individuals.
22:21Only during the pre-planting
22:23period do the water
22:25maggots lay their sheath.
22:35Playful fights and long
22:37pursuit hunts precede
22:39mating.
22:47This is flirting on
22:49fish order.
23:18When the female is
23:20convinced of her partner,
23:22it goes to mating on land.
23:28Where no one can watch.
23:37The Müritz region is also
23:39the home of the ice bird.
23:41It is certainly not the
23:43biggest, but thanks to its
23:45stunning plumage, it is one
23:47of the most beautiful
23:49native birds.
23:51The male lures with a
23:53nest in a steep wall.
23:55Then nothing stands in
23:57the way of the ice birds
23:59of the partner choice.
24:03One floor below, everything
24:05revolves around the next
24:07generation, such as in the
24:09crystal clear water of the
24:11narrow Lucid.
24:13Here is a fish with a special
24:15behavior at home, the
24:17three-pronged stingling.
24:21The male discolors
24:23in the easy time and tries
24:25to impress the more inconspicuous
24:27female.
24:32On the ground between plant
24:34remains and algae, it lays
24:36a nest.
24:43Interested females
24:45examine the construction.
24:47But only one
24:49puts his eggs in the well-covered
24:51tube. After the egg hatching,
24:53the female has done its
24:55duty, the male takes over.
25:02It slithers into the tube
25:04and fertilizes the eggs.
25:06For the next one to two
25:08weeks, the father will guard
25:10the nest and its offspring.
25:13But the
25:15stinglings are in danger
25:17from the air.
25:19They are the favorite prey
25:21of the ice bird.
25:25Like an arrow, he crashes
25:27into the water. Not every
25:29attempt is a hit, however.
25:33While the female is already
25:35impatiently waiting for a fish,
25:37because in the brood cave
25:39the offspring has hatched.
25:41Deep in the ground
25:43lies the brood bowl at the end of the tube.
25:45The young are just one day old
25:47and must be constantly
25:49warmed at the beginning.
25:57Outside, the father provides
25:59for food.
26:11Music
26:37The young need
26:39to be fed.
26:41With his head in front,
26:43the ice bird carries the prey
26:45into the cave, so that the
26:47spines and scales do not get
26:49dangerously stuck in the neck
26:51of the young when swallowing.
26:53The little ones are still
26:55blind and instinctively
26:57attack.
26:59The fish is swallowed
27:01in one piece,
27:03because ice birds cannot
27:05divide their prey.
27:09The parents now start
27:11four busy weeks
27:13until their young are ready.
27:21Music
27:33In the brood forest,
27:35the cranes are already
27:37feeding.
27:41The large cranes
27:43can only be seen in the afternoon
27:45at the old brood place.
27:47Seven weeks ago,
27:49their chicks hatched.
27:51They are now
27:53looking for food
27:55with the old birds in the forest
27:57all day long.
27:59Music
28:05The little ones are already
28:07quite big and look almost
28:09like their parents.
28:15The two siblings are now
28:17looking for the old nest
28:19only to rest and sleep.
28:21Music
28:27The old birds
28:29still have to be vigilant,
28:31because it takes another three weeks
28:33until the young cranes can fly.
28:39Only then will
28:41the family leave the safety
28:43of the brood place and
28:45join other cranes
28:47on the collection sites
28:49Music
29:05An idyll,
29:07only a few hundred meters away
29:09from the hustle and bustle of the Müritz.
29:13Music
29:15In the summer,
29:17the largest lake in Germany
29:19is a popular holiday region.
29:21Every year,
29:23many thousand holidaymakers
29:25come here.
29:27Most take boat trips
29:29on the lake,
29:31on its north bank
29:33lies the tourist center Waren.
29:35Music
29:39Life pulsates
29:41on Waren's gliding miles
29:43and from there
29:45most visitors start their
29:47trips on the Müritz.
29:49Music
30:01The hustle and bustle
30:03has an end shortly
30:05behind the city border.
30:07Because this is where
30:09the national park begins.
30:11Music
30:13Shadow flowers
30:15provide bright buds
30:17in the dark beech forest.
30:19The plants
30:21spread underground
30:23and therefore always grow in groups.
30:25Music
30:29Not only domestic plants
30:31and animals enjoy the protection
30:33of the national park.
30:35Wash bears also live in the forests.
30:37Immigrants from America
30:39do not originally belong here.
30:43The vast forests of the lake
30:45with their many dead trees
30:47offer ideal conditions
30:49for the small bears.
30:51Height trees for the offspring
30:53can be found everywhere.
30:57Wash bears
30:59are skilled climbers
31:01and that makes them a problem.
31:03Because they can rob nests
31:05and buildings of endangered species.
31:07Music
31:13The young learn
31:15in the first weeks of life
31:17the surroundings of their cave tree.
31:19Everything is explored.
31:21It could be edible.
31:27By the way,
31:29wash bears do not wash their prey,
31:31but only touch it
31:33under water.
31:37Music
31:41Like all young animals,
31:43the small wash bears
31:45are very playful.
31:47Music
32:07This is how they learn
32:09for the adult age
32:11to claim themselves against species
32:13and train their abilities
32:15to prey.
32:21Wash bears are extremely
32:23intelligent and learnable.
32:27They have spread everywhere
32:29between goods and fields.
32:37The sensitive nature
32:39of the national park
32:41will have to live
32:43with the small predators.
32:47Music
32:59Summer
33:01in the Müritz National Park.
33:03The fish eagle
33:05is still doing well.
33:07Several times a day
33:09the father takes care of his young
33:11with fish.
33:19The mother
33:21still takes care of the feeding.
33:23The young are now
33:25three weeks old,
33:27but can not divide the prey yet.
33:29So far,
33:31the breeding season
33:33for parents and children
33:35has gone smoothly.
33:37But today there is danger,
33:39and from above.
33:41A strange male fish eagle
33:43has appeared over the reed.
33:45The parents get excited.
33:47Every strange bird of prey
33:49poses a threat to the young.
33:55Finally,
33:57the strange eagle
33:59is impressed by the cry
34:01and the threatening birds of the couple
34:03and turns away.
34:09On the east bank of the Müritz
34:11the fruits of the
34:13conservation work of the Gotland sheep
34:15are now visible.
34:17Large stocks of broad-leaved
34:19young herb
34:21appear on the meadows
34:23in all their splendor.
34:25The rare orchids
34:27can only bloom when the grass
34:29is cut short by the sheep.
34:41On hot days,
34:43red deer look for cooling
34:45in one of the lakes.
34:51A pleasant side effect
34:53is that the annoying flies
34:55disappear,
34:57at least for a few seconds.
35:01In the past, the red deer
35:03were bred and cared for
35:05for the pleasure of hunting.
35:07Today, the stocks are regulated
35:09only by the National Park Office.
35:23The Red Deer
35:25in the Feldberger Seenlandschaft.
35:27The community is the largest
35:29in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
35:31with an area of
35:33almost 200 square kilometers
35:35and certainly one of the most
35:37varied.
35:45Like made for the Red Milan.
35:47The bird of prey
35:49searches for food
35:51on the narrow Luzin in Feldberg.
35:53Fred Bollmann helps
35:55the Red Milan
35:57in the search for food.
35:59His Milan already knows
36:01the ritual when Fred
36:03comes by with the boat
36:05like every evening.
36:07Now there is fresh fish.
36:21These birds fascinate me.
36:23Their way of hunting,
36:25their flight,
36:27the whole behavior,
36:29the look,
36:31that's impressive.
36:33I'm a fan of that.
36:35Nevertheless, the Red Milan
36:37is not easy.
36:39Its stocks shrink.
36:43Biologists suspect
36:45that intensive agriculture
36:47makes life difficult
36:49for the fish.
36:55The relatives of the Red Milan,
36:57the fish eagles,
36:59have it better there.
37:01At the fish ponds in Böck,
37:03the only place on the east bank of the Müritz,
37:05they can hunt undisturbed.
37:09The fish is already
37:11eagerly awaited in the forest.
37:15The three young birds
37:17are five weeks old
37:19and are constantly hungry.
37:21Although they can already fly,
37:23they are still fed.
37:25Because they have to learn
37:27how to hunt like their parents.
37:47For a long time,
37:49the young eagles
37:51no longer get the pleasure
37:53of being fed.
37:57Soon they have to take care of themselves
37:59to survive the long way
38:01to Africa
38:03in the winter quarters.
38:17October
38:19October
38:21October
38:23October
38:25October
38:27October
38:39Then autumn comes
38:41in the forests of the Müritz.
38:47Autumn
38:49Autumn
38:51Autumn
38:53Autumn
38:55Autumn
38:57Autumn
38:59A hint of melancholy
39:01lays over the Mecklenburg Lake plate.
39:07The landscape
39:09with its countless waters
39:11was shaped by the Ice Age.
39:13Discoverers still remember it in many places.
39:18The stones served as building material, like in the castle ruins of Grubenhagen.
39:28Everywhere in the countryside there are stones, like at Schlitz Castle with its magnificent park.
39:39There are other witnesses of the past.
39:43They are not as old as the Findlings of the Ice Age, but they are several hundred years old, like the Stiel Eichel at Kuchelmess.
39:59In autumn, old-fashioned calls to the Müritz are heard again.
40:05The cranes meet thousands on their train from Scandinavia.
40:09One of the largest cranes' resting and sleeping places in the interior of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern lies on Lake Riederang.
40:19In the evening, the birds gather in the shallow water of the ponds to sleep.
40:24Here, especially the young are safe from foxes and wild boars.
40:39In the evening, the cranes gather in the shallow water of the ponds to sleep.
41:10Only when the next day dawns, the cranes fly back to the harvested cornfields in the surrounding area to eat.
41:18When they have built up enough fat reserves, they break up in their winter quarters towards the Mediterranean and thus mark the beginning of winter at the Müritz.
41:40Snow and weeks of cold come to the Müritz region.
41:44It is a hard time for the griffins.
41:47Fred Bollmann now helps his favorite animals in particular.
41:51A hunter has brought him an overgrown deer.
41:54He brings it to the griffins, because they are a great source of food.
41:58Fred Bollmann is the only hunter in the Müritz region.
42:02He is the only hunter in the Müritz region.
42:04A hunter has brought him an overgrown deer.
42:07He brings it to the griffins, because they are an important part of his homeland.
42:11I think for the Veldbeker lake landscape this is even a sign of goodwill, a goodwill seal.
42:15That's something special.
42:20The griffins have the biggest hunger and are the first on the feeding ground.
42:26The griffins are a sign that the nature of the Mecklenburg lake plateau and the Müritz are intact in many places.
42:34But Fred Bollmann is also concerned about the further development of the region.
42:39Habitats have to be created, they are being destroyed here.
42:43That is the big problem.
42:45This is the intensive agriculture, which changes the habitats in some ways, and of course the intensive forestry.
42:52And I want to make my contribution to this, to maybe make some changes.
42:58I have enough vision for the future.
43:01You just have to do it and implement it.
43:04For more information, visit www.fema.gov
43:34www.fema.gov