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CHURCH: On the southern border
of the United States
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lies a remote desert kingdom,
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home to staggering landscapes
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and a remarkable world of wild creatures.
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This is Big Bend... where
the legendary Rio Grande river
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has cut deep canyons
between Texas and Mexico...
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but the wildlife knows no borders
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in this truly special place...
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♪
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Here, the most talked-about
frontier in the world
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is a wonderland of serene beauty...
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Where mountain lion and black bear roam.
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Where bats stalk
the desert floor at night.
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A land of blazing skies and tortured rock,
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and home to one of America's
great national parks...
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the road ends at Big Bend.
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[Theme music playing]
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♪
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♪
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♪
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♪
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CHURCH:
The exact details are unknown,
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but some 30 years ago,
a female black bear set out
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on a remarkable journey
from northern Mexico.
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She was heading for Texas.
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♪
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Human borders meant nothing to this bear;
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she was on a mission.
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She was looking for a new home,
a place free of competition...
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where she could bring up
her cubs in peace.
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Far on the northern horizon,
there was such a place.
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♪
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Mountains reaching for the sky
with flanks of green
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hinting at unseen treasures.
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A wonderland for a pioneering bear.
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Bears had been wiped out
of Texas many years before.
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Some had since strayed over the border,
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but she was the very first to stay
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and raise a family...
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and what a place she picked.
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Surrounded by blistering desert,
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Big Bend hides a mountain
kingdom of sparkling streams
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and hidden canyons,
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bursting with forests and life.
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♪
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Here, she'd be in good company...
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for Big Bend is home to a national park
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with more kinds of wild creatures
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than almost any other park
in the United States.
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♪
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In Big Bend, she had found
America's wildest frontier.
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♪
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[Birds squawking]
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It is fall in Big Bend,
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and this acorn woodpecker is busy.
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For just a few weeks,
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these oak trees will be
laden with acorns...
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perfect food for the long winter ahead.
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If only he can find a safe place
to store them.
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♪
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The tallest dead tree in the valley
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is as good as he'll get.
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High above thieves in the forest below,
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he and his family can
concentrate on the work in hand.
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♪
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It's a laborious business,
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each hole must be drilled just right:
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too big, and the acorns fall out;
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too small, they just won't fit in.
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♪
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♪
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As the weeks go by the larder grows,
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a bonanza for the long months ahead.
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But their stash is just too tempting.
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♪
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While he's off hunting,
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a young female moves in
with less than noble intentions.
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♪
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Maintaining this winter stash
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takes up a huge amount of time and energy,
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well worth the effort if they
can keep it safe and secure.
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♪
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But life can be very cruel
to a Big Bend woodpecker.
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♪
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♪
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There are many reasons Big Bend
is good for bears,
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and this is one of them.
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Many months have passed,
and fall is a distant memory...
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but there are still acorns to be found...
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and bears love acorns.
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This bear is skin and bone...
he's had a tough winter.
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Nothing is going to stop him.
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♪
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♪
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For six days in a row,
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he keeps returning to
this fountain of food...
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much to the disgust
of the acorn woodpecker.
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But there's nothing he can do
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except watch months of hard work
being dismantled in minutes.
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[Woodpecker squawking]
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Most adult bears would think
twice before climbing
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so high in a rotten tree,
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but the fear of falling seems
to be the lesser of two evils.
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If there's more food higher up,
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this bear will do whatever it takes.
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♪
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♪
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[Bear roars]
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♪
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♪
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♪
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Acorns are full of protein and fat...
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lifesavers for a desperate Big Bend bear.
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♪
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[Exhales, munching]
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Now he just has to get down.
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[Water lapping softly]
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The name Big Bend was born of a river...
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the legendary Rio Grande.
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♪
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For over 1,000 miles,
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the Rio Grande carves a giant arc
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around the wild lands of southern Texas.
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♪
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To the 18th century settlers,
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the remote country cradled by
this giant curve in the river
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became known as the Big Bend.
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♪
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Today the river and its bend
marks the border
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between Texas and Mexico.
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♪
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The Rio Grande is one of
the youngest river systems
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in North America,
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its story freshly written
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in the stone it has carved
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along its three million year journey.
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To a thirsty desert,
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water brings the gift of life.
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♪
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Big Bend is hummingbird heaven.
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Some 15 different kinds
have been spotted here,
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out of barely 30
in all of the United States.
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Many are just passing through...
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tiny birds on huge journeys.
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But some are born of Big Bend.
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These are lucifer hummingbirds.
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For the lucifers, it's breeding season...
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and they must build up
their energy reserves
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for the challenges ahead.
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♪
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The male lucifers have dazzling
purple throat feathers,
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which need to be in peak condition
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to impress the less-colorful females.
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But first the field must be cleared...
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even other hummingbird species
are not tolerated.
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There's only room for one
male lucifer in this town.
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♪
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♪
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After all his territorial battles,
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you'd think the female would give in easy.
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But she herself now needs to be chased,
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for him to prove
he's worthy her attention.
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Winning over this lady
truly is an exhausting business.
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However, she still seems unsure.
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But he has one final trick
up his sleeve...
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some hummingbird flamenco.
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♪
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♪
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Who could resist such perfection
and poise?
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♪
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All the hard work is paying off.
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It's "take me home, darling."
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♪
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The human story in Big Bend
goes back around 10,000 years.
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Stone Age pioneers hunted
and gathered across the region
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but left only the faintest traces.
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In the last 1,000 years,
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several Native American tribes
came and went...
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the Chiso and Apache.
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The very last were the Comanche,
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who journeyed across these lands
just 150 years ago.
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♪
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The greatest challenge
to Big Bend's wild world
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came, of course, from more recent settlers
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as they pushed into the remotest
corners of wild America.
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Until 1848, Big Bend was part of Mexico.
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[Music playing, indistinct chatter]
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Since then, waves of Mexican
and American settlers
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have moved all across the region...
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to ranch, or mine precious quicksilver.
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That mix of cultures and people
live here to this day.
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MAN: ♪ It never took money
to feel like livin' ♪
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♪ Never can try for me... ♪
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[Fire crackling]
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♪
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CHURCH: For the wild inhabitants
of Big Bend,
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it mattered little what tribe or creed
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were the human settlers of the region.
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What mattered to them
was how many humans came
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and how they treated their wild neighbors.
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♪
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♪
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♪
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In the decades after the last
Native Americans
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were pushed out,
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Big Bend was the end of the road...
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A place to escape the law.
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If in real trouble,
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you could head south to Mexico
across the Rio Grande.
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Once you made it to the river,
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it was rarely deep enough
to slow you down.
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♪
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Today in Santa Elena Canyon,
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a unique resident of Big Bend
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crosses from the United States to Mexico
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dozens of times a day.
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With deserts in every direction,
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this is one of the last places
you'd expect to find beavers.
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♪
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At sunrise, one of the most talked about
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international borders in the world
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is also a peaceful place
to find breakfast.
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The second-largest rodents on Earth,
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beavers spend their nights
foraging for food
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00:17:28,978 --> 00:17:32,396
along the Rio Grande.
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Early morning means a final snack
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00:17:34,881 --> 00:17:36,572
before they head for bed.
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00:17:43,269 --> 00:17:45,409
Young willow trees and cane
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00:17:45,443 --> 00:17:48,308
make up the majority of their diet.
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00:17:48,343 --> 00:17:52,347
Each beaver must eat between two
and three pounds of vegetation
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00:17:52,381 --> 00:17:54,625
a day to keep going.
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00:17:59,561 --> 00:18:04,324
The sound of chewing beavers
has echoed through these canyons
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00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:05,981
for thousands of years.
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00:18:06,015 --> 00:18:10,296
[Munching]
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00:18:19,753 --> 00:18:24,689
Another exercise beavers devote
their time to is fur control.
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00:18:24,724 --> 00:18:27,106
To keep their coat in top condition,
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00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:30,281
beavers spend long hours
grooming their fur
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00:18:30,316 --> 00:18:33,974
and oiling it from
special glands under their tail.
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00:18:34,009 --> 00:18:40,843
♪
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♪
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♪
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After a big feed,
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00:18:56,376 --> 00:19:00,346
nothing seems to make a beaver
feel quite so good.
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00:19:00,380 --> 00:19:06,766
♪
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00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:13,221
♪
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00:19:13,255 --> 00:19:15,257
From the mid-1600s,
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00:19:15,292 --> 00:19:17,811
America's beavers were heavily hunted
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00:19:17,846 --> 00:19:20,228
by the new European settlers.
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00:19:20,262 --> 00:19:24,093
They were as good as cash
in the Wild West.
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But hidden in this remote backwater,
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00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:29,064
Big Bend's beavers managed to survive
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00:19:29,098 --> 00:19:32,240
these centuries of wildlife extermination.
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00:19:38,729 --> 00:19:41,214
The Texans behind the national park here
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00:19:41,249 --> 00:19:42,974
dreamed of connecting Big Bend
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00:19:43,009 --> 00:19:44,907
with the neighboring protected lands
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00:19:44,942 --> 00:19:46,944
across the river in Mexico...
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00:19:49,084 --> 00:19:51,362
Choosing to let these natural treasures
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00:19:51,397 --> 00:19:53,399
unite the two countries
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00:19:53,433 --> 00:19:58,162
in a place where the wildlife
knows no borders.
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♪
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00:20:07,861 --> 00:20:17,561
♪
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00:20:17,595 --> 00:20:20,149
Big Bend sits in the Chihuahuan Desert,
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00:20:20,184 --> 00:20:24,499
the largest in North America.
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Come spring, small corners
explode in a blizzard of blue.
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00:20:32,783 --> 00:20:36,718
These are Big Bend's famous bluebonnets.
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00:20:39,307 --> 00:20:41,309
Growing up to three feet tall,
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00:20:41,343 --> 00:20:43,345
the flowers dwarf their famous cousins
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00:20:43,380 --> 00:20:45,244
across the rest of Texas.
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00:20:45,278 --> 00:20:51,940
♪
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00:20:51,974 --> 00:20:54,598
Another desert plant that defines Big Bend
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00:20:54,632 --> 00:20:57,186
is the Ocotillo.
274
00:20:57,221 --> 00:20:58,602
For much of the year,
275
00:20:58,636 --> 00:21:04,332
Ocotillos look like a burnt
clump of dead branches.
276
00:21:04,366 --> 00:21:07,404
But come spring...
and the right conditions...
277
00:21:07,438 --> 00:21:09,613
these gray stems deliver a bounty
278
00:21:09,647 --> 00:21:12,098
of blood orange flowers.
279
00:21:12,132 --> 00:21:21,521
♪
280
00:21:21,556 --> 00:21:30,979
♪
281
00:21:31,013 --> 00:21:33,430
Shared by the United States and Mexico,
282
00:21:33,464 --> 00:21:36,536
the Chihuahuan Desert is one of
the most biologically diverse
283
00:21:36,571 --> 00:21:37,951
on the planet.
284
00:21:41,990 --> 00:21:45,131
And while the big critters
get all the glory,
285
00:21:45,165 --> 00:21:48,893
it's the little creatures that
make this region truly special.
286
00:21:52,276 --> 00:21:55,210
Thousands of different kinds
are the backbone
287
00:21:55,244 --> 00:21:59,110
on which all of the wildlife
of Big Bend depends.
288
00:22:16,265 --> 00:22:20,373
Big Bend is one of the hottest
corners of Texas.
289
00:22:20,408 --> 00:22:25,344
Even in spring, temperatures
can rise to 100 degrees.
290
00:22:29,140 --> 00:22:32,661
Not that some of Big Bend's
residents seem to mind too much.
291
00:22:32,696 --> 00:22:34,594
[Rattling]
292
00:22:40,566 --> 00:22:43,327
Rattlesnakes, like this
western diamondback,
293
00:22:43,362 --> 00:22:46,813
and most other reptiles,
do need external heat
294
00:22:46,848 --> 00:22:51,231
to warm their muscles and get moving.
295
00:22:51,266 --> 00:22:54,200
But some spring days can be too hot
296
00:22:54,234 --> 00:22:56,478
even for these cold-blooded creatures.
297
00:22:56,513 --> 00:23:03,899
♪
298
00:23:03,934 --> 00:23:06,488
But sunbathing is a particular specialty
299
00:23:06,523 --> 00:23:08,801
of this Big Bend resident.
300
00:23:13,012 --> 00:23:15,670
Texas horned lizards
need a lot of sunlight
301
00:23:15,704 --> 00:23:18,535
to produce healthy levels of vitamin D.
302
00:23:23,402 --> 00:23:27,164
Hard to spot with
their remarkable camouflage,
303
00:23:27,198 --> 00:23:31,651
it takes a lot to get one
of these characters moving...
304
00:23:31,686 --> 00:23:35,586
even when dinner delivers itself.
305
00:23:35,621 --> 00:23:43,663
♪
306
00:23:49,911 --> 00:23:54,916
♪
307
00:23:54,950 --> 00:24:01,819
♪
308
00:24:01,854 --> 00:24:05,409
Night brings a whole new world
to Big Bend.
309
00:24:05,444 --> 00:24:09,724
♪
310
00:24:09,758 --> 00:24:13,831
Temperatures can drop 60 degrees
from daytime highs.
311
00:24:17,525 --> 00:24:20,838
The darkness and chill evening breezes
312
00:24:20,873 --> 00:24:23,703
bring out a whole new cast of characters.
313
00:24:27,396 --> 00:24:29,744
This is their time.
314
00:24:29,778 --> 00:24:32,609
♪
315
00:24:32,643 --> 00:24:34,334
[High-pitched croak]
316
00:24:36,336 --> 00:24:37,993
[High-pitched croak]
317
00:24:43,965 --> 00:24:53,112
♪
318
00:24:53,146 --> 00:25:02,293
♪
319
00:25:02,328 --> 00:25:04,537
More than 20 different kinds of bats
320
00:25:04,572 --> 00:25:06,401
roam the night sky here.
321
00:25:06,435 --> 00:25:10,163
♪
322
00:25:10,198 --> 00:25:12,959
And this is one of the most remarkable...
323
00:25:12,994 --> 00:25:14,651
the pallid bat...
324
00:25:17,446 --> 00:25:20,139
So called because of their light coloring,
325
00:25:20,173 --> 00:25:23,522
pallids are almost unique among bats...
326
00:25:26,076 --> 00:25:29,010
...because of their
hunting strategy.
327
00:25:29,044 --> 00:25:35,775
♪
328
00:25:35,810 --> 00:25:38,709
Unlike almost any other bat,
329
00:25:38,744 --> 00:25:43,196
pallid bats stalk their prey
on the ground.
330
00:25:43,231 --> 00:25:49,444
♪
331
00:25:49,478 --> 00:25:53,586
But they wouldn't take the risk
if it wasn't worth the reward.
332
00:25:53,621 --> 00:25:59,040
♪
333
00:25:59,074 --> 00:26:02,526
One theory about their
unusual hunting strategy,
334
00:26:02,561 --> 00:26:05,391
is that pallids are much better
able to hear their prey
335
00:26:05,425 --> 00:26:07,151
from ground level.
336
00:26:07,186 --> 00:26:13,710
♪
337
00:26:13,744 --> 00:26:20,233
♪
338
00:26:20,268 --> 00:26:24,065
But as many hunts fail
as are successful...
339
00:26:24,099 --> 00:26:28,794
prey can give off toxic
chemicals or simply fight back.
340
00:26:28,828 --> 00:26:34,040
♪
341
00:26:34,075 --> 00:26:39,356
♪
342
00:26:39,390 --> 00:26:42,877
But their unusual survival
strategies don't stop there.
343
00:26:47,467 --> 00:26:50,919
Unlike almost any other insect-eating bat,
344
00:26:50,954 --> 00:26:54,233
pallids also drink nectar from cactus
345
00:26:54,267 --> 00:26:56,166
and other desert flowers.
346
00:27:04,795 --> 00:27:08,247
Because they have to burrow
so far to get to the nectar,
347
00:27:08,281 --> 00:27:12,044
the pallids get covered in pollen.
348
00:27:12,078 --> 00:27:14,218
And they'll deliver great quantities
349
00:27:14,253 --> 00:27:15,530
of this precious cargo
350
00:27:15,564 --> 00:27:18,222
to the next flower they visit
351
00:27:18,257 --> 00:27:21,640
on their lifelong journeys
through the desert night.
352
00:27:38,415 --> 00:27:42,315
Depending on your disposition,
Big Bend has been called both
353
00:27:42,350 --> 00:27:46,285
a geologist's paradise and nightmare,
354
00:27:46,319 --> 00:27:50,530
so complicated are its
landscapes and their stories.
355
00:27:50,565 --> 00:27:56,605
♪
356
00:27:56,640 --> 00:27:59,229
Some 140 million years ago,
357
00:27:59,263 --> 00:28:02,819
this was one vast, shallow, salty sea,
358
00:28:02,853 --> 00:28:06,374
dumping layers of sand
across the entire region.
359
00:28:06,408 --> 00:28:10,516
♪
360
00:28:10,550 --> 00:28:13,312
Huge pressures within the Earth's crust
361
00:28:13,346 --> 00:28:15,383
then forced up the mountains,
362
00:28:15,417 --> 00:28:18,282
and later, magma burst through,
363
00:28:18,317 --> 00:28:21,354
forming these volcanic islands in the sky.
364
00:28:21,389 --> 00:28:31,054
♪
365
00:28:31,088 --> 00:28:33,263
And all of these stories in stone
366
00:28:33,297 --> 00:28:35,506
have been constantly scraped and sculpted
367
00:28:35,541 --> 00:28:38,751
by sun, wind and water.
368
00:28:38,786 --> 00:28:46,759
♪
369
00:28:46,794 --> 00:28:49,072
[Insects chirping]
370
00:29:08,263 --> 00:29:12,405
In spring, visitors might just
catch a flash of crimson
371
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,476
in Big Bend's skies.
372
00:29:17,686 --> 00:29:20,586
These are vermilion flycatchers...
373
00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:22,830
and while common all over Mexico,
374
00:29:22,864 --> 00:29:26,178
are in the northern limits
of their range in Big Bend.
375
00:29:29,008 --> 00:29:32,840
This male's dazzling colors
advertise his success
376
00:29:32,874 --> 00:29:34,324
as a hunter.
377
00:29:34,358 --> 00:29:37,706
In peak condition, he's positively radiant
378
00:29:37,741 --> 00:29:39,881
compared to his female partner.
379
00:29:39,916 --> 00:29:49,442
♪
380
00:29:49,477 --> 00:29:52,238
The couple have three newly hatched chicks
381
00:29:52,273 --> 00:29:55,207
and for the next few weeks
the youngsters will demand
382
00:29:55,241 --> 00:29:57,934
all of their parent's time and energy.
383
00:30:00,833 --> 00:30:04,112
Both mom and dad feed the new arrivals,
384
00:30:04,147 --> 00:30:07,288
but when they need
to be kept warm or quiet,
385
00:30:07,322 --> 00:30:10,912
it's usually mom
who steps in to protect them.
386
00:30:10,947 --> 00:30:19,576
♪
387
00:30:19,610 --> 00:30:21,060
Not far away,
388
00:30:21,095 --> 00:30:24,132
in a nest barely the size of a golf ball,
389
00:30:24,167 --> 00:30:27,204
this Anna's hummingbird
has two healthy chicks
390
00:30:27,239 --> 00:30:29,724
almost ready to leave the nest.
391
00:30:29,758 --> 00:30:37,352
♪
392
00:30:37,387 --> 00:30:39,561
This is unique footage...
393
00:30:39,596 --> 00:30:43,013
the first time these birds
have ever been seen nesting
394
00:30:43,048 --> 00:30:45,947
in Big Bend.
395
00:30:45,982 --> 00:30:50,849
♪
396
00:30:50,883 --> 00:30:54,507
Though the chicks hatched
barely two weeks ago,
397
00:30:54,542 --> 00:30:57,579
they've already grown
most of their adult feathers.
398
00:31:01,376 --> 00:31:03,620
They're keen to leave their tiny home,
399
00:31:03,654 --> 00:31:05,553
but their first attempts at freedom
400
00:31:05,587 --> 00:31:07,382
can be a little clumsy...
401
00:31:07,417 --> 00:31:09,177
and dangerous.
402
00:31:14,976 --> 00:31:16,978
If this chick falls to the ground
403
00:31:17,013 --> 00:31:18,566
its life is over.
404
00:31:21,638 --> 00:31:24,123
There's little the panicked mother can do.
405
00:31:24,158 --> 00:31:33,822
♪
406
00:31:33,857 --> 00:31:43,522
♪
407
00:31:43,556 --> 00:31:45,627
After five agonizing minutes,
408
00:31:45,662 --> 00:31:48,113
the youngster is back
where it should be...
409
00:31:48,147 --> 00:31:50,598
hopefully with a lesson learned.
410
00:31:55,810 --> 00:32:00,125
Not far away, the flycatcher dad
is still hard at work
411
00:32:00,159 --> 00:32:02,058
hunting for his offspring.
412
00:32:02,092 --> 00:32:06,476
♪
413
00:32:06,510 --> 00:32:08,754
Barely two weeks after hatching,
414
00:32:08,788 --> 00:32:11,930
the chicks leave their nest for good.
415
00:32:15,485 --> 00:32:17,142
But they haven't yet learned
416
00:32:17,176 --> 00:32:19,316
proper flying and hunting skills,
417
00:32:19,351 --> 00:32:21,387
so the two parents are still flat out
418
00:32:21,422 --> 00:32:23,389
keeping up with their demands.
419
00:32:23,424 --> 00:32:32,226
♪
420
00:32:32,260 --> 00:32:36,195
And then one day,
the parents don't return.
421
00:32:39,750 --> 00:32:42,063
Barely three weeks out of the egg,
422
00:32:42,098 --> 00:32:44,583
they're all on their own
423
00:32:44,617 --> 00:32:47,517
in a hot and hostile desert.
424
00:32:59,701 --> 00:33:03,015
Summer has arrived in Big Bend.
425
00:33:03,050 --> 00:33:05,397
When the sun climbs high in the sky,
426
00:33:05,431 --> 00:33:08,193
almost nothing stirs...
427
00:33:08,227 --> 00:33:13,922
♪
428
00:33:13,957 --> 00:33:17,478
Only mad dogs and Englishmen
go out in the midday sun...
429
00:33:17,512 --> 00:33:20,481
so an old song goes.
430
00:33:20,515 --> 00:33:23,139
Neither are common in Big Bend.
431
00:33:25,727 --> 00:33:27,488
Their place is taken by
432
00:33:27,522 --> 00:33:30,491
one of the region's
most colorful characters.
433
00:33:35,047 --> 00:33:39,189
A heat specialist, this male
great earless lizard
434
00:33:39,224 --> 00:33:41,571
seems to relish the midday sun.
435
00:33:44,436 --> 00:33:46,990
Earless lizards don't live very long,
436
00:33:47,025 --> 00:33:50,338
so this mature male must hook up
with a mate
437
00:33:50,373 --> 00:33:52,064
as quickly as possible.
438
00:33:55,481 --> 00:33:59,658
Unfortunately, there are plenty
of other males about.
439
00:33:59,692 --> 00:34:03,455
Maybe showing off his splendid
colors will send them packing.
440
00:34:04,628 --> 00:34:12,084
♪
441
00:34:12,119 --> 00:34:14,121
Males are territorial
442
00:34:14,155 --> 00:34:16,985
and try and guard
their patch from all comers.
443
00:34:21,507 --> 00:34:23,475
It's an exhausting business.
444
00:34:23,509 --> 00:34:31,241
♪
445
00:34:31,276 --> 00:34:33,623
He's spotted a female...
446
00:34:33,657 --> 00:34:35,901
so he tries some moves
447
00:34:35,935 --> 00:34:38,869
that wouldn't be out of place
in a city gymnasium.
448
00:34:38,904 --> 00:34:43,219
♪
449
00:34:43,253 --> 00:34:47,395
How many push-ups can you do...
when its 100 degrees?
450
00:34:47,430 --> 00:34:52,573
♪
451
00:34:52,607 --> 00:34:55,334
His masculine maneuvers pay off...
452
00:34:55,369 --> 00:34:58,096
the female is on her way.
453
00:35:05,655 --> 00:35:08,485
Mating is brief.
454
00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:13,007
She'll go off and lay four
or five eggs in the sand,
455
00:35:13,041 --> 00:35:15,147
while he gets back to
the important business
456
00:35:15,182 --> 00:35:18,702
of looking good for the next lucky lady.
457
00:35:38,895 --> 00:35:41,898
While summer brings extreme heat
to Big Bend,
458
00:35:41,932 --> 00:35:43,831
it also brings rain.
459
00:35:43,865 --> 00:35:47,869
[Thunderclaps in distance]
460
00:35:53,875 --> 00:35:57,224
Clouds roll in from the Gulf of Mexico,
461
00:35:57,258 --> 00:35:59,881
laden with water sucked off the surface
462
00:35:59,916 --> 00:36:01,504
of the Caribbean Sea.
463
00:36:01,538 --> 00:36:04,955
[Rain pattering]
464
00:36:09,443 --> 00:36:11,824
In the very hottest months of the year,
465
00:36:11,859 --> 00:36:15,587
Big Bend gets most
of its annual ration of rain.
466
00:36:19,936 --> 00:36:22,421
At first it almost seems
the desert creatures
467
00:36:22,456 --> 00:36:24,734
are stunned by its arrival.
468
00:36:24,768 --> 00:36:29,842
♪
469
00:36:29,877 --> 00:36:33,639
But there's no time to waste,
for it won't last long.
470
00:36:33,674 --> 00:36:41,164
♪
471
00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:48,689
♪
472
00:36:48,723 --> 00:36:50,346
The water holes are magnets
473
00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:53,349
for some of Big Bend's
most elusive creatures,
474
00:36:53,383 --> 00:36:55,834
usually almost impossible to find
475
00:36:55,868 --> 00:36:58,354
in its vast desert landscapes.
476
00:36:58,388 --> 00:37:03,600
♪
477
00:37:03,635 --> 00:37:08,847
♪
478
00:37:08,881 --> 00:37:11,539
[Splashing]
479
00:37:16,786 --> 00:37:19,098
[Bear grunts]
480
00:37:22,757 --> 00:37:25,691
Some 700,000 years ago,
481
00:37:25,726 --> 00:37:28,660
the ancestors of an iconic desert animal
482
00:37:28,694 --> 00:37:29,902
reached North America
483
00:37:29,937 --> 00:37:34,873
across what is today the Bering Straits.
484
00:37:34,907 --> 00:37:38,463
They had evolved in North Africa
and their journey into America
485
00:37:38,497 --> 00:37:42,570
took them as far south
as Texas and northern Mexico.
486
00:37:42,605 --> 00:37:48,438
♪
487
00:37:48,473 --> 00:37:51,510
These are desert bighorn sheep.
488
00:37:54,341 --> 00:37:57,240
Countless numbers of this ram's ancestors
489
00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,588
once roamed America
until centuries of settlement
490
00:38:00,623 --> 00:38:03,004
and hunting almost wiped them out.
491
00:38:05,559 --> 00:38:08,700
Just a few thousand
individuals survived...
492
00:38:08,734 --> 00:38:10,874
and none in Texas.
493
00:38:14,809 --> 00:38:17,502
But then began one of America's
494
00:38:17,536 --> 00:38:21,057
great wildlife reintroduction stories.
495
00:38:21,091 --> 00:38:25,303
It started with just seven
animals released in 1973.
496
00:38:28,754 --> 00:38:32,413
Today more than 1,000 run wild
497
00:38:32,448 --> 00:38:36,175
in some of the most
spectacular landscapes in Texas.
498
00:38:36,210 --> 00:38:42,458
♪
499
00:38:42,492 --> 00:38:45,253
Desert Bighorns are
fantastically well adapted
500
00:38:45,288 --> 00:38:48,498
to Big Bend's parched landscapes.
501
00:38:48,533 --> 00:38:50,983
Supreme climbers, they rarely stray
502
00:38:51,018 --> 00:38:55,056
more than a few hundred yards
from a cliff or steep slope...
503
00:38:55,091 --> 00:38:59,923
safe zones where no predator can
match their speed or agility.
504
00:39:04,652 --> 00:39:07,241
Male bighorns usually keep to themselves
505
00:39:07,275 --> 00:39:11,176
in small bachelor groups...
until breeding season.
506
00:39:12,798 --> 00:39:17,527
Then all the rules change.
507
00:39:17,562 --> 00:39:21,255
Hormones are loose on the desert wind.
508
00:39:25,466 --> 00:39:28,193
Before all-out war, the bachelors start
509
00:39:28,227 --> 00:39:30,402
honing their combat skills.
510
00:39:33,750 --> 00:39:37,236
Who will do final battle for the females?
511
00:39:42,241 --> 00:39:44,589
And it's not all noble jousting...
512
00:39:44,623 --> 00:39:48,316
they have plenty in
the dirty tricks department...
513
00:39:48,351 --> 00:39:50,733
some of it below the belt.
514
00:39:50,767 --> 00:39:56,117
♪
515
00:39:56,152 --> 00:40:01,468
♪
516
00:40:01,502 --> 00:40:06,196
This provocative behavior
helps to narrow the field:
517
00:40:06,231 --> 00:40:09,786
Who is truly willing to take on who?
518
00:40:13,341 --> 00:40:16,034
Weeks of this minor warfare
519
00:40:16,068 --> 00:40:19,624
finally sort out who is up
for the ultimate fight.
520
00:40:19,658 --> 00:40:24,905
♪
521
00:40:24,939 --> 00:40:30,220
♪
522
00:40:30,255 --> 00:40:34,293
These massive collisions would
shatter most animals' skulls,
523
00:40:34,328 --> 00:40:37,987
but everything about
the bighorn is built for battle.
524
00:40:38,021 --> 00:40:43,233
♪
525
00:40:43,268 --> 00:40:48,480
♪
526
00:40:48,515 --> 00:40:53,243
The winner has won the right
to mate with the females...
527
00:40:53,278 --> 00:40:56,488
this year's youngsters
will carry his genes.
528
00:41:01,493 --> 00:41:06,049
Finally, it's time for some
rest and recuperation.
529
00:41:10,260 --> 00:41:14,299
He's played his part in
the return of bighorn sheep
530
00:41:14,333 --> 00:41:16,059
to Big Bend country.
531
00:41:28,451 --> 00:41:31,627
Summer is fast becoming a memory.
532
00:41:35,216 --> 00:41:38,254
But the summer rains
have left their legacy.
533
00:41:44,087 --> 00:41:49,610
One third of the year's rain
fell between July and September.
534
00:41:49,645 --> 00:41:53,718
In the mountains, it's a gift
that keeps on giving.
535
00:41:53,752 --> 00:42:03,382
♪
536
00:42:03,417 --> 00:42:05,764
This is not New England in the fall,
537
00:42:05,799 --> 00:42:08,836
but a canyon in the middle
of the Chihuahuan Desert.
538
00:42:08,871 --> 00:42:15,429
♪
539
00:42:15,463 --> 00:42:17,431
Stands of Douglas Fir,
540
00:42:17,465 --> 00:42:20,192
quaking aspen, and bigtooth maple
541
00:42:20,227 --> 00:42:22,609
have survived in the Chisos Mountains
542
00:42:22,643 --> 00:42:24,887
since the last Ice Age.
543
00:42:28,373 --> 00:42:31,963
And outposts of oak...
544
00:42:31,997 --> 00:42:34,828
and oak means acorns.
545
00:42:34,862 --> 00:42:42,456
♪
546
00:42:42,490 --> 00:42:50,084
♪
547
00:42:50,119 --> 00:42:57,713
♪
548
00:42:57,747 --> 00:43:00,267
For Big Bend's pioneering bears,
549
00:43:00,301 --> 00:43:03,132
fall is a time of peace and plenty.
550
00:43:03,891 --> 00:43:06,342
[Growls]
551
00:43:08,862 --> 00:43:11,658
Long afternoon naps in the leaf litter
552
00:43:11,692 --> 00:43:13,591
have some downsides.
553
00:43:17,422 --> 00:43:20,736
But few itches will survive a good stretch
554
00:43:20,770 --> 00:43:22,669
and a favorite tree trunk.
555
00:43:32,195 --> 00:43:33,541
This female's pregnant
556
00:43:33,576 --> 00:43:35,958
and building up precious layers of fat
557
00:43:35,992 --> 00:43:39,168
for the lean months ahead...
558
00:43:39,202 --> 00:43:42,723
and with luck, some new arrivals
in spring.
559
00:43:42,758 --> 00:43:49,903
♪
560
00:43:49,937 --> 00:43:52,008
Big Bend's bears don't hibernate,
561
00:43:52,043 --> 00:43:55,460
but do go into long periods
of low activity, or torpor,
562
00:43:55,494 --> 00:43:57,013
to conserve energy.
563
00:44:00,914 --> 00:44:02,501
For this mother-to-be,
564
00:44:02,536 --> 00:44:05,850
her fat reserves will be her lifeline.
565
00:44:05,884 --> 00:44:11,856
♪
566
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:26,664
[Wind blowing]
567
00:44:34,361 --> 00:44:37,019
Winter in Big bend is a brief affair.
568
00:44:41,402 --> 00:44:46,269
If the north winds blow
and the snow queen does visit,
569
00:44:46,304 --> 00:44:50,618
warm southerly breezes
soon send her packing.
570
00:44:50,653 --> 00:44:57,487
♪
571
00:44:57,522 --> 00:45:04,391
♪
572
00:45:04,425 --> 00:45:11,294
♪
573
00:45:11,329 --> 00:45:14,159
By late March, temperatures are climbing.
574
00:45:19,544 --> 00:45:21,649
And under the cover of darkness,
575
00:45:21,684 --> 00:45:25,792
a voracious predator
is closing in on Big Bend.
576
00:45:25,826 --> 00:45:30,831
♪
577
00:45:30,866 --> 00:45:35,008
Flying through the night
he has come from the south,
578
00:45:35,042 --> 00:45:38,563
where he spent the winter waiting...
579
00:45:38,597 --> 00:45:41,186
and preparing for his journey north.
580
00:45:41,221 --> 00:45:46,295
♪
581
00:45:46,329 --> 00:45:48,262
For the next five months,
582
00:45:48,297 --> 00:45:51,162
he will bring a swift and silent death
583
00:45:51,196 --> 00:45:54,786
to countless creatures
of the Big Bend night.
584
00:45:58,341 --> 00:46:01,517
He is an elf owl...
585
00:46:01,551 --> 00:46:05,314
the very smallest owl in the world...
586
00:46:05,348 --> 00:46:07,178
barely five inches high
587
00:46:07,212 --> 00:46:11,147
and weighing less than a tennis ball.
588
00:46:11,182 --> 00:46:15,186
But for elf owls,
size truly doesn't matter.
589
00:46:17,671 --> 00:46:22,710
They'll tackle prey almost as
big and powerful as themselves.
590
00:46:22,745 --> 00:46:27,681
♪
591
00:46:27,715 --> 00:46:32,617
♪
592
00:46:32,651 --> 00:46:37,587
♪
593
00:46:37,622 --> 00:46:40,867
This male elf owl now has a partner.
594
00:46:40,901 --> 00:46:42,800
She's moved into their nest...
595
00:46:42,834 --> 00:46:47,563
an old woodpecker hole
in a giant agave stalk.
596
00:46:47,597 --> 00:46:49,910
Sitting on eggs, for the next few weeks
597
00:46:49,945 --> 00:46:53,362
she'll need him to do most of the hunting.
598
00:46:53,396 --> 00:46:57,435
And when she's hungry
she lets him know all about it.
599
00:46:57,469 --> 00:46:59,920
[Twittering]
600
00:46:59,955 --> 00:47:04,925
♪
601
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:09,965
♪
602
00:47:09,999 --> 00:47:11,759
From dusk to dawn,
603
00:47:11,794 --> 00:47:16,040
the male scours the surrounding
desert for fresh supplies.
604
00:47:16,074 --> 00:47:23,288
♪
605
00:47:23,323 --> 00:47:30,502
♪
606
00:47:30,537 --> 00:47:31,745
After all his efforts,
607
00:47:31,779 --> 00:47:34,265
he seems tempted to have
a quick snack on the job.
608
00:47:43,412 --> 00:47:46,622
But Mom is not impressed.
609
00:47:46,656 --> 00:47:48,900
Sitting on three ravenous chicks,
610
00:47:48,935 --> 00:47:51,316
she's not tolerating
that kind of behavior.
611
00:47:55,700 --> 00:47:59,566
Every scrap of food is precious now.
612
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:01,533
And with another three or four weeks
613
00:48:01,568 --> 00:48:03,604
before the young leave the nest,
614
00:48:03,639 --> 00:48:05,572
this extraordinary little father
615
00:48:05,606 --> 00:48:09,093
is facing many more hunting missions
616
00:48:09,127 --> 00:48:11,129
through the long desert nights.
617
00:48:36,085 --> 00:48:37,742
For the acorn woodpeckers,
618
00:48:37,776 --> 00:48:39,951
spring has been uneventful...
619
00:48:39,986 --> 00:48:43,265
so far.
620
00:48:43,299 --> 00:48:46,302
But trouble is on the horizon.
621
00:48:48,201 --> 00:48:50,582
♪
622
00:48:50,617 --> 00:48:53,654
And this time it's a family affair.
623
00:48:53,689 --> 00:49:00,972
♪
624
00:49:01,007 --> 00:49:08,221
♪
625
00:49:08,255 --> 00:49:15,573
♪
626
00:49:15,607 --> 00:49:19,301
The woodpeckers can only look on in anger.
627
00:49:19,335 --> 00:49:25,169
♪
628
00:49:25,203 --> 00:49:31,002
♪
629
00:49:31,037 --> 00:49:32,900
But there is some consolation:
630
00:49:32,935 --> 00:49:36,180
this mother bear is both healthy
and heavy,
631
00:49:36,214 --> 00:49:38,285
and not desperate enough
to risk climbing to
632
00:49:38,320 --> 00:49:39,977
the very top of the tree.
633
00:49:40,011 --> 00:49:44,843
♪
634
00:49:44,878 --> 00:49:47,639
The woodpecker's stash up there is safe...
635
00:49:47,674 --> 00:49:49,158
for now.
636
00:49:49,193 --> 00:49:55,337
♪
637
00:49:55,371 --> 00:49:58,409
But there are two other
thieves in training.
638
00:49:58,443 --> 00:50:03,966
♪
639
00:50:04,001 --> 00:50:06,210
Still too young for the taller trees,
640
00:50:06,244 --> 00:50:08,833
it won't be long before
these student climbers
641
00:50:08,867 --> 00:50:11,111
want to push their limits...
642
00:50:11,146 --> 00:50:13,251
and they'll be light and strong enough
643
00:50:13,286 --> 00:50:15,978
to go wherever they want.
644
00:50:16,013 --> 00:50:23,848
♪
645
00:50:23,882 --> 00:50:25,953
♪
646
00:50:25,988 --> 00:50:31,752
[Cub squawking]
647
00:50:31,787 --> 00:50:36,033
But that is some months away yet.
648
00:50:36,067 --> 00:50:39,933
For now, there is so much
to see on the ground.
649
00:50:44,938 --> 00:50:46,905
Over the next year
they'll depend on their mother
650
00:50:46,940 --> 00:50:49,046
to feed and protect them...
651
00:50:51,220 --> 00:50:53,636
...and show them around
the new world
652
00:50:53,671 --> 00:50:55,431
they have been born into.
653
00:50:58,089 --> 00:51:06,166
♪
654
00:51:06,201 --> 00:51:09,169
These cubs are truly special.
655
00:51:09,204 --> 00:51:14,450
Bears born in Big Bend,
who will call this place home...
656
00:51:14,485 --> 00:51:17,419
♪
657
00:51:17,453 --> 00:51:19,904
...a mountain and desert kingdom
658
00:51:19,938 --> 00:51:22,976
that for so long was missing their kind.
659
00:51:23,010 --> 00:51:29,155
♪
660
00:51:29,189 --> 00:51:32,537
They carry on the legacy
of that pioneering female
661
00:51:32,572 --> 00:51:36,093
who came across the desert
barely 30 years before.
662
00:51:38,681 --> 00:51:43,445
If nothing blocks their way,
these cubs may come and go
663
00:51:43,479 --> 00:51:45,688
from their ancestral lands in Mexico.
664
00:51:45,723 --> 00:51:52,212
♪
665
00:51:52,247 --> 00:51:56,354
Big Bend's bears were the first
to return to Texas...
666
00:51:56,389 --> 00:52:00,117
and with luck, they will not be the last.
667
00:52:00,151 --> 00:52:07,400
♪
668
00:52:07,434 --> 00:52:13,785
♪
669
00:52:17,651 --> 00:52:27,558
♪
670
00:52:27,592 --> 00:52:37,568
♪
671
00:52:37,602 --> 00:52:47,578
♪
672
00:52:47,612 --> 00:52:49,994
♪
673
00:52:50,028 --> 00:52:53,411
♪
674
00:52:53,446 --> 00:52:55,724
♪
675
00:52:55,758 --> 00:53:04,491
♪