Hidden Spain (2020) Documentary
Spain is found at the crossroads between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, resulting in diverse landscapes, ancient cultures and magnificent wildlife.
Transcript
00:00(mumbles)
00:02(fireworks)
00:03Nightlife and beautiful beaches,
00:06(cheerful music)
00:11sun times and tapas.
00:15But Spain is so much more
00:21it's a crossroads between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic
00:27between Europe and Africa resulting in diverse landscapes,
00:34ancient cultures and glorious wildlife.
00:43It's a hidden Spain missed by many tourists
00:47who fail to venture outside the resorts.
00:52Worlds within worlds,
00:54the medieval towns, to farming communities, desert,
01:00mountains and forests with some of the most dramatic
01:06and diverse wildlife of the continent.
01:23(piano music)
01:26(birds chirping)
01:39The seas of Northern Spain
01:41are some of the richest in the world
01:54with an impressive diversity of marine mammals.
02:03There one of the few places on earth
02:08where elusive beaked whales can be observed.
02:26Several species inhabit the canyons
02:29like this shy Sowerby's beaked whale,
02:35they spend little time at the surface
02:38and mostly foraging for squid in the ocean depths.
02:43Diving for well over an hour and a descending sometimes
02:47thousands of meters into the abyss.
02:55The whales are here because beneath the surface,
02:57lie massive trenches,
03:00some twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
03:04(dramatic music)
03:09They create upwellings bringing nutrients to the surface
03:16as well as stirring the seas, earning this region,
03:20the Bay of Biscay, the reputation of the wrecker of ships.
03:34The trenches of the continuation
03:36of Spain's Cantabrian Mountains that stretch 300 kilometers
03:41along the country's northern border.
03:46(birds clucking)
03:49(heavy ocean water throbs)
03:50The force of the sea makes itself well felt along the coast.
03:56In winter, fierce storms rage.
04:01And in summer fog forms,
04:07the resulting rainfall gives them mountains of Cantabria,
04:10their own unique personality.
04:36The lush pasture, ideal for small herders
04:42for generations they have grazed their livestock,
04:45moving them up and down the hills.
04:47(tractor engine roaring)
04:52Today there's little money in farming.
04:54And young people are moving to the cities to work,
04:57leaving the villages locked
04:58in a romantic cloak of forgotten times.
05:18(guitar music)
05:19It's not just people making a living in the hills.
05:23(birds chirping)
05:24Because of the rugged terrain, nature has been undisturbed.
05:31(birds cawing)
05:46The mountains are home to a stunning array of wildlife,
05:52including wolves, chamois,
05:59and a rare subspecies of brown bear,
06:10isolated into populations in the Cantabrian Mountains.
06:15The bears live in little islands of wilderness
06:17among towns and farm land.
06:26Less than 300 of these rare bears remain.
06:35Every cub is protected
06:37a precious natural treasure of the Spain.
06:40(cricket chirping)
06:43They've become a tourist attraction,
06:45boosting the economy and increasing the desire
06:48to protect nature among the people who share these hills.
06:54And in doing so,
06:56they are protecting many other fantastic species.
07:03Among them bird life in abundance.
07:07(birds chirping)
07:12Spain boasts more than 600 species of birds.
07:19The blue throat is a secretive, but dazzling flycatcher.
07:25It's beautiful song, a war cry.
07:29(birds singing)
07:33A territorial warning to others in the region.
07:45The higher you climb into the mountains,
07:47which tower 2600 meters into the air,
07:51the more hostile and colorless the landscape seems
07:57were it not for the birds
08:01yellow-billed Alpine chough live in social flocks
08:08but it's one of the most solitary and secretive birds
08:10that's also the most spectacular.
08:16The wall creeper.
08:21Social interactions are unusual.
08:27But this is a mother trying to encourage her chick
08:30to fly the nest.
08:33(dramatic music)
08:45He's been hanging around demanding handouts
08:51but she's playing hard to get
08:57and leading him further from home.
09:23Perhaps he'll finally take the hint.
09:30Wall creepers make a living seeking out
09:33and surprising insects from between the rocks.
09:41They find plenty but it's on the flower Meadow
09:46of lower Alpine slopes where insects are bound.
09:53Around 150 species of butterfly are drawn to the blooms.
10:01Including the impressive mountain Apollo.
10:13Unusually, this abundance of life is in part,
10:16thanks to a human presence
10:20the meadows or mowed to create cattle feed.
10:26The regular trim stops trees and bushes from taking hold.
10:32Maintaining a grassland of flowers and butterflies.
10:42The lush green is thanks to the heavy rainfall
10:45from the coast.
10:50(birds singing)
10:53(river flowing)
10:55Because of this flow of water,
10:57the mountains are scored by streams
11:00that can even support a unique high altitude amphibian.
11:05They are asterion fire salamander,
11:08(cheerful music)
11:13it's a subspecies of fire salamander.
11:17Similar to its cousin in appearance and passion for worms
11:28yet distinct because of its beautiful yellow skin.
12:03But the abundance of water here
12:04does not reflect most of Spain.
12:11The mountain range to the north creates a rain shadow.
12:19It sucks in the moisture from the sea.
12:24Most walls on high country are north facing slopes.
12:31(soft music)
12:39And as a result,
12:41most of the vast landmass to the south is more arid.
12:46A warm, dry mediterranean climate but still high up.
13:09Most of Spain is an enormous platter, the meseta.
13:25These are the oldest rocks in the country.
13:30As the highest points,
13:32patches of snow can linger a year round
13:42they are home to a genetically distinct group of chamois.
13:48Because they favor mountains,
13:50many populations have grown in isolation
13:53on different ranges, resulting in 10 subspecies
13:58of all the varieties the Cantabrian chamois are the smallest
14:04slightly smaller than a Great Dane.
14:08But what they lack in size they make up for in other talents
14:14considered goat antelope
14:16because they represent the ancestral animal
14:19that gave rise to both.
14:22They are nimble like antelope
14:24and with the climbing skills of goats.
14:28(soft music)
14:29To avoid predators like wolves,
14:32they sleep high on the craggy slopes.
14:40But during the day, descend to alpine meadows to feed.
14:52Everyone's heard of chamois leathers,
14:54the soft cloth used to clean cars and windows
14:59traditionally they were made from chamois skin,
15:02which is unusually soft and elastic when tanned.
15:07The commodity almost drove
15:09the beautiful animals to extinction.
15:15Today their numbers are higher,
15:17and hunting is carefully controlled.
15:28Chamois are a vital part of the food chain here
15:32and favored prey to the region's wolves, bears and eagles.
15:37Their carcasses also feed
15:39some of Spain's most dramatic birds.
15:49Because so much of Spain is mountainous
15:53it has more vultures and more species
15:56than anywhere else in Europe.
16:03The black mercenaries vulture is the biggest,
16:07a dark beauty with a three meter wingspan.
16:14The Egyptian vulture is the smallest.
16:20It's been observed using rocks to crack eggs,
16:23making it one of the few birds to use tools.
16:33It's also the only one of Spain's vultures to migrate
16:37traveling 7000 kilometers to Africa for the winter.
16:44Each species has their own feeding preferences.
16:51And no leash is more specific than magnificent lammergeier.
16:56Also known as bearded vultures
16:59because of their magnificent gloomage.
17:04They drop in for the last helping of any meal, the bones
17:13and have such powerful stomach acid,
17:16they can digest the bone and the tasty marrow within.
17:24The commonest giant in the skies of Spain
17:27is the magnificent griffon vulture.
17:30(dramatic music)
17:41The fierce sun warms low lying areas
17:44and the heat is pushed up against the rocks,
17:46creating thermals, warm currents of rising air,
17:54the vultures can go with the flow,
17:56soaring to 600 meters or more traveling many kilometers
18:01without ever needing to flap.
18:06They have incredible eyesight, scowering the planes below.
18:13Black kites have already found treasure.
18:17A cow, it's quite a feast
18:23but trouble is brewing overhead
18:26(birds shrieking)
18:48with their long practically bored necks,
18:51griffon vulture can reach deep inside the carcass.
18:59Vultures have a bad rep.
19:02Many people find them disgusting,
19:04but then vitally important.
19:07Vultures are the ultimate recyclers, cleaning up carcasses
19:12that could otherwise rot and spread disease.
19:27Spain is the second highest
19:29and most mountainous country in Europe,
19:33sculpted by several dramatic mountain ranges
19:35and huge plateaus,
19:43on the slopes below, rocks give way to trees.
19:50Around 36% of Spain is forested,
19:54though that forest comes in many forms.
19:59A huge chunk of Central Western Spain
20:02is known as the Extremadura.
20:05It's the size of Switzerland,
20:07but with a much smaller population.
20:17It's Spain's wild west,
20:23where cowboys still ride to work.
20:28Bathed in a Mediterranean climate,
20:31the region's mild in winter
20:33and very hot and dry during the summer.
20:36(birds singing)
20:37(soft music)
20:42The heat brings abundant plant growth.
20:47Different flowers decorate each season.
20:53Spain boasts more than 8000 plant species,
20:5720% of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
21:04The flowers grow around grows with olive trees and home oak.
21:10The home oaks deliver bountiful acorns that plump up pigs
21:17the well fed porkers have made Extremadura
21:20famous for its ham.
21:26But there's another oak tree here
21:28whose produce ends up all over the world.
21:34Every year men arrive and attack it with axes and knives.
21:44They are stripping it's bark known to most of us as cork
21:52men who've been doing this for centuries
21:55and know the exact amount to remove
21:57without killing the tree.
22:06Cork oaks have the unique ability to regenerate their bark.
22:15If the men get it right,
22:16they'll be able to return to this tree in nine years
22:19and harvest is again.
22:51The industry for bottle corks and smoked ham
22:54preserve the semi managed forest
22:59because they kept open, they have a higher plant diversity
23:03than any other forest, with more than 135 species
23:07per square kilometer.
23:13The gnarly old trees make good homes for many animals.
23:22Stokes use the tree tops platforms
23:25to build a giant sky rises.
23:36Returning to the same nest every year, they pile them high.
23:44The structure is sometimes weigh more than a ton.
23:49(bills clapping)
23:52They throw their heads back and bill clap
23:54to express their devotion to each other
23:56before committing to a family.
24:15Pupose nest in tree cavities below.
24:18(bird hooting)
24:22Though they related to kingfishers and woodpeckers,
24:25they have a look that is all that round.
24:29With fast growing chicks, these parents have to work
24:32around the clock to silence the hungry mouths.
24:38They use their long beaks to probe the ground
24:40for small animals, fruits, seeds and most of all insects.
24:45(soft music)
24:50Both the mother and chicks produce a foul oil
24:53that coat their bodies, it's set to smell like rotting meat
24:59and probably acts as a pesticide,
25:02preventing the buildup of parasites in the nest.
25:07Both parents will run themselves ragged for about a month
25:10until the young are finally ready to leave the home
25:18pupose are colorful and hard to miss,
25:21but there are other creatures living in the trees
25:24that are masters of going unnoticed.
25:31In the rotten heart of an old oak tree
25:34a weary mother tends to her young
25:41Genets are rare in Europe,
25:44found mostly in the warmer climate at the Southwest.
25:48They're widespread across Africa,
25:50and may have been introduced here by the Romans
25:53as pest control because of their mouse catching skills.
25:59This one's a single mom.
26:03Genets like to be solitary,
26:05unless they have kids to take care of.
26:12Her little pair were born blind and helpless,
26:15but under her care, they're growing fast.
26:23She's still providing milk for them
26:25when they are four months old.
26:27But for the next few weeks, she'll stay busy.
26:31She needs to keep yourself in good shape,
26:37but only sneaks out to feed once the sun has set.
26:51Illuminated only by the Milky Way she creeps out
27:07with the low human population,
27:09there's little light pollution out here,
27:12giving Spain side Europe's finest spots for stargazing.
27:19But she has other things on her mind.
27:23With nocturnal habits she's rarely seen
27:27apart from her tony owl neighbor both are on the prowl
27:35the vol better beware.
27:51Genets and that only living relatives civets
27:55are considered proto cats having many cat like traits,
27:59long slinking bodies and semi retractable claws.
28:11She's an expert climber and knows that day active birds
28:16could be sound asleep in the branches.
28:18(soft music)
28:35The pigeon never saw what hit it.
28:39She'll hunt any small animals and dispatches them
28:43with a bite to the back of the head.
28:50Below her, a true cat the rarest in the world
28:56an Iberian lynx only found in southwestern Europe.
29:02Hunting and habitat loss
29:03pushed his population down to less than 100.
29:08Careful protection has helped a slow recovery to about 400.
29:17He's mostly preys on rabbits and rodents
29:20but can even tackle small deer.
29:26The genet decides to stay out of its way
29:29and returns to her nest,
29:31ready to sit out the heat of the day.
29:37(dramatic music)
29:54The mercury rises quickly in Spain, especially to the south
29:59in the region known as Andalusia,
30:03home of the gore fay desert,
30:05one of the hottest and driest parts of Europe.
30:14Likened to the Grand Canyon, this is a land of sun lovers,
30:25reptiles
30:31and insects rule.
30:46A praying mantis cleans its complex eyes,
30:58distracted it doesn't notice a predator on the prowl.
31:05The scorpions armed with pinching claws
31:08and the venomous sting.
31:13But there's a twist in this tale.
31:16The praying mantis has lightning reactions.
31:21Its spine covered arms pinning the scorpion
31:23before it has the chance to strike.
31:33Cold blooded creatures enjoy solar radiation in the desert.
31:49The warm weather gives Spain the grand total
31:52of 45 species of reptiles, in a land of contrasts,
31:59the desert is framed by the snow capped peaks
32:01of the Sierra Nevada.
32:04After the Alps, it's the highest mountain range in Europe.
32:11It's deep ravines and gorges remain a fortress
32:14to one of the country's most dramatic mammals,
32:18the Spanish ibex.
32:28They used to be to other kinds of ibex in Spain,
32:31but hunting drove them to extinction.
32:35Fortunately, this last survivor thrives.
32:41For most of the year,
32:42female ibex wonder apart from the males
32:47protecting their young in the center of their group.
32:53Only once the young are old enough
32:55to leave their mother's side will both sexes meet.
33:01During rutting season, the males
33:04with their impressive 75 centimeter horns
33:07do their best to flirt.
33:13They strut, heads low, tails high and tongues out.
33:25Apparently, the females find this alluring in theory,
33:34it's like a game of kiss chase,
33:36with several males pursuing a female.
33:45Usually the horniest wins.
33:48The boys giving way to the bigger headgear of a mature male.
34:00Though so far, the girls don't seem too impressed.
34:12Andalusia is a treasured unique region of Spain.
34:19Still steeped in culture and tradition.
34:24Its famed for its cowboys,
34:28wild horses and bull fights.
34:37Herds with the impressive animals still roam.
34:43Every year over 100 cowboys gather for a dramatic roundup.
34:492000 of free roaming animals are driven back
34:51through the town of El Rocio.
34:57They're heading for a world famous market,
35:00where best will be sold off for riding.
35:12(traditional music)
35:12Here tradition runs riot,
35:16especially over the Easter period
35:19when it hosts the biggest party in Spain.
35:26The celebrations go through to Whit Sunday.
35:30When this parade arrives after a five day march
35:35thousands of pilgrims come to greet it.
35:38Now the celebrations really get underway.
35:47It's a reminder of the strength
35:48of Roman Catholic tradition in Spain.
35:54The time of scenes of color and culture have played out here
35:57for 800 years.
36:02It's no wonder tourists flock
36:04to this incredible region of Spain.
36:10Andalusia not only reveals the nation's proud heritage
36:14but its natural wonders.
36:20It's a region with enormous diversity.
36:25Within a few 10s of kilometers,
36:27terrain can go from snow capped mountains
36:33to sub tropical beaches.
36:40And everything in between.
36:45The ancient cities show Moorish roots
36:48with historic influxes of people
36:50from nearby North Africa of a millennia.
36:59Some species make the most of the old buildings.
37:04Sparrows here have some unusual roommates.
37:10Unlike most birds of prey,
37:12lesser kestrels are social and nest in colonies.
37:20This can lead to a fair amount of squabbling
37:34one of the smallest birds of prey in Europe,
37:36their nests fit nicely under old roof tiles.
37:51Lesser kestrel feed almost entirely on insects.
37:55And the use of pesticides over the last hundred years
37:58has massively decreased their population.
38:08The sparrows don't seem concerned by the tiny predators.
38:16Though the young kestrel objects to the trespassing.
38:26The intruder gets bolder.
38:33Little pesky insects often build up in bird's nest.
38:37Perhaps he spots a snack.
38:47But he makes way when dad arrives with food.
39:09(wind blowing)
39:11It's hot here,
39:16very hot, often 40 degrees or more in summer
39:25something much appreciated by another insect eater.
39:30The common chameleon hugs the Mediterranean coast
39:34to savor the balmy climate.
39:48Creeping like a leaf catching the breeze,
39:51rotating his big beady eyes independently
39:54and of course with his famous ability to change his hue.
39:58The chameleon is the master of stealth.
40:06When he spots prey, he freezes, aims and fires.
40:20With the fastest tongue in the west,
40:22he snagged the cricket in just one 20th of a millisecond.
40:29Then those beady eyes start scanning for a second helping.
40:36(dramatic haunting music)
40:38A movement grabs his attention,
40:41but not what he was hoping for.
40:45Chameleons are fiercely territorial.
40:52They occupy different heights on the plants
40:54based on their rank to avoid conflicts like this,
41:13darkened with rage
41:21but it seems this was all a mistake.
41:26The trespasser is keen to move on without causing trouble
41:37having escorted the unwelcome guests off,
41:40he can get back to breakfast.
41:57Surrounded by mountains,
41:59the low lands received a lot of water.
42:08The Guadalquivir rises in the mountains far inland.
42:13The second longest river in Spain.
42:17It flows for more than 650 kilometers
42:21until it reaches a huge delta close to the southern coast,
42:26forming the spectacular damiana wetland.
42:31One of Europe's most important habitats,
42:34both for resident and migrating birds.
42:44Summer's here are harsh,
42:48shrinking pools mean animals must trek for water
42:55and pond life can be left high and dry.
43:11But Spain Southern coastline touches two bodies of water.
43:15Its Southern peninsula stands between the Mediterranean Sea
43:18on the eastern side and to the southwest, the Atlantic.
43:30Storms from this much colder ocean
43:32ensure plenty of winter rainfall.
43:42With the water sources refreshed, life locks.
43:52Pools that were desiccated are soon teeming with life.
43:57Shrimp eggs that laid dormant in the mud quickly hatch
44:06and draw one of the region's most colorful inhabitants.
44:16Flamingos need no introduction.
44:21It's the carotene, the red pigment in their shrimp prey
44:24that colors their feathers.
44:28These birds like a party.
44:32They always live in flocks and only breed
44:35if they've got enough bodies around them.
44:39Their pinks get most vibrant for the breeding season
44:42when the birds dance to impress their mates.
44:46Something that may have inspired
44:48one of the most iconic Spanish arts, the flamenco
44:52which shares its name with the Spanish for Flamingo.
44:56(Spanish dance music)
45:19Beyond the wetlands, the Mediterranean glistens
45:22and inviting tuck waves.
45:34It's mostly warm water, but it does attract visitors
45:37from the colder Atlantic.
45:41A small population of around 40 orca or killer whales
45:45live in the Straits of Gibraltar,
45:48(whales pulse calls)
45:49a narrow channel of water between northern Africa
45:52and southern Spain.
45:56The water separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
46:01As the killers are here to feast on bluefin tuna
46:04that migrate to the Straits,
46:12whales often interact with fisheries
46:15that are after the same prey.
46:21With 8000 kilometers of coastline,
46:24Spain has the biggest fishing industry in Europe.
46:30It's worth over 2 billion euros to the Spanish economy,
46:34which equates to over a million tons of fish a year.
46:44With seafood being a major part of the local cuisine
46:50but it's not all big industrial fishing ships.
46:55There are many small independent fishermen
46:58taking a carefully controlled catch
47:00from a long Spain's rich Mediterranean shores.
47:04(soft music)
47:06Many areas are protected against over exploitation,
47:10creating a haven for marine life.
47:17Stripped dolphins, a small and agile species
47:20that's quite common in the Med
47:22seem to race the fishing vessels
47:31and beneath the surface,
47:33a hawkbill turtle dives under the reefs
47:40spooking an octopus.
47:45Common here octopus are extraordinary members
47:48of the mollusk family, related to squid and snails.
47:54But they are uniquely brainy
47:56with problem solving intelligence.
48:00Expertise in camouflaging on the reef
48:03and extracting prey from between the rocks.
48:09Mediterranean slipper lobsters rely on their body armor,
48:12as well as their terrain to protect them from predators.
48:20The marine life of Spain is amazing.
48:23There are considered to be 900 different marine habitats,
48:29supporting 10,000 species of animals.
48:33The richest marine diversity in Europe
48:46from cold ocean to tropical paradise
48:49and everything in between.
48:51(cheerful music)
48:57Spain is full of wonder.
49:00Even for those who don't explore.
49:04Spain has done more than most to preserve its wildlife
49:10and wild places
49:17with nearly 30% of the land
49:19and 20% of its waters protected,
49:23keeping hidden Spain ready to be discovered by us all.