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00:30Forest as far as the eye can see.
00:40Leaves and pine trees, well mixed.
00:47Spessart and Steigerwald belong to the largest leaf forest areas in Germany.
00:55These are not ordinary forests.
01:02Here, trees can grow for a long time,
01:08get old, until they die.
01:15Meadows, forest edges and hedges offer diverse habitats.
01:42Small animals are just as at home here as the very big ones.
02:12Spessart and Steigerwald
02:20The Main separates and connects the two large German forest areas, Spessart and Steigerwald.
02:28In the Main square, Spessart lies with its dense, dark forests.
02:34The Steigerwald begins at the meanders of the Main triangle and reaches almost all the way to Nuremberg in the east.
02:50Winter ends in the Steigerwald.
02:56Melting water gathers and flows over the Regnitz to the Main.
03:05Snowflakes are the final sign. Winter is on the way back.
03:19At a few, particularly sunny spots, the first crocodiles creep out of their hiding places.
03:26They prefer glaciers, old quarries or forest edges.
03:31There, the sun warms up faster than in dense forests.
03:36After winter, thirst is great. Snow water helps.
03:46In Spessart and Steigerwald, the crocodiles live in small, island-like areas.
03:52What the alternating warm snake urgently needs now is warmth.
03:59It spreads its ribs, makes its body flat and wide.
04:05Through the larger surface, it catches more sunbeams.
04:26The lemongrass has endured the winter under ice and snow.
04:33Its blood contains a kind of freezing agent. It can withstand temperatures up to minus 20 degrees.
04:39So the winter cold can't harm it.
04:46It is one of the first crocodiles to fly through Spessart and Steigerwald.
04:52At the edge of the forest, the crocodile is looking for food in dried up bushes.
04:58The call of the crocodile hovers far through Spessart and Steigerwald.
05:04With every dusk, ice and cold come back.
05:09Nature starts again.
05:22Some of the starry nights in early spring are so frosty that bats,
05:28which have moved to a summer hideaway too early, wake up.
05:32In order not to freeze, they have to look for a warmer quarters.
05:37A big risk.
05:39To fly, the small mammals have to heat up their bodies a lot.
05:43That takes a toll on the fat reserves.
05:46And by this time, they are almost exhausted.
06:16In Spessart, with its dense dark forest, winter takes a particularly long time.
06:26This pond is the work of a beaver.
06:39From Sintal, the large rodents have conquered the whole of Spessart in the last 25 years.
06:46Paddle tail and swim skin on the toes make it a good swimmer.
06:51The dense oily fur and the fat layer protect from moisture and cold.
06:59It can dive for up to 20 minutes.
07:12Red deers free themselves from a great burden in late winter.
07:17Their hormone level now reaches a low.
07:24As a result, they lose their antlers.
07:27First the oldest, then the younger ones.
07:30It grows back again until summer.
07:53Spring is the time of the Kahlenbaumkronen in Spessart and Steigerwald.
08:02This is the big moment for the spring flowers.
08:05Their flowers are the first color dots in the brown-gray of the dead leaves.
08:13For early insects, their nectar is vital.
08:21The citric foliage strengthens on the budding flowers.
08:35The sugary plant juice gives them the energy to fly.
08:48Early April in the vast beech forests of Spessart and Steigerwald.
08:56Something is stirring in the deep foliage.
09:07The nail spot has overwintered as a doll.
09:15Its large, fibrous feelers help the male to perceive the female's attractants.
09:22It has no mouth tools and can therefore not eat.
09:26Therefore, its nail spot life lasts only a few days.
09:40In Spessart, the cold ground has finally thawed.
09:44But still, no beaver can be seen.
09:54Side by side with its partner in the dry and warm nest.
10:00Beavers bind for life.
10:04The front of their teeth is particularly reinforced so that they remain sharp.
10:12Important, if the stock only consists of wooden branches and bark.
10:20Beavers shape their environment.
10:22They cut down trees and store cups.
10:25In their environment, there is room for many other animals.
10:43The mountain mink appreciates the damp forest around the beaver castle.
10:53When the winter mink wakes up, it hikes to the next stump.
11:12During the molt season, the males wear their colorful water costume.
11:18To breathe, he has to go to the surface of the water.
11:28Life in the pond is not harmless.
11:39In the still water, the ice bird hunts.
11:49And it makes no difference between fish and mink.
12:04As soon as the females arrive, the molt begins.
12:09Water temperatures around 8 degrees bring them into the mood.
12:15He sprinkles her with fragrances.
12:19He wants to seduce her.
12:21But that was not intended.
12:30The open cloaca is a clear requirement of the male.
12:42Still, it softens.
12:50From the end of March to the beginning of April, the inner clock of the trees lets the leaves sprout.
12:57These clocks tick differently.
13:09The crown roof in the beech forest closes when the trees get daylight for about 13 hours.
13:19Oaks grow later.
13:21They sprout while the beech trees in the background are already juicy green.
13:31Oaks belong to the light tree species.
13:34They need a lot of light to germinate and grow.
13:37In the dark and dense beech forest, there are only small oaks.
13:50The oaks have been suppressed by the beech for centuries.
13:54Because they can germinate and grow in the dark shade of their great relatives.
14:00This is how the beech, the beech and the beech forest are characterized today.
14:10Light, open forest edges are good mouse territories.
14:14For them, the transition zone between forest and open landscape offers a balanced supply of light, protection and food.
14:24Seeds, nuts and berries are almost abundant here.
14:34Where there are mice, there are also their enemies.
14:45After the bite, the cross otter has time.
14:48Her prey can no longer escape, because her poison works quickly.
14:54With her tongue, she follows the scent trail of the mouse.
14:57Until the snake has found her, the mouse is mostly dead.
15:10Snakes always eat their prey head on.
15:36So nothing stands in the way.
15:38Skin and limbs lie close to the body of the victim and make it easier for the snake to chew.
15:50To eat, she hangs out her jaws and stretches her body.
15:56For snakes, it is a tremendous effort, which they do not repeat too often.
16:01According to estimates, the cross otter has 10 mice per year.
16:27In mid-May, white thorns and spruces bloom on the edge of the forest and in the hedges, which separate fields and meadows.
16:39Recently, the young have hatched.
16:45It is narrow in the cozy nest of mosses, spiderwebs and grasses.
16:51The woven braids make it look almost like part of a tree.
16:58The old birds have up to eight helpers to fill the nests.
17:12They are all related to the male and help to raise up to 12 siblings per brood.
17:42June in the Spessart.
17:46Green in all variations.
17:50Summer has arrived in the forest.
17:54Well hidden in the undergrowth, the wildcat lives with her two young.
18:03They are quite different in character.
18:07While one is looking for his mother, the other is exploring the world.
18:14More than 20 years ago, the first cats were wilded.
18:18Today, they reproduce on their own.
18:26The mother always has her two young in view.
18:30Both just like the other.
18:42Wildcats are skillful and safe climbers.
18:53Nevertheless, one of the kittens prefers to spend time on the ground with the mother cat.
19:22And the other? Not even the rain can drive it out of the tree.
19:27Wildcats are not water-shy.
19:39Their thick fur can withstand a lot.
19:44With call-outs, the cat tries to lure her kitten out of the tree.
19:49But this only comes down to the mother's personal invitation.
20:20The cold ground in the Spessart.
20:39There is also offspring in the Biberpond.
20:48Young beavers are actually water-shy.
20:51They must first learn that this is their element and there is no alternative for them.
21:10Only in June, nectars are offered for distilling on meadows and forest edges.
21:20They attract migratory birds like the pigeon tail.
21:28It is one of the few day-active swarms.
21:41Warm summers have made it possible for the land routes to fly among the insects across the Alps to Germany.
22:04This summer is particularly hot and dry.
22:08No drop of rain falls over the weeks.
22:20The average temperature has risen by around one degree in the climate report of Bavaria since the end of the 19th century.
22:28That is enough.
22:30The landscape is dry and barren.
22:33Nature is changing.
22:36I am not the only newcomer from the south.
22:40Even the bee-eater tries to catch foot.
22:44Actually, a bird from the Mediterranean regions has been hunting insects over Bavarian meadows for the last 20 years.
23:03Where spruce or steigerwood come across the Meintal, there are always individual broods.
23:32Wild winters and warm summers also benefit the freshlings.
23:36The number of wild boars does not only increase in Spessart and Steigerwaldrapide.
23:43The troop scuttles through the forest in search of edible insects.
23:55So much noise is scary.
24:01The freshlings are almost all the same age.
24:13The pack is led by an old, experienced shepherd.
24:25She knows best where to find water and food.
24:31It is so dry that even the entrance to the beaver castle is open.
24:38The pond is almost gone.
24:47Only a narrow gorge leads to water.
24:52In the remaining puddle, small fish are helplessly pushing themselves.
25:01Easy game for the ice bird.
25:28He has a whole cave full of hungry gulls waiting for food.
25:35In good summers, the pair gets several broods.
25:39While he takes care of the young, they are already breeding on the next clutch.
25:47Barely flown out, young ice birds have to cope on their own.
26:00Completely different with the wild boars.
26:03Here, the young learn from the old.
26:06The gorge shows the way to water.
26:23As soon as the thirst is quenched, the young begin to play.
26:27Already now, they establish the hierarchy in the grotto and find their place in the group.
26:36Their sensitive nose leads them to the food.
26:51If something smells interesting, they make their way over it.
27:03Hungry pigs are not shy.
27:11Even the beaver flees in a pig's gallop.
27:30He does not want to mess with the rat.
27:46Wild boars love the company.
27:50Only gulls are often loners.
27:55The rest moves around as a large family.
28:07Together they dig through the mud, mussels, larvae and roots.
28:12Wild boars eat everything.
28:18Even if everyone is related to each other, there are arguments.
28:22Who is allowed how much, depends on the social position.
28:34Ranghoher Bachen defend their young.
28:59Wild boars are extremely intelligent.
29:08But they are easily frightened.
29:10An unusual noise or a short warning sound is enough.
29:14The whole grotto flees.
29:27Just as quickly the excitement flies away again.
29:42Hours of rest and eating is part of the everyday life of wild boars.
29:57The damp mud cools.
30:00It suffocates nasty skin parasites and kills mosquitos.
30:07Soolen, the wellness program for the wild boar.
30:18Gradually, life at the pond comes to rest.
30:39Now it's time for fur care.
30:4223,000 boars per square centimeter want to be combed.
30:50The beaver fur is its own cosmos.
30:53Beaver beetles and beaver mites live in it.
30:57Like the beaver, they are adapted to the life between water and land.
31:08The waterway lures the wild boar out of the forest.
31:12They also love the bath in the water or mud.
31:24Areas without sools or refreshing ponds are not only quickly left by the red boar.
31:45Like a dark wall, the shore vegetation stands over the pond in the dusk.
31:50It leads the water bat to its hunting grounds.
32:11Tightly above the surface, it searches for prey.
32:15Water dwellers or unfortunate insects.
32:21Cleverly, it catches the floating insect with its big feet and tail flutters.
32:32It is a race with the hunters underwater.
32:41Whoever comes first, eats first.
32:46The first attempt does not always succeed.
32:49Only at the second attempt does the falter land in the stomach.
32:57Small fish should not come too close to the surface.
33:03As long as the bat hunts there.
33:08A good ten grams, about a third of their body weight, the bat must eat every night.
33:15A small fish is already a rewarding snack.
33:30In a gloomy August night, the weather changes.
33:38Drinking brings back a little piece of life.
33:52Quenches the thirst of nature.
34:07Spessart and Steigerwald absorb every drop.
34:16The smell of wet earth spreads in the forest.
34:23Before it is washed out of the air again.
34:40The ponds fill to the brim and beyond.
34:54It rains more than the ground can take.
35:07Time for the beaver to improve its dams.
35:11Branches, grass and clay are its building materials.
35:15He manages to get everything over the water.
35:44Moisture hangs in the air.
35:54Amphibians, like the sensitive salamander, come out of their hiding places.
36:09Gray rows fish in the shallow water.
36:25Under the hedges it now remains cool and moist.
36:40In the dusk, the snails come.
36:44In the garden, a pestle, snails are important seed spreaders in Spessart and Steigerwald.
36:53In beech forests, they spread the undergrowth.
36:59They eat the seeds of strawberries, figs or bush windrushes
37:04and split them several meters further out again.
37:17A predator is on the move.
37:22Frightening traps.
37:26With them, it hunts insects, worms and snails.
37:46The snail protects itself with mud.
37:50The sticky protective layer prevents the beetle from biting.
38:03In the end, it completely spoils its appetite.
38:08It gives up.
38:24Another hunter is more successful this night.
38:28The mouse's ear has spotted and struck the beetle through its movements.
38:59The long drought and the many hot days of summer have left traces in Spessart and Steigerwald.
39:10Weeks earlier than usual, the leaves turn brown or fall off.
39:17The rain of the last few days can't change that.
39:27Not all animals in the forest have survived the extreme weather as well as the pigs.
39:35For some, it was simply too much.
39:47The old brook knows how to make use of that.
39:51The wild boars are omnivores.
39:53They dispose of the corpse in their own way.
40:06Meat is scarce in the forest.
40:09Accordingly greedy, they fall for it.
40:19Everyone tries to gather a piece.
40:37The rat needs less than an hour for the deer.
40:41They leave nothing behind.
40:46The last bone is cracked.
40:56Furs are dragged.
41:10Autumn arrives at the beginning of October.
41:32Only a few furs drive fruit bodies in the warm autumn days.
41:48This year, there is an unusually warm old woman's summer.
41:53The brunt of the red deer begins later than usual.
41:59The capitol deer tries to impress with its powerful voice.
42:17But the deer cows have already joined another one.
42:30During the brunt, there can be only one capitol deer in each pack.
42:38At the end of October, the capitol deer begins to search for a good winter hiding place.
43:01In the foliage of the beech forest, it rustles.
43:07A lemon folder is hidden between the leaves.
43:14It waits for the frost and then for the next spring in Spessart and Steigerwald.