Massive Nature

A million flamingos congregate on a steaming soda lake in Africa’s Rift Valley. Baboons and Fish Eagles are attracted by the huge pink flock. While there is strength in numbers, it's inevitable that some flamingos will die today – but which ones will it be and why? Each day these birds put themselves at risk by filtering away from the vast flock and into a particular danger zone – a cul-de-sac. Here live a troop of baboons with a unique skill – they are flamingo killers. The baboons scan the flock for a likely victim – strength in numbers is critical now but how does an individual flamingo manipulate its position in the flock to avoid becoming a victim? Also: the mass movement of migrating wildebeest across the Serengeti is thought to be the greatest movement of land animals anywhere on Earth. But what happens when almost two million animals come up against the bottleneck of the Mara River and its giant crocodiles that guard the crossing points? In some of the most extraordinary and dramatic wildlife scenes ever filmed, we discover what drives the wildebeest to jump into the crocodile infested water, whether there is anything an individual could do to maximise its chances of survival. Do they work together as a herd, or is it each wildebeest for himself? It's crunch time for the crocodiles too – they need this annual feast to survive. We reveal the attack strategies that these cold-blooded reptiles employ.

Every year, countless millions of sardines head north up the coast of South Africa. In their wake follows an armada of the oceans greatest predators: sharks, dolphins, whales and birds. They all began on their collision course months before – but somehow they always rendezvous at the same place and the same time and the outcome is considered to be one of the most spectacular wildlife events anywhere on Earth. With the aid of state-of-the-art graphic software, we deconstruct the action to find out what it is that sends these sardines on an apparently suicidal journey and how all these predators collaborate to kill millions of sardine in a frenzied bait ball. Also: every year, 40 million Brazilian free-tailed bats stream out of their summer homes, the 'guano caves' near San Antonio in Texas. It is the biggest congregation of mammals on the planet. Half are babies precariously taking wing on their maiden flight, running a deadly gauntlet of hawks, falcons, snakes and racoons, who have been eagerly awaiting their debut. How do all these predators know just the right time to arrive, and the best place to be for easy pickings – and how did all these creatures come to meet on this one fateful day? And what can the bats do to stay alive? This massive flock is a blessing and a curse – it gives them safety in numbers, but many will be lost through mid-air collisions. Those that can, use the flock dynamics to their advantage. How does an individual navigate in the vast pulsating flock, and find its way out to safety?

Every year, 40 million Brazilian free-tailed bats stream out of their summer homes, the 'guano caves' near San Antonio in Texas. It is the biggest congregation of mammals on the planet. Half are babies precariously taking wing on their maiden flight, running a deadly gauntlet of hawks, falcons, snakes and racoons, who have been eagerly awaiting their debut. How do all these predators know just the right time to arrive, and the best place to be for easy pickings – and how did all these creatures come to meet on this one fateful day? And what can the bats do to stay alive? This massive flock is a blessing and a curse – it gives them safety in numbers, but many will be lost through mid-air collisions. Those that can, use the flock dynamics to their advantage. How does an individual navigate in the vast pulsating flock, and find its way out to safety? Also: once a year millions of salmon fight their way up rivers across Alaska. They are on an unstoppable collision course – a course that began 6 months ago in the depths of the Alaskan winter and will culminate in carnage on an Alaskan waterfall. Here, grizzly bears and bald eagles congregate to intercept the salmon. For one mother bear it's a matter of life and death. Her young need food if they are to survive. The salmon have an imperative to get through the gauntlet. If they don't, the future of the shoal is in jeopardy. They must return to their spawning grounds to lay their eggs. It's a frantic dash with each salmon relying on skills and tactics to keep them on track back home. But at the end of the day does life just come down to one lucky leap to avoid the jaws of death?