Magical Moors - A Mysterious World Full of Life | Free Documentary Nature

um uh uh uh dawn breaks over an eerie landscape drenched in morning dew the silhouettes of the twisted trees are silent they watch ghostly shapes move in the mist and strange haunting screams fill the air these are the wastelands a desert like no other in the dark At night, little hunters set their traps, they work industriously, weaving their deadly web at dawn, the lethal contraption is complete, others have long been victims, one careless step can lead to a gruesome end, when night gives way In the morning sun the moor appears peaceful and serene, but deep within the carpet of grass and moss, dark secrets lie hidden from our eyes.

They hide a horrific past buried here for thousands of years. The mummified bodies of the bob people, this was hung in a ritual sacrifice to the gods, the tall and the man. It was placed in a Danish peat bog more than 2,000 years ago, but its characteristics are perfectly preserved in the acidic peat. The Old English word refers more to peat bogs like this, as well as upland heaths, both formed in acidic soil. Dead vegetation cannot decompose. Under these conditions, it accumulates and forms thick layers of peat that grow a centimeter every decade, a meter every thousand years, the peat and moss absorb water like a sponge, where they can no longer contain puddles and shallow lakes that form the water of the swamps. acidic and low in nutrients few plants and animals can tolerate such conditions the pools constantly change size, shrinking and growing with the rain erratic and unpredictable the wastelands are a hostile environment as the sun sinks behind the horizon they come to

life

with the sounds of the undead creaking and groaning the gnarled and twisted trees seem to awaken their mischievous arms stretching out into the night sky the cold, damp air trapped in the old wood stretches and pulls the fibers in different directions seemingly bringing the dead trees back to

life

its natural events like this is what gives the

moors

their ghostly reputation we are in the middle of winter but the capercaillie are already gathering at their traditional mating grounds the females are attracted to the bubbling calls of the males in their striking black plumage they are Loaded and ready to challenge their rivals, they compete for the best places in the arena, each hoping to win over the females.

Each morning, at dawn, the competitors engage in battle, but when the sun rises, it is all over. Again with the arrival of spring, the sun's rays melt the last of the frost. and warm the frozen ground again other residents of the

moors

now emerging from hibernation their old robes fluttering in the breeze the male vipers have shed their winter skins and look bright and vibrant in their new colors they are ready to mate and, as the capercaillie, have reached In the traditional sites of the moor they have caught the scent of a female. There is a flurry of activity as bucks everywhere focus on the scent.

When two rivals meet, they pit their forces against each other. The dance of the vipers is in fact an old-fashioned duel the objective is to knock the opponent to the ground the winner retains ownership of the arena and the loser gives way one of the first plants to bloom in spring is a bunch of grass drab looking pointed spikes push up the silvery heads of the bog cotton or cotton grass is pollinated not by insects but by the wind, it does not need colorful flowers, but instead produces masses of small grains of pollen that are carried by the breeze when dusk falls.

The more reserved residents of the moors converge on a grassy arena. great snipe are well camouflaged among the bushes, no one knows why this particular location is their preferred display site. Males come here year after year hoping to impress the opposite sex. Center stage is the preferred position, but a little more height can help catch the attention of a female you have spotted. a better spot a mound of moss elevates him a little above the competition is the perfect launching pad for his performance leaping into the air the males are all out to impress the more impressive the display the greater the chances of winning the ladies towards the end that the nights are short and the dancers continue until the early hours of the morning and suddenly it is all over and the shy performers disappear again into the tall grass with declining moorland habitats.

The great snipe has disappeared from much of Europe and is largely confined to northern Scandinavia and Russia; another moorland resident is still found in almost every peat bog today all it needs is a lot of rain and a permanently planted soil. wet and soggy sundew a strangely beautiful plant with a dark

nature

that unfurls its leaves to reveal tentacles tipped in bright drops of sticky dew but the sweet-smelling droplets are a trap attracting insects into the deadly arms of the sundew there is little chance of escape the entire leaf envelops the prey and slowly digests the overgrown edges of the swamp ponds slowly dry out in the summer a sunbathing female viper is well camouflaged among the brown grass but a dark-colored male has detected her scent a The second male appears on the scene in the company of two, but three are definitely a crowd.

All that remains is to eliminate the competition and for this the traditional fighting contest is required. The female only has to wait. The winner will soon return to her side and finally claim her prize. or maybe not another male is on her scent trail she has distinctive black and white markings now the female is being courted by two suitors but she won't mate until one has evicted the other the black male seems to have the upper hand but then her checkered rival launches an attack she has lost her prize at the last moment and retreats defeated her colorful opponent follows the female into the undergrowth to complete their union in late summer she will give birth to her live young somewhere in the mall a brown bear has discovered the carcass of a moose in the marshes bears are not commonly seen on the moors, but the smell of a hearty meal has tempted the large animal into treacherous terrain.

Our moors are one of the last true wildernesses in the heart of Europe, with few people venturing into its swampy marshes. The bear knows it can feed here undisturbed, even during daylight. The fluffy cotton heads. The grass has transformed the landscape into a glorious white carpet. Hidden inside are small dwarf birches no more than a few feet tall. Its tender leaves attract another sizable visitor. The European elk has no problem navigating through the swamp with its long legs. It eats almost 30 kilos of vegetation a day and leaves a lot to show in the nutrient-poor soil. The bowls of manure are a valuable fertilizer.

The small granules soon become covered with a thick carpet of fungi and mosses on which the aptly named moss depends. dung the excrement left behind by large mammals after a few weeks thin stems begin to push up from the green cushion near the top capsules form filled with millions of tiny spores that now need to reach a new pile of dung the question is how the capsules begin to emit the smell of ripe fruit to attract attention it works when the bear has digested its meal of dung moss the spores will be deposited along with a pile of fresh dung mission accomplished the yellow mustang moss produces one of the larger, showier capsules shaped like a delicate umbrella needs to attract the attention of a much smaller helper emits a fragrance that is irresistible to flies the smell of fresh manure flies focus on the attractive aroma but are offered little reward in Instead, they are tricked into carrying a packet of spores to a veritable dung heap somewhere on the moors; the acidic, nutrient-poor soils of the moors only allow specialists here to grow the marsh blackbird, a relative resistant of the blueberry and in its leaves the tiny red eggs of another specialist in mauland, the páramo.

The clouded yellow butterfly only lays its eggs on blueberry bushes. Their caterpillars don't have to go far to feed once they hatch. Hungry larvae grow rapidly on a diet of blueberry leaves, so the edges of moorland ponds are sparse with vegetation bordered by spongy mats. Green, the acidic and sterile waters support little life in floating rafts of moss and grass, some manage to eke out a living. The sundew obtains all the food it needs from the insects trapped in its sticky claws, but even a carnivorous plant has its enemies. The caterpillar is a specialist in peat bogs and has changed the situation;

It care

full

y navigates the sundew's tentacles, bites into the stems and chews on the succulent leaves, and doesn't stop before reaching the sundew's prey. This caterpillar also eats meat and will consume both plants. and insect in a single meal, its appetite is finally satisfied, the monstrous worm seeks a safe place to become a pupa and chooses none other than the flowering stem of the sundew. After 17 hours, the transformation is complete and will eventually emerge as a delicate plume. mother, as the summer sun warms the ground, the water table drops, the carpet of moss now forms a dry skin on a thick toxic sludge below, even decomposing bacteria struggle to survive here over time, dead vegetation accumulates to form thick layers of peat in which moors are formed. plants anchor their roots another creature that has adapted to these hostile conditions is a small ant, the black swamp ant, like so many other land creatures, is a survivor of the ice age, these rare ants are only found in the In waterlogged terrain, they avoid getting their feet wet by using natural bridges to stay on high ground, but there is one way swamp ants are different from other ants: they depend on sundews to survive. .

Marsh ants rarely hunt themselves, instead resorting to stealing sundew victims. stealing two thirds of their prey, the loot is taken back to the nest to feed the young ant larvae on the flower stems of the sundew, one of

nature

's miracles is underway after 11 days inside their pupa, the plume moth caterpillar emerges into its adult form, the curious looking moth heads to the moors to find a mate and lay its own eggs on another sundew plant. The sundew also needs to ensure the survival of a future generation. It unfolds its long stems and raises its flowers above the sticky tentacles.

With few pollinating insects that live in the peat bogs, the sundew has chosen another strategy. It produces small flowers that are fertilized. The peat bogs are formed where the soil is permanently moist and waterlogged, regularly soaked by heavy downpours for the animals that live here. The sound of the storm. approaching is something familiar, life-giving water is crucial to this unique nature, even if the strong deluge can be disconcerting at times, it is difficult to imagine that the sudden ground can absorb more wastelands, animals can walk on terrain that It looks solid but in fact, 95 percent water, mosses, grasses and sundews thrive in this hard waterlogged terrain with little competition from others.

The arid nature of the wastelands is due to the hostile conditions here, where only the most specialized are able to survive, both large and small, such as the stagnant. acidic water forms ponds and lakes kills the underlying vegetation it is a constant battle between water and land one invades the other the water also invades from the air bands of fog roll covering the wasteland in a ghostly white poor visibility does not pose problems For The Bear, his good sense of smell has directed him to kill a wolf. Then a second bear appears out of the murky fog.

The smell of fresh meat penetrates even the thickest fog, but he is only a young man and is not willing to challenge the owner. The wolves have returned after having eaten. until they were

full

they had left the prey unattended to sleep after the heavy meal now the alpha female has returned, but can a wolf fight a bear? It seems that she is not alone, she has little chance, but the bear has had enough and decides to move on. The path is clear for the alpha female, but she seems unsure and hesitant and the bear is already returning.

She had gone less than 200 meters before the tantalizing smell of meat convinced him to turn back. The wolf maintains a safe distance unlike wolves. The Bears. He is not a good hunter, who knows when he will get a meal as abundant as this again. The wolf pack remains in the swampy swamp for several days, reluctantly sharing their loot with the bears. The scarcity of food on the moors sometimes makes them unlikely dinner companions. TheThe beauty and tranquility of the moors belie the reality of a harsh and austere nature and it is not only large predators such as wolves and bears that struggle to find food emerging from the dark ponds;

It is one of the largest and most striking sundews, the long paddle. The large sundew's shaped leaves are covered in sticky droplets like those of its smaller relatives, with its roots loosely anchored in the water. It receives little nutrition from below to survive. It needs to catch insect food, but unlike its smaller cousins, the great sundew seeks out larger prey. The leaves bend inwards to join forces to dominate their victim and the sticky tentacles secrete digestive juices that suck nutrients from the prey. Sundew and a handful of other plants are all that seem to thrive in the swampy swamps.

It is a seemingly arid and desolate place. environment but many of the creatures that live here are shy and elusive and remain hidden out of sight some live in places we dare not look beneath the surface of the murky brown water strange exotic looking creatures from a strange

world

red eyes on The end of a telescopic body and tiny wheels that spin in the dark. The rotifer uses its propellers to sweep microscopic algae and bacteria into its mouth. There can be millions of rotifers in a small puddle of water and they come in over 2,000 different shapes and designs.

This one has already swallowed a belly full of algae and laid two small eggs. A third is still inside its body. The eggs will remain inactive until the conditions are right for the babies to be born. This curious creature is a water bear or a mossy piglet. It may look small and plump but it can withstand more extreme conditions than any other animal on earth. Small algae propel themselves through the water with whip-like appendages, others amazingly replicate themselves by dividing in half like tiny solar panels measuring less than a millimeter. in size, they look for light and convert it into energy.

It is a

magical

world

of beautiful and strange creatures, but so strange. small ones that remain hidden from our eyes in the middle of summer the shallow peat bogs dry out quickly creating even more challenging conditions for their residents all the remains of the microscopic world are the eggs and spores that will remain dormant until the water returns to darkness The peat It heats up quickly with the sun and even reptiles come out to seek shelter. Only the deepest pools of the moors retain water all year round, but much moisture is stored in the ground and carpets of moss and the sound of small explosions cut through the silence of the moors. the moss is filled with small black peppercorns, they are actually spore capsules that help the moss reproduce as they warm up in the sun, the pressure inside increases until they finally explode and the spores are catapulted into the air carried by the wind. small seeds will germinate elsewhere as it becomes fall and mushroom season glorious red wax caps have emerged from the ground the leaves of the blueberries and the blueberry bushes have also turned shades of orange and red they are preparing for winter and They will drop their leaves with the first night frost as the temperatures fall and the nights lengthen life on the moors slows to a leisurely pace in the swampy woods at the edge of the swamp large silhouettes move silently among the trees the young moose prepare for the mating season in In the far north of Europe, the night skies witness an annual spectacle.

Tinted rays of light flit across the sky and quickly become a stunning display of otherworldly colors. The northern lights on Earth, although it seems that they are not the will of the flame. The

mysterious

light was said to lead travelers to treacherous swamps, but it gives the moors an eerie and

mysterious

air, even today the moors are

magical

and secret places full of strange and surprising creatures, but it is a landscape that is Rapidly changing peat extraction and drainage of moors are destroying 5,000 square kilometers of moors each year more than half of Europe's moors have already disappeared an area almost the size of Germany the demand for peat as a fossil fuel is just one part of the problem the drainage of marshes for agriculture a bigger one when peatlands are drained the carbon that was previously trapped in decomposing matter is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide globally this represents almost six percent of greenhouse gas emissions from men around the world are losing large areas of moors Every day peatlands disappear 10 times faster than the rate at which they form today.

Peatlands make up less than three percent of the Earth's surface, yet they store more carbon than all the trees in all the world's forests. Its destruction not only affects many species. but it also fuels climate change our peatlands were formed thousands of years ago but man is destroying them in a few hundred nowhere has the damage been greater than in europe pete has been exploited for a long time by man since traditionally roman times It was cut down by On the one hand, a slow, small-scale operation that allowed some of the land's vegetation to grow back, modern extraction is much more brutal, cutting deep trenches and turning the surface into a desert, but there is hope, now We know that by filling drainage ditches and digging pools we can restore damaged peatlands in a matter of years.

Reflooded moors can also be grown with water-tolerant crops to ensure sustainable land use. When drained peatlands are flooded again they quickly return to life, but it will take centuries for them to be restored to their true wild nature they were once the first plants and animals to recolonize wet swamps they seem rather unspectacular and common, but many of them are surprisingly rare today the crucian carp has evolved to surviving in murky, stagnant water is also the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and their larvae are a welcome meal dragonfly nymphs search for the same prey mosquito larvae hang suspended near the surface filtering small particles of food from the carp are wary of swimming near the surface and have good reason to be cautious, so since the reflooded peat bogs are richer in nutrients than before, they support a Greater variety of plants and animals than a pristine moorland from the air, restored moors are immediately recognizable.

However, with their straight drainage channels and geometric shapes, the vast areas of undisturbed wetlands soon attract birds and other animals that find A safe haven here, it is no surprise that many of these wetlands have become nature reserves. Remoistened soil may take centuries to recover. It becomes a peat bog again, but for the moment it provides a home for many animals and a safe place to breed and refuel a gray heron is hunting there is no way to escape the dagger-shaped beak the reeds are one of the first and most important Plants that recolonize flooded lands thrive in shallow waters, forming thick impenetrable forests that soon turn the wetland into a muddy marsh.

In fact, peat bogs formed much like this after the last ice age. Glacial erosion left gaps and basins in the landscape that gradually filled the lake with water. The reeds and marsh plants colonizing the edges crept further and further inward, filling the lake with dead vegetation and turning it into a swampy marsh deep below. from the thick jungle of reeds a shy and elusive bird is raising its young the little bitten the male has brought small fish for breakfast there are the usual quarrels in the nest there is no shortage of noisy neighbors among the reeds fire-bellied toads called day and At night to attract the females, a whisper near the nest puts the courier on guard, but it is only the female who returns with a harvest full of food, carefully and silently slips between the reeds so as not to give away the location of the nest.

The little nibblers are one of the smallest of their species and one of the rarest in Europe, with their habitat in decline, where they gladly seek refuge. the restored marshes ancient peat bogs like this one on the other hand took more than 8,000 years to form the cold and clear lake is fed by the rains and its waters are acidic and low in nutrients much harsher conditions than in the flooded wars the creatures that live here have adapted to hostile conditions for thousands of years the marsh labrador is one such specialist and its low-nitrogen green leaves are particularly attractive to the clouded yellow moor butterfly caterpillar the marsh labrador tea plant also blooms in moist, acidic soils the flowers are dazzling white against the black waters of them all dragonflies are attracted to water of any kind living most of their lives below the surface as nymphs their transformation into adult form complete the dragonfly dries its wings before flying most dragonflies tolerate acidic water, but the white-faced dato looks for it along with the specialists of the moors, there are other visitors attracted from the surroundings a deer is attracted to the leaves Fresh from nearby blueberry bushes, the chrysalis of a moorland butterfly opens to reveal new life.

The cloudy yellow adult emerged from its case in a matter of minutes, but it will take another hour for the body to dry completely in the air. delicate feeding tube is still split in half and needs to be zipped and the golden yellow wings have to be pumped and hardened it is one of nature's most extraordinary transformations the edges of peat bogs give way to grasslands that in summer they are covered in wildflowers they are a paradise for butterflies a kaleidoscope of different colors and patterns for which this rare blue hawk is competing for the attention of a female with such a rich supply of nectar the yellow clouded butterfly did not have to travel far from the neighboring swamp where it emerged the wet grasslands are also a breeding ground for an iconic bird of the moors the curl that this pair has hidden nest somewhere in the swampy swamp where few egg thieves dare to venture hidden in the grass fangs there are three Well camouflaged speckled eggs All you have to do is stay perfectly still Grazing moose are not after bird eggs but they can accidentally destroy a nest with their hooves if they or any other animal gets too close The incubating bird quietly moves away a observant predator may see the adult bird but is unlikely to detect the nest the moose have little interest in the curlicues remain close to the edges of the swamp feeding on the leafy bushes and trees the wooded edges provide cover for another moorland bird nesting the next three or four weeks until our chicks hatch the curl you too returns to its nest the moose have moved on and she feels safe again both the curl you and the capercaillie have become rare throughout Europe because their natural habitats are rapidly disappearing forests ancient wet grasslands meandering streams and marshy swamps a mosaic of habitats once found across much of the continent today more land provides a last natural refuge for birds where they can breed undisturbed more land is not only crucial for survival Of rare birds the great marsh grasshopper is one of the largest of its kind, once common in swamps and flooded grasslands, today it has virtually disappeared and is found in only a handful of places.

It feeds mainly on marsh grasses and sedges, chewing on its juicy leaves and stems, but it also has an appetite for the carnivorous grasshopper. Drosera is too big a prey for the small plant, anyway the clicking sound the male makes is directed at the females. done by tapping its hind legs against the wings is a sign that it is ready to mate the arrival of a female causes great excitement among the males the life of a grasshopper is short and each one is determined to pass on its genes to the next generation but only there may be a winner after mating the female will lay her eggs in the moist soil in the capercaillie's nesting place the chicks have hatched within two weeks they will be able to fly but in the meantime they must be careful not to fall prey to hunters a family of bears Heading out to the open meadow the cubs are curious and inquisitive, eagerly exploring their new surroundings, the female watches their approach nervously keeping her chicks close under her wings, refueling at the last moment for the journey ahead and then they leave for the day. that day old chicks knowinstinctively that they must follow their mother whom they can now feed.

Finding your way through the tangle of grasses isn't easy when you're so small, but eventually they all get there in the marshes and meadows near the edge of the mall that other birds are preparing for. the arrival of the babies, a crane chick has just hatched from the egg, still wet and exhausted from the effort, the couple and the birds have a few demanding weeks ahead of them. It is barely a day old and the chick is already on its legs, but the mother pushes Back in the middle of the nest they have to wait for their sibling to hatch the outside world seems a little overwhelming at first the old egg shell is comfortingly familiar and then it's time for the first meal a newly named dragonfly washes the pair and the bird They seem to finally have infinite patience and now a well-deserved rest to help digest the food.

The nearby marshes have exploded in a display of color. The bright yellow flowers of the bolg asphodel tower above them all, but this beautiful and rare plant has long had a bad reputation, believed to cause brittle bones in sheep. It was given the Latin name of bonebreaker. In fact, the real culprit was the calcium-deficient vegetation of the moors that live among the rushes and rushes. It is one of the smallest mammals in Europe. The water-collecting mouse. The railroad searches for snails and worms in the swampy swamp. Her chick has been hiding in the thick vegetation waiting for her return.

The waterlogged swamp offers safety from predators, so it is not surprising that many animals choose to raise their young here. The harvest mouse has built a grass nest high above the water line where its young are warm and dry. The entire moor has become an animal nursery with parents present 24 hours a day. The mouse regularly leaves the nest to feed and replenish their reserves their young are still naked and blind and like all mammals that depend on their milk, the long, warm days of summer provide abundant food and families of young animals grow rapidly. Grim and desolate winters now seem like only a distant memory, but there is a change in the air that grizzly bears need to build up fat reserves. for winter and know the best place to forage for food in the deep, dark waters of the wasteland, but those who venture here have to take a careful misstep and could sink, trapped in the swamp's deadly clutches.

It is stories like this that have given the moors their fearsome reputation. carried by the wind they fight at every step a hidden spring begins and the trampled tufts of moss hiss and sing it is something eerie or more just when the tangled reed beds whisper although man has domesticated and restricted most of the natural spaces of the earth, Our last remaining moors are home to some unique and rare plants and animals It is autumn and the cranes are gathering for their annual southward migration, a journey of more than a thousand miles beneath them, the relics of a landscape that is dates back to the ice ages, more lands that have remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years as cranes head to their traditional resting places, waterlogged swamps offer them safety from predators at night, knights have turned icy and have taken their first casualties as the chill of winter settles in the air, more lands are covered in a blanket of white life. has stopped and yet, surprisingly one creature is defying the rules of winter.

The capercaillie have already gathered at the mating grounds and practice their displays every morning, even a female passes by from time to time, but the thick blanket of snow is here to stay and she won't. Put up the covers for a few months, but the moors have slowed to the pace of winter. eerily quiet but hauntingly beautiful. a magical stillness has settled over the land, so that as the winter sun slowly regains its strength the more it wakes up to another year, um, the grouse. The males are picking up the pace and heading for a grand finale in their mating dance.

This snow-covered sand has witnessed generations of males performing their eye-catching displays. This is the true magic of a desert like no other, deeply romantic and at the same time. the deceptively treacherous weather the Moors wow ah ah you