The much anticipated BBC nature series Frozen Planet has begun and what an absorbing visual treat it is. Coming from the makers of Planet Earth and Blue Planet you would expect nothing less than the wonderful, often breathtaking scenes and spectacles.
Who would have thought that a frozen icy tundra could leave you lost for words. It was beautifully captured and the visuals together with the excellent score and soothing Sir David Attenborough narration quickly engulf and draw you in.
I found myself rather taken with the beauty of the ice melts in Greenland. The lush blue melt water against the white icy surround, quite a contrast and visual feast. Eventually the melt water cuts a channel and forms a torrent which will follow a flow then ends when it falls a mile under the ice, and is responsible for ice subsequently drifting. It is an amazing sight which I would love to see for myself one day. It certainly does take your breath away.
Melt Lake
The action is also very impressive like the polar bears coupling up and mating, an event rarely seen by humans. Even how the polar bear defends his female from other males looking for a mate, you can see how over the course of a few weeks the males bear condition changes as he gets into many scrapes leaving him bloody, battered and bruised. It was also interesting to see a pack of 25 wolves hunt a bison; they have immense courage considering the huge disparity in their sizes.
The scenes which made the show for me tonight were firstly the penguins. I just love them, the way they carry themselves and their mannerisms. I was cheering the one on when the seal was lining him up. I am glad he escaped the few times he did and lived on to fight another day.
My favourite scene of all was with the Killer Whales and how they hunted their prey. I am biased with this because Killer Whales are my favourite of all types of mammals. They are a highly tuned machine, how they hunt is very complicated and you would never imagine how intelligent they are. When you see them ascending and rising out of the water to see where their target is and how together they nudge the ice floe to put the prey off balance and break up the platform. It is something you wouldn’t think a Whale capable of. The bit that impressed me most was how they would in small groups attack the platform and use their tails to whip up a current and wave to knock the seal off its floe and into the water. Their actions don’t stop there, when submerged they use their tails to disorientate and exhaust the seal, as well as their blowholes to create air bubbles to disguise their attacks. Eventually the exhausted seal clambers back onto an ice floe but it doesn’t have the strength to drag itself to safety and becomes easy pickings for a Killer Whale who drags him under and no doubt drowns him for today’s meal.
Whales lining up another wave to get the seal into the water
Mother Nature is sometimes a cruel master but this is real life. It was a thrilling and excellent start to the series. I know that I for one can’t wait for the rest of the series. Everything so far has been magnificently captured and sympathetically portrayed. Yes children, animals get killed but that is life and nature at work. Life isn’t a Disney cartoon. Who needs CGI when you have the natural beauty of Mother Nature and her kingdom? I know which I rather and it is 100% real.
I implore everyone to watch this series; you are really missing out if you don’t.
