Humans have had a unique relationship with raptors, nature’s aerial killing machines, for more than four thousand years, first through the ancient sport of falconry, and, more recently, as scientists and engineers have turned to these mighty birds — from golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, and turkey vultures, to great gray owls and the peregrine falcon — as the inspiration for the latest in aircraft design. Using the tricks and tactics of raptors as their model, engineers have devised fighter jets with unprecedented maneuverability and stealth.

In Raptor Force, you’ll learn the secrets of these astonishing aerialists, and how they’ve mastered, more than any other type of bird, the art of soaring. And with the help of engineer and falconer Rob MacIntyre’s ingenious miniature television station — a camera, transmitter, and battery small enough to be harnessed onto the backs of raptors — you’ll see for yourself what it’s like to fly with these deadly aces.

Online content for Raptor Force was originally posted February 2007.

To order a copy of Raptor Force, please visit the NATURE Shop.

This program premiered February 2008.

For many decades, humans have harvested the horseshoe crab for use as fishing bait. Since the 1970s, we have also used horseshoe crab blood for medical purposes. But we may have gone too far. Horseshoe crab numbers have declined significantly since the early 1990’s. And, naturally, so did their egg numbers.

This is especially important to a small shorebird that is a global traveler of the most impressive kind. The red knot makes one of the longest migrations of any animal — a journey that takes it from one end of the earth to the other. To accomplish this feat, it relies on the eggs of the horseshoe crab. Without these eggs, the red knot is in danger.

In the film Crash: A Tale of Two Species, filmmaker Allison Argo tells the story of nature’s amazing ability to create fragile connections among the most unexpected creatures, and of our potential as humans to destroy those connections — or restore them.

To order a copy of Crash: A Tale of Two Species, visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Crash: A Tale of Two Species was originally posted February 2008.

It may sound strange, but the U.S. State of the Birds press release filled me with a sense of relief.  The report, released on March 20 by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, reveals that one-third of our nation’s birds are endangered, threatened or in serious decline.  This “breaking news” is something many of us have known for years – but it went unreported by the prior administration.  Now, at last, the word is out.

The fact is, birds face a very grim reality and there is no time to waste.  We must do everything we can to turn the situation around – and that means ALL of us. Find some ideas for getting involved at the State of the Birds Web site.

My recent film for NATURE, Crash: A Tale of Two Species, told the story of a small bird called the “red knot.”  No bigger than a robin, the red knot makes one of the longest migrations on earth – from the tip of South America to the Arctic(!).  But today these migratory marvels are hanging on by their little toenails… and it’s all because of human activities.

Watch my behind-the-scenes video about the making of Crash: A Tale of Two Species.

The exciting part of the State of the Birds report is that it offers hope.  It reports that where efforts have been made, there have been tangible improvements.

This is why I make films.  To bring these life-altering issues to the public – and in doing so, to bring a bit of hope.  Only if we’re aware of the problems will we be able to fix them.

My latest film, Frogs: The Thin Green Line, delivers no less urgent news than the bird report.  Up to one-half of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction.  It’s being called the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs.  It is HUGE… but there is much that the average citizen can do to stem the tide.  As always, the first step is awareness – and that’s where NATURE comes in.

Yup, this is why I make films.  I hope you’ll tune in!

Frogs: The Thin Green Line is scheduled to premiere on NATURE on Sunday, April 5, on PBS (check local listings).

Crash: A Tale of Two Species is scheduled to air on NATURE on Sunday, April 26, on PBS (check local listings). Watch it online now.

As night falls in Antarctica, biting winds cast horizontal snow across the dark backs of a mass of huddled emperor penguins. The temperature is 50 below zero, the gales are 90 miles per hour, and the sun won’t rise again for more than two months. NATURE captures these amazing — and well-dressed — flightless birds shivering on the ice as well as gliding through their most comfortable element, the water — a balmy bath compared to the air temperature above — where the emperors can hold their breath up to 20 minutes and dive a mile deep. Meanwhile, on the shores of Zavodovski Island, an active volcano, two million chinstrap penguins breed and travel on their own “superhighway” between the sea and their colonies on higher ground — taking care to evade the occasional 12-foot long leopard seal, which can consume six penguins in an hour.

Emperors and kings, chinstraps and Adélies — NATURE follows the penguins’ difficult journey through the cycle of seasons and explores how a changing climate is affecting their habitat and survival.

Online, our interactive penguin map will take you around the Antarctic region for a closer look at six penguin species and their habitats. An essay will help reveal why krill is both the penguins’ favorite food, and the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem. Also, read more about the issues related to climate change and its potential impact on Antarctica. Finally, watch our penguin Photo Essay, and then test your understanding of the penguin’s cold-weather adaptations in the Penguin Secrets of Survival Challenge.

To order a copy of Penguins of the Antarctic, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Penguins of the Antarctic was originally posted November 2006.

Shot in stunning high definition and 35mm film, and told through the eyes of renowned naturalist, filmmaker and longtime resident, Tim Liversedge, two remarkable films provide a masterful account of the inner workings of one of the last truly wild places on earth.

Kalahari: The Great Thirstland

Long spells of sparse rains leave riverbeds dry, and little to eat. Then, as if by magic, swarms and multitudes of birds and insects come to life, great herds of wildebeest and zebra gather, flamingoes coming home to breed fill the skies, and bullfrogs arise from years of sleep, when the great rains come to the Kalahari.

Kalahari: The Flooded Desert

The Okavango River flows inland through Botswana from mountains in the north, creating a spectacular delta – a permanent wetland in the heart of the desert. It supports a vibrant community of wildlife which would otherwise never call the desert home. But this world of water is no ’safe’ oasis. All life here is at the mercy of the delicate balance between the desert and the flood.

Watch a preview of Kalahari: The Flooded Desert:

To order a copy of Kalahari, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Kalahari was originally posted November 2003.