(intense music) (narrator) It's an early spring morning.

♪ And one of the predators of the forest is out hunting.

♪ A fawn is left alone in the tall grass.

Its mother is out searching for food.

♪ The fox sniffs its way through the grass.

♪ (music intensifies) ♪ The fawn cannot escape.

♪ (birds chirping) (woodpecker pecking) (piano music) ♪ The forest.

A haven filled with proud giants.

Older than any living human being.

For many of us, it's associated with peace of mind, and silence.

♪ But the Danish forest has had a variable existence.

♪ Once, it spread across the whole country.

Since then, Denmark has been almost completely cleared of forests.

Overtime, we realized the importance of our forests.

(orchestral music) ♪ Most of our wild animals and plants live here.

♪ (lively music) ♪ (squeaking) Late at night, in its underground den a mother mouse is about to leave her cubs.

♪ Like other mothers, the yellow neck mouse needs something to eat to be able to produce milk for its young.

♪ And now in the early spring, this presents a challenge to the mother mouse.

♪ Food is scarce so she has to search among all the empty acorn caps for the few whole acorns that are left.

♪ It's a bit of a lottery.

Until you see the front of the lottery tickets there's still the hope of wining the big prize.

♪ But in most lotteries you usually draw... ...a blank.

(orchestral music) ♪ Still, there's always a winner.

♪ And tonight it looks like the mouse has luck on its side.

♪ But there are others in the forest who are awake too.

♪ A Eurasian eagle-owl has good sound localization and it can hear a munching sound.

Acorns are of no interest to the owl.

Its favorite foods are water voles and rats but it's always game for a yellow necked mouse.

♪ (music intensifies) ♪ (owl screeching) ♪ Tonight, the mother mouse comes home to her young.

Tomorrow, it could turn out differently.

Because although she plays the vital role of raising the new yellow necked mice the mouse plays another part in the forest.

As prey for other animals.

♪ One level higher on the food chain, in another den, a litter of foxes are being fed by their mother.

And just like the yellow necked mouse, the female fox needs food so she can produce milk for her cubs and keep them warm.

This is why the father fox has provided food for the mother in the first days of the cub's lives.

They're waiting for the father to return.

He's been gone for a long time.

Unfortunately, the family will wait in vain.

♪ The mother fox goes out to look for the male fox and to find some food.

From now on, she has to be both a cold blooded hunter and a warm, caring mother.

♪ The fox cubs will become skilled hunters too overtime but in these first few days, they cannot maintain their body temperature.

This means that they can only get along without their mother's warmth for brief periods.

♪ The mother fox faces a dilemma.

Her cubs need her body heat and her milk.

But she can only keep them warm by staying with them and she can only produce milk if she leaves the den and finds food.

Since it's still early spring there's not much life on the woodland floor so hunting will be challenging.

(orchestral music) ♪ But she has to make an attempt.

She leaves the cubs and tries to locate some prey.

♪ The hunt is without a catch.

♪ After several unsuccessful attempts the situation becomes worse.

Her milk is about to run out.

If the hunt does not yield a result it can quickly become critical for the weakest cubs.

♪ A desperate mother is not a good mother and not a good hunter.

♪ She no longer has a choice though.

She has to let the cubs freeze until the hunt produces a result.

♪ (mouse squeaking) Suddenly, there's the sound of something rustling.

♪ A mouse that is out looking for a bite to eat too.

♪ (crunching) (birds cawing) But today, it ends up becoming food itself.

♪ After a while, the hunting improves.

With some food in the mother's belly the fox cubs can suckle and get warm.

♪ (birds chirping) (buzzing) Not far from the fox den another forest inhabitant is hard at work.

(banging) With its powerful beak and strong neck the black wood pecker hacks at the bark to get at the insects underneath.

(flute music) ♪ Like many other forest animals it depends on the trees to find food and to breed.

♪ (chainsaw humming) But the woodpecker is not the only creature chipping away at the trees.

(crumbling) (solemn music) Thousands of years ago Denmark was covered in forests but over the years, as agriculture, towns and forestry gradually expanded their size decreased.

In the early 1800s only about four percent of the wooded area was left.

Since then, there have been ongoing attempts to reverse the decline.

♪ But although the forested area has gradually increased there are fewer species of animals and plants left.

Many of the new forests differ from the original ones which had abundance meshes of water as well as areas with fallen and broken trees.

♪ Dead wood is actually a source of life for many of the forest's organisms.

One of them is Europe's biggest beetle.

The stag beetle.

It's quite telling that it shares its name with another giant, one of the largest living mammals in Denmark.

The royal red deer stag.

The male stag beetle uses it mandibles in the exact same way that the royal stag uses its antlers.

As ornaments to impress the females and as weapons against other males.

Both uses will be essential today.

In fact, he's on a mission to secure the future of his species for the country.

♪ With the length of up to ten centimeters the beetle appears to be very robust.

But like much of the Danish forest the stag beetles living here now have been planted by humans.

The stag beetle was one of the species that disappeared from Denmark in the 1900s.

But in 2013, stag beetle larvae and beetles from neighboring countries were introduced into a forest park north of Copenhagen.

This male has spent several years underground as a larva and has just recently transformed into a huge beetle.

But despite the long preliminaries the beetle stage makes up only the last few weeks of the stag beetle's life.

So if its going to enjoy life's pleasures and ensure the survival of the species the time is now.

♪ And it looks as if fortune is smiling upon him.

He catches sight of a female.

♪ After living underground for years the couple seize the moment and do their part to ensure the survival of the stag beetles in Denmark.

♪ If they could only get some privacy.

Flies can been intrusive and persistent.

(buzzing) But the stag beetles do not give up and the mating continues.

♪ Until another potential suitor arrives on the scene.

(dramatic music) ♪ Not only is the newcomer bold enough to interrupt the couple in the act, he also intends to prevent their relationship and win the favor of the female.

♪ The love triangle ends and the couple can be alone at last.

The battered and rejected suitor continues on his quest.

He too has only a few weeks left to find a mate so there's no time to waste.

(orchestral music) ♪ In the forests of Jutland rules another of Denmark's giants.

♪ One of the countries most rare and noble birds.

♪ With a wingspan of more than two meters its one of the world's biggest eagles and looks majestic in the air.

♪ The golden eagle.

♪ Like the stag beetle, the golden eagle had long been believed to be eradicated from the Danish forests.

For more than 150 years this regal eagle was missing from Danish skies.

But in the late 1990s it suddenly showed up again in (speaking Danish) in Northern Jutland.

♪ Since then, the vulnerable population has grown and at presence, four breeding pairs are registered in Denmark.

♪ With its piercing gaze the golden eagle can spot prey from a distance of up to two kilometers.

In Denmark it lives mainly off medium sized birds and mammals but by the eagle's standards those are just modest meals.

In other countries, its been observed hunting and bringing down deer and wild boar.

And now it's caught sight of a hare.

The golden eagle takes off.

(intense music) ♪ The hare doesn't notice a thing.

Its death is violent and quick.

♪ The eagle demands a sacrifice.

♪ Before everything fades away the forest dresses up in a colorful fall ensemble.

♪ Deciduous trees cut off water and nutrients to the leaves to prepare for frost and winter.

The leaves fall and the light nights fade behind the forest of bare branches.

♪ But new life sprouts from the woodland floor.

In the woods, fungi are indispensable.

Especially for the trees.

The toadstools visible above the ground are really just the fruit of the fungi.

Underneath the surface the roots of the fungi form a vast network that helps nutrients penetrate the roots of trees and plants.

At the same time, many fungi help to breakdown dead plans and animals and return nutrients to the autumn top soil.

♪ The task of maintaining the soil is solved jointly by many of the organisms on the woodland floor.

But that does not mean they live together in peace.

Because not everyone likes to receive guests and neither does the redwood ant.

(rhythmic music) ♪ Inside the ant hill, the wood ants are consuming a dead wasp.

It takes a lot of food to satisfy the almost 800,000 residents.

♪ The ant hill is only the top part of the ants home.

The ants dig passageways through the earth and their underground activities add oxygen and moisture to the woodland soil and help keep it healthy.

♪ The ants consider the ground around the ant hill to be there's.

A group of ants work hard to gather material for the ant hill.

They are viscerally engaged and at first, they do not notice what is coming their way.

(music intensifies) ♪ A strong, powerfully built beetle.

♪ Its a dor beetle, another resident of the forest floor.

♪ Its on the way out to find food and just like the ant, it's an important part of the forest cycle.

The dor beetle breaks down animal excrement and fungi so they can reenter the natural cycle of the forest.

♪ An ant senses the approach of the beetle.

And calls in its companions.

Not with sounds but through scent.

The ants release different scents depending on that they want to communicate to each other.

♪ The other ants pick up the signal with their antennas and climb out to help.

♪ The body of the dor beetle is up to two centimeters long compared to the ants, it's a real giant heading their way.

♪ But the ants do not flee from the big beetle.

They attack.

(suspenseful music) ♪ The top of the dor beetle covered by a strong protective shield but just like a crab, it's soft and vulnerable underneath.

♪ With their acid venom and sharp mandibles the ants try to harm the beetle.

Although they are physically inferior to the dor beetle as individuals, when a gang of ants strike there's nothing to be done.

The dor beetle ends up as food for ants.

♪ Now it just has to be dragged home to the ant hill so that they can enjoy this delicious meal in good company.

(lively music) ♪ The forest is displaying its winter plumage and in between the silent trunks stillness hangs in the air.

♪ Deciduous trees have shaken off their leaves and extend their bare branches towards a spot of sunlight.

♪ The coniferous trees are still green.

Covered under a thick winter blanket.

The needles are filled with a sap that protects them against frost.

♪ (opera music) ♪ With spring, the snow cover is replaced with a fresh, white carpet.

♪ And the spruce places the red female flowers on the tips of its branches.

♪ The powder in the air is no longer snow but pollen that is blown from the male flower to the female.

When the flower is pollinated it curves downwards forming into the familiar hanging pinecone.

♪ Spring is filled with new life.

Many animals bring young into the world.

But for badgers the season is also associated with a risky journey.

This *sow has recently given birth but badgers are more fertile just after giving birth.

So now she's already on her way out to mate again.

Her instincts prompt her to take a longer expedition.

It's important to find a new partner far from the set where she's left the newborn young.

Otherwise, there's a risk that the new male would find and kill the cubs she's just given birth to.

(water splashing) Most long journeys involve obstacles.

And the most dangerous obstacle of them all... is the road.

(dramatic music) Badgers have very poor vision so even without heavy traffic life is on the line here.

♪ Not only her own but the lives of the newborn cubs in the set that she has returned to after mating.

♪ This time it goes well.

♪ The hunt for a ready to mate male can continue.

(orchestral music) ♪ She has picked up the scent of one in the area.

♪ It's by no means certain he will be the only one.

She can get pregnant from different males throughout the year.

No matter when she mates the fertilized eggs will lie dormant inside her.

The young, possibly from different fathers, are all born at once in the following spring.

♪ Assuming that she survives the journey back to the set.

♪ Even in April the forest has not yet parted with last year's fallen leaves.

And not everyone has awakened from their deep winter sleep yet.

Underneath a stone between dried twigs and faded leaves lies a dormouse... asleep.

Dormice are a family of small rodents and the hazel dormouse is the only representative in Denmark.

A species threatened with extinction here.

♪ In the winter it sleeps most of the time and only wakes up when nature calls.

♪ But now spring is calling.

♪ (light snoring) ♪ As is well known, it can be hard to wake up after a good, long nap.

Sometimes it's necessary to take a movement to remember who and where you are.

And what it was you had to do.

♪ After some time for reflection the little rodent ventures out into the spring for the first meal of the year.

♪ The day's dawning and the sunlight shines on the forest dwellers.

♪ All of them getting ready to greet the new day.

(buzzing) ♪ (eerie music) ♪ But it's not all peace and quiet.

♪ The culprit is nearby and looks quite innocent.

For the red-backed shrike it's not about displaying macabre trophies but about having enough food for itself and its young.

(orchestral music) And that requires a practical storage solution.

As soon as it catches its prey it impales it on a thorn.

♪ Using the whole area as a big larder.

♪ There are a lot of mouths to feed.

♪ And as most parents know, a flock of young can quickly finish off even the biggest supply.

So there's not much time for relaxation.

♪ At the edge of the woods is a newborn fawn.

♪ Right now, the fawn is enjoying its mother's attention.

♪ And for good reason.

Because the fawn does not see much of its mother.

For most of the day, the fawn is alone.

♪ And in great danger.

More than half of all fawns are taken by foxes.

♪ It might look like an irresponsible mother but leaving the fawn unattended it actually the best way to her to protect it.

The fawn is slow and unstable on its legs so it cannot follow its mother or escape from danger.

(suspenseful music) ♪ But the fawn has one advantage, it doesn't give off any scent that the predator can get wind of.

On the other hand, the fox has good hearing so the slightest movement can give away the fawn's hiding place.

♪ The fawn does not know that the fox is heading straight towards it.

(buzzing) (owl hooting) (birds chirping) ♪ Finally, the fawn senses that something is approaching and crouches very low in the grass.

The mother is just a couple of hundred meters away but she doesn't notice anything.

♪ (crunching) ♪ (leaves crunching) ♪ Suddenly, the fox stops.

Something has caught its attention.

♪ (grass rustling) ♪ But it wasn't the fawn.

The fox changes direction just a couple of steps from the defenseless fawn.

♪ The fawn survives another day and as the evening approaches, its mother is on her way back.

(orchestral music) ♪ She's not alone though.

The fox is sneaking after her, perhaps in hope of finding out if she's hiding a fawn.

(intense music) ♪ Do not cross the path of an angry mother.

The fox takes to its heels and never finds out just how close it was to finding the fawn.

♪ And a few days later, when the fawn can get to its feet and follow its mother it has a greater chance of surviving.

♪ (rhythmic music) ♪ It's getting to be time to eat for one of the forest's smaller predators.

The house marten.

It's not a danger to the fawn, instead it's known and notorious for massacres in chicken runs and as an irritating upstairs neighbor that rummages around in the insulation of the roofs and attics of people's houses.

♪ But despite his name, many house martens live in the woods.

In fact, it's more widespread than its relative, the pine marten.

♪ And right now, it's on the search for its next meal.

There are countless options.

It likes everything from berries, insects and carrion, to small rodents, frogs and birds--smaller birds though.

Because if it meets the buzzard the marten could be attacked.

(dramatic music) ♪ Nevertheless, it risks its hide and stays nearby.

It has an alternative plan.

♪ (wings flapping) ♪ The house marten's plan is daring.

It calls for the marten to climb all the way up to the buzzard's nest.

♪ (music intensifies) ♪ (solemn music) ♪ The thief got away.

♪ And from a safe distance it can enjoy the spoils.

Eggs are another one of the marten's favorite foods.

(cawing) At present, the forest spreads across about 15 percent of the land surface of Denmark.

The greatest part of the forest has been cultivated in recent centuries.

In some places, the trees have been planted in straight rows.

There are no bushes or other plants and there's not much woody debris left on the forest floor.

There's a limit to what can live here.

♪ This is why the ways in which we take on the task of expanding the Danish forest lands really matters.

Especially if the goal is to protect as many of the surviving animal and plant species as possible.

Perhaps even increasing the biological diversity.

But even other places where the forest is not drained of water and where it has been decided to let the dead wood debris remain it's difficult to speed up the natural aging process.

♪ But given a chance, the forest has an incredible ability to grow back.

This can be seen in places that people have abandoned.

(orchestral music) ♪ In 2006, the amusement park, Fun Park Fyn closed and never opened again.

Since then, the park has transformed and new life has spouted up between the abandoned structures.

The forest has regained its lost land.

♪ But whether the forest is allowed to remain untouched to spread naturally or if it's planted, it's not certain that we can recover the species that have disappeared.

♪ The summer sends a warm breeze through the forest in between the tree trunks and the day has come for these fox cubs to see the outside world for the first time.

♪ The outside world is huge and exciting.

And also, quite dangerous and it's nice to have a sister or brother to take over when the new impressions are too much.

♪ Little by little more of the cubs brave their fears and let curiosity lead.

It happens gradually and with cautious, thorough investigations.

And when you're feeling a little afraid it's good to have someone to fool around with.

♪ The cubs quickly learn to be on their own and can already do a lot for themselves.

♪ They are practicing a set of important behaviors.

Hunting and fighting.

Their violent play is actually training for the upcoming hunting which they have to master.

♪ (quiet footsteps) But it might be best to start with prey that is easier to handle.

♪ Another important instinct that has to be practiced is the noble art of saving for hard times.

♪ What sometimes happens is that the fox is lucky enough to capture more than one mouse at the same time or to plunder a whole chicken run and then it's just a matter of burying the plunder.

♪ For now, it looks like an inseparable, intact family.

♪ But in half a year at the most it will come to an end.

They'll be no more nice times spent with the siblings and no more fun and games.

By then, the young foxes will be sexually mature and their mother will drive them away.

But when they've shaken off their frights they'll venture on the road of life to seek their fortune and claim their own territory.

♪ (uplifting music) In the next episode of Wild and Wonderful Denmark... Denmark is surrounded by an amazing underwater world and the almost nine thousand kilometer long Danish coastline covers everything from peaceful sandy beaches to big chalk cliffs.

The Danish seas and coasts offer exciting adventures and lurking dangers.

♪ (electronic music)