DVD BBC Life On Earth Disc 3: Lords of the Air (1979)

BBC Life On Earth Disc 3: Lords of the Air (1979)

Feathers are derived from the reptilian scale. Weight for weight, theu are stronger than any material mankind has invented. With feathers on their forelimbs, birds took to the skies. But a coat of feathers brings other benefits. They keep a bird's body so warm it can generate abundant energy, and they can acquire wonderful colours and shapes with which male birds perform courtship displays.

Peter's DVD rating: 3.5 stars

David Attenborough gives a broad - very broad - overview of the life of birds. A few captioning mistakes in the English subtitles: "Detura" should be "Datura"; "Cory Bustard" should be "Kori Bustard". The great scenes in this episode includes the strange hunting styles of the Black Heron and the Black Skimmer. Much of the film, though, seem too hurried and consist of quick takes of one bird after another, some of the footage seem to be fillers of distant blurry shots. If you already know about the use of feathers for flight, insulation, display, etc, and that different beak shapes serve different functions, you won't learn much more here. For example, on beak shapes, he does not mention the famed Galapagos finches at all, and there is nothing about how birds use talons and tails, or about their diets. This is OK if you want a quick lo-cal intro to birds or just want to add to your "life list" of birds seen on video, but for a more in-depth look at birds, see his series The Life of Birds, made more than 20 years later.

0:35	White Storks	2:50	Fossil feather in limestone quarry; Archaeopteryx (Solenhofen, Bavaria)	6:05	Hoatzin chick has claws on its wings
7:45	Hoatzin adult eats leaves	9:09	Shoebill Stork	9:30	Monkey-eating Eagle (Philippines)
9:40	Scarlet Ibis	9:50	Spoonbill used as a sieve	10:05	Flamingo
10:25	Pelican	10:55	Black Heron uses wings as shade to attract fish	11:10	White Stork preening
13:55	Indian Peafowl dust bathing	14:20	Jay anting	15:30	Emperor Penguin
17:15	Sooty Tern?	17:45	White-tailed Tropicbird ?	18:05	Frigatebird
18:25	Laysan Albatross ?	18:40	Red-footed Booby ? tries to land	20:00	Turkey Vulture ? soars on thermals (Grand Canyon)
20:35	Swift mates and sleeps on the wing	21:20	Black Skimmer has longer lower mandible to "skim" for fish	22:30	Great Sapphirewing cannot reach into long trumpet of Datura plant , but Sword-billed Hummingbird can (Andes)
25:55	Nightingale sings at night	26:40	Bush Blackcap ? sings	27:05	Grasshopper Warbler competes with song
27:50	Willow Warbler sings a different tune	28:05	White Storks mating	28:45	Kori Bustard male competes with feathers {Africa)
29:20	Great Bustard male inflates itself	29:44	Superb Bird of Paradise	30:35	Six-wired Bird of Paradise ? males display and dance
31:15	Magnificent Bird of Paradise	32:50	Lesser Bird of Paradise	33:10	Empress of Germany's Bird of Paradise
33:35	Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise	33:50	Blue Bird of Paradise (New Guinea)	34:45	Indian Peafowl male displays, Indian Peafowl female broods
36:50	Giant Coot nests on floating vegetation (Chile)	37:15	Oropendola nests (South America)	37:30	Ovenbird builds nest of mud (South America pampas)
37:45	Long-tailed Tit weaves domed nest of cobwebs and moss, camouflaged with lichen	38:25	Arctic Tern	38:25	Arctic Tern eggs in vegetation (Iceland)
38:55	Common Eider develops downy feathers on breast to build warm nest	38:55	Common Eider eggs in Eider down (Iceland)	39:20	Elephant Bird egg
40:15	Straits of Gibraltar: Common Kestrel rests before crossing	43:55	Honey Buzzard soars in thermal	44:20	Short-toed Eagle mobbed by gulls
44:50	Black Kite	47:00	Radar image of birds crossing at night	48:20	Shearwaters
49:20	Ostriches mating

0:35 White Storks	2:50 Fossil feather	2:50 Archaeopteryx
6:05 Hoatzin chick	7:45 Hoatzin adult	9:09 Shoebill Stork
9:30 Monkey-eating Eagle	9:40 Scarlet Ibis	9:50 Spoonbill
10:05 Flamingo	10:25 Pelican	10:55 Black Heron
11:10 White Stork preening	13:55 Indian Peafowl dust bathing	14:20 Jay anting
15:30 Emperor Penguin	17:15 Sooty Tern?	17:45 White-tailed Tropicbird ?
18:05 Frigatebird	18:25 Laysan Albatross ?	18:40 Red-footed Booby ?
20:00 Turkey Vulture ?	20:35 Swift	21:20 Black Skimmer
22:30 Great Sapphirewing	22:30 Datura plant	22:30 Sword-billed Hummingbird
25:55 Nightingale	26:40 Bush Blackcap ?	27:05 Grasshopper Warbler
27:50 Willow Warbler	28:05 White Storks mating	28:45 Kori Bustard
29:20 Great Bustard	29:44 Superb Bird of Paradise	30:35 Six-wired Bird of Paradise ?
31:15 Magnificent Bird of Paradise	32:50 Lesser Bird of Paradise	33:10 Empress of Germany's Bird of Paradise
33:35 Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise	33:50 Blue Bird of Paradise	34:45 Indian Peafowl male
34:45 Indian Peafowl female	36:50 Giant Coot	37:15 Oropendola nests
37:30 Ovenbird	37:45 Long-tailed Tit	38:25 Arctic Tern
38:25 Arctic Tern eggs	38:55 Common Eider	38:55 Common Eider eggs
39:20 Elephant Bird egg	40:15 Common Kestrel	43:55 Honey Buzzard
44:20 Short-toed Eagle	44:50 Black Kite	47:00 Radar image
48:20 Shearwaters	49:20 Ostriches mating


Index	Jan 13, 2006	Peter Chen