Men can be hard to find presents for. What do you buy for dads, husbands, brothers or others? One thing that always seems to be a winner with the guys on my list is DVDs. I chose to feature Nature’s Most Amazing Events because not only is it a fascinating documentary, it was also a big hit with one of the most important men on my holiday list – my fiance, Jai!
Nature’s Most Amazing Events is a two-disc nature documentary set from BBC Earth that features breathtaking footage of natural phenomenons. There are six different episodes on here, each following a different series of events. Check out the episode synopses:
Episode 1: The Great Melt
As winter finally passes and the sun climbs over the Arctic, the four million square mile ice sheet rapidly begins to melt, revealing an archipelago of islands, channels and seas. For the masters of the ice, the polar bears, this is a moment of jeopardy but for others like arctic foxes, beluga whales, thousands of lemmings and immense flocks of birds, this brief summer transforms the Arctic into the richest place on Earth.
Episode 2: The Great Salmon Run
The temperate rainforest of British Columbia, Canada, harbors more life than any other forest in the world. Cloaked by the planet’s tallest trees, the last big carnivores of North America, the great grizzly bear and forest wolf, roam free. Yet their survival depends entirely on one great annual event. As the rivers teem with spawning salmon the bears and wolves are drawn together and a deadly conflict unfolds.
Episode 3: The Great Migration
The parched grassland of East Africa’s famous Serengeti Plain is the arena for bitter rivalries between warring cheetahs, lions and hyenas as they struggle over meager pickings. But with the arrival of the annual rains the plains momentarily flush green with fresh grass drawing in the greatest concentration of large animals on the Planet. Over two million wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle have undergone an epic journey crossing crocodile-infested rivers to graze here, but how will they survive the arena of carnivores?
Episode 4: The Great Tide
As winter arrives along South Africa’s east coast the inshore waters cool, drawing billions of sardines northward from the Cape to feed on the plankton-rich soup. The Sardine Run is the greatest marine spectacle on the planet, attracting an awe-inspiring cast of ocean predators. Mega pods of common dolphins, battalions of sharks and greedy Bryde’s whales feast on the sardines as gannets rain down from above. For African penguins and bottlenose dolphins this movement of sardines is the defining moment of their lives. Both are living on a knife edge, and only the run of sardines can save them.
Episode 5: The Great Flood
In the intense heat of the northern Kalahari, a herd of elephants trek towards a life saving goal while prides of lions and marooned hippos fight to survive around the last remaining waterholes. Their fortunes change dramatically with the annual flooding of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, turning 6000 square miles of desert into a maze of lagoons, islands and swamps. As millions of animals are drawn to the oasis, including great herds of near-starving elephants, the scene is set for one of the greatest clashes in nature.
Episode 6: The Great Feast
The arrival of spring sunshine triggers an explosion of life in Alaska’s coastal waters so great that it eclipses even the Amazon rainforest. The feast draws in an amazing cast of characters, including humpback whales and their newborn calves that migrate from Hawaii to spend the summer feeding in the rich waters, and resident sea lions who are also in a race against time to make the most of the good times before the harsh Alaskan winter closes in. Can the whales and sea lions catch enough fish – and avoid the predatory killer whales – to see them through?
Jai and I were both glued to the TV watching this documentary. The footage is just amazing, and each episode tells a powerful story about the circle of life in nature. It’s always remarkable to see how everything is connected – you watch the food chain in action as each animal relies on the others for their survival.
I also loved that each episode was followed by a behind-the-scenes diary that shows you how it was filmed. I have always wondered how they get this astounding footage for nature programs, so it was very interesting to finally find out. Filming these programs was a long and arduous process, and it was amazing to see how much time was spent to capture spectacular footage. The filmmakers go to incredible lengths to record these beautiful films, and my jaw dropped to see how close they get to danger; like watching cameraman Jeff Turner standing a few feet away from grizzly bears, or seeing Didier Noirot, former cameraman for Jacques Cousteau, swimming next to sharks – check out this extraordinary video clip:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGKa8wlXvhk&hl=en&fs=1&]
You can see more clips from Nature’s Most Amazing Events on their website – click here to check it out.
The only reason I didn’t choose this as a pick for the whole family is because it does feature graphic footage of animals eating their prey, and as such may require parental supervision to avoid upsetting small children. Nature’s Most Amazing Events also captures some heart-wrenching stories – the tale of starving lions cubs getting separated from their pride is sure to have many people reaching for the Kleenex.
Nature’s Most Amazing Events is available on Amazon on DVD for $21.99 and Blu-Ray for $23.99.
This sounds like a great DVD set! We love nature shows around here (especially my son). I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!