Narrator: THERE IS A WORLD ALL AROUND US
THAT WE SIMPLY CAN'T SEE,
BUT WHAT IF WE COULD EXPLORE BEYOND THE LIMITS OF OUR SENSES?
♪♪
LET'S SLOW DOWN TIME...
FIX YOUR GAZE...
REVEAL THE UNSEEN...
AND DON'T BLINK.
[ WIND RUSHING ]
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
Welch: I'VE NEVER MET SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T HAVE A SENSE OF AWE
WHEN THEY SEE A BIRD IN FLIGHT.
I MEAN, OF COURSE, WE ALL CAN THINK OF THE ICARUS MYTH
OR THE WORK OF LEONARDO DA VINCI.
LONG, LONG, LONG HAVE SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS
BEEN DREAMING ABOUT FLIGHT
AND THINKING ABOUT IT AND TRYING TO ACHIEVE IT.
♪♪
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
Guglielmo: THESE KIND OF THINGS ARE JUST HAPPENING TOO FAST
FOR ME TO EVEN SEE.
WHAT I SEE IS FLAP, FLAP, FLAP, FLAP, FLAP.
AND WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IS FLAP, FLAP,
AND THEN PULL THE WINGS IN AND GLIDE LIKE A LITTLE SKI JUMPER.
WHEN YOU WORK WITH THESE KIND OF ANIMALS THAT ARE SMALL
AND THEY HAVE SUCH AMAZING SPEED OF REACTION,
YOU CAN'T EVEN JUDGE AS A HUMAN BEING.
THE FOOTAGE THAT I'VE SEEN HAS OPENED MY EYES
TO HOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY FLYING.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
GOOD.
ALL RIGHT. HERE WE GO.
BIRD'S FLYING.
Rynard: THERE'S A MOMENT WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR SHOT.
IT'S THE MOMENT WHEN THE BIRD CAN FLY IN A BIT OF LIGHT.
IT'S THE MOMENT WHEN WE CAN GET IT IN FOCUS
BECAUSE THE DEPTH OF FIELD IS ABOUT HALF AN INCH.
EVEN THOUGH THE IMAGE LOOKS LIKE IT'S FLYING SLOWLY,
IT'S FLYING FAST. [ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
FASTER THAN A CAMERA CAN MOVE, FASTER THAN A PERSON CAN FOCUS.
SO, IF IT ALL COMES TOGETHER, IT'S JUST MAGIC.
BIRD HIT YOUR LIGHT, HIT THE MARK.
COME ON. FOCUS.
HE'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE SUN IS ON THE GROUND.
[ INDISTINCT CHATTER ]
Guglielmo: THE LONGEST FLIGHT A MIGRATORY BIRD CAN DO
IS NINE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER AND WITHOUT STOPPING.
WE MIGHT AS WELL THINK OF THEM AS FLYING TO THE MOON.
♪♪
[ WIND RUSHING ]
♪♪
Welch: THERE ARE SO MANY OPEN QUESTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO
TRYING TO UNDERSTAND BIRD FLIGHT.
THERE'S STILL A LOT WE DON'T KNOW
ABOUT HOW TURNS ARE ACCOMPLISHED,
ABOUT HOW BIRDS AVOID STALL,
WHICH HAPPENS TO AIRPLANES
WHEN THE WING ENCOUNTERS THE AIR AT TOO STEEP AN ANGLE.
IT CAN HAVE A PRECIPITOUS DROP-OFF IN AERIAL PERFORMANCE
AND THE PLANE CAN PLUMMET OUT OF THE SKY.
BIRDS SEEM REALLY GOOD AT AVOIDING THAT PROBLEM,
AND THEIR SOLUTIONS COULD BE DIFFERENT
DEPENDING UPON DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
♪♪
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪
THERE CAN BE FROM SEVERAL HUNDRED
TO MILLIONS OF BIRDS IN A SINGLE MURMURATION.
IT LOOKS SO COORDINATED
THAT YOU MIGHT ASSUME THAT THERE HAS TO BE AN OUTSIDE FORCE,
SOME GUIDING HAND.
EVERY INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE MURMURATION
SEEMS TO BE EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
THERE'S NO LEADER.
INSTEAD, THERE'S SIMPLE DECISION RULES.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE INDIVIDUAL BIRDS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO,
KEEPING TABS ON JUST HOW CLOSE
THEIR CLOSEST SIX OR SEVEN NEIGHBORS ARE.
AND WHEN ONE NEIGHBOR HAS TO MAKE A CHANGE,
THAT PROPAGATES FROM INDIVIDUAL TO INDIVIDUAL
ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE MURMURATION.
♪♪
BIRDS CAN MOVE SO QUICKLY WHEN THEY'RE FLYING.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S SIMPLY AWE INSPIRING
BECAUSE OF ITS SHEER GRACE AND SHEER POWER, AS WELL.
I THINK IT'S A UNIVERSAL FEELING OF AWE.
♪♪
[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]
♪♪