The French documentary production company Les Films d’Ici is asked by ARTE to produce a series of nature documentaries about how humans and human behaviour are influencing nature and animals. One of the episodes is Quand passant les oiseaux (When the birds go by), a documentary directed by Thierry Ragobert about migrating birds.
Migrating birds are followed on their journey from the Arctic to the South of Europe and to Africa. Of the 600 or so species of land birds that breed in Europe, almost half migrate each year in spring and autumn. Migratory birds cover thousands of kilometres to reach their final destination in Africa or the Middle East, the most favorable regions for breeding and finding food.
But bird migration is under threat from the growing human encroachment on nature. As they cross Europe, they have to contend with the drying up of wetlands, pollution, urbanisation, intensive farming and climate change.
A new kind of community solidarity is emerging: lovers of the great travelers are waiting for them to return. Driven by the same passion, they are passing the baton from country to country to look after them and to research them. What if the birds that defy borders were to reconcile us with our planet?
The documentary starts at the Dutch Wadden Sea, an area where migrating birds hang out on their trip to feed themselves and to get ready for the rest of the journey. Behavioural ecologists Allert Bijleveld and Tamar Lok, two scientist from the Royal Netherlands institute of Sea Research, explain what they are researching and how humans are having an effect on migrating birds.
The nature filming, activities of nature scientists and interviews are filmed on the uninhabited island Griend, in the middle of the Wadden Sea and on the island Texel. For the filming days on Griend a nearby base is needed. Featurez organises a traditional flat-bottomed clipper, a skipper that knows the area like the back of his hand and a wonderful cook. During the low tide, when the sea water moves out of the Wadden Sea, the clipper lies on the sand and the crew can walk to the island over de seabed. For all the equipment a special sand trolley with thick tyres is organised.
For the filming in the Netherlands for this documentary production, Featurez gave advice, did the research, the set up and planning of the filming, researched and booked a nature soundman, a traditional sailing ship, a cook and a rental car, did the driving, accompanied the filming and assisted the cameraman.
An excerpt from the nature documentary is published on the video Featurez.com page.
