Earthflight

Africa (1x2)

Air date: Jan 05, 2012

On the second leg of this world trip, head north over Africa. Plunge into the great sardine run with thousands of Cape gannets, explore the Great Rift with fish eagles and vultures, and slow dance with millions of pink flamingos on Kenya’s Lake Bogoria. Off the Cape, gannets race high above the waves. They are the dolphins’ keen eyes in the sky. From up here they readily spot the whorling shoals of sardines, and the first gannet to take the plunge sparks a feeding frenzy of gannets, dolphins, sharks and whales. Along the shore, kelp gulls follow young seals as they take to the sea for the first time. The gulls know that great white sharks hunt in these waters and will prepare dinner for them. High above the Serengeti, riding on a vulture’s wide wings, the full drama of the mass wildebeest migration plays out below. As the wildebeest cross the plain they’re attacked by lions, before facing the mighty Mara river where huge crocodiles lie in wait. The scavenging vultures just have to wait for the spoils. In Kenya, flamingos are on the lookout for their perfect lake – hot, toxic and brimming with tasty algae. Eventually they find the perfect spot and two million flamingos descend on Lake Bogoria, instantly turning this soda lake pink. Here they cement lifelong bonds in an wild party of synchonised dancing. But danger lurks in pink paradise in the shape of hunting baboons and fish eagles. On the longhaul flight north to Europe, glide with white storks on the thermals, encountering slight turbulence over Victoria Falls. Then take a somewhat smoother route up the Nile. Swallows are hot on their tails, taking a lower flightpath and refuelling rapidly on the wing as billions of lake flies rise out of Lake Malawi. Then these tireless little birds cross the vast Sahara on their 6,000-mile trip home.