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ISRAEL – ON A WING
AND A PRAYER CU ape with puffed
out throat whooping CU of startled corwned crane turning to camera Chimps
walking/spinning CU elephant kicking
soccer ball at camera MWS of enclosure Bird flying in the
enclosure Ohad carrying esky
thru frame CU Kenny in Ohad’s hand CU vulture lunging
at Dudu, then backs off as Dudu kneels and switches eggs Yehuda (on nest)
and Dashik Egg laid in nest Dashik Yehuda coming back
to nest MAP showing
JERUSALEM and placing KFAR RUPIN then showing bird migration routes through
the Middle East (going through Kfar Rupin and down side of Israel) Mass migration Storks, flying
close-ups CU crossover flying
of pelicans Flock of birds Simulation – bird
crashing through cockpit, dials, sirens ends with plane spinning out of
control Israeli general at
podium at conference SUPER: Major
General Eitan Ren-Eliahu Israeli Air Force
Commander Focus from barbed
wire to military post Jordan Valley bird
colonies Storks have food in
mouth Stork with rodent
in mouth Fish ponds –
possibly start with men herding up fish with nets Dom and Glasner walk and talk Shots of walk and
talk Glasner interview – standing by fish pond Cutaway to fish
operations Pygmy cormorant
flies into water and does a duck-dive WS John holding
ladder while David Glasner climbs to owl box Glasner opening door to box POV shot of baby
owls in box Continue on vision
of chicks for a bit CU Glasner pulling owl out of box as he climbs down ladder John holding owl Barn owl Kenny in nest –
being preened, getting fed, or just sitting pretty Vultures flying in
the wild CU cage bolt being
slipped, back shot of Ohad and Bill as they walk to
catch vulture Ohad and Bill net Cleopatra and wrestle with
her Walk past camera
with Cleopatra MCU CU of transmitter WS showing them
working under tree and settlement in background Mixing up peroxide Peroxiding the
feathers Cleopatra being put
in cage Early morning in
the marsh – rising sun through reeds Intersperse with
top shot of environmentalists as they walk into the marsh on boardwalk Khaled interview in
hide Guys talking in
hide – looking out with binoculars Black wing stilt
shot Khaled Nasser
interview – overlay first line Flocks of barn
swallows flying over reeds Big moon General inside
cabin Computer screens
full groups of birds and graphs showing them flapping in grids Leshem talking in front of computer Web page on screen Palestinian kids
getting on bus Bus takes off past
mosque Kids
dancing/clapping on bus Lesser Kestrel on
telephone aerial in Jerusalem streets Kids and teachers
on ground – pointing and looking at bird Kids lining up to
look through telescope, binoculars etc. Pointing to sky,
getting excited Griffon vultures Kenny being fed by
dad |
Apes whooping DOM VO Spring is in the air at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo. DOM VO In the birds of prey enclosure, this pair of endangered Griffon vultures is expectant – beyond all reasonable hope. They are, after all, a couple of blokes. But in a land where people are raised from the dead there’s something to be said for faith – and theirs is about to be rewarded… with Kenny. This day-old Griffon vulture is part of a programme to reintroduce endangered species into the wild. Ohad “OK” DOM VO Having hatched once in the laboratory, Kenny is now going back into the egg. DOM VO After climbing to the top of the enclosure, his guardian switches the dummy egg in the nest with the real thing. When Kenny hatches this time, he’ll have foster parents. Two dads, Dashik… and Yehuda. They’ll teach him everything he needs to know before he’s released into the skies. MAP – MUSIC DOM VO Israel sits at the junction of three continents, forming the only land bridge between Eurasia and Africa. As such, it’s one of the world’s most important thoroughfares for migrating birds. Five hundred million pass through each year. UP MUSIC DOM VO In autumn and spring, huge flocks of storks, songbirds, raptors and pelicans turn the skies here into an air-traffic controller’s nightmare. For Israeli air force pilots, a feathered migrant can be just as lethal as a missile. Bird strikes have cost the Israeli air force eight fighter jets, millions of dollars and several lives. They’ve also presented the generals with one of their greatest modern challenges. ISRAELI GENERAL GRAB The name of the game
is to live together with the birds here – and believe me, it’s a problem. DOM VO The battle for co-existence between humans and birds is not confined to the air. In the Jordan River Valley – which divides Israel and Jordan – it’s a ground war as well. DOM VO Kfar Rupin - a small, communal villager on the Israeli side of the Jordan River – is where many migrating birds put down. The alfafa fields provide a smorgasbord of delights for storks and egrets, but the main attraction here is the fish farm. DOM VO It’s the largest in the country – worth about five million dollars a year for the community’s 400 residents… that’s if the birds don’t harvest the fish first. GLASNER – walk and talk The fishpond is very
important for the kibbutz; it is the biggest income from agriculture. DOM VO David Glasner runs Kfar Rupin’s ornithological centre. He enjoys the migration season but understands why many of his fellow residents don’t. GLASNER GRAB (standing by fish pool) A lot of the fish,
especially when little, are eaten by birds. It’s hard for an agriculture to
stand up there and see the birds eat his business so they shoot in the air
and make noise and sometimes damage the birds even though it is illegal. DOM VO One of the major freeloaders is the pygmy cormorant – a highly successful duck-and-dive fisher. Globally endangered, it was almost wiped out in Israel 40 years ago. DOM VO Today a small number of pygmy cormorants are once again breeding near Kfar Rupin. But the battle continues. Tractors recently mowed down a colony like this. No one doubts irate fisher folk were responsible. David: you hold it,
yeah? DOM VO Most birds, however, receive a warm welcome at Kfar Rupin. Glasner There’s one little
chick, oh even more. DOM VO Barn owls are even provided with accommodation…and the occasional house call. Conditions are so good here that all 60 nesting boxes are now full – and the once tiny population is booming. The pay-off for Kfar Rupin is free, biologically sound, pest control. The barn owls eat the rodents, which could otherwise destroy the crops, dispensing with the need for pesticides. DOM VO It’s a win-win situation, one with benefits that extend far beyond the Jordan Valley. For Kenny, the Griffon vulture chick – now a good-looking two-month-old – it could mean the difference between life and death. In Israel, there are only 60 pairs of breeding Griffon vultures left in the wild – down from one thousand fifty years ago. Among the biggest killers have been pesticides and poisons. In a single incident recently, forty Griffon vultures fell ill or died after eating a poisoned carcass – laid as bait for foxes and wolves. (Bolt on cage being opened) Ohad – he’s jumping, yeah – on the ground DOM VO On Israeli’s Mount Carmel, Ohad Hatzofe and Bill Woodley are working with the Society for the Protection of Nature to boost vulture numbers. Cleopatra – raised in captivity like Kenny – is now being prepared for freedom. First she is fitted with a radio transmitter so her movements can be tracked. DOM VO With their habitat shrinking, it’s not unusual for these scavengers to travel to Syria, Jordan and back in one day while searching for food. Then it’s time for a quick bleach job… …every girl has to look her best when leaving home. Her markings will also make her easier to identify from the ground. OHAD GRAB (whilst bleaching feathers) Fifteen per cent of
vultures in the wild now have been reintroduced through this project DOM VO In a week’s time, Cleopatra’s cage door will be left open. She’ll be free to leave. The irony is that the whole project may have to leave here as well – the wild, isn’t quite as wild as it used to be. WOODLEY GRAB The whole idea
initially was that this is an acclimatisation cage where vultures have a
natural view – but it’s gone – we’re probably going to have to shift the cage
the project itself – it can’t really carry on in this area. DOM VO Azrac reserve, in neighbouring Jordan, is a stark example of what can happen to the environment if humans have their way. Azrac is Arabic for blue. Springs and marshes fed by a large underground water basin once covered nearly 80 square kilometres here. Today, the wetland is barely more than one square kilometre - and even that’s only because of six years of rehabilitation by Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. KHALED GRAB If they continue to
pump in this way, maybe in twenty or thirty years there will be nothing left
to pump. DOM VO Khaled Nasser is the Conservation Society’s ecologist in Azrac. Khaled – black wing
stilt KHALED GRAB Yearly, about 3-4
million birds pass through Azrac between the 60s
and early 70s. Dom – How many
today? Completely much,
much, much less - maybe thousands, at the maximum tens of thousands. DOM VO Today, some water is being pumped by into Azrac. The birds are returning in increasing numbers and diversity. But for the immediate future at least, most migrating birds will still have to rely on Israel for their survival. YOSSI LESHAM I was privileged to
fly 1,400 hours with a glider with the birds. Flying wing tip to wing tip to
10,000 pelicans, and to do it so naturally and so quietly… it’s really
inspiring. DOM VO Dr Lesham’s research has helped cut collisions between birds and fighter jets by 75 per cent. Most nights in the migration seasons he can be found in his darkened cabin, tracking huge flocks of birds – tracking huge flocks of birds – determining their flight paths, altitude and weather conditions. DOM VO The information is immediately computerised, and turned into a resource not only for flight planners, but environmentalists and school children around the world. LESHEM So that’s the
website – it’s called Migrating birds know no boundaries. The kids in school
can follow in real time for example a stork or griffon vulture or crane or
pelican and follow from their resting site in Germany right down to South
Africa. DOM VO While migrating birds know no boundaries, these Palestinian schoolchildren from Jericho do. The divisions between then and their Jewish counterparts are manifold – religious, economic, geographic and political. bus MUSIC DOM VO Today, however, these kids are about to cross at least one line. They’re headed for Jerusalem. It’s only 40 kilometres up the road, but it may as well be a world away. DOM VO This bird-watching trip may be the only opportunity many of these Palestinian and Israeli children get to interact with each other. The organisers hope that by developing a common interest, their charges will develop a common bond – and a course of action. LESHAM GRAB I believe that when
they are together suddenly they see they’re all nice kids and they become
friends and this has a most important impact on the peace process. DOM VO Throughout the ages, humans have been captivated by the birds. They have become symbols of grace, power and protection… none more so than the vulture, mentioned 28 times in the Bible. But now these magnificent creatures must rely on us – what we do with the environment will determine whether birds like Kenny will truly be free to fly. |