Pelican Island in Russia: Inside Europe's Rarest Great White Pelican Colony (Documentary, 2023)

There is a very special island in the steppe in the south of Russia. Up to 2,000 breeding pairs of great white pelicans migrate there every year. The only colony of great white pelicans in Russia and one of the largest in all of Europe is located on the small island in the middle of the Manych reservoir. But what attracts birds to this area between the Caspian and Azov Seas to breed and raise their offspring? The future of the pelicans on the island is in danger. Because of climate change, and above all due to the increasing withdrawal of water for irrigation in agriculture, the water level is constantly falling so that parts of the lake dry out and islands become peninsulas - and therefore accessible to foxes, which cause real massacres among the pelicans. Rarely have wildlife filmmakers come so close to pelicans. During the filming, unique footage of the animals' behavior was captured, from breeding to the young birds' first attempts to fly, from the perfectly organized hunt for fish and the chicks' fight against the heat and enemies. ------- Chapters ▷ 00:00 - Introduction ▷ 00:25 - The Great Pelican - Europe's Largest Colony ▷ 01:06 - Why Here? The Enigma of the Pelican Island ▷ 02:12 - Lake Manych-Gudilo - A Harsh and Beautiful Home ▷ 03:01 - Thousands Arrive - Spring Migration in the Steppe ▷ 04:39 - Blooming Steppe - Irises, Tulips & Spring Rains ▷ 06:26 - Watching from Afar - Roman Anoshin's Pelican Research ▷ 07:06 - Freshwater Oasis - Why Pelicans Love This Pond ▷ 09:02 - Life on the Steppe - Herds, Horses & Human Neighbours ▷ 11:03 - Pelican Island - One of Europe's Rarest Bird Colonies ▷ 12:22 - Rivalry & Romance - Males Compete for Females ▷ 13:29 - Mixed Neighbours - Egrets, Spoonbills & Dalmatian Pelicans ▷ 14:41 - Gulls Everywhere - Thieves, Scouts and Early Warnings ▷ 15:42 - Inside the Hide - Watching Pelicans Up Close ▷ 17:33 - Breeding Season Chaos - Nests, Eggs & Turf Wars ▷ 19:18 - Gulls Strike - Survival of the Fittest ▷ 20:00 - Newborn Pelicans - Black Down, Big Beaks & Parental Care ▷ 23:39 - Alarm Calls - Predators Disturb the Island ▷ 25:06 - Time to Fish - Parents Take Off for Food ▷ 26:33 - Pelican Hunters - Cooperative Fishing Masterclass ▷ 29:27 - Kindergarten Life - Young Pelicans Learn to Socialize ▷ 30:58 - Bullies & Battles - Life Lessons in the Colony ▷ 32:20 - Feeding Frenzy - How Parents Find Their Own Chicks ▷ 34:28 - Deep Down Feeding - Why Pelicans Don't Store Fish in Their Pouch ▷ 36:31 - Dalmatian Pelicans - When Feeding Goes Wrong ▷ 37:26 - Fire on the Steppe - Heatwaves and Survival ▷ 39:10 - Staying Cool - Throat Pouch AC and Heat Adaptations ▷ 41:03 - A Human-Made Habitat - And a Growing Water Crisis ▷ 42:26 - Roman Investigates - When Islands Become Peninsulas ▷ 43:53 - Fox Invasion - Predators Destroy a Former Colony ▷ 46:21 - First Flights - Young Pelicans Learn to Fly ▷ 48:25 - Departure - Pelicans Prepare for Migration ▷ 49:11 - A Fragile Future - Will Pelican Island Survive? ▷ 49:47 - Credits #documentary #animals #wildlife #nature #pelicans #birds #birdwatching #russia #migration #ecosystem #animalbehavior #animalplanet ------- Subscribe to wocomoWILDLIFE: https://goo.gl/L5puvQ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wocomo ------- Original title: The Mystery of Pelican Island A film by Nadya Dorofeeva and Annette Gourdon © 2023, Licensed by Albatross ------- Videos about animals, aquatic life and nature: wocomoWILDLIFE offers high-quality entertainment. The films on our channel are produced by leading production companies. Check out our other channels to watch high quality documentaries: ▷ wocomoHUMANITY: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoHUMANITY ▷ wocomoDOCS: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomodocs ▷ wocomoHISTORY: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoHISTORY ▷ wocomoTRAVEL: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomoTRAVEL ▷ wocomoCOOK: https://www.youtube.com/@wocomocook WocomoWILDLIFE is part of the Wocomo channel network by NIKITA VENTURES. Wocomo - wonderful content in motion.