BBC Glacier Bird filming

During our April/May 2016 fieldwork, we were joined by a BBC Natural History Unit crew. Their objective was to film White-winged Diuca Finches nesting on the glacier, a breeding behavior unknown among all other bird species. The project timing was fraught with uncertainty, for only 2 other active Diuca nests had ever been observed, and the 2015-16 El Niño event considerably impacted Quelccaya climate (overview here of a manuscript now out for review). Foremost in our minds was whether we could find active nests to film, when we arrived in April.

Fortunately, our timing was perfect; we observed all stages of breeding behavior, and successfully installed a remote camera at one of the nest sites. After a year in production the segment aired on BBC as part of an episode on the Andes, in the series Mountain: Life at the Extreme. Links to the BBC series are here and here.

This month, BBC Glacier Bird footage will premiere in the United States on PBS. The series takes a new name, Kingdoms of the Sky, with a new presenter, but otherwise appears identical: a three-part documentary "revealing the extraordinary animals and remarkable people who make a home on the iconic mountain ranges of the world - Rockies, Himalaya and Andes." The three episodes will initially air on Wednesday evenings, beginning with The Rockies on July 11 at 9 PM EDT. Himalaya premieres one week later on July 18, and Andes premieres on July 25.

The PBS series website is here, and DVDs can be pre-ordered now.

At the moment, the Glacier Bird segment can be viewed from the right-hand side of the series homepage. Click on "Meet the Bird that Nests Inside Glaciers" to see the first-ever footage of Diuca speculifera nestlings.

Even better is an 8-minute, behind-the-scenes look at Quelccaya filming, available from PBS here. Images from that clip are included above and below.

Our extended fieldwork with BBC in April 2016 was good fun, and provided new observations of Diuca and other high-elevation species. Please check our website for the Glacier Bird, and stay tuned for a new publication (still in review; contact us for a synopsis of the paper, or a pre-print).