Nature

Narrator

THE PELICAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN APPEALING AND COMICAL CHARACTER. BUT DESPITE ITS FAMILIAR FACE, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT. HERE IN AUSTRALIA, PELICANS DO THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY THING -- EVERY DECADE OR SO, SOME OF THEM ABANDON THE SEA AND JOURNEY MORE THAN 1,000 MILES INLAND, TO ONE OF THE MOST INHOSPITABLE PLACES ON EARTH. MUCH ABOUT THEIR LIVES IS A MYSTERY. WHAT TRIGGERS THEIR REMARKABLE JOURNEY? HOW DO THEY NAVIGATE? AND WHERE DO THESE LONG-DISTANCE NOMADS GO WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR SANCTUARY DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK? THE AUSTRALIAN PELICAN IS BIG BY PELICAN STANDARDS. JUST TO STAY ALIVE, A MATURE BIRD NEEDS FOUR POUNDS OF FISH A DAY. SO, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT PELICANS ARE FOUND NEAR THE HARBOR. BUT WHAT IS SURPRISING IS THAT SOME ARE ABOUT TO LEAVE THE SEA BEHIND AND FLY INLAND. AN UNKNOWN FORCE IS DRAWING THEM TO A PLACE THAT COMES ALIVE MAYBE ONCE EVERY DECADE -- AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY ACROSS COUNTRY THAT IS SHORT ON WATER, LET ALONE FISH. SO, WHY WOULD A WATER BIRD ABANDON AN EASY LIFE BY THE SEA AND HEAD INTO THE PARCHED INTERIOR OF AUSTRALIA, OVER 1,000 MILES FROM THE COAST? THEY'RE WELL DESIGNED FOR THEIR JOURNEY. WITH A WINGSPAN OF EIGHT FEET, THEY CAN SOAR ON THERMALS AS WELL AS FLAP THEIR WINGS -- PERFECT FOR LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL. AND THEY DON'T TRAVEL ALONE -- MANY BIRDS JOURNEY TOGETHER IN LOOSE FLOCKS. THEY SPIRAL UP, SOMETIMES AS HIGH AS 10,000 FEET... AND THEN THEY GLIDE TO THE NEXT LANDMARK, TRAVELING HUNDREDS OF MILES OVER SOME OF THE MOST HOSTILE TERRITORY ON THE PLANET. THEY CAN BE AIRBORNE ALL THROUGH THE DAY AND INTO THE NIGHT. THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK IS THE DRIEST PLACE ON THE HOTTEST AND DRIEST CONTINENT ON THE PLANET. RAIN HERE IS AT BEST SPORADIC, AND AT WORST NON-EXISTENT. IT'S THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH YOU'D EXPECT TO FIND A WATER BIRD. BUT THE PELICANS ARE HERE, AND THEY'RE SEEKING THE OUTBACK'S MOST SOUGHT AFTER COMMODITY.

THUNDER CRACKLING

Narrator

IT'S THE FIRST CLUE THAT BEGINS TO EXPLAIN THEIR EPIC JOURNEY. MAYBE THEY CAN SENSE DISTANT WEATHER SYSTEMS, OR MAYBE IT'S JUST BY CHANCE, BUT THEY ARRIVE WITH THE RAIN.

THUNDER ROLLING

Narrator

THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN SUCCESSION THAT THE DRY RIVERBEDS HAVE TURNED INTO RIVERS, FOLLOWING THE SAME SEMI-SATURATED ROUTE AND FILLING QUICKLY. BUT THESE WATERWAYS FLOW NOT THE SHORT DISTANCE TO THE SEA, BUT HUNDREDS OF MILES INLAND, TOWARD THE LOWEST POINT IN AUSTRALIA. IT'S THIS WATER THAT DREW ALL THE PELICANS HERE. THE FLOODED RIVERS ARE THOUGHT TO BE A KIND OF ROUTE MAP REMEMBERED FROM JOURNEYS PAST, WHICH GUIDE THEM TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION. PELICANS FOLLOW A SUCCESSION OF TEMPORARY WATERWAYS, EACH WITH ITS OWN COLOR SIGNATURE THAT CAN BE READ LIKE A COLOR CHART FROM HIGH IN THE SKY. LIKE ALL LONG-DISTANCE MIGRANTS, THEY NEED TO STOP AND REFUEL. SO ALTHOUGH THEY'LL PAUSE AT THESE TEMPORARY BILLABONGS, THEY'LL NOT STAY LONG. THERE'S SOMETHING FAR MORE ENTICING IN THE DESERT TO THE SOUTHWEST. BUT FOR NOW, THEY KNOW THAT WHERE THERE'S OPEN WATER, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OF FISH. ARMED WITH THE LONGEST BILL OF ANY BIRD IN THE WORLD, THE AUSTRALIAN PELICAN IS A SKILLFUL HUNTER. THE BILL IS ALSO SENSITIVE TO VIBRATIONS, WHICH HELPS TO LOCATE FISH EVEN IN MURKY WATER. A HOOK AT THE TIP OF THE BILL GIVES THE BIRD A GOOD GRIP ON SLIPPERY PREY. AND TO INCREASE THE CHANCES OF CATCHING FOOD, PELICANS WORK TOGETHER. THEY DRIVE FISH AHEAD OF THEM INTO THE SHALLOWS AND THEN PLUNGE THEIR BILLS INTO THE WATER, LIKE A TEAM OF SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS. IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THERE WAS NO WATER HERE JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO. WITH THE DROUGHT-BREAKING RAINS CAME NOT ONLY BIRDS, BUT ALSO A DINGO FAMILY.

PUPS WHINING

Narrator

IT'S SUCH A SPORADIC EVENT, THE PUPS EXPERIENCE RUNNING WATER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. MANY TYPES OF BIRDS ARE DRAWN TO THESE WATERHOLES, BUT WHATEVER THE SPECIES, THEY'D BETTER BEWARE... FOR SOME WON'T BE LEAVING. OUTSTAYING A WELCOME HERE COULD BE FATAL, SO THE PELICANS ARE ON THEIR WAY AGAIN, TO A PLACE THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM ALL. THIS YEAR'S RAINS HAVE BEEN UNUSUALLY LONG LASTING AND WIDESPREAD, SO INLAND RIVERS HAVE PENETRATED DEEP INTO THE DESERT. IT MEANS THE FLOCK CAN FOLLOW THE WATER TO WHERE SOME OF THE BIRDS HAVEN'T BEEN FOR A DECADE AND OTHERS HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE. AND THERE'S STILL ANOTHER 300 MILES TO GO. IT'S TAKING THEM TO ONE OF THE TOUGHEST PLACES ON THE PLANET -- INTO AUSTRALIA'S FIERY CENTER. HEADING INTO THIS DESOLATE WILDERNESS IN THE LAKE EYRE DRAINAGE BASIN IS DR. GREG JOHNSTON.

Johnston

HERE WE ARE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. OUT HERE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S COMPLETELY DRY, YOU GET AN AMAZING SIGHT OF PELICANS, WHICH WE NORMALLY THINK OF AS SEA BIRDS. BUT THEY COME UP HERE AND THEY BREED. ONE REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION IS HOW ON EARTH THE PELICANS FIND THEIR WAY TO LAKE EYRE, AND WHY DO THEY COME TO THIS PARTICULAR AREA? AND THERE ARE A LOT OF STORIES AROUND ABOUT THE PELICANS KNOWING EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE GOING, AND KNOWING EXACTLY WHEN THE WATER IS ARRIVING AND KNOWING EXACTLY WHEN THE FOOD IS AVAILABLE. I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE. I THINK THEY PROBABLY USE THE RIVERS AS HIGHWAYS. THEY LOOK LIKE HIGHWAYS WHEN YOU SEE THEM FROM THE SKY. THEY'RE LINES OF GREEN TREES IN THE RED DESERT AND THE PELICANS CAN FIND THEIR WAY AROUND. THESE PELICANS ARE MOVING 600 KILOMETERS A DAY QUITE EASILY. THEY'RE VERY LONG LIVED BIRDS, AND SO THESE BIRDS ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS LANDSCAPE AT A SCALE THAT WE'RE NOT.

Narrator

BUT WHY WOULD THESE BIRDS WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS PLACE AT ALL, WHEN SURELY ALL THEY NEED IS AT THE COAST? TO UNDERSTAND WHY, SCIENTISTS ARE ALSO LOOKING AT THEIR STAY-AT-HOME COUSINS BY THE SEA. MANY OF AUSTRALIA'S PELICANS DON'T MIGRATE INLAND. IN THIS BUSY HARBOR NORTH OF SYDNEY, THEY LIVE CHEEK-BY-JOWL WITH PEOPLE. AN OFFSHORE ISLAND PROVIDES SOME SANCTUARY TO RAISE A FAMILY. MANY PAIRS ARE BREEDING, WITH THE FIRST CHICKS ALREADY HATCHED. SOME OF THEIR FOOD IS EASY TO COME BY.

AT 3

30 EVERY DAY, COME RAIN OR SHINE, THERE'S A FREE HANDOUT AT THE ENTRANCE MEMORIAL PARK. THE LOCAL PELICANS ARE A TOURIST ATTRACTION. WHO NEEDS TO GO FISHING WHEN ALL THE WORK IS DONE FOR YOU?

PELICANS CALLING

AT 3

PELICANS ARE HIGHLY ADAPTABLE AND EAGER OPPORTUNISTS, SO THIS WELL-FED POPULATION CAN STAY HERE ALL YEAR ROUND. THEY SEEM TO HAVE LITTLE NEED TO MIGRATE INLAND. YET HUGE NUMBERS OF COASTAL BIRDS ABANDON THE EASY LIFE AND EMBARK ON PERILOUS JOURNEYS INTO THE DESERT. THEIR DESTINATION, LAKE EYRE, IS THE BIGGEST SALTPAN IN THE WORLD. THE SALT IS A FOOT AND A HALF THICK, AND AT 50 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL IT'S THE LOWEST POINT IN AUSTRALIA. IT'S BLISTERINGLY HOT, AND FOR 90 OF THE PAST 100 YEARS NOT A DROP OF RAIN HAS FALLEN HERE. IT'S A HELL ON EARTH. AN UNLIKELY PLACE FOR A WATER BIRD. BUT LAKE EYRE IS ALSO AT THE CENTER OF A VAST DRAINAGE BASIN THAT COVERS AN AREA THE SIZE OF TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, AND NEW MEXICO COMBINED. ON THE VERY RARE OCCASIONS WHEN IT FLOODS TO ITS FULLEST EXTENT, WHAT WAS ONCE AN ANCIENT INLAND SEA BECOMES THE LARGEST LAKE IN AUSTRALIA. IN A TYPICAL FLOOD YEAR, 100,000 PELICANS ARRIVE HERE, A THIRD OF AUSTRALIA'S TOTAL POPULATION, AND IT BECOMES PELICAN HEAVEN. SO IMPORTANT IS THE LAKE EYRE POPULATION THAT SCIENTISTS SUCH AS GREG JOHNSTON CLOSELY MONITOR THE BIRDS THE MOMENT THEY ARRIVE. THE REASON WHY WE WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PELICANS ARE DOING UP HERE IS SO THAT WE CAN KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE DESERTS WORK AND IN PARTICULAR THAT'S IMPORTANT IF WE'RE GOING TO MANAGE THE WATER RESOURCES IN THE DESERT. WE'RE HERE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, IT'S THE DRIEST STATE IN THE DRIEST CONTINENT ON THE PLANET. AND WE'RE STILL LEARNING HOW TO MANAGE OUR WATER IN THIS AREA AND NATURE GIVES US THE ANSWERS, BECAUSE PELICANS HAVE BEEN FINDING WATER AND MAKING GOOD USE OF IT FOR MANY GENERATIONS.

Narrator

LAKE EYRE FLOODS TO ABOUT 13 FEET DEEP EVERY DECADE OR SO. THIS IS A DECADE YEAR, AND THE SURVEY AREA IS SO VAST, GREG IS FORCED TO TAKE TO THE AIR HIMSELF. GOOD, THANKS, GREAT. YOURSELF? GOOD! EXCELLENT.

Johnston

IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A CHANCE TO COME OUT HERE ON THE HELICOPTER BECAUSE IT REALLY GIVES YOU A PELICAN'S EYE VIEW OF THE LANDSCAPE.

Pilot

SO, ANYWHERE IN PARTICULAR WE WANT TO LOOK AT? THERE'S -- CURRENTLY THIS IS WHERE THE WATER IS AT THE MOMENT, ALL THROUGH HERE.

Johnston

WE'VE GOT TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE ISLANDS ON THE SOUTH COAST OF LAKE EYRE, SOUTH, AS WELL. THAT'LL BE A GOOD PLACE TO GO FIRST IF WE CAN. THERE'S THREE LITTLE ISLANDS JUST OFF THE TIP OF THAT PENINSULA, AND THAT'S WHERE WE KNOW THEY'RE BREAKING FOR.

Pilot

WELL, WE'LL GET OUT THERE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.

Johnston

SO THE WATER HASN'T QUITE FILLED THE LAKE YET. FILLING THE LAKE ONLY OCCURS EVERY 3,000 YEARS OR SO. NORMALLY THE LAKE IS NOWHERE NEAR FULL, EVEN IN THOSE YEARS WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF WATER HERE AND PELICANS DO BREED. SO THESE ARE THE ISLANDS WE'RE AFTER. THAT LOOKS LIKE IT, DOESN'T IT? YEAH, IT CERTAINLY DOES. AND THEN YOU GOT YOUR LITTLE ISLAND DOWN HERE. YEAH.

Narrator

WITH THE FLOODING HERE SUCH A RARE AND RANDOM OCCURRENCE, IT'S A MYSTERY HOW THE BIRDS KNOW WHEN TO COME, ESPECIALLY FROM HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY. THE BIRDS MAY FOLLOW THE WATERWAYS TO LAKE EYRE, BUT HOW DO THEY KNOW THAT THE RAINS HAVE FALLEN IN THE FIRST PLACE? GREG IS DETERMINED TO FIND SOME ANSWERS. THE FUTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN PELICAN MAY DEPEND ON IT. FOR MANY OF THESE PELICAN MIGRANTS, THIS PLACE HOLDS A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE. IT'S WHERE THEY WERE BORN A DECADE AGO AT THE TIME OF THE LAST BIG FLOOD, AND NOW IT'S WHERE THEY'LL TRY TO RAISE THEIR OWN FAMILIES. IT'S WHY THEY'VE ALL COME, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PELICANS, ARRIVING FROM ALL OVER AUSTRALIA TO BREED. AND HERE AT LAKE EYRE, CONDITIONS ARE JUST RIGHT FOR A BUMPER BREEDING SEASON. THIS IS RARE SIGHT. THE LAST TIME THAT BIRDS GATHERED HERE IN SUCH LARGE NUMBERS WAS AT THE START OF THE MILLENNIUM. AT TOUCHDOWN THE FIRST PRIORITY IS TO FIND A NEW PARTNER. PELICANS DON'T MATE FOR LIFE. AT THIS TIME, POUCHES TAKE ON A BRIGHT PINK HUE THAT'S MEANT TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF POTENTIAL MATES.

PELICAN SQUAWKING, WARBLING

Narrator

THEN BOTH SEXES ENGAGE IN A SERIOUS BOUT OF POUCH RIPPLING AND BILL CLAPPING. A FEMALE MIGHT HAVE SEVERAL MALES IN TOW, AND SHE LEADS THEM ON A COURTSHIP PROCESSION AROUND THE COLONY. THE MALE WITH THE GREATEST STAMINA BECOMES THE CHOSEN PARTNER. HE STICKS TO HER LIKE GLUE, AND IF ALL GOES WELL, SHE'LL LEAD HIM TO HER CHOSEN NEST SITE. THE LAKE IS POPULAR BECAUSE FOOD IS SURPRISINGLY PLENTIFUL. IT'S ONE OF MOTHER NATURE'S MIRACLES. BEFORE THE FLOOD, IT WAS BARREN, DESOLATE, JUST SALT AND SAND. BUT AS THE BASIN FILLS, THE EGGS OF TINY ORGANISMS THAT HAVE LAIN ENTOMBED IN THE SALT FOR MANY YEARS SUDDENLY STIR. BRINE SHRIMP DEVELOP, GROW, AND REPRODUCE IN JUST A FEW DAYS. ALL THAT WAS NEEDED WAS WATER, AND AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM BURSTS INTO LIFE. THE LAKE HOLDS FRESH WATER, BUT AS THE SALT CRUST ON THE LAKE BED DISSOLVES, IT GRADUALLY BECOMES SALTIER. FOR NOW, THOUGH, THE SHRIMP ARE FOOD FOR FISH, SOME OF THEM UNIQUE TO LAKE EYRE. THE PULSE OF WATER NOW SURGING THROUGH THE STREAMS PRODUCES FAR MORE FISH THAN IF THE RIVERS WERE RUNNING FULL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT'S THIS SUPER-ABUNDANCE OF FOOD THAT ATTRACTS PELICANS. THAT'S WHY THEY CAME ALL THIS WAY TO BREED. BIRDS ON THE COAST HAVE VERY DIFFERENT TASTES. THE HARBOR BIRDS ARE TURNING TO LESS CONVENTIONAL FOODS TO MAKE UP FOR A LOCAL SHORTAGE OF WILD CAUGHT FISH, AND THEIR DIET IS BEING MONITORED BY A RESEARCH TEAM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN SYDNEY. THE TASK IS MADE EASIER BECAUSE PELICANS REGURGITATE FOOD FOR THEIR CHICKS. BIRDS IN THE OUTBACK FEED ON FISH CAUGHT STRAIGHT FROM THE LAKE. BUT HERE, NEARLY HALF OF THE PELICAN'S DIET IS JUNK FOOD FED TO THEM BY PEOPLE, AND MUCH OF THE REST IS FREE HANDOUTS. HERE PELICANS LINE UP ALONGSIDE OTHER BIRDS WHEN THE GARBAGE TRUCK ARRIVES. PROFESSOR RICHARD KINGSFORD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES IS LOOKING AT HOW THE DESERT AND HARBOR BIRDS COMPARE.

Kingsford

IT SEEMS THAT THEY'RE REALLY HIGHLY RELIANT ON HAVING ARTIFICIAL FOOD SUPPLIES. THEY'RE NOT GETTING ALL OF THEIR FOOD FROM THE SEA AND THE ESTUARY. THEY'RE HAVING TO GO INTO THESE LANDFILL AREAS AND PICK OUT PROTEIN THERE, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HELPS THEM GET THROUGH SOME FAIRLY LEAN PATCHES, BUT THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY MORE AND MORE RELIANT ON THOSE SORTS OF FOOD ITEMS.

Narrator

AND THESE SCAVENGING PELICANS DON'T DEPEND SOLELY ON OUR WASTE.

Kingsford

LOOK, THEY'RE HIGHLY ADAPTABLE. I MEAN, THEY'LL EAT INVERTEBRATES, SOME OF THEM WILL EVEN EAT OTHER PELICAN YOUNG OR ANY OTHER BIRDS THAT ARE AROUND. AND THERE'S EVEN A RECORD OF ONE OF THEM MUNCHING ON A DOG AT SOME STAGE -- A SMALL CHIHUAHUA, SO... SO THOSE THINGS SHOW JUST HOW ADAPTABLE THESE ANIMALS ARE.

Narrator

BUT THIS KIND OF ADAPTABILITY HAS ITS PRICE, AND PREMATURE DEATHS ON THE COAST ARE COMMON. THE SEASIDE MIGHT NOT BE THE PERFECT PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY AFTER ALL. AT LAKE EYRE, THE PELICANS HAVE ESTABLISHED THEIR NEST SITES. WHILE THE FEMALE STANDS GUARD, THE MALE COLLECTS AS MUCH NEST MATERIAL AS HE CAN FIND. SOMEHOW, HE MUST FIND HIS MATE AGAIN IN THE CROWDED MASS OF PINK AND WHITE. BUT THEY ALL LOOK SO ALIKE. PILFERING IS COMMON. JUST A FEW BLADES OF GRASS CAN TRIGGER A FLURRY OF RUFFLED FEATHERS. WITH THE NEST READY FOR ITS NEW OCCUPANTS, THE FIRST EGG IS LAID. A SECOND WILL FOLLOW IN A FEW DAYS. BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SHARE INCUBATION DUTIES FOR ABOUT A MONTH. WHILE STILL IN THEIR EGGS, THE CHICKS CHIRP CONTINUALLY TO THE INCUBATING PARENT, TELLING MUM OR DAD IF THEY'RE AT A COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE OR NOT. THEN IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST CHICK TO CHIP ITS WAY OUT. FOR THE PARENTS, THERE'S A PRESSURE TO GET ON WITH CHICK REARING. THERE'S NO TELLING HOW LONG THE LAKE WILL HAVE WATER, AND, THEREFORE, HOW LONG THE FOOD WILL LAST. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT PELICANS HAVE BEEN FACED WITH THE SAME RACE TO BREED AT LAKE EYRE FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS. GREG JOHNSTON SEARCHES FOR OLD NEST SITES TO COLLECT EGGS AND BONES, AND SOME HE'S FOUND POINT TO AN ANCIENT LINEAGE.

Johnston

WE'VE GOT FOSSIL PELICANS FROM JUST EAST OF LAKE EYRE WHICH ARE 30 MILLION YEARS OLD, SO WE KNOW THAT PELICANS HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE FOR A LONG TIME. AND PROBABLY THEY'VE BEEN DOING MUCH THE SAME THING FOR ALL OF THAT 30 MILLION YEARS.

Narrator

BY STUDYING THE DNA IN BONE AND EGG FRAGMENTS, HE HOPES TO WORK OUT THE HISTORY OF THE LAKE EYRE BIRDS.

Johnston

WHAT WE'RE DOING IS COMING TO LAKE EYRE AND WE'RE GOING TO ISLANDS WHERE WE KNOW THE PELICANS HAVE BRED AND WHEN THEY'VE BRED, AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE BONE SAMPLES AND DEVELOP A GENETIC FINGERPRINT FOR THOSE POPULATIONS. AND WE CAN EVEN TEST WHETHER IT'S THE SAME BIRDS THAT ARE BREEDING IN LAKE EYRE EACH TIME THERE'S A BREEDING EVENT HERE.

Narrator

INITIAL RESULTS FROM DR. JOHNSTON'S WORK INDICATE THAT BIRDS DO INDEED RETURN HERE TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

Johnston

ON THE COAST, A LOT OF THE BREEDING COLONIES ARE IN TROUBLE. SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY DESTROYED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PELICANS COMPETING WITH THEM FOR FISH. SOME OF THEM ARE SUBJECT TO POLLUTION AND SO ON. BUT UP HERE IN THE CENTER YOU'RE DEALING WITH MUCH MORE PRISTINE HABITATS. AND SO WHEN THE WATER COMES INTO LAKE EYRE AND THE FISH BREED UP, THEN THERE'S PRETTY MUCH NOTHING TO STOP THE PELICANS, BUT THEY REALLY DO RELY ON THAT WATER.

Narrator

WATER MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA'S DRIEST STATE IS CURRENTLY A HOT TOPIC IN CONSERVATION CIRCLES. AND THE FUTURE OF AT LEAST ONE-THIRD OF THE COUNTRY'S PELICAN POPULATION VERY MUCH DEPENDS ON IT. IT'S BECOMING CLEAR THAT GREG JOHNSTON'S WORK AT LAKE EYRE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE LONG-TERM PROTECTION OF PELICANS, NOT ONLY HERE, BUT THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA, AND MAYBE BEYOND. IN THE BREEDING COLONY, THE PELICANS SETTLE INTO PARENTHOOD. CHICKS HAVE HATCHED, ONE CHICK IN A BROOD A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE OTHER. COMPARED TO OTHER SPECIES, THE PELICAN CHICK IS SLOW TO GROW PHYSICALLY, BUT ITS BRAIN AND EYES DEVELOP RAPIDLY. MAYBE IT'S THEIR WELL-DEVELOPED VISUAL SENSE THAT WILL HELP THESE CHICKS TO OBSERVE AND REMEMBER THEIR SURROUNDINGS, CREATING A MENTAL MAP OF WHERE THEY'VE BEEN. WHEN THEY GROW UP, MAYBE IT'S THIS ABILITY THAT WILL HELP THEM FIND THEIR WAY BACK HERE. AT FIRST THE CHICKS ARE FED REGURGITATED SLURRY OF DIGESTED FISH THAT DRIBBLES FROM THEIR PARENT'S BILL. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THEY MOVE ON TO PRE-DIGESTED SOLIDS. AND THEY'VE HEALTHY APPETITES. THEY DEMAND TO BE FED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES A DAY. BUT, WHILE THE PARENTS ARE AWAY, UNGUARDED CHICKS ARE IN DANGER. SCAVENGING SILVER GULLS CAN EASILY TURN VICIOUS, ROAMING BREEDING COLONIES IN RAUCOUS GANGS, SEIZING ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GRAB AN UNGUARDED YOUNGSTER.

SQUAWKING

Narrator

PLUMP, YOUNG CHICKS PROVE IRRESISTIBLE, FOR EVEN THESE KILLERS HAVE THEIR OWN YOUNG TO FEED. WHEN A PARENT RETURNS WITH FOOD, IT CAN RECOGNIZE ITS YOUNG BECAUSE EACH CHICK HAS ITS OWN SKIN MARKINGS, AS WELL AS DIFFERENT EYE COLORS THAT VARY FROM DARK BROWN TO WHITE. EACH CHICK INSTINCTIVELY REACHES AS HIGH AS IT CAN IN ORDER TO SNATCH THE CHOICE PIECES OF FOOD. THEY'LL REMAIN IN THE NEST UNTIL THEY ACQUIRE THEIR FIRST COVERING OF SILKY, SOFT, WHITE DOWN, BUT ONLY IF THE LAKE AND ITS FISH LAST UNTIL THEY'RE FLEDGED. AT THE HARBOR, PELICAN PARENTS ARE KEPT EQUALLY BUSY BY THE DEMANDS OF THEIR OWN BROODS. BUT THINGS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT HERE. FEMALES BREED HERE EVERY YEAR INSTEAD OF EVERY DECADE. THEY ALSO PRODUCE TWO EGGS, BUT GENERALLY ONLY ONE CHICK SURVIVES. LIKE THE LAKE EYRE BIRDS, ONE EGG HATCHES SHORTLY BEFORE THE OTHER. BUT GARBAGE AND FREE HANDOUTS ARE JUST NOT ENOUGH TO SATISFY THE COLONY OF GROWING FAMILIES. WHEN FOOD IS LIMITED, THE OLDER, STRONGER CHICK HOGS IT ALL, AND EVENTUALLY IT'LL KILL ITS WEAKER SIBLING. THIS BEHAVIOR IS RARE AT LAKE EYRE, BUT AS PROFESSOR KINGSFORD EXPLAINS, IT'S COMMON ON THE COAST.

Kingsford

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF THESE FRINGE DWELLERS THAT NEST ON THE COAST AND FEED ON THE COAST IS THAT WHEN THEY START BREEDING, IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FOOD, IT'S REALLY HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND OBVIOUSLY HAVING TO SHARE THAT WITH YOUR SIBLING IS GOING TO IMPACT ON YOUR ABILITY TO SURVIVE, AND YOU CAN GET, ONE OF THE CHICKS WILL ACTUALLY KILL THE OTHER CHICK THAT HAS JUST HATCHED OUT. AND WE GENERALLY TEND TO SEE THAT MORE ALONG THESE COASTAL AREAS WHERE WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH FOOD. WHEREAS IN THE INLAND RIVER SYSTEMS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT MORE PRODUCTIVE, THOSE LAKES, BECAUSE THERE'S CONSTANT AND REALLY PROLIFIC FISH SUPPLY AND IT'S JUST A CASE OF THEN SORT OF POPPING OFF TO THE LARDER AND GETTING ANOTHER BILLFUL OF FISH FOR YOUR CHICKS.

Narrator

ALTHOUGH SPORADIC, THE RICH FOOD SUPPLY AT LAKE EYRE MAKES THE MONUMENTAL EFFORT TO REACH A TRANSITORY LAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT WORTHWHILE. EVEN WITH SO MANY BIRDS, THERE'S LITTLE COMPETITION FOR FOOD. THE WATER'S BRIMMING WITH LIFE, AND IT'S NOT ONLY PELICANS THAT ARE HERE TO EXPLOIT IT. IT'S A COMPLEX AND LIVELY WILDLIFE COMMUNITY. BANDED STILTS ARRIVED EVEN BEFORE THE PELICANS. THEY FEAST ON THE BRINE SHRIMP AND FEED THEM TO THEIR OWN CHICKS. CASPIAN TERNS ARE THE LAST TO ESTABLISH THEIR BREEDING COLONY. THEY NEST WHEN THE FISH POPULATION IS FLOURISHING. BREEDING AT LAKE EYRE FINALLY REACHES ITS PEAK. MOST PELICAN CHICKS ARE NOW ONE MONTH OLD, BUT THEY STILL DEPEND ON BOTH PARENTS FOR FOOD. HAVING GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY BIGGER, THEY'RE EVEN MORE DEMANDING. OLDER YOUNGSTERS REACH RIGHT DOWN THEIR PARENT'S GULLET, EACH SIBLING TRYING TO BEAT THE OTHER TO ANY FOOD DOWN THERE. WHEN THE MOTHER FINALLY BREAKS FREE, HER CHICK THROWS A TANTRUM. IT'S EITHER SHORT ON OXYGEN AFTER ALL THAT EXERTION, OR IT'S DRAWING ATTENTION TO ITSELF AND AWAY FROM ITS SIBLING. NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHY, BUT THEY ALL DO IT.

SQUAWKING

Narrator

WHILE THE PARENTS ARE AWAY FISHING, THE ADOLESCENTS GATHER TOGETHER INTO A LARGE CRECHE. THERE'S SAFETY IN NUMBERS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 BIRDS IN EACH NURSERY. AND WHILE THEY WALK, THEY TONE UP THEIR FLIGHT MUSCLES AND TRY OUT NEW FEATHERS. BUT WHEN THEY FLEDGE, WHERE WILL THESE BIRDS GO? DO ONLY THE BIRDS BORN HERE RETURN? DO SOME OF THEM NEVER RETURN? THESE ARE QUESTIONS RESEARCHERS FROM ALL OVER AUSTRALIA ARE TRYING TO ANSWER.

Woman

THAT'S IT.

Narrator

AT OUTER HARBOR IN ADELAIDE, JENNIFER HAYES IS ONE OF GREG JOHNSTON'S FIELD TEAM.

Hayes

THIS'LL BE MY TENTH YEAR FOR HELPING OUT WITH THE PELICANS. WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS CATCHING THESE BABIES TO WING TAG THEM. WE GRAB THEM BY THE BEAK FIRST, BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE THEY'VE GOT QUITE A NASTY HOOK THAT CAN DO US A BIT OF DAMAGE, SO IF WE JUST HOLD THEIR BEAK FIRST THEN PICK THEM UP UNDERNEATH, GRAB HOLD OF THE THEIR FEET, AND THEN JUST CONTROL THEIR BEAK SO THAT THEY CAN'T BITE US. SO IT DOESN'T HURT THEM AT ALL.

PELICAN SQUAWKS

Hayes

NO, HEY, THAT WASN'T BEING GOOD. JUST SIT HERE LIKE A GOOD BOY. THERE YOU ARE, GOOD BOY.

PELICANS SQUAWKING

Narrator

THESE JUVENILES ARE FROM THIS YEAR'S BROOD, AND A TODDLER'S PLAYPEN IS A HANDY WAY TO CONTAIN THEM, READY FOR PROCESSING. HEY, GUY! GRACIOUS! YOU GROWL AT ME, I'M NOT GOING TO... HEY? GROWL AT ME AND YOU'LL GET A WING TAG!

HAYES IMITATES SQUAWK

Narrator

EVEN AT THIS AGE THEY'RE HEFTY BIRDS, AND WITH THAT STABBING BILL THEY'RE HANDLED CAREFULLY. ONCE IN THE PEN, THEY SETTLE DOWN. AND THEN, ONE AT A TIME, THEIR VITAL STATISTICS CAN BE RECORDED.

Hayes

WHO'S THE GRUMPY ONE? EH? OH, YOU'RE THE GRUMPY ONE! OKAY. NO, NO, NO... NO, NO, NO. HERE WE GO. YOU'RE NEXT. OKAY, OKAY, COME ON.

Narrator

EACH BIRD IS GIVEN A WING TAG WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE NUMBER, SO ANYWHERE IT GOES, IT WILL BE INSTANTLY RECOGNIZED. BEAKS ARE MEASURED TO CHECK RATE OF GROWTH. IT TELLS WHETHER THEY'RE GETTING SUFFICIENT FOOD. BLOOD SAMPLES CHECK FOR DISEASES AND SIGNS OF POLLUTANTS.

Hayes

GOOD BOY. EH? GOOD BOY.

Narrator

AND A DNA ANALYSIS DETERMINES WHETHER THEY'RE RELATED TO THE LAKE EYRE PELICANS, BUT RESULTS SO FAR SUGGEST MANY WILL STAY RIGHT HERE IN ADELAIDE. THAT'S IT! GOOD BOY. COME ON, HEY! DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S NOT NICE. COME ON, OFF YOU GO. GO ON, OFF YOU GO. BYE-BYE! GO ON. GO ON, OFF YOU GO. GO AND TELL YOUR MATES, WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK. HEY? TELL THEM. AT LAKE EYRE, THE FIRST BROOD IS THREE MONTHS OLD AND FLIGHT TRAINING HAS BEGUN. A SHORT BUT SUCCESSFUL TEST FLIGHT. ONCE THE BIRDS ARE PROPERLY AIRBORNE, THEY TAKE NOTE OF THE LANDSCAPE AND LOCAL LANDMARKS, DEVELOPING A GPS-LIKE SENSE THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK HERE AGAIN. AND IT'LL HELP THEM JOURNEY FROM ONE WATER SOURCE TO THE NEXT AS THEY RANGE ACROSS THE OUTBACK. WHEN THE YOUNGSTERS LEAVE HOME, THEIR PARENTS TRY FOR A SECOND BROOD AND MAYBE EVEN A THIRD, AS LONG AS THE WATER REMAINS AND FOOD IS STILL PLENTIFUL. DOWN AT THE COAST, THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TEAM, LED BY DR. URSULA MUNRO, IS CHECKING ON THE HEALTH OF THE HARBOR BIRDS. THEY'RE MEASURING CHICKS AND COUNTING EGGS.

Munro

AH, IT'S A ONE-DAY-OLD ONE. OKAY, GOOD. 19.1.

Narrator

THE DATA INDICATES THAT COASTAL BIRDS ARE NOT DOING AS WELL AS YOU'D EXPECT.

Kingsford

EVERYBODY EQUATES PELICANS WITH A COASTAL BIRD. BUT IN FACT THE PELICANS THAT ARE DOING BEST OF ALL ARE THOSE ONES IN THE DESERT, SO THESE ARE THE FRINGE DWELLERS, AND I GUESS THEY DON'T GET NEARLY AS MUCH REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS, NUMBER OF CHICKS OFF, AS YOU WOULD ON SOME OF THE INLAND SYSTEMS, GENERALLY BECAUSE THE FOOD IS JUST NOT THERE IN THE SORT OF ABUNDANCE THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM OUR INLAND RIVERS.

Narrator

AND A LACK OF FOOD IS JUST ONE OF THE DRAWBACKS TO LIVING WITH PEOPLE. OIL SPILLS CAN BE DEADLY. A BIRD SMEARED WITH OIL HAS LOST MUCH OF ITS WATERPROOFING, SO THE PARENT AND ITS OFFSPRING ARE UNLIKELY TO SURVIVE FOR LONG. AT LAKE EYRE, TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE SECOND BROOD. THE CHICKS HAVE BEEN DOING WELL SO FAR, BUT THEY HAVE TO GET TO FLIGHT STAGE BEFORE THE LAKE DISAPPEARS. RIVERS NO LONGER FEED THE LAKE, AND IN THE INTENSE HEAT, EVAPORATION IS CAUSING THE SHORELINE TO RECEDE AT A STAGGERING 10 FEET EVERY DAY. AS THE WATER LEVEL DROPS, SALT IS CONCENTRATED AND THE SALINITY RISES. MANY BIRDS ARE MOVING ON. PELICANS HAVE SPECIAL GLANDS IN THEIR BILLS TO GET RID OF SALT, SO SOME STAY, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING. BUT AS THE LAKE DISAPPEARS, SO DOES THE FOOD. PARENTS ARE NOW FLYING UP TO 60 MILES ROUND TRIP TO FIND FISH AT OTHER WATERWAYS. THEY NEED ANOTHER FEW WEEKS OF FOOD AND WATER FOR THEIR BROODS TO FLEDGE SUCCESSFULLY. BUT IT'S A RISK FOR THEM TO STAY FOR MUCH LONGER. THE AIR TEMPERATURE IS SOARING TO WELL OVER 104 FAHRENHEIT, AND PARENTS WITH YOUNGER CHICKS ARE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. THEY SHADE THE YOUNGSTERS AS BEST THEY CAN DURING THE HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY, BUT CONDITIONS ARE WORSENING. AND RIGHT ON CUE ARE THE OMENS OF DEATH. BLACK KITES TIME THEIR OWN BREEDING CYCLE TO COINCIDE WITH THE GLUT OF PELICAN CASUALTIES.

KITE CALLING

Narrator

ABANDONED NESTS MEAN THERE ARE RICH PICKINGS FOR ALL THE SCAVENGERS. SOME WILL NEVER MAKE THE FLIGHT OUT. AT MOMENTS LIKE THIS, LAKE EYRE MIGHT NOT SEEM THE BEST PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY, BUT GENERALLY, PELICAN PARENTS HERE DO WELL, AND THEIR BREEDING SUCCESS, OR FAILURE, IS AN IMPORTANT LITMUS TEST FOR THE HEALTH OF THIS ENVIRONMENT.

Kingsford

ONE OF THE REALLY INTERESTING ASPECTS OF WATER BIRD ECOLOGY IS THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WATER BIRDS NEED WATER. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF WATER BIRDS, IF YOU HAVE LOTS OF PELICANS IN A PLACE, AND THEY CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN NUMBERS, THEN THERE'S SOME REFLECTION THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS DOING OKAY. AS SOON AS YOU SEE NUMBERS STARTING TO DECLINE, THEN YOU GET A VERY GOOD IDEA THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS PROBABLY IN TROUBLE, AND USUALLY IT'S BECAUSE, IN THE WATER WORLD -- IN AUSTRALIA IN PARTICULAR -- THAT WE ARE DENYING THE PRODUCTIVE WETLAND HABITAT OF THE WATER IT NEEDS TO GENERATE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND THE FISH, THAT INEVITABLY FLOW THROUGH TO THE PELICANS.

Johnston

IN AUSTRALIA, WE DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD RECORD OF MANAGING OUR WATER PARTICULARLY WELL. AND PELICAN POPULATIONS RIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST OF AUSTRALIA HAVE GONE DOWN MEASURABLY OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS OR SO. AND THAT'S GOT A LOT TO DO WITH THE WAY WE'RE MANAGING THOSE RIVERS IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY. UNFORTUNATELY NOW, WE'RE MOVING OUR FOCUS TO THE INLAND RIVERS, AND THESE ARE THE LAST BASTION OF A LOT OF THESE INLAND BREEDING BIRDS. AND IF WE WRECK THESE RIVERS THAT FLOW INTO LAKE EYRE, THEN THE WHOLE SYSTEM WILL PRETTY MUCH BE GONE.

Narrator

WHEN THE WATER'S GONE, SO ARE THE BIRDS -- AND SO MUCH MORE. AUSTRALIA'S INLAND WATERWAYS ARE AMONG THE WORLD'S LAST UNTAMED RIVER SYSTEMS, VITAL ARTERIES THAT PULSE LIFE-GIVING WATERS INTO THE ARID INTERIOR. THE SURVIVORS OF THE SECOND BROOD ARE FINALLY AIRBORNE, AND THEY CAN ALL LEAVE LAKE EYRE TOGETHER. IT'S A CLASSIC CASE OF BOOM-AND-BUST ECOLOGY -- HERE TODAY, AND GONE TOMORROW. SOME OF THESE PELICANS EVEN LEAVE AUSTRALIA. LAKE EYRE BIRDS HAVE BEEN FOUND AS FAR AWAY AS FIJI, IN THE PACIFIC. DO THEY ALL HEAD FOR THE SEA? OR DO SOME BECOME PERPETUAL DESERT NOMADS, SEARCHING FOR WHERE THE RAINS ARE FALLING AND THE WATER FLOWS? IT COULD BE MANY YEARS BEFORE THE FLOODWATERS RETURN TO LAKE EYRE, SO PELICANS MAY NOT BREED HERE AGAIN FOR ANOTHER DECADE OR MORE. BUT WITH THEIR INCREDIBLE MEMORY, THEIR SKILL AT RIDING THE THERMALS, AND THEIR ABILITY TO SEEK OUT WATER IN THIS UNFORGIVING LANDSCAPE, THEY'LL BE BACK... WHENEVER THE WATER IS THERE TO MEET THEM. THIS "NATURE" PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE ON DVD AND BLU-RAY. TO ORDER, CALL 1-800-336-1917. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN ON THIS "NATURE" PROGRAM, VISIT pbs.org.