Starting tonight and continuing weekly through October 9, PBS will be airing a new series, called EARTHFLIGHT. Featuring breathtaking footage recorded by cameras attached to trained birds, each episode will focus on a different part of the world; tonight’s episode, airing at 8 p.m. Eastern time, is set in North America.
During the premiere tonight, Audubon’s chief scientist Dr. Gary Langham and Important Bird Area program director Andrea Jones will be hosting a live chat on the PBS Nature Facebook page. Be sure to tune in and ask away!
The full schedule of shows can be seen below (all times in EDT). Be sure to check your local PBS schedule!
Episode One: North America (airs Wednesday, September 4 at 8 p.m.)
Snow geese, pelicans, and bald eagles fly over the Great Plains, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, New York City and the Golden Gate Bridge as they encounter and engage with bears, dolphins, bison, and spawning fish.
Episode Two: Africa (airs Wednesday, September 11 at 8 p.m.)
Fly and arrow-dive with cape gannets among sharks, dolphins, whales and the great sardine run. Soar with fish eagles, flamingos, kelp gulls and vultures to see the most animal-packed continent with fresh eyes.
Episode Three: Europe (airs Wednesday, September 18 at 8 p.m.)
Cranes and geese rise over Venice, Dover, Edinburgh and the monkey-guarded Rock of Gibraltar. In Rome, the Loire Valley, Holland and Hungary, birds gather by the millions to breed and two by two to raise their families.
Episode Four: South America (airs Wednesday, September 25 at 8 p.m.)
Condors and scarlet macaws take us to the Andes and the Amazon. Giant petrels in Patagonia shadow killer whales. Hummingbirds feed at Iguazu Falls, vultures ride the thermals over Rio de Janeiro, and black vultures target turtle eggs in Costa Rica.
Episode Five: Asia and Australia (airs Wednesday, October 2 at 8 p.m.)
Japanese cranes dance in the snow, swallows and swifts visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, lorikeets, cockatoos and budgies form giant flocks in Australia, pigeons guide us through India, and geese fly miles above the Himalayas.
Episode Six: Flying High (airs Wednesday, October 9 at 8 p.m.)
A behind-the-scenes look at how EARTHFLIGHT was made, including the extraordinary relationships between people and birds. Microlights, paragliders, drones, and camera-carrying birds and much more helped along the way.