WAVES RUMBLE UPBEAT FANCIFUL MUSIC Captions by Glenna Casalme www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 DOLPHINS SQUEAK SWELLING MUSIC BIRD WHISTLES, CHATTERS SWELLING MUSIC CONTINUES Located on the south-west corner of the South Island, at 1.25 million hectares, Fiordland is NZ's largest national park. 14 fjords and their many branching arms slice into Fiordland's coast, stretching the shoreline to nearly 1900km. Here, salt water reaches deep inland ` between towering mountains. MAJESTIC MUSIC But it's the influence of fresh water which gives marine life a truly distinctive character in this corner of our big blue backyard. MUSIC CRESCENDOES, QUIETENS Bottlenose dolphins have adapted both physically and socially to give their young a chance of surviving the cold here. Strange creatures from the deep sea have made a home in these inky waters, where danger lurks in the darkness. And this year, the fjord-dwelling penguin colonies... (TWITTERS) ...and those which live on the Tasman Sea coast... will face vastly different fortunes when raising their chicks. SQUAWKING BIRD CHITTERS Fiordland is world-famous for the majestic beauty of its landscape,... (SQUAWKS) ...which was carved out by glaciers some 20,000 years ago. When the ice retreated, it left deep, narrow valleys. In some places, near-vertical walls climb to 2000m peaks. BIRDS CHATTER, SQUAWK SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC Around 6500 years ago, sea levels rose and the valleys flooded, creating the fjords. As the salt water invaded land,... SQUEAKING ...so did marine life. The fjords are home to the world's most southerly resident bottlenose dolphins. Critically endangered, Fiordland's dolphins are spread between a small population which roams Milford Sound and the northern fjords, a school of around 60 in Doubtful Sound and a larger group of around 120 in Dusky Sound. At up to 4m long, these bottlenose dolphins are among the largest of all dolphin species, and they're also some of the most reclusive. DOLPHINS SQUEAK Born in Doubtful Sound six months ago, in early summer, this calf will most likely spend almost its whole life inside this fjord, in the company of the same closed group. (SQUEAKS) THOUGHTFUL MUSIC Theses dolphins are different from most other bottlenoses, because they don't mix outside their population. Their bonds are reinforced as they swim close and gently touch each other with their fins... DOLPHINS SQUEAK, CLICK ...and even as they swim over the top of one another. SQUEAKING, CLICKING When two pods from the same Doubtful Sound population meet up, they always engage in a greeting ceremony... DOLPHINS CHATTER, SQUEAK ...and then move off as one. CURIOUS, CAUTIOUS MUSIC The intimacy of the Doubtful Sound dolphins may seem quaint. But as winter begins to bite in Fiordland, the collective knowledge of this close-knit group will be critical to the survival of the calf. DRAMATIC SWELLING MUSIC ETHEREAL MUSIC The craggy shorelines of the sounds are dotted with crevices and caves. BIRDS SING, TWITTER From midwinter until late spring, some of these nooks provide a home for a shy bird named for this place. CURIOUS MUSIC Tawaki, or the Fiordland crested penguin, is characterised by the distinctive yellow bands which feather out above its eyes. With around just 2500 breeding pairs, they're one of the world's rarest penguins. This male lives in a cave on the shores of Dusky Sound. He emerges to look for one penguin in particular ` the same mate he raised chicks with last year. GENTLE, FLOWING MUSIC He's got his eye on this female, who is freshening up after several months at sea. But it's not for the gawping male's benefit; she's not his partner, and he'll have to wait a while longer yet. ETHEREAL MUSIC BIRDS SQUAWK On the open coast outside the sounds, Fiordland crested penguins also make their home. A pair of penguins has arrived back from hunting at sea. They're a new couple and must find a nest site before they can mate for the first time. Unlike their cave-dwelling cousins in the fjords, the coastal penguins nest in small colonies in the bush. SOFT CLUCKING The nest-hunting penguins follow a well-worn highway,... SQUAWKING ...and they hear their destination well before they see it. SQUAWKING, SCREECHING Every penguin has a unique voice. TRILLING, SQUAWKING And calls like this help mates to recognise one another from a distance. When the new couple arrives at the colony,... (SQUAWKS, CHITTERS) ...it's already well-populated by lovebirds. The latecomers must find a space of their own among the established nests. Tree roots and bushes are preferred, as they'll provide shelter for the long weeks of egg incubation to come. But the best spots are already taken,... (TWEETS SOFTLY) ...especially those with en suite facilities. (WHOOPS) With a twig in his beak, all set for nest-building, the male displays a positive attitude. Eventually, the couple finds a suitable home ` a cosy niche beneath the roots of a tree. DRY LEAVES SHUFFLE But while life is good for now, this year the weather will bring hard times for all the penguins on Fiordland's wild west coast. * WIND WHISTLES SOFTLY THUNDER RUMBLES MYSTERIOUS MUSIC THUNDER RUMBLES With average yearly rainfall of over 7m, Fiordland is one of the wettest places on the planet. (SQUEALS) It usually rains here around 200 days a year. DRAMATIC MUSIC DEEP WHOOSHING GRAND, MAJESTIC MUSIC MUSIC ENDS BIRDS TWITTER But bad weather can vanish as quickly as it arrives. CAUTIOUS MUSIC The huge volume of rain dumped on to Fiordland feeds countless rivers and streams,... THOUGHTFUL MUSIC ...and the sheer walls of the fjords are regularly ribboned with spectacular waterfalls. Nine of NZ's 10 highest waterfalls are found in Fiordland. And from the breathtakingly tall,... to the modest, all add an element key to the character of marine life in the fjords ` fresh water. WATER BUBBLES In most river estuaries, currents, waves and wind combine to mix the influx of fresh water with seawater. But inside the fjords, where the water's surface is relatively sheltered, fresh water sits on top of the denser seawater in a distinct layer. This top layer of fresh water ranges from just a few centimetres to 15m deep and is much colder than the underlying salt water in winter and spring. DREAMY PIANO MUSIC The fresh water is delivered to the fjords by streams and rivers. It picks up sediment and tannins as it drains from the forest floors, so the water is stained the colour of black tea. This blocks out much of the sunlight, and what does get through is filtered an eerie emerald green. At just 10m, it's typically as dark in fjord as it is at up to 100m deep in the open ocean. WATER BUBBLES This the reason why an array of weird and wonderful light-shy creatures, some usually found in the deep sea, make their homes here in the relatively shallows of Fiordland. UNSETTLING MUSIC But perhaps the most unexpected secrets in this unique marine ecosystem are found in what are known as Fiordland's china shops, so called because of the fragile beauty of their residents. There are delicate black corals which grow up to 5m tall. 'Black coral' hardly seems appropriate as a name, for this coral is ghostly white. It's actually their skeleton that's black, beneath their white skin. Sea pens perform a sort of ballet, dipping and pirouetting to align themselves with the current... EERIE MUSIC SOFT CRUNCHING ...for an audience of glum-faced blue cod. EERIE MUSIC CONTINUES And then there's the strawberry sea cucumbers, which add a splash of colour to the fjord floor. These decidedly fruity animals are so abundant in one area of preservation inlet,... it's nicknamed the Strawberry Fields. A perfect backdrop for the photobombing blue cod. MENACING MUSIC There's another creature which relishes the darkness of the fjords. Sevengills belong to a family of sharks which has been around for 190 million years. FRIGHTENING MUSIC Most modern sharks have five gills. Seven gills are indicators of this shark's primitive lineage. Big sevengills are known to spy-hop... to look for seals on the shoreline. This one shows off a jagged top row of teeth,... SHOCKING MUSIC ...designed to grasp prey. And inside its powerful bite, the seven gill slits are clearly visible. SNAP! But although it's snap-happy, there's no blubbery lunch for this shark today, and it's skulks back into the darkness. DREAMY TECHNO MUSIC Fiordland is now in the cool grip of winter. MELANCHOLIC MUSIC Know to Maori as Ata Whenua, or the Shadowlands, at this time of year, the sun plots such a low course across the sky, in some places, the water surface lies in the chill of shadows all day. TENSE MUSIC In Dusky Sound the dolphins are on the move. They're leaving the inner fjord, which will soon freeze solid... and are headed for the warmer waters of the outer fjords, where they'll spend winter and spring. All of Fiordland's dolphins make this short annual migration. And it's the youngest which will benefit most from the warmer water. DOLPHINS SQUEAK, CHATTER The adults are well-adapted to survive winter. They're fatter than most bottlenose dolphins due to extra insulating blubber... and have stubbier beaks and shorter fins and tail flukes, to reduce heat loss through these extremities. The calf has far less blubber, so is more vulnerable to the winter cold. Calves here have about a one-in-three chance of dying in their first year, making Dusky Sound the harshest habitat on the planet for young bottlenose dolphins. SERENE MUSIC Just outside the fjords, the water temperature of the open ocean is warmer. But Fiordland's dolphins rarely venture out. WONDROUS MUSIC MENACING MUSIC Great white sharks cruise the coastline, opportunistically hunting the energy-rich blubber of dolphins... and sea lions. The coastal penguins also take their chances. On the Fiordland coast, this penguin dad-to-be waits for his mate to return from a hunt. She laid two eggs, and a week after producing the second, left to go fishing at sea. He must guard and keep them warm in the wintry weather until she returns in around two weeks. BIRDS CHIRP, CHITTER Around 30km inland, the weather system hasn't hit yet, and so the Dusky Sound penguins are enjoying a more clement August day. This female laid just one egg early in the breeding season and is already back from her two weeks of fishing. She's returning to her nest to relieve her partner on egg-sitting duty. On arrival, she trumpets a noisy hello. (SQUAWKS, CHITTERS) (SQUAWKS, CHITTERS) Once she's back in the nest, her partner responds in kind. BOTH CHATTER, SQUAWK The pair then preen each other in those hard-to-reach areas. This removes ticks and lice and spreads oil across their feathers to keep them waterproof. But most importantly, it strengthens their bond. It's now the hungry male's turn to brave the swarming sandflies and go fishing. Like his mate, he won't return to the nest for a couple of weeks. And he'd better fill up on squid, fish and crustaceans. His next stint of egg care, followed by chick care, will entail around a month-long fast. MAN: Look around. As the Favourites come out, it begins. Observing with an eagle eye. Mastering the art of stashing. Oh, brilliant move, Gran! Cadbury Favourites. BIRDSONG It's spring in Fiordland, and the days have begun to warm up... and stretch out. (EXHALES LOUDLY) In the mouth of Dusky Sound, the rocky shore of Resolution Island has attracted an ancient group of sunbathers. The ancestors of the Fiordland skink may have colonised NZ 18 million years ago. They're cold-blooded and dozed through the coldest days of winter. Now the weather's improved, they're far more active, using the sun's rays and the warmth of the rocks and logs to heat their bodies. Rather like the fashionable beaches over summer, the popular basking spots can get crowded. But for the skinks, it's the more the merrier, and they cosy up to get warm faster. BIRD SCREECHES (SCREECHES) The raucous calls belong to kea ` a cunning predator with a broad diet. Skink would usually be on this kea's menu. KEA SQUAWK IN SUCCESSION But spring has provided an easier meal ` a feast of freshly budding leaves. PENSIVE PIANO MUSIC Found exclusively on NZ's South Island, kea are the world's only true alpine parrot. Although in Fiordland, their range extends right down to the coast. DRAMATIC MUSIC While the air temperature across Fiordland is rising, the influx of meltwater from falling snow means the water temperature in the fjords is now at its lowest. GLORIOUS MUSIC Fiordland's dolphins must be smart in the hunt for food. Their prey can be scarce and is limited to certain locations within the murky, cold fjords. Big schools of butterfly perch congregate around the reefs where plankton is abundant. DREAMY HARP MUSIC And shoals of spotties, a known favourite of the dolphins, are found in shallower waters. Despite poor underwater visibility, Fiordland's dolphins are well-equipped for hunting here. All bottlenose dolphins have the signature whistle which they use to communicate. HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLING But when they hunt, it's all about the clicks. CLICKING, SQUEAKING The pod emits a stream of clicks as they roam the depths,... CLICKING, SQUEAKING ...which bounce off the submarine contours of the fjord, and fish, allowing the dolphins to acoustically map their surroundings and locate their prey. In Milford Sound the pod has learned to use the shape of their iconic environment to their advantage. RAPID CLICKING, SQUEAKING The dolphins search for mullet along the sheer rock face of the fjord's north shore. With their prey sighted, the dolphins charge en masse... and herd the mullet in front of them into one of many small coves in the rock wall. EXCITING MUSIC UNSETTLING MUSIC But Fiordland's dolphins face a problem ocean-going dolphins don't. Rocky fjord walls echo their signature whistles,... CLICKING, CALLING ...making them tricky to decipher. RAPID CLICKING, CRYING So they pause between whistles. The echoes fade, and the pod can communicate effectively during the hunt. THUNDER PEALS, RUMBLES BIRDS CHITTER Deep in Dusky Sound, this female penguin is also off fishing. SERENE MUSIC Once she's in the water, she's in her element. PLAYFUL MUSIC Capable of diving to depths of 100m, she's a powerful swimmer. And by porpoising like this, she can surface to breathe, while maintaining a swim speed of up to 10km/hr. Today the female joins a trio of her neighbours, fishing within the fjord, less than a kilometre from her nest. This time she'll only be gone for the day. BIRD CALLS, WHISTLES, CHATTERS Because back at the nest, her mate watches over the chick the pair produced this year. LIGHT, TENDER MUSIC Like any newborn, it must eat regularly. But food will only arrive when Mum returns and regurgitates the day's catch. BIRD WHISTLES, SQUAWKS The male is sole carer while Mum's out fishing. During this time, he won't eat. His main tasks ` keeping the chick clean and, when it's nap time, snug and cosy. As for the chick, until Mum returns with food, there's not much to do but sleep... and that other thing newborns excel at. COMICAL MUSIC GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC BIRD SQUEAKS Over at the coastal penguin colony in the bush, the male parent has also been left to look after his newly-hatched chick. BOTH CHEEP The second egg he was guarding didn't hatch. But this is not unusual. Fiordland crested penguins rarely raise two chicks from the same brood successfully, the exception being breeding seasons during which food is abundant. This year, it's been anything but for the coastal penguins. GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC The young chick's mother is about to set off fishing, but an El Nino weather pattern has meant the usual hotspots off Fiorldand's coast have cooled this year. She may have to swim far out to sea before she has a hope of catching anything. * UNSETTLING MUSIC It's dusk on the Fiordland coast, and this female is returning from a tough fishing trip. She was forced to swim north, against the current, for over 100km to find enough krill and squid to fill up on. SOMBRE MUSIC And her mission is not yet complete. She's headed back to her nest to feed her newborn chick. SQUAWKING, HONKING But although the colony is noisy, she can't hear her partner's distinctive call. The long-distance fishing trip took four days ` more than twice as long as she usually leaves her chick for. PENGUINS CHATTER, CHIRP And when she gets back to the nest,.. (CLUCKS) SOMBRE MUSIC ...it's empty. Not far away, on the forest floor, weka peck apart the remains of a chick. LONESOME MUSIC It likely died of starvation. A victim of an oceanic famine inflicted on all Fiordland's coastal penguins by the El Nino weather pattern. FORLORN MUSIC The dead chick's mother is far from alone in her loss. This year many newborns perished here in the coast. Her mate would've deserted the nest once the chick died, and their failure as parents makes it less likely they'll pair up again. DRAMATIC MUSIC FADES IN Around 40km from the open ocean, at the head of Dusky Sound, lies a bay with a shallow fringe. Given the distance inland, it might seem surprising this place is known as Shark Cove. That is... until you meet the locals. Over winter, it's a mystery where the sevengill sharks go. But it's the females who show up first in spring. They head for shallow water. They're larger than the males, and this female is even bigger than usual. She's pregnant. And the scar on her flank is likely a love bite from an amorous male. SHOCKING MUSIC Remarkably, pregnant females carry upwards of 60 young for over a year. Once she's given birth, there's a clear advantage to Shark Cove's shallow water ` her offspring won't get eaten by Dad or any of the other males which remain out in deeper water. Setting a far better example as a father is a particularly shy inhabitant of the fjords. The spiny seadragon usually prefers deep sea kelp forests. But here in the fjords, kelp only grows in the shallows. A relative of the seahorse, seadragons swim horizontally rather than upright... at a very leisurely pace. With little hope of outswimming predators, hiding from them is a better option. He's a masters of blending into the background. He's also unusual because he's a dedicated dad, carrying his mate's fertilised eggs on the underside of his tail until they hatch. MYSTERIOUS MUSIC But seadragons aren't the only doting dads in the fjords. This submarine parachutist is a sea spider. Like the seadragon, he broods his unborn young. They're in an egg sac attached to the underside of his body. It's precious cargo. He folds his legs upright to speed his descent. Although this time, it's nearly not speedy enough. MENACING MUSIC CRUNCH! UNSETTLING MUSIC Also inhabiting the shallow kelp beds scattered throughout the fjords are shoals of swimming protein. These are oblique-swimming triplefins ` so called because with no swim bladders, they must keep swimming or they sink. A variable triplefin takes time out,... CURIOUS MUSIC ...while its cousins continue their steep ascent, trying to stay off the menu of bigger fish. In contrast to the shallow kelp beds which support abundant life, the inner fjords, where the fresh-water layer can be up to 15m deep, are almost barren of marine plants. But the water here isn't devoid of plant food altogether; it's just not marine in origin. The steep walls of many of the fjords are notoriously vulnerable to massive slips in heavy rainfall or earthquakes. OMINOUS MUSIC Every year, thousands of tons of vegetation plunge into the fjords,... CURIOUS MUSIC ...and dead tree trunks, branches and roots become reefs for all sorts of colonising creatures. Leatherjackets hone in on the macaroni-cheese of the fjords, otherwise known as wax ascidians. These fish love to nibble on the bizarre colonies of tiny, filter-feeding animals which live on submerged trees. Slip debris also provides perfect cover to blend into,... SHOCKING MUSIC ...although Fiordland's octopuses aren't always so shy. SOFT SQUISHING The fallen tress also inject nutrients into the marine ecosystem as they decompose. The hagfish is normally a denizen of the deep sea. But in the fjords, incredibly, it relies on the forests above for around half the nutrients in its diet. SERENE SUSTAINED NOTE UNSETTLING MUSIC BIRDS TWITTER INSECTS BUZZ Deep in Dusky Sound, the penguin chick hasn't been fed for nearly a day. (CHEEPS) It squawks in hungry protest and begs for food from Dad. (SQUEAKS) But he hasn't eaten in weeks and has nothing left to regurgitate for the little one. (CLUCKS, CHATTERS) His cry is a distressed appeal for his mate's swift return from fishing. CHATTERING, SQUAWKING CONTINUES CHATTERING ECHOES But there's no response. The chick's mother is nowhere to be seen,... BOTH CHATTER, SQUAWK ...and there's nothing to do but wait. HAUNTING VOCAL MUSIC INDICATOR CLICKS RHYTHMICALLY (GASPS) SILENCE (EXHALES SLOWLY) Mate, I'm so sorry. I thought there was time. You just pulled out. I don't have time to stop. It was a simple mistake. LOUD RUMBLING Please. (VOICE TREMBLES) I've got my boy in the back. I'm going too fast. I'm sorry. (SOBS) SEAT BELT CLICKS EERIE CREAKING HARSH WHOOSHING FORLORN MUSIC BIRDSONG Summer approaches, and the sun hangs high and warm in the evening sky. And yet in Fiordland, it's still snowing. In fact, below the water, the flurries never stop. SOFT CRUNCHING, WATER BUBBLES Marine snow is a mixture of plankton and other organic sediment. It showers down from the fresh-water layer and is a major source of nutrition for black coral. But if there's too much snow in the water, it can clog the coral's polyps with sediment. Unable to feed, it eventually dies, leaving just a ghostly skeleton. CURIOUS MUSIC Fortunately, many black coral colonies have live-in cleaners. These snake stars scavenge plankton from the polyps, which also cleans off the smothering sediment. Not all relationships in Fiordland's china shops are so mutually beneficial. Jason's nudibranch is a type of sea slug,... and it's not cleaning the polyps off this hydroid fern; it's eating them. Hydroids are related to both coral and jellyfish, so its polyps come with a sting, and this is exactly why the slug feasts on them. Blue cod will eat virtually anything... but turn their noses up at Jason's nudibranch. Its white appendages contain the stinger cells from the hydroid. So while it may look like candy, it'd be a mouthful of pain. SERENE MUSIC All is quiet at the Dusky Sound nest. Dad is grabbing some sleep,... tired of waiting for his mate. His hungry chick has also dozed off. DISTANT CHITTERING, SQUAWKING He's heard something. SQUAWKING CONTINUES At last, the chick's mum has returned,... PENGUINS SQUAWKING ...and she's got a bellyful of fish to feed the little one. GENTLE MUSIC PENGUINS CHATTER Fortunately for this small family, the fishing in Dusky Sound hasn't been affected by El Nino, unlike the famine it's caused for the coastal penguin colony. Finally relieved of chick-caring duties, Dad trumpets what's known as an ecstatic display. (SQUAWKS, CLUCKS) AMUSING MUSIC And there's no need for flowers when you can gift your partner a stick. Symbolic nest-building will further strengthen their bond, and the couple may raise many more chicks in the years ahead. (CHEEPS) Now the weather has warmed up, so too has the water in the inner fjords. All Fiordland's bottlenose dolphins have returned from the outer reaches of the sounds. This calf has survived the most dangerous time of its life ` its first winter and spring. SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC Other calves, too weak to endure the cold water, perished. RISING MUSIC But while Fiordland's climate is a harsh test for young dolphins, it limits numbers to a sustainable level in this challenging place. The calf will live all its life in this close-knit pod, among the shadows and lofty peaks of this extraordinary corner of our big blue backyard. Captions by Glenna Casalme