‘Earthflight’ Recap: ‘Flying High’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the finale of ‘Earthflight’.
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When we take the time to enjoy a beautiful documentary about our world that focuses upon the endless wildlife that lives alongside us, we tend to just focus on the wonder of the end result and understandably so. After all, we are tuning in to enjoy a story about creatures we likely wish to learn more about, and that allows for thoughts about how the film crew captured a particular shot or even got that close to a particular animal, to simply slip our minds. Because we are indeed lost in the power of the experience. But a great many people did indeed dedicate years of their lives to bring us that breathtaking footage, and they deserve their day in the sun just like anyone else, and that’s why last night’s finale of Earthflight was so supremely satisfying.
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Because ‘Flying High’ took the time to break down how this incredible documentary about birds came together and what we learned about this particular process, was nothing short of spectacular. Because on several occasions, some of the birds featured in this tale, were trained by human hands. Which was stunning to learn since it really did seem as though all of the breathtaking cinematography in this documentary, was filmed in the skies with special lenses and gear. But clearly, grabbing that much footage in that manner, was downright impossible. So, the fine folks that train and nurture birds were given a camera and went off to shoot what their feathered children do best. In order to show all of us how majestic birds are in flight and that, despite their training; they are still animals through and through.

Because on several occasions, these trained birds decided that the beautiful world surrounding them was worth exploring, and that led to some harrowing sequences for the folks that trained them. The kind that allowed for us to venture through the streets of Brooklyn, New York, in order to find some geese that decided that grazing in the park was a far better way to spend their afternoon than in front of the camera. And we were also privy to one intense search in Africa, when a vulture decided to land wherever it pleased, so it could take a little time to soak up the wonder of that beautiful place. Despite the fact that its decision to do so, scared its trainer. But thankfully both of these stories ended happy, since trainer and bird were reunited no problem and it was simply amazing to see bird and man working together to shoot a documentary in this manner. 

But of course, one cannot film a complete documentary on trained birds alone. There had to be some measure of studying them in the wild and the folks behind the scenes were quite creative in making that happen. Because somewhere along the line, a drone that was converted into a vulture was used to get some up and close and personal footage of those particular birds of prey in the wild. Plus, a wonderful combination of crane work and stealth is what helped us to understand how the Bald Eagle hunts salmon alongside bears and it also took a grandiose team of spotters and cinematographers to capture the arrival of storks in Europe and really, it is the dedication that the film crew and the trainers exhibited in this finale that made it so incredibly powerful.

For it is obvious that everyone that worked on Earthflight truly wanted to teach the world about birds and the wondrous and intricate lives they lead and well, they definitely accomplished their mission. Because everything we learned in this documentary was breathtaking and fascinating, and now that we have an understanding of how this story came to life, a newfound appreciation and respect will follow this documentary. Because what we saw here was but a fraction of the four years of work that went into this particular tale and that’s simply amazing. But what matters most, is that this story also helps to remind us, that we need to properly appreciate the wonder of nature and pay it the respect it is due. And thanks to this documentary; it is definitely safe to say that all of us will take that to heart and look at everyday birds a little differently. Now that we know their days are filled with wonder and quirks and habits, just like the rest of us.

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