Category Archives: Nature

Ecosystems: ‘Scotland’s Rainforest’ (HD Video)

Scotland’s rainforest is one of our most precious habitats. It is as important as tropical rainforest, but even rarer. Yet few people know it exists and fewer still know how globally significant it is. This film was created by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest to inform and inspire better protection for Scotland’s rainforest.

Scotland’s rainforest is made up of the native woodlands found on Scotland’s west coast where consistent levels of rainfall and relatively mild, year-round temperatures provide just the right conditions for some of the world’s rarest mosses, liverworts and lichens.

Views: ‘Reptiles’ (8K Video)

Reptiles are a class of vertebrates made up mostly of snakes, turtles, lizards, and crocodilians. These animals are most easily recognized by their dry, scaly skin. Almost all reptiles are cold-blooded, and most lay eggs—though some, like the boa constrictor, give birth to live young. Instead of possessing gills like fish or amphibians, reptiles have lungs for breathing.

Tropical Travel: ‘The Hawaiian Islands’ (Video)

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaiʻi in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll.

Video timeline: The five largest and most scenic Hawaii islands: Kauai (0:00​), Maui (4:21​), Big Island (8:50​), Molokai (13:18​) and Oahu (15:55​).

Nature In Winter: ‘Ice Sculptures’ In Målselva, Norway (4K Video)

Filmed and Edited by: Night Light Films

As it has been a long time since our last release, and because big things are on the way, we are starting a new series of short documentaries based on the stunning nature around northern Norway. It is also a way for us to flag the current saddening state of the Arctic and how climate change is affecting it more / faster than any other part or the world.

This series of clips were taken in Målselva, Norway on January 10th 2020. Typically at this time of year and around that inland area, temperature are much colder and rivers are dormant, buried under feet of snow. This year, however, is a total different story. For the past years, we’ve been seeing a general trend with much milder, later winters with very little snow until February. This year, Tromsø has had zero centimeters thus far, which is quite alarming. Rivers should barely be running or visible.

The Målselva is a river in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The 140-kilometre (87 mi) long river flows through the Målselvdalen valley and then empties into the Målselvfjorden, an arm of the Malangen fjord. The municipality and the valley through which the river runs are both named after the river.

Ecology: Benfits Of 50% Of Serengeti Grasslands Burning Each Year (Video)

After receiving twelve hours of solar energy every day, the Serengeti grasslands become a tinderbox, just waiting to be lit.

The vast majority of the African fires currently burning seem to be in grasslands, in exactly the places we expect to see fires at this time of year. These fires are usually lit by cattle farmers as part of their traditional management of the savannahs where their animals graze. Some fires are started to stimulate new growth of nutritious grass for their animals, others are used to control the numbers of parasitic ticks or manage the growth of thorny scrub.

Without fires, many savannahs (and the animals they support) wouldn’t exist, and lighting them is a key management activity in many of the iconic protected areas of Africa. For instance the Serengeti in Tanzania is known worldwide for its safari animals and awe-inspiring wildebeest migration – and our work shows that around half of its grasslands burn each year.

Nature: ‘Christmas Creek’ In Minnesota (Video)

Filmed and Edited by: Tim Johnson

I accidentally found this little creek that led peacefully out to a small lake near our home in Minnesota. I’ve driven by this spot dozens of times and never knew it was there. Very peaceful, and joy to try and capture with this frost and fresh snow.

Marine Wildlife: ‘Elephant Seals’ On Beaches In San Simeon, California (Video)

“Sunday Morning” takes us to the beach at San Simeon, Calif., a home for elephant seals. Videographer: Lance Milbrand.

The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the southern elephant seal). It is a member of the family Phocidae (true seals). Elephant seals derive their name from their great size and from the male’s large proboscis, which is used in making extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating competition. Sexual dimorphism in size is great. Correspondingly, the mating system is highly polygynous; a successful male is able to impregnate up to 50 females in one season.

San Simeon is a town and census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Its position along State Route 1 is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 miles away.

Travel Journeys: ‘Ashio, Japan’ – Return To Forests

Dig deeper into the story of Ashio, a former mining town in Tochigi Prefecture that’s returning to nature with the passage of time and contributions of hard-working residents.

[Skip Intro] 1:59

The Ashio Copper Mine (足尾銅山, Ashio Dōzan) was a copper mine located in the town of Ashio, Tochigi, (now part of the city of Nikkō, Tochigi), in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It was significant as the site of Japan’s first major pollution disaster in the 1880s and the scene of the 1907 miners riots. The pollution disaster led to the birth of the Japanese environmental movement and the 1897 Third Mine Pollution Prevention Order. The pollution incident also triggered changes in the mine’s operations that played a role in the 1907 riots, which became part of a string of mining disputes in 1907. During World War Two the mine was worked by POW forced labour.

Aerial Travel: ‘Greece’ – Coasts & Nature (4K Video)

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Influential in ancient times, it’s often called the cradle of Western civilization. Athens, its capital, retains landmarks including the 5th-century B.C. Acropolis citadel with the Parthenon temple. Greece is also known for its beaches, from the black sands of Santorini to the party resorts of Mykonos.