Planet Earth II – oh yes!

Oh my lord, this is just incredible viewing. They videography leaves everything else in the dust. Just spectacular.

I haven’t watched any of this series yet, but going by your comments it reads that you like the “photography/Images/editing” element rather than the subject matter.

Is this the way the programme is going, all just about the photography ? Are we a little bored with Nature ?

Nah the animal action is still amazing and absolutely heart-stopping in places (see all the comments about baby iguanas vs snakes at the start of the thread).

Personally I think the beauty of the photography and editing compliments the animal behaviour rather than detracting from it.

I think we are praising the way that the quality of the footage enhances the view of the animal behaviour. The Ibex and the Golden Eagles fighting in slo-mo in a full on “Crouching Dragon” style were breathtaking.

My son did wonder if the flamingos might be evidence that Darwin was wrong – how can you evolve to the point that you wake up frozen to the lake every morning? And the snow leopards – would they be less endangered if the cubs were weaned and solo before the mum’s came back into heat, rather than mum and cub being at risk from horny males?

The camera people have some balls though – your first ever paraglide, so we’ll tandem you off the top of an alp and descend like a Golden Eagle! 😯

Only show my 13 year old watches without his phone in front of him. Nuff said.

My son did wonder if the flamingos might be evidence that Darwin was wrong

😆 fair point, the counter is that evolution hasn’t stopped, they are not the final product, only a stepping stone on the way to something else.

Perhaps the first flamingoes to free themselves from the ice each morning have some small genetic advantage over the others that will slowly make its way through the population?

Perhaps the first flamingoes to free themselves from the ice each morning have some small genetic advantage over the others that will slowly make its way through the population?

Presumably they will be able to mate with the ones still frozen to the spot? 8)

I see them as proof of evolution

1/ they’ve evolved to live in places where being frozen to a lake all night doesn’t make them a buffet supper for nocturnal predators

2/ They’ve evolved so that having your legs in frozen water for 12 hours a day doesn’t give them chilblains / frostbite.

SPOILER ALERT

The bears scratching on the tree – with a different soundtrack…..

Presumably they will be able to mate with the ones still frozen to the spot?

Cause for hope 🙂

I haven’t watched any of this series yet, but going by your comments it reads that you like the “photography/Images/editing” element rather than the subject matter.

I have to say I agree with this, there seemed very little ‘content’ last night, just lots of pretty pictures. Not only that it seemed very disjointed, one minute a Golden Eagle in the Alps, next a plant in Kenya, then a cat in the Rockies, no real proper theme and / or story. Good tv but not great.

Not only that it seemed very disjointed, one minute a Golden Eagle in the Alps, next a plant in Kenya, then a cat in the Rockies, no real proper theme and / or story. Good tv but not great.

I think thats exactly why it’s so popular.

There’s lots of other in depth documentaries with lots more detailed explanation etc.. but they aren’t for the mainstream and I guess the producers have realised that. People just want the cool stuff so that’s what they’ve done. It’s all fine by me, you’ve got to accept it for what it is. For Sunday evening it’s great.

To be fair, that’s even more bollox than you usually manage to post. Having been privileged enough to have met and chatted with the bloke I don’t think I’ve met a more worldly or pleasant human

Donald Trump is very nice in person as well, according to people that have met him.

He is still a patron of Poopulation Matters, a charity which aims to blame the developing world for climate change and holds views on immigration and poor people that make UKIP look quaint. Consequently, I’m entirely happy to tar him with the “colonialist dinosaur” tag.

Just watching this again. Superb. Loved it.

Not only that it seemed very disjointed, one minute a Golden Eagle in the Alps, next a plant in Kenya, then a cat in the Rockies, no real proper theme and / or story

Well, it’s about planet earth and the theme of the one I’ve on is about mountains.

Tom: Admittedly I’ve only ever skimmed through their stuff but that wasn’t my impression of their campaign at all.
Got any examples? Their website says things like:

We believe the only just and long-term solution to migration pressure is to address its underlying causes in the countries of origin, such as poverty, lack or overexploitation of resources, climate change and conflict.

Developed countries have a clear moral responsibility to help with this because they contribute to migratory pressure by being both major consumers of resources from developing countries and the principal source of the causes of climate change.

Which sounds fairly reasonable to me.

Their election manifesto says nothing of the sort in regards to lifting the poor out of poverty, ill go into detail at the weekend. But they play down the need of the west to drastically reduce consumption, stating that this wont resolve anything. Instead they just want zero growth economics in the UK, zero net migration by targeting students and spouses, reduced welfare support, no more house building or school building and to throw “family planning” at the developing world. In effect their policies call for a status quo for Britains economic standing in the world and this consumption….but hey…as theyve said….we can carbon offset by donating money to forced sterilisation family planning campaigns.

They are scum and any softening of their stance will have been caused by the considerable outrage amongst the greens at what they have been proposing.

It’s that time again!

😯

I was watching it thinking that it must be a bit worrying for a Jaguar in the water with all those Caiman around.
Then it bloody ate one!
Rock hard.

Superb stuff. Caught up with Ep2 on iPlayer and it was just brilliant. So glad to have been proved wrong 🙂

I was watching it thinking that it must be a bit worrying for a Jaguar in the water with all those Caiman around.

Yes – that was a surprise. That cayman must have had a hell of a headache!

Crunch!

Albeit a short lived headache…

Licence fee justified. Again. 🙂

Caterpillar beetle with custom led lighting – now thats something you dont see every day

If you don’t see it, it’s hunting YOU!

Go’wan..

It was the cinematography you enjoyed more, wasn’t it.

That must have been hard to witness[/url]

😥

what a shitty website WBnews is…..

“breaking news”

same incident …..in 2015

😀 at the head-diving fox.

Ah man – the Saiga antelope! I love that I can get to my age and Planet Earth can still show me animals I’ve never seen before 🙂

I love that I can get to my age and Planet Earth can still show me animals I’ve never seen before

I think they have a contractual obligation to provide at least one, “Well, I never!” moment per show.

Those closing shots of the caribou, the aerials looked more like a swarm of ants.

But yes, the fox. Brilliant! The texture of that fur was beautiful to see as well.

The fox works for John Lewis part time I believe.

The fox works for John Lewis part time I believe.

Yep, as a bouncer.

IGMC.

seems like that fox is about the only predator to have caught anything this series. 😉

So I’m enjoying the Planet Earth II viewing

but

Am I the only one who thinks that the use of Farenheit, feet (and I presume at some point Firkins and Furlongs) is archaic and out of place?

In the first handful of episodes the over dramatic score (thank you John Williams) and the incredibly OTT sound effects that have been added in were spoiling it for me 😥

Sorry to be so negative, just needed to get that off my chest.

Cities tonight , absolutely brilliant camera work .

Wasn’t expecting much from cities, but pleased to say i was dead wrong.
Monkeys have mad skills 🙂

The photography on the Cities episode was stunning. Night vision cameras seems to have come on a lot in recent years too!

Also, I think Manchester needs some hyenas, leopards, monkeys and peregrines. It’d clean out a lot of the vermin, human and animal…

Wasn’t expecting much from cities, but pleased to say i was dead wrong.

Agreed.

Was geeking out a little on the Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai views, looking for places I know (Hotels, bars, etc! 🙂 ) Must go and look for those otters next time I’m in Singapore. Watching the black kites out of my hotel room in Hong Kong is always a beautiful thing.

The real moment for me was just how BIG a hyena is. Stunning stuff, as per.

Amazing stuff. I’ve got last week’s and another catch up on yet.