Wild Baltic Sea
The nature of the Baltic Sea offers many surprises as demonstrated in the three-part series Wild Baltic Sea. From the Northern most tip of Denmark to the Curonian Spit, from the Estonian island world to the Bay of Bothnia.
Between Denmark and Latvia
The Baltic Sea is the youngest on earth and didn’t evolve until after the last Ice Age. It seems so familiar, yet offers many surprises. The shores of the Baltic Sea are still shaped by wind and waves. The first episode takes us from Denmark’s northernmost corner, via the Darss Peninsula in Germany and Lithuania’s Curonian Spit to the endless beaches of Latvia. The film begins at the gateway to the Baltic Sea at Denmark’s northernmost point: Skagen. It is here that the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet and form a divide made of sand between Skagerrak and Kattegat. In June, hundreds of seals gather together on the lonely island of Anholt between Denmark and Sweden. It is the largest seal colony in the Baltic Sea. No camera team has ever been able to get so close to the animals as nature filmmaker Christoph Hauschild. Using remote-control cameras, he and his team have been able to capture intimate images of the way the seals live over and beneath water. For the very first time they follow a mother with her young to swimming lessons and in doing so, capture very emotional moments of these timid creatures. Most of the freshwater from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, flows through the Store Baelt. In this sound, the underwater world is characterised by many species of saltwater loving fish. In the waters around Sjaelland, the largest stocks of harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea. In 2016, the labyrinth of islands, sounds and fjords attracted two dolphins. They spent several months in the fjords of Flensburg and Kiel. Astounding images: they show familiar to us from the Mediterranean, but not something we would necessarily expect from the Baltic Sea.
Between Estonia and Finland
The Baltic Sea is the youngest ocean in the world and first evolved after the last Ice Age. We think we know everything about it, yet still it has many surprises in store. Wind and waves still shape the shores of the Baltic Sea. The second episode presents a world comprising tens of thousands of islands, between Estonia, Gotland in Sweden and the Finnish Archipelago Sea. In the Autumn on Saaremaa, the largest Estonian island, nasal sounds can be heard from one corner to the next: The mating calls of the Moose. Huge bulls make their way to the traditional rutting areas in the south of the island. The landscape here is stony and riddled with countless bays. In the north, the Panga Cliff, a limestone wall of some 20 metres in height and more than 400 million years old. In the beginning of March, animal filmmaker Christoph Hauschild and his team accompany two seal researchers going about their work. Their destinations are two small islands in the Bay of Riga. A popular spot for grey seals. This is the first time that a film team has been allowed on the island. Just how many animals there are, can first be seen from the air. The beach is packed with young seals. The largest gathering in the Baltic Sea. The absence of pack ice forces the mothers to come here. Global warming has visibly changed the Baltic Sea as far as the Bay of Riga. The winters are simply too hot for the well-insulated young seals. So as not to overheat, they take dips in the cooling water. The underwater camera captures intimate moments and reveals just how playfully the youngsters enjoy the cool water. Just 200 kilometres to the west lies an ancient coral reef, Gotland. The Swedish island is like an ark in the central Baltic Sea. Much of the flora and fauna one otherwise only finds in Southern Europe can be found here on the second largest island in the Baltic Sea. Golden eagles breed here in the trees and in the spring, the ground is covered in orchids. 35 different varieties grow on Gotland.
Between Finland and Sweden
The Baltic Sea is the youngest ocean in the world and first evolved after the last Ice Age. We think we know everything about it, yet still it has many surprises in store. Wind and waves still shape the shores of the Baltic Sea to this day. The third episode takes us to the Bay of Bothnia. More than double the size of the Netherlands, it is the most unknown region of the Baltic Sea. In the winter, the Baltic Sea freezes over at a length of 300 kilometres. In this 1-metre-thick ice tank, the third species of seal - alongside the grey seal and common seal - copes well with the Baltic Sea. The ringed seal is perfectly adapted to the Arctic winter and carves out breathing holes into the ice. More than 10,000 of the animals still live between Sweden and Finland. The Bay of Bothnia only has a salt content of just 1%, which is why it freezes quicker than other regions of the Baltic Sea. Many rivers disembogue here and “sweeten” the sea. The Tornio is the longest natural river in Europe. It forms the border between Sweden and Finland. Even when frost is severe, the Kukkolaforsen rapids in Sweden never freeze over, otters go hunting here. When it gets dark in the winter, solar winds conjure colourful light effects in the Baltic Sea sky. The Aurora Borealis can be seen in the northern regions of the Baltic Sea as of mid-October. The coast of Lapland is also the home of the reindeer. The Sami’s, reindeer breeders, bring their herds in winter to the Baltic Sea, as the snow is not as deep here as it is further inland and the animals have better access to lichens and mosses. When Lapland’s coast is still frozen, 300 kilometres further south in the Kvarken Archipelago, a special spectacle takes place. Millions of fish head for the coast. Barrier beaches prevent them from reaching the coastal lagoons. They can only spawn where the water is salt-free.
