At the far eastern tip of Russia,
there is a world where violent extremes collide,
where giants still reign,
where fire and ice compete forever.
Kamchatka.
10,000 kilometers and 11 time zones away from Central Europe,
beyond the vast expends of Siberia
lies a large peninsula
closed even to Russians till 1990
a forbidden military zone, Kamchatka.
In winter the land is overwhelmed by ice and snow,
but the calm is deceptive.
Eruptions bathe the landscape in an unearthly light.
Kamchatka has the highest level of volcanic activity on Earth.
A world enveloped in steam
from hot springs and countless active geysers.
In winter, temperatures can fall below -40 degrees centigrade.
Only the hardiest creatures survive in this conditions
like the Steller's Sea Eagle.
At nine kilogram the heaviest eagle in the world.
Lake Kurile at the southern tip of Kamchatka
is heated by hot springs
and rarely freezes over completely.
Steller's Sea Eagles gather here in large groups of up to 700.
In January the final wave of salmon
swim into the lake to spawn and then die.
As soon as one of the eagles has caught some prey,
it has to protect it from greedier companions.
But not even great strength guarantees survival.
The russian winter takes its toll.
Kamchatka has more than 160 volcanoes,
29 ofwhich are still active.
The peninsula covers half a million square kilometers
and is one third bigger than Germany.
When the salmon have been consumed,
what's left can be fought over.
Although such fights can be intense,
the eagles normally avoid serious injury.
It will be a long time before the salmon return.
Kamchatka is ringed by three bodies ofwater -
the Bering Sea to the north, the open Pacific Ocean to the southeast
and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west.
This is the so-called "world's refrigerator".
Mainly the western coast feels its chill.
ldeal waters forwhales.
The cold sea is rich in nutrition and particularly attractive to Orcas.
Some of their young stay with the parents theirwhole life long.
As the females often live there up to 90 years
each group can include 4 or 5 generations.
The Sea of Okhotsk is covered for more than 6 months of the year by a thick casing of ice
and has a strong effect on the weather on the west side of the peninsula.
There are 20 different climate zones on Kamchatka,
influenced by seas, mountains and volcanic activity.
As the days grow longer,
the northern seas slowly loosen their icy grip.
The winter is tough on all the animals here.
Red foxes don't hibernate,
but are active all year round and have to grow a thick winter coat to survive.
For these loners it's the time to find a mate.
The male welcomes a new female to his territory.
Foxes are usually monogamous.
If a female does mate with several males,
she will establish a partnership with only one.
Now all this couple need is a den.
The end of March is the start of the courting season for the Black-billed Capercaillie.
These birds only exist here.
The cock will go on strutting and singing until the first female gives in.
As the sun grows stronger,
Kamchatka awakes from its hibernation.
Hardly noticeable at first, little by little the ice and snow disappear.
The winter cover gives way to the plant life beneath.
At the same time Kamchatka's brown bears emerge from theirwarm winter dens.
The peninsula has the largest population of brown bears on Earth,
around 10, 000.
After six months in hibernation these relatives of the Siberian brown bear
are hungry enough to eatjust about anything.
The ermine has nothing to fear,
the bears only pose a threat to small rodents which they occasionally dig out of their holes.
Kamchatka bears are among the largest subspecies of brown bears
and among the most peace-loving.
While the bears are still rubbing the sleep from their eyes,
other animals are already hard at work.
The pair of red foxes have found a den.
Fox' dens are used by different couples from year to year.
In a few days spring will begin
and with it the foxes' breeding season.
The female indicates clearly to the male that it's ready.
The fertile period lasts only a few days.
If they mate successfully,
the offspring will arrive about seven weeks later.
The fiery breath of Kamchatka.
Entire valleys are filled with steam
from hot springs and geysers.
With much of Kamchatka still covered in a meter thick blanket of snow,
the hot springs are a magnet for many animals.
The lush green is much prized by hungry bears.
Although they are skilled hunters they are mostly vegetarians.
The geothermal warmth is free.
This White Wagtail is searching for a warm spot to build a nest.
Animals love hot springs as much as humans do.
The Harlequin Ducks enjoy the warm water and aren't bothered by the bear's proximity.
But volcanic springs can also emit poisonous gases.
This in turn gives rise to surreal landscapes.
Willow Ptarmigans are regular visitors.
In early spring food is plentiful on the edge of the bubbling waters.
For most of the year the males and females look very similar -
white feathers and brown tails.
But in the breeding season the female takes on a mottled brown,
while the males adorn themselves with large red eye combs
almost as ostentatious as their behavior.
Finally, towards the end of May
spring replaces winter.
Melting snow swells
more than 2,000 rivers and streams,
and nature awakes in Kamchatka.
The hardships ofwinter are soon forgotten.
In the mating season male Willow Ptarmigans establish territories
that they defend vigorously using the wide range of sounds.
If an outsider still dares to set foot on foreign territory
they had better be prepared for a confrontation.
The fighting often takes longer than the mating.
Despite the thaw
there is still not much to eat for the brown bears.
It will be weeks before the salmon swim upstream.
Until then they satisfy their hunger with nutritious roots and other plants.
The Valley of Geysers.
Six kilometers of rocky landscape,
sculpted by water and steam.
More than 20 geysers crowded into one small area.
The only place in the world with more is the Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
The valley is especially attractive for the White Wagtail.
Its family benefits from the unique nursery centrally heated by hot springs,
it enables them to breed earlier than other birds.
Even when the mother bird leaves to find food, the nest stays warm.
Wagtails are mainly insect eaters,
they prefer relatively barren rocky areas for feeding,
where they can see their prey easily.
The chicks are always hungry and keep their parents on the go.
Only 15 days after hatching the fledglings will be ready to spread theirwings.
lt's notjust the temperate climate and lush meadows
that attract the animals to the Valley of Geysers.
Bears use the sulphureous water
to get rid of flees and other parasites.
The volcanic activity has many advantages
but also deadly dangers.
In June 2007 the Valley of Geysers was hit by a catastrophe
which changed it forever.
Millions of tons of mud and rock
swept through the valley in minutes.
The unique landscape was buried
by the most devastating mudslide in the region's history.
Many animals died
including numerous bears.
The survivors had no choice
but to adapt to completely new surroundings.
The mud covered a distance of 1.5 kilometers.
For many this meant having to find food elsewhere.
Mudslides of this scale are generally considered a disaster.
But in Kamchatka the only constant is change.
Where once the Geysernaya River flowed
now a lake comes into existence.
The landscape here is shaped by fire and ice.
For hundreds of millions of years nature has subordinated itself to these mighty forces
which are at the same time responsible for creating a peninsulas overwhelming splendour.
The end of June.
The Kamchatkan summers are as glorious as the winters are severe.
The coasts and rocky cliffs
are now a paradise for bears.
They get most of their energy from vegetarian fare.
This male is enjoying its favorite flowers
using finely tuned senses to pick them out.
The decisive element of the summer is water
running through the rivers
and bursting from geysers.
And, above all, pouring from the skies.
Kamchatka has some of the wettest summers in the world.
In the downpour bear cubs explore the world
outside the safety of their den.
Here it's not unusual for females to have three cubs
in one litter.
The fox has shed its winter coat.
Its summer fur is lighter and dries more quickly after the rain.
The bear cubs will stay close to their mother for two years
learning to imitate her behavior.
Even if there is now enough vegetation to eat, they can't wait for the salmon to arrive.
In a few weeks the fish will swim upstream
in there thousands to spawn in the rivers of their birth.
While most Kamchatka bears wait for peak season,
this mother already has impatient offspring to feed.
The fish are still few and far between
but she is an experienced hunter.
The cubs know when it's time to join in.
Finally they taste their first salmon of the season.
At this time of year the bears are not the only ones
with hungry mouths to feed.
Kamchatka is one of the few breeding grounds in the world
for the majestic Steller's Sea Eagle.
So every chick is precious.
Usually only one chick in two survives,
in this aerie however both seem strong.
It looks like being a good year for the raptors.
The chicks' soft down will give way to tougher brown plumage
when they're ready to leave the nest.
For the time being they're spoiled
their only concern is:
when dinnerwill next be served?
The parents bring about half a kilo of fish per day for each chick.
Mother and father share the parental chores.
They feed the chicks small fish
torn into big-sized strips.
Two or three times a day
the parents will bring food
preparing the chicks for the time
when they will spread theirwings.
Late summer on the banks of Lake Kurile.
At the southern tip of the peninsula dozens of bears gather
to await the feast of the year.
lt's been ten months
since they last fed on fish.
Their survival depends on their ability to catch and eat
as many as possible during the next two months.
In one of the oldest migrations in the Earth's history
more than six million salmon fight theirway back to the rivers
where they were born three years ago.
For most of the bears the number of salmon is still too low.
Fishing now would waste much of the hungry bear's energy.
Patience is called for.
The days pass, the feast day approaches.
While some remain patient
other bears try their luck.
Although salmon only account for a small fraction of their diet,
the fat fish are vital for the bears' survival.
As the main school of salmon advances into the shallow water
the bear's big moment draws closer.
lt's now or never!
400 kilo of bear hurls itself onto the slippery fish.
Younger bears often remain empty-pawed
the more experienced show how it's done.
In the coming weeks each bear has to catch hundreds of fish.
And the banquet has barely begun.
In summertime warm and cold air currents meet at the coast
and blanket the peaks with thick fog.
Not many creatures brave these steep and precipitous heights,
but for the Kamchatka Snow Sheep there could be no home more perfect.
While the buck keeps the lookout
the ewes can take care of their lambs.
Snow sheep are agile climbers,
the stony cliffs pose no problems
and their desolate habitat has many benefits.
High above, valleys below,
the herd is safe from predators
who only rarely venture into the craggy heights.
The mountain meadows are rich in nutrition.
These snow sheep are unique and only to be found on Kamchatka.
Although they live in Asia, they are more closely related to North American snow sheep
which live just on the other side of the Bering Strait.
Steller's Sea Eagles are also great lovers of heights.
Their nests are often up to 30 meters above the ground.
The parents' efforts have borne fruit.
Both chicks have grown and their plumage has changed almost completely.
While one dedicates itself to the aerie's interior decor,
the other grooms its feathers.
The adults are still feeding the big chicks every day.
They are now nearly 10 weeks old
and are preparing for their maiden flights.
This is the only practice they'll get.
The first attempt at real flight will have to work first time.
The bears meanwhile are on edge.
As loners it is only during the salmon season
that they have such close contact.
Heads down means aggression.
Maybe the best thing is just to walk away.
The salmon are late this year
and the bears are hungry and irritable.
When the time comes however
there is enough to go round for everyone.
The salmon have journeyed hundreds of kilometers
into the heart of Kamchatka.
The moment the bears have been waiting for.
Each one will eat up to 40 kilos of salmon a day
that means catching about 15 fish, which is easier said than done.
The bears must gorge themselves on as many fish as possible
to see them through the long winter.
They tend not to eat the whole fish
but go for the fatty skin and nutritious eggs.
In this fashion the bears gain up to 200 kilograms
with the layer of fat they need to survive for at least 6 months.
Despite the bears, millions of salmon make it to the spawning grounds.
Here the female lays thousands of eggs at a time
which are then fertilized by the male.
Days after reproducing
most of the fish die.
The end of the salmon run
marks the beginning of autumn.
The air temperature cools
but the heat from under the earth remains.
As the sun weakens and the days grow shorter,
nature starts preparing for the arrival ofwinter.
Wrapped in the thick layer of fat the bears return to their vegetarian diet,
before it is time to retire to their dens.
For a few weeks the landscape is transformed into a sea of color.
For most animals the winter is a time of scarcity.
In the frigged tundra wolverines are in their element.
When tracking something
they can run for 15 kilometers without a break.
In the deep freeze of the Kamchatka winter carrion stays fresh
until a lucky scavenger comes along.
With their sharp sense of smell wolverines far and wide have scented the bear carcass.
The animals are exceedingly strong for their size,
their powerful jaws can tear out even frozen flesh
and crunch up the bear's bones.
The biggest martens of the world are also skillful hunters and catch live prey,
but a free meal is a godsend,
saving precious energy in winter.
The fox keeps its distance,
best not to get involved with the wolverines.
There'll be plenty left when the bigger animals have had their fill.
Soon winter once again
has Kamchatka in its icy grip,
but with the beauty all its own.
Whatever the season
Kamchatka's fires never go out.
Back at Lake Kurile
some newcomers have arrived. Golden Eagles.
They're lighter and smaller than the Steller's Sea Eagles,
but they are not afraid to challenge their larger relatives.
The Sea Eagles have brawn,
but the Golden Eagles have a plan.
The Golden Eagle is persistent despite the blows it won't let go.
Suddenly, the tables are turned.
Other eagles wait all around,
hoping for a chance to snatch the fish.
The Steller's Sea Eagle has no choice but to give up.
Unlike the Steller's Sea Eagles who keep food for themselves,
the Golden Eagles band together as a pack
forming a barrier as they eat and keeping the Sea Eagles away.
When it comes to surviving in extreme conditions,
physical strength is obviously not everything.
Kamchatka.
Nowhere else in Russia
is the Earth's fiery breath more immediate,
can stronger forces be felt than here.
In this unique place
nature is like a capricious artist,
constantly reinventing its genius, abandoning and starting afresh
and each time creating a new true work of art.