Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App + Encore Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2
Ireland is renowned worldwide for its lush green hills and wild Atlantic coast, but one of its greatest natural treasures is a landscape of grey stone called the Burren, which is home to some of Ireland’s most enchanting wildlife.
Featuring striking wildlife sequences set in this fantastical otherworld, the documentary follows its lead character, the elusive but charming pine marten, as her story takes us on a delightful journey through this incredible habitat and the lives of its wild birds and animals.
Featured Creatures:
- Pine Martens
- Basking Sharks
- Daubenton's Bat
- Crab Spiders
- Slow Worm
- Three-spined Stickleback
- Jackdaws
- Kestrels
- Marsh Fritillary butterfly
- Fin Whales
- Whooper Swans
Noteworthy Facts & Moments:
- One of Ireland’s greatest national treasures is a grey stone desert called the Burren. From the Irish word Boireann, meaning “rocky place,” the Burren is characterized by its landscape of silvery limestone plains and mountains, punctuated by fissures and underground caves. Many believe this mystical terrain inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's “Middle-Earth.”
- Pine Martens in Ireland were nearly extinct in the 20th Century. One of the very last places to find them was in the Burren, but their population has recovered due to legal protection and conservation efforts.
- Basking sharks are the second biggest fish on the planet, up to 40 feet long and four tons in weight. They filter 2,000 tons of water an hour through their giant gills to feed on plankton. Occasionally seen with a companion or two, Basking sharks are usually alone; however there have recently been mass gatherings spotted on the western edge of Ireland. Scientists are trying to understand this change of behavior.
- Crab Spiders do not use webs to capture insects but sneak up on their prey to hunt, using their powerful front legs to hold onto the prey while paralyzing it with a venomous bite.
- Off the coast of the Burren is a group of three islands called the Aran Islands, which contains 21 different kinds of butterflies. Ireland’s rarest butterfly, the Marsh Fritillary, is the only butterfly in Ireland with legal protection.
Watch On Your Schedule: This film will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
Credits: A production of Crossing the Line Productions Ltd, Skyland Productions GmbH and The WNET Group in coproduction with ARTE, ORF, WDR and TG4 in association with SVT. The documentary is directed and written by John Murray. Produced by Cepa Giblin and John Murray. Narrated by Colin Stafford-Johnson. For NATURE, Fred Kaufman is executive producer. Bill Murphy is series producer. Janet Hess is series editor. Danielle Broza is Digital Content & Strategy Lead. NATURE is a production of The WNET Group.
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