黄石公园（2009）

Yellowstone,
黄石公园
volcanic wonderland.
火山之奇境
Two million acres of wild space
座落于北美中心地带的
right in the heart of North America.
二百万英亩荒蛮之地
The heat of the summer has unveiled
夏天的热浪揭开了
the full extent of the Yellowstone wilderness
黄石公园的荒野全境的本来面目
and, for a few precious months, it has blossomed.
而且 在可贵的寥寥数月里 它欣欣向荣
But, now, Yellowstone is changing.
但现在 黄石公园又面临变化
In just a few weeks, the snow and ice of winter will be back.
数周之内 冰和雪的冬天将重返这里
As the animals of Yellowstone now turn to face
当黄石公园的动物正准备面对
perhaps the biggest challenges of their year,
也许是他们一年中最大的挑战时
the true value of the world's first national park
作为世界上首个国家公园其真正的价值
is about to become clearer than ever.
正比以往任何时候都清楚地呈现出来
It's late August and on Yellowstone's peaks
现在正值八月下旬 在黄石公园的高峰上
there is already a dusting of fresh snow.
今年的新雪已经光临
Now, a new sound marks the new season.
现在 一种新的声音标志着一个新季节的开始
Fuelled by testosterone,
在睾丸激素的刺♥激♥下
the bugle call of this male elk is a boast of his strength.
公麋鹿用吹响着号♥角以炫耀自己的力量
All over Yellowstone,
黄石公园里
male elk are challenging each other for dominance.
到处都有公麋鹿在为了获得统治地位相互挑战
The sound of Yellowstone's autumn.
这就是黄石公园秋天的声音
They are trying to win the admiration of females
他们正在努力赢得雌性的钦佩
and gather them into a harem.
并把她们纳入后宫
Only then do they stand a chance at mating with them before winter.
唯有如此他们才能稳获在冬天之前与她们交♥配♥的机会
But the females are not yet in season,
但雌麋鹿还没到发♥情♥期
so they are not really that interested.
所以兴致索然
And, for now, they have a more practical concern.
而且 目前 他们还有件更需关心的现实事情
Winter will soon be here.
这里很快会入冬
They are eager to head down to lower ground
他们迫切的想在雪真正地下起来之前
before the snow comes in earnest.
下到低海拔的地方
Some will move down into nearby valleys,
有一些会转入附近的山谷
whilst others will journey much further,
其他的则迁徙得更远
even beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone itself.
甚至超越黄石公园的边界
Yellowstone is deep in the Rocky Mountains of North America,
黄石位于北美洛矶山脉深处
an isolated high plateau defended by rugged peaks.
被起伏的峰峦环绕的一个孤立的高原
In the middle is the National Park.
其中♥央♥的是国家公园
The park and the surrounding mountains form one of the most important
公园和周围的群山形成了地球上
and spectacular wilderness areas on Earth.
最重要和壮观的自然保护区
In just two months, this great plateau will become a deep freeze once more.
二个月之内 这片广阔的高地将再一次陷入严寒
Before then, the animals of Yellowstone will have to get ready
在这之前 黄石公园的动物们要么准备妥当
or get out.
要么迁离此地
But, for now, below the snow-dusted peaks,
但是 现在 在雪峰之下
summer still lingers in the heart of Yellowstone.
夏天仍然逗留在黄石公园的中心
The sun has revitalised this place
太阳使这个地方恢复了生机
and, now, there are more living things here
现在 这里的生物
than at any time of the year.
比一年之中任何时候都要多
The summer has brought visitors too,
夏天也带来游客
who are enjoying Yellowstone at its most vibrant.
正欣赏着最具活力的黄石公园
As the sun now starts to get lower in the sky,
当太阳在天空中所划的弧线逐渐变低
the rich colours make this
丰富的色彩
one of the best times to see the geysers.
使之成为观赏喷泉的最佳时光之一
On the grasslands, the good times are already over.
在牧草地上 美好时光已经结束
These bison are making the most of the grazing,
这些野牛占了目前在此觅食的多数
but it is now dry and parched.
而现在这里非常干旱和炎热
From now on, they will have to rely heavily on stored fat
从现在起 他们将严重依赖储存起来的脂肪
to keep them going,
来完成迁徙
as these meadows become covered in more than four feet of snow.
在这些草地被超过四尺厚的雪掩盖的时候
Others are already thinking of leaving.
其他人已经盘算着要走了
Pronghorn evolved to outrun a now-extinct North American cheetah
叉角羚进化到超越现已灭绝的北美猎豹
and, so, are the fastest antelope on Earth.
因此 成为地球上羚羊类中跑得最快的
But, unlike bison, their lightweight bodies can't store
但 跟野牛不同的是 他们轻量级的身体
enough energy to keep them here through the winter.
不能储存足够他们留在这里一整个冬天的充足能量
So, now they must head out.
所以 现在他们必须出发了
Their journey will be the longest of all.
他们的旅程将会是所有动物中最长的
But as many are preparing to get out, some have no choice but to stay.
可是当多数人正准备出发时 有一些别无选择只好留下
In the remote north east of the Yellowstone wilderness
在黄石公园荒野遥远的东北方
are the Beartooth Mountains.
是熊齿山
Here, surviving above 8,000 feet,
在这里 幸存于海拔8000英尺之上
a tree now welcomes the change of season,
一种树在欢迎季节的变化
the whitebark pine.
那便是白皮松
All summer, these trees have been soaking up the energy of the Sun
整个夏天 这些树都吸收着太阳的能量
preparing for this moment.
为此刻作准备
Now, they offer the animals of Yellowstone
现在 他们为黄石公园的动物
a bumper crop of pine cones.
提供一场松果的大丰收
The whitebark pine is gambling on the fact
白皮松正一掷千金
that animals now need all the food they can get before winter,
动物们需要在冬天来临前尽可能地收集更多食物
and is hoping it can entice them to spread its seeds
并期望 它能利用他们 将它的种子
far and wide across Yellowstone.
播撒到黄石公园各地
So, inside the cones, it has put tasty, nutritious pine nuts.
因此 在松果里 它放上美味又营养的松仁
A pine squirrel.
一只松鼠
It snacks on a few of the nuts to keep going
它拿少部分坚果做点心后 继续工作
and then buries them, one by one, in a sheltered hollow beside the tree.
它把松果一个接一个的 埋到树旁一个有遮盖的洞里
If it hides them well and packs them carefully,
只要他小心将它们收拾并藏匿好
they should last through the winter.
应该能维持过冬
But this is not much good for the tree.
但这对树来说不是一件好事情
Its seeds have gone nowhere.
它的种子哪也去不了
A grizzly bear mother and cubs.
一只灰熊母亲和她的幼崽
It's unusual for a grizzly to have so many cubs.
有这么多幼崽对一只灰熊来说是不寻常的
This mother has found two orphans and adopted them.
这个母亲发现了两个孤儿并接纳了他们
But now she has four cubs to fatten up
但现在 在他们进入洞穴冬眠之前
before they go into the den to hibernate this winter.
她有四只幼崽要填肥
She's after pine nuts, too.
她也是来找松果的
They are 50% fat.
松仁里脂肪占50%
In a good year, a grizzly bear can put on five pounds a day
在一个好的年份 单靠吃松仁平均每一天
eating nuts alone.
灰熊的体重能增加五磅
If squirrels have done the hard work,
既然松鼠已经把辛苦的工作完成
it doesn't matter that grizzlies can't climb trees.
就算灰熊不会爬树也没关系
The squirrel will just have to start again.
松鼠只好重新来过
Luckily, this year, the trees are being particularly generous.
幸好 今年 这些树特别的丰产
A Clark's Nutcracker.
加洲星鸦
This is what the tree has been waiting for.
树一直在等着的就是它
With its perfectly-shaped beak, it prises the nuts from the cones
利用其形状完美的鸟喙 它从松果中撬出松仁
and tucks them one by one into a special pouch under its tongue,
把它们一一吞入舌头下面一个特别的小颊袋内
up to 150 at a time,
一次能吃下150颗
a fifth of its entire body weight.
达到它的整个体重五分之一
Then it flies as much as 15 miles away
然后它飞到15英里之外
and drills the nuts into the ground in sets of 10,
然后把果仁10颗一组条播到地里
placing a stone on top of the stash to mark the site.
然后在藏匿物顶上放上一块石头标识位置
It goes back
接着又飞回去
for more
一次
and more.
又一次
Over the autumn, a single bird can bury 30,000 nuts
在秋季 一只鸟能在100平方英里的面♥积♥里
across an area of 100 square miles.
埋下30000颗松仁
When the winter comes,
当冬天来的时候
it will manage to remember the location of a staggering 70% of these seeds,
它会设法记得这些种子的位置 记得住的达到惊人的70%
even when hidden beneath the snow.
就算被雪隐埋了起来
But as the Clark's Nutcracker remembers its way into surviving the winter,
而当星鸦记住它在冬天求生之道的同时
it becomes the whitebark's greatest ally.
它也成为了白皮松最伟大的盟友
Although its feat of memory is extraordinary,
虽然它记忆的本领非凡
for every 1,000 seeds it buries, it still forgets 300.
但它埋下的每1000颗种子中 它仍然会忘掉300颗.
From all those missed seeds carried far and wide across Yellowstone,
这些被远携到黄石各地并被遗忘的种子
new whitebark pines will germinate next spring.
使得新的白皮松在来年春天生根发芽
It's now September
九月
and the elk have made their way down to graze
麋鹿已经下到还有青翠草地的
where the grass on the river banks is still green
河岸边来吃草
and they can browse the nutritious shoots of young willow trees.
而且他们可以品尝新生柳树的营养嫩芽
The males are now upping their game.
雄性们的游戏正在火热进行中
This bull urinates on himself to increase his masculine appeal
这头公牛往自己身上小便以突显他的雄性诉愿
and by thrashing his antlers to decorate them,
并猛摇他的鹿角来给他们涂上泥
he hopes to make himself look more impressive.
他希望把自己弄得看起来更令人印象深刻