Heartlands

In the forests of Finland during early spring, a mother brown bear has emerged from hibernation with her cubs. She starts to teach them some important life lessons, such as how to climb trees away from danger. Climbing up the towering pine trees seems to be easy enough, but it is harder to get back down.

This male brown bear in Finland could eat 80 lbs of this reindeer carcass in one sitting, but a pack of 10 hungry wolves have other ideas.

Male black grouse battle over a coveted central position on a display lek in Norway, with some fights lasting for hours.

In Sweden, a group of skaters search for black ice: The freshly formed ice is only just thick enough to hold a skater’s weight and is perfectly smooth. This is a very dangerous activity that should only be attempted by at least two expert skaters. The sounds generated by skating over black ice are out of this world.

Margret Fjellström and her family are indigenous Sami reindeer herders, relying on their herds for generations. During harsh winters, where temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Fahrenheit, the reindeer depend on energy-rich lichen.

Magical forests wrap around a labyrinth of waterways in Scandinavia’s heartlands. Elusive wolves and lynx stalk this secret world, while osprey and reindeer survive the ever-changing seasons through surprising and ancient alliances.