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Birds (32)
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Along Newfoundland's Shores1962 7 minThis short documentary includes three vignettes about life off the coast of Newfoundland. In Island of Birds, we visit Green Island, a sea bird sanctuary where puffins frolic. In Caplin Harvest, little silvery fish called caplin spawn by washing ashore along the waves, making an easy catch for fishermen. In Outports on the Move, off-shore houses are pried loose from their foundation and floated to the Newfoundland mainland, where schools, hospitals, stores and services are available to the community. -
The Boy and the Snow GooseGayle Thomas 1984 10 minThis animated short tells the story of a young boy who finds an injured snow goose and nurses it back to health. Constant companions through the sun-filled days of summer, the two sadly separate in the fall when the bird obeys the call to join its flock for the annual flight south. Will the friendship endure?
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A Bird City1919 5 minA bird sanctuary near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is shown. Here in their native haunts are the gull, the heron, the tern, and many other birds as they are in their everyday life. Nesting, mating, swimming and flying, all are shown here in a rare picture.
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The Barrens QuestPeter Blow 1996 44 minThis feature documentary examines the destruction of the tundra barrens of northern Canada for mineral mining, including that of Canadian diamonds. Many species have been threatened by this development, including the caribou and the Eskimo Curlew, a bird that flew the sky in thousands which is now nearly extinct. This film makes a compelling case for planned conservation in one of the last unspoiled wilderness regions left in the world.
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Cuckoo, Mr. Edgar!Pierre M. Trudeau 1999 13 minThis charming and amusing animated short for young children offers a timely lesson about the joys of fatherly love. Mr. Edgar's life runs like clockwork - which is not surprising since he's a cuckoo in a cuckoo clock. Not only is he very punctual, he is also compulsively neat and tidy. But one stormy evening, his little world is turned upside down. A branch hit by lightning falls to the ground, dislodging a nest, and three eggs plop uninvited into Mr. Edgar's living room. In no time at all, they hatch into a trio of rambunctious baby birds. It's a crash course in fatherhood for our confirmed bachelor. The hungry little birds take up all his time and attention... but eventually worm their way into his affections.
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A Day in Point PeléeFrancis Mankiewicz 1978 6 minLocated in Ontario, Point Pelée National Park attracts birds in its long grasses, and brilliant Monarch butterflies on its trees. Wooden walkways through the marsh facilitate access for numerous visitors. A film without words.
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The Grasslands Project - A Rancher's ViewScott Parker 2016 8 minThis short documentary from The Grasslands Project introduces us to rancher Miles Anderson. Anderson is in a tough spot. The land he ranches has been in his family for over a hundred years, but it’s bordered on three sides by an expanding Grasslands National Park and its conservation imperative. Cattle were once considered a major threat to grasslands integrity and the endangered sage grouse in the region, but, due in large part to Miles’ persistence, his cattle are now seen as part of the conservation solution.
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A Great White BirdMichael McKennirey 1976 51 minThis film documents the efforts of a group of Canadians and Americans to save the whooping crane from extinction. They display great determination in their dealings with this independent, pre-Ice Age creature. The issues of wild animals imprinting on people and the preservation of wild animals in captivity are examined in this film. Produced in cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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The Great Blue HeronJean-Louis Frund 1979 44 minThis film documents the yearly cycle of the great blue heron, its migration from Central America and the West Indies to the St. Lawrence River in Québec, and the breeding and rearing of its young. Outstanding footage shot by the filmmaker perched high in a tree affords close-ups of the birds' intricate courtship rituals. A sensitive, beautifully photographed nature film with much to tell us of ecology and wildlife.
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High Over the BordersRaymond Spottiswoode 1942 23 minTake flight with thousands of wild birds who defy distance and international boundaries in this short documentary about their twice-yearly migration.
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Hinterland Who's Who: Robin1972 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces viewers to the robin.
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The Hinterland Who's Who: Whooping Crane1978 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series provides an introduction to the whooping crane.
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Hinterland Who's Who: The Greater Snow Goose1978 1 minThis very short documentary film depicts the spring and fall migratory visits of snow geese to Cap Tourmente, Québec.
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Hinterland Who's Who: The Canvasback Duck1973 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland’s Who’s Who series is an introduction to the canvasback duck.
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Hinterland Who's Who: Blue Jay1972 1 minA short public service announcement of the blue jay.
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Hinterland Who's Who: Peregrine Falcon1972 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces viewers to the peregrine falcon.
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Hinterland Who's Who: Canada Goose1967 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces viewers to the Canada goose.
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How Dinosaurs Learned to FlyMunro Ferguson 1995 5 minThe dinosaurs were headed for trouble. They ate nothing but junk food. They never brushed their teeth. They stayed up all night. And though they loved jumping off cliffs, they didn't like the landings much. The early mammals tried to warn them. "Keep that up and you'll all be extinct!" they said. But the dinosaurs just laughed... and over time, they evolved into birds.
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Hinterland Who's Who: Herring Gull1967 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series provides an introduction to the herring gull.
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Hinterland Who's Who: The Snowy Owl1973 1 minThis very short film from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces viewers to the snowy owl.
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Hinterland Who's Who: The Willow Ptarmigan1973 1 minThis very short documentary from the Hinterland Who’s Who series introduces you to the willow ptarmigan.
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Loon DreamingIriz Pääbo 2002 7 minThis animated short makes us see the world through the eyes of a loon. We dive down deep into the waters in pursuit of fish, launch skyward from the water and fly high over the busy highways and sprawling subdivisions that scar the natural world--before gently splashing down on a secluded lake.
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The Lady and the OwlWilliam Canning 1975 27 minThis short documentary introduces us to the McKeevers, who care for injured owls. They live in the country and have built special cages for different purposes and species. There are many ways of being wounded, yet many ways of being cured
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The Land of Jacques CartierRené Bonnière & Pierre Perrault 1960 29 minDid Cartier dream of making a country from this land of a million birds? In his records of his exploration he certainly marvelled at seeing the great auks that have since disappeared from Isle aux Ouaiseaulx, the razor-bills and gannets that are gone from Blanc-Sablon, and the kittiwakes from Anticosti, all the winged creatures of all the islands which he described as being "as full of birds as a meadow is of grass". And that's not even counting the countless snow geese.
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Modern GooseKarsten Wall 2022 22 minAble to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, at home on land, air and water, geese straddle the territory between ancient instincts and the contemporary world. Combining beauty, humour and profound empathy, director Karsten Wall’s exquisitely observed film essay embeds in the daily life of these iconic animals to reveal a deeper message of continuity and connection.
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Operation CuckooPierre M. Trudeau 2002 13 minMr. Edgar putters happily around his cuckoo clock waiting for the return of his adopted birds in the spring. Catastrophe threatens when one of the clock’s gears falls off! A brave firefly comes to the rescue, proving that friendship can light up your life.
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Percé on the RocksGilles Carle 1964 9 minThis quirky little short by Gilles Carle was filmed on the pierced rock that stands near Quebec’s Gaspé peninsula. It is perhaps the most photographed natural phenomenon on Canada’s East Coast. Shot in the 1960s, the film has a very psychedelic feel to it, with animation, special effects, and a trio of women to guide us through.
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Triangle IslandTom Radford & Ray Harper 1979 13 minForty miles northwest of Vancouver Island lies Triangle Island, an ecological reserve and home of close to one million birds. Bristol Foster, head of the British Columbia Ecological Reserves Program, guides us across the island through colonies of birds and sea lions. He stresses the need of preserving the ecological balance for the survival of future generations.
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Twixt Heaven and EarthDonna Caruso 1998 47 minThis documentary follows Dr. Stuart Houston, an expert on the Swainson Hawk. Living on the prairies during the summer, this bird flies 11,000 km to Argentina for the winter. These majestic birds are facing a serious threat: toxic pesticides. Houston and his team use satellite technology along with traditional bird-banding to greatly increase our knowledge of the lives of migratory birds.
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The Winds of FogoColin Low 1969 20 minFogo is a windswept island off the coast of Newfoundland where the inhabitants for generations have lived by, on and from the sea. In this film William Wells, fisherman, and his two sons take a day off from the nets for a journey to the gannet colony on the Funk Islands, fifty miles farther out to sea. There are exceptional close-up views of enormous flocks of seabirds swarming on the cliffs and in the sky.
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Wild in the CityGordon Fish 1985 16 minThis short documentary films some of the wild animal species that have adapted to the city of Vancouver, from the familiar pigeons and starlings to the less familiar herons nesting in Stanley Park and a coyote in a farmer's field.
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Waterfowl - A Resource in DangerDon Virgo 1964 16 minThis nature documentary shows the immense flocks of birds, their habits and their dependence on the wetlands of the Prairies. The Prairies are the incubators of vast numbers of Canadian waterfowl, principally ducks, but as more land is drained and cultivated there are fewer breeding grounds. Produced by the NFB for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
