Clip description
There’s a brooding calm before the next storm breaks over the paperbark swamp. The jacana chicks are hatching, watched over by their concerned male parent, while the mother is protecting her patch from other predatory female jacanas.
Curator’s notes
Part of the charm of the programs in the Nature of Australia series is the juxtaposition of the macro and the micro. We’ve just explored the sweep and majesty of the north in flood, and now we’re experiencing the intimate details of the burgeoning of new life after the wild storms. The power of this program is in how well it describes the relationships between the environment, the climate and the people who have learned to live with this extreme weather cycle for hundreds of thousands of years.
This footage of the jacana family is well observed and nicely captured. By keeping the camera low, and shooting through the foliage, the director cleverly makes us feel as if we are really on the scene watching the action. This effect is strengthened by minimal editing and long periods of natural sound without music or narration.