Moose in the Morning

S01 E01 • Monday, Sep 27, 2004 • Sep 27 • 1h

The sun rises as moose graze in Kidney Pond in Maine, under the shadow of the 4,000 ft. peak of Katahdin Mountain

Yellowstone Geysers

S01 E02 • Tuesday, Sep 28, 2004 • Sep 28 • 1h

Sunrise in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Locations include Black Sands Basin, Firehole River, Midway Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin, and Riverside Geyser

Gator Hole

S01 E03 • Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004 • Sep 29 • 1h

Alligators, egrets, wood storks and ravens enjoy the first rays of sunshine from a gator hole in the Everglades National Park.

Bison Before Breakfast

S01 E04 • Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 • Sep 30 • 1h

Bison awaken and graze in Yellowstone National Park.

Sea of Terns

S01 E05 • Friday, Oct 1, 2004 • Oct 1 • 1h

A colony of terns watches the sun rise in the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, Massachusetts. This is the second-largest colony of terns on the Atlantic coast, with over 17,000 birds

Vermont Balloons

S01 E06 • Monday, Oct 4, 2004 • Oct 4 • 1h

Hot air balloons fly over Vermont's Green Mountains.

Alewives Eternal Return

S01 E07 • Tuesday, Oct 5, 2004 • Oct 5 • 1h

Alewives make the dangerous trek from the freshwater lakes of New England to the Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical Palms

S01 E08 • Wednesday, Oct 6, 2004 • Oct 6 • 1h

Fisherman enjoy daybreak off the coast of Florida.

Swallow Sea Cave

S01 E09 • Thursday, Oct 7, 2004 • Oct 7 • 1h

Sunrise over a sea cave full of young anemones and coralline algae.

Yosemite Dawn

S01 E10 • Friday, Oct 8, 2004 • Oct 8 • 1h

Dawn in Yosemite National Park.

Cribsworks Kayak

S01 E11 • Monday, Oct 11, 2004 • Oct 11 • 1h

Early morning on the Penobscot River in Maine.

Sequoia Light

S01 E12 • Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004 • Oct 12 • 1h

Giant sequoias welcome the sun in Sequoia National Park in California

Sunrise Seal Colony

S01 E13 • Wednesday, Oct 13, 2004 • Oct 13 • 1h

Elephant seals crawl up the beach at California's Point Reyes National Seashore to soak up the first drops of sunshine at this seal colony at Chimney Point, California. Elephant seals play in the water after a hunt, and tule elk wander in a meadow.

Lobster Village

S01 E14 • Thursday, Oct 14, 2004 • Oct 14 • 1h

Lobster fishermen begin their day in New Harbor, Maine

Western Ranch

S01 E15 • Friday, Oct 15, 2004 • Oct 15 • 1h

The Triangle X Ranch in Moose, Wyoming welcomes the new day as horses graze in the pasture and geese pass overhead.

Everglades River of Grass

S01 E16 • Monday, Oct 18, 2004 • Oct 18 • 1h

Pahayokee, Everglade National Park, Florida. Savannah-like open sawgrass prairie stretches as far as the eye can see, punctuated by the occasional cypress tree. Beneath the apparent prairie, however, is a wide river flowing at a speed of more than one mile per hour. It's Marjorie Stoneham Douglas' famous "River of Grass." In fact this exact Pahayokee platform was this writer's most frequented Everglade destination. To better observe the workings of the underwater world, we submerge a camera and peer directly into the lives of mosquito fish and the enriching mat-like algae known as periphyton. Insects traverse the razor sharp strands of grass as the weather changes.

Wildflower Elk

S01 E17 • Tuesday, Oct 19, 2004 • Oct 19 • 1h

Watch Tule elk at sunrise in the Tule Elk Preserve in California.

Edge of the Atlantic

S01 E18 • Wednesday, Oct 20, 2004 • Oct 20 • 1h

The sun rises over the incoming waves on the Atlantic coast at Coast Guard Beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.

Milk Cows in the Morning

S01 E19 • Thursday, Oct 21, 2004 • Oct 21 • 1h

San Francisco Tai Chi

S01 E20 • Friday, Oct 22, 2004 • Oct 22 • 1h

Teton Beaver

S01 E21 • Monday, Oct 25, 2004 • Oct 25 • 1h

Schwabacher's Landing, Moose, Wyoming — The nocturnal beavers have settled into a small tributary under the sheer cirque walls, rugged ridges and jagged peaks of the Teton Range. Their engineering skill has produced an 8-foot high dam and a new pond for those creatures of the day: a great blue heron fishing in the morning mist, ducks with their ducklings, trout, and a goldfinch feeding her chick. We witness these two communities as they pass each other during the crossroad of dawn.

Manatee Spring

S01 E22 • Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004 • Oct 26 • 1h

The Homosassa Spring on the Gulf coast of Florida is home to West Indian manatees.

Island First Light

S01 E23 • Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004 • Oct 27 • 1h

Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, Maine — At 1,532 feet, this is the highest vantage point along the North Atlantic seaboard. During certain times of year, the summit receives the rays of the first rising sun within the United States. The pea, composed of pink granite, is perched above a forest of spruce and pitch pine. Among the granite slabs are tiny sub-alpine plants such as cinquefoil, squat, gnarled trees, wild blueberries and various sized boulders. The view of the Maine archipelago is unsurpassed, with the Cranberry Islands foremost in the southwest.

Sunrise East

S01 E24 • Thursday, Oct 28, 2004 • Oct 28 • 1h

Eastern U.S. — The sun hits the Atlantic seaboard five hours after the western coast of Europe, and a wide range of habitats begin the shift from the nocturnal to the heat and light of day. We observe the changes, as naturalists, from the sub-tropical ecosystem of the Everglades to the northern lakes of New England, from the very first light atop Cadillac Mountain in Maine to the sabal palms of the Gulf of Mexico. These are great sunrise moments in nearly a dozen morning ecosystems of the East.

Sunrise West

S01 E25 • Friday, Oct 29, 2004 • Oct 29 • 1h

Western U.S. — Crossing the North American continent in a scant four hours, dawn settles on the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the coastal ranges and beaches of California before departing the western shore. We witness the geo-dramas of Yellowstone geysers, herds of horses and bison on the open range, the spectacular lighting of the Teton Range. Then in California, we see the massive sequoia, tule elk, a rainbow of wildflowers, the Yosemite Valley, and elephant seals on the beach. These are the great sunrise moments in nearly a dozen morning ecosystems of the west.

Katmai Bears

S01 E26 • Monday, Oct 24, 2005 • Oct 24 • 1h

After seven months of hibernation, the world's largest population of brown bears is ready for some sun in the Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. They begin the morning in the meadow, but as the sun rises and the tide goes out, the bears dig for clams in the flats.

Volcano Lagoon

S01 E27 • Unknown • Unknown • 1h

Unreleased

Homer Takeoff

S01 E28 • Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 • Oct 26 • 1h

Fog envelopes Beluga Lake in Homer, Alaska, but dissipates as the sun rises and seaplanes take to the sky.

Ninagiak Island

S01 E29 • Thursday, Oct 27, 2005 • Oct 27 • 1h

Glacier of Kenai Fjords

S01 E30 • Friday, Oct 14, 2005 • Oct 14 • 1h

Perched in the dawn hours along the terminal moraine of Kenai Fjords National Park's largest tidewater glacier are blue icebergs flowing toward the sea. Scattered on the jet-black beach are other bergs broken under the pressure of a four-mile river of ice.

Mayan Pyramid

S01 E31 • Monday, Jun 19, 2006 • Jun 19 • 1h

The National Park of Tikal in Guatemala is home to Mayan Pyramids, where howler monkeys, parrots, and toucans welcome the new day.

Birds of Palo Verde

S01 E32 • Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 • Jun 20 • 1h

A wide variety of birds mingle in the Tempisque Basin of Costa Rica's Palo Verde National Park.

Cloudforest Waterfall

S01 E33 • Wednesday, Jun 21, 2006 • Jun 21 • 1h

La Paz River, Vara Blanca, Costa Rica — The crater lake of the Poas Volcano drains from 9,000 feet into this high altitude cloudforest ravine. Stepping downward through a series of five waterfalls, we descend as the sun rises. Rays of light catch suspended water particles from the falling water, as green threads of life cling to sodden cliff walls. From within its pupa, an owl butterfly emerges with the increasing warmth of day, pumping fluid into its silken wings. Through the last rock opening, the water and sun burst out and down towards a restful pool, the famous La Paz waterfall.

Playa Grande Moonset

S01 E34 • Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 • Jun 22 • 1h

The moon sinks into the ocean in the Marino Las Baulas National Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Dawn of Cerro de la Muerte

S01 E35 • Friday, Jun 23, 2006 • Jun 23 • 1h

Angkor Temples of Khmer Kings

S01 E36 • Monday, Oct 2, 2006 • Oct 2 • 1h

The temples of Angkor in Cambodia are lit by the rising sun.

Li River Cormorants

S01 E37 • Tuesday, Oct 3, 2006 • Oct 3 • 1h

Trained Cormorants catch fish for fishermen on the Li River near Xingping, China.

PingAn Rice Paddies

S01 E38 • Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006 • Oct 4 • 1h

Frogs, spiders, and birds wake to the morning sun on a terraced farm near PingAn, China. Take in the morning activities of the Dragon's Backbone, a stunning sixty-six square kilometers of crop terraces hand-cultivated by 800 farmers that snake up over a thousand feet of vertical altitude. These are marks of the Zhuang people.

Buddhists of Wat Svay

S01 E39 • Thursday, Oct 5, 2006 • Oct 5 • 1h

Siem Reap, China Every culture has its own connection to the natural world at dawn. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, the chants of monks echo from within a Theravada Buddhist monastery, called a "wat." These chants help start the day by focusing the monks' attention. Potential distractions are many. Unlike the cloistered monastic retreats of the west, the Wat Svay compound is at the community hub, at its central cross-road. Yet despite busy human activity, the peaceful influence and presence of the natural world remains near for the focused mind. A vibrant pigeon roost is found on the pagoda's rooftop, amidst ornamental carvings that depict serpent figures called "nagas," protectors from the earth. School children wander among the votive "stupas," maintaining the grounds. And as the monks honor their lineage of spiritual teachers, a spectacular rainbow reveals itself high over the temple. One last little know fact…a rainbow at sunrise will always have a steeper arc than any rainbow that happens near mid-day.

Elephant Trunk Park

S01 E40 • Friday, Oct 6, 2006 • Oct 6 • 1h

Morning exercises similar to Tai Chi in Elephant Trunk Park in Guilin, China.

Scandinavian Waterfall

S01 E41 • Tuesday, Dec 19, 2006 • Dec 19 • 1h

A new day comes to Gullfoss, Iceland. Sunrise: Nature's alarm clock for the land, the sea, and the myriad of creatures who call our planet home. Accompany us on a tranquil journey into the landscape itself as we enjoy the sights and the ambient sounds associated with the first light of a new day.

Foothills of Turkey

S01 E42 • Monday, Dec 18, 2006 • Dec 18 • 1h

The sun casts its light on a farming village in Aspendos, Turkey.

Stonehenge Dawn

S01 E43 • Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006 • Dec 20 • 1h

The Salisbury Plain in the United Kingdom is the site of one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Stonehenge is thought to be a sun-based calendar, so it's only fitting for a sunrise to be recorded here.

Mediterranean Port

S01 E44 • Thursday, Dec 21, 2006 • Dec 21 • 1h

The sun rises on a port in Antalya, Turkey and the lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt.

Icelandic Geysir

S01 E45 • Friday, Dec 22, 2006 • Dec 22 • 1h

A geyser in Iceland is shown in the first morning sunlight.

Argentinean Seal Pups

S01 E46 • Monday, Feb 12, 2007 • Feb 12 • 1h

Day breaks in a slice of red over the Southern Atlantic Ocean Península Valdés, Argentina and a colony of southern elephant seals and its new pups.

Peruvian Rainforest Canopy

S01 E47 • Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007 • Feb 13 • 1h

Tambopata, Peru Two hundred feet high in the canopy of Peruvian rainforest, a pink and distant light encroaches. The dense forest holds the dawn air. Birds sing alone, together - a purple-throated cotinga, then a distant flycatcher. Butterflies gather nectar. The high canopy teems with insects - oblivious as the sun ascends. Rosy light splashes the sky. The sun pushes its way into the forest. A blue-headed parrot busies herself collecting twigs for her nest. A cobalt-winged parakeet pulls at the white seed masses of a kapok tree - feeding and pollinating at the same time. As the sun rises overhead, we slowly descend into the tangled under story. Orchids and epiphytes bob in the moist air. Complex partnerships between insects, birds and plants play out amongst an eden of species. Aricaris - brown mandibled and curl-crested toucans - chase insects. Descending farther, we land on the forest floor amongst broad-leaved plants and a nation of insects - lines of foraging ants, wandering ground beetles, a jumping spider. The fervent life of the rainforest is revealed in a slow drift downwards to the forest floor.

Andrean Dawn at Machu Picchu

S01 E48 • Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007 • Feb 14 • 1h

The center of the Incan empire, Machu Picchu in Peru, is shown as the sun rises on this city high in the Andes Mountains

Amazon Parakeets

S01 E49 • Thursday, Feb 15, 2007 • Feb 15 • 1h

Patagonian Penguins

S01 E50 • Friday, Feb 16, 2007 • Feb 16 • 1h

The largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world welcomes a new day near Punta Tomba, Argentina.