BIRDS OF THE LAKES RETURN

is a film showing how birds returned to an environment once devastated by industry. The lakes around the northern Slovenian town of Velenje, placed in the Central Europe, are geographic centre of the film. They emerged as the land above the lignite mines subsided and the depressions were filled with water. The mines started operating at the end of the 19th century. In the mid 20th century a thermoelectric power plant was built that caused a severe pollution of the lake waters to the extent of the lakes not being fit for any kind of life. As a consequence many birds moved from these parts. After a long ecological restoration that started in the mid 1980s, life returned to the water. Gradually the birds returned as well, including some there were previously never observed in this area.

This documentary called BIRDS OF THE LAKES RETURN could just as well be called The Secret Life of Birds. The author unveils astonishing details from the lives of birds. Some of them live in the vicinity of the people but are hardly ever spotted. We follow birds through one-year period – their struggle for survival in winter conditions; The arrival of migrants birds in the spring who spent winter down south; nesting and mating period; the autumnal migrations and the preparation for the winter for those who stay,... Some other animal species, whose life is intertwined with birds, are also included. This thematically rounds the story/stories.