Mini-cameras show a bird’s world

>>> days on earth, we've sat on lawns and benches and beaches and looked skyward and wondered what it must be like to be up there and while we long ago learned how to fly ourselves with the help of engines and alloys and electronics sitting in seats that are idealy bolted to the floor, knowing what a bird's life is like, what the world must like look to them has eluded us tonight until now. our report from anne thompson .

>> reporter: it is a wish as old as time. for man to soar like a bird. so see the world as they do.

>> our cameras reveal how hard and fast the snow goose has to flap to stay aloft.

>> reporter: in a new documentary by john downer , we get as close as we've ever come.

>> the story we set out to tell was a bird's eye view of the contine continent, but i think it told a lot more of that.

>> where did they take you that you didn't expect?

>> we'd heard about this incredible thing, where these huge rays, these fish, jump out of the sea and fly. they've never been captured on film.

>> reporter: until they followed the brown pelicans to mexico's sea of cortez . for every minute of the show, there are ten hours of film this didn't make air.

>> i think anything that can fly that is mechanical, manmade, put a camera on it. but we also made miniature cameras birds could carry.

>> reporter: four years in the making, they hand raised snow geese and a vulture to fly with cameras for this film.

>> how did you get them to keep it on?

>> we basically developed harnesses and the way it was so carefully positioned, it didn't disturb their flight.

>> reporter: he also used spy cameras. it took more than 100 days of shooting to get this spectacular scene. using human ingentlem all its wonder. anne thompson , nbc news, new york.