Sir David Attenborough, master of the epic split sentence, is the undisputed king of the wildlife documentary. For 20 years he has been making award-winning wildlife films; his biggest and most popular series' to date being the ‘Life’ trilogy, and 'The Private Life of Plants'.

‘The Life of Birds’ Attenborough’s award winning opus, is another landmark in wildlife filmmaking; an odyssey to the furthest corners of the world, every bit as ambitious as his previous projects. This wonderful series details the physics of bird flight, feeding habits, nest building, the rearing of young and the unique adaptations that allow birds to live in a diverse rage of environments.

Over three years in the making, Attenborough travelled 256,000 miles during filming - 10 times round the Earth. The latest wildlife filming techniques have been employed, from ultra-slow motion, night vision (‘starlight’) cameras to tiny cameras that film inside nests.

The results are truly spectacular and provide footage of some of the world's rarest birds and examples of remarkable avian behaviour; many that have never been filmed before. In the pitch of night a lone kiwi, one of the shyest of all birds, probes for sand hoppers along a rugged New Zealand beach. Less than two feet away, Attenborough lays observing its progress. A micro-camera, positioned inside the branch of a tree, observes a New Caledonian crow using a twig to extract a grub. Migrating ducks and geese on the wing are filmed seemingly from within the flock - the cameras just inches from their subjects.

At over 8 hours and packaged in a 3 DVD boxed set, there is an immense amount to digest here. The discs are split across 10 episodes as follows.

Disc 1

Episode 1: To Fly or not to Fly – many birds have abandoned flight, to take up residence on the land.

Episode 2: The Mastery of Flight – what are the secrets of bird’s aeronautic skill?

Episode 3: The Insatiable Appetite – bird’s bills have evolved to cope with all types of foods. Some even use tools to help them.

Disc 2

Episode 4: Meat-Eaters – both hunters and scavengers need strategy and skill to compete for their prey

Episode 5: Fishing for a Living – humble filter feeders to majestic fish eagles

Episode 6: Signals and Songs – beautiful song and displays of colours help to intimidate rivals, impress mates and deter predators

Disc 3

Episode 7: Finding Partners – elaborate mating rituals play a vital role in procreation

Episode 8: The Demands of the Egg – nesting is fraught with dangers from the battle for a nesting site to the constant threat of predators

Episode 9: The Problems of Parenthood – unfailing vigilance and providing for insatiable appetites is a full time job

Episode 10: The Limits of Endurance – unending changes and disasters wrought by nature and man must be constantly met and overcome.

All in all, ‘The Life of Birds’ continues the high standard of wildlife documentaries for which Sir David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit have become renowned. It contains some breathtaking scenes and for its content alone is highly recommended.

‘The Life of Birds’ is presented in an aspect ratio of 4x3 and contains some beautiful footage from a diverse range of locations. The birds that populate these locations are at times spectacularly colourful, and the film provides us with a great level of detail. In trademark fashion, the shots place the viewer in the thick of the action rather than merely a distant observer.

The major problem with ‘The Life of Birds’ is the transfer. At times it is superb. At other times it is dismal – suffering terribly from grain. I would guess that much of the grain stems from the source material - it appears that the master has been taken from video stock. The problem is exacerbated when the camera pans to follow moving animals, causing the image to blur. Additionally, in many cases the image seems to suffer from over compression, and at times pixelation.

Having said this, I found much of the footage so engrossing that it really does rise above these limitations. I am certain that anyone truly interested in the material will overlook this shortcoming, but compared to the standard being set by DVD mastering these days it does rate rather poorly.

This is a Dolby 2.0 release, and much of the time the audio is dominated by Attenborough’s narration that constantly emanates from the centre. However, the soundstage is surprisingly wide with the dramatic score and the sounds of nature enveloping from the sides and rear. The 0.1 channel has little to do, with the odd crash of a wave or the low frequency boom of a New Zealand kakapo to providing it the odd tidbit.

The menus on all 3 discs are animated, and play a looped sample of the programme’s theme. Each episode may be selected, or you may select to play them in order. Each episode is divided into 6 chapters. Each disc provides English subtitles (in white) that are easily distinguished from the full-frame image. Along with each episode extra footage is supplied. This footage retains its narration by Attenborough and has been cut from the completed episodes for one reason or another.