I thought I knew penguins and I was so wrong.
And for following penguins, it helps that he’s willing to go where few others will.
It was a real emotional rollercoaster filming this, Gregory admits.
Its very one-way they obviously dont care about us.
I think they just think were a bit clingy.
So then when they’re in parallel, they succeed.
National Geographic/Bertie Gregory
You really feel that.
And on top of that a team of three stuck around for 274 non-stop days.
This and advanced batteries and lenses on their drones helped make filming key scenes in Antartica possible.
“They pretty much became penguins, but it was a huge sacrifice for them personally.
Why Penguins, Why Now?
Even though penguins live far from us, we are connected to them were all connected by the oceans.
National Geographic/Bertie Gregory
Episode 3 shows something else entirely which may pave the way for the future of penguin species.
And there’s so much more in between.
CreatingSecrets of the Penguinswas no easy feat.
National Geographic
“What isn’t in the film is what happened next, which was most of our tents ripped.
It was so windy, and they filled up with snow.
And these two shipping containers just stood on the ice.
National Geographic/Anthony Pyper
And the whole time we were hungry and cold and bit miserable.
And yeah, that’s just so tough.”
One of the most jaw-dropping moments?
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Emperor chicks leaping off a 50-foot ice cliff to take their first swim.
I spotted several hundred emperor chicks marching to the edge of this cliff, Gregory recalls.
I thought, Theres no way theyre going to go off there.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
That moment became the closing of our first episode and the beginning of something really special.
“If you think you know penguins, you don’t.”
Its clever, coordinated, and previously undocumented.
Its not about working harder, its about working smarter, Gregory says.
Its proper David and Goliath stuff.
Penguins dont just live in icy landscapes they thrive in deserts and volcanic tropics.
Most people dont picture that when they think penguin.
The series spans continents and climate zones, offering a visual feast that constantly surprises.
“Our human success is so intricately tied to the success of penguins.”
Nature documentaries often face a tricky balance: respecting scientific accuracy while crafting a compelling story.
For Gregory and his team globetrotting across the world to capture penguins, the answer was adaptability.
They do this amazing corralling behavior to hunt fish more efficiently, says Gregory.
It very clearly shows what theyre doing.
The penguin are much quicker and better in the water than I am.
Here, survival is a daily battle, and every victory feels monumental.
“We were with the chicks for about two months.
Some of ‘em did, but most of ‘em didn’t.
So we thought we were done.
The film, the opening episode did not have an ending, which is a big problem.
That was our ending scene, says Gregory.
But it became the start of something bigger the moment I knew we werent just making another penguin documentary.
We were making something really special.
Our human success is so intricately tied to the success of penguins.
All of it has an effect.
And that can be positive or negative.
You’re not just looking, you’re recording.
And so those images become data, he explains.
Thats whats exciting to me about all these shows.
Personally, it’s what drives me to do the deep ocean dives.
That starts with seeing nature through a curious lens, wherever you are.
Go out with your kids into a field and find bugs.
Even on a city street, theres nature.
You only have to look.
Secrets of the Penguinspremiered on National Geographic and is available on Hulu and Disney+.
“There are some,” Gregory tells us at the end of our conversation.
“But if I told you much more, Mickey Mouse would probably hunt me down.
So I’ll leave you with that.”
