America's Mississippi

The river weaves through the wilderness of Minnesota and gathers momentum; beavers prepare for winter; birds funnel through the Mississippi flyway; gray wolves scavenge; hundreds of bald eagles descend as the river releases a feast of gizzard shad.

The Mississippi River pulses through America's heartland; it becomes a river of uninhabited islands harboring coyotes and otters; small towns nestle among its steep banks; wild turkeys battle for mating rights; bobcats hunt to feed their kittens.

The Mississippi combines with the Ohio, creating the greatest flow of water in the United States; winding through a maze of bayous to the ocean, the water creates a constantly shifting landscape; the river empties its load into the gulf.