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Private Notes
The White-tailed Deer is our most familiar large Mammal -- and our number one big-game animal. In states like Pennsylvania, its popularity makes it one of the most controversial creatures. The abundance of Whitetail here proves that certain wildlife can thrive in man's world. In following this lovely Deer, we learn how it now epitomizes the history of game management.
Two of the world's most beautiful ducks are North American natives. The Wood Duck, or "Woody," dabbles on plant life. The Hooded Merganser, or "Hoody", dives for fish. Differences in lifestyles lead to amusing events when female Woodies and Hoodies lay eggs in each other's nests. We watch as a mother Woody at Iroquois Wildlife Refuge tries to raise a mixed brood.
In a confrontation with a Rattlesnake, this snake will win. Unharmed because it is immune to the venom, it swallows its victim whole. This amazing serpent is the Kingsnake. Reigning monarch among Reptiles, it is a world-class beauty, with a medley of patterns and colors. We see combat, mating, egg-hatching and feeding behavior in several kinds of Kingsnakes.
Is there a peaceable kingdom? Not really. Wild animals have "sibling rivalries" just like humans. Ironically, related species compete more frequently, and more intensely, than do non-related species. These family conflicts can be fatal when it comes to the crucial concerns of food, territory, or affection... and it's not always the larger or more powerful "cousin" which wins the competition!
Each summer, as Salmon make their spawning run, a gathering of the largest carnivores in North America also takes place. Up to a hundred huge Brown Bears line up along the McNeil River in Alaska. Each Bear stakes out and defends its fishing territory. The cast of characters includes sows with playful cubs, battle-scarred boars, and juveniles, with comical fishing styles.
Texas is big! It's also wild and incredibly varied. In this state, there are at least six dramatically different life zones -- desert mountains, flat grasslands, hill and brush country, piney woods and swamplands. For viewers accustomed to seeing the Lone Star State as a land of livestock and oil wells, this look at little-known wild areas promises many surprises.
Two hundred years ago, unbroken prairie stretched over 1000 miles of America's heartland. Today, little remains of that vast expanse, where not only Deer and Antelope, but also Elk, Bison, Bears and Wolves, once roamed. Can we afford to protect a portion of our remaining National Grassland heritage, or must all of our birthright disappear under the plows of progress?
Most predators and prey have evolved in unison. They are so closely matched that every day is an "Animal Olympics." Intimately linked together are two birds -- the speedy Goshawk and the alert Ruffed Grouse. Many predators pursue the Grouse, but none is so well-adapted to catch it as the Goshawk. This is the story of an unerringly precise natural balance.
Graceful, powerful, and -- above all -- playful... is the endearing River Otter. This program is a portrait of these energetic creatures, set against the backdrop of our nation's largest park in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. From tumbling streams to placid lake shores, this freshwater clown finds fun wherever it travels. Every aspect of its existence is explored.
Family camping trips take on added interest now that Marty and Diane Stouffer's daughter Hannah is old enough to keep up with them. There's fun to be had and lessons to be learned as they share with Hannah the secrets of the wild creatures and wild places they love. We see that a child's enormous capacity to learn from Nature is one of our most precious inborn gifts.
