Wild Kingdom

What a wild week-end! EIEIO is definitely a plethora of plants, animals and birds. The life cycle is in full gear.  In just one week-end we were visited by a pregnant coyote, a murderous hawk, a defenseless woodpecker, a hungry fledgling, nesting eagles, curious crows, shivering geese, loud blue jays, suet seeking nuthatches, downies, hairies and red-bellies, blinded dark-eyed juncos, mourning doves, nutless squirrels, wandering deer and one bunny that enjoyed the safe surrounding of our front porch. and served as an animated Easter decoration for several hours. 
As a kid, I always looked forward to the weekly episodes of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.  I envied the host, Marlin Perkins for the many opportunities he had to see and share the amazing animals on the earth.  I wasn't too thrilled with the insect segments but learned they were/are a necessary evil.  I learned about the cycle of life and survival of the fittest. I learned about tracks and songs and habitats and flight patterns.  I often thought that science was a path I'd like to explore a little more.  I didn't.......until I moved to the country..my favorite place on earth.  The sights and sounds I have encountered in the few short years I've lived here are amazing. Our first fall her, we were visited by a wild boar..I nearly screwed myself into the floor spinning to find my camera or my phone but not wanting to miss a second..  Later that winter, a hungry bear descended on the patio bending Sheppard's hooks and stealing all the feeders.  He made a cozy little bedding spot and ate all the seed and drank from the Baltimore Oriole feeder.  We've have dozens of turkey and deer visit almost daily.  Woodchucks continue to roam the area taking their lives in their paws as Lee has a bit of an obsession about guns and gophers. Last Christmas we even had a curious raccoon go from door to door to see if Santa had left him anything.  Once again Lee wanted to give him some lead but the girls extolling the cuteness of little Rocky won that battle. We did watch him return to his raccoon ranch under a large tree on the hillside so it's possible he'll return again... probably not so cute next time.
Wild Kingdom continues even today.  Animal Planet revived the show in 2002 and again in 2013.
It continues to be a snapshot of the excitement and wonder that nature provides. I have just a tiny glimpse of that here in my own back (and front) yard every single day. Folks wonder why I am so enamored with my surroundings and have no desire to travel the world. I have the world right here !!