Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves – THIRTEEN Thursday

11. March 2010 · Comments Off · Categories: Environment, Nature · Tags: , , , ,

We think we’ve got it bad – disagreements at work, arguments over parking spots, fights over the last Haagen-Dazs in the grocery freezer.  But what if you’re a wolf and a neighborhood bear wants your hard-earned breakfast kill?  What then?  Stand your ground or fight it out?  And did you see those claws?  Dear Lord, the claws!

Bears and wolves aren’t the only creatures of the wild at odds with one another, but they’re the focus of Nature’s episode entitled “Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves” produced by THIRTEEN and shown free on PBS.com.  Filmed in Yellowstone National Park, Clash gives viewers an eyeful of not only nature’s beauty but its harshness.  Life isn’t easy, even when you’re king of the forest, like the mighty grizzly.

“Clash” takes you through a few cycles of the season, following some of Yellowstone’s more popular residents as they go about the business of survival.  As is to be expected, the visuals are stunning and the footage is fascinating.  Families will enjoy this one.   It’s exciting and filled with action, and without all the jumpy editing tricks, flashy effects, and jiggling camera shots many modern documentaries resort to.  No, this one you can all watch without the Dramamine.  Younger families may prefer to have eyes covered from time to time; after all, as I told my 3 1/2 year old, Mama bear has to feed her babies too – they’re hungry!  (And for the record, my cub refused to let this Mama bear cover his eyes.  He preferred to watch and receive my explanations after.)

“Clash: Encounters of Bears and Wolves” originally aired on PBS on January 17, 2010, and can be viewed for free on PBS.org/nature or on WNET.org.  Or support the efforts of THIRTEEN by purchasing copies of this and others of the Nature series and build your family DVD library.

“Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air” Nature Series – THIRTEEN Thursdays

25. February 2010 · 3 comments · Categories: Environment, Nature · Tags: , , , ,

Welcome to Week 2 of our THIRTEEN Thursdays series.  As powerful a visual last week’s “Invasion of the Great Pythons” was, this week takes on a whole new adventure through “Nature”, as seen on PBS.  THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG offers breathtaking documentary on the lives of hummingbirdds, truly one of the more beautiful of the wildlife programs I’ve seen.  Using high-speed and infra-red cameras, “Nature” was able to gather hummingbird footage in incredible detail.  Through this footage, I was surprised to discovery that hummingbirds are even more extraordinary when viewed in slow motion, their wings moving in graceful figure-eights as their tiny iridescent feathers capture the light like fairies from another world.

“Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air” is a fabulous documentary for the entire family.  I watched with my husband and 3 1/2-year-old boy, and even my wiggly son stayed riveted to the program.  I can guarantee this is one episode we’ll be watching again and again.

If you’re looking for a big change from the average brain-numbing television programming, “Nature” on PBS is the enriching and entertaining series for you.  Too often these days, even doocumentaries have resorted to fast, flashy footage and a doomsday sensationalism to rope viewers in, but “Nature”, along with vast other worthy PBS programming, pulls viewers in the old-fashioned way – solid, brilliant and edifying documentaries that are good for the whole family.

“Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air” originally aired on January 10, 2010, and it can be viewed for free online at PBS.org/nature or WNET.org, along with over 30 other episodes of “Nature”.  Or purchase the DVD’s online and start a worthwhile family collection while supporting THIRTEEN’s work.