Watching Wildlife

While many of us are content to gaze at our glass, porcelain, sculpted, or carved animal menageries, the real thing is not very far away, according to wildlife biologist Dave Case. In fact, armed with a good pair of binoculars (and 7 x 35 fits the bill nicely), a couple wildlife viewing guides, and a tank of gas, folks whose notions about wildlife were all garnered from watching Nature can see wildlife au naturel, so to speak. Beautiful cinematography highlights Case's visits to sites in Oregon (watching cormorants and harbor seals), Michigan (home of the rare and melodic Kirtland's warbler), Colorado (where off-road spotting telescopes have been set up for people to watch bighorn sheep, as opposed to participating in 5-car pile-ups on the highway), and Indiana (wandering around a farm--with permission, of course--can reveal many creatures great and small). In addition to pointing out the natural wonders, Watching Wildlife is also filled with good tips and techniques for maximizing one's viewing pleasure (except for the rather ridiculously self-evident observation that ‘deer and elk tracks always point in the direction they're headed'). Although Falcon Press's wildlife viewing guides are hawked at the end of the show, the pitch is low-key. Lovely sights, solid advice, and a good reminder about wildlife conservation add up to an enjoyable half-hour that should put some viewers on the trail in search of critters. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)