Walkin' on the Wild Side

Hey y'all and it's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side!  This episode, we're fawning over white-tailed deer.  These animals are some of the most recognizable and common mammals in many areas.  Whether you see them hiking, out in a field, or along side a road (yikes!), deer are one of those animals that draw mixed emotions.  They are truly amazing animals, but can be a nuisance in the back yard, ...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side!  For this episode, we're chatting about on of the most unique and interesting birds of prey, the northern harrier.  But why do they call it the grey ghost?  Well, join Marvin and Gabrielle on the, um, INSIDE, and not on the back porch as the snow and temperatures fall outside and a warm fire inside.  A perfect time to discuss this winter migrant to our area!

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Happy New Year and welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side!  We kick off 2026 with a chat about loons, those amazing and marvelous waterfowl that have probably provided more sounds for movies than just about any other bird.  These amazing birds not only have a haunting call, but they are amazingly very well adapted to their aquatic lifestyle.  Join Marvin and Gabrielle on the back porch for a fun albeit windy podcast about th...

Welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side.  Happy Holidays from Gabrielle and I, and we are in the Holiday spirit!  This episode, we talk about one of the most recognizable songs and nut (actually more like a fruit), the chestnut.  Chestnuts and Christmas just seem to go together, but sadly, because of a blight, the once dominant and massive tree that produced delicious nuts for wildlife, people, and generations of  Christmas a...

It's that time again and for this episode, we are chatting about one of the most deceptively beautiful birds that come to our area in the Fall, the cedar waxwing.  These social birds are mostly seen invading fruit trees and flying from tree to tree in large flocks.  Upon a closer look, these brown blobs suddenly reveal an amazingly beautiful bird.  With beautiful coloration, a crest on its head, and a bold black mask, these bi...

After a little hiatus and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, we're back!  We had a great time celebrating with friends and family, but are happy to be back in the podcast studio!  This episode is about some strange plants that you may have seen, but maybe didn't know what they were.  We're talking about parasitic plants, but these plants aren't your run of the mill parasites, they are funky, spooky, and f...

Here's a bonus episode!  Since we were talking about local legends, we decided to podcast from the 2025 Bigfoot Festival in Marion, NC.  Join us as we walk around the festival, talk to a few vendors and bigfoot investigators, and even listen in on a Bigfoot calling contest!  We had a great time, met some great folks, and enjoyed a great festival.  Check out the links below for more info on the festival, our "interviewees&...

Hey everyone and welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side!  We finish up our three part series on the local legends of South Carolina with one of Gabrielle's favorite legends of the Lowcountry, the Gray Man.  This legend is a prognosticator of hurricanes and landfall, often protecting the person and property he reveals himself to.  The legend started in the 1800's in Pawley's Island, SC and has persisted to this...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and we are road trippin' for  part 2 of our "Local Legends of South Carolina" series!  This time, we're up in Union County, where a local legend is well known by folks in the area, but maybe not known outside of this area of South Carolina.  Goshen Hill Plantation was the site of a settlement where a man was wrongfully hanged for a murder he did...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and while we were out on a road trip, Gabrielle had a wonderful idea to do a three part series of "Local Legends of South Carolina"!  

Our first part takes us east of Columbia near Camden.  While out on a road trip that included Buc-ee's and Swan Lake in Sumter, I wanted to share the location of our first local legend in the Scape Ore Swamp of Bishopv...

It's time for another episode and this time, we're talking about a bird that is so often heard but not seen.  Often called rain crows, due to being heard calling before approaching storms, these birds get a bad rap as nest parasites, but our yellow billed cuckoos don't that that too often.  Join us on the backporch, along with the lightning bugs, chucks, whippoorwills, and even a screech owl stops by, all to listen a...

While sitting on the porch last night, preparing to record another episode,  we heard chuck-wils-widows and whippoorwills calling and thought, why record another episode when we can bring back a blast from the past and re-post "Goatsuckers Galore", one of our first podcasts from 2021!  Join our trip down memory lane and learn about these amazing birds collectively called goatsuckers or nightjars, which include some of the...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and our second part of Wandering in Yellowstone!  Part 2 takes Gabrielle and I into the hot springs, geysers, and thermal areas of Yellowstone, as well as wandering through Lamar Valley, the Serengeti of North America.  We'll share observations of these amazing areas, some of the wildlife we saw,  as well as  some of the historic sites like Mammoth Hot Springs...

Yellowstone is America's first National Park and they couldn't have picked a better one to start off the amazing resource we have as the National Parks. It has been a dream of ours to get to this area, and here we are!  Join us for a multiple part series as we travel the beauty and natural wonders that is Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons National Park.  For part 1, we travel the Grand Teton Loop Road and wit...

Monarch butterflies are probably one of the most well known butterflies but are also have secrets that scientists have yet to crack!  Join Gabrielle and I on the back porch with special guest, Gabrielle's long-time friend from gradeschool and flower extraordinaire, Jamie Bourquin.  After planting pollinator plants in our new pollinator yard, we chat about this amazing butterfly, their incredible journey, and other fun facts th...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side!  It's hard to believe, but we've never really explored the amazing alligator.  An incredibly well adapted species that hasn't changed much from its ancestor over 200 million years ago, the American Alligator has survived two extinction events and human persecution to once again survive and thrive.  Join Marvin and Gabrielle as they chat about this m...

Hey everyone, it's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side Podcast!  For this episode, we're ringing in Spring with the bells, the OCONEE BELLS (Shortia galacifolia)!  Spring has sprung, as you learned from our last episode.  However, it wouldn't be spring without the Oconee Bells!  This beautiful but small wildflower is one of the earliest blooming spring ephemerals in the Appalachians, is quite ra...

Spring has sprung here in the Southeast and the chan changes are all around us!  Have you ever stopped to think why spring even happens?  What are the changes happening and what triggers these changes around us?  Join Marvin and Gabrielle on the back porch as they talk about the changes around them and what causes the blooming, frogs calling, birds singing, and more as spring is, well, springing!

Here are some websites for more info...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side!  This time, we're chatting about good ol' Ricky Raccoon.  These little mammals are probably one of the most recognizable mammals in North America and most people either love 'em or hate 'em!  These little masked bandits are fun to watch and it's easy to be amazed at their ability to open almost any trashcan and figure out latches, locks, a...