Whether in our own backyard or across the plains of Africa, four-legged creatures have learned to co-exist with humans or migrate to safer pastures. In the new episodes of PBS’ Nature this month, we will explore The Private Life of Deer on Wednesday the 8th and The Great Zebra Exodus on Wednesday the 15th.

The Private Life of Deer

The Washington, D.C. area is home to many Whitetailed deer, which enjoy eating our gardens, hopping into oncoming traffic, and slipping into the woods of our local parks. In the past century, the deer population has increased from less than a million to almost 30 million as of today. In an effort to document this ever increasing species, footage was acquired in unique ways throughout the country. In one segment, residents of Cayuga Heights, NY were given video equipment to document populations in their area, while in another segment; small cameras were strapped to the backs to wild deer. The footage acquired provides unprecedented insight into the lives of our furry neighbors. Watch the trailer!

Nature: The Private Life of Deer airs Wednesday, May 8 at 8:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD. Also Airs Thursday, May 9 at 2:00pm.

The Great Zebra Exodus

Traveling with family can be complicated, especially when it seems like everyone’s moving in a different direction. But can you imagine voyaging with 20,000 of your closest kin? Follow the story of one zebra family, a stallion, his three mares and their offspring, traveling with the herd in Southern Africa’s biggest animal migration. Taking place every year across the Kalahari’s Makgadikgadi Pans, this trek to grass and water tests the social bonds that hold zebra families together. Watch the trailer!

Nature: The Great Zebra Exodus airs Wednesday, May 15 at 8:00pm on WETA TV26 & HD. Also Airs Thursday, May 16 at 2:00pm.

We’re taking summer vacation a little early with a trip to the ocean deep, the red hills, and the hot sun of Australia! We invite you to join us on this educational and breathtaking journey to the land where the formation of Earth itself began in the four part mini-series from NOVA: Australia: First 4 Billion Years. Scientists share some of the earliest life that inhabited the planet from giant kangaroos to deadly reptiles, and prehistoric crustaceans. See you Wednesdays at 9:00pm on WETA!    

Read the full article to watch trailers of the series!

Australia is most recognized for its unusual creatures and outback terrain but it is also home to some of the oldest remains of early life known to Earth. Awakening, part one, starts in Western Australia where scientists take a look at how the planet was transformed.  NOVA and host Richard Smith take us on a journey through the Land Down Under where we get acquainted with a bacterial slime that inhabited the continent and could be one of the earliest life forms known to the planet.

In this episode of Australia’s First 4 Billion Years, host Richard Smith uncovers how creatures traveled from the ocean floor to dry land. Ancient fossils unveil how these prehistoric animals took over a once lifeless land and brought it alive. Armor-plated fish and invading arthropods were just a few of the unusual ocean dwellers that journeyed to the shorelines in order to help change the face of the Earth.  But not all creatures can live peacefully together.  Watch NOVA: Australia’s First 4 Billion Years: Life Explodes airs April 17 at 9:00pm & April 18 at 3:00pm.

Over 250 million years ago, Australia was a host for some of the largest and most perilous creatures to roam the planet.  In episode three, Monsters, Richard Smith brings viewers up-close and personal with some of these prehistoric creatures in order to reveal why they were considered the monsters of their time. Kronosaurus was an aquatic creature that received its name from the greek god Kronos and had a skull twice as long as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, making it a top predator.  Scientists also reveal that these ancient reptiles were in fact not alone; mammals such as the duckbilled platypus shared the land as well. 

In the final episode of this series, NOVA and host Richard Smith uncover the true ancestors of Australia.  Smith reveals the last 65 million years that formed the Land Down Under into the lone but wildlife filled continent it is today.  Before humans and the formation of the Great Barrier Reef, strange creatures such as giant kangaroos, massive koalas and oversized wombats once roamed the land.  With their dominant size, these large marsupials truly exemplify the origin of Australia.  Watch NOVA: Australia’s First 4 Billion Years: Strange Creatures May 1 at 9:00pm & May 2 at 3:00pm.

With spring finally here, what better way to get in touch with wildlife and the great outdoors than to watch two brand new Nature episodes?  First, we explore the secret life of plants and their ability to communicate in Nature: What Plants Talk About.  Then we plunge into the water for an episode about a mysterious and unknown creature from the deep in Nature: The Mystery of Eels.

Read the full article to watch trailers of these episodes!

Plants have been on Earth longer than almost any other organism on the planet.  They may not have a brain or eyes but in an all new Nature: What Plants Talk About, scientists discover that plants have the ability to engage with their surroundings as animals do.  Join Nature scientists as they perform a variety of studies revealing plant-to-plant communication, the ability to nurture seedlings, selection of hosts, and even violent defenses.  Watch Nature: What Plants Talk About on WETA and take a sneak peek into the underground world of plants. 

There is a lot more to the elegant eels than meets the eye. Writer and conservationist James Prosek takes viewers on a journey around the world to reveal how eels live out their lives.  Prosek travels from the Maori of New Zealand where eels are admired for being mythical guardians to the ocean deep of Maine, where fishermen have created a multi-billion dollar business from eel fishing.  But with the threat of over-fishing and obstacles that eels face for reproduction, is it too late to learn about this prehistoric aquatic creature?  Watch Nature: The Mystery of Eels to find out.

Your impression of Earth has a lot to do with your vantage point. This week WETA invites you to view our planet from two extreme locations. We begin in Wood Buffalo National Park with the premiere of Nature: Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo at 8:00pm and then travel to outer space with the premiere of the two-hour special NOVA: Earth from Space at 9:00pm. Join WETA TV26 & WETA HD this Wednesday as we experience nature at ground level and from far above.

Click here to watch video previews of these new shows!

Nature: Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo

Before humans’ westward expansion, wolves and buffalo roamed all over the North American plains. Now, as civilization has spread across the continent, these animals have been pushed from their former habitat and have taken refuge in the Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Canada. In this week’s new Nature episode, filmmaker Jeff Turner follows the interactions of buffalo and one pack of wolves in their fight for survival. Click here to view PBS Nature's "Wolf versus Buffalo" infographic to match up the competitors!

Watch Nature: Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo on WETA TV26 & WETA HD Wednesday, February 13 at 8:00pm. Also airs Thursday at 2:00pm & Monday at 2:30pm

NOVA: Earth from Space

NOVA is taking the phrase “take a step back” to entirely new heights. On Wednesday, take a few steps up into outer space to gain a complete understanding of the planet Earth. In this brand new, special two-hour episode, NOVA uses real-time data from satellites to create animated visuals showing how one force of nature affects the rest of the planet. See how you fit into the big picture of this complex world at 9:00pm!  

Watch NOVA: Earth from Space on WETA TV26 & WETA HD Wednesday, February 13 at 9:00pm. Also airs Thursday at 3:00pm

This wild Washington, DC weather can make anyone want to get out of town! Alas, dropping everything to ship off to the tropics for a week isn’t much of a reality. Instead, take a month-long vacation around the world with WETA because this February, we have a wide selection of television shows that will take you to some fantastic places without having to leave your couch. Read on for your travel itinerary!

Watch video previews of all these shows by reading the full article!

To the west of the Serengeti and Lake Victoria, beyond the misty mountains of the Rift Valley, lies the second largest river system on earth: the Congo. This vast arena - the size of Europe - is home to an array of wildlife richer and more varied than any other region of Africa and yet it is hardly known. Today, parts of the Congo still remain inhospitable and virtually inaccessible. In a television first, the Natural History Unit has been given unprecedented access to film in this region and you can experience it on WETA TV26 & WETA HD.

February 3 at 1:30am

Globe Trekker is a regular WETA series in which show hosts delve into the culture of both known and unknown locations in the world. Each episode is a window into a foreign scene and this month, we’re going to some exciting locations on WETA TV26 & WETA HD!

As one of Britain's favorite attractions, Chatsworth draws more than one million visitors each year. This three-part series follows the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the Dowager Duchess, and the lively characters that make up the 700-person staff at Chatsworth House. The documentary camera crew was given unprecedented access to the 30,000 acre Peak District estate making this a unique television experience on WETA TV26 & WETA HD.

Mondays February 18 & 25 at 8:00pm

February 5 at 9:00pm & February 6 at 4:00pm 

February 6 at 8:00pm & February 7 at 2:00pm & February 11 at 2:30pm 

Say Aloha to Hawaii with the WETA Movie: Hawaii (1966)

February 19 at 8:00pm & February 20 at 4:00pm

In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the disaster and NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance, we take time to learn about the astronaut Colonel Ilan Ramon who was prepared to travel as far as any human can go: outer space. On WETA TV26 & WETA HD.

Take a look at what WETA television has to offer this January! Read show descriptions, watch video previews, and let us know in the comments what you’re most excited to see! Our channel guide is below so you can find and watch WETA TV26 & WETA HD in your DC, MD, or VA home!

Subscribe to our blog and return next week to find out when you can catch up on season 2 of Downton Abbey before the season 3 premiere on WETA January 6! 

Great Performances From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013

Tuesday January 1 at 8:00pm & Wednesday at 3:00pm

Continue the tradition of ringing in the New Year with host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein. Experience guest conductor Franz Welser-Most and the Strauss family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.

Life on Fire

Wednesdays at 10:00pm beginning January 2

Get a close up look at volcanoes, a never seen before look at their effect on the environment around them. Each episode of Life on Fire paints survival stories around different volcanoes. Each time a volcano erupts, animals have a choice: face the consequences or flee. Fragile and engaging, these creatures teach us lessons in survival in a world as fascinating as it is dangerous.

Midsomer Murders III & IV

Thursday evenings beginning January 3 | Repeats Friday afternoons

The rural countryside of a fictional county in England provides the backdrop for this crime series based on the novels of Caroline Graham. A lush visual style, quirky characters and ubiquitous red herrings recall classic public television British mysteries of the past. At the center of the Midsomer Murders investigations is Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. Episodes begin at either 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on the length of the previous show. Click here to check when Midsomer Murders is on WETA TV26 & HD!

Life of Mammals 

Two episodes back-to-back Mondays at 9:00pm beginning January 7 | Repeat Tuesdays at 4:00pm

David Attenborough introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth, from the smallest to the largest. This is the story of 4,000 species which have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth, dry or wet, hot or cold.

Pioneers of Television 

Tuesdays at 8:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 4:00pm & Sundays at 4:00pm

This series transports viewers behind the scenes for a revealing look at the inception of specific aspects of television history: Late Night shows, Funny Ladies, Prime Time Soaps, Superheroes.

American Experience: The Abolitionists

Tuesdays at 9:00pm beginning January 8 | Repeat Wednesdays at 3:00pm

Bringing to life the intertwined stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown, The Abolitionists takes place during some of the most violent and contentious decades in American history, amid white-hot religious passions that set souls on fire, and bitter debates over the meaning of the Constitution and the nature of race. The show reveals how the movement shaped history by exposing the fatal flaw of a republic founded on liberty for some and bondage for others, setting the nation on a collision course. In the face of personal risks -- beatings, imprisonment, even death -- abolitionists held fast to their cause, laying the civil rights groundwork for the future and raising weighty constitutional and moral questions that are with us still.

Midsomer Murders V 

Sundays at 7:30pm - 9:00pm beginning January 13

In this crime drama, Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby of the Causton C.I.D. is a terse, down-to-earth detective who faces many ingenious and remarkable murders. These are not repeats of the Thursday night episodes. This is season 5!

Call the Midwife

Sundays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 13

This moving, intimate, funny, and true-to-life series, based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, tells colorful stories of midwifery and families in London’s East End in the 1950s. Jenny Lee, a young woman raised in the wealthy English countryside, has chosen to become a nurse and now, as a newly qualified midwife, has gone to work in the poorest area of the city. Attached to an order of nursing nuns at Nonnatus House, Jenny is part of a team of women who minister to expectant mothers, many of whom give birth at home in appalling conditions. The drama follows Jenny as she meets her patients and learns to love the people who live in the East End.

Shakespeare Uncovered

Fridays at 10:00pm & 11:00pm beginning January 25 | Repeat Sundays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm

Six episodes combine history, biography, iconic performances, new analysis and the personal passion of its celebrated hosts — Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson and David Tennant — to tell the story behind the stories of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Each episode combines interviews with actors, directors and scholars, along with visits to key locations, clips from some of the most celebrated film and television adaptations, and illustrative excerpts from the plays specially staged for the series at Shakespeare's Globe in London.