Growing up in the desert, I was always the kid catching bugs and lizards and snakes, and studying EVERYTHING.
I currently live in the LA area, raise Monarchs, I have crows that call me out to feed them in the mornings, and at our house in the hills we see raccoons, squirrels, foxes, bobcats, cougars, owls, hawks, and we even had a bear! Among many other things of course.