Reub's journey

23 March 2015

Trail cam fun



 A year ago I was gifted with a trail camera, and for the longest time it was mounted at the back of our yard, focused on the path beyond the fence. There have been a lot of photos of Ed and Reub and myself because we're out there all the time.



 Still, it was worth it just to see who else shares that space. Here the local population of turkeys sneaks into the back yard on one of those mornings when the dogs are napping at my feet in the house.




 Disappointed mountain bikers, who had probably hoped to find a way further up into the hills.




 Quite a few deer, hurrying past.




Finally, when I found the fresh carcass of a turkey not far back in the trees, I decided to move the camera to see if it would capture one of the likely predators lurking there. Heh. I wonder whose terrier this is?



First diner to appear was a possum.


Second to show up was a raccoon. But wait...is that just possibly... the crouching shape of a bobcat on the right, in front of the little fir? No, it seems too small, and anyway the bobcat is extremely camera shy. Hmmm.

 Recently I moved the camera to the edge of a grassy clearing. The first visitor was a young doe.



 She makes her way up the path.




 She pauses.





 Maybe she notices the blink of a light as the camera takes its shots.



 She investigates!



 Becomes bored.



 Hogs the lens for almost 3 minutes. The camera-driven by its motion sensor-merrily takes this shot over and over.



 At last she ambles away.



 The next day introduces the first fawn of 2015. I have yet to see this little guy, but the camera knows he's there. I'm really enjoying the camera's new location! Who cares if I can't seem to capture a big cat? I release myself from the pressure of having to photograph exotic megafauna in my back yard.



 And then, guess who shows up? Here is the bobcat, at last, passing through in the moonless night. Hello Kitty. I am delighted.



I expect the bobcat comes this way a lot, and the camera tells me why.

29 comments:

  1. love these surprises (except for the mountain bikers and errant pup). great deer shots and turkeys, and big kitty!

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    1. Thanks, twg. I can't blame the bikers for checking out the possibility of a through-way, because I wish there were a way through the private land here, too. Still wonder who that little white dog was, though.

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  2. That is really cool!! How exciting to capture the bobcat.

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    1. Right? The camera takes 2 shots every time it's triggered, but the cat dashed out of sight before the 2nd shot was taken, so I'm lucky to have gotten this.

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  3. What a delight; what a delight! I live near the Fairgrounds here in Eugene, and am amazed at all the wildlife I've seen over the years. Raccoons by the dozen, nutria, kingfishers, blue herons, river otters in the tiny Amazon, wild turkeys in my backyard, and lots more. Now, sad to say, the neighborhood is overrun by cats, so the snakes are all dead, and I rarely even see a squirrel.

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    1. I would LOVE to watch some river otters. Man, that would be cool. Also I've been thinking about shinnying up a tree to mount the camera there for some bird shots.
      Cats kill snakes? Didn't know that. That's not good.

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    2. I've seen cats with snakes, birds, and baby squirrels in their mouths. This is why I can't support people who neuter feral cats and then turn them loose again.

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    3. Agree. Also why our two cats aren't allowed to set foot outside. I once had a set-to with an Audubon Society member who let her cats out all the time. Cats are a serious threat to songbirds, and it's preventable.

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    4. We too have an indoor-only cat. I worried about how he would adjust, but he's going on five and has been with us nearly all his life without appearing to be unhappy or making any serious effort to get outside. The only time I even take him out in the car is to pick Peggy up at the airport once a year. As for the Audubon Society person, I'm appalled.

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  4. This is great! Love all those deer selfies.

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    1. "Deer selfies"!!!!!! That's what they are, isn't it? Haha!

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  5. I have had fun watching around the farm.

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    1. I bet you see some of the same things that I do.

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  6. Your captures are all so great. I have all my cameras pointed toward my house and barn for protection. Haven't caught any neat photos lately. Maybe I need to point just one towards the woods. Not sure I would want to know that a bobcat was lurking however:-)

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    1. If you don't look you'll never know...but maybe that's just fine!

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  7. I loved the photo of the deer. Beautiful. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Thank you! We have a lot of deer around here, but not usually that close-up.

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  8. Great post Kerry.Clandestinely captured a number of creatures which would have otherwise missed.Sounds like get quite a number of interesting visitors in your back yard.

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    1. Yes RR, it is a bit surprising to have such a wide variety so close to town, isn't it?

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  9. How cool! Finally got the bobcat. A friend of mine has one of those cameras but he hasn't captured anything as exotic as your bobcat.

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    1. Well it's taken over a year. And I knew there was probably one out there, but they are so secretive. I had seen its paw print a few weeks ago & placed the camera nearby. Now for a cougar, or at least some coyotes!

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  10. That is fun. Might be good at the cottage, but I suppose wind activates it a lot?

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    1. You would think that wind would activate it, but for some reason it almost never does. I don't know why.

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  11. What a fun experiment with the trail camera. I'd love to have one of those in my yard just to see what lurks in the night. Great post!

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    1. ooooh I wonder what lurks in the night down there in Louisiana; it its anything like what you see during the day, it's got to be good.

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  12. You will be surprised as to what your trail camera can capture especially at night. Ha ha

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Talk to me.