Few of us probably spend as much
time as we would like enjoying the outdoors. We just have too many other
responsibilities – work, chores, meal prep, family time – to make extra time
for relaxing and observing the natural world around us.
I likely spend more time than most staring out the
back window at the trees and lawn and bird feeders – more time than I care to
admit – and still I wish I could do it more. Because for every minute I’m not
watching, there is probably an animal doing something interesting that I’m
missing.
That’s why I was especially excited to receive a motion-activated
trail camera for Christmas a couple years ago. It allows me to document the
comings and goings of wildlife when I’m not paying attention to those
activities myself. And the images the camera provides are insightful.
For instance, deer are much more
abundant in my area than I ever imagined. I typically see a deer or two
wandering the woods and fields along my road about every other month, and
yet
my camera detects deer strolling through the forest behind my house almost
daily. And it’s not always the same animal, either. I’ve had pictures of
six-point bucks, speckled fawns, groups of three and four antlerless deer, and
one unique individual with a distinctive mark on its rump.
The photos aren’t exactly magazine
quality images, however. More often than not they just show a deer’s backside
as it walks away from the camera, or a close-up of an ear or nose as the animal
investigates the camera. Once, though, it captured a late-night shot of a deer
on its hind legs, apparently trying to nibble on some leaves over its head.
The camera often captures images of
other forest dwellers as well. Fishers are apparently regular visitors to my
yard, as are coyotes, raccoons and red and gray foxes. I almost never see those
animals except as images on the trail cam.
Most often, the pictures show one of these
creatures dashing across the path where I’ve set up the camera, but sometimes
they’re doing something more interesting. They occasionally seem to pause and
stare right into the camera, as if they’re posing. Or they’re sitting down and
scratching an itch or chewing on a morsel they’ve just discovered.
The most fun images are those that I can’t quite
figure out at first glance. They test my identification skills when all that’s
visible is a distant furry blob or a tail just disappearing from view.
Fast moving animals are especially challenging,
because they often just look like a digital blur. Is that night-time image – showing
a long streak that appears to be well-above ground level – an owl or a flying
squirrel? Or maybe it’s just a falling branch. Is that hazy long-tailed thing a
fox or coyote? I enjoy sharing those images with friends on Facebook to help ID
the animals.
And then there are the pictures that seem to show
nothing at all. Maybe the movement of a leaf or branch triggered the camera. Or
maybe some creature is there after all but it’s too well camouflaged for me to
see it.
As fun as it is to watch backyard wildlife
remotely via a trail cam, the best picture it captured was of an abominable
snowman. At least that’s what I call the winter shot of my wife strolling
through the woods trying to avoid the camera.
No comments:
Post a Comment