A highway in the woods

Logs are irresistible to kids.  They want to sit on them, roll them over, and above, all use them as a balance beam. 

This desire to walk on logs seems to cross the boundary between species.

These three images were all captured over the course of a single night. 

This log seems to be a highway for young Virginia Opossums - more than ten pictures over the course of a month.

The Red Fox also is a regular (although less frequent) user of this log.

The Northern Raccoon uses the log as a walkway, but much less frequently.

Trail camera pictures (23 Feb through 06 Mar)

It's been three weeks since I have posted any photos from my trail cameras.  About 10 days ago I placed both cameras out in one of the local parks along wildlife trails.  Yesterday I went out and switched out the memory cards for the cameras (while leaving the cameras in place).

Camera #1
This camera is located in the same place as my first set of images from late January.  I already knew from the first set of pictures that a lot of wildlife uses this area and hoped to get some good pictures.  The camera is just far enough from the trail that animals don't seem to be bother by it, although I did have a opossum or raccoon check it out at night from close range.  Species diversity was about the same as the first set of pics.

Virginia Opossums (Didelphus virginiana) showed up several different nights.  One night a pair showed up on the camera together.

Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) also showed up on the camera several times...

As did several leaping squirrels.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) showed up every day on the camera, either as individuals or in small groups.  The most to appear on the camera at one time was six deer.

I did have one new species show up on this camera.  This species was one that I was hoping to get images of and I was not disappointed.  What is this mystery species?

It's the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) of course!  I have seen numerous turkeys in this park but have never been close enough to get a clear photograph.  This is where trail cameras are awesome!  I had turkeys show up several times.

A lone tom showed up once...

So did a pair of toms...

And a flock of hens and last year's chicks.  A young male would be known as a jake, and (I just learned this) a young female is a jenny.

Camera #2
My second camera was placed along a trail about 50 yards from the first camera.  While it is possible that an animal might show up on one camera and then appear on the other camera a short time later, it is more likely that each camera will record distinct animals as the cameras are set along parallel trails.

The first camera is set up to record pictures in three shot bursts (spaced one second apart).  This second camera does not have that option and only records on image at a time.  Therefore, there were a lot less pictures on this camera

This camera recorded many of the same species as the other camera.

Northern Raccoons appeared on two separate nights; one night as an individual and another night as a pair.

A couple of squirrels showed up on this camera too...

As did several deer...

Including one small buck that is still holding on to its antlers.

For me the best image captured on this camera was the first one it recorded.  That's a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) in the picture below.  I don't necessarily have a favorite bird, but if I did the Pileated Woodpecker would be in the running.  I get excited every time I see one.  A close encounter with a Pileated Woodpecker is one of my all-time favorite bird sightings.

The cameras are still in place.  Who knows what will show up on them the next time I check...

First trail camera pictures

One of my 2016 Christmas gifts was a trail/game camera.  Over the weekend I put it out for the first time in a secluded area of one of the local parks.  This morning I went to retrieve it.  Here are a few of the images it recorded.  Nothing too exciting, but I have high hopes that I will see more in the future.

Grey Squirrel (center) and Downy Woodpecker (right, on log)

 

Grey Squirrel (black-phase)

Northern Raccoon

Virginia Opossum

White-tailed Deer

Each of the animals in the photos were seen on multiple dates, with the exception of the woodpecker.  The two squirrels appeared every day, but never together.  The raccoon and opossum both showed up on two separate nights.  The pair of deer showed up on three separate days, but only in low light.  A solo deer (not shown in any of the pictures) appeared once during the daytime.

Overall the camera was triggered more than forty times over the five days it was set up and recorded more than one hundred twenty images - the camera was set up to take a three-image burst any time it was triggered.  The five species above were the only ones recorded.