Woodland Coyotes

Coyotes are the most prolific predators in America. My daughter regularly saw them in Portland residential areas. In Minnesota they are usually seen running for their lives since they are shot on sight in rural areas. These two camera trap clips show them in a more relaxed setting. In the second one you can hear a turkey scolding it.

Following Mom

I just checked the cards on my camera traps and found lots of activity, including the pesky ants that have taken up residence on one of them. Summer is a notoriously bad for trapping with the high weeds obscuring the animals. I found an intermittently wet pool that is free of weeds and set up a couple cameras a few weeks ago. Over the three weeks since I checked it there has been a nice variety of animals passing in front of the cameras.

Technical: The back lighting is from the second camera which is placed at a right angle to the other one.

Fawn in the Rain

I checked my camera trap today and found an ant colony had taken up residence in its nooks and crannies. They were only on the outside but clearly messed up a large number of images as they moved across the camera lens during the last 3 weeks. I have heard of this happening but it was a first for me. I'm not sure how to prevent it either. Fortunately they had not messed up the best video on the card.

Trapped!

I have been camera trapping for several years, each year refining my technique a little bit. Last year I concentrated on better staging using a level and placing the camera with a good background (stage) for the animals. After using different techniques over the years there seems to be no need for attractants and scent blockers, either the set is in a good location or it is not. My thanks goes to the MN DNR, Scientific and Natural Areas Program, for permission to put these cameras on public land.

Highlights of 2016 (about 3 1/2 minutes):

 

Monday Morning Stretch

After a family filled weekend it is time to get back to normal. What better way than a stretch, although walking might be a little slippery. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Weasel and Rabbit

 

It's camera trapping season again! This location was good for skunks and rabbits last spring so I thought I would try it again. No skunks so far but the weasel was a real surprise. This a summary of a week's worth of activity. Hope to have more when I check it again. I usually wait at least a week between visits to minimize my scent.

Technical: slow motion at 50% was used for a couple short intervals of weasel activity

Mirror, mirror. . .

This female mallard seems to be preening in front of the camera as if it is a mirror while the male waits patiently. This interpretation might have been influenced by raising two daughters.

Skunk Dance

I have been so busy taking spring woodland photos that editing is getting behind. I pulled a couple camera trap cards yesterday and just have to share this skunk dance. I'm sure there is a good reason for this behavior, other than to clean its feet in the leaves.

Back to editing.

I smell something.

I'm moving on from ears to the nose. This guy stopped in front of the camera one morning and knew something was up but couldn't localize the the camera.

Technical: I stopped using scent blockers a few years ago and use time to degrade human scent. A camera is left in place at least a week before being checked and frequently for several weeks. It will be interesting to see if he is more relaxed the next time he passes by.

Two Raccoons Meet

One of the joys of photography is recording events that others may not see. Another joy is recording something that is a mystery, a least to me. I'm sure there are biologists that are familiar with this behavior but it is a mystery to me. If only I could read their minds...

Technical: The gap in recording is a function of "dynamic" video feature on the camera. When this feature is selected  a pause in action stops the recording saving battery power and memory, however, it can make for uneven video. I have since disabled this feature.

Hunger or Curiosity?

 

Is it hunger or just curiosity that caused these deer to investigate the camera? I think it is interesting to see the difference in behavior between these does and the buck shown on a previous blog post. Which is it? . . . I can only guess.

True Beauty of Nature

 

I usually try to record beauty and perfection in nature ignoring its imperfections. A perfect specimen always gets my attention, whether it is a trophy deer or wildflower at peak bloom. This otherwise healthy buck is an example of survival in an imperfect world. The beauty here is its ability to adapt, survive, and thrive. Isn't that the beauty of our lives as well?

Scent Post

 

Some of us read the local news each morning. Coyotes check their scent posts for the latest  information. Occasionally the news is updated.

Technical: Reconyx Ultrafire cameras are placed in selected Scientific and Natural Areas under a special permit from the MN DNR.

A Wily coyote?

 

We tend to give animals human characteristics, frequently based on fictional stories. Think about the wily coyote in the Road Runner cartoons. Native Americans give the coyote supernatural properties. As with  humans generalizations can be misleading. This guy looks anything but wily or supernatural.

Winter Coat

Not needed today. The longer it stays warm the happier this guy will be. Red squirrels and grays tend to sleep in cold weather but fox squirrels are out most of the winter, benefiting from more fur and body fat. The red squirrels we see at feeders are taking advantage of a free meal and in the process giving us a few hours of entertainment.

Three blind mice

The title is the first thought that comes to mind when I see this camera trap image. When watching them scurry around I can understand how that term was coined. There was near constant motion for around this pile acorns nestled at the base of the log. About 2500 files were captured over a 2 week period. The task of reviewing them for unique content or other creatures has been completed so now the fun of putting a video together is the next step.  It will be M rated, definitely not for those who are squeamish at the sight of a mouse.

Fox squirrel at the knot

I love this pose. Squirrels frequently stopped for a picture on their in and out of this log. Shots coming out are much more appealing than those going in. I thing these are the second most colorful animals in the woods with the red fox being number one. I have yet to capture one of those in a camera trap here. That seeks to their scarcity in the habitat or extreme shyness. My guess is the former.

Technical: It could be argued the squirrel is centered but I think the composition works because of the depth provided by the distant trees.

Gray Squirrel Framed

A little light on blogging recently but should be getting into the swing of it again. I was unable to get my camera trap for a couple weeks and had a few thousand files to review, among other things. Most files were mice at night but a few were squirrels during the day. This hollow log is a treasure chest for squirrels where they eat acorns while sheltered from the weather and birds of prey.
Technical: still image from Reconyx Ultrafire, medium tone curve in Lightroom and slight sharpening.

Are you done?

Getting two animals interacting in a single frame is always exciting. Their communication is left to the imagination and creativity of each viewer. How would you title this image? If you are interested in creative squirrel photography follow this link: The Secret Life of Squirrels

Camera trapping

I start camera trapping this time of year and have just finished the preliminary edit of over 2000 files. I think I left in location too long. This hollow log was the site of all the activity. While I am determining a story line for a short video I'll share some of the more interesting clips. The trap is set up in an area where travel or activity is likely and left in place for at least a week. This location was used for almost 2 weeks with over 90% of the recorded activity from field mice at night. No lures or bait is used.