March 3-14 2012

Over 70 pictures taken by the camera over the past two weeks. Below are the pictures that included wildlife:

 bird perched on the branch, upper right

squirrel visiting a snag cavity, upper left

Alas, every other picture was either of people--adults walking their dogs or students from the nearby school--or of plants swaying in the wind. Plenty of windy days as the temperature swung back and forth between seasonable and near-tropical levels. Over time I'm sure this contributed to the coming apart of the suspect edifice of branches I had created to obscure the camera from passers-by. Only three wind-related shots taken at night, which was a disappointing surprise. 

Over half the pictures on the memory card were taken on Wednesday afternoon, when the camera was finally discovered by a couple of kids from the school. Friends were called, poses were struck, and finally a gum wrapper was placed over the sensor putting an end to the proceedings. Prior to this a dog walker also noticed the camera and took a close look. As a rule I don't post pictures of peoples' faces on this blog, particularly children, but here's a flavor of what went down Wednesday:

here comes trouble

that's a wrap

On the bright side, the camera wasn't damaged or stolen. I figured it would be discovered eventually, the snag seemed so perfect as a site it seemed worth the risk. The lack of wildlife photos and night time photos was a bummer. Moving the camera back into the deeper woods, away from prying eyes. Specifically where I haven't decided yet. 

February 26-29 2012

Very quick visit near dusk in a driving snowstorm to check on the camera in its new risky location. The good news is that the camera was still there and had 21 pictures on it. The bad news is that the subjects in the photos were almost all people and the camera lens was encrusted with snow. To top it off the batteries were depleted and I didn't have replacement batteries with me meaning I had to take the camera with me and will be putting it back tonight.

Given the proximity to the school and ball field I was fully expecting to get some people shots but given the scruffy appearance of the snag I had hoped there'd be some wildlife traffic as well. No such luck, at least so far.

 Did they notice the camera? Apparently not, or if they did they paid it little mind

 something casting a shadow on the right behind the pine needles

less shadow in this one

As mentioned earlier, the weather turned with a multi-part wintry mix extravaganza, such that by the time I got there there was a couple of inches on the ground. No tracks though, and the wind pushing snow around would have wiped out anything regardless. 

snow will likely be gone by Sunday morning with rain in the forecast

While I'm not doing this to get pictures of people walking through the woods, I'll leave the camera in this spot for a couple more weeks because the snag is so compelling. 

No ticks given the weather and quick hitter nature of the visit. YTD tick total remains 47.