CreekWeek Update: Suddenly It Was Worth all the Aggravation!

At noon today I headed up the creek to retrieve the cameras and move them - only to have it almost immediately start raining on me. I grabbed all three cams and headed back to the house, almost laughing at how a very frustrating week was ending with me soaking wet and another plan foiled. After drying myself a bit, I found this - and all was well in the universe again!

(Looks like I need to reset the AM/PM indicator on the cam's clock...and the year!)

Creek Week Ends Early

I've given up. This was simply the wrong week to move the cameras to the creek. Here is the only picture even remotely interesting from yesterday. Look half-way down the left edge of the photo and you will see a brown blur of something flying out of the image. There have been some sort of wood ducks hanging around this location; I'm guessing that's what caused the camera to snap. Weather-permitting, I'll move the cameras sometime today and hope for something worth posting tomorrow.

Pretty Much Nothing

One of the hazards of moving cameras is that you may select dead zones where there is little activity...which is exactly what I've done. Here's a rather unimpressive photo of a raccoon...

...and a very unimpressive photo of a crow...

...and the first appearance of Buddy, the other farm dog, who must have heard that Cyrus made it on the blog the other day.


And that's all folks. The other two cameras had absolutely nothing. I hope to have something worth posting tomorrow.

Another Day of Transition

Moved the last two cameras to the creek Monday, so the first two pics below are the last from them before the move. I like the balancing act the squirrel is doing as he peers up the path.

You may want to enlarge this one - but it's my best photo yet of the mystery bird with the two yellow racing stripes on its head. Doesn't anyone out there know a bird watcher who could identify this bird for me?

May 4, 2009 update: My friend Christine has identified the bird as a white-throated sparrow, and until someone convinces me otherwise, I'm saying she's correct. Thanks, Chris!

This isn't a very good picture, and it will definitely help to enlarge it. A mystery bird in the foreground and a mystery critter up the creek a ways (a squirrel?)


Certainly no doubt about the identification of this one. Caw! Caw!

Well, all four cams are now set up along the creek - just in time for thunderstorms to arrive.

Transition Day

Before starting CreekWeek, a couple more new birds showed up after I ended last week's challenge. I can't identify either of them - anyone? (I know the blue jay in the 2nd photo, it's the other one, that appears to have a rust or copper colored neck, that puzzles me.)


I also had only one camera near the creek over the weekend, and will move the others Monday, so for now, all I have to share is a picture of Cyrus, one of my landlord's dogs, and a too-close photo of a turkey.

It WAS hot here Friday, but not 102 degrees.

One of these Photos Should Make You Laugh!

Nice close-up of a turkey's head - but this is not the funny one.

Nice image of a bird-in-flight...but this is not the funny one either. Pay attention, though, to the brown vertical pieces of wood/stump in the lower left quadrant of the photo.

Now my cameras have caught images of chipmunks scurrying across the ground, and images of them standing up...but I have NEVER seen one sitting on a 'chair' before! A good one to enlarge - it cracks me up. Have a great weekend.

Challenge/Day 5/End of Story

I had over 250 new pictures yesterday, but only one new species...some bird from the sparrow family...so I've failed the challenge. Though I made some mistakes and was hampered by rain and wind, it was fun and a learning experience, so I'll try it again some day. Next week will be Creek Week, as I plan to move all 4 cameras down to the water's edge.

Challenge/Day 4/Made It...Barely

By my count, it rained at least 5 times Wednesday and even sleeted on me while in the woods. I did get 3 new entries (and ONLY 3) for the challenge, but first, a deer photo to replace the lousy one from earlier in the week.
Peak wind gusts were 39 mph on Wednesday, so there were not many bird photos. Fortunately I did get this lone cardinal.
Any other week, I'd have a hundred chipmunk photos, but here is the first one the cameras caught this week.
It only seems appropriate that the challenge's turkey photo would be Ms. Hopper. She picked the right day to show up at a camera!
My friend Don predicted I would fail in this challenge -- and I'm starting to believe he will be correct. The weather is supposed to be much nicer the next two days, but unless I get real lucky with a number of different birds, it's going to be tough. (I still need 3 new ones for Friday's post AND 3 more for the weekend post - the planned last day of the challenge.)

There are certainly more animals out there, but I have yet to get my first photo of a groundhog or a skunk, and it's extremely rare for the cams to catch a fox or coyote. We'll see...

Challenge/Day 3/Rain Rain Go Away

More rain Tuesday, along with wind gusts close to 40 mph, so the cameras didn't have as many photos as I would have liked. I also discovered that one of the cameras I didn't get to Monday was set on video mode, and this challenge is photo-only. Nonetheless, add three more to the list: a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Blue Jay, and one very wet Raccoon.

As an aside, I'd still like to know what that mystery photo from yesterday was. Doesn't seem to me that it could be anything but a deer, but it does not LOOK like a deer.
We'll see what Thursday brings. I moved 2 cameras today, and for the first time since I started this challenge, I have all 4 cameras in photo mode..no stand-by and no video.

Challenge/Day 2/I'm An Idiot

Well, I promised pictures, but I didn't promise GREAT ones. Luckily I still had two from yesterday that I didn't use, so we begin by adding a crow and a dove to the list. (Guess I didn't make it clear yesterday that I was planning to count different birds as different critters.)

Now we get to why I'm an idiot. First reason, I actually BELIEVED my phone company Monday morning when they promised me repair by 8pm (I can place but not receive calls) . I even believed the repairman when he was able to force a call to my phone at 2 pm to tell me he would be at my place after doing a job at the Union Bar and Grill. Silly me - 8pm came and went with no repair man. (Tuesday noon update - phone is back in service.) This meant I didn't get to the trail cams until late...where I immediately learned my 2nd idiotic move of the day.

I went to the cam I was most counting on to give me new critters - only to discover that I had left it in 'setup' mode yesterday instead of 'in use' - so it had NO pictures whatsoever from my go-to spot. I had really not planned on going any further, but realized I had to find at least one more camera (though it was nearly dark in the woods by now). And when I found a 2nd camera, I also discovered my third idiotic move.

I had set that camera up yesterday on a steep slope, pointing uphill - and not thinking that rain was in the forecast. With the camera tilted uphill, the ledges around the windows that detect motion and capture the images caught and held rain water, giving me a number of images like this one.
I am not going to count the next photo as my third creature of the day. I've looked at it and looked at it - and I cannot say for sure WHAT it is...but enlarged, it does make for an interesting mystery photo.
So the last picture will have to suffice as meeting my challenge requirement for the day. You may have to enlarge it, but there is a deer walking away from the camera.
Let's hope tomorrow goes better!

I Challenge Myself, Day 1

As a personal challenge to myself, I'm going to see how many days in a row I can post photos of three different creatures without any repeats.

For today, I've selected a rabbit, a squirrel and an opossum...meaning that I cannot use any of those animals again during the challenge. The only other rule - No old pictures, only those captured on or after April 17.

Place your bets - will I make it to this coming Saturday's posting without any repeats?

It's an All-Turkey Weekend

I'll start your weekend with a funny one. At first glance, you might think this is one turkey, but count the legs. ;]

Now, three more photos - all up close and personal.




And to end the weekend posting, video from a stump. Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll bookmark my blog and stop back next week.

Another Variety Pack

A couple of new camera spots, but the cast of characters remains the same - starting with a turkey.





This one is very similar to the mystery creature photo I posted earlier in the week. Based on the other pictures captured right after this one, I'm convinced it is a raccoon.

Ms. Hopper surprised me by finding this spot. She stayed in the area for over an hour, so there were about 30 new pictures of her.

This flock showed up a bit later - so Ms. Hopper got first dibs on the feed.

Ketchup Time

Just a day to catch up on some shots I didn't have room to post earlier in the week. First up, another daytime rabbit...

...followed by a nighttime opossum...

...and one you should click on to enlarge - the ear has healed just fine, but it must have been a nasty wound at one time.

Another best viewed when enlarged - very nice shot of a dove coming in for a landing...

...and while this is not Ms. Hopper, it seems word has spread around the forest that if you stand on this stump, you get your picture posted on the blog.

...and finally, the first video of the week.

Rainy Day

Nice crisp picture before the Day-of-the-Drizzle hit, then things got interesting. (You may need to enlarge a couple of these.)

I have no idea what this animal might be - anyone have a guess?


A couple of legless turkeys pass by in a blur.

This poor rabbit is soaking wet.