Thursday, March 31, 2016

Winter at the Brush Pile



Last May I placed a camera trap at a brush pile that we’ve had behind the house for over 40 years. Tracks in winter snow and occasional glimpses of birds or mammals near the pile prompted me to put the camera there. Some of the photos the camera captured earlier were posted here and here


Now that winter has drawn to a close, it's time to post some of the pictures from the depth of winter. “Depth of winter” really isn’t appropriate since we never had more than about three inches of snow on the ground at any time and the temperature was rarely below 10º F.


A sample of what was captured by the camera at the brush pile –

Carolina Wren

Cottontail Rabbit

Black-capped  Chickadee

Song Sparrow

Gray Squirrel

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What was a bit surprising was the eastern chipmunk 
that was photographed twice, first on February 20 –
Eastern Chipmunk


 
 
 
 
 
And then again two days later, after the snow melted – 
Eastern Chipmunk
Chipmunks don’t hibernate, but do sleep in their burrows for periods during the winter and awaken to feed on nuts and seeds they’ve stored in chambers in those burrows. If they haven’t stored sufficient food to get them through the winter they’ll emerge to forage. 

The camera trap has two more months at the brush pile, and then it will be off to a different location.

6 comments:

The Furry Gnome said...

Those look like really good pictures for a trail cam!

Woody Meristem said...

They're from a "homebrewed" trail camera that I built from a Fuji J10 digital camera using a control board from Snapshot Sniper. I think homebrewed trail cameras almost always take better photos than commercially made trail cameras. Plus, they're fun to build.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, great collection of birds and critters. I love the cure chipper and the adorable wren! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your new week ahead!

Valerie said...

What a delightful series of captures Woody, and what a neat idea to set up a camera in hiding! Thank you for sharing.

Jane said...

I am the Conservation chairman of the Amherst, VA Woman's Club. I am using your post on Facebook to convince our members to Expand the Wild Areas of Your Yard.

Woody Meristem said...

Jane, in case you didn't notice, all the material on "In Forest and Field" is copyright and may not be used without prior approval. It would be fine if you wish to make reference to this post on your Facebook page -- however, do not duplicate any of the material from any post on "In Forest and Field" without prior permission.