After four years of occasional glimpses and near misses, my camera trap finally captured an in-focus shot of a short-tailed weasel. I usually see a blurry butt shot as the weasel chases a chipmunk across the fallen tree. Weasels are carnivores and this one was likely stalking its prey which includes the aforementioned chipmunks, as well as voles, rats, shrews, rabbits, and birds. Also known as a stoat or an ermine, a short-tailed weasel will change the color of its fur from brown to completely white as the winter approaches — all the better camouflage for sneak attacks when the snow starts to fall. I’m still hoping for the weasel and chipmunk shot, but until then this will have to do. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions camera box, triggers and trail monitor with two Nikon SB-900 flash units.

It’s been such a busy summer that I haven’t really gotten the camera out in the yard much. The camera traps, of course, are working 24/7 but I haven’t been out there myself very often with the long lens. So this weekend I did a lot of walking around trying to find a few of my wild neighbors. In my garden I encountered this ruby-throated hummingbird flying from zinnia to zinnia. The lack of the ruby throat indicates either an immature male or a female. I’m pretty sure this is the latter. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

It’s been relatively slow at the camera trap lately, but I do have a steady stream of these little guys walking through tree saplings in the back woods just about every night. From my surveillance camera, I can see that one of the opossums has been making a habit of crawling up on top of my camera trap itself, and scratching his/her back up against the sharp edges. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

I posted a similar image a few years back of this scene — a moose cow (on the left) and her grown bull foraging by a frosty creek. This was in Montana, just outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second.

This little snapping turtle couldn’t have been more than a couple of inches in length. It was crossing the trail I was hiking on this past week in Westerly, Rhode Island. I dropped down to the ground for a few shots before it disappeared into the bushes, presumably on its way to a water source. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.

Just back from a week in Rhode Island that was more about visiting family and friends (and attending my niece’s wedding) than anything else, but I did manage to squeeze in some wildlife time too. Goldfinches seemed to be everywhere on a few short hikes I took in the Avondale section of Westerly. The wildflowers were in full bloom providing a nice setting for all the activity. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 720, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.

Some good action up at the camera trap this week, including a young black bear, a bobcat and a short tailed weasel. Unfortunately, those were all near misses (the weasel keeps passing through in the wrong direction and showing me his backside). But this raccoon hit the sweet spot of the frame for a nice portrait the other night. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions housing and triggers, plus two Nikon SB-900 flash units.

In my last post I mentioned that a bear showed up in an unexpected place — the camera trap I set up on a fallen tree hoping for raccoons, opossums and other small creatures. A day after that post, sure enough, a bobcat showed up too. I want to stress that I don’t bait these animals at all. We don’t even have bird feeders on our property (well, at least not until November). This particular fallen tree gets a lot of activity because it crosses a pathway that the animals like to travel along, but usually it’s just the little guys and an occasional bird. Only one shot was fired, but nice that the bobcat turned his head just enough for a proper profile. I also had a first — two short-tailed weasels chasing each other, but they were slightly out of focus and turned from camera. Here’s hoping they return sometime soon and I can capture something a little more presentable. Nikon D3300 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 23mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/160th of a second, Camtraptions camera box and triggers, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.

I have two camera traps currently set up in my back woods — one in an open clearing targeting bears and bobcats, and the other on a fallen tree, targeting raccoons, opossums and other small creatures. But more often than not, the bears and bobcats show up at the trap I’m not expecting them to. This guy came by the other night and climbed on top of the fallen tree. The shot is a full crop — the bear just managing to get his entire body in frame. Nikon D3300 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 23mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/160th of a second, Camtraptions housing and triggers, Nikon SB-900 flash units.

We had a new visitor to the camera trap last week. This is clearly a different bobcat from the one that was coming around a few months ago. At least the face looks very different to me. Always a nice surprise when they pass through the back woods. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.