My camera trap captured this image back in early October. I still see the opossums rummaging around the yard, although not as active as a few months ago. The lack of hair on their tails, feet and ears makes them susceptible to frostbite so they spend the colder days hunkered down in their dens. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 3 seconds, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

A river otter emerges through a hole in the ice with an afternoon snack. Photographed at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Indiana. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/500th of a second.

Here’s one from my trip to Alaska a few years back. The brown bears were hunting salmon at low tide where the water from a river emptied into the ocean. Salmon are known as anadromous, meaning they can exist in both fresh and salt water. They spend their first few years in fresh before moving out to sea. Then they head back when it’s time to spawn. The bears were putting on quite a show as they charged after their breakfast. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

Here’s another one from the backyard trap. Unfortunately, my hidden backlight wasn’t working for this exposure, but the raccoon was looking toward the single flash coming from the side so it worked out nicely. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash.

This young lady took a stroll past my camera trap yesterday morning. I appreciate the fact that she kept her left ear just in frame. And the pink nose too. That’s a nice touch. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

My triggering system isn’t fast enough to deliberately capture birds in flight like this, but occasionally I get lucky when another bird, or a squirrel, or a falling leaf, or who knows what else triggers the system at the same time as a bird is flying by. In this case a tufted titmouse was flying by. As to who took the photo, we’ll never know. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens 35mm, ISO 400, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flashes.

This is the larger of the two cubs that regularly frequent our yard with their mother. The photo was captured back at the beginning of October when the bears were showing up more frequently. Even at 17mm, the cub got a bit too close to the front of the lens, clipping the leading paw. But I’ll take it. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/125th of a second.

We have a lot of chipmunks in our yard. From March/April through late October, the non-stop chirping can be heard across our five acres. They live in the open grassy parts of the yard, the wooded areas, the stone walls, the bushes, and some even in crevices in our foundation. But we still love having them around. Over the last few weeks I haven’t heard a single chirp. At this time of year they go into a deep sleep. Not a true hibernation, they’ll wake often and feast upon the food they stored in their burrows and might even pop their heads above ground from time to time to see what’s going on. This is one of the last chipmunk shots I was able to capture with the camera trap before they all settled in for the season. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flashes.

Despite their ubiquity, the gray squirrels in my yard have been surprisingly camera shy when it comes to the camera trap. This guy finally stumbled into a nice spot early the other morning with the flash behind the tree illuminating the rain drops. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flashes.

It’s been slow at the camera trap for the past few weeks, but here’s one from about a month ago when the activity was peaking. Skunks are notoriously gentle creatures, but still happy to have the camera taking the pictures when I’m nowhere in sight. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.