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.

Yesterday a polar bear, today a coastal brown bear. This one was taken a few years back at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. The bears were heading to the shoreline at low tide in hopes of catching a few silver salmon spawning from a nearby river. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

One of our neighborhood bobcats was back again last night. Unfortunately, rain droplets were collecting on the glass window of my camera trap housing, but at least the eyes were in the clear. Back in mid February this same bobcat showed up in the trap, but the trigger was a split second too late and his/her face was right on the edge of the frame. It’s always something with camera trapping and certainly a lot of luck is involved. 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 flash units).

Hoary marmots can often be seen wrestling each other up on Mount Rainier in Washington. It’s more of a social interaction than anything else among younger marmots. I took this one quite a few years ago on a trip to several of National Parks in the Pacific Northwest. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

I filmed this one a few weeks ago in a captive situation at the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy here in Litchfield, Connecticut. Although this colorful sea duck is known to frequent coastal waters of Connecticut in winter months, its normal range is much further north along the Arctic shores of North America, Europe and Asia. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K at 60fps.