Nana always said the rain was nature’s way of adding sparkle to the outdoors.
~Mehmet Murat Ildan
Surely the woods are sparkling now after what seems like weeks of rain. We actually have had some occasional nice weather, but the past few days have been soakers. Our clay soils have added some slickness to our woods walking and the usually intermittent stream below the house has been running at full capacity for several weeks now. Yesterday, there were two small waterfalls providing a wonderful soundscape for a walk in the woods. I have left the “real” camera at home this week and used my iPhone for recording what I see (plus a couple of trail camera images at the end of the post).
Perhaps the raindrops do provide a certain sparkle to the woods when you stop and look closely.
Rainy days definitely hep me walk more slowly and take notice of (and appreciate) details of our woods.
I have a dilemma with the trail cameras out now. I love checking them to see what surprises they unveil, but I hesitate to walk our woods too much for fear of disturbing the wildlife I am trying to record. But, the woods provide such a peaceful and fulfilling setting that I’m sure we will find a balance. I set one camera on still photos mode for the first time this week just to see how those images compare to the video. I put it on a small tree facing uphill on our south-facing slope where the deer have obviously been digging through the leaves for acorns (and maybe hickory nuts). Below is one of a series of images the camera provided. There were six deer in this herd and four of them were bucks with 6 or more points!
This week I started placing one trail camera on a specific spot of interest in the woods rather than along a main game trail or the creek. I’m hoping to learn how some various small woodland features are utilized. On one walk, we discovered a stump hole that had a smaller well worn hole in it. The camera shows a mouse running in and out after dark. This mouse seems to have a longer tail than most of the other mice I have seen, so I am not sure what species this is. If anyone has ideas, please drop me a note.
While we enjoy walking in our rainy woods, I am looking forward to that thing called sunshine returning this weekend. I believe the woods will start to explode with signs of spring over the next week. Stay tuned…
Roads End Naturalist 
Your photos and commentary are a gift — thank you. Phyllis
Thanks Mike. What type of trail camera are you using? I have considered getting one for my yard.
Hey David…I have two Browning Strike Force PRO XD Trail Game Camera (24MP) . I have been pleased with them. I just bought one of their Dark Ops cameras as it does not have the visible red dots from the IR at night. Large mammals often notice the red dots, and some, especially coyotes, are obviously spooked by it. Most other critters seem somewhat hesitant or curious by those tiny glowing spots. I haven’t had the Dark Ops version out long enough to see how I like it although it seems that the resolution may not be quite as good.
I love the maze-like pattern of that fungus. Great picture!
As overfilled creeks recede, watch for arrowheads (points) in the embankments and small beaches along the way. North Carolina is rich in such artifacts and more.
Waiting for my creek to recede. (Chatham County).
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0kfyH6BgR46P7PxVikrRLJNsw#Home_&_Chapel_Hill
Great idea.
We are so enjoying your articles. We would like to put a camera up in our wooded backyard. Can you please tell us what you use. We do not have WIFI. We love the pictures and videos you send. We also have activity in our backyard and would love to catch some of it. Thanks.
Thanks, Nancy. Based on a friend’s recommendation, we have two Browning Strike Force PRO XD Trail Game Cameras (24MP). They do a great job. The only down side is that, at night, there are two visible tiny red dots from the IR. Those visible red lights seem to spook wary animals like coyotes. Because of that I bought one of Brownings’ Dark Ops cameras, which are totally black at night. But, based on my initial trials, I do not like that one as much as the resolution does not seem quite as good in low light.
Awesome! Thanks for the wonderful photos and your narrative. What a beautiful place!
Thanks, Tim. We feel lucky to be here.
🙂