Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

The Forest Unseen

·

Mike Dunn Avatar
Mike Dunn

Forests will always hold your secrets, for that’s what forests are for.

~Victoria Erickson

We’ve been gone for a couple of weeks (more on that adventure in the next post) and the trail cameras were busy keeping up with the goings-on back home while we were away. Lots of the same sort of behaviors we have seen before, but some heavy rains filled our ephemeral stream and that area became more attractive to many of our woodland neighbors. Here are a few highlights from the last couple of weeks that we would have not known about save for the eyes of the trail cameras.

— I put a camera on one of our wildlife pools and this little mouse appeared almost every night, scampering all around the edge. Somehow, it managed to avoid the four outdoor cats that have become a nuisance on our property.

— The Raccoons also enjoy the wildlife pools. You just never know what you might find (the first Spotted Salamander eggs of the season appeared while we were away!).

— Prior to the rains, the dry creek bed was a playground of sorts for the local squirrels. It appears as though we need some squirrel predators…where are the Red-tailed Hawks when you need them?

— The resident bucks are tolerating each other better now that the rut is over. Is this akin to a couple of bros doing a fist bump?

— At the other side of our property, some very nice bucks hang out at the local acorn bar

— After the rains, the creek is a popular stopping point to quench your thirst and check out your reflection

— This log by the creek is a busy highway for Gray Squirrels, various species of birds, Raccoons, and…

— our Bobcat makes a return visit and strolls down the busy log path, stopping to sniff who else has traveled that way

Other Posts

Comments

6 responses to “The Forest Unseen”

  1. Stringernc Avatar
    Stringernc

    Wonderful captures Mike – thanks so much for sharing. Always a pleasure viewing the activities of our undisturbed wildlife in their natural habitat.

    Reply
    1. roadsendnaturalist Avatar
      roadsendnaturalist

      Thanks, John. I appreciate that and, yes, it is fascinating to watch these behaviors.

      Reply
  2. daytraks Avatar
    daytraks

    Love the action on the log – the butt views are especially telling; the creatures are very comfortable on their woodland footbridge. What may I ask do the bobcats look for? Rodent meals or previous trespassers scent. I think our squirrel population & deer migrated over to your woods. Thank you, always fun to watch their activities.

    Reply
    1. roadsendnaturalist Avatar
      roadsendnaturalist

      Yeah, I need to look for a better angle on that log but using an adjacent tree trunk to mount the camera for now. I wish I knew what the Bobcats are after (they will eat a variety of small mammals, and even deer, given the opportunity). This one was no doubt smelling the many Raccoons and Gray Squirrels that also use that pathway.

      Reply
  3. Mary Kay Coyle Avatar
    Mary Kay Coyle

    Wow, these clips are so fun to watch and enticing enough to get us all interested and curious about what goes on in our own neighborhoods at night!! I was surprised to see three bucks all hanging out together too. And I wonder what the bobcat population is in Chatham County??

    Reply
    1. roadsendnaturalist Avatar
      roadsendnaturalist

      The bucks tend to hang out in groups after the rut (sometimes during, but they are often sparring or being aggressive to one another – now, more relaxed. I imagine Chatham still has a pretty good Bobcat population but things will get tougher for them with all the new developments that are planned.

      Reply

Leave a comment

Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Copyright Mike Dunn and Melissa Dowland