Buck in the Sun

Usually it's bad to face a camera-trap into the sun.  Pointing it west or east will give you a lot of washed out pictures due to the sun.  I made the mistake of pointing one camera this way, and only 1 picture was worth me taking the time to blog about.

I just thought this picture was cool and different.  The early morning sun behind the white-tailed buck isn't something I get to see often in camera-trap images.

There were still over 800 pictures of deer that were washed out and invaded by a rising or setting sun.  More thought was taken when resetting the camera.

It is now at the edge of this field in a shadier spot, not facing any sun.

Who Will Eat Pawpaw Fruit?

Pawpaw trees are fruiting now in Virginia.  In case you didn't know, a pawpaw is a tree that is common in Virginia's stream valleys and on riverbanks.  It's a tree that produces a fruit that raccoons, bears, and foxes eat.  People that eat the pawpaw fruit usually compare it to a banana and a pear, but I disagree and do not enjoy eating them.  It's texture is too mealy for me and I could do without the hard seeds inside of the fruit.



Pawpaw Fruit



 



Since the animals eat the fruit, I figured it would be a good idea to put a camera under some of the pawpaw trees along the riverbank in Fairfax County.

We'll see who eats  pawpaw in the next week or so.

Deer Mingling

It's that time of year again in Virginia.  A time when the white-tailed bucks get curious.

For the past few months, big bucks have been seen hanging out with each other.  Soon, mating season will be upon them, and during that time, these bucks will be in strict competition with one another.

For now though, they still seem to be civil.

Mingling with the does has started though.  A  buck kissing (or possibly smelling) a doe was caught on my camera a few days ago.

 

Surveying Places for Surveying Owls

Small mammal skulls found in Silo #1.

I'm on a mission to photograph and survey all owls in one specific area in Loudoun County, Virginia.  To do this, I am in the process right now of finding places where owls live and are seen most often.  This means a bit of dirty work with other wildlife professionals.

The dirty work comes from dangers of being in old barns and silos.  Steel-toed boots, masks, rubber gloves, and hardhats were put on, and we headed to work today in Leesburg, Virginia.

The first site we hit is a place that I am now calling Silo #1.  Silo #1 is full of owl pellets and the remains of thousands of shrews, moles, mice, and voles.  The bottom of it really is a place of death for small mammals.

Barn owl feathers also blanketed the lowest parts of the inside of the silo.


Barn owl feather found in Silo #1.

A camera-trap was placed at the bottom of the silo to photograph owls (and other animals) that may be coming in or out.  As the camera was being placed, a pair of barn owls flew in from the top of the silo.  The camera is way out of the way of any nesting site used by the owls so as to not disturb them, but I am hoping I get at least a few shots of them flying by or perching somewhere.

The next destination was a small shed where owls had been seen perching in the past few months.  There were no visible signs of owls there now though.

After the small shed, we decided that we would head to was a barn that I am calling on this blog, The Widow-Maker Barn.  The Widow-Maker Barn gave me the uncomfortable feel of being way to dangerous to get near.  Some parts of it had collapsed, and swarms of bees were entering through a small opening at the bottom.  You won't find me inside of this barn anytime soon.  A camera-trap was placed outside of the barn, about 12 feet up in a tree that faces a large hole at the top of the barn.  Any owls that go in or out should still be camera-trapped.

So there you have it, the first two owl survey areas are Silo #1 and The Widow-Maker Barn.

White Legs Returns

White Legs made another appearance at one of the cameras in Great Falls.  It's been a little while since I've seen it last but it's definitely hanging around still.

This time, it seemed more curious, as it stayed within the camera's view for 5 minutes longer than last time and made a lot of peeks at the camera.

Fall and Winter Owls

I've decided that a good portion of my cameras will be used for owl surveys in Loudoun and Fairfax counties this fall and winter.  I figured it would be a good idea to take some of the cameras out of the fields that get hunted the most so as to decrease the risk of cameras being disturbed by hunters.  Some cameras will now be placed in buildings.

Barred owls sometimes show up on my cameras by chance, but the new goal for the next few months is to photograph barn owls, screech owls, and great horned owls as well.

Along with volunteers and co-workers, I will map out abandoned buildings and other places where owls are commonly found.  We'll be looking in barns, silos, and hollow trees for owl pellets, owl feathers, and signs of small mammals.  Small mammals are a favorite food of all Virginia owls, so finding out where they are located will help us locate the owls.

At least 6 cameras will be used for this owl survey, but I may consider using even more.  Don't worry though mammal lovers, there will still be a healthy population of my cameras out in the woods still during the coldest months.

For the next few weeks though, the cameras will still be out in the fields and woods of Virginia until I start the owl projects.  With nuts falling from the trees these days, who knows what will come up on the cameras next?

Bear Blogging

Black bears are roaming around all the time.  It's hard for me to tell exactly where they'll be since they move so quickly and can cover a huge area of land in just a day.

Today, it was obvious that a bear had been around one of my cameras.  There were scratches and paw prints all over the area.  Walnuts from a nearby tree were smashed open and I could just tell the area was messed with by something big.

Of course the time stamp is wrong.  Even if I switch the camera to the correct date, it still seems to go wrong when the camera enters "sleep" mode.

Fairfax Coyote

 This post isn't about the writing or the experiences, but rather just the pictures.  All you really need to know is that the animal is a definite coyote, the place is in Great Falls, Virginia, and that I am really excited.