Sunday, September 4, 2022

Mosaic Monday #189: Trail Cam Treasures

We are so blessed to live on the edge of the wilderness, with all the wildlife that comes with it.  (Did you know they have a term for this?  Wildland-urban interface = a zone of transition between wilderness and land developed by human activity.  Unfortunately, the most common definition relates to increased wildfire frequency and risk.  As houses are near wildland vegetation, they are susceptible to wildfires.  I prefer to define it in terms of proximity to flora and fauna!)  So, let's cast our eyes over some of the critters that have wandered in range of my trail cam!

Elk on the move - same day as the Sandhill Crane - May 18.



Did this elk get lost?  May 29 - and look how much greener it is!


I have had many reports of the neighborhood black bear, and finally I got a shot - from the back, but better than none! (and the clock was off - this was 11 am)


A young buck in early June - he'll be searching out does pretty soon!


And this will be the result! (June 16)  This momma looks pretty skinny ...


I never cease to be amazed by the capability of the trail cam to capture motion, such as this Tree Swallow in flight on June 3.


Sandhill Cranes dance for three primary reasons:  To find a mate, to strengthen the bond between a mated pair, or to express aggression or territoriality.  Based on my experience with our Cranes over the last five years, I believe these two are "strengthening the bond" (June 4).  We could all learn from this, yes?


As you may have noticed from the photos thus far, the camera had been in two locations - the meadow you see above, and the road where I hoped to capture the bear (and I did.)  It was time to try another locale - the lake!  And it delivered in spades!

A parade of mallards.


Mallards with one Greater Yellowlegs (I welcome correction from any of the birders out there).


Three Greater Yellowlegs taking flight.


Great Blue Herons.  Jaw-dropping majestic creatures.





Speaking of majestic, check out the Trumpeter Swans and the 2 cygnets.  This is the first time (since we have lived here) that they have nested on the lake below our property.



I have written in the past (April 25, 2021September 19, 2020) about the beaver who lives at the lake - we estimate the presence of nature's engineer has raised the water level by two feet.  I wonder sometimes how much of the wildlife we see now has been brought about because of the deeper water.




For priceless photos like the one below, I am grateful to God, the beaver, and the many factors that led us to Montana and this superlative piece of wilderness.


** I may be slow in commenting this week since we have family visiting.
**Also, Mosaic Monday will take a break on September 11 - come back and link up on September 18!


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30 comments:

  1. Those are amazing photos. I'll bet you can't wait to check the cams to see who was there!

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  2. ...Angie, you live in a fabulous wildlife refuge!

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  3. Nice pictures of the several animals and birds. I am really astonished - elks, and even a bear. Dangerous place :-)
    all the best
    Violetta

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  4. I agree, Angie, there are a paradise where you live. No, I didn't know about Wildland-urban interface. The beautiful captures here speaks to us.

    We are on the suburban. Here is less wildness. We have our small garden.

    Happy MosaicMonday 

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  5. Angie, your trail cams captured so much wonderful wildlife! I love the swans--always have--the bear was exciting to see! We also live in a Wildlife Urban Interface.

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  6. Wow these trail cam images are fantastic. I am partifularly impressed by theat last one of the white swan. Stunning and perfectly timed! Your cranes look a lot like our brolgas from northern Australia. They dance like that too. Enjoy your wilderness, take care, and thank you again for the link up.

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  7. Hello Angie,
    I agree, you live in a great place for viewing the wildlife. I love all the birds and critters. The Cranes, swans and herons are favorite and I love the bear and elk. The little fawn is adorable. Great captures by your wildlife camera. Take care, have a happy new week!

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  8. Dear Angie,
    wow, I'm amazed how brilliant the photos from the trail cam are! And you really do live in a wonderful edge. (The danger of wildfires isn't pretty of course, but I'd prefer the other definition as well - and hope it does NOT burn!) Great that the bear and beaver went into the "photo trap" too - and it's soooo nice to see the pair dance of the cranes, the swan in motion and all the other beautiful animals!
    Have a nice family time! (We will have a visit from our grandson Jamie from tomorrow morning until the evening after tomorrow, so there will be less blogging time for us too :-))
    All the best in September!
    Hugs, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/09/juli-august-2022-teil-1-was-fur-ein.html

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  9. You really do have a gorgeous place to live! Trail cams are so much fun for capturing wildlife that you would scare off if you were walking around with a camera. Enjoy your week with family!

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  10. I am enchanted by all this wildlife, Angie, but it is especially delightful to see the Trumpeter Swans, a species that was almost driven to extinction by human greed and overhunting. They have made a wonderful recovery in Ontario thanks to the dedicated work of many individuals. It is a magnificent emblem of wildness.

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  11. What amazing photos, Angie! You are indeed very fortunate to be able to live in such a little slice of paradise!

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  12. What a wonderful set of critters! You are in a great spot.

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  13. You are getting some spectacular photos with a great variety of critters with your trail cam. The bear, the deer, all the birds down by the lake, and then the beaver. Them beavers are everywhere it seems, even in suburban Tulsa they are busy damming up little streams and chewing the bark off trees.

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  14. Wowzers, Angie! These are just amazing shots of the wonderful wildlife in your neck of the woods. Spectacular shots of the sandhill cranes and the herons. What fun to see the elk migrating, too. I can go on and on. Happy September to you!

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  15. Angie, The birds shot are so great and you did not have wait there till they spread their wings! Have a great week. Sylvia D.

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  16. Such cool photos! I really need to get a trail cam!

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  17. Wonderful photos Angie, those herons are spectacular birds. I can imagine that bear just ambling up the road humming to itself, I have no idea why!!!

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  18. Marvelous photos! I love trail cams!

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  19. Wowza, wow, wow! Everyone caught in action. I like seeing the cranes in dance. They have me thinking of Jules Feiffer’s cartoons with modern dancers. lol

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  20. Wow! Amazing views from your trail cam. I especially like the Trumpeter Swans - so beautiful and elegant. And the crane dance - truly magical! Thank you for sharing them with us. Enjoy your guests.

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  21. The trail cam captures are utterly amazing! The last swan picture is fabulous for sure and I love the sandhill action. Just amazing.

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  22. How wonderful it must be to have a front seat to watch the wonders of Mother Nature. I'd love to see the cranes--we did see some in Nebraska--and the swans. The blue heron? Not so much. They are plentiful here and stalk our koi pond. Elk we see here, but I've never seen a bear in the wild. So I loved this post.

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  23. Wow! Your trail cams captured such wonderful wildlife, lovely to see.

    I hope you are having lovely time with family.
    My good wishes.

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  24. We collected our trail cam footage last week too. I love to hear cranes. The swan capture is wonderful. Great critters all!

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  25. Great photos, the Great Yellowlegs was beautiful finds, and the Beaver, fantastic.

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  26. Such magnificent photos from your trail cams! The amount and variety of of wildlife is amazing!

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  27. Amazing photos! You are very lucky to live in such a beautiful place. It's like a piece of paradise, far from the USA that we know from the media.

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