The local squirrels have been busy collecting one of their favorite foods — hickory nuts. This eastern gray squirrel was captured by my camera trap, with a bit of a longer lens than I usually use. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 50mm lens, ISO 800, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, remote flash and trail monitor.

We didn’t see much wildlife while on Block Island, but we did hike out to visit seals on consecutive days. The tourist info says they are gray seals at the point behind North Lighthouse, but I’m pretty sure this one is a harbor seal. They often mix together and share habitat. On the second day we saw about 20 or so that were resting on shore, but the first day it was only the heads popping up out of the water to check us out. The sun was almost on the horizon, casting a nice rich light on the seals’ faces. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/8 at 1/800th of a second.

When I was first getting into camera trapping, I kept reading articles about how to avoid capturing so many shots of mice. Along with birds, however, they’ve been one of my favorite surprises and I look forward to their consistent appearances on my camera cards. Fallen ash trees in my back woods create quite a world for them to scurry around on, over, and under. Even though this shot only illuminates the bottom of a fallen tree, I get a sense of it being an environmental image of the deer mouse’s world. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

As I mentioned recently, squirrels are by far the most common visitors to my camera traps. Here are a few action shots, one from back in April and one from a few weeks ago.
Top Shot: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second.
Bottom Shot: 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 remote flashes.

Usually when an elk wanders into frame it’s a good thing. In this case, not so much. I was in Zion National Park and caught this gray fox early in the morning, posing on several fallen trees before heading out to hunt for voles. As for the elk, she stuck around for a few shots where she was the center of attention. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.

A northern cardinal dropped in for a visit today. The birds are always a nice surprise when they show up at the camera trap. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

I see a family of raccoons just about every night in my backyard, giving me time to try different lighting at my camera trap. The strongest light in this image is coming from behind the log, but I also have two other reduced-power flashes hanging from tree branches to the right and in front of the raccoon. Now I just need to get her posing with her two young. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flash units.

Several years back on Merritt Island in Florida, I met a few armadillos. This guy had no problem with my close approach and kept on doing his thing while I snapped away with my wide angle lens. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/320th of a second.

Last week the swallowtails were on duty pollinating the flowers in our gardens. This week it’s the monarchs. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.