Trail Cameras Busy

Saturday's hike took me to the water ice line where I sat for a while seeing nothing at all.. On the hike back to the truck I checked several trail camera's that are scattered about the Quabbin woods.
It was nice to see that there was activity.
The picture above is a handsome buck that has posed for the camera a number of times but never quite looking directly at the camera. Now we can see he is eight pointer.

Here is a spike that has lost on side of his antlers. This picture is the third buck the trail camera/s have photographed in three weeks.

A distant coyote sneaking along a stone wall with the trail camera catching it's presence in the area.

This doe walked very close to the trail camera,
I would call this a good week with the trail cameras. It goes to show that even though you might not see anything on your Quabbin hike, they are there. The snow less winter keeps the animals moving in search of food.
Jim

Water Ice Line

This mornings hike took me to a NE Gate that I have not been to in a while. I know of an area that is last to freeze . I was hoping to catch an eagle watching the open water. The early arrival this morning almost went to plan. The immature eagle above  flew over  a short distance from me .I was able to get a few pics. It appears the this eagle is not banded.

On a distant shoreline two mature Bald Eagles watch a frozen cove

I checked my game camera while out and about on Saturday, The buck in this picture is not the same buck from last week. However,  it was taken on the same camera.

This picture is the same buck above. This guy was camera shy. He did not walk out in front of the camera. A hard lesson learned this week using game cameras.  The battery life is extremely less in winter .  A missed opportunity with several different tracks in the area of the camera. I will now change the batteries every other week.

Jim

 

Otters and Ice

Two otters kept me busy this morning, They use the ice to rest and eat as the title page pic shows.

The three game games camera were busy over the last week. I was really surprised to get the picture above. Doe walked right towards camera. Hard to believe this picture was taken just the other day,

There are three deer in this picture, Mid Jan and the buck still has its rack

Did catch a pic of a distant coyote walking by,

The cameras have certainly been clicking away the last several weeks.  Two different locations gave up night time bobcat pictures, It will be interesting to see if the activity continues with the cold weather,
Jim

Trail Cameras Active

Hiking conditions and walking quietly have been  a challenge. Strapping  cleats to your boots sure makes for a very noisy walk.. No sneaking around the Quabbin Woods the last two weekends and winter conditions certainly reduce wildlife pic opportunities. Hopefully the above freezing temps and   rain today will improve walking conditions.
That being said, the trail cameras are showing consistent night activity with  bobcats. The picture above ( evidence pic ) shows a second bobcat captured on a trail camera. This cat appears to be larger than the one taken last week. This is only a guess on my part.

Yesterday I did see a distant immature eagle soaring over the reservoir and a small flock of turkey's.

I put out a third camera yesterday. This should keep me busy with winter time hiking.

Jim

Game Camera Working Overtime

The game camera was placed in the Quabbin a week ago. The results have been very good for only seven days. One Red Fox , One Bobcat and a picture with two coyotes ( night image) The anticipation when the camera was set out was a Bobcat, All I can say is that is has been a productive week for this camera. I set out a second camera at a different are of Quabbin in hopes of getting an early winter bear before they den. Hiking this weekend showed a number of bear tracks in the snow.

Watched a crow this morning at waters edge , was I surprised to watch it   grab a floating fish on the waters surface ! It was only 26 degrees....

You can see that a Perch was floating on the surface and the Crow able to grab it without submerging itself. It may be common practice. Its the first time I have seen this.
Jim

Game Camera Check

Pictured above is a Red Fox that revealed itself during the daylight hours on one of the two game cameras set out in  Quabbin  last Sunday. It was quite a treat to see this fox. They have been very elusive in my hiking with a camera.

The camera also clicked a night time coyote picture. This is what I call an evidence pic. Just showing enough detail to identify the animal. So this camera is off to a good start ! Maybe I will get a daytime pic of a coyote or even better a BOBCAT.

This morning hiking a favorite gate there was a immature loon chick still on the waters of Quabbin. Usually this late in the season Loons have headed to coastal waters for the winter.

While hiking this morning it didn't take very long before cutting a Bobcat track.

It excites me when I see animal sign such as tracks and scat. It gives you an idea of what type of animals are inhabiting the area.
Seeing these tracks this morning and poor walking conditions made for a nice morning to sit and just watch .
The morning held a lot of activity with....

Seeing (4) otters
Immature Loon
Several flocks of Hooded Mergansers
Several Flocks of Mallards

With a Bear still out and about and seeing a number of Bobcat tracks I decided to relocate one of the two cameras I put out last Sunday.
Jim