We have been placing trail cameras (used to capture photos of animals roaming around our woodlands) for years on our private property. We have seen many deer, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, and the past few years, great blue herons. Apparently, the herons love wetlands. Here are some recent photos we captured on our newest trail camera during this winter of 2023.

Isn’t he (or she?) a beauty? We are impressed by the quality of these trail camera photos. They are clear and the date and time is stamped automatically on the bottom of the photos. This trail camera was about $50 bucks from Cabela’s in East Hartford, CT. Not bad investment for lots of entertainment.

About two summers ago, I started to recognize the freakish sounds great blue herons make as they land into their nests. I would also see them fly above the tree line and do a few rounds in the sky before finding and landing into their nests. This is a special treat for me as I sit back watching this process from my deck with a glass of wine in hand. It feels like a special treat to witness these huge, magnificent bids. My very own nature show.

My husband is very good at finding the perfect locations to place these cameras, but we also have to bear in mind that the land gets flooded at times, so it is important to not place them where the camera will be drowned in water and ruined.

To compare cameras, this photo below with the green grassy area was taken with an older trail camera we’ve had for several years. And I believe this was during the spring or summer, can’t recall.

And here’s another with our older trail cam, called Reconyx. I have to say that camera really lasted a long time and has survived some of those mistakes where it was under water. It still worked! I remember the first time I saw a bobcat in a trail cam photo; I couldn’t believe it! But now I see them often crossing our backyard. They are quite common in our neck of the woods in Connecticut. I also saw one stalking turkeys once – using one of my giant pots in the backyard to hide, that was something to witness, until he saw me and took off. And another time, one crossed our yard while we were grilling on our deck. Steve said he couldn’t believe how fast I grabbed my iPhone and filmed him. He seemed to be unaware he was only about 20 feet from us as he carefully but quickly crossed our yard from the edge of the woodlands.

And here’s another from the Reconyx trail cam. I wonder if the wild animals think these cameras are aliens?! They definitely check them out sometimes and they know something is going on, but they are not sure what.

And yes, another of a coyote. I actually saw two coyotes pass through my backyard last week. One had a very bad looking tail. The coyote in this photo from year 2021 in winter shows that he was very healthy looking. I’ve seen them stalk my chicken coop before when I had chickens. That is why no more chicken coop or chickens for us. They don’t take long to discover the chickens!

And another from 2021. Someone told me they didn’t think great blue herons stuck around for the winter, but they do. Or perhaps they just love the Testa Ranch, LOL!

This one was interesting – is the squirrel carrying its baby? It appears as such!

Well, that’s about it for my trail cam story – Hope you enjoyed the photos! We enjoy viewing them, especially during the winter months.

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT
A nature lover as well as a plant enthusiast waiting out winter.
Date of Post: 2/7/2023

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