I've always been a big toy guy. I love toys. As I grew older (20 years plus), gift-giving holidays were just not the same when presents received veered from recreational objects to socks, ties, and underwear.
For Christmas this year, my family gave me an incredible toy/tool in the form of a Bushnell Trail Camera. You see, when our nest emptied, my wife and I left our spacious waterfront Nantucket Colonial. We now reside in a cozier mid-century modern home smack-dab in the middle of a semi-suburban forest. Rather than watching majestic snowy white egrets and blue herons coming and going, we now experience late-night howling, hoots, and other forms of wild animal noises.
Bushnell Prime Trail Camera (info)
So what do you buy a middle-aged toy connoisseur in constant need of a creative outlet? The perfect gift is a trail cam, of course!
After some trial and error efforts, I now lash my camera to the perfect tree and at the ideal height. Powered by six AA batteries, the device captures 16-second color videos during the day and black and white versions after dark.
All of the digital information is stored on an SD card about as big as my thumb. Each morning, I remove the card and plug it into the card reader on my computer to see what the evening has captured.
Coyotes have been the main participants. In between their sightings, I have recorded possums, rabbits, cats, raccoons, and deer.
To further demonstrate how the pandemic and extended quarantining have left me a little frazzled, please enjoy my two compilation videos. The first film highlights our neighboring coyote population. In contrast, the second focuses on the critters that have made irregular guest appearances.
Enjoy!