I woke at 2am to the howls of the coyotes, and they sounded close. It’s increasingly common for us to hear coyotes near our home, but in 33 years living in New Hampshire I’ve only once seen a coyote in-person. (They are mostly noctural, and I am not!) As noted in my post from June, I was thrilled when my wildlife camera caught a daylight video with a litter of coyote pups visiting a vernal pool. So, as I lay awake listening to the coyotes last night, I imagined those little pups were out there now, learning the ways of their pack, and wondered whether they might be in view of of one of my cameras.
Indeed my cameras brought us many exciting treats in August: a pack of coyotes, many views of both mama and papa bear (and baby bears too!), a fastidious barred owl, a nosy skunk, and more.
I encourage you to settle in and enjoy – I have lots of videos for you this month! TL;DR: for those with little time, here’s a 3-minute “best of” video.
Let’s start with the coyotes. One of my cameras occasionally snapped a solo coyote trotting by, mid-day, but the most exciting video shows eight coyotes running past my hilltop camera in the wee hours of the morning.
The black bears were busy too. I’m aware of at least two adults and at least two cubs who roam the same territory I wander. This month’s video gives us a close-up of the two cubs, peacefully exploring the vernal pool; several scenes in which a bear gets up-close and personal with my cameras; and a brief clip that shows two adults together (the first time I’ve seen that!).
The bears sometimes visit us at home. Early one morning I awoke to a clatter outside; suspecting a bear, I started recording, eased open the front door, and caught the culprit with a bag from our trash bin and a plastic jar from our recycling bin. (and – you guessed it! – it was a honey jar.)
We have lots of deer. I could fill an hour with video of does grazing around my camera. This month, though, we were treated to video of four independent bucks, on both sides of the hill. (They should stay alert – hunting season starts in two weeks!) And, close-up video of a fawn, alone, and later with his mom and sister, nursing.
Although most of my cameras are deep in the forested hills near my home, our backyard sees plenty of activity. One day I noticed a deep, round hole in the yard, perhaps an inch wide, surrounded by dirt from below. As I bent over to examine it, a bee flew by and crawled into the hole. A subterranean bee’s nest! I put a camera nearby and, sure enough, caught the culprit responsible for digging around the hole: a skunk. (Yes! skunks eat bees. By the hundred.) This same video also features several videos from the forest: a raccoon couple, a porcupine couple, a possum bachelor, and a turkey patrol.
A camera in the garden caught another culprit – a well-fed chipmunk – explaining the mystery of our disappearing tomatoes.
Perhaps my favorite critter this month, though, is a barred owl who is fond of the vernal pool. Watch as it splashes itself clean, explores the mud for tasty snacks, and chooses a fir cone to take away.
Looking forward to September!
David Kotz 