On the forested hilltop, lots of activity – day and night.
In a nearby forest the wildlife remains quite active – deer, bear, bobcat, turkeys, owls, and more. Last week’s video highlighted October activity near the vernal pool. This week, I’m sharing October clips from the hilltop in the same forest. We again see momma bear and her two cubs, one of whom is playing with the camera. We also watch while the barred owl turns away from us to eat its dinner as a train wails in the distance. And that beautiful 6-point buck! Enjoy.
A busy crossroads!
One of my favorite locations for placing wildlife cameras and watching local wildlife is a small vernal pool in a forest near home. Although the month of October started quite wet, and water was plentiful in this puddle, the latter half of the month was completely dry. In this month’s video you’ll see the pool dry up. Most interestingly, you’ll see a solo adult black bear, perhaps a male… and separately will see a crippled Momma Bear with her two playful cubs. Other highlights include a 6-point buck (who should be wary about the imminent arrival of hunting season) and a dainty barred owl who likes the water but tries to keep its knickers dry.
Under the apple tree and down by the river…
Our backyard has again been busy, as the apple tree drops its harvest and critters of all kinds come to enjoy the bounty. The possum was especially busy, carrying off many apples to its burrow for dinner. Deer, turkeys, and even fox found the apples to be a tasty treat; raccoons and a skunk also came by to investigate. Meanwhile, a bobcat and a coyote patrolled in hope of finding an apple critter for dinner.
Frolicking fawns and vandalous bears!
Last week, I posted a video of September clips from the wildlife cameras in my backyard. Today, I’m sharing September clips from my other collection of wildlife cameras, in a forested area here in Lyme New Hampshire. This batch includes an exciting first – a bobcat carrying its prey, presumably back to its den for sharing with the kits. We also see mama bear and her two cubs, as well as a solo adult bear who likes to tear my cameras off trees. Finally, we get to watch a particularly fun segment at the vernal pool: a little fawn frolicking in the shallow water. It proves that every kid loves to play in puddles!
Bears and bobcats, oh my!
I found two of my older cameras and placed them in strategic locations in our backyard: down by the river, and on the trunk of a productive apple tree. Both of these locations attract a variety of critters –including a resident possum who loves fresh apples. This month, though, I was surprised to see both a bobcat and a black bear passing through in broad daylight! Click on the photo to see the video.
My cameras are back in action!
After deploying my five wildlife cameras into a nearby forest, three weeks ago, I went back yesterday to check the cameras and collect the memory cards. Several cameras were askew, hinting that some critters were trying to interfere – and capturing a selfie in the process. You’ll see several of those in this month’s videos! You’ll see bears – lots of bears – deer, coyote, and a new animal I’ve never seen before. Up first: a doe and her fawn. Warning: don’t watch this video unless you can handle massive cuteness!
Back to my home stomping grounds.
My calves strained as I hiked up the steep, forested hillside, following a familiar route that has no trail and rarely feels the pressure of human soles. Except mine. For this weekend’s hike I decided to stay close to home and visit a patch of forest that I know very, very well. I have traversed this hillside dozens, nay, hundreds of times, following my whim instead of any formal trails. My senses perk up as I move slowly through the underbrush, looking and listening and sometimes even feeling for animal sign, trying to read the land and determine where I might place my motion-sensor cameras to capture interesting videos of the local wildlife.
Favorite photos and videos.
Wow, 2025 was quite the year. With a dozen or more hikes in New Hampshire, and travels to Australia, England, Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand, Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and South Carolina, I had many opportunities for photography. Check out some of my favorite photos!
The second installment in a two-part post of July/August wildlife videos.
Over the past two years, most of my wildlife videos have been captured by cameras placed on a hill near my home. In this post – my final post of wildlife-camera video until next year – I have some pretty neat stuff to share. Lots of bobcats and black bears! Read on to watch both videos.
The first of two installments of video from my wildlife cameras.
It felt like we had a slow start to summer here in Lyme, but my wildlife cameras nonetheless captured bears, bobcats, and more. In this post, I’ll share two videos spanning July 1 through August 5.
Continue reading “Lyme wildlife – July (part 1)”
