San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Outdoor cameras catch nocturnal animals’ activity at Mt. Whoville
The alert came to my phone at 4:02 a.m.
Oh boy, my new outdoor camera had detected motion.
Something was out there in the dead of night. Was it a meandering opossum, an animated mouse or something more exotic like a coyote or bobcat?
With sleepy eyes, I stumbled to the computer to see what might have been recorded. All I saw was a short, out-of-focus video and a fuzzy blob.
Further investigation would have to wait until a more civilized hour.
Readers know I have used trail cameras to capture the nocturnal activities of our many Mt. Whoville wildlife neighbors. Coyotes and their pups, lots of rabbits, the occasional opossum, a passing owl and nesting birds have all been featured in digital captures.
We have come to recognize and have become quite fond of the birds, mammals and even reptiles that we consider Mt. Whoville regulars.
The clarity of these simple, motion-triggered trail cameras is not spectacular at night, but certainly good enough to know who, or what’s been prowling around in the wee hours.
Because of this limited image quality and since I am always wanting better photos, I decided to expand my video surveillance with the addition of a wireless, battery powered Wyze Camera. These relatively inexpensive, high-quality outdoor cameras were primarily designed as security cameras, but why not use them to keep an eye on our wildlife visitors?
As long as they are deployed within range of the Wi-fi network, I get a live view, both day and night, along with notifications when something moving is captured on camera. Additionally, when the cameras are activated by motion, they record video to micro-sd cards for later reference.
You can understand why I was excited when I got my first late night alert that the new camera had spotted movement.
Early the next morning I was up and out to check the camera. It was gone.
I’ll admit, to test the new camera I had simply rested it on top of a post that overlooks a game trail at the edge of the native vegetation surrounding our home.
But the missing camera still had life. A quick glance at my phone showed that a fuzzy image was still being transmitted. It had to be within a few hundred feet, or it would not be connected to Wi-fi.
The hunt was on and within a few minutes I located the camera, lens down at the bottom of the hill below the post where I had placed it. Something, or someone, had knocked it off the post and from the looks of it, it had rolled to its current resting place.
Dusting it off and cleaning the lens, I returned it to the post, but this time securely mounted with screws.
About 10 p.m. that night I was excited when the next motion alert arrived.
Ah ha, the mystery of the traveling camera was likely solved.
Dangling in front of the lens were the tail feathers of an owl. He was perched on top of the camera.
I was pretty sure the same thing happened the night before, and Mr. Owl no doubt knocked it off the post.
I have since mounted the camera to the side of the post, eliminating it as a landing pad. I’m no longer seeing owl tail feathers, but am getting occasional notices as coyotes, rabbits, a roadrunner and even an elusive feral cat have wandered by.
I have added a second Wyze Cam at ground level near a shallow water dish that has been popular with quail. Last summer, it was such a delight watching fuzzy quail chicks lining up on the rim to drink during the day.
I am now calling the shallow water dish “The Possum Pond,” since the Wyze Cam has recorded nightly visits from a large, old opossum.
Other than the hairless tail, this fluffy nocturnal visitor looks more like a panda bear as it daintily laps up water.
These gentle marsupials get a bad rap because they hiss and bare their teeth when threatened. In reality, they are quite gentle and beneficial to have around.
Last night, we also had a visit from a raccoon who quickly dashed in, drank a little and disappeared into the night.
Coyote breeding season begins soon, and like last year, I am hoping we get a crop of pups and better images from the new cameras.
By then I hope to have at least four cameras watching our fountains and wildlife walkways.
Just in case, I plan to mount them securely to avoid another owl encounter.