Topic: Critter Cam 2014!

[bayou girl]

I should have put these here to start with, deer from the critter cam in the back yard.

Pictures of deer in our back yard (kind of grainy) as caught by the trail cam on Jan 7/8

first, the view from the house and camera.  looking toward the back of the house.  the feeder is tall enough that i can almost walk under it.


first photo with deer & a second one edited - blown up and the deer circled




and a picture of them again the next night




The critter cam has been moved to a new direction (still facing the woods) but closer to the feeder.  More pictures in the next post.

[bayou girl]

robert filling it (for size reference)


3 squirrels (the 3rd is on the ground)


up a tree!


brave squirrel


The real stars of the show

[Tina]

Some good pictures. I like wildlife.
So how does it get filled? Does it get lowered? Or does he use a ladder?

[bestofour]

so cool

[bayou girl]

He uses a ladder,  which you can partially see in the wagon.

[bestofour]

what's happening with the critters in this cold?

[bayou girl]

what's happening with the critters in this cold?

sheri, i never even saw this post!  but to tell you, they bed down in the woods behind the feeder, it is fairly warm back there (comparatively) as there is a slow flowing cypress bay edged by thick growth of pines, silver maples, myrtles, and vines.  lots of comfy spot for deer.

and now for the new crop of photos...  the squirrels had badly damaged the deer feeder, so the cameras and feeder spent the summer out of commission.  robert has it back up and running now.

"caught you!"


first there was one


now there is two


and then three


and three again


then two


then one


now you see him


and now you don't.

this is what robert did while we were in north dakota!

[Tina]

Cool. What did the squirrels do to damage the feeder? And how does the feeder work?

[bestofour]

Neat.  Squirrels are cute but so destructive.

[bayou girl]

the way it works is gravity feed onto a motorized plate that slings the corn around.  the plate is pressure sensitive so if there is too much corn on it, it won't turn.  the bottom of the drum is not quite flat, and there is a funnel at the bottom that opens about 2".  it was made of plastic.  the squirrels ate it.  which meant that rather than the corn falling onto the plate, it just all fell out.  they also ate the edges of the bottom and top.  so, robert got a metal funnel (actually the insert to a tube cake pan) and cut it to the right length.  he glued and duct taped the edges to seal the barrel so that the corn doesn't get wet.  now, if the squirrels chew, they have metal on the funnel, and duct tape on the edges.  he also put vaseline on the legs and positioned the feeder in such a way that they can't easily jump from a tree onto it.  we'll so.  so far so good.

[Tina]

Thank you for 'splainin it. squirrels are destructive critters.