More and more nature lovers are setting up outdoor cameras to capture the comings and goings of wildlife in their communities. Recently, Jennifer George set up a camera in the backyard of her California home. Noticing that the animals in the arid climate were often thirsty she decided to set up a makeshift, solar-powered water fountain for them and use the water fountain to disguise her hidden trail camera.
Soon, the watering hole began to attract a variety of animals. Coyotes, skunks, snakes, rabbits and many more!
“It started with just a metal bowl of water,” George told The Dodo of how the video project got started. “We thought that would be a harmless way to get [the animals] in front of the camera. That brought birds at first — mostly scrub jays. Then other animals started showing up, and I wanted to improve the accommodations for them and bought a bigger bowl and a solar fountain.”
Videos like George’s provide glimpses into animals’ lives that have normally been reserved for wildlife researchers. Seeing so many animals going about their day fosters an appreciation for the diversity of nature on our doorstep, don’t you think?
Just as trail cameras are capturing more and more interesting interactions of wildlife, such as one that showed how a log bridge was used by an array of animals, this makeshift watering hole also shows just how many animals need a drink of water.
A researcher did something similar when he set up a bucket in a desert and captured animals in a unique “bucket eye’s” view.
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