I’ve had an infrared-triggered camera set up in Shakerag Hollow for the last few months. The camera takes photos of animals as they climb along or walk around the fallen ash tree. The camera takes color pictures during the day, then at night uses an infrared flash that is invisible to animals.
The huge log is quite a highway. Squirrels are by far the most abundant creatures, but others also make appearances.
David George Haskell 
love this post- one of my favorite parts of my job at The Jones Center was using the game cameras! my favorite might be the aerial chippy!
Thank you, Hayden. Checking the cams is always exciting: you never know what will show up. I was glad to see a few chipmunks (incl flying ones…); their population took a hit last winter with the deep cold.
Wonderful!
Thank you!
My cat is certainly related to
this bobcat!!!
Fountainpen
Absolutely!
As crowded as the log appears to be, strange that they give each other turns? Instinctive courtesy?
Yes, I never see them together. Fear of predation accounts for some of it: bobcat+squirrel=trouble. Those raccoons are usually traveling in a group, though.
Bobcat! YES!!!
Very cool to see one!
so glad you do these things and then share the results. love the gargoyle
Thank you. The gargoyle even has little wings, I think.
Fascinating, this log!
It is. And the “micro” life that swarms over it is impressive too.
Wonderful, and similar to what I see / hear. Keep us from getting too accustomed to these blessings / wonders. :)
Thank you! So glad to hear that you’re encountering similar creatures.
I too; people sometimes ask me if living on top of a mountain at a mixed forest edge isn’t lonely, but how could it be? (So far, I’ve seen traveling through my 2 1/2 acres: bear, elk, mountain lion, deer, bobcat, fox, coyote, squirrels (ground and grey) and chipmunks; California condor, turkey vultures, Acorn woodpeckers and others, red-tailed hawks…. Well, you get the idea! : ) It’s heaven.
Wow — that is an impressive list of charismatic megafauna!
David, what an amazing diversity of animals! I thought I needed my eyes checked, but this confirms it… I saw a bobcat in Shakerag Hollow on the Perimeter Trail near one of the stream crossings on 7 May 2014 on an early morning trail run! Thankfully, it took off in a hurry up the creek once it saw me. Thanks for sharing these great photos.
-Doug
Doug, What a fabulous sighting you had. Bobcats are definitely present in many of the cove forests, but are (wisely) wary of humans and thus very seldom seen. I’ve seen several on IR cameras, but only a couple with my own eyes. Students who’ve camped under rock overhangs at the bluff have heard them “screaming” at night during breeding season.
I still see a bobcat at times while riding the AEDC trail
I also have a motion detector cam in an access spot between bluff and cove. Deer and fox are my most frequent visitors. I know many locals ‘swear’ there are cougar here, (almost seem desperate to believe it). Perhaps you could shed a reality based opinion on the subject.
I am highly skeptical.
There have been sightings of cougar around here for years, some by people who know what they’re looking at. But no photos. I remain agnostic. Cougars are moving into the Midwest from the West, so perhaps they’ll arrive back here, but not as the eastern subspecies.
Looks like a Moultrie M-990i? Nice photos, good cam.
Yes, that is the model. I’ve been impressed by its photos and performance. Far better than older, flim-based models that I used 15-20 years ago.
A good number of years back, doing the weekly Alto/Sherwood and return ride, About halfway back up from Sherwood a lady driving down stopped and warned us of a mountain lion lying on a rock just off the road. I was the first responder and had a very good view of it. They have been there; but are they still? I have never heard of another sighting.
Wow — that must have been a sight. There have been a few other scattered sightings and some tracks.
Mountain lions — I’ve only seen two — are awesome, in the true sense of the word. Seeing one that way must have been marvelous.
Thank you for this.
When the brush gets thick, many times the easiest path through the woods is atop a log, if you have the proper balance. Thus your excellent choice of camera placement. I once saw a rattlesnake in Lost Cove with similar insight. It’s head was placed carefully behind a hickory hull, patiently waiting.
No ratters on this log yet, but one was sunning right next to it. I’ve never seen one on a log; I’ll step more carefully now.
Mountain lions — I’ve only seen two — are awesome, in the true sense of the word. Seeing one that way must have been marvelous.