Wildlife Update

Documenting my Back Yard

During the 2022 summer, many of my friends watched daily, or almost daily, video and photographic dispatches that documented my search for my missing cat, Raymond. I called these dispatches “Raymond Update”. I set three infrared trail cameras each night at various locations around my mountain property and at neighbors’ houses in hopes of catching a glimpse of the lost ginger kitty. Those daily recordings accompanied by descriptions of my search strategy and plans for the next attempt evidently captured the attention and interest of my Facebook community. They appeared in serial form over a course of 88 days. With daily cliffhangers, these posts became a form of wildlife soap opera with each “episode” offering the hope of a human-nonhuman reunion. Plus, my audience never knew, as I never anticipated, what my trail cameras might record on any given dark night.

This fall, 2023, still not reunited with Raymond, I found myself continuing to be curious about the nonhuman goings on in my back yard. Part of my yard is fenced while the remaining 1.5 acres is open field that extends to a mountain base. When I walk with my dog Granger each morning, I see critter tracks and he enjoys his “sniff-aris”. So, I have started documenting my back yard once again. I am struck by my gleeful anticipation each morning as I retrieve SD cards and review the night’s doings. Beyond my sight and sound, the trail cameras show just how busy a rural back yard can be. Moreover, these dispatches connect me to a sense of feral beauty, surprise, and “aliveness” that is precious in an otherwise grim world.

Just beyond my fence: October 19, 2023. I have no idea what time these visitors arrived because this camera refuses to set time/date correctly…

Flash, blurred deer face.

(Make sure you have your volume turned up for the second video).

Join me again next time for more back yard adventures! Will the camera-sniffing deer return? Will the elk arrive soon? Will the fox make another appearance? Might we see Raymond, one of these nights?