Not only have I been unable to get to my cameras in the national forest because of the snow, I have been unable to get to my back fence to see what has hopped through the yard. I think my last check of Melted Browning #6 was in late December. Yesterday I swapped out #6 for Browning #11, which I rescued from a snowdrift a few weeks ago.
The story of January is the ancient tale of the fox and the hare. Actually these images are six days apart, but I'm not letting it interfere with the storyline.
Earlier in the month when the show was quite a bit lower, this snow-capped deer wandered into frame. After the snow got about three feet high where the deer is standing, they weren't around any more. They seem to prefer town where the streets are plowed and it is easier to get around.
At last count, I have had 10 trail cameras and still have eight of them. Today I received another one, which will be designated as Reconyx #19, my third Reconyx. (I also have assigned numbers to other devices besides trail cameras; that's why the numbering doesn't line up.) This camera brand is more expensive than others, but there are several things to like about them. First, they are based in Wisconsin just north of the city where I was born, and they actually service their products. When Reconyx #2 was damaged in the 2017 fire that also damaged Melted Browning #6 and destroyed Moultrie #3, I was able to get it serviced by the factory. I didn't bother to try to find service for the Browning. Second, Reconyx does not lie about their camera resolution as EVERY OTHER manufacturer does. My first two Reconyx were 3Mp. This one, named the Hyperfire 4K Professional, uses an 8Mp Sony chip. Good luck trying to find out what the other manufacturers use for chips.
I am hoping that the latest generation of Reconyx cameras is the Great Leap Forward. If you compare the specs for my first Reconyx bought in 2011, my second one bought in 2018, and cameras available just last year, there wasn't that much difference. This new one appears to have some other interesting features besides higher resolution, including customizable maximum night ISO (400-6400) and minimum shutter speed (1/30-1/960). I set ISO 1600 and shutter speed 1/60.
Since I still may not be able to get to my cameras in the woods for a couple more weeks, my plan is to deploy the new camera at the bluebird box. We have seen bluebirds here at the end of March before, so they might be around. After that, it will go out in the woods with the other two Reconyx and my newest Browning, #15. Browning #11 probably will remain on shed duty, and the close focus Gardepro T5CF #14 will come out of winter hibernation and get the bluebird box or the birdbath. Then I can finally retire Brownings #5 and #6, and the generally awful Primos #4. I want to do some remote or motion triggering with my new Canon R5, but that's a whole nother topic.
