I've been testing out some game cameras to use in class in the fall and here are a few of the creatures in my yard detected as a result.

I observed this critter during a slow exploration walk along Gulf Road one afternoon. The porcupine was moving slowly among the upper branches of the tree and seemed oblivious to my presence on the ground.

Carcasses of shrimp-like animals are floating alongside my kayak. What are they? Fresh water shrimp?

I spent the afternoon watching dragonflies and damselflies from my kayak. A Chalk-fronted Corporal (Libellula julia) kept landing on my hat--the highest point in the wetland. I could hear the flicker of its wings as it landed, but I couldn't see it, so just after it took flight I transfered the hat to my extended paddle. When it returned, it hovered over my head for a few seconds then perched on the hat in its new location. Finally a good look at this beauty.

A steady breeze blows from the west. I paddle along the shoreline and wedge my kayak among the Scirpus stems. I want to stop paddling and just sit. Strands of what look like pale violet intestines float within arm's reach, tangled in dead stems. I lean over for a closer look. There are dark spots--eggs--sprinkled within the strands. Whose eggs? Snail?

We have discovered a pair of house wrens nesting in a bird house in our large box elder tree. This morning I watched as the parents took turns provisioning in the young. The first photo is the adult wren at the bird house. Next are two photos showing an adult arriving with a mouthful of food for the chicks. The last photo shows one of the parents removing waste from the nest. Tidy creatures!

What you can't discern from the photos is the excited chirping of the chicks in the bird house each time a parent arrives with food!