October 2022 – Northern Desert Photography

Ghostly Trail Cam Photos for Halloween

I have always been afraid of the dark. This fear has not gone away even at my advanced age. I just have far too much imagination and can conjure frightening images from the slightest noise or unexplained movement out there in the scary dark. I laugh at myself as even when reviewing trail cam photos that are taken in the dark I can get creeped out. It is disconcerting to stare at a photo that was taken at 2:00 AM and there is nothing obviously in the photo that triggered the flash. Another eerie sight are eyes glowing out of the dark with no hint at what animal or other being is behind the eyes. In these photos the animals are easy to identify, deer, feral horses, coyotes and a raccoon.

If not Spiders, then What?

Last post was an example of the unexpected when it comes to photos captured on Trail-cameras. What is the desired objective? …beautiful animals of course. I started placing a series of cameras out in July in two main areas that are full of wildlife. Nevada State Game Laws makes the placement of Trail-cameras illegal after August 1 of each year until January 1 of the following year in the interest of fair chase. My goal is photographing animals not hunting them in this application, but I am still subject to the law. I obtained permission to place these cameras on private property which is legal. I am seeing lots of large Mule Deer bucks along with does and fawns. The cameras have also captured a skunk, coyotes and feral horses. While Trail-cameras don’t take high quality photos the pictures are hopefully going to increase my odds of getting good pictures with my real camera. Here are some examples from the last few months.

Spider Web

I admit to having horrible arachnophobia. Ever since I can remember spiders have terrified me. I almost get physically ill when having to confront them. I am aware of all of the positives of spiders and what they contribute I just don’t want to see them. I run a string of trail cameras to capture deer, coyotes and anything else I can see in my ongoing interest of the natural world. I enjoy the date and time stamp aspect of the photos which adds to my knowledge of animal movements and habits. Imagine my surprise on capturing a large spider building it’s web in front of one of my cameras one night. Ever wondered how long it takes to build the web? I now have the answer – around 4 hours from start to finish. I am grateful that by the time I came by to take the memory disc out of the camera; web and spider were long gone.