At preschool, we often ask ourselves the question “What animals visit Trillium camp when we are gone?” 

We already have some tools to help us figure this out. For example, everyone loves to examine and follow tracks in the snow. Sometimes we might find feathers or even fur. And sometimes we see the animals ourselves! 

Earlier this fall, we found another special tool that can help us with our question. It was under some leaves, wet and dirty. It was a trail camera, the same one that our old friend Sarah Chaffee had set up last year! Unfortunately, water had gotten into the belly of the camera and it was no longer usable. But Nora Fox happened to have another one in her closet (from her college thesis project doing mammal surveys in Vermont), and brought it in! The preschoolers helped choose some different trees to strap it to, and since then, we’ve gotten some great answers to our question about what animals visit our camp!

A trail camera is very special because it takes pictures whenever it senses something moving, in the night or day, rain or shine. Sometimes it captures leaves moving, snow falling, or animals (and preschoolers!) walking by. Here are some of the images this camera has captured in the fall and spring. Look out for these animals: deer, squirrels, and mink! Each image has a date and time stamp so you can see exactly when it was taken. Click the arrows on the sides of the picture to see the next ones. Can you tell what these animals are doing?