Winding Down or Up? Life in the Woods

October turned out to be quite the busy month for life in the woods. Number one reason? Bucks have re-entered the area looking for mates: three males at this point, including two yearlings. I also discovered that one of the fawns is a boy. Its pedicles, or antler nubs, are the giveaway.

The leaves also started their fall transformation. I learned that the interior of forests have less pronounced color variations, usually only yellow, due to a somewhat sustained microclimate. Red requires the leaves to produce a chemical that reacts to sun and outside stresses, which is why you most often see red leaves on the forest edges. Here is an example of that on one of the north-side trees.

Below is the interior showing "a sea of golden spicebush and fallen leaves."

The documentary is already 38 minutes edited with a finished goal of 45 minutes. In fact, the final shot and credits are already completed. What happens in the woods between now through January will determine what fills the preceding 7 minutes. I leave you with one of the foxes waking up from a mid-day nap on October 18.

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Documentary in its final season

It's been 8 months of writing, filming, and editing, and my Suburban Woods documentary is almost completed. Almost in the sense that I've covered three of the four seasons, but I still have fall and early winter to tackle. I need to see how the animals fare from October through January.

The trail cameras have picked up just about everything: deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, rats, owls, herons, and even a mink! Just recently a raccoon out foraging along the creek passed by a snake hiding below the water surface. And a female coyote made her rounds again.

Each day tells a story about what it's like for these creatures to exist, and co-exist, within such a small natural environment. Here is a still shot from a video of a raccoon and fox meeting up along the creek at night. They were well-behaved and went their separate ways.

About a month ago one of the cameras was not reachable through the wi-fi interface. Turned out a colony of ants had found its way inside. The camera is now back in service.

I am aiming for about 40-45 minutes as the final length for the documentary. About 32 minutes has already been edited, including two noteworthy pieces near the end that cover threats and solutions. I don't think a documentary would be useful if it didn't offer helpful advice in some manner.

Right now, all four cameras are being repositioned again for more varied shots. I look forward to the beauty of the fall colors and leaves dropping. With my 4K camera and drone, I will be able to add to the trail camera footage with breathtaking color and movement.

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