Test on trail cameras

More stump photos, but this was a test using three different cameras to see how the quality of the photos would compare. It's difficult enough getting a hawk photo on a stump, and me wanting the highest quality picture possible, so I used an Olympus 380 @ 2mg, the Sony P32 @ 3.2 mg and the Sony P41 @ 4.1 mg. All were set on the highest resolution and best settings for a close distance.

First: shown below is the Sony P41

Next is the Sony P32

Last is the Olympus 380



With the results I continued to use the 380 on stumps and logs or close trails, the only difference is with the higher mg cameras I can crop the photo a little for a better picture. The Olympus 380 is very fast to take a picture so I use them to test trails for other animals and try to get the pattern of travel, then I can set a better camera along the path and hope for a great picture at night.

Birds on stumps

I set a number of my game cameras next to stumps for whatever animal might want to land or climb upon to rest. It was a suprise to me how many different animals used the stumps to get a better view while searching for food. The trick is to set the camera at a distance from the stump to hide from view, close enough for a quality photo but still able to get the entire animal into the picture.

Then you want a good background, one that includes a sky line for evening photos but not looking into the sun.

I also set the camera level with or just below the top of the stump and aimed upward to give the skyline and enough to get the entire bird or animal in the photo.

My first Golden Eagle photos in 05

These photos were taken in January 05 and took me a while to identify because our area is not known for Golden Eagles, they mainly stay on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington. Since that time I have seen more in the area during winter , especially when the winters are bad east of the mountains.

The morning fog shows the golden feathers on the head and makes identification easy, but from other photos on the same stump it looks like an young Bald Eagle.

Bear cubs

I enjoy getting photos of cubs with their mother, so I moved my cameras and tried to follow them from one area to another as they searched for food. It took a lot of work to find them at times, but well worth the effort.

Once I find where the cubs play I bring in several cameras and saturate the area in the hopes of getting them climbing trees.