Trespassers will be filmed — wildlife edition

Some footage from one of the game cameras in my homestead - an edge between Zone 4 and Zone 5

That's lovely Richard!
So several sorts of deer (babies so cute!), fox, hare? boar? birds trying to nest in camera or hunting insects, and the odd human doing work or dog walking There seems to be insect life at night too, not just raindrops.
Is that over a year? selected hghlights?

Yes, this is just some highlights of over 700 recordings just from one camera over the period of a year, that include animals, me+family+friends, and trespassers too (mostly mushroom collectors).
Deer is most abundant, some wild boars, hare, fox, badger, birds and insects. Also, not included in this short film, cats, dogs, squirrels and moose. Reptiles, amphibians, bats and fishes didn't make it to the movie ;)
EDIT: in this area I'm walking my cat on a leach :D the cat is deadly to the small creatures and birds.

Game cams and wildlife cameras are fun to watch.

We have spent hour and hour watching ours.

Thanks for sharing yours.

Thanks for sharing, Richard!
My kind of TV

There is a fox roaming my backyard  near sundown. He must be interested in the wild rabbits hopping around the place.

Any suggestions on a good camera?

I think everyone should put one up for even just a few days, you might be amazed what happens when you  aren't looking
as far as what to buy - think about how long you will leave it up,(battery life among other things) - how often you want to check it - I have found I like the ones I can put out of reach, and check it with a cell/ tablet connection my go-to is actually a cheap one with remote access, Bluetooth to start, then it goes WiFi - can download,view and change settings.
if you are just going to retrieve it and take it to a PC or laptop to view it, there are lots of less expensive ones. I have video of a red fox climbing a 6' chain link fence - like it was nothing.
there are also cell linked versions - handy, but more expense.
good luck and happy monitoring!

Donna Herrmann-Vogel wrote:Any suggestions on a good camera?

I'd love to know of a good trail camera system that does not require a cellular connection, wifi, bluetooth, or any other hackable or "outside" connections to function.  it would be nice if it could transmit to a home-based computer or recorder, but only wired or "local" radio frequencies.  I've only done basic searches, but all the ones I've seen require some kind of outside connections that would be either outside my control or hackable by others.  I'm not electronically gifted, or I'd just design and build my own.

I am not sure I even want to know what is so sensitive on what you want to put cameras on! there are rule/laws and human decency to always consider -
wired or radio (if it isn't wired, it's radio) -  it can potentially be hacked. wifi, BT  and cell are all radio. your cell phone up against your head is transmitting RF to work.
I just can't tell if  "trail cam" is what you really need, or a fixed CCTV setup, since you want to get it to a PC or DVR.
even wired connections can be "hacked". the BLE blutooth actually make you start with their software - pretty slim chance of someone having the correct software to get to it to turn on the WiFi, which usually turns off in a couple minutes, needing the bluetooth to turn it on, and it isn't a wide open WiFi. (most of the trail cams have some security on the WiFi)
if you want to record it on a PC or DVR - you have to get a signal to from the camera(s) to the recording device.
good camera placement, and probably the 940 nanometer infrared would go a long ways to not drawing attention - the 940 NM isn't visible to the human eye, and from what I have observed, very few animals see - I get some amazing shots with those.
these cameras are likely more secure than a cell phone, partly because a WiFi search won't bring them up unless a person has turned them on for a session. if you aren't going to be taking them "into the wild" - than a standard DVR (or appropriate setup PC) would be the thing for a hardwired CCTV system, not trail cameras. you can get some relatively decent quality low cost from places online. I hesitate to put brand names in here, or store names - but will suggest the huge corporate online place most of the country seems to use, or there is a place called supercircuits that can be quite helpful. think of it needing to be a system - and matching your particular needs  with the appropriate gear.
video is simple, but there are lots of levels of quality out there - using one place to get setup can make sure you get the most out of it for what you are doing.
the place I mentioned has some decent quality affordable DVR's as well as cameras.
Good luck!