Bird feeder camera captures cheeky snaps of animals enjoying midnight snacks
A bird feeder camera has captured brilliant snaps of sneaky raccoons, skunks and a deer enjoying a late-night snack.
Wildlife lover Danae Wolfe, 36, first set up the recording device in 2022 after being sent it for a review on her TikTok channel. She and her family have spent the last eight years changing their yard to support the native wildlife of Ohio as wildlife numbers decline.
On the very first night of the camera being in place, Ohio local Danae and her family were instantly enthralled by the hilarious images of local wildlife paying them a visit. The conservation writer and photographer said: "Much to our surprise, the funny photos and videos started the first night after we installed the camera.
READ MORE:
"We enjoyed seeing the birds visit during that first afternoon but later that night, the camera caught a cheeky raccoon stop by for a midnight snack. The raccoon actually knocked the camera off its mount on the tree and the camera continued recording all night as raccoons, deer and skunks stopped by for a treat."
Furious chimp launches bottle at girl filming him leaving her bleeding at zooThe hidden camera has captured a whole variety of other creatures, with the likes of squirrels and turkeys exploring the garden and its treats. Danae, of Wooster, Ohio, said: "It’s the nocturnal wildlife that we’ve really enjoyed seeing.
"We’ve had as many as four raccoons show up on any given night - a mum a three babies. We’ve also counted 11 or 12 different skunks that are regular overnight visitors.
"The camera also once picked up a pair of turkeys - a male and a female - last year that I was hoping would become regular visitors, but we haven’t seen them since. We were also surprised to see a flying squirrel squatting in the bird feeder trough one night.
"Though they are common squirrels in the eastern US, I’ve never seen one in our yard before, so it was super cool to see they’re hanging out in our neighbourhood."
Join the Mirror's SMS news service to get the biggest breaking stories delivered straight to your phone. Click here to subscribe.
She has snapped thousands of photos and videos from her bird feeder camera and she particularly loves a peculiar fish-like close-up of a deer. "I think my personal favourite is the photo of the deer that almost looks like a fish.
"At first glance, it’s tough to make out what you’re looking at beyond the large eye and eyelashes. It’s such a funny perspective of a deer."
Dane describes herself as a 'macro photographer and conservation educator' and aims to encourage and educate people on creating outdoor spaces that promote the local ecology.