Unless it happens to be wild turkeys, birds aren’t easy to photograph on a trail camera without something to attract them. Which is an OK idea. Every summer I've been putting a camera on the oriole feeder to record who's visiting and this winter I've been doing the same with a peanut feeder. But if you really want results put a camera on a road-killed whitetail. Oh boy howdy.
Anyway, I captured a rare photo of this bird recently and I figure it likely pounced on some prey animal to trigger the camera shutter. It also took me awhile to ID it and I ended-up emailing the photo to a wildlife biologist for verification.
It's a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus); a very rare winter sighting as this raptor migrates south to the gulf coast and at least to Illinois for the winter. This bird is characterized by striking black-and-white checkered wings and a loud 'kee-aah' call. Their red shoulders are visible when perched or in flight.
Their diet includes small mammals, amphibians and reptiles. While this sighting is a first, they do nest here and are highly territorial returning year after year to the same location to breed.
This bird requires large, contiguous blocks of mature forest,
particularly bottomland hardwoods near rivers or wetlands. As a
consequence of habitat fragmentation this bird’s status in Wisconsin is
threatened.
Every once in a while the trail cameras deliver a real keeper image.
And this is a bonus.
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