What is going on in our forests...

For several years now, I have owned a wildlife camera, which I usually leave in one place somewhere in the forests around Aarau for long periods of time. I really neglect the camera, as I hardly ever visit it more than twice a year. That is just often enough to ensure that the batteries last long enough for it to do its job. Securely attached to a tree, it photographs and films everything that appears in front of it. When I go to check on it, there are usually thousands of photos and videos on the memory card. Often, there are wonderful surprises among them.

The image above illustrates the most beautiful discovery I have made thanks to my wildlife camera. Of course, the image was not taken in one shot; I composed it from four separate photos. What is amazing is that the four photos were taken within ten minutes in a recreational area on the outskirts of the city of Aarau, a place where people go jogging or walk their dogs every day. These four forest dwellers (fox, badger, deer, and wild boar) were in the same place at almost the same time. They were certainly aware of each other's presence. Just like in children's books, where animals meet and interact with each other, it seems to happen in our forests too. Except that we humans don't notice it because the animals hide in the thicket during the day due to their bad experiences with us.

Meanwhile, I have been able to photograph all the large mammals and many bird species that live in the area around my home using the wildlife camera. The quality of the photos is not particularly impressive, but that's not what matters to me. I am fascinated by discovering and observing these animals without disturbing them. I have often been able to observe intimate details, and I don't mean the nudists who also hike in the woods (I always delete photos of people immediately). In the following, I will show a small selection of this diversity.

Red fox

This fox probably had its den very close to my camera, because it came by regularly. I was particularly pleased that it also liked to run across the fallen tree, just as I had hoped when I placed the camera.

Red fox

The day before, a buzzard had eaten a blackbird right in front of the camera. The red fox, which had obviously detected the smell of meat, was probably searching the area for leftovers.

Stone marten

The night after the fox came by, a stone marten also stopped by and sniffed around the spot where the buzzard had eaten a blackbird. It wasn't the last animal to come sniffing around here. Observations like these are only possible with a wildlife camera and show not only how many animals share a territory, but also their behavior.

Deer

I have had close-up shots of deer on my memory card many times. They often come very close to the camera when they roam through the forest along the trees. With this animal, you can even see the tick on its cheek.

Chamois

There are many chamois in the neighboring Jura mountains. However, this photo was taken on the south side of the Aare River, which is essentially in the midlands of Switzerland. Experts have confirmed my assumption that they have never heard of any such reports. This animal must have crossed the Aare River. Did it do so on the nearby car bridge?

Wren

Songbirds often pose in front of the wildlife camera, such as this wren. Other times, it has been chaffinches, song thrushes, robins, or blackbirds. I have a video of a blackbird singing. Great spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers, black woodpeckers, and wood pigeons are also regular visitors.

Buzzard

Every few weeks, sparrowhawks or buzzards would come to this spot to eat a captured bird. This sometimes took up to an hour, during which time the victim was neatly plucked and then eaten bite by bite. Not necessarily the most pleasant sight, but that's life in the wild.

Tawny owl

I had placed the wildlife camera at this spot because I hoped that animals would walk across the fallen tree trunk. And that's exactly what happened time after time. This tawny owl used the spot as a resting place for a brief moment, preened itself a little, and flew away again. It came back regularly to take a break here.

Wild boars

Depending on the location of my wildlife camera, wild boars were among the most frequent visitors. This picture is one of my favorites because you can see the young animals really well here, taking a short break right in front of the camera. Most of the time, these animals are photographed when they pass by in a long line, one after the other.

Badger

The badger is one of the most secretive animals in our forests. I have only had one or two personal encounters with them so far. However, it kept appearing on the wildlife camera when it was on the hunt for food.

Young chamois

At this location, the chamois appear in front of the camera almost every day. I also encounter these animals in this area almost every time I visit. This photo is from a series where the young animals were playing in front of the camera on the small meadow. Later, they even lay down and slept for a short time.

Lynx

Where there are lots of chamois, he also appears regularly: the lynx. Unfortunately, he is not a leisurely wanderer, but runs past the camera, so that the pictures are either blurred or only show his rear end. He comes by here about once a month, and the photos of him are always a joy when I retrieve the chip.

Lynx

The photos taken at night in fog or snowfall are somewhat mystical. Sometimes it looks as if ghosts live out there. Here, the lynx, also known as the spirit of the forest, tried to pass by unnoticed on New Year's Eve, perhaps fleeing from the fireworks in the village below.

Lynx

So far, the lynx has sat down directly in front of the camera once to observe its surroundings.

Wolf

Speaking of predators... I was hugely surprised and delighted when I looked at the photos from the last few weeks: a wolf had actually stopped right in front of my camera! And if it hadn't rained that Monday, I would have been up there on the mountain at exactly that moment – but the wolf probably wouldn't have been. It was a young wolf on the move, which had killed a few sheep about ten kilometers away. It wandered on and may have found a female in the distant Jura mountains and started a family.

Chamois

As excellent climbers, chamois spend a lot of time at the top of this mountain's ridge. However, I usually see them grazing a few hundred meters below on the meadow in the nature reserve.