Discovering Wildlife Through Trail Cameras
Week of November 30, 2025 – December 6, 2025
by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator
As I have been preparing for the Discovering Wildlife Through Trail Cameras program here at Baltimore Woods I’ve been able to take the time to reflect on why I am so drawn to this type of technology. Anyone who knows me knows I am not tech savvy in the slightest. Computer systems? Confusing. Smartphones and all their gadgets? Nonsense. But trail cameras are different and I think I’ve realized why. They are a piece of technology that actually brings you closer to the natural world around you, whereas phones get you lost in scrolling spirals and computers blind you with their blue lights. It’s amazing to have a piece of equipment that can foster a deeper connection to your environment.
We can assume there are Red Foxes roaming about and Eastern Coyotes chasing rabbits around meadows but it feels different when you actually capture footage yourself. When you’ve identified some fox tracks and angled a trail cam in just the right spot. You check the footage and there they are, a fox coming into view. Maybe they pause when the infrared light shines and then scamper off into the night. Or maybe nothing triggers your camera but falling leaves, but instead of discouragement you are eager to test out a new spot. You know the fox is there but where are they headed, when will they return? All these questions can be answered with trail cameras!
I’ve been roaming around the preserve locating some different animal signs and putting trail cameras up where I might capture footage. It’s a mystery game I am playing with the local wildlife (except they don’t know they’re playing). Piecing together all aspects of tracking (scat, tracks, social trails, food scraps, marks on vegetation, the list goes on) until you find the spot to set up your camera. Trial and error is the name of this game, but I like to think of it as a mystery not yet solved, a kind of nature based Sherlock and Dr. Watson adventure. There have definitely been a few empty SD cards or cards full of pictures of trees swaying back and forth because I didn’t account for wind speed. That’s all a part of the process, but it’s never the end of the mystery!
Technology is an interesting component of our society and it has definitely infiltrated many aspects of our daily lives. If there’s one piece of technology that brings you closer to the natural world, helps you discover the secrets of nature, and connects you to your environment, it is trail cameras.
We invite our members to enjoy a weekly blog written by our naturalists. Every blog will be uniquely different but always inspired by nature. We may share a memory from a recent hike at The Woods or teach you about an animal or plant that lives on the preserve. No matter the topic, we will be sharing with you our passion for nature and celebrating the connections we all have to the natural world. Each blog will be connected to a weekly set of activities and ideas to help you put nature in your hands, even if you’re at home!