PHOTO GALLERY: Trail cams capture amazing wildlife footage

Observing wildlife is one of Estes Park resident Gosia Pisowicz Stewart’s passions. Photography is another. She combines these loves as she captures stunning video of the animals who roam her 40-acre property in Little Valley.

“I started my adventure with these cameras a year-and-a-half ago,” Steward said. “It gave us the same thrills we got from safaris in Africa. We have our own little safari here in Estes Park.”

Stewart has placed eight trail cameras at strategic points around her property. The motion-activated machine records on SD cards, runs on lithium batteries. It also has infrared to record in the dark.

“I love animals,” she noted. “This allows me to get closer and observe the natural behavior of animals without disturbance.”

The animals Stewart has captured on her trail cams include elk, deer, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, mountain lions, bobcats, moose, bear, turkeys, various birds, mice, rabbits and even a weasel.

At her wedding to her husband, Scott, Stewart received a gift of a consultation with wildlife media expert David Neils. He recommended she invest in Browning Company Recon Edge cameras which she bought for $180 from B&H Photo. Some cameras are cheaper. Some are more expensive.

Neils showed the couple how to look for signs of animal behavior and trails, where to place the cameras and how high to mount them.

“We were putting the cameras like three or four feet off the ground,” Scott Stewart explained. “He taught us to put them down nearer to the ground, like a foot or two, so that they are more like eye level with the animals.”

In the summer when there is more activity, the Stewarts check their cameras about every two weeks. In the winter, they check them about once a month.

“My first mountain lion video was at night,” Gosia Stewart recalled. “It lay down right in front of the camera. It’s definitely worth the investment. It really doesn’t matter how big the property is. Just have fun with it. You can see what visits your yard when you’re not looking.”

When she gathers the SD cards from the cameras, Stewart downloads the clips on to her computer. She uses editing software called Adobe Premiere to put the best videos together. Then, she uploads the final project to Vimeo and shares the link out on Facebook, especially on local Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park pages.

“I do it for myself and to share with the community,” Stewart stressed. “A lot of people who come here and visit have an appreciation for wildlife. Since I’m originally from Poland, I have friends all over the world. Many of them have never seen these animals this close except at the zoo. For them it’s such a thrill. I’m happy to share a little bit of our wilderness here with a wider audience.”

The Stewarts say they are always aware of their surroundings when they travel the trails on their property to check the cameras. They are armed with a loud whistle, bear spray and a knife…just in case of a close encounter with the wildlife they capture on video.

To see the Stewarts’ wildlife footage, go to https://vimeo.com/manage/folders/5145839.

To learn more about David Neils, go at https://wildnaturemedia.com/.