Rediscovering the Forest Through The Lens of a Trail Camera

Have you ever walked through your woods and wondered what the wildlife gets up to when you’re not around? Maybe you’ve spotted unfamiliar tracks or heard rustling in the brush, leaving you curious about the critters that share your forest.

For Lorna and Carl Smith, that curiosity led them to set up trail cameras along their forested trails at Twin Brooks Farm, located near Chehalis. It all started with cougar tracks—they spotted evidence of this elusive predator along their trails, and wanted to see if they could capture it on camera.

Lorna and Carl frequently walk the trails on their property. While they’re out, they’ll leave a trail camera in a promising location for 10 to 15 days before returning to retrieve it. By strategically placing the camera wherever they spotted signs of wildlife (typically along the creek) they have been capturing incredible glimpses into the lives of the animals in their woods.

Over the years, their cameras have revealed the hidden lives of their furry and feathered neighbors. They’ve seen cougars prowling the trails, and even a bear helping itself to a midnight snack in their orchard. Lorna reflected that one of their most memorable moments with the trail camera was when they saw a great blue heron unexpectedly wandering in the woods, and were able to capture the sight. Another notable moment, and one of their most amusing discoveries, came one night after mowing their trail. The camera caught footage of a coyote, clearly unsettled by the sudden absence of tall grass, lifting his legs high and taking exaggeratedly tall steps over the missing vegetation.

Lorna, who has lived on this land for nearly her entire life, says using trail cameras has deepened her connection to the place she knows so well. She’s spent years observing and documenting the flora and fauna of the property in her blogs, the Twin Brooks Farm Tales of Trails and Twin Brooks Country Moments. The use of trail cams offers a whole new way of experiencing the property she loves so dearly. She’s particularly fond of the bobcats and beavers that appear in their footage, and has enjoyed watching the wildlife activity shift with the seasons, as certain species, like birds and insects, become far less active in winter.

For those interested in setting up their own trail cameras, Lorna and Carl recommend researching different models and investing in quality equipment. “You get what you pay for,” Carl noted, explaining that cheaper cameras often had usability issues. After trying out a few brands, they found one they trust—currently a camera made by Browning—and encourage others to dive into the wonderful world of trail cameras.

For Lorna, her journey with trail cameras has turned her land into a window into the wild—proving that even in a familiar forest, there’s always more to discover.

Here are some more images of the wildlife Lorna and Carl caught on camera: