a pigeon taking off from a minature picnic table in an urban back yard

Living in an urban area means the concrete, bricks and asphalt in between which we exist, limits our access and exposure to the great outdoors and wild creatures.

That’s not actually true. Despite living in a mid-terrace in a medium-sized conurbation, I’m surrounded by wildlife. There are the foxes I see crossing the road in the dead of night; there are squirrels, birds, butterflies. I once spotted a dragonfly I swear was a foot long. Do cats count as wildlife? It’s all around, but it’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.

Last Christmas, I bought a bunch of Ceyomur infrared wildlife cams from an Amazon returns outlet for about a fiver each. After testing they all worked, I gave a couple of them away as gifts, with most of the rest going to a local primary school where my wife runs the forest school section.

For my birthday, the daughter bought me a squirrel feeder. It’s shaped like a miniature picnic table and has a cute red umbrella. After assembling it atop the roof of my B&M arbour, I discovered the perfect place for the one remaining camera.

I’m not going to comment on the app-based wierdness involved in setting up and using the cam.

a black and white infrared image of a black cat on a wall

a squirrel eating from a tiny picnic table with a red umbrella

So far, I’ve seen cats, pigeons and squirrels. I’m waiting for a bear.