Most of the time, our backyard looks pretty quiet.

There are squirrels running through the trees. Birds stop at the feeder. Every once in a while, a deer makes an appearance.

At least, that’s what we thought was happening.

Then we put up a trail camera.

Within about two weeks, that ordinary patch of backyard produced a black bear, bobcat, multiple deer, raccoons, an opossum, an armadillo, and plenty of squirrels.

Meanwhile, a camera at the bird feeder was recording cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees and House Finches.

The cameras didn’t bring any of these animals here.

They simply showed us what was already here.

And that made us wonder: What’s happening in your backyard when you aren’t looking?

It Started With an Ordinary Patch of Woods

There wasn’t much strategy behind where we placed our trail camera.

It’s pointed toward a section of the yard with trees and undergrowth, but there’s no obvious animal trail. Nothing about the spot suggested that it was particularly busy.

During the day, you could stare at it for an hour and probably see nothing more exciting than a squirrel.

The camera told a very different story.

Animals repeatedly crossed the same little area. Some appeared during the day. Others didn’t arrive until long after dark.

It began to look less like a random patch of yard, and more like a highway we simply couldn’t see.

Then a Bear Walked By

The visitor that really got our attention appeared at 7:54 one August morning.

A black bear casually walked through.

Nobody was outside watching it. There was no dramatic encounter and no overturned garbage can. The bear simply passed through the property and continued on its way.

Without the camera, we never would have known it happened.

Black bears aren’t strangers to the mountains and foothills of South Carolina, but there’s still something different about discovering one walked through your backyard.

It also puts the size of some of our other visitors into perspective. Deer had walked through nearly the same spot. Then the bear appeared, looking considerably wider and heavier than anything else the camera had captured.

The Bear Wasn’t the Biggest Surprise

A bear makes for the most dramatic picture, but our bobcat may have been the more interesting discovery.

Bobcats are native to South Carolina and can live surprisingly close to people without being noticed.

Ours walked through during daylight.

No one saw it.

Once again, the camera did.

That’s when the backyard started feeling different.

How many times had that bobcat crossed the property before we installed the camera?

How many times had the bear?

We have no idea.

The Backyard Has a Night Shift

When people head inside, another group clocks in.

Raccoons and opossums wander through after dark. We also captured a nine-banded armadillo, an animal that has become increasingly familiar across South Carolina.

Deer Know Something We Don’t

Multiple deer also appeared on camera during the two-week period.

That was particularly interesting because they weren’t all the same animal.

Different deer were traveling through the same general area.

Add the bear, bobcat, raccoons, and other animals, and a pattern starts to emerge.

What looks like an ordinary opening to us may make perfect sense to wildlife. Animals naturally choose routes that offer easier travel, cover, access to food and water, or connections between larger habitat areas.

We may not see a trail.

Apparently, they do.

Then There Are the Neighbors Upstairs

The trail camera only shows what’s happening on the ground.

A camera-equipped bird feeder gives us another view of the backyard.

The two regular customers are a Northern Cardinal and a Tufted Titmouse.

We’ve noticed an amusing routine between them.

The cardinal frequently arrives first. The titmouse often appears almost immediately after the cardinal leaves, sometimes within only a second or two.

It has happened often enough that it seems the titmouse may be sitting nearby waiting for the larger cardinal to finish.

A Carolina Chickadee and House Finch have also stopped for pictures.

And, of course, there are squirrels.

Lots of squirrels.

Eleven Species in About Two Weeks

Between the trail camera and bird feeder, we’ve photographed at least:

• American black bear
• White-tailed deer
• Bobcat
• Raccoon
• Virginia opossum
• Nine-banded armadillo
• Eastern gray squirrel
• Northern Cardinal
• Tufted Titmouse
• Carolina Chickadee
• House Finch

That’s at least 11 species around one Upstate backyard in roughly 14 days.

And that number really doesn’t tell the whole story.

The camera only sees a small section of the property. An animal can walk 20 feet to either side and never appear in a picture.

Birds can fly overhead.

Owls can call from the trees.

Foxes and coyotes can move through at night.

Snakes, frogs, insects, and countless smaller animals can live within a few yards of the camera without ever triggering it.

What we photographed isn’t everything living around us.

It’s simply what happened to cross the right spot at the right time.

Try It in Your Own Backyard

You don’t need to live on hundreds of acres.

You don’t even necessarily need a trail through your property.

If you have a wooded edge, brushy corner, creek, drainage area, or other relatively undisturbed spot, try pointing a trail camera at it for a couple of weeks.

Then leave it alone.

For birds, a feeder or birdbath can reveal an entirely different group of visitors.

Don’t intentionally feed or approach bears or other large wildlife. The goal is observation, not convincing wild animals that people provide food.

You may get nothing unusual.

Or you might discover that the quiet corner of your backyard isn’t quiet at all.

What’s in Your Backyard?

Two weeks ago, if someone asked what lived around our backyard, we probably would have said deer, squirrels, and some birds.

Now the answer includes a bear, bobcat, armadillo, raccoon, opossum, and quite a few others.

Nothing really changed.

We just started looking.

So now we’re curious about the rest of the Upstate.

What’s wandering through your backyard when you’re asleep, at work, or simply not looking out the window?

Put up a camera.

You might be surprised by your neighbors.