Caught On Camera | Backyard Nature Video

A bear in your backyard? Join wildlife filmmaker Joe Pontecorvo as he views footage from his backyard trail cameras in Washington State. Learn how easy it is to capture the spectacular wildlife around you.

Video Script:: 

(rustling) - Hi. My name is Joe Pontecorvo. My wife and I are wildlife filmmakers, and when we're not in the field, this is our home, here
in Washington State. But, you know, you don't need
to be a professional filmmaker to capture some of the
hidden wonders of nature that are all around you. I'll show you what I mean. Trail cameras are a great
way to find hidden wildlife. The trick is knowing where to put it. In general, I look for
any kind of animal sign, such as scats or a well-worn
trail like this one. Chances are if one animal
uses it, others will as well. Sometimes, capturing
wildlife takes a little time, so try leaving your trail
cameras out for a week or so. All right. Let's see if we got anything. Opening up a trail camera card is kinda like opening
up a Christmas present. You never know what you're gonna get. Oh. Here's a coyote. Coyotes really are one
of my favorite animals. They're the most successful
large predator in North America. And despite a brutal
campaign of extermination, not only have they
survived; they've thrived and expanded their range
across the United States. Today, they're found in
every state by Hawaii. We keep our trail cameras
up all year round, and we've discovered an
incredible amount of wildlife we never knew we had. This bobcat's a resident, and you see him frequently on the same trail. And there he is, carrying
a rabbit, I think. Not all wildlife is secretive,
like this black bear. He regularly visits our
apple tree every summer and usually consumes most of our apples. But most surprising were these elk that regularly visit our backyard. Now, elk are remarkably adaptable animals, but they're also a migratory species, and we believe one of
the reasons they're here is because we live up
against a protected area, and these green spaces, such as city parks or even this utility line, they become critical corridors
for wildlife to move, so even here, an hour outside of Seattle, you have an enormous amount of wildlife transiting through our backyard. Some of the natural world remains hidden because animals are elusive, and some of the natural
world remains hidden because it unfolds at a different speed. And, as filmmakers, one of the things we're always trying to do is
capture those hidden events, whether it's using high-speed cameras to capture slow motion ... or time-lapse photography to
capture the passing of a day or the opening of a flower. And actually, right
here in your back pocket you have a pretty powerful tool that can do basically
both of those things. Most camera phones have slow-motion
features and time lapse. And if you take the time to set it up, you'd be surprised at all
the things you can uncover. I think what I love most
about this kind of photography is it reveals a hidden half of nature that you might not normally see in a simple stroll through the woods or even in your own backyard.