Trail camera victory shows a close up view of a wild Florida panther

Andrew West, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
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A Florida panther tripped a motion sensor camera set up by News-Press photographer Andrew West in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in early May of 2022. There are between 120-230 adult panthers roaming the wild according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A Florida panther tripped a motion sensor camera set up by News-Press photographer Andrew West in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in early May of 2022. There are between 120-230 adult panthers roaming the wild according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The miles on foot and by car were racking up. While always fruitful, the outcome often was not the one I desired.

On recent hikes to my remote sensor camera set up at Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, I would mutter: Is it set up correctly? Are the batteries dead? Did a bear knock it over? Did rain destroy the cables? Did the flashes go off correctly? Did a Florida panther or a bear stroll by?

A bobcat trips a motion sensor camera set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in February of 2022.
A bobcat trips a motion sensor camera set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in February of 2022.

Over the past couple of years, all of the above have occurred except a bear knocking over the remote camera. The system has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my career. When it works, however, all those frustrations melt away.

A wild hog uses a tree as a scratching post as it trips a motion sensor camera set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in January of 2022.
A wild hog uses a tree as a scratching post as it trips a motion sensor camera set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in January of 2022.

When I first started using the camera in 2016, I would regularly get the wildlife I was seeking — panthers, bears, deer and other cool mammals. But for the past 1 1/2 to 2 years, it has been slim pickings. I blame a variety of reasons, mostly user error, older weathered equipment and a little Mother Nature mixed in. Nothing is more frustrating than looking at the back of the camera and seeing swaying grass or a couple of frames of black because the flashes didn't fire correctly.

But that all changed at the beginning of the year. I seemed to have figured out some of the glitches, and I started seeing animals on the back of the screen. A mother turkey with its poults in tow, a beautiful bobcat, a wild hog using a tree as a scratching post. Finally, on the last day before the tropical system moved in, I got the grand prize: a rare Florida panther beautifully lit and close to the camera. It is one of my favorite photos of the cat. The detail in the fur and face just amazed me.

Andrew West tests a motion sensor camera he has set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in early December of 2021.
Andrew West tests a motion sensor camera he has set up in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in early December of 2021.

The fruitful part when I hike out there is documenting the beauty of the watershed with my camera. The group of deer, wildflowers, butterflies and the soaring swallowtail kites. Recently I documented more than a dozen of the birds acrobatically flying.

A flock of swallow-tailed kites soars over the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed on Monday, May 2, 2022. The acrobatic birds are nesting this time of year. Some of the birds could be seen gathering nesting material. In July they will gather in large communal roosts and then make the migration to South America.
A flock of swallow-tailed kites soars over the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed on Monday, May 2, 2022. The acrobatic birds are nesting this time of year. Some of the birds could be seen gathering nesting material. In July they will gather in large communal roosts and then make the migration to South America.

I have the system to document Southwest Florida's amazing wildlife that we don't see regularly. The panthers are elusive and don't usually hang around when humans are present. It is a chance to see these guys up close without being there.

Look for more images from the camera in the future.

Follow me on Facebook and on Instagram at Andrewpwestphoto.

Thanks for tagging along on this visual journey. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Trail camera captures Florida panthers, bears, other life in the wild