📺 Selected highlights by species 

Highlights of videos captured by selected species below. 

Around 20 different species of animals have been identified in the woods by this project. Here are some highlights of some of the more common species seen on camera. You can also see a log of all events captured on camera here, which can be organized by species.

➡️ Most videos are posted in almost real time to our Instagram account stories, @DCCritterCam ⬅️

🦊 Red Fox

Red foxes frequently appear in the woods overnight, usually passing through on their nightly hunts. Foxes are opportunists, and will eat any food source they can find. In wooded urban environments, this includes rats and mice, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, snakes, fish, insects, berries, nuts, and seeds. 

🦌 White-Tailed Deer

White-Tailed Deer are the largest animals to frequent the park (besides humans). Because they have no natural predators remaining in the East, their numbers have skyrocketed and they present a major management challenge. Their historic predators are mainly red wolves, which are extremely critically endangered, and mountain lions, which were extirpated from the East by Europeans during colonization. Mountain lions are slowing making their way back east across the Plains with growing numbers, but likely won't make it back this far at any point soon, even in the distant future. Red Wolves exist in the wild in only one tiny and rapidly dwindling population in Alligator National Wildlife Refuge on the North Carolina coast, where they were reintroduced and have been poorly managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After reintroduction in the late '80s, their numbers climbed to around 100 in 2012, only to fall to less than 10 today. The Center for Biological Diversity released a roadmap in 2019 that, if fully implemented by the U.S. government, could lead to their successful reintroduction in a large part of their former range in the Appalachian Mountains. 

🐦‍⬛ American Crow

Crows are among the most intelligent species on the planet, and are capable of using tools, recognizing individual humans, playing tricks, teaching each other new things, and even holding "funerals." A large group of them live in and around the woods. 

🪵🐦‍ Red-Bellied Woodpecker

More commonly seen on the side of trees higher up in the canopy, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are occasionally seen getting water on the forest floor. Despite their name, these woodpeckers have red on the back of their heads and a mostly white belly. 

🔵🐦‍ Blue Jay

Blue Jays are loud, highly intelligent birds. Members of the family Cordivae, they are relatives of crows and ravens. They are known for being highly aggressive to other bird species. While this is mostly an annoyance to smaller birds, it has a beneficial function for other small birds in the woods, as jays will frequently chase off larger predator birds like hawks, which prey on smaller birds.