Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 30 Photos Of Regular Visitors
Jennifer George lives in a semi-rural area in San Diego County and used to watch various animals wandering into her yard from a distance until she thought of a genius idea to take a better look. On a hot day in 2019, she decided to get some water for a family of coyote pups and a wholesome hobby took off from there.
She started with a simple metal bowl of water which became pretty popular among local animals as it can get pretty hot in California and it has since been upgraded into a real 'animal thirst trap'—a bigger bowl and a solar fountain. Now a variety of animals come to visit George's backyard every day for a refreshing drink or free pool party. But the best part is that we can explore feathered, furry, and even scaly critters and their behavior from up close thanks to a hidden camera set up outside the fountain. And some of them, like snakes and coyotes, you probably wouldn't like to meet in person anyway!
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Animal thoughts: I love that lady. I miss my land and she created this for us.
Thanks very much for being so kind to all the good pets out there they really love ya very much ;=]]
Bored Panda asked Jennifer George about her project:
“I live in a semi-rural area in San Diego County on a large property, and used to see animals outside in our yard, so I thought it would be fun to get an outdoor camera to get a better look. I put a bowl of water out there to attract them, because I didn't want to make them dependent on us for food, and because it's very hot and dry here in the summer. Birds started showing up almost immediately to drink and take baths during the day, and at night we'd see other nocturnal animals like skunks, opossums, and bobcats drinking. I was excited to look at the camera every morning to see what showed up," she said.
so a HIDDEN Camera? Why, do we think the animals will see its a camera and not come over, really?
Ha ha ha! True. Animals are extremely clever but are they that clever? Superb photos - loved looking at them.
Load More Replies...Brilliant idea!!! And all the lovely creatures quenching their thirst/having a spa. Brilliant!
There's a little green snake, swimming in the water. A little green snake, doing what he oughta...
Little yellow duck too, what a wonderful memory. Thanks.
Load More Replies...I found something to be envious of America (I hope these are American) we have nothing so interesting
The fauna of the State of California may be the most diverse in the United States of America. George has caught on camera skunks, bobcats, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, squirrels, mice, lizards, hawks, hummingbirds, and several other kinds of birds, and even a dog (not her pet). Check out our list of snaps of videos to see who else came to visit! And if you want to watch all the hypnotizing videos to see how these animals behave, visit George's socials with footage from her Ring camera.
Bobcat...see the white spot on his ear? Compare to the first photo. They can be quite small.
Load More Replies...Maybe a little bit of dog kibble please ;=]] but water is good too ;=]
Could do with some food as well as the water, they look awfully skinny
George said that thanks to her little fountain and a camera, she has been able to encounter animals she'd never seen before.
"I've lived in Southern California all my life, and some of these animals I've never seen before, like the long-tailed weasel and the western tanager. I love seeing the coyote puppies and the road runners. I'm hoping an owl will stop by one day."
I don't recognise these birds. I like the head feathers on this one. Makes me think of a peacock.
I could have sworn I was looking at a skunk until i enlarged the picture! (Off to Specsavers, I think.)
Ah, not wild life unless he is a stray, America does have an awful lot of stray dogs and cats.
The world has an awful lot of stray animals and so many countries have the simple solution: massacre them all.
Load More Replies...George's hobby turned out to be more than just an entertaining project to explore local fauna. Besides providing fresh water to wild animals, she has also partnered with Wildlife Care of Southern California to raise awareness and help coyotes who might be suffering from mange due to secondary poisoning from eating rats who were poisoned in traps.
Skunks are actually adorable in real life. We rescued a baby one from the roadside; named him Pepe (original, I know). He was so cute. We had a heckuva time figuring what skunks eat. We tried baloney; nope. Fruit; nope. Cat food; nope, nope, nope. Then my (then-) husband took him for a walk under the big security light in the yard, where lots of bugs gathered and voila! Pepe pounced on those bugs like a starving rat! Which he must've been, by that time. We eventually found him an abandoned barn in the woods where there were lots of grasshoppers and other bugs and turned him. Loose. Would have liked to keep him, but the vet said you can't get them de-scented in Oklahoma because it's illegal; they all carry rabies (he said).
Thank you. Enjoyable story with a happy ending.
Load More Replies...Skunks only smell if they spray, otherwise they are actually quite pleasant.
Load More Replies...What is this beautiful bird? I never saw one like it but the stripes and tail make me think of a peacock.
Jennifer George shares a similar hobby with Lisa, known as Ostdrossel, who was previously featured on Bored Panda four times. Ostdrossel uses a homemade feeder camera setup which consists of an action camera in a weatherproof box with a macro lens for photographs and a Birdsy camera for videos. So if you are interested in what birds and other unexpected guests visit Lisa's garden in Michigan for food, drink, and baths, make sure to check out the posts here, here, here, and here.
Hey there I thought you had fish in the pond I knew that cat would get before me ;=]]
Wow..at first glance I though you had Sun Conures in the wild lol. But I don't know much about birds
Mr. Hawk looks extremely critical of the rippling liquid before his talons. He would like to speak with the fountain pool manager.
This appears to be some species of Oriole, not sure which though. I will look into the species. (Update) I've done some research and I believe this to be either a Bullock's Oriole or a Hooded Oriole, I personally believe it to be the latter option.
This is a grosbeak, not an oriole. They have a slender beak and are yellow. These ae a pumpkin color and have the conical beak. They are both beautiful however. We have both in our fountains.
too cute! I applaud her for providing the water for the local wildlife - I feed doves, about 30 of them.
Amazing how where ever there's a squirrel, they all act like they own the place. Other animals here took a drink and moved on. This guy is making it his spa, and probably peeing in the water on top of it.
Lol!!! It’s funny how most of the animals are just right at the edge of the dish/bowl, while this little guy went all in for a bath and a drink!!!
Archie's face is a bit more gray. I'm calling this one Sam.
Load More Replies...Me too! I like calling one that lands on a pipe near our is “chubby”
Load More Replies...He is cute and very clean I hear them every night out my window eating cat kibble next door ;=]]
*in thick Russian accent* “I LIVE HERE FELLAS AND I BET MY RED HEAD NO ONE IS MIGHTIER THAN ME IN THIS SMOL WORLD”
Load More Replies...The floof bird senses something. *c***s head* hmmm.. oh well, floof bird steals the water.
Proof I need to go to bed and stop reading BP: it took me a long time to see the mouse, and the frog and meanwhile I'm thinking, "Why is a potato coming to get a drink of water?" Is that a dead duck in back of the potato and a dead octopus in back of the frog? ok..going now...really.
Looks like dung beetle stopped to get a drink and thst is their ball of DUNG!
Load More Replies...I like any rats! Wild ones can be even more interesting actually!
Load More Replies...Turkey Vultures are recognizable (by me) from the pattern on the underside of their wings. Once I had to drive from Eureka to Los Angeles, and the only creature I saw the entire (almost) length of the state were the Turkey Vultures.
Pretty sure that's a turkey vulture. Don't think you'd want to eat one of those. ;)
Load More Replies...It really makes me want to do the same thing.
Load More Replies...She made such a simple fountain, did such a simple deed and yet it is useful for so many different lives! Wonderful!
Crows are smart, and my dog loves to chase them. I told him not to chase them because they'll remember him and peck him on the butt!
Just wanted to say thanx for sharing your photos, they're incredible. Really diverse.
Super cool that they all have a drink, but you have a lot of scary animals nearby
I wouldn't consider any of those scary. Unless you have a small pet that wanders around your yard that you worry about... but I don't think any of them would attack a human under normal circumstances.
Load More Replies...Jennifer George lives in a semi-rural area in San Diego County
Load More Replies...I grew up in a semi rural Florida community. If I still lived there, I'd do this. I saw all kinds of critters back then.
Makes me sad that people are often unaware of the wildlife in their area. In suburban Dallas along the creeks and lakes we have nutria, bobcat, alligator, coyote, armadillo, opossum, bald eagles, feral hogs and a recently videoed mountain lion. Most towns probably have their own wild menagerie.
I was literally researching how to do this today!!!! We live on a metropark and would love to help the critters stay hydrated. Catching them on the trail camera is a bonus!
Super cool that they all have a drink, but you have a lot of scary animals nearby
I wouldn't consider any of those scary. Unless you have a small pet that wanders around your yard that you worry about... but I don't think any of them would attack a human under normal circumstances.
Load More Replies...Jennifer George lives in a semi-rural area in San Diego County
Load More Replies...I grew up in a semi rural Florida community. If I still lived there, I'd do this. I saw all kinds of critters back then.
Makes me sad that people are often unaware of the wildlife in their area. In suburban Dallas along the creeks and lakes we have nutria, bobcat, alligator, coyote, armadillo, opossum, bald eagles, feral hogs and a recently videoed mountain lion. Most towns probably have their own wild menagerie.
I was literally researching how to do this today!!!! We live on a metropark and would love to help the critters stay hydrated. Catching them on the trail camera is a bonus!
