Snapshot Newsletter November 2026
As the days shorten and the shadows lengthen, it’s time to settle into a comfy chair with a warm beverage and some good reading material. We’re happy to help with the latter! Read on to learn about SuperSnaps, the top trail camera captures as chosen by Snapshot Wisconsin volunteers and staff, and get an update on our offshoot project to collect data on seasonal changes statewide.
We’ve also got a timely celebration of the turkey – specifically, Wisconsin’s wild turkeys, reintroduced to the state 50 years ago. We continue to discover things about these highly social and athletic animals, thanks in part to Snapshot Wisconsin’s trail camera network. That network would not be possible without dedicated volunteers, including Lisa L., our latest Volunteer Spotlight, who braves river currents and winter ice (not to mention ticks and other tiny bitey things) to manage Snapshot cameras in southeastern Wisconsin.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter. We're grateful for your interest in and support of Snapshot Wisconsin.
Would you like to receive Snapshot Wisconsin information and news sooner? Subscribe to emails and be the first to read the latest happenings with Snapshot Wisconsin and Wisconsin wildlife research.
Snapshot Wisconsin Trail Camera Project – Sign up to receive Snapshot Wisconsin newsletters.
Snapshot Wisconsin Educator's Bulletin – Sign up for emails about using Snapshot in classroom and outreach settings.
With 100 million-plus photos collected over Snapshot Wisconsin’s lifetime, we’ve seen plenty of great images along the way. Volunteers and staff nominate their favorites, and each month, we select the top shot, which we call a SuperSnap. Check out some past winners and nominees and learn more about how you can join the fun!
What Autumn Looks Like To A Snapshot Camera
Did you know that every Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera takes a photo around 10:40 a.m. each morning, even if there's no wildlife around? These automatically timed images provide important data for scientists – and, stitched together into a single composite image, they also look pretty cool.
Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Wisconsin’s Wild Turkeys
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction of the eastern wild turkey to Wisconsin, and we're celebrating with a special look at these resilient, intelligent and yes, athletic birds. We also take a look at the role Snapshot Wisconsin has played in learning more about them.
Meet a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera host whose regular gear checks are anything but ordinary. One southeastern Wisconsin site she manages can be reached only by kayak in summer and crossing a frozen river in winter.
Have You Heard of SuperSnaps?
“Hmm, what animal could that blurry streak be?” is something said more often than not while reviewing trail camera photos. Thankfully, it’s not all blurry streaks and blobs. With 100 million-plus photos collected over Snapshot Wisconsin’s lifetime, we’ve seen plenty of great images along the way. And it’s thanks to Snapshot’s volunteers, who help uncover a lot of these stunning shots through their hard work classifying photos!
Our ever-growing Photo Library is filled with many of these gems, but some may not know that the Snapshot Zooniverse site [exit DNR] is also a treasure trove of even more dazzling, interesting and wild photos. Over on Zooniverse, we call these photos SuperSnaps. As volunteers classify on the site, if they come across a special photo, they are encouraged to tag it with #supersnap to call attention to it. You can then search #supersnap on the main Snapshot talkboard page to see all the nominated images.
Each month, Snapshot staff review the #supersnap nominations and choose one photo to highlight on the Featured SuperSnaps talkboard, where we also share fascinating facts about each celebrated critter and give a shout-out to the volunteer who tagged the image. Visit the page to enjoy monthly SuperSnap winners and nominees such as these:
Beep beep beep. You can almost hear the construction underway at this site in Burnett County by this hardworking beaver, featured as the August SuperSnap.
Sometimes it’s tough for our team to choose just one SuperSnap nomination to feature per month. This handsome Green County opossum with a perfect pink nose was an August runner-up. Opossums are nocturnal creatures, so it is quite special to get such a nice day photo of one like this.
“Who goes there?” It’s always interesting to see how different species interact, which is why this photo of a deer and a fisher in Washburn County earned the June SuperSnap title.
This action shot was May’s featured SuperSnap. Check out the post to find out what these two hooded merganser ducks may be fighting about in Taylor County.
This majestic coyote shot from Door County was a runner-up for September’s SuperSnap.
Do you know what a baby porcupine is called? Check out the February featured SuperSnap, which was captured in Vilas County, to find out! – Liv Gripko
What Autumn Looks Like to a Snapshot Camera
Every day at the same time, around 10:40 a.m., every Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera takes a photo. Photos from about 300 cameras statewide provide data for Snapshot Wisconsin’s Phenology Project, a NASA-funded collaboration between the DNR and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Looking at these photos allows scientists to study the state’s phenology, or timing of seasonal patterns in nature, such as the leaves turning color and falling to the ground. Above is a time-lapse compilation of photos from one Forest County site, taken from September through November 2025. A snow stake, a tool used to measure snow depth, is visible in the center. – Madeleine Soss
Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Wisconsin’s Wild Turkeys
Wild turkeys are the one of the most common animals captured on Snapshot Wisconsin trail cameras. The ubiquitous birds have been spotted in every county of the state. But half a century ago, they were nowhere to be seen.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction of wild turkeys to Wisconsin, and we’re celebrating these fascinating social animals and the role Snapshot Wisconsin plays in helping us learn more about them.
Trading Grouse for Gobblers
The eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is native to Wisconsin, but unregulated hunting and deforestation led to the bird’s disappearance, or extirpation, from the state by the early 20th century.
Half a century ago, the Wisconsin DNR and Missouri Department of Conservation teamed up to start a win-win wildlife swap. In January 1976, Wisconsin gave Missouri more than 100 ruffed grouse and, in return, received 29 eastern wild turkeys, which were released in Vernon County. Over the next nine years, 334 turkeys from Missouri were released into southwestern Wisconsin and more than 1,000 Wisconsin grouse were sent to Missouri. The collaboration became the first chapter in one of Wisconsin’s biggest conservation success stories. Within a few decades, wild turkeys had established themselves in all 72 counties – even in places no one expected to find them.
Going Cold Turkey
As wild turkeys spread across the state, wildlife biologists doubted whether they would survive northern Wisconsin’s harsh winters. A test relocation of some birds from southern counties to the north proved them wrong. Wild turkeys not only survived but appear to be thriving as far north as the shores of Lake Superior.
“We never thought we’d have birds up there,” said Chris Pollentier, upland game bird research scientist with the DNR’s Office of Applied Science. “They’re a testament to a generalist species. As long as they have food and can find shelter, turkeys are incredibly resilient.”
Turkeys are omnivorous and will eat almost anything, making them opportunistic winter noshers. They are also adept at using the landscape, such as conifer stands, for shelter. That said, when deep snow cover coincides with prolonged periods of extreme cold, it can be devastating for a population, which may take years to recover.
Turkeys Are Faster Than You
Turkeys are the largest game bird in Wisconsin, with males up to 4 feet tall and weighing up to 25 pounds (females are smaller and about 50% lighter). The birds’ size and general appearance have led to some inaccurate stereotypes, including that they are slow, bumbling animals. But on the ground, wild turkeys can run up to 20 miles per hour. In the air, they hit top speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
These athletic birds can also swim, even when young. One of Pollentier’s turkey-tracking research projects found that a hen crossed several irrigation ditches in Wood County with three young poults in tow. The baby turkeys were not capable of flight yet, so Pollentier believes they had to swim across the ditches to keep up with mom. Trail camera images at the start of the season, and after her road trip, confirmed that all three poults survived the experience.
In the map above, the gold star at upper right marks where a wild turkey hen was fitted with a tracking device; the pink cross just left of center where she later nested. Green dots show her movements over several months, including a U-shaped journey at lower center, which she undertook with three poults. For scale, the straight-line distance from gold star to pink cross is 1.75 miles.
Turkeys Trot – A Lot
Wild turkeys are considered nonmigratory birds, but that doesn’t mean they stay in one spot. Thanks to Snapshot Wisconsin and other DNR wildlife monitoring projects, we know that the birds travel more than previously thought; the Wood County hen and her young, for example, covered about 5 miles on their summer walkabout. Pollentier and his team were able to map her route in detail because she had been outfitted with a tracking device, worn like a small and unobtrusive backpack.
But even turkeys traveling without such gear can sometimes be tracked, thanks to trail cameras. Tagged birds occasionally appear on multiple cameras, including those that are part of Snapshot Wisconsin’s statewide network, which allows the research team to calculate their general speed and direction. One such hen walked past multiple trail cameras several miles apart during the week between Christmas and New Year’s a few winters ago, surprising the scientists with her wandering ways.
Turkey Talk
In the 20th century, calling someone a turkey was mildly insulting and suggested they were foolish or unintelligent. But turkeys are no dummies. Consider their wide repertoire of clucks, putts, caws, cackles, yelps and purrs, which the highly social birds use to communicate in sophisticated ways. (Check out this online sampling of sounds, courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation [exit DNR].)
In the 2011 documentary “My Life as a Turkey,” naturalist Joe Hutto said he learned to identify more than 30 different vocalizations between turkeys, including alarm calls that distinguished between harmless and venomous snakes, and different alerts for a raptor based on how far away the predatory bird was.
And turkey talk is more than alerts and alarms. In winter, for example, hens often gather in groups led by a dominant hen who has something to say about every aspect of their routine.
“She’s the queen bee. She’s going to dictate where they go,” Pollentier said. That includes a morning roll call, marching orders to food sources and even “get your butt up a tree, we’re roosting.”
Selfies for Science
Pollentier and other OAS research scientists have been exploring how Snapshot Wisconsin’s nearly 2,000 trail cameras deployed statewide can help us learn even more about our resident turkey populations. In 2025, for example, they tested an innovative approach to measure turkey productivity, or how successful a population is in raising the next generation. Usually, gathering data to understand productivity requires resource-intensive field surveys. The authors instead relied entirely on data from Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera detections. The initial results indicated that this method may be a reliable, cost-effective option in the future. (Check out a story about the research in the October 2025 Snapshot newsletter.)
The research scientists also use Snapshot data to study whether populations may be moving into or increasing within particular areas, right down to the township level.
Curious about the wild turkey population near you? Wondering what time of day you’re most likely to spot these birds? Snapshot Wisconsin’s Data Dashboard is a great source of information about turkeys and more than 20 other wildlife species that call Wisconsin home. And this Thanksgiving, if table conversation gets stalled or a little strained, try sharing the story – and science – of Wisconsin’s wild turkeys. – Gemma Tarlach
Volunteer Spotlight
Snapshot Wisconsin volunteer trail camera hosts are a dedicated bunch, often braving clouds of mosquitoes in summer and subzero temps in winter to maintain their gear. Southeast Wisconsin volunteer Lisa L. takes it a step further: One of the cameras she hosts can only be reached by kayak in summer. In winter, she must wait for the Milwaukee River to freeze over before she can safely cross the ice to the site.
The adventure of checking on the gear is just one item on a long list of things Lisa enjoys about participating in Snapshot as both a trail camera host and image classifier on the crowdsourcing platform Zooniverse. In fact, asked to share her favorite thing about Snapshot, she replied, “Where do I start?”
She has hosted Snapshot trail cameras in Washington and Ozaukee counties since 2022 and 2024, respectively, and enjoys trekking though secluded natural areas to check the cameras almost as much as reviewing their photos. Classifying images on Zooniverse, she says she can get lost in the process and wonders whether she’ll spot any photos from one of the cameras she manages.
Lisa learned about Snapshot Wisconsin while completing her master’s degree in information design and strategy. It piqued her curiosity immediately. She had been looking for ways to pair her academic pursuits with her interest in wildlife. She also had an artist residency with what was then the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust (now part of the Restoring Lands Wisconsin Land Trust) and chose camera locations on land managed by the nonprofit.
“You never know what type of species, behavior or interactions you’ll see both in person and on camera!” she said.
Thanks to her thoughtful choice of locations, Lisa has been able to enjoy everything from watching sandhill cranes raise their chicks over a summer to discovering intriguing hints of other species. On one occasion, for example, she found owl pellets scattered near one of the camera locations – even though the camera never photographed the animal.
Lisa hopes that her cameras one day capture another animal: her favorite Wisconsin wildlife species, the bobcat. Even though the stealthy feline has yet to appear for her, the thrill of seeing what animals do show up never gets old. “What am I going to find that I haven’t seen before?” she said.
Lisa feels like Snapshot allows her to “get to know the soul of the site” through observations of the changes in weather and light throughout the year. She says it’s interesting to compare the different microclimates of her two camera locations.
She has some practical advice for anyone interested in hosting a trail camera: When checking on the gear, bring a first aid kit and take ticks seriously. Wear bug spray but also, before heading out into the woods, treat clothing with permethrin to prevent tick bites. Hosting a trail camera in a remote natural area comes with challenges, and it’s best to be prepared.
Thank you, Lisa, for your dedication to the Snapshot project both as a trail camera host and on Zooniverse. – Demetra Toniolo
If you currently host a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera, or are part of the Zooniverse community classifying Snapshot images, we’d love to feature you in a future Volunteer Spotlight. Please complete this short online form to let us know you’re interested!
As Thanksgiving nears, we want to share our gratitude for an organization that has long supported our mission of community science-based wildlife monitoring and education. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is a proud partner of Snapshot Wisconsin and provides funding through donations and merchandise sales. You can join the NRF in supporting Snapshot. To learn more, visit the NRF website [exit DNR].