A wildlife photographer has captured charming portraits of the creatures that visit her garden.

Carla Rhodes placed a camera trap outside her home in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

The resulting pictures from the Beneath The Bird Feeder project include inquisitive birds, playful squirrels, and North America's only venomous mammal—the Northern short-tailed shrew.

Carla, a former ventriloquist, explains, "Beneath The Bird Feeder is a photographic project starring many feathered (and furred) visitors.

"Subjects were photographed daily via a DSLR camera trap positioned underneath my bird feeder during the winter months of 2020-2021.

"Wintertime allows me to partake in one of my favourite pastimes: feeding the birds.

"This project reveals insights into species behavior while showing the viewer a new perspective on a common pastime.

"Throughout this project, I asked myself many questions. What kind of ecosystem does a bird feeder create? As a result of birds dropping seeds, what other creatures would this attract?

"When the sun went down, deer mice would gather the aforementioned seeds, caching them in a stone wall near the bird feeder (often helped along by the adorable yet venomous Northern short-tailed shrew). When day broke, an assortment of looters (from birds to squirrels) would raid the cached bounty.

"Insights into behavior continually intrigued me.

"Dark-eyed juncos were always the first birds to show up at the crack of dawn while Northern cardinals would always show up at dusk.

"I started to recognize regulars and grew particularly fond of a deer mouse with a notch in his/her ear, who I eventually named ‘Notches'.

"I hope Beneath The Bird Feeder inspires others to explore their backyards and to give a closer look at overlooked "common" species, which are no less fabulous than their exotic counterparts."

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