When walking around town I see villagers carrying tools like spades, bug nets and watering cans. In addition, I've actually observed villagers fishing and shaking trees. However, I've never seen them actually succeed in fishing anything up, or get anything from the trees they shake. They also seem to avoid fruit trees bearing fruits.
Do anything come of the villager's actions? Do they actually catch bugs, water flowers, or ever successfully catch a fish and get things shaken out of trees? And will the results be the same if the player tries to shake the same tree?
Best Answer
You will not view a villager capture a bug or catch a fish, but it is implied that they do as some villagers will have bugs or fish in their homes at various times. They will not contribute to the museum though, only the player can do that.
As for trees. They do not shake a tree with fruit on it but they will shake any tree without fruit (including trees after you have removed the fruit that day). It is implied that they are collecting money or items from the trees in all of the games even if you do not see the results of their actions.
Regardless their actions do not impact your collection opportunities. You will still be able to collect money and items from trees for yourself. The only case where you will not get the drop is if another player shakes the tree before you.