Camera Trapping!

Joanna showed us how to program and set up the wildlife camera traps today.  What a huge database of wildlife photos these have generated!

Traditionally these surveys have involved scientists walking forest trails and carefully observing for signs of animals in the area (tracks, feces, dens, scrapes).  But they inevitably missed a lot - animals living at low densities, those scared of humans, and small ones.  Using newer technology with camera traps provides lots of advantages for these scientists:

• they can get all sizes of animals
• even elusive animals are able to be photo-captured
• cameras work 24 hours a day
• individual animals with unique markings can be tracked 

It would be nice to have these at Maine East in our oak savanna.  Perhaps we could create some lush habitat by the pond, keep it filled with water, stock it with native critters, wait for migrant birds, and follow a similar protocol to TEAM Network's.  I've seen kestrel hawks out there in the dead oaks and other migratory birds.  A few teachers said there used to be a family of foxes living in the NW corner brush pile.  Who knows what else...!

The camera is motion activated and can be set to photo rapid fire as an animal crosses its path.  These photos might give us some ideas for research topics.  Taking night hikes with proper guides has made me realize how much might be lurking out there just under foot.  And it's amazing how technology is making the analysis of these species so much easier...