Trail Camera placement and value of video to show animal behaviour.

Fig 1:   Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) at bait site
feeding on flies and meat.

I've been experimenting with the placement of cameras at bait sites in order to get close up images of visitors combined with more distant stills and videos to show behaviour.

The image of the woodcock posted on the 12th June was one of my first results and this jay proved the value of having video.

The close up trail camera was an Acorn 5210A placed one metre from the bait and the second camera was an Acorn 6210MC about four metres away in the opposite direction.

The 5210 was set to take sequences of

Raven and Pine Marten at bait site using Acorn 6210MC

This Raven (Corvus corax)  visited one of my bait sites last week and made off with all the meat within forty minutes, leaving nothing but the smell of what might have been for the Pine Marten (Martes martes), who arrived later the same day.

Both of these animals are feeding young nearby. I've heard the Raven calling on occasions and recently found the Pine Marten denned up with young in an old Beech tree.

Pine Martens Mating

I'm going to be away for a week, so this will be my last post until I return.

This video is a composite of three short clips from the Ltl Acorn 6210MC which I have on test, along side the Bushnell black flash camera trap.

The Acorn is mounted just above the Bushnell and the sudden increase in IR light level is caused by the Bushnell switching on. These cameras produce approximately the same amount of illumination, so this is a good example of the gain when doubling the amount of light source. The trees in the distance are about 45 feet (15 meters) from the cameras.

I don't know if I'm imagining this, but at the second light increase during copulation, both animals momentarily froze as if they were reacting to it. These trail cameras are both black flash so this has got to be a coincidence, hasn't it?. It did make me wonder though.

Buzzard, Roe Deer, Hooded Crows and Jays at remote camera in Dec 2011

This is a video composite of activity at the remote camera referred to in the last two posts.
The time and date settings are not correctly set so please ignore them.

Night Life at a Badger Set

A short collection of video clips from last night at a Badger set where I'm hoping to see Badger cubs this April. Will be looking to get some photography done there as the nights shorten. Felt like spring today at 11C with sunshine and patchy cloud. ; View the video