Crying Wolf. The Canadian Tar Sands disaster.

I'm disgusted by the Canadian Government and other interested parties involved with the Tar Sands Industry in Alberta.

Caribou and Wolves have co-existed for generations and now the Caribou populations are being reduced by habitat destruction due to oil extraction. Suddenly the wolf is the reason, presumably by over predation, when the bulk of its diet is Deer.

They are conveniently ignoring the real reasons for the problem and using it as an excuse to cull wolf populations by shooting, poisoning and trapping; not to mention all the other issues like pollution and the effects on local human populations.

Then they have the cheek to call the oil industry ethical and saturate the public with misinformation.
Do they think we are all stupid!

Ltl Acorn upgrades and improvements for the 6210

Acorn 6210 water/condensation problem update 07.07.2012

I'm very happy and relieved to be able to say that the reason for the condensation problem in the Ltl Acorn 6210 Trail Camera has been identified.

After lengthy tests and analysis the cause of water getting into the control panel is, at long last, understood; and some final changes to the case upgrade are now being made.

I don't know exactly how long this will take, but it will be as fast as possible.

I will post a full explanation of the problem and how it was solved at a later date. Users of cameras which have this problem should remove the rubber bung (external power supply input) from the base of the camera.
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Ltl Acorn 6210 series camera

Here's some news I've been eagerly awaiting. 
The manufactures of the Ltl Acorn Trail Cameras have released an upgraded version of the 6210 series.
The list of upgrades and improvements are listed below.

The really good news is that they say they've fixed the water ingress issue ( This did not completely cure the problem and water still enters around the control panel door seal - the skirt modification is intended to correct this issue )  and I quote:

 We found that the water infiltrated from the PIR lens, and now has improved sealing materials.

We are also modifying the mold, adding skirtboard seals, so you can more effectively prevent water flow into when open the bottom cover, it takes about 20 days.(we have also considered to make the LCD can be taken out)

Any stock ordered from now onwards will have all the upgrades apart from the modified skirtboard seals. This modification will be available with stock ordered after the end of April 2012.


Update 21.05.2012


The release of the complete upgrade, including the modified case, has been delayed until the beginning of June. The factory has had some complications with implementing the changes to the mould although I haven't been informed about the detail.

1.  Language Options added;
2.  GPRS function added and tests well;
3.  Trigger time is shortened from 1.5s to 0.8s;
4.  When set to time lapse can also be triggered by movement like Bushnell;
5.  Make improvements to the performance of night vision (increased contrast);
6.  Fixed the problem of the water infiltration from the PIR, improved sealing materials.
7.  Adding skirtboard seals (this modification will be available for stock ordered after approx 1st May)

I'm personally, really impressed with the way this company listens to what their customers have to say; also their eagerness to rectify problems and apply improvements to their products.

Osprey at nest with Acorn 6210MM

Osprey are returning to Scotland for the 2012 nesting season; and I've been lucky to have contact with Photographer Val Gall who is using a Ltl Acorn 6210MM to monitor a pair at the nest for this season.

The camera is set to periodically transmit images to her cell phone, and she has very kindly given me permission to publish the two images below; which are of the first bird to put in an appearance just this last couple of days.

First Osprey at the nest for 2012.      Camera Ltl Acorn 6210MM

She hasn't been able to confirm the identity of the Osprey yet, but hopes it is the first of the breeding pair (usually the female arrives first) that has used this nest in previous years.

If you would like to see how things progress during the year, and to see some of her first class photography, please visit Val's web site.

First night shot, apparently taken in heavy rain.        Camera Ltl Acorn 6210MM 

Just edited this post to add this sunlit early morning shot.      Camera Ltl Acorn 6210MM

Remote Camera results for March 2012

Badger at the test site - Camera Ltl Acorn 5210A

Roe Deer female moving along the trail just before she
stopped to groom. See video clip below.
Camera Ltl Acorn 5210A

I'm still trying to play catchup after a long job in March; which excluded just about everything else and was followed by more time spent on the water issue with the 6210 cameras.

I sent a lot of information to the manufacturers and I'm expecting to hear news about solutions to the problem, sometime this week. There's also an upgrade imminent for the 6210, so hopefully I'll have more to report in a few days time.

I have a number of favourite camera locations around the area such as river crossings and heavily used animal trails which I monitor periodically.

Some I like to keep a camera on almost permanently, and one which has a high Red Squirrel density with a main trail through it, is the site I used to start testing the 6210 and the Bushnell.

Squirrels, Badgers, Pine Marten, Roe Deer, Brown Hare and Foxes can all be seen fairly regularly. The two images on the left and the first two clips in the video below are some of the activity at this location, from this last month.

Clips are from a 5210A, the Bushnell black flash, another 5210A and a 6210MC in that order.

Red Squirrel collecting a Sitka Spruce cone from the forest floor, female Roe Deer that stopped for a groom centre stage, a yearling Red Deer nervously testing the air after crossing a river and a Pine Marten at the ford.

The ford site from the first camera location
Camera Ltl Acorn 6210MC

Pine Marten about to cross the river. Taken from the
second camera location - Camera LtlAcorn 6210MC

The clip of the Red Deer is one of a number of river crossings used by deer which I monitor occasionally; and further down the same river is the location where the Pine Marten crossed, which I refer to as the ford.

One of the entrance holes at the Badger sett by the river
Camera Ltl Acorn 5210A

The images on the left show the ford from two angles. The first camera location looks across the trail and up the river. The second camera location, with the Pine Marten just about to cross, is looking across the river and up the trail.

Badger, Fox and Marten use the ford fairly regularly and sites like this, where trails converge, are a good choke point to monitor.

I'm also hopeful that if Otter are using this river as a highway during the summer, I might capture one on this camera.

This river feeds into a larger river further down and earlier in March, a few hundred metres down river from the confluence, I discovered a new Badger Sett with fresh digging.

The last image shows one of the two holes, both of which are freshly excavated. Cameras indicate that only one Badger is present and I'm hoping it's a sow with young.

This sett is right by the river and one of the Badger's main trails crosses the river, climbs a steep sided gorge into the forest and follows an old fence line which eventually takes her to old pasture and worm heaven.

I have two cameras over the sett, another camera covering the river and another at a latrine on the fence line.

So far the Badger seems to rotate her activity about every two to three days around the different trails radiating out from the sett. I'm due to check the cameras today so more later in the week.

Ltl Acorn 5210 and 6210 Video File Formats

The images below illustrate the relative file sizes and data for video files produced by the Ltl Acorn Models in the 5210 and 6210 series of IR trail cameras. See below for video editing software.

When I first started using the 6210 series models I had problems with opening the video files in my existing editing software.

I looked around on the web for free or low cost video editors which were relatively straightforward to use, and found
Video Pad Video Editor from NCH Software.

It seems to support just about everything, is easy to use and is inexpensive to buy.

It can be used free but with irritating reminders to buy the full version.

I hope this helps anyone who is having problems with opening and editing the video files from these cameras.

The Red and Grey Squirrel Dilemma

Much emotive nonsense has been written and spoken about this issue in recent times; and so to read the reasoned comment below was very refreshing. I feel it's so important these words are read by as many as possible, that I have included the full article in this post; and hope I wont be accused of any copyright transgression.

For my own part I would add that ecosystems take thousands of years to evolve and for humans to cherry pick a species from one system and dump it into another is, in my opinion, nothing short of a criminal act; and all on a whim of human self indulgence with no thought of the consequences.

It's time that we accepted our responsibility for the imminent destruction of yet another of our native species, stopped carping about the semantics, and at least try to do something about it. 

If you wish to read the article in its original context and possibly make your own comment, please go to www.scotsman.com

Gavin Whittaker: Red and grey squirrels are in a do or die contest 

Published in The Scotsman on Tuesday 20 March 2012 00:00

There has been a lot of debate about red and grey squirrels recently. Before jumping to conclusions, here are some facts about red squirrels. 

First, the red squirrel is found across the entire arboreal range of northern Europe and Asia, and it is ludicrous to suggest that the red squirrel, virtually alone among Eurasian mammals, would not also occupy Britain in the immediate post-glacial period, 10,000 years ago.

 Secondly, the subspecies found in Britain, Sciurus vulgaris leucourus, is peculiar to Britain and Ireland and first described by Scottish-born scientist Robert Kerr in 1792. Kerr considered S.v. leucourus separate from the European S.v.vulgaris due to the blanching of its tail during the summer. This was backed up by anatomist Jerzy Sidorowicz who also considered S.v. leucourus to be a valid subspecies based on a slightly shorter average skull height than S.v.vulgaris. It is not credible that the British subspecies would differ so much from the European farm stock, and from which some consider it to be derived, within 300 years of its supposed introduction.

 Thirdly, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Why would medieval writers concern themselves with the natural history of the red squirrel any more than they would concern themselves with the pygmy shrew or the marsh fritillary? Fourthly, and possibly most importantly, there is no question whatsoever that the grey squirrel was introduced from North America to the UK by humans, but there are huge questions about conjectures based on the musings of medieval texts. 

The crux of the issue is that the red squirrel is unequivocally Eurasian in origin, while the grey squirrel is unequivocally a native North American species. The Forestry Commission reports that grey squirrels cause damage to woodland, while scientific studies report their serious impact on woodland birds.

In the long term, either the grey squirrel will survive or the red squirrel will survive, but not both – nature, red in tooth, claw and disease transmission, takes no prisoners. Those who side with the grey squirrel cast themselves as judge and jury of the red squirrel, and effectively condemn them to death.

Scottish Wildcat Association - News Update

This is the latest news from the Scottish Wildcat Association.
If you would like to become a member, volunteer or make a donation, please follow the link at the bottom of this page.

Wildcat Haven

Camera trap photo: Kerry Kilshaw - Oxford University 

After lengthy consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage they have requested we only camera trap cats this year and throughout the year so that we can really pinpoint where they live for life trapping next winter, limiting disturbance. It's not an ideal solution in our eyes however no one has trapped wildcats in decades and SNH are understandably cautious. We've been buying lots of camera traps ourselves and have been joined by some volunteers with traps and Kerry Kilshaw from Oxford University who has been camera trapping heavily in the Cairngorms getting some great shots like the one on the right. All together, we will have nearly 100 cameras spread over a 200 square mile area for an entire year which should give us some great insight into the wildlife distribution around Ardnamurchan. Big thanks to Wildlife and Countryside Services for the substantial bulk discount on a bunch of the cameras and memory cards we bought. So far we definitely recommend Bushnell's for use in the wet Scottish climate!

Feral trapping has continued though numbers have been much slower this year as traps have been getting laid for solitary living individuals rather than the large colony we worked with last year, solitary cats are much harder to track down and even less trusting of humans so take some effort! We have now arranged with an experienced vet to be in the field with us throughout future seasons at a temporary neutering clinic so these wild living animals spend as little time as possible trapped in a cage which is very stressful to them.

For our members, the latest edition of The Wangie is almost ready to go out, as ever running a little late, and completes the Wildcat Haven overview; we'll be publishing this in the near future for everyone to access through our website.

Some other great news for the project is the receipt of a further $10,000 of funding from the Bosack Kruger Foundation who visited us at the start of the season to see the project and landscape for themselves (thanks to IFAW for helping with the money transfers!); the grant is a big step towards the budget we need for next year so a huge thanks to them for continuing to keep a very expensive and very important project on the road.

In similar news a so far anonymous US business donor has sent us $15,000 to put where it's most needed within the charity, the trustees are currently weighing up a couple of options for needs the charity has to see which will bring the greatest help to wildcats.

Volunteers

I’m still looking for volunteers in all areas who would be interested in distributing leaflets to their local pet shops, vets etc,. and will shortly be putting together a small fundraising team to work on some projects we have in mind. Please email me if you’d like to get involved.

Mike Tomkies books

Our wonderful charity patron Mike Tomkies has been having a bit of a clear out and found numerous boxes of immaculate books he didn't realise he had, so please find attached a list of the books available and an extract from "Wildcat Haven" if you haven't read it. Mike's writing style is brutally honest, intriguing, entertaining and often inspirational, if you love the outdoors, wildcats, golden eagles or just Scotland check something out they're a great read, and a percentage of all sales will be donated back to the Association


Gina Yates

Secretary

Scottish Wildcat Association

Water in the Ltl Acorn 6210 control panel - Review - Part 5

Acorn 6210 water/condensation problem update 07.07.2012

I'm very happy and relieved to be able to say that the reason for the condensation problem in the Ltl Acorn 6210 Trail Camera has been identified.

After lengthy tests and analysis the cause of water getting into the control panel is, at long last, understood; and some final changes to the case upgrade are now being made.

I don't know exactly how long this will take, but it will be as fast as possible.

I will post a full explanation of the problem and how it was solved at a later date. Users of cameras which have this problem should remove the rubber bung (external power supply input) from the base of the camera.
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Back to Part 4 of the review

Ltl Acorn control panel

I was about to do a post on this issue when I received a comment from a reader who also had this problem.

Because of its importance, I've slipped it in as part 5 of the review.  Trigger speed and Sensitivity, plus side by side working examples will start in part 6.

Don't do this with wet hands and cover up if it's raining

I've found nothing to suggest that the seal around the bottom panel leaks. What happens is that moisture transferred to the control panel surface will find it's way to the switches on the circuit board; and cause the screen to flicker through all the functions.

In my case, I was checking cameras on a rainy day, and with one camera I had the control panel door open and it started raining. I was in the menu at the time and finished what I was doing with wet hands. I tried drying them by wiping on my shirt but even the small amount of water that was left was enough. The problem is exacerbated by the panel being horizontal with the door closed; and gravity does the rest with water wicking down the control buttons onto the switches below.

The problem is easy enough to avoid. Don't open the door in rain without covering up, and don't press any buttons with wet fingers.

If you have moisture in the control panel, don't try to continue using it. Take the camera to a warm dry environment, open the door and lay the camera on it's back; and if possible, place it on the top of, or near a radiator. Make sure the radiator isn't so hot that it will damage the camera and if you have bags of desiccant, place them over and under the open door. Leave the camera like this for as long as possible up to a week and it should be OK.

If the problem persists, the only thing for it will be to remove the control panel cover so that the water can evaporate more effectively. This is a delicate job and care should be taken to avoid losing any bits, or causing any damage that would invalidate your warranty.

Make sure to remove all the battery cells before you do any of the above.

It's also important to realise that these cameras are an almost sealed box when the bottom door is closed; which means that any moisture trapped inside the case will alternately condense and evaporate with changing external temperatures. 


This will for example, manifest itself by fogging the lens when the ambient temperature rises after a cold night.


When attempting to dry out a camera, always have the bottom door open; and in extreme circumstances the case front may have to be removed to allow moisture to evaporate.

Pine Marten v Wood Mouse

Pine Marten

After returning from my trip south, I've been collating and analysing results from the test cameras.

The image on the left (750 x 820 pixels) is cropped from a jpg file (2560 x 1920 pixels)  taken on an Acorn 5210A

The rather amusing video composite below is from the Bushnell and was taken prior to the trip, but I didn't get time to put it together before leaving.

I have no idea if the Mouse survived but others have been seen since.

Today I'm relocating some of the survey cameras and checking others for any results. before continuing with the review.

More in a couple of days.

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.