Whose backyard is it, anyway?
When a wildlife camera is on duty, with its heat- or motion-triggered shutter
at the ready day and night, the answer can be startling.
اضافة اعلان
Sally Naser calls the animals recorded on the
dozens of cameras she monitors for The Trustees of Reservations in Massachusetts
“our wildlife neighbors.” At home, in our gardens, we may call them cute — or
our herbivorous enemies. But more often than not, we don’t see them.
“There is wildlife all around us, whether you live
deep in the woods or on an urban edge,” said Naser, conservation restriction
stewardship director for the Trustees, the nation’s first preservation and
conservation nonprofit, with more than 105,218,267 public square meters
and another 80,937,128 -plus private square meters under conservation easements.
“In backcountry and in front country, if you want to get this window into the
wild, it’s out there for the camera to record.”
In recent years, the quality of wildlife cameras
has improved, and prices have dropped. Often referred to as “camera traps” — as
their main market has long been hunters wanting to locate that big buck — they
have become essential tools for scientific research that are used to study
animal behavior and assess populations, even in terrain as challenging as the
rainforest canopy.
In a garden, a simpler setup can answer
more-straightforward questions: Who’s eating those bush beans? Who’s tunneling
under the porch? And what’s going on at the bird feeder when you’re not looking?
Answer a couple of questions
To navigate the daunting choices of camera brands,
models and accessories, start with some simple assessments.
First: What’s your target species? Did you see a
red fox trot across the yard, or is it the bird feeder you want to spy on?
Subjects close to the camera are better served
with an interchangeable macro lens, a feature on some cameras that shortens
focus to within one meter.
Or perhaps someone is knocking over that feeder or
the trash cans after dark? If you live in an area where black bears are
present, you’ll need a metal security box to enclose your camera, like the ones
manufactured by CAMLOCKbox.
Second: What’s your budget? For conservation work
and for private clients who need help setting up cameras and learning to
operate them, Naser often uses models by Browning, Bushnell and Suspect. She is
always seeking out good values, like a previous year’s model of a quality
camera discounted when the latest release arrives.
Cameras can cost $500 or more, but for the
beginning backyard-camera trapper, it’s not necessary to spend that much.
Likewise, skip the low end. “It’s probably better
to spend a little more,” Naser said, “like $125 to $175 per camera, rather than
the $50 models whose results won’t be as satisfying and that aren’t as durable.”
Camera features (and essential extras)
The serious, testing-based technical reviews on
the Trail Cam Pro website make a good starting point for research.
Features such as trigger speed — the time from
motion detection until a photo is taken — can mean the difference between catching
the whole animal or just the tip of a tail. The best cameras have speeds of a
half-second or less.
Most cameras offer both still and video settings
(with a choice of the number of images or the video length per trigger), but
some advanced models have a hybrid mode, recording both with each trigger —
although you might miss some action in the stills if a 20-second video is taken
first.
If nocturnal visitors are your target, consider
various flash types that will yield different results. Infrared flashes —
red-glow, low-glow and no-glow (which makes for somewhat grainier photos) —
produce black-and-white images. White flashes — more startling to some animals,
although they may acclimate, and possibly to human neighbors, too — offer color
day and night.
Don’t skimp on batteries. Naser uses Energizer
lithium or rechargeable Ni-MH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries, not alkaline.
And use a Class 10 SD (secure digital) memory
card. Storage of 16 GB holds plenty of shots. Cameras with a built-in color
viewing screen allow you to check your setup on site without removing and
downloading the card. Another convenience is a special card reader that fits
your cellphone or tablet, so you can scroll through images in a larger format.
Location, location, location: Camera setup
Learning about your target animal’s behavior will
help you figure out where to put the cameras and how to adjust the settings.
Field guides, or a website such as Animal Diversity Web from the University of
Michigan Museum of Zoology, can be useful.
Water of any kind — even a small backyard water
feature — is a magnet for birds and mammals. In wilder areas, beaver dams are
among Naser’s favorite spots for a camera. She calls them “wildlife
superhighways.”
Edge habitat — brushy areas where animals can stay
close to cover — are also lively. Stone walls are popular with predators,
including barred owls; not coincidentally, they are also a favorite hideout for
rodents. A backyard apple tree with fallen fruit or an oak with its acorns are
productive autumn locations, inviting everyone from squirrels and deer to blue
jays and turkeys.
As for the best height to position the camera,
that depends on the target species. Naser puts it this way, with a laugh: “Knee
height or below for most wildlife, and shoulder to head height for moose.”
For the best images and to widen the field of
view, position the camera at a 45-degree angle to the target area, and aim it
parallel to the ground. A stick can be used as a shim behind the unit.
Point the camera in a northern direction; south is
a good second choice. If it’s directed east or west, Naser explained, “you can
get sun triggers at sunset or sunrise.”
Have realistic expectations
This is not 35-mm DSLR (Digital single-lens
reflex) photography, so don’t expect that kind of image quality, Naser reminds
impatient beginners. She also admonishes them not to check the cameras too
often, because they’ll leave scent behind.
It’s not studio photography, either, with someone
saying “Lift your chin” or “Turn this way a little more.”
Skill comes with experience, she emphasized,
including knowing the best places to set up. But luck also “really plays into
the equation.”
In the meantime, learn to love those nose
close-ups that you get when some curious animal communes juicily with the camera.
Naser has a word for them: “Smelfies.”
