Behaviour

Spring Camera Trapping 2024 – Part 2: Late May, June & Early July

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Late spring is a time of vibrant energy, spectacular colour, and nature being at its busiest. Days are lengthening, temperatures are rising, and life is bursting forth wherever you go. This is joined by plant species growing abundantly, migrant birds having all returned to their breeding sites, alongside our native species, and mammals having welcomed young or waiting to do so. Despite this, how much do we actually see of our local wildlife on a day-to-day basis, as they go about their secretive lives?

In the first part of my two posts on my 2024 spring camera trapping adventures (check out the first part here), March, April and early May saw me exploring many locations on my family’s Dorset farm and getting some wonderful surprises. I was able to watch as some species fed young, some introduced them to the world for the first time, and others were feeding up ahead of laying eggs or giving birth themselves. My adventures did not finish there though, as I continued to watch on, as these individuals moved into late spring activity. So what happened next?

Late May

Late May is a a great time to see badgers at their setts, as cubs now explore the area around their homes, and adults spend more time above ground during the daytime. My camera traps allowed me to observe the behaviour of badger families in their natural habitat during this time close to my home, and also gave me some priviledged views of their lesser seen lives. This included badgers foraging and playing during the day, climbing trees, grooming, sleeping, and socialising.

Badgers may have been captured more by my camera traps during late May this year, but foxes were seen less and less in some areas. This is a concern as unlike in previous years, fox cubs were not seen being born and emerging in the typical or usual locations and some adults also stopped bringing food to dens during the critical time. Unfortunately this may be due to more litters failing this year compared to previous ones.

Where foxes were unexpectedly seen less during late may this spring, roe deer on the other hand were captured less because of behavioural changes to their daily patterns. This is due to winter roe deer groups splitting up and individuals becoming more solitary as females near the end of their pregnancies, and choose to go it alone. Spring babies are on the way!

Species List: Roe deer, badger, fox, brown rat, blackbird, woodpigeon, magpie, great tit, rabbit

June

By June, with abundant food sources now available, lots of wildlife species have young on the ground, and this gives us a great opportunity to observe the unique bond between animals and their young. My camera traps this year were even able to delve into the lives of some bird species, capturing the lives of families of both blackbirds and robins. I was able to watch as adults interacted with their fledged young, whilst protecting them from predators, and still supplying them with food.

During late spring, as well as being a time of wildlife breeding, it is also a calmer time for individuals that are not breeding this year. For example, whilst adult foxes are still focussed on their cubs and breeding efforts, you can also get sightings of young and non-breeding individuals as they hunt and go it alone. This year my camera trap sightings on the farm included that of a small fox born last year, that felt safest staying close to our farm buildings to hunt and rest during the daytime.

Species List: Fox, hedgehog, woodpigeon, roe deer, pheasant, magpie, robin, badger, brown rat, blackbird, wren, woodmouse

July

Having spent the last few months exploring particular locations around my family’s farm and focussing on particular spots, I finished up my camera trapping adventures by revisiting some of my favourite spots for one final look in. At badger alley, the well-trodden footpath, by roaming animals, had quietened down with the end of spring. Grey squirrels and rabbits still frequent this spot in July, and glimpses were made of last year’s fox cubs, solitary male roe deer, a territorial badger at the edge of its territory, and a muntjac deer passing through for the fourth time this year.

In woodland, roe deer feeding was the only sighting, whereas the quarry field badger sett was still busy with the activity of the family of badgers living there and a brand new family of fledged blackbird chicks. This year it has been sad to have not seen any sightings of new fox cubs, despite targeting many different locations frequently used by adult foxes this spring and in previous years. As spring turned into summer, the sightings of adult foxes by my camera traps and by observation was also down on this time last year. We wonder if foxes had a tough winter, but hope they have more luck next year.

A camera trap positive though, was the frequent visits by hedgehogs to my family’s garden this year. In July, at least one adult was visiting, in particular one female that we knew to have bred not far from our garden. Also, some nights multiple adult hedgehogs would visit the garden at the same time, and even share the food that we put out for them. My camera trap allowed us to keep an eye on the hedgehogs, and learn new behaviour, such as hedgehogs being naturally dominant over brown rats, probably due to their size. It has been a joy to see this species grow in numbers once again in our area! Here’s to the end of another fantastic spring!

Species List: Rabbit, muntjac deer, grey squirrel, roe deer, fox, brown rat, badger, woodpigeon, pheasant, blackbird, hedgehog

Spring Camera Trapping 2024 – Part. 1: March, April & Early May

/ Laura Tuke / 1 Comment

Year-on-year, the landscape waking up after its winter slumber inspires me to re-explore the wildlife becoming active in my local area. In Dorset, my family’s farm is home to a wide range of mammal and bird species, amongst others, with new additions being observed every year. Despite this, on a day-to-day basis many species are often not seen, living more secretive lives.

A great, unobtrusive way to be able to observe wildlife on my family’s farm is to use a camera trap. A camera trap is a small waterproof camera that is triggered by movement. The camera then records either photos, video or both, and my cameras store these on a memory card (check out my How to.. guide for more info). By using a camera trap in the right way, you can get some really amazing views of wildlife, all without individuals being aware of the camera and being disturbed.

This year, from the 10th March onwards, I began setting up and changing the location of my two camera traps every week, to see what I could find and learn this year about my local wildlife. Over a few months, I used a variety of different locations close to home, and also revisited some over that time period too. Some locations, such as my Badger Alley site, have been used for many years now, whereas some, such as my Bridge Field site, were used for the first time this year. Lets now go back to early spring to find out what my camera traps learnt and observed this year!

March

As the landscape slowly wakes up and new growth begins to carpet fields, woodlands, and hedgerows, the local wildlife is also beginning to become more active as they go about their day-to-day lives. In early spring, roe deer are still living in non-territorial mixed-sex groups of varying size with groups sharing limited food sources. This year, across the farm, my camera traps observed many roe deer groups passing through the landscape during March, including males growing antlers covered in soft velvety skin, and females with growing pregnant bellies. In particular, this spring groups stayed together quite a while due to fluctuating weather affecting the growth and abundance of plants.

March is the peak time for fox cubs being born in Britain, and so typically during this month vixens stay below ground in their den to give birth and keep their cubs warm whilst still vulnerable. This means during early spring, foxes seen tend to be males hunting and providing for their mates. During this time this year, my camera traps often caught foxes carrying prey, such as pheasants and rabbits, and travelling the same tracks daily. These sightings are a wonderful sign that there is new life arriving somewhere out there in the local landscape.

March is the month of winter drawing to a close and spring beginning to breathe life into the land again. With my camera traps at the ready, and well-trodden paths often the best place to observe wildlife, I was able to capture a range of sights and surprises varying from grey squirrels digging up nuts buried in the autumn to badgers searching for food to territorial fighting of breeding woodpigeons. You never quite know what you will see!

Species Seen: Rabbit, brown rat, fox, badger, pheasant, roe deer, woodpigeon, grey squirrel

April

April marks the appearance of abundant new life, with leaves unfurling on trees, blossom dripping from hedgerows, and spring flowers popping up across the landscape. This month is also full of new life for many animal species local to me too, with signs of this being picked up on my camera traps. Being typically born in February, badger cubs now begin to explore the entrance to their setts and the immediate area. This year I was lucky to capture one particular family of badgers with their cubs beginning to explore above ground during April, and not just views of adults walking on by. To be able to watch any young animals playing and exploring the world for the first time is truly an incredible experience!

Though this year I was not lucky enough to capture fox cubs emerging in April for the first time, as in more recent years, my camera traps still picked up views of adult foxes frequenting areas that could have been home to possible den sites. Vixens during April will still be heavily relied on by their cubs, leaving the male to still be the main food provider and protecter of the den. My camera traps captured possible views of some very diligent dads in my local area this year!

During this month of spring, not all species and individuals are yet to have young relying upon them, with females instead feeding up ahead and males keeping to themselves. One species in particular that my camera traps observed doing this was the hedgehog, an abundant visitor to my family’s garden, typically emerging from hibernation at the end of March or early April. Other stars spotted were hares not in a hurry and some boisterous roe bucks.

Species List: Pheasant, roe deer, brown hare, fox, badger, carrion crow, brown rat, grey squirrel, blackbird, woodpigeon, magpie, jackdaw, hedgehog, house sparrow

Early May

As the spring season rolls into the month of May, the landscape is now a hive of activity. Plants abundantly grow and blossom into colour, and many species are focussed on having and raising young, and passing on their genes to the next generation. May is a great month to glimpse hidden behaviour of wildlife and take in a different side to many species. This year this included rabbits socialising, nosy roe deer, and foxes climbing trees.

As birds nest, hatch chicks and feed young, individuals are also at their most active. This often means my camera traps get some glimpses of such species on the go. This May these included many woodpigeons, robins finding food, and chiffchaffs flitting through hedgerows. It is great that camera traps allow me to observe some of our local feathered species as well.

My favourite surprise this May though, was multiple sightings of muntjac deer on our land once again. Though muntjac are non-native and can be a problem in many areas, on our land my family and I have never observed muntjac with our own eyes before. Therefore, my camera traps have given us an interesting and unexpected glimpse into the presence of this deer species on our farm, and their movement through our area.

Species List: Roe deer, pheasant, chiffchaff, robin, muntjac deer, rabbit, woodpigeon, brown rat, grey squirrel, fox

Spring Dorset Camera Trapping 2023 – Pt. 1: Wonderful Wildlife

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

“In photography there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated” – August Sander

“Actually, it’s nature itself that creates the most beautiful pictures, I’m only choosing the perspective” – Katja Michael

Over the last four years I have used camera traps to try to capture the wildlife that call my family’s Dorset farm home. It has been a way to gain an insight into the lives of animals that usually would only be seen in passing on a day-to-day basis, such as a hare or a fox, and to be able to see them as anything but ordinary. It has also been an opportunity to watch natural behaviour that we would not usually easily see without disturbing wildlife, and to truly get an idea of the abundance and diversity of species over 250 acres. There is always more that we can learn each year though!

For the last few months, my camera traps have been back out recording what there is to be seen out in nature this year. Moving between 10 locations across our land, from March to July, there were lots of lovely moments that were captured, along with the unusual and unexpected. Over two parts, I will delve into what my camera traps had to offer in photograph and video form, and share some of my highlights. To start, lets take a look at the range of wildlife that featured on the farm this spring, saving the best this year for next week!

Bridlepath: Badger Alley

A family-named Badger Alley is a great site for a variety of mammal species found on the farm, with even a first muntjac deer being spotted last year. Badger Alley is a naturally-enclosed bridlepath that was once home to a large family of badgers, but now the sett lies bare. This path for humans is also a popular thoroughfare for wildlife as well as being a sheltered location for the homes of certain species. This is one site that I return to with my camera trap year-on-year!

This year 6 mammal species were captured on my camera traps, including one of my favourite’s that will feature next week. I had a scruffy adult female roe deer passing through,

an often seen adult male roe deer feeding and scent marking,

a territorial grey squirrel on his favourite perch,

plenty of whizzing past, including babies,

and a one-off inquisitive badger.

Badger Setts: Badger Field and Quarry Field

Over the years our badger population and distribution has fluctuated, including with Dorset’s badger. Currently though we have two active badger setts that each contain a healthy family of badgers that stick to defined territories within our land.

These setts are not just home to badgers, but also other species, including next week’s stars. Each year new species can be added to the list featured at these setts, but this year 4 common ones were captured alongside the two already mentioned. Species seen were:

  • Blackbird
  • Pheasant
  • Carrion crow
  • Roe Deer (male and female)

Wooded Area: Gill Hill Copse

This year I only used one wooded area on the farm for my camera trapping, a small copse towards the centre of our land. Over the years this rich copse has been home to and a passing through place for a variety of typical and more unusual species, and each year it is interesting to see what will be found. This year the more typical characters were seen, which included the highly abundant roe deer, such as a frequent female, and pheasants.

Within the copse an old badger sett can also be found, being situated not far from one of the active setts. This year for the first year of many, a lone badger could be seen entering and leaving the sett using a particular hole, making me think of a satellite male. It will be interesting to see what can be found here next year as a result!

Fields: Cowleighs, Quarry Field, Tower Paddock, Water Meadow

Across the farm, you will find our land is a mosaic of habitats and grassland managed for different purposes, on different timescales, and in different ways. This does mean that depending on where you are and at what time of year, you may experience different species at varied abundances and also the potential for some more unusual species. Fantastic wildlife moments are a guarantee though!

This year has been a hard year on nature already, and so analysing camera trap content is a good moment to stop and reflect on the feathered and furred individuals that call our land home all year round. Living not far from shoots, pheasants and red-legged partridges are a common sight, with numbers reducing over the summer when they provide a popular food source for a number of species. This year pheasants did a good job of making their way into the frame of my camera traps at nearly every site!

Another species going through a population boom on our land at the moment is the roe deer, with individuals being seen at most of my camera trap sites and a walk through our land giving you consistent sightings of many males and females. Next week’s star was also seen at nearly every camera trap field sites this year too!

Badgers were caught on my camera traps when observing fields that were adjacent with active badger setts, showing badgers roaming for food, territorial marking and social interactions.

Many bird species made their cameos on my cameras, including an inquisitive woodpigeon, feeding carrion crows, and a magpie passing through. This year bird species broke up the antics of the mammals that were vying to be the stars of my camera trap photos and videos.

To finish my field observations, my camera traps this year did a good job of capturing sightings of the charismatic hare, a wonderful common sight across our land. Shots include a hare feeding, an inquisitive individual, and hares speeding past.

Garden

Our house and garden is situated at the centre of our land, and has often been described as a hive of bird activity, as such an abundance of different species visit daily. We also get visits at different times of year from different mammal species, which add to the fun of setting a camera trap to gain another view of the wildlife visiting our small garden. This year’s wildlife visits included a cheeky magpie and an emerging hedgehog, a species that we now see in our garden in the autumn in increasing numbers!

Check out my blog post next week to see the missing star of this year’s camera trapping adventures!

Rural Dorset vs. Urban Manchester: Wildlife Camera Trapping in 2021

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Series in collaboration with guest writer Emma Rogan

Fox cubs playing in secluded hedgerows, badgers wandering along field margins, and male pheasants displaying in woodlands. Wildlife cameras are a great way to capture the behaviour and presence of wildlife, and can open up a hidden world not so easily accessible in person. More often wildlife cameras are associated with exploring the rural, but they are also a great way to explore the world closer to home. Hedgehogs snuffling through gardens looking for food, birds jostling for space on feeders, or even rodents clearing up after avian visitors. Camera trapping allows us to connect to nature wherever we live, from rolling hills to suburban oases.

Last time in Rural vs. Urban, we embraced autumn in all its colours and forms, with the main focus being the plant and fungi stars of the show. Dorset-born naturalist Laura delved into the magnificent and colourful display autumn had to offer, and found inspiration in the season, from her writing to her baking. Joining Laura for this series, Manchester-born wildlife enthusiast Emma explored the history and culture rooted in the plants she discovered, and found a much-needed moment of calm in her busy day-to-day life. Though both found differences in their comparative landscapes, they both found fungi to be fascinating and wondrous, but an area of knowledge in need of improvement.

In this next instalment of Rural vs. Urban, we explore the use of camera traps in the two different landscapes and see how they have allowed Laura and Emma to connect with their local wildlife. We will see how species may differ between the city and countryside, as well as behaviours and even interactions between species. It will be interesting to see what we may learn from looking back at fantastic camera trap photos from both locations, as they help us to uncover the secret lives of wildlife. Join us on our adventures to find out what we discovered!

Laura’s Camera Trapping in Dorset

Over the last few years I have become well known online for my camera trap photos exploring the lives of the wildlife living on my family’s land in Dorset. In particular, each spring I keep my camera trap out 24/7, moving it between locations, to capture spring unfurling for my animal neighbours. By doing so I have gained a lot of enjoyment from seeing what I could discover, and have been able to expand my own knowledge of my local wildlife and their hidden lives. To experience some of my previous camera trap adventures, check out my earlier blog posts from 2019 and 2020.

Last year, in 2021, my camera trap did not fail to amaze me and allowed me to continue my adventure exploring and capturing local wildlife. Throughout the spring my camera moved between 6 different locations across 250 acres, varying from badger setts to woodland. Between these locations I captured a total of 13 different species in 2021, which were rabbit, badger, roe deer, fox, partridge, pheasant, grey squirrel, magpie, blackbird, field vole, hare, woodpigeon, and the humble bumblebee.

One of my highlights from 2021 was capturing some new species for my collection, even if my first photos of them were blurry . These included my first hare (or the back of one!), a field vole climbing up cow parsley stalks, and even a bumblebee buzzing about. This is one of the reasons I get excited when checking my camera trap photos, as you never know what you may discover!

Another part of camera trapping in 2021 was getting to further experience animal species living side by side in harmony. For example, at one badger sett I saw a family of badgers sharing their home with rabbits and a family of foxes. Also, at another location, I got to see fox cubs learning about their surroundings and interacting with other species, such as roe deer. Very cool!

One of my favourite parts of 2021 though, has to be all the fox families I discovered! During this year, the most commonly seen species on my camera trap, to my surprise, was the fox (at every location!). In some cases I specifically aimed to capture this species, such as staking out a possible fox den, but in others foxes just happened to be living there or passing through. So by the end of spring, I had discovered 3 litters of fox cubs and a number of frequently used fox trails. What was most special of all was getting to experience fox cubs exploring their natural habitat and interacting with each other without me disturbing them. Magical!

After camera trapping in spring, my camera trap was given a well earned break until November. To round off the year, I staked out my garden to check out the birds that call it home. To find out more, stay tuned for next week’s blog post!

Emma’s Camera Trapping in Manchester

Although the past two years have been strange and sad in many ways, my little rectangle of garden has been a constant source of joy. During the first lockdown I started to spend a lot more time in the garden, which made me curious about the lives of the insects, birds, squirrels and foxes that also call our garden their home. So, in December 2020, I got my first wildlife camera!

The first time I left my camera out overnight, I was delighted to have captured a variety of animals including squirrels, the neighbour’s cat and a fox. It’s far from unusual to spot a fox late at night in my area, but something about seeing a fox going about its usually secret business made this sighting feel special. “I got a fox!” I yelled excitedly down the stairs. From that point onwards, I had caught the camera trapping bug.

Camera trapping has allowed me to get to know the unique personalities of our garden visitors, and also to see how their behaviour towards us changed over time. Our lovely Mrs Blackbird used to wait until we’d gone back inside before she’d sneak up the side of the garden to eat her evening plate of mealworms, but now she feels brave enough to hop around the empty plate chirping indignantly until someone gets the message. We also realised that Mr and Mrs Blackbird would always come for their dinner one at a time, and would only eat half the plate each! Now that’s true love.

My most exciting capture came on an equally exciting day. On the morning of the day I was due to get my Professional level ACA results, I checked my camera and was amazed to see that a badger had stopped by for a drink! The badger must have brought good luck with him, as thankfully I passed the exams. I was also delighted to see a hedgehog wandering through my boyfriend’s garden one night. We named him Podge, and for a while he was an extremely cute regular visitor. Finally, I can’t talk about camera trapping without mentioning my love for our magpies, who have kept us well entertained all year swaggering around the garden and stealing all the snacks we put out!

One thing I’ve learned from my experience camera trapping this year is that although cities may be full of people, we have a huge variety of wildlife roaming around just outside our front doors. I hope that more people will feel inspired to get to know the wild visitors passing through their streets and gardens, and even leave out some food and water to make them feel welcome!

The Wonders of Camera Trapping

Camera trapping is a learning experience and an eye-opening adventure, providing an unedited and up-close view of the more secretive lives of our wild neighbours. For Laura, camera trapping in 2021 continued to expand her record and understanding of the animals that call her local area home. Moving forward she would like to begin collecting videos of her local wildlife and buy a new camera trap to expand her camera trapping efforts.

Giving nature a home is something every one of us can do. For Emma, camera trapping taught her that even a small green space in an urban landscape can support a huge variety of wildlife; bees, badgers, woodpeckers, nuthatches, squirrels, hedgehogs and many more! In 2022, Emma wants to make her garden a haven for wildlife, and hopefully capture a frog moving into the frog pond she and her mum built.

At a time when nature is struggling most, it is important for us all to do our bit. Sometimes it is difficult to know how, but if you can understand your local patch better, this can become a lot easier. Using a camera trap is a great and easy way to do this, allowing you to create that connection with your local wildlife, however big or small. If you would like to know more or are inspired to try it out yourself, check out Laura’s blog post about ‘How to… Use and Make the Most of a Camera Trap‘.

Spring Countryside Camera Trap Surveys

/ Laura Tuke / 2 Comments

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A few years ago, my passion for wildlife led me to save up to buy a Bushnell Trophy camera trap, to be able to explore the wildlife that can be found in my local area. Since then I have embarked on many adventures and had many hours of fun with it, as it allows you to get an amazing undisturbed insight into the lives of more elusive wildlife.

If you are unsure what a camera trap is, it is a digital camera connected to a sensor that is activated/triggered when movement is detected in front of it. It then takes one or a series of photos, a video of select length or a hybrid of the two, that are recorded on to a memory card for later viewing. They are easy to use and can be left out in the elements for long periods of time. My camera trap was a great investment and has now given me years of pleasure at home and further afield, such as in Costa Rica.

Agouti

This year, as I have been even more inspired by the coming spring, I decided to spend 10 weeks across the season (21st March to 26th May), completing camera trap surveys on my family’s land, which is set in the beautiful Dorset countryside.

For my surveys, over the 10 weeks, I chose a total of 5 camera locations which were used for varying periods of time. These locations I fondly named: copse cam, sett cam, woodland cam, alley cam and fox cam. I left the camera in each location for between 14 to 42 hours across 1-2 nights depending on my intentions at the time. Now spring has seemed to have come to an end, it is now the time for me to take a look back at a fun, exploratory 10 weeks and reflect on some of the wildlife I got the pleasure of recording.

Copse cam

March 2019

For my first camera location, I chose a small copse situated in a dip within a wheat field that has borders including hedges, trees, a river and a large badger sett. The copse shows signs of use from rabbits and species passing through. The camera was attached to the same tree each time at the centre of the copse, and was either pointed to the west or east to try and capture an idea of activity within the whole area. This location was used for 6 weeks (till 26th April) before the wheat became too long around the copse.

Copse from outside

Copse at night
Copse in morning mist

Over the 6 weeks I used this location, 1 week the camera was not set due to bad weather, and another 2 weeks the camera was not triggered at all. Across the 3 weeks that had some success, 5 species were recorded (all singular individuals) that were:

  • Male and female roe deer

Male roe deer

Female roe deer
Same female roe deer

  • Badger

Badger

  • Carrion crow

Carrion crow

  • Woodpigeon

Woodpigeon

  • Red-legged partridge

Red-legged partridge

A range of animal behaviour was seen on the copse cam, including foraging, resting and fleeing behaviour. Unfortunately due to the growing wheat increasingly isolating the copse, the number of camera triggers, and thus survey success, dropped by 80% over the 3 weeks wildlife was seen. Despite this, I did enjoy the wildlife the camera did capture, as it gave an idea of the wildlife passing through this spot at the beginning of spring.

Favourite photo: an up-close and personal shot of a female roe deer. Other photos captured show that this particular female was possibly pregnant during my surveys.

Doe-eyed (female roe deer in the mist)

Sett cam

Grassland in March
Sett in March

For my second camera location, I chose a large fenced off badger sett towards the east of my family’s land. The sett is on the border of agricultural grassland backed by a hedge made up of traditionally known hedge species, including blackthorn and hawthorn. The camera was attached to one of two fence posts spaced approximately a metre apart and facing into the main area of the sett in various directions. This location was used for 5 weeks (till 19th April) until the vegetation within the sett area grew to a height that obscured the view of the camera trap.

Sett in daytime

Over the 5 weeks, one week the camera was not set due to bad weather, leaving 4 weeks in which this location was used. In this time the species seen were (all singular individuals):

  • Badger

Badger

  • Fox

Fox

  • Pheasant

Male pheasant

  • Rook

Rook

The number of times the camera trap was triggered was random in relation to length of time set and survey week. Behaviours recorded included foraging and fleeing behaviour. Again, though this camera location was only used for a few weeks, it was great to see the wildlife there, in particular finally seeing badgers actively living in this sett.

Favourite photo: Though the subject of this shot is less noticeable, I love seeing in this photo the shape of a fox disappearing off along the hedge and field line in the background.

Cunning fox

Woodland cam

Woodland in March
Woodland in March

For my third location, I chose a small area of secondary woodland not far from my house, bordered on its edges by a private lane, meadows and more woodland. The woodland consists of wild cherry trees and predominantly oak trees. For the entire period of 10 weeks, the camera trap was moved between different trees and aimed in different directions to cover a variety of areas within the woodland.

Woodland at night
Woodland at night
Woodland at night

Over the 10 weeks, the lives of 4 common species within this woodland were recorded. These were:

  • Badger (1-2 individuals in a photo)

2 badgers

  • Fox

Fox
Fox

  • Rabbit (included alongside a pheasant in a couple of shots)

Rabbit

  • Pheasant (1-2 individuals in a photo)

Male pheasant
Male and female pheasant

The number of times the camera trap was triggered was random in relation to length of time set and survey week. What is interesting though, is that foxes were seen passing through the wood over the first 5 weeks (March into April), but not in the last 5 (April into May). This differs to what was seen for badgers, where compared to the first few weeks, badgers were seen mainly in the last 4 weeks (May) and in increasing numbers, which would correspond with breeding stage and foraging tactics. It was great to see the badgers in this way.

Favourite photo: My favourite photo has to be from when I increasingly caught sight of the badgers in the woodland, as it filled me with excitement every time I saw these photos.

Badgered

Alley cam

Badger Alley in March
Badger Alley in March
Badger Alley in March

For my fourth location, following week 6 (27th April), I chose one of my favourite sites on my family’s land, fondly known as Badger Alley. I refer to a 1-3m wide, rarely used bridle/footpath that is enclosed overhead by the tall hedges growing on either side (creating a tunnel effect). Along this path, an active badger sett and a deserted sett can be found, which are shared by other species, such as rabbits and foxes. The path is also rich along its length with a variety of plant species. In the end, I chose to position my camera trap to be able to take in part of the active sett as well as the path along side it to see what I could see.

Alley cam

Over the 5 weeks from 27th April to 25th May, the camera trap recorded a total of 6 different species, which were:

  • Roe deer

Female roe deer

  • Fox

Fox
Fox

  • Badger (1-3 individuals in a photo)

Badger
Two badgers

  • Rabbit (1-2 individuals in a photo)

Baby rabbit
Rabbit

  • Woodpigeon

Woodpigeon

  • Grey squirrel

Grey squirrel

The number of times the camera trap was triggered was random in relation to length of time set and survey week. A range of behaviours were observed in the photos, my favourite being grooming, bonding/socialising, hunting and play behaviour. It has to be sad that I particularly enjoyed using this location for my camera trap surveys!

Rabbit grooming

Favourite photos: When the badgers joined in with showing why Badger Alley was given its name!

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Fox cam (Note: date of photos are incorrect= 2019 not 2018)

For my final camera location, as a one-off (week 8: 10th May), I chose to investigate a potential fox den within the badger sett that borders the wheat field where the copse mentioned is found. This sett is fairly large, is fenced off from the adjacent wheat field whilst being backed by a wide, traditional hedgerow. In particular, a large part of the sett runs within the hedgerow itself, and in places there are open cavities at the centre of the hedge which are popularly used by wildlife.

Sett= location of fox cam

Before I chose this location, my mum had mentioned to me that she thought that she had seen signs of a female fox feeding cubs in this location, and so I decided to set up my camera with the purpose of investigating if this was true. Read on to find out the result!

I can now reveal that this camera trap set up was a complete success! I caught a vixen and her 3 cubs on camera, as well as a cheeky magpie and an unexpected great tit. The foxes triggered the camera 127 times over 27 hrs, making for a greater insight into their behaviour, social relationships and private interactions. Very exciting!

Great tit
Magpie

Vixen
Vixen

Favourite photos: The fox cubs!

Fox cub

Cub
May cub

Sleepy cub

 

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Playful cubs

Summary

This spring I really enjoyed embarking on the completion of camera trap surveys and being able to analyse what species can less obviously be seen around me. In total, my camera trap caught sight of 12 different species of birds and mammals, with lots of different individuals being recorded within this.

I hope you enjoyed a small sight into my camera trapping fun and may be inspired to take exploring your local area to the next level. Camera trapping may not be for you but there are lots of other things out there waiting for you.

 

An unexpected and unusual food source

/ Laura Tuke / Leave a comment

Throughout July, we noticed an increasing number of birds spending time in the vicinity of our farm’s slurry store (large open-topped tank above the ground). Consequently I decided to investigate the reason for this.

The birds numerously seen were flocks of starlings, flocks of house sparrows and a couple of our local black-headed gulls (one in particular was seen everyday, which we named Nigel). From the outside of the slurry store, you could see the birds perching on the edge of the tank and at times flying down inside, often to not be seen for a few minutes.

To take a closer look, I climbed up the ladder on the side of the tank to get to the platform which would allow me to look down into the store.

On this platform, you could look all the way to the bottom of the tank, which during July had only a couple of feet of slurry left within it. From the platform I was able to watch the behaviour of the birds without disturbing the birds . Consequently my suspicions about what the birds were doing were soon confirmed.

All the birds spotted, were exploiting the slurry store as a location to find food, such as feeding on fly larvae hatching in the surface of the slurry. All these different bird species had different strategies to feed in this environment. House sparrows would fly down to the bottom of the tank, to pick larvae from the surface of the slurry whilst on the wing. Starlings would perch on the nuts on the inside of the tank’s walls, before flying down to pick off larvae or hunt on the surface of the slurry. Black-headed gulls would use similar tactics, but would often sit on the surface of the slurry where it was most watery and feed at their leisure.

It was very interesting to watch these birds feed, but now into August these birds have moved off to exploit other further food sources.

 

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Black-Headed Gull on edge of slurry store (Nigel)

Slurry Store
Starling on edge of slurry store

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Starlings on inside surface of slurry store