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Spring/Summer Camera Trapping 2025

/ Laura Tuke / 1 Comment

One of my favourite activities each year is camera trapping. The feeling you get of putting out a camera trap in a carefully chosen location and position, and waiting to find out what it may find. Opening the memory card file on a laptop, and seeing what may or may not be waiting for you. Sometimes you may not find anything, and other times you get more than you bargained for!

Over the years I have followed families of foxes, watched badgers return to abandoned setts, and even counted up to 5 hedgehogs in one shot in my mother’s garden. It is not just mammals that I have enjoyed, but I have also seen courting woodpigeons, red-legged partridges dust bathing, and even robins feeding their fledged young. You never quite know what is awaiting for you!

So looking back, how did 2025 go for my camera trapping adventures?

The Situation

When spring arrived in 2025, I got back out with my 2 camera traps, with the aim to try and capture the wildlife that call my family’s farm home. Beginning on the 7th March, my camera traps worked their way around 20 sites across 250 acres, finishing on the 22nd August.

Habitat varied from various sized areas of woodland and semi-improved grassland to water meadows and wildflower meadows, with sites chosen based on the presence of animal activity, such as holes dug or animal tracks, or clearings within more dense habitat. No set pattern was followed for moving the camera traps between sites, other than the majority of the time maintaining a week between moves, and some sites were visited more than once over the spring and summer.

So what did I find?

Species

This year I captured 18 different species of wild animal on my camera traps in my local area. Of these species, 9 were birds (red-legged partridge, pheasant, magpie, woodpigeon, sparrowhawk, robin, blackbird, carrion crow, song thrush) and 9 were mammals (fox, hare, grey squirrel, muntjac deer, hedgehog, rabbit, roe deer, badger, and rat). These species were captured across the whole of the time period, but some species were seen more at certain times, such as hares or rabbits later on in the season, when the quantity of sightings of other species were reduced.

Pheasants and red-legged partridges were seen across the whole of the farm, between 1 and 30 times at different sites, due to the high numbers of these species being present because of game shoot releases at the start of every autumn in my local area. Other widespread species were woodpigeons, grey squirrels, and roe deer, which all tend to be highly abundant species in my local area, as seen.

Alongside typical camera trap species, I got to capture some more unsual sightings from my camera traps. On one wildlife motorway, I observed a muntjac deer passing through, which has happened in previous years, but is not as widespread an occurance on our farm. I also captured a sparrowhawk flying along a hedgerow hunting at the edge of a field, and had other chance bird encounters in the form of blackbirds, robins and carrion crows separately hopping around badger setts, song thrushes in the gateway of a field, and magpies out in different open spaces.

My camera traps caught as well the hidden lives of some iconic mammal species. Badgers were mainly found at 3 sett locations, loafing around, socialising and raising their young, but could also be found passing through fields on their travels. Hedgehogs made an appearance once again, being captured in a paddock close to the farm buldings every night. An increasing icon though, was the brown hare. Hares were captured at nearly all field sites, from water meadows and wildflower meadows, to crops and more intensive grazed grassland. In one extended 15 day period in July, in a field entrance, hares were even captured on 82 separate occasions!

My ultimate favourite species of camera trapping in 2025 though, was the fox. Check out my next blog post to find why!

Habitat

The most successful and species diverse sites were 2 different field edges with hedgerows, the 3 established setts, and a semi-improved field left to grow long. I never quite know how camera trapping will go, but it has shown that a diversity of habitats is important for a diversity of wildlife. It has paid off to also try out some different habitats and sites each year, and not just stick to the same favourites, as you never know what you may find!

Highlights

Muntjac on a Motorway

Partridges Dust Bathing

Badgers Climbing Trees

Secret Lives of Rabbits

Socialising Hares

Badger Family Dynamics

Spring Countryside Camera Trapping 2020

/ Laura Tuke / 3 Comments

Through the stillness of an early morning mist, a shape appears, carefully stepping through the short undergrowth. She weaves through the trees, stopping to pick and browse as she goes. Then she stops, motionless. Ears pricked she listens out into the gloom, something catching her attention. Magnificent silhouette, the more impressive for her swollen belly, a sign of new life to come. Here she is captured, a glimpse of a world unknown, forever immortalised in a frame.

Camera traps provide a window into another world, one that is often unseen and unknown. As technology improves and efforts increase, humans are now capturing the natural world in increasing detail, observing new behaviours, and keeping track of wildlife that would otherwise be difficult to monitor. Camera traps also provide us as individuals with the opportunity to open our eyes to the world that lies outside our doors. To find out more about camera traps, how to use them, and for some inspiration, check out my ‘How to… Use and Make the Most of a Camera Trap’ post.

Since I got my camera trap a few years ago, it has become an important way for me to explore the hidden world around me. In particular, during spring 2019, I spent 10 weeks conducting camera trap surveys across 5 sites on my family’s land in Dorset. It was a lot of fun to see what species I could detect and in what numbers, whilst seeing how things changed over a period of time. For my results, check out my ‘Spring Countryside Camera Trap Surveys’ post on my blog.

Camera Trapping 2020

This year, despite COVID-19 leading to a national lockdown, I tried to utilise the time I got to spend outside to get my camera trap out as much as possible. The result was some successful and really enjoyable camera trap experiences throughout the spring, which helped to keep me going. On my adventures, I chose to focus on a mixture of 5 new and old sites, including Badger setts, a footpath, a Sycamore copse and a meadow. It was great to once again monitor the animal populations on our farm, experience new life, and to see if something interesting might turn up!

Highlights

The real stars of my camera trapping this spring just happened to be our British large mammals. In particular some of my highlights involved fantastic sightings of charismatic Badgers. One of my favourites was capturing 2 cubs playing and fighting outside the entrance of a sett at all times of day in April, with a parent often popping in to check on them. I also had some great luck at another sett in June, where my camera trap captured 2 Badger cubs interacting with each other in their natural habitat, in an open area within a hedge. It was really great to see!

This year Foxes were also popular sights on my camera trap. These ranged from adults and cubs at their dens to being captured on the move, giving me a new insight into their lives and interactions. Roe Deer were also a popular sight on my camera trap as they moved through their habitat and spent time foraging, with does and bucks often being seen separately at these same locations. All wildlife are fantastic to be able to experience in this way though!

When Things Go Wrong!

With the highs of camera trapping, there are always bound to be some lows. With many successful days camera trapping this year, my low came in the form of one project not quite going to plan! After sightings of a new fox den at the border of a hay meadow, I set out to try and get photos of this family. Over the course of two weeks I threw all my ideas and efforts at achieving my goal, but over and over again the cubs alluded me. Instead my camera seemed to spend more time capturing the local Roe deer population in this particular location! Here though are some of the glimpses I did catch of this elusive family:

The Best Bit!

There is always going to be one highlight that stands out from a season camera trapping. For me this year my best bit came in the form of a surprise. Whilst having my camera trap out on an active Badger sett for a week in May and then in June, my camera, amongst many photos of Badgers and their cubs, caught some unexpected shots of a lone Fox cub. In my photos, most days the cub would spend its time sleeping and playing alone in the central area of a hedge above a Badger sett. Sometimes it also made an entrance at night, but it was always seen alone. It was an interesting insight into this cub’s more unusual world.

As the natural world now begins to descend into a deep slumber, get out there now and explore, allowing your surroundings to give you strength, whilst leaving nothing but footprints.

How to…Use and Make the Most of a Camera Trap

/ Laura Tuke / 2 Comments

There is nothing like the exhilaration of camera trapping. Setting up the camera trap/trail camera in a golden location, waiting with anticipation for the camera check day, and riding a rollercoaster when capturing something totally unexpected. Camera trapping is one highly addictive activity!

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So why is camera trapping so popular? Well, camera traps allow us to non-invasively open up a normally unseen world. This is a thrilling thing to be able to do, giving us the addictive ability to observe wildlife up close and personal without disturbance. In this way, camera traps can be used as an important tool to identify the presence or absence of species, monitor animal populations and record interesting behaviour.

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At home on my family’s farm, I use my camera trap to carry out surveys across our land, to find out what wildlife is present, how abundant these species are, and to experience new life in spring in all its glory. However you choose to use your camera trap, I can only say for you to have lots of fun and adventures whilst doing it!

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Buying a camera trap

So where do you start if you do not already own a camera trap? Well all off-the-shelf camera traps have similar components and operate on the same principles: a digital camera connected to an infrared sensor that “sees” warm moving objects. Camera traps typically range from £30 to £1000, meaning there is a lot of choice out there. To find the camera trap that is right for you though, you should consider these key questions:

  • How much are you willing to spend?
  • What are you going to be wanting to use it for?
  • Where are you going to be using it?
  • Do you want to use it during the daytime, night-time (black and white or colour) or both?
  • Do you want to take photos, videos or both?
  • Will you want increased capabilities, such as wireless, geo-tagging or higher detection capabilities?

The camera trap I use is a simple Bushnell model that I bought many years ago now for about £120.

How to use a camera trap to get the best from it

Camera traps have a lot of potential as they can remain operational 24/7 and can be left in the field for long periods of time. To increase your chance of camera trap success though, you need to set it up properly to maximise animal detection. Here are some handy tips to get you started:

  1. Visit your chosen site before setting up your camera trap to make sure it is the best site possible.16_04_20_Farm_Badger_Alley_5
  2. Do not forget to make sure your camera has another battery life and SD card room each time you set it up.
  3. Carefully select where to mount your camera trap, such as a sturdy tree or post, to make sure your camera will be supported and  positioned to take in your chosen field of view.Detection zone
  4. Consider the height of the animal(s) you are trying to capture to increase detection and inclusion in the frame. For the best result, position your camera trap so it sits just below the target’s shoulder height.Camera Height
  5. Camera angle is as important as height when positioning the camera trap. For best result and to increase the detection range, you want the camera trap to aim horizontally at the subject. A stick is a great way to get a better angle for your camera. Camera angle
  6. Think about where you want the animal to be positioned in the frame. Larger animals are easier to detect so will be detected at longer ranges compared to smaller ones, and animals walking across the camera trap’s field of view will be more easily detected compared to walking towards it.Animal Position
  7. Try to reduce the number of false triggers by trimming back vegetation that could trigger the camera if moving in the wind. Do not remove enough to disturb your intended subjects though!
  8. And always do your research! The more you know about a site or species, the more likely you will get results.

Inspiration for camera trap sites and uses

Over the few years I have owned my own camera trap, I have used it for a number of different purposes and in a variety of locations. Here are some examples of my own work to help inspire you:

  • Abroad – In 2017, I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in Costa Rica on a field course for my Bachelor’s degree, and so I decided to take my camera trap along with me. This allowed me to get some cool sightings of some interesting wildlife

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  • Badger setts – A popular choice for a camera trap site is at a badger sett. With 3 established badger setts on my family’s land, I have previously had all sorts of interesting results by observing setts in this way. In particular, it has always been great to see how different species cohabit such locations.

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  • Paths – A great place I have found to put my camera trap is on an enclosed footpath on our land. This is because the path, fondly known as Badger Alley, is bordered either side by hedges, is in the vicinity of used and disused badger setts, and is frequently used by wildlife but infrequently by humans. Always be aware of how safe a camera trap may be on footpaths though!

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Garden – One of my all time favourite projects I used my camera trap for, was to get photos of our own special garden visitor in October 2018. I love getting to see the wildlife that is truly on our doorstep!

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  • Woodland – I have previously found that a woodland can be an interesting place to capture wildlife. The result can often be unexpected or interesting, with less of an idea of what might turn up.

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Animal trail – Another great way to try and capture the wildlife that is in your local area is to find and set up your camera trap on a well used animal trail. It is interesting to find out what animals are actually making those tracks!

Specific animals – Often when camera trapping, you want to capture a specific animal, which leads to research and setting up the camera trap in a position where this animal has been sighted. Relating to this, my other favourite camera trap project has been to capture fox cubs above ground and to observe their behaviour. This has resulted in many cute photos over the years!

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Now it’s your turn! Even if you do not own/want to own a camera trap, there are always ways around it, for example why don’t you see if you can borrow one from somewhere or someone.

Though camera trapping does not always go to plan, the results can be truly satisfying. Time to see what you can find!

For more camera trap action, check out my blog post from last year called: Spring Countryside Camera Trap Surveys