The Art of the Treeless Set
Treeless set for Camera trap set up in prairie habitat. Camera attached to stump root ball
Continue reading →Category Archives: Blog
Porcupine Winter Dens – Photos and Videos
At least in the northern portion of its range, the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) uses dens in winter for protection from wind and weather. They choose spots near good feeding trees, but they are flexible in terms of den … Continue reading →
Camera Trapping Bats with an Acoustic Trigger
An acoustic trigger is the key to capturing camera trap photos of bats in flight — as close as your backyard
Continue reading →Prairie Dogs as Keystone Species
Prairie dogs (Cynomys species) are diurnal, burrowing rodents that eat mostly grasses and small seeds and live in “towns” of multiple family groups. While some scientists quibble about the designation of prairie dogs as keystone species, the argument hinges on … Continue reading →
Moose Rut Pit Search
A moose rut pit is a several foot long section of earth, often mud, where a bull has pawed up the soil with front hooves, deposited urine, and splashed urine soaked mud onto his bell and antlers. He may also … Continue reading →
Building a DSLR Camera Trap: Part 1 – Design Elements
A camera trap based on a DSLR camera can take better photos than standard camera traps. This post describes the key elements in making one.
Continue reading →Black Bear Marking Trails and Runs
Because clear foot prints are rarely present, the ability to recognize other bear sign is very helpful in tracking bears. A black bear marking trail, also called mark trail, stomp trail or ritual trail, is a series of worn ovals … Continue reading →
Moose and Ferns: Feeding Sign and Importance
Moose (Alces alces) are known to consume a wide variety of plants, favoring the leaves and twigs of trees and shrubs and aquatic vegetation where available. Ferns are mentioned only occasionally. In his 1934 study of moose diet on Isle … Continue reading →
Are My New Batteries Really New?
In a recent post on thermal runaway, I gave the advice of always using “well matched” batteries. One way to do this is to use new batteries, then continue to use these batteries as a set. But this assumes the … Continue reading →
Beaver Food and Feeding Habits
In my first post on this topic, Tree Preferences of the Beaver, I summarized the basics: that beavers (Castor canadensis) prefer most deciduous trees over conifers, that some hardwoods are more desirable than others, that aspen is the all time … Continue reading →