#camera traps

Эти кадры снежных барсов сняты фотоловушками прямо в Гималаях — от Ладакха до долины Спити.

Увидеть их вблизи почти невозможно: барсы скрытны и выбирают самые крутые и неприступные склоны. Но благодаря камерам удаётся хоть чуть-чуть заглянуть в тайную жизнь этих горных призраков.

These snow leopard photos were captured by camera traps right in the Himalayas, from Ladakh to the Spiti Valley.

Seeing them up close is nearly impossible: they're secretive and choose the steepest and most inaccessible slopes. But thanks to cameras, we can at least glimpse the secret lives of these mountain ghosts.

Those of you who use it as well have gotten the email... After five fun years, Birdsy is shutting down due to lack of funding. Apart from my heartbreak over this happening, this means that my live cams will not be live and recording anymore within a matter of days, and I will have to find solutions. Streaming is possible via YT but recording clips may prove more difficult. Birdsy was so perfect for that, and I hate that the industry did not see it. In order to keep clips coming without screen-recording from a livestream, I need a solution for recording that is not breaking the bank, and tips are welcome. I wish more money would be put towards projects that bring joy. Farewell, Birdsy, I am going to miss you.

(This does not mean I will stop posting bird photos and videos. I will just have to rethink some of my cams. I am currently using five Birdsy cameras for livestreams and videos (apart from photo setups and other video cams) and will try to set up livestreams on youtube. I will have to find a solution for recording though.)

Photographer Helps Build Waterhole to Capture Incredible Photos of African Wildlife Using Camera Traps - Kenya’s Shompole Wilderness Camp

Hyena

📸 Photo by @paulthompson.th

🐆 Follow for more 🐅 @bigcatswildlife

Clouded Leopards are found Himalayan foothills through India, mainland Southeast Asia into China.

Excerpt from this story from the Africa Wildlife Foundation:

In recent years, camera traps — discreet motion-triggered or time-lapse cameras — have transformed wildlife research and conservation, especially for scientists and conservationists mapping wildlife in remote areas. These cameras enable researchers to collect photographic evidence of rarely spotted and globally endangered species with ease and minimal disturbance to the wildlife or environment.

Also known as game cameras or trail cameras, camera traps are devices used to record wildlife activity. These digital monitoring tools capture images at particular intervals or by sensing movement. In addition, some cameras have video capabilities. They work day and night, allowing scientists to observe animals behaving naturally in their habitats when not under people’s viewing. While camera traps get plenty of unusable data, such as images of wind-swept grasses, they also record important images that can help scientists, researchers, and conservationists.

The prevalence of elephant calves in camera trap images, for instance, could mean elephants are breeding, and over time conservationists can use this information to model the species' population dynamics in that particular area. In addition, during the dry season, camera traps can help determine whether wildlife is thriving or not, or even identify diseases or signs of health issues in animals.

For instance, in 2019, when researchers recorded a mystery skin condition in 13 giraffes at Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ruaha National Parks, they used camera trap images to quantify the severity of the disease.

Sometimes the difference between success and failure is in the very little things.

To capture this image of a tiger in Nepal’s Bardia National Park, I used a camera trap. Basically a photo studio installed in the wild, with flashes and a professional camera and lens, the camera trap is triggered when the subject crosses an infrared beam. I had found this location with Sabita Malla, tiger expert at WWF-Nepal, and thought I could do something interesting. The spot is between two trees, giving a sense of depth, and one, a “marking tree,” has been scratched everywhere by tigers. A tiger would almost certainly cross here.

But weeks passed, and I wasn’t getting anything. One night, I couldn’t sleep and was thinking I should change the focal point. Getting accurate focus with a camera trap can be challenging, because you can’t be sure where the animal will be. The next morning it was pouring rain, and the park was almost inaccessible, but I urged the team back out so I could change the focus.

Photographer Helps Build Waterhole to Capture Incredible Photos of African Wildlife Using Camera Traps - Kenya’s Shompole Wilderness Camp

Baboons