Volunteer day

Besides collecting video footage and mammal records, the wildplaces project also carries out practical conservation work. We recently did some habitat management on the outskirts of Middlesbrough, at a very wildlife friendly farm where a lot of the video footage is collected. The farm grows willow which is used as a renewable energy source, being burned at the local power station to provide electricity.

These areas of Willow are proving to be very good habitat for several species, including Harvest Mice (which I'll hopefully be able to film in the near future).

We were helped on the day by students from Guisborough Askham Bryan college, who were on courses ranging from first diploma in animal care, to foundation degree in animal management.

The students were all very enthusiastic, and had a good time, getting really stuck into the work, and doing something which really does help the local wildlife.

A sign of the times

We're still deciding what course of action to take regarding the new high definition cameras, but hopefully we'll get them sorted out, as they're undoubtedly capable of producing some good, clear video.
In the meantime, here's a clip of some Roe Deer, which was sent to me by Paul Marsh, filmed on his own trail camera. Unfortunately, after obviously finding a very good location, his camera was stolen, which is a very sad sign of the times, I'm afraid.
Though his free time is very limited, Paul keeps us informed with his sightings of Mammals, which are very useful for our records. He was also intending to be a regular provider of video footage for the Wildplaces project. These cameras are not cheap, and hopefully the person that stole it will have a conscience, and return it... We live in hope.

New cameras

I was like a child on Christmas morning, as I waited impatiently for the files from the new camera to convert. But when I eventually got to see the results, I felt like the naughty child who had got no presents!... There was plenty of footage, but it was all very dark, and not even as good as the standard cameras. To say I was disappointed would be a massive understatement, so the next day I replaced the camera and also set another one in a different location about fifty metres away, determined to find out if it was just the one camera that was faulty. To cut a long story short, I got lots of footage, and while the cameras definitely don't perform to the standards stated by the manufacturer (the flash range is quoted at being effective to 40 feet, when it's actually barely a quarter of that) what was recorded is quite good quality. The microphone is very good, so make sure you have the volume switched on before watching the clip, because some of the sound is very interesting, especially the Otters calling. The Woodmouse by the way, is feeding on the leftovers from an Otters meal (a part eaten Trout). To see some very good daytime video taken by these new cameras, check out our wildplaces youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/WildPlacesNE

New cameras

I've just received some new, high definition cameras, so tonight I'm going to replace the one that's been filming the Otters, and hopefully I'll soon have some better quality images to show.
I've had a camera in this location for a month now and, with the exception of the few days that it stopped working, it's recorded Otter activity every night, and I've noticed that at least four different individuals have been visiting the spot.
I've put together a few more clips that I find interesting, including a daytime video of a Heron that's been showing up regularly.

Please feel free to post comments about the clips, ask questions, or to request video or photos of other wildlife.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this time of year can be ideal for photographing birds in the garden. The cold spell has made it especially good, and I've been taking many pictures of several species.

Although I've not had any rarities, I have had these two birds with unusually shaped beaks visiting regularly. Both appear in reasonable condition, and neither seemed to have any difficulty in feeding.

Otter videos

Because there was a lot of Otter activity in this spot, I decided to set up a different camera and capture some videos. Even though it was over the xmas period, I was able to check the area daily, and found fresh evidence of Otters being here every day. Unfortunately though, the camera developed a problem, so I missed a lot of the action. I think you'll agree though that the footage it did get is pretty good.

Otters in the snow

When I went to collect the camera, I saw it had redorded over 100 pictures. This camera takes a photograph approximately every second for as long as it detects movement, so i was hopefull that there would be something interesting to see, and I wasn't dissappointed. The first few pictures were of two different Foxes that sniffed around before passing. Then later in the night two Otters appeared and had a roll around in the snow before Sprainting, and heading back towards the beck. A few hours later, what appears to be a different Otter turned up and, after having a roll around in the snow, it curled up and went to sleep (pictured above) for just under ten minutes, after which it had a good scratch before it too went back towards the beck.