Wildcare's Top Equipment Picks for Recording Mammals
Blog by the team at Wildcare Ltd
Camera trapping is a highly effective, and sometimes necessary method when studying rare and endangered species. Removing the need to directly observe or physically handle an animal has meant that monitoring them can be achieved with minimal negative impacts.
Small mammals are susceptible to the effects of habitat fragmentation; monitoring their diversity, distribution and population dynamics is important for their conservation (Gelling et al. 2007). It allows us to study in difficult to access locations whilst reducing the amount of field-based work.
To fit with the theme of ‘Recording Mammals Around You’ for National Mammal Week 2022, We have chosen our top recording products and explained why we love them so much! All of the products we offer have their own little unique specialities, making it hard to choose a favourite, but some of our team members have narrowed it down to their ‘go to’ pieces of equipment when recording mammals.
Rosie’s Recommendation: Spypoint Force Dark.
“I always recommend the Spypoint Force Dark to beginners for its ease of use and price point, but it can also be upgraded to add flexibility if you have more experience.
When in the field, the 2” viewing screen makes it so easy to navigate through the settings and perfectly align the camera’s field of view. The camera has three modes – photo, video or timelapse, all of which have multiple options to change to suit the environment and exactly how you want to use it. This camera, and many others from Spypoint have a super-fast 0.07s shutter-speed and no glow LEDs so you can be sure that every passing animal is photographed and not scared by a flash.
Included in the box is a 16GB SD card and USB adaptor to use when uploading your photos to a laptop or computer. Further to this, I often use mine with the Spypoint Cell Link which when connected to the camera can send photos directly to the dedicated app on my smartphone. Up to 100 photos can be sent for free each month, which I find to be plenty, but there are paid upgrades available should you find a spot with lots of activity. From the app you can also check the status of your camera, such as the mobile signal, battery life, storage space and GPS coordinates, so you can leave the camera out long term or in a remote location and know exactly when you need to go back out.”
Jack’s Choice: HIKMICRO Gryphon GQ35 Thermal Monocular.
“Having used this product in the field several times now, I can whole heartedly recommend the HIKMICRO Gryphon GQ35 Thermal Monocular. It’s easy to use and extremely user friendly, with 4 different modes available including white hot, black hot, red hot and image fusion, which combines the thermal element with an optical sensor which overlaps the two modes to allow the user the see in thermal as well as being able to see the detail of objects.
The unit itself is light and easy to operate one handed, its size allows for easy storage when not in use and can be easy stowed away in any small sized bag. The unit does come with a carry pouch, as well as two rechargeable 3.6VLi-ion batteries and battery charger.
I have used this device in the field along with a tripod, using the units built in tripod attachment which makes it easy to use when stationary. The GQ35’s 640x512 @ 12µm thermal sensor easily captures fine details, even when using the 8x zoom feature with a viewing range of up to1400 meters. The unit also boasts an image capture ability, allowing you to take photos as well as videos using its 16GB internal storage. This makes it the perfect product for animal ID in the dark.
I have been able to detect an animal presence I would otherwise have missed with the naked eye even in daylight using the GQ35, the units fast acting sensor allows you to detect even the fast-moving objects such as bats.”
All time Classic: The Mammal Society Mammal Footprint Tracking Tunnel.
Even though it doesn’t leave you with photos or videos of your four-legged friends, the Mammal Footprint Tunnels still leaves evidence of mammals in the area. Footprint Tunnels are a non-invasive tool to look for the presence of mammals in a habitat by identifying their footprints. Simply place along hedgerows or other edge habitats overnight baited. The mammals walk over ink-pads inside the tunnel to reach the bait leaving their footprints on special paper.
The Mammal Society ran trials after the tunnel was initially developed at Nottingham Trent University. The results concluded that it was statistically more effective at detecting hedgehogs, a species that can be difficult to survey.
To celebrate National Mammal Week, we will be giving away a Mammal Footprint Tracking Tunnel away. To find out more, visit The Mammal Society's Social Media Channels!
All of the products highlighted in this blog are also available at Wildcare.co.uk as well as many other trail cameras, optics, bait, and other accessories, for all your mammal recording needs!
References
Gelling M, Macdonald DW, Mathews F (2007) Are hedgerows the route to increased farmland small mammal density? Use of hedgerows in British pastoral habitats. Landsc Ecol 22:1019–1032
The theme for National Mammal Week in 2022 is Recording Mammals Around You. Did you know that mammals are some of the most under-recorded species in Britain! With one in four of our native mammals threatened with extinction, and many others are in decline we need your help. Consider becoming a member of the Mammal Society today for as little as £3 a month.