Back in May I asked one of our local volunteers (Lousie Senior) to write a blog on our latest trail camera survey. We have put a series of camera traps out on the reserve to try and monitor predator movements around key aeras. I have held onto Louise's blog until we got some of the photographs back from the cameras. So here is Louise's blog and some of the photos we have had so far...
Wrapped in our waterproofs, bodies braced against the driving wind and rain, our wellington boots squelch across the sodden bog. We place our feet carefully to avoid sinking into the spongy sphagnum, or worse, tumbling into one of the bog pools. To my untrained eye, the vast expanse of land surrounding us seems almost featureless, but Paul guides Kate and me towards our destination: a watery outlet which has formed a channel running from a loch and extending out across the bog.
Paul surmises that this route may be used as a foraging track by predatory mammals such as otters, foxes and pine martens. Crouching low, we survey the landscape to ascertain the best vantage point for our camera trap: a motion-activated camera housed within a sturdy weather-proof casing. As Paul drives the stake on which the camera is mounted into the ground, Kate and I record our exact location so that we can return to this point at regular intervals over future months to collect the information stored on the device.
We’re working on behalf of the common scoter, a small diving seaduck whose UK breeding population has significantly declined in recent years, resulting in it being placed on the Red List, which signifies the highest conservation priority. Here, in the boggy and remote terrain of the Flow Country, the scoters have found a suitable breeding ground, returning annually from their coastal habitats to the small freshwater lochs to nest. But with the downward trend in breeding pairs continuing, it is clear that all is not well. The RSPB are taking action to help the birds by collecting various data about their lifestyle which will help to inform conservation strategies aimed at preventing further reductions in numbers.
Today, we are setting camera traps to find out more about scoter predation. With the numbers of breeding pairs so low, any loss of life to predators has a substantial impact on the entire population. However, positioning the camera traps is no easy undertaking. Apart from the arduous treks across challenging landscapes to reach the scoters preferred lochs, we’re tasked with trying to think like the predators we are seeking: What are the affordances that this terrain offers that may be conducive to their progress through the world? What clues can we find to identify their journeys through the land?
So: we look at the depth of the water running through a gully to decide if it is too deep to be crossed by a predator; we look at the width of channels to see if it is feasible for them to jump over; we look at the slopes on either side of these waterways to ascertain whether these mammals can make their way up and down; we’re delighted to find an otter spraint nearby one of our traps, its distinctive fishy smell still tangible. Once we are confident that we have found a likely location, we endeavour to position the camera so that it is not triggered by the wind blowing through reeds or the motion of nearby water, which would result in thousands of very boring photographs to be ploughed through by industrious researchers later in the season!
As the day progresses the weather improves and our spirits are high. This is an excellent task for becoming more familiar with the reserve and for enjoying the intricacies of this extraordinary landscape. We cover a lot of miles, both on foot and by car, and I gradually learn to orient myself in relation to Morven and the Ben Griams. Paul, who has an intimate knowledge of the reserve, developed over years of managing the land, makes an excellent guide and teacher, pointing out unusual features and helping us to consider the relationship between different species. All in all, an excellent day! And if you happen to be out in the Flows and see one of our brown boxes: smile, you might be on camera!
Red Deer feature quite often on the trail cameras. Notice the developing antlers in velvet at this time of year.
RSPB Staff and volunteers also tend to appear!
Roe Deer crossing an outflow
Otter by night...
...and an otter by day!
Pine Marten caught on camera.
Mountain Hare...we don't have any rabbits up on the bog, only the occassional hare.
We think this might be two residential volunteers that we...erm...misplaced out on the bog! - I'm sure I've seen them somewhere before!
Louise is a local volunteer. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Aberdeen and writes an occasional blog which you can read here: http://anthropologyinthewind.wordpress.com/