I just finished a new page I've been working on to help new camera trappers get familiar with some of the technical aspects of camera trapping.
The page is available over here or simply follow the link at the top of the page (underneath the header bar).
I also did a page recently about getting started with camera traps over here.
I would appreciate any feedback, corrections or suggestions. So feel free to leave a comment (on this post) or email me directly.
I hope it will be useful.
22 June 2014
20 June 2014
A Day On The Beach
Seeing wild animals on the beach always fascinates me. It feels like a glimpse of times gone by.
That is why I really enjoyed seeing this herd of Springbok chilling on the beach.
Springbok are fairly famous antelope. So famous that they have the same name in English and Afrikaans. They are our national animal (what ever that might mean) and even made their way into the Canadian Army.
In sports, in the past, when you represented the country in international competitions you got Springbok Colours, which were oddly enough green and gold. However, these days only the rugby team is still known as the Springbok team, the rest are now known as Protea teams, in particular the cricket team. How the confusion around sport team names helps anybody or how these animals got dragged into political and racial (apartheid) disputes I'll never understand.
Luckily this blog isn't interested in sports or politics. It is all about animals and camera trap photos!
Despite the famousness of the Springbok Koeberg was the first place for me to camera trap them. This is also then their first appearance on this blog.
Interestingly Springbok aren't "native" to the southern coast of South Africa. They have been introduced throughout the country in areas outside their historic and natural range. This made me wonder where I've encountered them before, so I fired up WildLog to see what sightings I've recorded in recent years.
If you know the South African countryside then you will notice from their distribution map that that Springbok prefer the drier areas associated with the interior and north-west of the country.
I read that in the Kalahari desert the Springbok don't like to go onto sandy ground and won't easily enter the sand dunes. This made me wonder about the Springbok I saw on the beach, but then again not many of us can resist taking some time off to relax on the beach every now and again.
But usually, at Koeberg, the Springbok always seem to be in the same parts of the reserve. For example, they don't seem to move around the reserve as much as the Eland or Duiker do, both of which were found historically in the area. When I think about it I always see Springbok in areas of the reserve with reasonably firm soil. I've never seen any in the truly sandy areas (except for this one sighting of them relaxing on the beach).
The reserve has a fair number of Springbok and having all of them focus their feeding on only a small section of the reserve can have a negative impact on the vegetation and biodiversity of those areas. It might be interesting to ask the reserve staff about this...
Springbok are fast animals, and are capable of reaching speeds of up to 90 km/h. They also love to pronk (also known as stotting), especially the youngsters. So I guess if you like to run away fast or start jumping around for any number of random reasons, then preferring to have some nice firm ground under your hooves makes sense.
In Springbok both male and females have horns, but the horns on the males are much thicker. Springbok are a type of Gazzelle (not by genus, but by spirit). They are in fact the only Gazzelle species in southern Africa, but there are many more species that are found throughout the rest of Africa.
While the huge herds of Springbok that would migrate across the interior of the country might be gone for good, we are still fortunate to have them around. They can still be found throughout the country, often being farmed for their meat (making excellent biltong) or kept on commercial farmland and nature reserves because of their popularity.
At first glance the above photograph looked like one of those "if only" shots. "If only it was a nice sunny day..." "If only there wasn't moisture on the lens..." Etc. But I still like it like this. It reminds me of those old photographs, or one of those photographs people like to take these days with crappy cameras to produce photos with "arty noise".
 |
| A herd of Springbok (Springbok - Antidorcas marsupialis) on the beach at Koeberg Nature Reserve |
That is why I really enjoyed seeing this herd of Springbok chilling on the beach.
 |
| These photos were taken with my mobile phone, so I couldn't zoom in and I didn't want to ruined their relaxing morning on the beach by getting any closer |
Springbok are fairly famous antelope. So famous that they have the same name in English and Afrikaans. They are our national animal (what ever that might mean) and even made their way into the Canadian Army.
In sports, in the past, when you represented the country in international competitions you got Springbok Colours, which were oddly enough green and gold. However, these days only the rugby team is still known as the Springbok team, the rest are now known as Protea teams, in particular the cricket team. How the confusion around sport team names helps anybody or how these animals got dragged into political and racial (apartheid) disputes I'll never understand.
Luckily this blog isn't interested in sports or politics. It is all about animals and camera trap photos!
 |
| The Eland that re-adjusted this camera trap personally assured me that the photos looks better when the horizon isn't horizontal, so I hope you don't mind either... |
Despite the famousness of the Springbok Koeberg was the first place for me to camera trap them. This is also then their first appearance on this blog.
Interestingly Springbok aren't "native" to the southern coast of South Africa. They have been introduced throughout the country in areas outside their historic and natural range. This made me wonder where I've encountered them before, so I fired up WildLog to see what sightings I've recorded in recent years.
 |
| Distribution map for Springbok, the red shape is the natural range and the small squares are my recent sightings |
If you know the South African countryside then you will notice from their distribution map that that Springbok prefer the drier areas associated with the interior and north-west of the country.
I read that in the Kalahari desert the Springbok don't like to go onto sandy ground and won't easily enter the sand dunes. This made me wonder about the Springbok I saw on the beach, but then again not many of us can resist taking some time off to relax on the beach every now and again.
But usually, at Koeberg, the Springbok always seem to be in the same parts of the reserve. For example, they don't seem to move around the reserve as much as the Eland or Duiker do, both of which were found historically in the area. When I think about it I always see Springbok in areas of the reserve with reasonably firm soil. I've never seen any in the truly sandy areas (except for this one sighting of them relaxing on the beach).
 |
| I don't know what this fellow is doing with his hind legs but it looks fun |
The reserve has a fair number of Springbok and having all of them focus their feeding on only a small section of the reserve can have a negative impact on the vegetation and biodiversity of those areas. It might be interesting to ask the reserve staff about this...
Springbok are fast animals, and are capable of reaching speeds of up to 90 km/h. They also love to pronk (also known as stotting), especially the youngsters. So I guess if you like to run away fast or start jumping around for any number of random reasons, then preferring to have some nice firm ground under your hooves makes sense.
 |
| A female Springbok gracing us with her presence |
In Springbok both male and females have horns, but the horns on the males are much thicker. Springbok are a type of Gazzelle (not by genus, but by spirit). They are in fact the only Gazzelle species in southern Africa, but there are many more species that are found throughout the rest of Africa.
 |
| This youngster must be skipping school or up to some no good, sneaking around like this! |
While the huge herds of Springbok that would migrate across the interior of the country might be gone for good, we are still fortunate to have them around. They can still be found throughout the country, often being farmed for their meat (making excellent biltong) or kept on commercial farmland and nature reserves because of their popularity.
 |
| This camera trap photo gives a good view of the Springbok's curved horns |
At first glance the above photograph looked like one of those "if only" shots. "If only it was a nice sunny day..." "If only there wasn't moisture on the lens..." Etc. But I still like it like this. It reminds me of those old photographs, or one of those photographs people like to take these days with crappy cameras to produce photos with "arty noise".
01 June 2014
Camp Scavengers
I took my Bushnell Trophy Cam with me on my December holiday trip. I thought it could be interesting to point the camera at a garbage bin in the rest camp to see what animals come looking for an easy meal.
Even though the camp is fenced the Rusty-Spotted Genet was the first one on the scene. I'm guessing the camp will have one or more "resident" Genets. I'm sure all sorts of animals have secret ways in and out of the camp. Maybe the genets climb along the trees that border the fence.
The other visitor to the nightly buffet must likely crawlers underneath the fence when it wants to enter or leave the camp.
These two Honey Badgers didn't stay long. The garbage bins have a pole-thing next to it that helps to keep the lid on, but I'm sure a determined Honey Badger will find a way in. My bin didn't contain anything worth the trouble, so they just moved on.
Video: Rusty-Spotted Genet (Rooikolmuskeljaatkat - Genetta maculate) looking for some scraps to eat
Even though the camp is fenced the Rusty-Spotted Genet was the first one on the scene. I'm guessing the camp will have one or more "resident" Genets. I'm sure all sorts of animals have secret ways in and out of the camp. Maybe the genets climb along the trees that border the fence.
The other visitor to the nightly buffet must likely crawlers underneath the fence when it wants to enter or leave the camp.
Video: A pair of Honey Badger (Ratel - Mellivora capensis) looking for bigger spoils
These two Honey Badgers didn't stay long. The garbage bins have a pole-thing next to it that helps to keep the lid on, but I'm sure a determined Honey Badger will find a way in. My bin didn't contain anything worth the trouble, so they just moved on.
24 May 2014
Going Nuclear
The past few months I've been sharing a lot of camera trap results from Koeberg Nature Reserve on this blog. Most of you might not be aware of this, but the reserve actually encircles a nuclear power plant...
Not only is Koeberg the only nuclear power plant in South Africa, but apparently it is also the only one on the continent.
I've heard rumors about not being allowed to take photographs of the building (for "safety reasons"), but I'll take my chances and post these photographs nonetheless. I'm sure it will be fine. You can't even make out any details of the structure. It's also easy enough to find much better photos of the buildings online, even from the official website. (If my next blog post comes to you from a jail cell, then at least you will know why.)
The lights in the background are the spotlights from the power station.
Most of the land along the coastline has been lost to development or invasive aliens, and thanks to the power plant this small nature reserve now plays an important part in protecting the unique vegetation found along the West coast.
Caracal are quite common in the reserve and my latest batch of trail camera images contained this tantalizing photograph.
The photograph above shows a Caracal, on the left, stalking a Cape Gerbil. You can see the Gerbil's eye reflecting on the right, the white dot. Unfortunately the camera trap didn't capture another photograph to show what happened.
As a consolation prize I can give you a better view of a Cape Gerbil. I photographed this individual, below, a few month earlier, about 150m from where the above photo was taken.
And this fellow more recently, about 200m yonder.
 |
| A radio-active Eland (Eland - Tragelaphus oryx) at Koeberg |
Not only is Koeberg the only nuclear power plant in South Africa, but apparently it is also the only one on the continent.
I've heard rumors about not being allowed to take photographs of the building (for "safety reasons"), but I'll take my chances and post these photographs nonetheless. I'm sure it will be fine. You can't even make out any details of the structure. It's also easy enough to find much better photos of the buildings online, even from the official website. (If my next blog post comes to you from a jail cell, then at least you will know why.)
 |
| Caracal (Rooikat - Caracal caracal) heading "towards the light" |
The lights in the background are the spotlights from the power station.
Most of the land along the coastline has been lost to development or invasive aliens, and thanks to the power plant this small nature reserve now plays an important part in protecting the unique vegetation found along the West coast.
Caracal are quite common in the reserve and my latest batch of trail camera images contained this tantalizing photograph.
 |
| A Caracal at work |
The photograph above shows a Caracal, on the left, stalking a Cape Gerbil. You can see the Gerbil's eye reflecting on the right, the white dot. Unfortunately the camera trap didn't capture another photograph to show what happened.
As a consolation prize I can give you a better view of a Cape Gerbil. I photographed this individual, below, a few month earlier, about 150m from where the above photo was taken.
 |
| Cape Gerbil (Kaapse Springmuis - Tatera afra) coming out of its burrow |
And this fellow more recently, about 200m yonder.
 |
| The Cape Gerbil are common on the open grassy sections of the reserve |
19 May 2014
Long Time No Spikes
It feels like it has been a long time since I posted some photographs of Mr Spiky.
Porcupines have always been frequent visitors to my camera traps and feel like old friends.
Here at Koeberg they kick up a lot of sand as the shuffle along.
Who said Porcupines can't look sweet.
Their glorious set of whiskers always fascinates me.
I'm sure those whiskers help them find their way around on dark nights or while settling down in their underground resting placed during the day.
It must be an unpleasant experience if you bump into another Porcupine, and I'm sure those whiskers help them avoid a lot of painful experiences! The family live together, usually in a hole in the ground, and although they prefer to forage alone they often travel together along the game trails towards their feeding destinations.
The above photograph isn't the greatest quality. The flash had a hard time penetrating the thick misty-rain or fog.
It is from my most recent batch of photographs (taken about a week ago) and nicely illustrates the family moving together.
 |
| Porcupine (Ystervark - Hystrix africaeaustralis) spiking things up at Koeberg Nature Reserve |
Porcupines have always been frequent visitors to my camera traps and feel like old friends.
Here at Koeberg they kick up a lot of sand as the shuffle along.
 |
| Porcupines will often fold down their quills when they are relaxed |
Who said Porcupines can't look sweet.
 |
| Turning on that good old rodent-charm |
Their glorious set of whiskers always fascinates me.
 |
| Check out those spiffy whiskers! |
I'm sure those whiskers help them find their way around on dark nights or while settling down in their underground resting placed during the day.
It must be an unpleasant experience if you bump into another Porcupine, and I'm sure those whiskers help them avoid a lot of painful experiences! The family live together, usually in a hole in the ground, and although they prefer to forage alone they often travel together along the game trails towards their feeding destinations.
 |
| Three Porcupines walking head-to-tail, the youngster is in the middle |
The above photograph isn't the greatest quality. The flash had a hard time penetrating the thick misty-rain or fog.
It is from my most recent batch of photographs (taken about a week ago) and nicely illustrates the family moving together.
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