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How To Improve Your Research With A Camera Trap
It might not be the first item on your equipment list if you're researching animals or animal behavior, but a camera trap can be a powerful addition to your arsenal. In many instances, you'll find that it can actually take the place of a few different items and that it is really easy to set up. Of course, the biggest advantage is that your presence doesn't hinder or interfere with the behavior of the animals, but there are a number of different benefits you likely didn't know.
Date And Time Stamp
When you have hundreds of images and bits of video from seven days worth of research, it can get pretty confusing and hard to tell exactly when the pictures were taken. Choosing a camera trap that automatically records this information eliminates this whole problem since it automatically adds the date and time to the image or video.
You can easily reconstruct the scene to determine when animals entered the area and what they did upon arrival. You can also combine these images with your other research data to create complete slideshows or PowerPoint presentations.
Weather And Your Camera Trap
Animals, regardless of their species or genus, are a lot like humans when it comes to changes in the weather. In fact, they are far more sensitive to these changes than we are in many respects. This is where game cameras give you a huge advantage. Many of the models available record the temperature when they take a picture.
This will give you a pretty good indication of what the animals do at that temperature, how they behave when changes come, and if there are any changes in behavior during different parts of the day.
Infrared Technology
Animals behave differently at night than they do during the day. With this technology, you can use your camera trap at night to take highly detailed images. You can see exactly what the animals are up to without having to play with lighting or bugs.
Infrared flash adds another huge benefit to researchers that many other cameras don't, at least not at a comparable price point. This flash lights up the area enough to take a good picture without spooking or startling the animal. This means you get a better representation of their behaviors.
Moon Phases
Changes in the moon and the positive and negative ions it gives off may also play an important role in an animal's social life. If they're acting abnormal, chances are this is the reason why. Good thing many of the game cameras now include the current moon phase with each image. You can add it to other information you have to predict behaviors and explain occurrences.
Video Segments
Manufacturers have added additional capabilities to their game cameras -- video. While they don't take large amounts of video, a good SD card and battery can get you up to 1,000 images and short videos in many instances.
Of course, how much a camera trap can help always depends on what kind of animal you're studying and what you are looking for. However, the wide variety of information they can provide you with greatly increases the amount of accurate information you can collect and combine for comprehensive research.
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