Morten Hilmer
Feb 19, 2021
Winter has come to Denmark, and this might be my only chance to photograph the shy badgers in the snow. Behind the scenes about how I use camera traps for this project.
Location: Denmark
Date: February 2021
Day: -12°C (10,4°F)
Night: -18°C (0,4°F)
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For about a year or so I have been following a badger family on a protected island in Denmark. This is a part of a bigger project, where I together with a scientist try to document the behaviour of these mammals when not affected by human activity. We then compare this with the behaviour of badgers in more populated woodlands.
The badgers are not hibernating in a way where they are lowering their body temperature and sleep through the entire winter. They are simply just less active and sometimes they will not leave the den for many days.
To capture these animals in mid winter is a challenge and my hopes are not too high. The best chance I have is to setup a trail camera and just cross my fingers.
In the behind the scenes section I am showing my Camtraptions setup with my Nikon Z6 and a flash, and I am explaining how I actually use it.
I hope you enjoy these moments and that you can use some of the tips in the behind the scenes section.
A few questions:
1. Why am I only setting up one camera trap ?
This is the very first time I am doing camera trapping using a camera trap like the camtraptions type with a real camera inside, and I only have one of these systems. Furthermore I did not expect the winter to come to Denmark, so I was completely unprepared...
2. Does the photo blind not scare the badgers when I set it up so relatively close to the set?
My experiences tell me that when the family do not have cubs, they are much more tolerant to changes in the environment around the set/den. I set up a trail camera to see, if the animals actually comes to check out the blind.
3. How did I get access to a protected island?
The Island I am on is a nature reserve, and I got access to this island just because I am working together with the scientist to document the live and behaviour of the badgers. The island is closed for everyone except from a few guided tours during the year.
4. How I deal with my batteries in the cold?
Fully charged batteries does not recharge from being in the cold, as long as they are not used. When using a cold battery it drains much faster than a warm battery. Therefor I store my batteries in my camera backpack and a few of them in a pocket close to my body. Every time I change battery in the camera I put the used one in my bag, and take a new to my pocket. This way I can get a bit more out of the batteries because it takes a while before they get completely cooled off in the camera. I have never experienced problems with condensation by putting a warm battery in a cold camera.
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