Have you ever wondered what the birds that wake you up everyday look like? Or maybe you wanted to check if there really is a bear that sometimes goes through your rubbish. Whether you’d like to have more of an insight into what goes on in your backyard or just appreciate nature more, trail cameras and camera traps are what you’re looking for. These specialised cameras offer a window into the lives of elusive animals and provide outdoor enthusiasts, researchers, and hobbyists with valuable insights into the behaviour of wildlife. Let’s dive into the world of trail cameras and explore how you can use them to spot and study animals in their natural habitat or better surveil your property.
What are trail cameras?
Trail cameras, also known as game or scouting cameras, are motion-activated devices designed to capture images or videos of animals in their natural surroundings. These cameras are usually weatherproof and camouflaged, making them ideal for outdoor settings. They can be strapped to trees, posts, or other stable objects, and most are equipped with night vision to capture nighttime activity without disturbing animals with visible light.
Trail cameras are especially popular with:
- Nature enthusiasts looking to capture unique wildlife moments
- Hunters who want to monitor animal movements
- Researchers who need non-invasive ways to study animal behaviour and population
These cameras are especially valuable to researchers, allowing them to study nest ecology, identify rare species, estimate population sizes and species diversity, and investigate habitat usage, including how animals interact with human-made structures.
What are camera traps?
Camera traps are a subset of trail cameras invaluable for more precise gathering of data for wildlife research. Like traditional trail cameras, camera traps are triggered by motion or heat, allowing them to capture candid snapshots of animals in their natural environments. However, they are often employed in more structured research projects to collect systematic data over time, providing insights that would be challenging to obtain otherwise. Where trail cameras are aimed at all nature and hunting enthusiasts, camera traps are more often used in scientific research, in which highly reliable capturing systems with durable, waterproof, and fault-proof designs are more desired.
Benefits of camera traps and trail cameras
These cameras provide numerous benefits beyond spotting animals. They allow for inspections and research of the habitat they’re placed in, making possible the control and safeguarding of the local animal population.
Hunting
Trail cameras and camera traps are indispensable tools for hunters, allowing insights into data like movement patterns, habits, and peak activity times. Placed in strategic locations in the wild, these devices help track seasonal changes and numbers, paths, trajectories of prey and plan potential hunting hotspots. With their non-intrusive design, trail cams allow hunters to observe wildlife without disturbing it, ultimately leading to more responsible and effective hunting practices.
Endangered species spotting
When an endangered animal has not been sighted for a long time, they are not likely to appear for humans to see. That’s where camera traps and trail cameras are indispensable – they do not deter the natural inhabitants of an environment. Footage gathered from these devices enables scientists to form a detailed understanding of a threatened species’ remaining population – documenting their locations, estimating their numbers, and observing how they interact with their environment. Even the most elusive animals can be captured – for example, in 2019, camera traps in Vietnam provided the first-ever photographs of the Silver-backed Chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor), a species unseen for nearly 30 years and thought to be extinct.
Invasive species monitoring
The dangers invasive species pose to their environment are plain to see. Tracking invasive species populations is essential for minimising their impact, but traditional methods like spotlight surveys and track counts are often ineffective in environments like densely forested areas. One way to help stop destabilisation of these environments is through the use of camera traps and trail cameras. For example, in Australia, the University of Tasmania has built and put in place a network of such cameras to monitor their threatened wildlife and track invasive species such as feral cats. The system makes use of AI trained to recognize Tasmanian animals and is highly effective.
Monitoring illegal poaching
Detecting poachers is made easier and safer with camera traps. In Gabon, scientists from the University of Stirling have come up with an AI-powered network of camera traps as a way to remotely detect illegal poaching. With such a solution, gathering sound evidence and fast reactions by authorities are made possible.
Education
The images and videos recorded by camera traps offer a compelling look into wildlife behaviour, making them valuable for public education and outreach. These visuals are often used in popular science and educational programs, helping to raise awareness and inspire efforts to protect animals and their ecosystems. Footage captured when an animal is in their natural habitat performing normal everyday actions is easily one of the best educational materials for learning about wildlife.
Key features to look for in a trail camera or a camera trap
When choosing a trail camera or a camera trap, it’s essential to look for a few key features that will ensure you get the best results for wildlife observation.
- Trigger mechanism: A motion sensor that, on detection of an animal’s movement, takes an image or video – an active trigger mechanism, or a passive infrared sensor that captures footage when detecting thermal activity and changes – a passive trigger mechanism.
- Image and video quality: Higher megapixels generally mean clearer images, but when choosing a device for wildlife spotting, other characteristics may also be crucial, like the type of sensor or zoom. Look for cameras that record at least 720p video, though 1080p or 4K is ideal for clearer footage.
- Detection range and angle: The detection range determines how far away an animal can trigger the camera. A 50-100 foot range works well for most applications, and a wider detection angle will cover more area.
- Trigger speed: Trigger speed refers to how quickly the camera captures an image after detecting movement. A speed of less than 1 second is usually sufficient to capture passing animals, but faster speeds are essential for smaller or quicker animals.
- Night vision and IR LEDs: Many animals are most active at night, so a good trail camera should have strong infrared (IR) capabilities for night vision. No-glow or low-glow IR LEDs ensure that the animals remain undisturbed.
- Battery life and storage: Look for cameras with a long battery life, ideally powered by AA batteries or rechargeable lithium batteries. Most trail cameras support SD cards to store images and videos, so make sure you have enough storage, especially if you plan on leaving the camera out for extended periods.
Trail cameras and camera traps – offer by Detective store
The cameras we offer are robust, camouflaged and offer high-quality footage. With these, you’ll have a better overview on your property and won’t miss a single wild animal sighting.
RD1003 wide angle trail camera
The RD1003 is a simple outdoor camera with a 5 MP CMOS matrix and a colour LCD display. The device enables monitoring of forest area within ten to twenty metres both during the daytime and at night thanks to an IR illuminator. Images can be stored on memory cards as photos, video recordings or both, labelled with date, time, and moon phases.
People have bought in the last 48h!
- CMOS 5 MP Matrix
- Angle of view 60°
HC-300M GSM photo trap
The HC-300M is a highly effective photo trap for wildlife observation and combating illegal dumping and poaching, with a nearly instant reaction time of 0.3s. Equipped with an advanced GSM system, it functions smoothly in various locations, capturing photos, videos, and sound upon detecting motion up to 20 metres away. The camera can instantly send captured material to your phone or email and allows remote commands.
People have bought in the last 48h!
Willfine 5.8 CG photo trap
The Willfine 5.8 CG camera, equipped with a 1080p and 24MP high-quality sensor, is not only ideal for wild areas, but is also an effective solution for protecting your house or garden shed from thieves due to its excellent visibility in night-time recording and very fast shutter speed of 0.4s. With its high water resistance and dust immunity, it can work well in most locations.
People have bought in the last 48h!
- quality 1080P recording and 24 MP stills
- watertight housing
Keen Ranger PT photo trap
The Keen Ranger PT forest camera activates in just 0.5 seconds, recognises animals and – thanks to its 2K resolution – fully captures the beauty of wildlife, even after dark. It provides a 360-degree view. It comes with a solar panel and live-streaming capability, enabling you to see what is elusive to others.
People have bought in the last 48h!
- quick release - 0,5 s
- solar panel included
Enhance your wildlife footage with us
Observing wildlife may be a very compelling hobby, but it can also help increase your safety or the safety of other wild animals and the integrity of the environment. With the guides on our blog and the wide array of cameras and traps in our offer, you have all you need to vastly improve your insight into the wildlife on your property or out there. Let’s embark on a journey into the wild together!