A Beaver under the Ice

I'm moving towards the video world for the best method of capturing animal ecology and thought I would release a few clips from the first night my camera was deployed. While the final system is relatively simple, it's taken hundreds of hours of research, experimenting, and building to get to this point. I still have a bit of work to do to get this system exactly how I want it, but I finally have built the technology that will allow me to film wildlife, day or night, and record it at the highest possible quality. This beaver walks right over the microphone while dragging food back under the ice:

Beaver1 from Peter Abdu on Vimeo.

Despite all activity occurring at night, this beaver was completely relaxed and even curious.

Beaver2 from Peter Abdu on Vimeo.

How much we miss

        I was working out of Cape Cod for the last week and on a whim decided to throw a camera out. Not 15 minutes after the camera was set this coyote showed up. I'm sure he was well aware of my presence and was likely watching me during my walk. I would have had no idea without this camera. Simply amazing to consider how many wildlife interactions are missed while we tromp around in the woods.

The Red Fox

     A fox stopped by to check out the activity at this scratch post (normally reserved for bobcats). Besides squirrels and bobcats, this was one of the few animals to check out this set. Foxes often show up at many of my sets with surprising abundance. It's hard to say if my frequency of fox pictures is the result of a high density of foxes, species characteristics such as large home ranges, simple curiosity, or the desire to capitalize on a free meal. One thing is for sure: foxes, both grey and red, cover a large geographic range and are extremely successful in a variety of habitats.