Lab #6

Date: 3/2/16

Location: Lumber River Conservancy 

Lab Activity: Placement of motion camera and audio recorder

Habitat: Pine/Hardwood Forest

Temperature: Not Recorded

Wind: Not Recorded

Humidity: Not Recorded

Additional Information: We didn't take note of any animals while we were out there, with the                                                       exception of some amphibian eggs.

    This camera uses a noninvasive flash and uses infrared detection. In order to set off the camera, anything that passes in front of the detector would have to be large enough and would also have to show temperature contrast to the background. Because of the temperature contrast requirement, this camera does not pick up reptiles and amphibians.

    We set this camera up on tree only about 2.5 feet above the ground. We placed in an open area and placed bait in the form of corn and cat food in front oft, we also brought in a special concoction filled with all types of stuff like egg and deer liver as a scent lure which was buried underground. We also placed some food underneath some rocks, the purpose of that is to make it a bit harder for the animal to eat it and have it stay in front of the camera longer.  

    We put this recorder device in the back section of the conservancy in hopes that no cars would effect the recording and so that no one was likely to find and steal it. We placed it within a couple feet of a two vernal pools, as the goal is to record frog calls. The recorder itself was set to record sound for one minute at the start of every new hour during the later hours of the day.

    In one of the vernal pools we came across some amphibian eggs.

Everything below is an update made April 20th, 2016 which contains the findings from our camera and recorder put in the form of the list of the species observed.

 Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), bottom right next to the stick

White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

  Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) I believe that this is a gray fox and not a red fox because of the tail. The tail on a red fox has a white tip and the gray fox has dark colorations on the end of its tail, like the one observed in the photograph. 

Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos) It is a bit hard to see in this picture but you will find it on the right side of the photo next to the corn kernels. I believe that this an American Crow and not a fish crow because it is holding its head up like an American soldier at attention, while Fish Crows typically lean forward like a fisherman leaning over a ship's railing to pull up a net.

Frogs recorded:

 Spring Peeper

 Southern Leopard Frog

 Green Frog