I fear I might be guilty of mis-representation!
Its not that I've claimed someone else's camera-trap image as my own (or something else equally dishonest) - its just that I've possibly made camera-trapping in Southern Africa sound particularly easy. As if we really do have lions and elephants walking our streets.....or great herds of antelope passing through our back yards.
For a couple of years I've posted photos on this blog of creatures great and small that I've been lucky enough to catch on my camera traps. But what I haven't done is to confess when my camera-trapping efforts haven't been rewarded. And there have been loads of those opportunities for confession! I guess its vanity, or perhaps a sense that the readers of my blog will desert me, that keeps me posting only 'success' stories.
A good example occurred a few weeks ago when we were invited to join some friends in walking the Whale Trail along the Southern coast of South Africa. This is a stunningly beautiful 5-day walk where one should see remarkable whale sightings during our winter and spring.
The area has been protected for some time and there are plenty of large ungulates in the area. There is also some anecdotal evidence of predators that forage in the intertidal zone. So I, obviously, carried along a few trailcams in the confident belief that this would present a good camera-trapping opportunity.
I put out the two cams on each of our four nights in the reserve. In each instance I spent some time scouting the area and was confident that I'd identified the best possible sites. And this is all I got:
A blurry porcupine...
......and a 'only just' image of a mother Common Duiker (I think) with her offspring.
For all that effort! I should have carried a bottle of wine rather that the cameras.
So, I've resolved to be more transparent about my camera-trapping results in 2013!
Having said that I also resolved to eat healthier food and do more exercise......which resolutions I've already broken. So don't hold your breath.
I wish all you camera-trappers out there a year of photographic miracles in 2013. I hope you all capture that Snow Leopard, or equivalent, that you've been dreaming of.
Mine is a North American porcupine in NY. I've gotten it in Alaska, but I'm determined to get it in NY!
ReplyDeleteBTW new to your blog, love seeing wildlife of a different continent!
DeleteThanks Alyssa - I appreciate the interest.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the NY porcupine!
You don't have antelopes in your back yard?! Dangit! I'm cancelling the trip I was planning right now! ;)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though....camera trapping blues hit us all, man!
Your blog is always fun to read whatever the post!
I think most people that tried their hand at camera trapping have come to realize that it isn't as easy as it looks/sounds, especially if you start trapping in less "ideal" locations.
ReplyDeleteI've also come back from many "one night stands" (putting a camera out for only one or two nights with high hopes of mammalian rapture) feeling empty and disappointed afterwards. (Sorry for the play on word, but I couldn't resist.) Camera trapping is a bit like a love affair with a teasing vixen, at the one location you are feeling great and the next devastated :P
I enjoy hearing of the mishaps, especially if there is a story to tell or something interesting learnt from it, so keep em coming! I have a "one night stand" post in the pipelines as well where lady luck gave me a "troosprys" on the last night, so stay tuned ;)
Thanks for the encouragement guys!
ReplyDeleteHenry, I really like your description of a 'one night stand' when it comes to camera-trapping. I look forward to your post.