Hobbyists, rural landowners popularize use of wildlife cameras

Biologists and ecologists aren’t the only ones snapping candid photos of wild animals.

For hobbyists who live in rural areas or near undeveloped swaths of land, there is a vast array of relatively cheap motion- activated cameras to capture wildlife images.

Dozens of makes and varieties of game and trail cameras exist, starting at around $60, with most retailing for less than $200.

“I like Bushnells because they provide good-quality videos and are not too expensive,” says Ginny Fifield, a volunteer at Modini Mayacamas Preserves and a wildlife camera specialist.

Two of her cameras are infrared, and one is a “black-light” camera that is not detectable to wildlife when it goes off. They take black-and-white images at night and color during ?the day.

She also has a Cuddeback Capture Camera to take still color photographs, including at night with a flash.

There are plenty of models available for purchase online at trailcampro.com or amazon.com, as well as at outdoor goods retailers and stores that cater to hunters.

Most cameras use AA batteries that last up to a year and operate with an SD card that has to be retrieved.

The images typically are stamped with the date, time, temperature, and even the phase of the moon.

Cameras often can be housed in boxes staked to the ground, or strapped to a tree next to a wildlife corridor.

Some websites that showcase wildlife pictures include egret.org/trailcam/modini, with videos and images from the Modini Mayacamas Preserves; bapp.org/remote-cameras, with images of mountain lions from the Bay Area Puma Project; and wildlifeobserver.net, where operators of wildlife cameras share photos and data from their projects.

Fifield also leads guest hikes at Modini Mayacamas for those who want to learn about the cameras there, as well as the identification of field signs for mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and more.

The next wildlife camera walk is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 28. Hike participants will meet at the intersections of Pine Flat and Red Winery roads, near Jimtown. More information can be obtained by calling 431-8184.