Course: Deploying Camera Traps

Camera trapping is a non-invasive way to observe and study wildlife, using motion- and heat-sensitive cameras to automatically record animals in their natural environments. It enables us to capture footage of species that are often hard to observe directly, offering insights into their behaviour, distribution, and ecology with limited human disturbance.

Once you’ve selected the right camera trap, the next step is to decide where and how to use it effectively. Good placement and setup are key to collecting meaningful data, whether your goal is to study specific species, understand habitat use, or simply discover what’s visiting your garden or local green space.

This webinar will guide you through the practical aspects of deploying camera traps for reliable, high-quality results.

We’ll cover the following topics:

• Choosing Suitable Locations: Understanding habitats, animal tracks, and natural features that influence wildlife movement, as well as practical things to consider when deploying cameras.
• Positioning and Mounting: How to position your camera for clear, well-framed captures of target species.
• Camera Settings in the Field: How to adjust trigger sensitivity, delay intervals, image vs. video mode, and other parameters and why we might want to change these settings.
• Avoiding Common Pitfalls: Tips to mitigate for false triggers, theft risk, and weather issues.
• Adding Sites to MammalWeb: How to register and map your deployment locations to contribute valuable citizen science data to help with national biodiversity monitoring.

Whether you’re setting up your first camera in a garden or planning a large-scale monitoring project, this session will help you deploy your equipment with confidence.

The 90-minute event will consist of a 1-hour presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience.

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and relevant links following the event via a password-protected website.