Camera for Science Richard Heilbrun Tania Homayoun, PhD Texas Parks & Wildlife Texas Parks & Wildlife Session Overview •Introduction to Trapping Basics (1hour) •Hands‐on Practice with (1.5 hours) •Break (10 min) •Processing Results Presentation & Activity (1 hour 20min) Introduction to Camera Trapping

T. Homayoun Overview •Brief history of camera trapping •Various uses of camera trapping •Camera trapping for citizen science: Texas Nature Trackers program •Camera trapping basics •Considerations for the field History of Camera Trapping

• 1890s – George Shiras’s trip wire of wildlife • 1927 – Frank M Chapman’s photo censusing of Barro Colorado Island, Panama –Starting to document individuals based on markings • 1930s ‐ Tappan George’s North American wildlife photos –Documentation of set‐up, photo processing, logistics

George Shiras, 1903, trip wire photo History of Camera Trapping

• 1950s – bulb replaces magnesium powder –Still using trip wires, often with bait –Recording behaviors & daily activity • 1960s – using beam of light as trip wire –Series of photos, more exposures –6V car batteries to maintain power –Still very heavy set‐ups (~50lbs) • 1970s‐80s – 35mm cameras –Time‐lapse –Much lighter (6‐13 lbs) George Shiras, 1903, trip wire photo History of Camera Trapping

• 1990s – trigger system available –Much smaller units –Drastic jump in quality and affordability • Robustness and longevity make more locations and situations accessible to researchers

Camera trap records wolves in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone George Shiras, 1903, trip wire photo Uses of Trail Cameras

Richard Heilbrun Tania Homayoun Trail camera uses • Photography • Conservation and Research • Land management

Considerations? • Time/people • Effort • Species • Budget • # Cameras Considerations? • Time/people • Effort • Species • Budget • # Cameras Conservation & Research uses

Biological Inventory Feeder visitation surveys Population Estimates Identify Individuals Biological Inventory

Does not require rigorous protocol Presence only! Complex analysis not necessary Biological Inventory

Scientific uses of Trail Cameras

Biological Inventory Feeder visitation surveys Population Estimates Identify Individuals Point surveys Camera traps for deer • 1 camera / 50-100 acres • Baited camera trap ok • Gender bias! Feeder or water visitation

Deer Population Estimates

# Deer = # bucks + #does # does = # bucks x does bucks Scientific uses of Trail Cameras

Biological Inventory Feeder visitation surveys Population Estimates Identify Individuals Coat patterns are variable

Lincoln-Peterson Equation

Mn N= m where M = Number of previously “captured” and “marked” n = Number of animals photographed in a given sampling period m = Number of photographed bobcats with a mark Population estimates only for individually identifiable organisms Contributing to Citizen Science

R. Heilbrun Texas Nature Trackers Program Goals: • Grow & enrich the naturalist community & experience • Contribute to research & inform conservation decisions

Research & Naturalist Conservation Community Community Achievement Expertise Knowledge Data Products Impact Legitimacy Game Camera Photos! Project Types Taxonomic Projects Place‐based Projects tpwd.texas.gov/trackers Nature Trackers Targets Texas Conservation Action Plan • Every state has a plan to address their Species of Greatest Conservation Need • More than 15,000 SGCN nation‐wide • 1,310 SGCN in Texas

• Texas Conservation Action Plan provides a roadmap to recover our species of concern Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)

Common

SGCN

Population stability Threatened Endangered Time Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)

Not enough data = ? SGCN SGCN

Population stability Threatened Endangered Time Species of Greatest Conservation Need

1,310 , , herps, fishes, invertebrates, & plants Texas Natural Diversity Database

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Reptiles and Amphibians 73 Mammals 92 Birds 111 Fish 134 Invertebrates 449 Plants 449 Total 1308

Species Distribution Models Hog‐nosed Skunk

High Low Camera Trap Loan Program

• Game camera kits available for check out for Chapter projects • Application form • SGCN targets/study subjects will be given priority • Results must be shared with Texas Nature Trackers iNaturalist projects Camera Trap Loan Program

• Kits for 5, 10, or 20 Reconyx cameras, include: –Cameras –Security boxes –Python locks –SD cards –Operation manual Join a Nature Trackers Project

Be sure to select “allow project curators to see my private/obscured coordinates”

www.tpwd.texas.gov/trackers and click Projects Save the Date!

Observe: 9 Apr 26‐29, 2019 Identify: Apr 30‐May 5, 2019 43 Participating Counties Amarillo Austin DFW El Paso Armstrong Bastrop Collin El Paso Carson Blanco Dallas Potter Burnet Denton Randall Caldwell Ellis Hays Johnson Travis Kaufman Williamson Parker Rockwall Tarrant Wise Houston LRGV* San Antonio Austin Cameron Atascosa Brazoria Hidalgo Bandera Chambers Starr Bexar Fort Bend Willacy Comal Galveston Guadalupe Harris Kendall Liberty Medina Montgomery Wilson Waller 2019: Corpus Christi Counties TBD Basics of Camera Trapping Point surveys Point surveys always use targeted locations:

Feeders, water, good habitat, travel corridors, choke points Camera Placement Where? • Roads, Trails, Pipelines • Feeders • Lakes & Ponds Consider: • Height • Eff. Camera distance • Sampling period Location, Location, Location!

$T $T$T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T$T $T$T $T $T $T $T $T $T$T $T $T$T $T$T$T$T$T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T $T$T$T $T $T$T $T $T $T Camera traps are always biased Attractant will bias species, gender, age, dominance

Location will bias species

Installation technique will bias species & age Camera Trap Attractants Urine Predator lures

CK Obsession (for Men) Obsession for Men’s effect on certain big cats was first reported in 2003 in CAT NeWS where it was written that, in 1998, a zookeeper from the Dallas Zoo sprayed some of her boyfriend’s cologne into an ocelot exhibit as a type of “behavioural enrichment”… Camera Placement

• Height • Distance • On Road? Trail? • Baited? Camera Placement

Don’t Forget: • Distance •Flash • Habitat type Lessons Learned: Clear vegetation Camera Placement Secure your cameras!!!!

Cattle Wind Hogs Water Vandals Considerations for the Field

T. Homayoun Transporting Materials for Set‐up

• What can you reasonably and safely carry to set‐up site? • Weight • Number of sites to visit Length of Camera Deployment

• How long will you be leaving cameras in place? • Will you need to swap out SD cards? • Regular processing of data • Insurance against loss/theft of the whole camera (won’t lose ALL the data…)

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY‐SA Length of Camera Deployment

• TIP: bring a small with you so you load the SD card and quickly see what your game camera has recorded so far • TIP: carry extra SD cards into the field –Swap them into the camera so you can immediately set it up again This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY‐SA –Good practice for deployments longer than 1 week Knock, Knock…

• Check for squatters who may have set up shop in your camera cases • Spiders frequently use security cases, but so can wasps and other stinging insects

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY‐NC‐ND In‐field Maintenance

• Bring cleaning supplies in case the camera (especially ) has been covered in dirt/dust…NOSE or PAWPRINTS –Water + clean rags • Bring spare batteries –Be sure to use the correct kind for your cameras • DON’T FORGET YOUR CABLE LOCK KEYS Before you remove the cameras…

…have you mapped where they are?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY‐SA Recording Camera Locations in the Field Examples for Apple & Android Google Map apps

http://www.storybench.org/wp‐content/uploads/2015/12/iNaturalist.jpg

Hands‐on Practice with Cameras

T. Homayoun Processing Results

T. Homayoun Processing Camera Data •Match SD card data with camera locations (lat/long) –Know what images came from where! •Filter through images & sort into files –Wildlife vs. blanks –Target species vs. general wildlife •Upload to iNaturalist –Batch upload via website –Batch assign locations –Share with appropriate Texas Nature Trackers projects What did we find? Some real‐life examples…

T. Homayoun Sharing Results with iNaturalist Projects Join TNT Projects Batch add observations (website)

http://www.storybench.org/wp‐content/uploads/2015/12/iNaturalist.jpg

Mammals of texas

Important Project & Profile Settings

Under “Profile” Under “Join Project”

You must select YES to join TNT projects

Drag circle to desired location

Drag to change accuracy circle Be as accurate as possible – do not use accuracy to obscure an observation. Use the Geoprivacy setting instead.

Questions?

Alan Vernon, Flickr Creative Commons Tania Homayoun Richard Heilbrun Texas Nature Trackers Biologist Conservation Outreach Prgm Lead Texas Parks & Wildlife Texas Parks & Wildlife [email protected] [email protected]