VCE biologist John Lloyd deploying an autonomous bird recording device and camera on Mt. Mansfield in April under blue skies and a light snow pack. / © K.P. McFarland
In April we placed 10 automated recording devices across the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline that record dawn and dusk bird calls and songs every day. For some of those stations we also paired cameras with them to record the melting of snowpack and leaf out as part of our new avian phenology work. Yesterday, we collected all the gear now that the season is over.
The cameras also take images when something walks in front of them. Here’s a series we found on one of them from just a few days ago. First, a Snowshoe Hare stares the camera down. Then just under an hour later, a Bobcat ambles past the camera. In April we noted many Snowshoe Hare tracks in the snow with a few Bobcat tracks in pursuit. The predator-prey relationship continues in summer leaving no trace behind.
The Story in Images
A Snowshoe Hare at the bottom of the image stares into the game camera at night.
A Bobcat walks past the camera at night.
Bobcat disappearing from the camera view to the left.
