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Camera Traps / Feed

Looking for a place to discuss camera trap troubleshooting, compare models, collaborate with members working with other technologies like machine learning and bioacoustics, or share and exchange data from your camera trap research? Get involved in our Camera Traps group! All are welcome whether you are new to camera trapping, have expertise from the field to share, or are curious about how your skill sets can help those working with camera traps. 
discussion

A thermal (at 1280x1024 resolution) impression of Kasteel park Born, The Netherlands

Kim Hendrikse

28 March 2026 10:50am

I'd like to share some of the first video content filmed with our new 1280x1024 thermal module. We are proud to announce that Wildlife Security Innovations has a new partnership...

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Ron Haber

16 June 2026 3:21pm

Hi Kim,

I come from automotive CV where false positives around vulnerable road users are a constant challenge, especially with edge cases at night and in low-visibility conditions (in Greenland or Canada winter conditions might skew the video clarity).

I’m curious about how this is handled in conservation/anti-poaching setups, particularly in IR-based detection systems that can pick up humans at range in darkness.

In automotive we rarely try to classify object intent, rather just direction of movement and proximity, so I’m wondering how systems in your context avoid over-interpreting a detection (e.g. differentiating a hiker or worker from a genuine threat scenario), and what role something like restricted location, known poacher trails, activity, or time of day might play into interpreting the detection.

Is the system usually designed to be triggered based with a manual triage backend or if there might be some degree of automated triage? Or if the methods you use are mostly for animal detection a la camera traps and human detections are an added benefit?

Would be great to hear how you structure that pipeline in practice.

Thanks,

Ron

Kim Hendrikse

17 June 2026 7:45am

Great questions! Actually, I added AI object detection with large models to my system back in 2019, before I got involved in wildlife, it was for security purposes. I got involved in wildlife in 2023. I think the vast majority of wildlife users of AI are using very small models deployable on low power systems. So they would have may false positives and negatives I expect.

My systems have not yet been used for poacher detection. When I developed it for security, I needed to make it so reliable that I could have it wake me at night. So false positives and misses had to be very small. To that end I wrote the software so it could combine several other mitigating factors. Such as multiple modules at the same time, statistical based triggers etc. For example, we could make it detect a person requiring both a high confidence thermal match and a low confidence visible match in order to trigger. That sort of thing. It can be made very reliable.

It also had from the very start a flexible state machine built in that can be menu configured to combine all kinds of state before it triggers.

(I'll find out about low visibility situations soon as I'll be deploying some thermal systems to Greenland next month).

Kim Hendrikse

17 June 2026 8:00am

BTW. On my roadmap is to develop a very long distance IR system that could detect humans at 1km with reliably in complete darkness but I don't have the funding for it at the moment. It would use a zoomable IR system with a 30-180mm thermal zoom at 1280x1024 resolution. It's kind of a dream system on mine and I'm determined to build it.

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discussion

Getting behavioral data out of datasets that weren't built for it

Maggie Bliss

16 June 2026 3:49pm

Burning question:There's so much monitoring data already- camera trap archives, acoustic recordings, GPS tracks - but almost all of it was collected to answer presence/absence or...

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Kim Hendrikse

17 June 2026 6:53am

There’s also a step before the behavioral analysis. And that’s capturing the behavior in the first place.

I agree the behavior side is very interesting. Our thermal module based camera traps see in both day and night over great distances. They also record in both thermal and visible light continuously, allowing one to remotely retrieve a video section, wind it backwards and see what the animal was doing before and where did it come from. Thermal enabled camera traps add huge value for behavior analysis.

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discussion

Safe and Sound project report: Is Camtrap DP a suitable standard for (bio)acoustic data?

Julia Wiel

18 March 2026 4:17pm

Dear WILDLABS community,We are pleased to share with you the publication of the Safe and Sound project report: Is Camtrap DP a suitable...

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Kristoffer Noriel Ordoñez

12 April 2026 6:19pm

Your report on extending Camtrap DP to bioacoustics resonated with something we are just beginning to explore in Mindoro Island, Philippines.

We have ongoing camera trap deployments in interior forest habitats and are beginning to examine the acoustic layer embedded in those recordings, particularly for nocturnal species such as the Mindoro Boobook. The discussion around terminology and how datasets are structured feels especially relevant, though I am still trying to understand how frameworks like Camtrap DP would apply in practice to this kind of data.

It is encouraging to see this direction being shaped at the community level. I will be following this closely as we continue to learn and figure out how our own datasets might eventually align.

Catherine Jardine

15 June 2026 11:54pm

Thanks for this!  I've shared this post with the WildTrax (https://wildtrax.ca/) team and CanAvian (https://canavian.ca/) to investigate. We're exploring data standards as part of a recent initiative so this will be very helpful! @jeffcullis 

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discussion

Issues with new model of wildlife cameras

Jennifer Rodgers

8 June 2026 4:54pm

Has anyone else used Reconyx Professional HyperFire 4K cameras?We have previously used the Reconyx PC900 and HyperFire 2X cameras in our research. Starting last summer, we...

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Alasdair Davies

15 June 2026 12:19am

Hi Jennifer,

Reconyx are some of the best cameras, so it sounds like you may have been unlucky with the batch.

The 4 cameras you visited 2 months later (100% battery life) would appear to indicate that there's a trigger issue with the PIR, although you'd expect at least some drop in power even with 2 months idle consumption (1-2%). The 8/12 then running out of power with less than you'd expect photos wise however points to a possible brown out, which would be linked to battery chemistry if there's a pull of current and the camera is restarting in say 50% of the triggers, but you'd need some very old rechargable alkalines that have already been used for several years etc.

What did you use battery wise for the deployment?

If you sent them back for an inspection I would be interested to hear what the reason was.

Good luck!
 

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discussion

Mini AI Wildlife Monitor

Luke Ditria

25 June 2025 12:27pm

Hi All!I've been working on various version of small AI edge compute devices that run object detection and Identification models for ecological monitoring!I've recently been...

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Sandro Von Matter

7 June 2026 6:33pm

Hey Luke,

Appreciate your reply, very much.

I am not quite sure what you mean by setup but, this is the experimental design.

I will deploy cameras in shade forest areas to record insect visitors to animal feces. The “baits” will be deployed in a flat square with a camera pointing down on it at a distance of 30 to 40 cm.

So, following your comments if PIR doesnt work what should I use? Motioneyes? Or something else?

My comments regarding the battery are related to the PI shutting down when the battery level is low and some hats just stop supplying power automatically instead of being in standby/hold. So I wonder if I could do something coding/physically to solve it. Can I?

Following your advice about the fixed lens, I would need to adjust the focus for each camera in the field to ensure everything is in focus, is that right? It's a little different than a month trap since the surface where the insects will move around is not exactly even, hence my thoughts on using a autofocus camera.

Once again thanks for the help, and congrats on your elegant project.

 

 

Sandro Von Matter

8 June 2026 9:15pm

In case someone. Find this totally out of place commemt… this is how I solved it, I've decided to use a IMX477 HQ Camera, building a *manual, heavy-duty optical rig* utilizing C/CS-mount lenses and physical macro extension tubes.

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careers

Biodiversity Monitoring Scientist

Tom August

8 June 2026 5:22pm

This role would suit someone with a background in ecology or environmental science who enjoys combining fieldwork, data analysis, and applied research to support real-world environmental outcomes.

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discussion

Camera trap recommendations

Stephanie M.

2 April 2026 11:40pm

Hi everyone! I’m looking for camera trap recommendations for a pilot study in Rwanda focused mostly on capturing small to large mammals (both domestic and wild).I’m hoping to find...

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Anwar Almojarkesh

15 May 2026 4:12pm

Hi Stephanie, We are manufacturing an innovative AI-powered trail camera called DeterCam, and we are based in the UK: https://innovfactory.com/ 

The camera is equipped with our Edge AI technology, which allows it to detect only animals and send media (pictures/videos) only when an animal is present in front of the camera. This significantly reduces false triggers and power consumption.

Our Edge AI architecture allows the camera to operate for up to 1 year on battery power (assuming approximately 5 triggers per day). The system also allows full remote control from our cloud platform, including:

• Video duration
• PIR trigger settings
• Detection configuration
• Camera management and updates

The camera is equipped with a 4G module, allowing all media and detections to be uploaded directly to the cloud, meaning there is no need to physically collect data from the SD card.

We supply the complete solution, including manufacturing the battery packs ourselves. The total internal battery capacity can reach up to 32,500 mAh. To date, we have sold over 10,000 units worldwide.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

You can email me if you have any further questions: [email protected] 

Susan Cheyne

18 May 2026 6:18pm

Hi, are you looking to import these? Do you have any import tax considerations? This could impact which models you buy. I have been using Acorn models, very reliable and provide photo and 4K video with sound options.

Best wishes

Susan

Stephanie M.

6 June 2026 3:44am

Thank you everyone for your recommendations! We were awarded the grant, so I will share this information with our team, taking all your advice into consideration with our budget. 

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discussion

Call for Collaboration: Share your voice at ICTC next week! 

Mandy Eyrich

11 February 2026 3:29am

Hello, fellow WILDLAB-ers! I'm Mandy, your current Human-Wildlife Coexistence Group Leader!  :)I am heading to the ICTC conference in Peru next week and while reviewing the...

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Mandy Eyrich

19 February 2026 3:35am

Hi Anna!

Is there anything that sparks your curiosity, which I can address for you? Take a look at the upcoming day 2 and day 3 sessions, and if you see anything that intrigues you, please let me know! I'll happily join the session that aligns, and share your thoughts! ☺️

Kind regards,

Mandy

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discussion

Nature Tech Unconference - Anyone attending?

Elsa

8 March 2025 12:11pm

Hi all, anyone planning to attend the Nature Tech Unconference on 28th March at the London School of Economics Campus in London, UK? (the event is free to attend but...

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Elsa

13 May 2026 12:05pm

Myself and the Fauna & Flora Conservation Technology team will be there (@Chelsea_Smith  and @ugyenpenjor ) and also the WILDLABS team @HRees ! See you!

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discussion

Synchronizing camera traps

Lars Holst Hansen

24 April 2026 12:45pm

Did anyone ever succeed in synchronizing camera traps?In some of my deploymment, I wish for a wider view. I have thought about synchronizing two standard camera traps set up at an...

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Harold Tay

2 May 2026 7:47am

I've looked into adding external triggers to camera traps.  I've documented that effort here.  Basically, it involves board level work to hijack the trigger signal.  But as this signal is open drain, it's straightforward to wire-OR several of these signals from multiple cameras.  In your case, you can perform this OR operation using simple wireless units.

I'm afraid I don't see a way to abstract and extract the trigger functionality cleanly into a drop-in product.  Perhaps the best that can be done is to convert all participating cameras into slave units by replacing the IR sensor with a connector to which a master triggering source is attached.  This still requires individual board work, but is at least straightforward.

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discussion

Biowatch: a free, open-source desktop app for camera trap analysis

Arthur

21 April 2026 10:07am

Hi everyone  I wanted to share something we've been building that feels right at home in this community: Biowatch, a free and open-source desktop app...

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Mackenzie Leah Askin

22 April 2026 7:50pm

This looks amazing and I look forward to trying it out when I get the chance! 

Just wondering, when it comes to the AI recognitions, is there a way to "rename" the recognitions that were incorrect? 

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careers

Ecological Data Scientist

Lacey Hughey

21 April 2026 9:22pm

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology...

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discussion

Bats in a field

Kim Hendrikse

16 April 2026 7:26am

For those of you interested in bats, thought I'd share. Our camera trap triggered on bats in the field in thermal last night several times. Most of the time we haven't seen those...

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discussion

Camera trappin hedgehogs in woodlands.

Morag Boyd

4 March 2026 4:56pm

Hi all - a query about potential limitations of camera trapping at night in very dark woodland environments.  My organisation (PTES/BHPS)  runs the national hedgehog...

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Kim Hendrikse

8 April 2026 12:04pm

Another hedgehog detection. This one from at least 20m away.



 

Morag Boyd

10 April 2026 11:54am

Thanks - thee are thermal images rather than traditional?  The nature of our survey (a large citizen science survey where 30 cameras are placed at a time around a 1km square) would probably mean financially using thermal cameras would be very expensive.  But knowing that traditional cameras are missing hogs in some of the places we are nt finding them, would mean that we could perhaps focus in on certain environments with more expensive equipment.

Kim Hendrikse

10 April 2026 1:13pm

That's true. These are thermal.

I believe for the hedgehog usecase likely you could already get a great improvement in detectability wtih the 256x192 resolution module. I won't mention prices in this post but I'll DM you with some more information.

Note, I haven't tested the 256x192 resolution modules in detecting hedgehogs, but I have some more coming in soon then I can potentially use one for testing, this could well we worth testing out. If I can find a reason reliably place to detect hedgehogs around here :-)

I hope you enjoyed the video of the hogs. With the latest one I had the camera angled more down the path. I'm quite happy to see just how far away it can see the little guys.

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discussion

Halow wifi, local AI, thermal + visible

Kim Hendrikse

6 July 2025 11:15am

I've just recently received a halow wifi bridge set. The pair I ordered claims up to 3km operation line of sight. Now I suspect that 2km line of sight might be more what one could...

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Chris Nicholas

27 March 2026 1:59am

Cool!

makes me think of your other posting about shared/"extra" inferencing on a Jetson compute board , if edge sensors could just stream low fps stuff point-point back to it...

 

Kim Hendrikse

27 March 2026 6:10am

I think that you are thinking in the right direction with this Chris. Once you have made to bridge over to higher power processors than microcontrollers. All your options open up. And pre-selection of training images to save data transfer costs whilst keeping it remotely transferrable makes good sense.

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discussion

I WANT TO TELL YOUR STORY

Barny Dillarstone

29 June 2025 10:22am

I create ocean exploration and marine life content on YouTube, whether it be recording nautilus on BRUVs, swimming with endangered bowmouth guitarfish, documenting reef...

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Tracy Kadessa

11 January 2026 7:33am

Amazing!

Found your instagram page and have been scrolling all morning ( most educative doomscrolling I've done so far😂). Love it, am seeing sea creatures I've never seen.

Manijhe

24 March 2026 1:37pm

Wonderful work! Would you be interested in documenting a story about afforestation from the Pacific Ocean to the Himalayas (Indus River focus)? 

I’m interested in doing an expedition documentary bridging mythology and conservation with a YouTuber to help bring awareness towards forest conservation all along the river. The focus is water and water wildlife.

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