Camera-trapping was carried out along a clear trail in a strip of woodland between a suburban garden and a golf course in Ayrshire. Two different horizontal angles were trialed, 90° (perpendicular) to the trail, and about 45° to the trail (although precise angle was not measured) on different nights. Temperatures were approximately the same between both nights. Camera-trap height and distance to trail (along centre-line of camera) were more-or-less constant, and 20 s video clips were used. The camera was the same on both nights – a Bushnell Trophy Cam HD.
When the camera was at 90° to the trail, a red fox was about 50% across the screen when the video started recording.
When the camera was at c. 45°, when the fox was moving away from the camera it was about 75% across the screen when recording started, while when the fox was moving towards the camera, it was about 33% across the screen when the recording started.
Pat White | Method(Ec)ology 