Red Deer up close in the Wild.

[hotspur]

Picked up a few of my remote activated cameras,that I left out in the bush for a while.

This time around,rather than dingoes,my targets were red deer,I found some sign near small dam in a untidy bush paddock I poke about in.

here are the flicker links,which present the images well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/106878396@N05/11473730513/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/106878396@N05/11473654036/lightbox/

The above was a real bonus,a daylight image of deer cooling off yesterday afternoon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/106878396@N05/11473730513/sizes/c/in/photostream/

The above is a night time image of a different stag,I have many dozens of images,will post more if anyone interested.

Its quite fun putting these out,observing sign,setting the site,to try and dictate how I want the shot been taken,think about the settings I want the camera to be at.

I've cropped these,done curve adjust,some saturation,and very minor fiddles,applied some sharpening.Its going to look good when I get a X7 in hard antler :)

[hotspur]

lower res images added-the higher res on flicker look better.

The one with eye shine looks like he is getting ready fro xmas!
The deer kept hanging around at night,and I ended up with a heap of deer images.

Next assignment is platypus nesting in creek bank,and wedge tail eagles up close (this one is a real challenge)

[Astroman]

Great pictures Chris, did you do a write up on the build of the camera or did you buy a commercial unit? Would love to set one of these up at a local Paddock, just to see what lurks about at night. How long do you usually leave the unit in place before picking it up?

[hotspur]

Thanks Andrew-sorry have not done a write up yet-hopefully in the next year!

I have used own many different makes and models of trail cameras,all get results,the images in above links are the advanced end ones.

The length of time I leave these in bush can vary from a few nights,to two weeks,but all cams can be left much longer.One chap I know leaves his in Victorian Alps for six to eight weeks, (the Sony S600 home brews),but these could easily be left 3 to 4 months on that model.There is another version on Sony S600 HB that can be left for a year,but the limiting factor on Sony S600's is only a 4 GB card max capcity.

The Reconyx HC 600 is the 'Rolls Royce' of store bought cameras-it can take 40,000 to 50,000 images or more on one set of those fancy AA bateries (Lithiums) and take a 32 GB card,I have one and use it for work-it really has earned its purchase price.But for regular users $700 plus,is a bit much.The 12 lithiums I put in my HC 600 in May still going very strong,just got it back from bush 2000 images of dingo pups.

Check out the Camera classifieds in ISS I have just listed a good second hand Trail camera that will get someone just starting out and good go on-its only $95 including postage:thumbsup:

[Astroman]

Thanks Chris for the info, yes I saw the camera for sale, if it wasn't for the fact I have just bought a new Telescope and some Model Aircraft gear, I would have snapped this up from you. Have to wait for the bank balance to recover now. Thanks again for the info, they certainly last a long time. I am guessing they only power on when movement is detected?

[hotspur]

Yes,Andrew when the sensor detects movement,the camera is activated.Sometimes some cams can give 'false triggers',when shadows of tree 'move'.

But the upper end models seem less prone to this.They are lots of fun,and I am finding I like these pieces of kit,and they can be in action 24/7 for months,and collect data,while my scopes might see action two or three times a year,if that.

Here is one of the images from the Reconyx HC600 trail camera,from over xmas period,I set this up to observe if any wild dogs came in on a dead beast,and two pups were regulars,but now no longer-thanks to the camera,and I earned $200 for this little episode,so they do pay for themselves.This Reconyx HC 600 camera is also one of the very best remote cams for property surveillance.The stock squad use this model camera to nab illegal pig dogers,and fire wood theives in the forestry lease on a property I occasionally work on,the police really hit their mark with the use of these advanced trail cameras,they really have hard core material for the courts.

Trail cameras with 'red glow' or 'white flash' would not be suited to such work,but the cams advertised as 'Black flash' are fantastic.Amazing what they can build now,could never dream of something like this when I was a kid!