Caught in the act: Hidden cameras on Dartmouth trails show animals in natural habitat

DARTMOUTH — When all the hikers have gone home from a day of the walking trails at Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust properties, the wildlife come out to play.

But no one really has gotten to see them until now.

Leah Howard, land steward at DNRT, installed a couple of cameras about three years ago out on the trails in order to catch ATV operators trespassing on its properties, or to nab those tagging DNRT buildings and signs with graffiti.

Then last winter she had the idea of setting up cameras to see what kind of wildlife might be roaming the lands, especially when no one is out on the trails to scare them away.

And the results were surprising.

“We’ve been able to capture images of red squirrels, coyotes, deer and even a fisher cat,” Howard said.

The cameras are located out of the way of the walking trails, she said.

“I look for game trails,” she said, following tracks left by wildlife as a good place to set up the cameras. “Another great place is next to a log.”

The cameras are motion activated, Howard said. She’ll hike out and retrieve the SD cards from the cameras where the images are stored and bring them up on the computer.

“I started with photos and this year we’ve been doing videos,” which, she said, “are more entertaining.”

Sometimes an animal will notice the camera.

“They’ll sense it and look at it as if saying ‘Oh, what is this?’” Howard said.

In an effort to entice wildlife to appear before a camera, Howard said a bunch of bird feathers were tied together and placed in front of a camera to see what would happen. To her surprise a fisher grabbed at the feathers, but then dropped them and scampered off.

The cameras also have night vision capability and have managed to snap pictures of coyotes and foxes roaming after dark.

Besides the entertainment value of the photos and videos, Howard said the images will help DNRT write land management plans and provide better supporting evidence when it comes to preserving land for conservation.

The DNRT works to identify and preserve wildlife habitats, farmlands, historic sites, wetlands, and open spaces in Dartmouth by purchasing and accepting donations of land and conservation restrictions. According to its website, the DNRT to date has preserved 5,287 acres and 40 miles of trails. It has 58 reserves in Dartmouth.