Using Remote Photography in Wildlife Ecology: A Review

Cutler, Tricia; Swann, Don

With the increasing popularity of remote photography in wildlife research, a large variety of equipment and methods is available to researchers. To evaluate advantages and disadvantages of using various types of equipment for different study objectives, we reviewed 107 papers that used either time-lapse or animal-triggered photography to study vertebrates in the field. Remote photography was used primarily to study avian nest predation, feeding ecology, and nesting behavior; additional applications included determining activity patterns, presence-absence monitoring, and estimating population parameters. Using time-lapse equipment is most appropriate when animals occur frequently in the photographic frame, the activity of interest occurs repeatedly, or no distinct event occurs to trigger a camera. In contrast, animal-triggered (light or mechanically triggered) systems are appropriate when events occur infrequently or unpredictably and there is a great likelihood that a trigger will be activated. Remote photography can be less time consuming, costly, and invasive than traditional research methods for many applications. However, researchers should be prepared to invest time and money troubleshooting problems with remote camera equipment, be aware of potential effects of equipment on animal behavior, and recognize the limitations of data collected with remote photography equipment.

Using Remote Photography in Wildlife Ecology: A Review

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