2022: New Years Trapping Progress

 We have restarted monitoring at Deployment Site One.  The focus has been to return to the traditional five sounds we initially used to target possums.   These are playing on a one minute interval (subject to battery level if the battery is charged more frequently the unit is programmed to play more often) with one of five random sounds.  The site is being monitored by HD Cameras that are recording interactions at the site during the night.   There is a Timms trap deployed at the site, baited with apple - the sound lure has been attached directly to the back of this unit as there has been a hole drilled via the back where the speaker is then linked to the unit.  A second alternate unit has been placed next to the compost heap on the property bordering this location, to put it in context on the property itself twenty seven possums have been caught in the last three years, using a variety of bait (almost exclusively apple or pear)

In the previous nine days the stoat box, which has been deployed during the past six months recorded a strike of a rat.  This is the first capture from this unit and it occurred sometime from December 23rd to December 31st.  There was no sound lure operating during this time.

On the night of the 31st of December/1st of January there were a total of four visits from brush tailed possums visible on camera.   None of the animals activated the trap - it appears that the black male that was present in November/December is still in the area and this animal in particular seems very trap wary.  The alternate trap, placed next to the compost heap (without sound lure) was activated and a female was caught.

The follow night, with the same set up, including the same bait - there was some of the highest activity present during all recording.   There were seventeen seperate series of video activations starting at 9:43pm and concluding at 4:12am on the morning of the second of January.

Above: This specific video deals with the sound lure/rat interaction from January 1st/2nd

The domestic cat was first on the scene, briefly at 9:43pm followed by a series of brush tailed possum activations.   Possums arrived at 10:09pm, two were present at 10:22pm.  At 10:32pm a male appeared which fled up a tree, returning at 10:42pm.   In-between this a extremely large rat appeared at 10:38pm.  The possum left at 10:48pm when another rat reappeared.   Possums then came to the site at 12:19am on January 2nd and returned at 1:48am.

During this time there is clear evidence of the sound lure repeatedly operating with the various possums reacting to it (the rat showed no reaction) or continuing with their activity.   There was one example of clear aversion from a black male at 10:32pm - although this animal clearly returned at 10:42pm.    (This again is quite possibly the same male observed since November which is very careful around the trap).

At 1:48am another brush tailed possum arrived - and this animal activated the trap and was captured.   This animal was able to pull the Timms trap down the hill and moved the setup, including the sound lure, which is why after the capture the lure is present and the trap itself is not, as it was just out of sight.

Above: Specific Highlights from Jan 1st/2nd a sample of the 17 distinct interactions recorded

There were further visits to the site following this capture at 2:47am, 3:02am, 3:21am, 3:44am and a final visit at 4:12am.     In each of these visits animals arrived at the site and interacted or showed interest in the scene or the lure.   There was no evidence of post capture activity towards the captured female.    

In summary: 

• there was heightened activity on the second night including a record number of visits: a record for this site.
• two day old apple proved successful at the river site (there was not a follow up strike on the compost site, which there is currently not a camera monitoring)
• the domestic cat visit was the first in a year or so, although the cat may well have been passing through the site and did not linger as it has done in the past
• the capture at the river was the first since November 17th and camera footage would show that there is a significant number of possum activity in this riparian planting area
• the rat is the first HD video footage that we have recorded, although there has been activity here in the past.   It was interesting to see that the rat did not react to the possum noise and also was clearly in the vicinity at the same time as the possums.

HD Sound Lure Interaction - Possum Sounds

Over the weekend we have begun the important phase of testing the sound lure, but operating with an HD camera to record the interaction between the Brush Tailed possum and the sound lure.  It was previously suggested that the sound lure could potentially be acting as a deterrent to pest animals and instead of attracting them as intended could be causing them to avoid the area.

In the last week we used a unit which had a generic sound profile - this evidence suggested that the animals were non-plussed by the unit activating when they were in the area, particularly if they were feeding, as shown in various videos posted on this blog.

We are using for testing purposes a unit that has been deployed constantly now for two years (that is two years out exposed to the environment).   The unit has the standard five track set up, in that it is playing one of five random tracks at a one minute interval.   The unit is solar powered and is controlled via the same computer chip and MP3 player from two years ago.   The sounds that are being used have come from youtube, that is they were sourced from random brush tailed possum sounds that are freely available (and were prepared by students during the project last year).   

For the purpose of testing we placed the sound lure next to the existing stoat box.   We placed the sound lure inside a rat box which we then adjusted by blocking out the back, so that it was not visible for a possum to check directly inside the box.    There were some additional food that was placed next to the trap, carrots, as the key issue that was to be identified here was not to catch possums but to see what interaction would occur between possums and the lure.

Finally I would like to personally acknowledge the work on the project from Andrew Hornblow in Opunake who is responsible for the electronics for the project.  It has been and continues to be immense.   I would also like to make it clear that this project officially ending very soon - I am not personally, nor have I ever been a full time researcher on this project and it has been conducted in my spare time.  It would not have happened with the support of the Curious Minds Project from Venture Taranaki.   When that project concludes shortly the funding for the project will not continue (for instance we have a single tracking camera remaining from our outlay of five and are having to bring it in if there is a hint of rain in the area is case that it damaged by moisture).

A final reminder - this is a single nights activity we going to continue to monitor the effectiveness of the units and the sound interactions moving forward in a limited capacity.

The key question was - was the sound lure causing animals to avoid the area where it was operating.   

The answer, and I believe that we have the starting to compile evidence to back that up, is no.   

For the during of the evening at the location we have six specific possum visits starting at 9:30pm and concluding at 1:40am.   There were visits at 9:30pm (possum and baby) which appeared to return at 10:15pm.     There was a male present at the site at 10:06pm and a seperate male (which was clearly darker in colour) which appeared at 12:35am and returned repeatedly to the site between 12:35am and 1:40am.   There was a lone appearance on the tree with the camera on it which took place at 12:01am and it was impossible to see the possum other than its whiskers and fur.

There were thirty nine activations in total representing a twenty second video and while some are in sequence others are not with a break in between.  We saw what we would consider typical possum behaviour including the wrecking of the site and the sound lure box (which was dragged down the bank when it was operating) possums spending considerable time at the site when we know that the lure was operating (including a large male present from 1:20am until 1:40am which did not leave). 

We have a mountain of footage to work through, including interaction with the lure which we will process and post shortly.  Given the mountain of the footage that is being generated we will look at using specific highlights rather than posting the entire footage.

HD Video: Further Evidence of Lure Not a Deterrent

This update relates to the issue that we are currently investigating relating to the sound lure and the lure acting as a deterrent to possums or pest animals.   Previously we showed initial indications that the lure was working, but we switched to recording HD Camera Footage to observe what was happening when the unit was activating when there were pest animals present.

Last night there were a considerable number of activations at deployment site one.      In total we had ten visits during distinct time frames starting at 9:27pm and concluding at 1:14am.   The previous evening we had a number of visits and were unsure if it was repeated visits from the same possum, last night we can confirm multiple visits from different possums as there was a mother and a baby clearly visible.

There was multiple interactions between possum and the site and the unit -  with a variety of sounds of which the possum/s can be seen paying attention to the noise but clearly not fleeing or avoiding it.    We are continuing to record and analyse this data and continue to work with this current sound profile before switching to a possum profile and sounds shortly, which we will continue to document.

HD Video: Is the Sound Lure Acting as a Deterrent?

 As we wrap up the brush tailed possum part of the project we have looked and discussed ways of interpreting the data that we have gathered and further refining our recording.   One aspect that we looked at during the project was recording specific data about the number of animals that were arriving at the location where the units were deployed and comparing this against non lure location.   We intended at some point to look at video evidence but wanted to complete other parts of the project first.

We have recently begun the HD Video gathering of data at locations that we have access to, with the purpose of viewing exactly what is happening with the animals that are interacting with the sound lure, and one question that has constantly been raised is if the lure itself is acting as a deterrent to the animals (that is, it is scaring the animals away as has been suggested).   

We have returned to deployment site one, once again as it is easily accessed from our current location and meets the criteria set out within COVID 19 Lockdown restrictions.    We have returned to using the original lure, the last of the remaining five original units that were built.   This has not been significantly reconfigured since it was built (other than some minor adjustments) and is still operating - two years later with the same battery, water proofing etc.   It is currently set to a day/night profile with the intention of it focussing on a stoat that is known to be in the area, however it is also operating with the five sound profiles (stoat, rat, distressed rabbit, rat, chick) to see what reaction it would create.

Previously at this location we have seen evidence of brush tailed possums, rats, mice, domestic cats, feral cats and hedgehogs.   There has been a stoat (confirmed sighting) once, earlier this year (but not photographed).

On the first night of the HD video input a rat climbed over the unit and disappeared, this was not during the time that a sound was activating (the sound profile is on the default of one minute depending on the relative battery charge).

On the second night there was significant activity.   The site was visited repeatedly by a brush tailed possum.   When the footage from the site was reviewed, the audio revealed clearly that the unit operated on a minimum of three occasions when the possum was present and this did not adversely affect its behaviour - other than showing interest in where the noise was coming from.

The entire footage from the night of activations includes the possum repeatedly returning to the site and also interacting with the trap.    The unit is contained within a DOC 200 there is no way for the possum to enter the trap as it is designed for a stoat - and it contains salted rabbit within, instead of peanut butter or something that potentially the possum would target to consume.

For the purpose of raw data we would describe the same possum at the location for simplicity.

A brush tailed possum was at the site at 10:26pm, returned at 10:42pm, was active particularly from 11:26pm until 11:54pm (with a total of nine seperate interactions), returned again at 1:00am, at 1:18am and appeared for a final time between 1:34am and 1:36am.    There were seventeen total activations that occurred, on a ten second timer.

While this is very basic data from a single night - one would suggest that if a possum is returning to the site on seven seperate occasions (or of course multiple possums are visiting the site) the possums when present are involved in other activities (for instance what was not recorded was the possum wrecking the sound lure deployment by jumping over the device) it is not being deterred by the sound lure.   It is showing interest in the unit and remaining on site to take food, including showing interest but not fleeing or showing signs of panic when the unit is operating.

We of course will be refining the lure by using brush tailed possum sounds to determine the activation shortly and identifying and reporting on this data.   The full video of activations from the night is featured below, please note this location is adjacent to a river, hence the sound in the background.