Fig 1.
Schematic diagram of a longitudinal section through the footprint tracking cage.
The securing wire holds the bait box to the bottom of the cage. A network of supporting wires provides a frame for the platform. A hole in the lid of the bait box provides allow small mammals access to the bait. The tracking card is a circular piece of card with a hole in the middle which fits around the bait box. The inner edge of hole in the tracking card fits underneath the outer rim of the box lid, which helps to hold it in place. The plastic cover protects the tracking equipment from rain damage.
Table 1.
Summary of survey effort and study phases performed to pilot camera traps and footprint tracking to detect small, arboreal mammals.
A trapping session comprised of one or more trapping nights, after which data were collected and equipment replenished and reset. Each phase comprised five survey stations. The total number of stations (n = 5) that detected each species, and the median number of trapping nights to first detection of hazel dormice and wood mice by camera traps after first installation are presented with phase 1 and 2 combined, as monitoring stations remained at the same location during these phases.
Fig 2.
Samples of monitoring results.
Frames from camera trap video footage during phase two of study, (therefore includes tracking cages in shots) of: A) two dormice and; B) wood mouse, to demonstrate video quality sufficient to allow species identification. Footprints from wild animals, captured using the footprint tracking cage and subsequently identified as: C) hazel dormouse fore foot and D) dormouse hind foot and E) wood mouse forefoot and F) wood mouse hind foot. All prints are positioned with toes at the top, scale bars represent 0.5mm graduations. Note the distinctive three triangular metacarpal pads found in dormouse prints, which in some prints merge into each other, such as in print C.
Fig 3.
Correlation of detection rates.
Correlation between paired camera trap and footprint tracking cages of the frequency of trapping sessions that detected the presence of dormice (solid circles) and wood mice (open circles) during study phases two and three combined.