NatureSpy Year in Review 2023

As 2023 draws to a close, we share highlights and news from our partner projects and the latest updates on our developments in wildlife watching technology.

When NatureSpy was founded in 2014, we set out on a mission to support and collaborate with conservation projects through the use of non-invasive wildlife monitoring technology, principally trail cameras. Almost 10 years later, we are thrilled to be working with a diverse range of projects across the world, from wildcats in the Scottish Highlands to Andean bears in the cloud forests of Ecuador.

As a conservation social enterprise, the support we provide to conservation projects is made possible by profits generated from our online shop. We’d like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to our customers – thank you for your support, your purchases make an impact!

This year, our annual round-up includes highlights from the 400 trail cameras being used by our 11 partner projects that have captured some amazing clips over the last year, including the leopards above from Musekese Conservation in Zambia, howling wolves in Idaho and pine martens snoozing in den boxes in Yorkshire. We’re also excited to share news of what’s in store in 2024, including a brand new NatureSpy project, 2 new NatureSpy cameras and our new website.

Project Highlights & News

The conservation initiatives we support use trail cameras for wildlife protection, recovery, monitoring and research. Many of these projects have a human element too, forging better connections between people and wildlife through public engagement and human-wildlife coexistence. From equipment loans to support in the field, we tailor our support to individual projects to help them achieve their wildlife conservation aims.

Thanks to profits generated by our online shop, there are currently almost 400 trail cameras being used by our 11 partner projects. The highlights we share below are just a few from the past year, be sure to check out our project pages to learn more!

Following years of preparation, Saving Wildcats released 22 Scottish wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park. This is a landmark moment in the recovery of Britain’s rarest carnivore, which is on the verge of extinction. The wildcats are currently being monitored during their first months in the wild and we’re excited to learn more about their progress in the coming months. Earlier this year, the Saving Wildcats team answered our Q&A on one of the most challenging aspects of releasing wildcats; managing the risk of wildcats interbreeding with feral cats.

Wood River Wolf Project in Idaho USA have had another successful field season running their innovative and highly effective non-lethal measures to prevent wolves predating livestock. They’ve been capturing amazing footage of Idaho’s wolves, including the incredible howling clip below!

Our project partners in Zambia at Musekese Conservation and Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness have treated us to some fascinating highlights from the trail cameras, including rare wild dog scavenging behaviour caught on camera and a spotted hyena attempting to raid a fridge!

Yorkshire’s rare and elusive pine martens have been receiving some great press this year. In the summer, the BBC covered the adventures of “Two Dots”, a pine marten that made a 60 mile journey from Dalby Forest to Spurn National Nature Reserve. In autumn, our Yorkshire Pine Marten Project was featured on Channel 5’s Secret Life of the Forest.

While pine marten sightings remain uncommon in Yorkshire, we’ve recorded increasing interest from martens in the artificial den boxes we’ve installed and continue to monitor as part of the project. We’re yet to see signs of breeding at the boxes, but we’ve now recorded pine martens showing interest in at least 7 different den boxes, including sleeping in them too.

Back in spring we started a new collaboration with IIECCO’s Andean Bear Project, who are conserving this charismatic keystone species in the southernmost part of its range, the Peruvian coastal desert. This beautiful landscape comes with a unique set of camera trapping challenges, partly because of the lack of trees to attach cameras to! Learn more about IIECCO’s fascinating Andean bear conservation work in this blog.

Two biologists installing a trail camera in a rock pile in the desert in Peru

In the new year we’ll be launching a brand new NatureSpy project. As a conservation social enterprise, we’re passionate about connecting people with nature and that’s exactly what this project will be about – more details coming soon!

New Wildlife Watching Tech

In July, we released the NatureSpy WiFi WildCam 2. Tailored to watching garden wildlife, the WildCam 2 uses WiFi networks to transmit footage to a smartphone. Building on the popular first version of the WildCam, the WildCam 2 features HD video recording, remote playback, live view, black and white or colour night vision and a rechargeable battery that can be charged via a solar panel add-on.

Our NatureSpy Ursus trail camera continues to build popularity as a robust and feature-packed yet budget-friendly camera. This model is proving popular in the UK, but it has also been reaching new destinations with our project partners, including Rainforest Concern’s South American cloud forests. These cameras have held strong in the intense almost-100% humidity and against the curious paws of Andean bears!

Back in the UK, we’ve been thrilled to see Yorkshire’s beavers carrying out their daily routines in front of an Ursus trail cam…

We’re currently developing two new wildlife cameras that serve very different purposes to the WiFi Wildcam 2 and the Ursus, due for release in 2024. We’re excited to share these new cameras with you, and as always, they will combine our expertise with wildlife watching tech and conservation projects. We’ve also been busy developing our new website, which will bring new features to improve your shopping experience, along with improved navigation of our library of support resources, guides, and news from our conservation project partners.

Help Articles & Guides

In 2023, we continued to expand our online guides and top tips articles, catering to both newcomers and experienced camera trappers. Our latest articles cover a range of topics, from optimising camera setups for peak performance to extending battery life and understanding trail camera detection zones. Our growing library of almost 50 help articles share insights and expertise on trail cameras and wildlife watching tech from our team of wildlife biologists.