Bunloit aims to restore natural ecological processes and create a thriving carbon sink to combat climate change. The estate's diverse range of habitats provides a sanctuary for wildlife, including pine martens, red squirrels, wild boar, roe and sika deer. NatureSpy was thrilled to collaborate with the Bunloit team in 2021 to advise and support with a trail camera survey to help establish the estate’s ecological baseline.

Bunloit's trail camera surveys have two primary aims: first, to gain valuable insights into the presence of different species within the area and their preferred habitats, and second, to share engaging trail camera images of the Bunloit’s wildlife with a broader audience.

To achieve this aim, Bunloit needed to establish a repeatable species inventory survey that would provide an ecological baseline of mammal species in the first year. Subsequent years will then mirror the survey effort to capture change over time and help to quantify the impact of the estate’s work to improve biodiversity.

NatureSpy worked with the Bunloit team in 2021 to design a species inventory survey. We shared our expertise from running similar trail camera surveys elsewhere in the country, advising on a survey approach that would present a detailed picture of species presence across the estate’s rich mosaic of habitats. The survey was designed to be repeatable year-on-year to track changes in mammal presence across habitats, while also creating a catalogue of engaging wildlife footage for public engagement.

We also advised on suitable trail camera equipment for the project, recommending Browning Recon Force trail cameras as they met the key project needs of producing high quality video footage while running reliably on rechargeable batteries. We provided support on ground with the initial setup of the cameras, delivering staff training on trail camera equipment and continued support remotely throughout the survey season.