In an effort to encourage more people to become engaged with the wildlife living in our region, Metro Vancouver installed cameras in a barn owls’ nest located in Campbell Valley Regional Park in Surrey. Viewing wildlife in its natural habitat can be tricky and requires patience, but observing from the comfort of one’s own home can also be the perfect jumping off point to learn more.
“While the best way to see wildlife is to observe them in the wild, these wildlife cams help build awareness about the habits of these animals, and enable people to view things not normally, or easily, seen in nature,” said Stephen Suddes, division manager for visitor services and partnerships for Metro Vancouver.
This footage is also viewed by scientists to gather data on nesting, including numbers, and the success of nest sites, explained Suddes.
The barn owls are hopefully only the beginning.
“Metro Vancouver is investigating additional wildlife cams in regional parks that will key on at least two more species – bats and beavers,” said Suddes. There is no timeline for that project yet, but with the success of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation’s “˜eagle cams’, it is hoped Metro Vancouver’s project will continue to grow.
Suddes said the response from the public so far has been very positive, and traffic to the web cam has exceeded their initial expectations, even though they are still technically in the testing phase. “Once there is a clutch of eggs, and eventually owlets then interest in this wildlife cam will surge, and the number of viewing hours will climb dramatically,” he added.
The owls are not bothered by the cameras being in their space, and they were installed prior to the owls occupying the nest so as not to disturb them. “The cameras are operated remotely and function silently,” said Suddes. “There is no camera movement (PTZ) and there are no external lights to indicate when they are operating,” he continued. Even at night they are operated with infrared lights so to the owls the nest stays dark.
Patience is encouraged however, at least in these initial stages as Suddes said, “Nature never performs according to a schedule,” and there may be long periods when nothing appears to be happening.
To check out Metro Vancouver’s wildlife camera go to their website and watch nature take its course.
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