At the risk of sounding pooch unfriendly, making a doggy-cam with a
small night-vision camera could be a good way of recording what the dog
is flushing, especially on a pointer. You wouldn't even need to
accompany the dog, just turn it loose for the evening (assuming it's
trained not to chow down on wildlife).
In fact, a few seconds googling brought this up:
http://www.soldsmart.com.au/Car-Rear-Reverse-Camera-Wireless-Camera-289
Night vision camera, wireless with 100 m range with built-in GPS. Use
your car as a base station and enjoy a nice cup of tea while fido goes
for a walk. Only $42 as well.
Now I just need a dog and a car...
Cheers,
Tony
On 12/06/2012 17:50, Michael Hunter wrote:
Hi Philip.
Dogs could flush Night Parrots' thus disclosing their
presence, not catch them. Although doubtless generally nomadic, some
NP populations or family groups should be found in specific areas
where conditions suit or where they they breed. Once located they
could be trapped or netted if need be to establish a breeding
population, or the area fenced off to exclude predators and encourage
a natural population to establish itself.
The dogs don't have to be able to recognise an actual
Night Parrot, trained bird dogs may recognise "bird" smell and react
accordingly. Any bird will be flushed, not just Night Parrots.
Dogs can pick up other cues, eg sound and movement.
The presence of a dog quartering through vegetation
will flush birds, whether the dog knows they are there or not, an
instinctive reaction by the birds. Not every bird will be flushed but
most would if the dog was close enough.
"Pointers" pick up the presence of a bird and "point"
at the bird. Birds don't just sit there waiting to be picked up, they
fly off, ie they "flush". NPs can fly.
"Retrievers" pick up bird that have been shot and
bring them back to the shooter. Retrievers would not be suitable, the
NPs would not be shot except on camera.
Any smart Cattle-dog might be good enough to sniff
out a few birds, persistence over large areas would be the key when
searching "blind"
Motion activated digital surveillance cameras can be
fitted with infra-red for night viewing and have a range of up to a
hundred metres, more than necessary . Mark Carter would know more
about that than I do, but cameras are a practical proposition.
Hi Jeff,
The NPs are presumably holding their own, but fencing
off some peninsulas in WA and excluding cats and foxes has apparently
resulted in a huge resurgence of rare mammalian wildlife, and this
could happen with NP's once their niche is known. Finding them in the
first place and defining their needs is what an expedition could achieve.
Fencing off a a few hundred hectares in some remote
desert location would be a different ballgame. Camels walk through
just about anything,
Cheers
Michael
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