- 1 week ago
After weeks of setting up a DSLR camera trap in a mountain ravine above Athens, the long-awaited result is finally a surprise: a badger appears where a fox was expected. The video follows the full process of scouting the ravine, testing different locations, adjusting flash and PIR sensor placement, and reacting to missed chances, including one fox encounter that triggered too early and spooked the animal.
Along the way, the search for a photogenic wildlife setup becomes part fieldcraft, part patience test, and part nature documentary. The camera trap captures a stray cat, a rat, a dog, a jay, and at last two shots of a badger near what may be its cave system. It’s a great watch for anyone interested in wildlife photography, camera trapping, animal tracking, and behind-the-scenes outdoor setup in rugged mountain terrain.
Created for viewers who enjoy wildlife camera trap videos, DSLR wildlife photography, fox and badger sightings, and real-world field setup in nature. Also a useful search for nature documentary fans, animal trail cam footage, and outdoor photography content with a patient, observational style.
Along the way, the search for a photogenic wildlife setup becomes part fieldcraft, part patience test, and part nature documentary. The camera trap captures a stray cat, a rat, a dog, a jay, and at last two shots of a badger near what may be its cave system. It’s a great watch for anyone interested in wildlife photography, camera trapping, animal tracking, and behind-the-scenes outdoor setup in rugged mountain terrain.
Created for viewers who enjoy wildlife camera trap videos, DSLR wildlife photography, fox and badger sightings, and real-world field setup in nature. Also a useful search for nature documentary fans, animal trail cam footage, and outdoor photography content with a patient, observational style.
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TravelTranscript
02:02Okay, so hello my friends and welcome back to another DSLR camera trapping session.
02:10I'm back at the ravine at a different spot to last time to see if I can catch the fox.
02:16I managed to get up higher in the ravine where I was blocked last time by the fallen tree by
02:22going up the mountain track and then bushwhacking my way down again to a higher spot.
02:28And I've come across this location here where it's got an open view of the ravine plus a boulder here.
02:38And then it goes further up the mountain.
02:42And whilst we had the bad weather over the last 10 days, what I did was I set up my
02:47trail cam again up on this tree here looking up the ravine to see if anything was using this part
02:55of it.
02:56And amazingly enough, I did get a whole bunch of footage of a fox and even at one point with
03:04his mate as well.
03:06She came down, she came down, she didn't come too close as he did and I had a feeling that
03:12he could actually sense the infrared coming off the trail cam.
03:16And which is why he was sort of coming down, as you'll see in the footage, coming down the ravine
03:22and poking his head up over this boulder and looking up at the trail cam.
03:28And then he'd leave and then come back and leave and come back.
03:30And he was just sort of testing it out, I guess, seeing what it, you know, being curious, a bit
03:35wary.
03:36So hopefully he's not too frightened off by it, but we shall see.
03:40Anyway, I'll talk you through quickly my setup here.
03:42And what I've done is, this is the boulder that he was poking his head up over.
03:48I've got the camera set up right behind it so that if he does poke his head up again, it'll
03:55capture a shot of him.
03:56And then up to the left here, I've got the, one of the flash heads and the, the pier sensor
04:04just here.
04:06Where is it? Just there.
04:08So that as soon as something comes up onto that boulder, it triggers.
04:13And then behind the boulder, down on the ground, looking back up, I have the other flash head concealed there.
04:21Which will hopefully provide a bit of a backlight, rim light.
04:27So that should he poke his head up, as he did in the trail cam video, it'll give him a
04:33little rim light of his fur, hopefully.
04:36And should, fingers crossed, provide a nice effect.
04:39As long as he does the same thing as he did the other night, that is.
04:42So, yeah, that's the setup.
04:46I'm going to go a little bit further up the ravine as well and set another trail cam up, up
04:51there as well.
04:52And see if I can find another spot that they might use, that might also be photogenic.
04:58And we'll take it from there.
05:00So I'll be back in a few days to see if I've been lucky enough to record anything.
05:04So I shall catch up with you then.
05:06Bye for now.
05:08Okay, so hello my friends.
05:10I'm back up the mountain and down the ravine.
05:14And it's been probably a week, slightly more, than when I set up the camera trap on the boulder there
05:20for the fox.
05:21And unfortunately, the only thing I did manage to record was a stray cat.
05:27Who did exactly what I wanted the fox to do, which is pop his head up over the boulder and
05:32get his portrait snapped.
05:34And then he also gave me a goodbye wave with his ass.
05:39So, yeah, no fox, unfortunately.
05:42He did come down, because I've got him on the trail cam coming down the ravine.
05:47But he didn't go to the boulder, and I had set up the sensor to only trigger near the boulder.
05:52So he didn't come anywhere near that like I hoped he would.
05:57And so I didn't get a shot of him.
05:59And that being the case, I decided I would move the trap.
06:03And I've moved it literally 50 yards further up from there to this dried waterfall here.
06:13Hopefully, this is a bit of a choke point in the ravine.
06:16So hopefully, the fox will have his root come down through these boulders here.
06:23And I've got the camera trap set up here with the flash and the pier sensor on the tripod.
06:29Looking at those boulders.
06:32I've done quite a tight composition, because it's a little bit messy behind.
06:38So I don't want to get too much of that.
06:41And I've got the other flash set on a tree back there somewhere to light the background here.
06:47And then the trail cam is on a dead fallen tree over here, surveying the whole scene.
06:55So that's the situation.
06:57I've switched out the batteries as well, so they're all fresh and good to go for another few days.
07:03At which time, I'll come back and see if we have a result.
07:06So I shall catch up with you then.
07:08Okay, so hello again, my friends.
07:10I'm back down the ravine at the camera trap.
07:14And unfortunately, after it's been, what, three to four weeks now,
07:18that I've had the camera trap out at this location with the old waterfall,
07:22hoping the fox would come down through.
07:25And I've had no luck.
07:27Other than on one night, when the fox did come,
07:30and this is where I think I made a mistake,
07:32I had the sensor pointing up the ravine in the direction the fox would be coming down,
07:40and it triggered too early.
07:42So flashes went off,
07:44and he hadn't got into my point of focus between these rocks here.
07:49And it spooked him, and he went off.
07:52So missed opportunity there, unfortunately.
07:55And then since that night, there's been only a couple of shots of a rat.
08:00At least I think it's a rat.
08:04A cat and a dog, and that's about it.
08:09So I think after so many weeks here,
08:11I'm going to give up on this location and see if I can find somewhere else.
08:18So, yeah, bear with me, and I'm going to pack up all the kit
08:22and head on further up the ravine and see if I can find somewhere else for it.
08:26So I shall catch up with you again in just a little bit.
09:05Okay, so I'm walking further up the ravine as much as I can.
09:11It looks like there's a decent path here,
09:15which is used by something.
09:17And there's also paths up from the forest above down the rock face here.
09:27The question is knowing which one of these myriad of paths
09:34might be used by the fox
09:37and how far up it's going to have to go.
09:44Okay, let's carry on a little bit further up and see.
09:47Okay, so heading still further up.
09:51Again, fairly distinctive paths.
09:56But difficult to know if they are animal tracks
10:01or if it's just from where the water used to flow through.
10:08Okay, here's another choke point.
10:13At an old waterfall, just here.
10:22So another potential site where Sabi is just now.
10:30And, uh, okay, let's see what's beyond here.
10:37Go on, Sabi.
10:42So there seems to be
10:45a bit of a cave.
10:54There's so many cobwebs in it.
10:58I doubt it's, uh, been used for anything.
11:02It's probably just where the water used to come down here
11:06into this hollow
11:07and then it's hollowed out underneath the rock face here.
11:10Okay.
11:13Onwards and upwards.
11:17And again, Sabi's found
11:19a path
11:21to the side of the ravine.
11:22The ravine is just there
11:24where the water would have flown
11:25and this is definitely a pathway here.
11:33So, let's see where this leads.
11:41Of course, it's a lot easier for Sabi to get through
11:43because he's tiny
11:47than me
11:48with this monster backpack.
12:00Okay, so again
12:03definite pathway
12:04through the trees here.
12:24What have you found, Sabi?
12:28it's led out to an area
12:32that is not
12:34entirely
12:36photogenic
12:39nor the best spot
12:40to set up a trap
12:41camera trap.
12:49Okay.
12:54And I think
12:56Oh, Sparrowhawk.
13:03I think this is the end of our
13:06end of the line.
13:08It looks like it's too choked up
13:11by undergrowth
13:12further up from here.
13:14So
13:16that doesn't really leave me
13:18with many options
13:18to be honest.
13:21What to do?
13:25Okay, I think we're gonna
13:28head back down again
13:30and maybe try at that second
13:34waterfall-type place.
13:36Okay.
13:38Bear with me.
13:40So I've come back to that second waterfall
13:42or old waterfall
13:48in case I might set it up here.
13:50Yes, dog, thank you.
13:52Thank you, Sabi.
13:53I love you too.
13:57Where was I?
13:59Yes, thinking I might set up here.
14:03And looking at the track
14:06there's absolutely no reason
14:07why the fox would come down
14:09and step down
14:10onto the deepest part here.
14:11And there is
14:12the faintest
14:13hint of a path
14:15that comes around here
14:16exactly where Sabi is now.
14:19Just along here
14:20and carries on down the ravine.
14:22So he's obviously
14:25on the edge
14:27going across here.
14:32The thing is
14:33for me
14:34at least
14:36it's not enough
14:37just to get a shot
14:38of a fox.
14:39I can set the camera
14:40up pretty much
14:41anywhere around here
14:42and eventually
14:43a fox will come past
14:45and I will get a shot.
14:47The thing is
14:48to make it
14:48a beautiful shot
14:49and that's the difficulty
14:52with camera trapping
14:56and trying to visualise
14:57how that shot might look
14:59and what might make it
15:01more different.
15:02And unfortunately here
15:05it just doesn't look
15:06that great.
15:07It's just such a messy
15:08background here
15:10with this bush.
15:14I mean if there was
15:15water flowing here
15:16maybe it would look
15:17a lot better
15:18as things stand
15:21where are you going
15:22Sabi
15:23you can't fit
15:23round there
15:26as things are
15:27at the minute
15:28here
15:29it just doesn't
15:30make for an
15:30interesting shot
15:34so
15:37and like I said
15:38I got stuck
15:38on the ravine
15:39so I couldn't go further
15:44dilemmas
15:45okay
15:46go back down
15:47a little bit further
15:48again
15:48and see if there's
15:49any other spot
15:51otherwise I'm going to
15:52have to scrap
15:53the whole idea
15:53of this ravine
15:56and head up the mountain
15:57which I don't
15:58particularly want to do
15:58because the equipment
16:00will be very exposed
16:01there and there are
16:02hunters who train
16:03their dogs
16:03they're not allowed
16:03to hunt up on this
16:04mountain
16:05because it's too near
16:06to Athens
16:07but they do go up
16:08there to train
16:09their dogs
16:10and they have them
16:11running around
16:12all over the mountain
16:13side
16:13so I don't
16:14particularly want
16:15to expose my camera
16:17to them
16:18because they will
16:20steal it
16:20there's no question
16:21if they find it
16:25okay
16:26so
16:27back down
16:28a little bit further
16:29and see if I can
16:30find something else
16:31okay
16:32so after much
16:34hunting
16:34and searching
16:35around this ravine
16:37I found a spot
16:38that hopefully
16:40fingers crossed
16:41might provide
16:42something
16:43it's basically
16:44up on the
16:45embankment here
16:46I don't know
16:47if you can see it
16:48in the light here
16:50there's a path
16:52that goes up
16:52the mountain
16:53back here
16:54and it zigzags
16:56down
16:57down the ravine
16:58here
16:59and what I've done
17:01is I've set
17:01the camera
17:02inside the trees
17:03at this junction
17:04of the two paths
17:06here
17:07I've got the
17:08flash set up
17:10on the same tree
17:11facing forward
17:12with the camera
17:13the pier sensor
17:15I have under a rock
17:16back there
17:17I can barely see
17:18the screen
17:19because of the reflections
17:20sorry
17:20so I've got the pier sensor
17:22under a rock there
17:23facing across the paths
17:25here
17:26so that if
17:28the fox
17:29or anything else
17:31should break the beam
17:33coming down these paths
17:34or up this path
17:36hopefully it'll trigger
17:37the sensor
17:39and fire
17:40and then I've got
17:41the
17:43there's nowhere else
17:44to set it up
17:44unfortunately
17:45with a decent view
17:47a way that I can position it
17:48so that it has a decent view
17:49the trail cam is
17:50on the other side
17:51of the ravine
17:52back there
17:52sort of looking at the whole side
17:54of the mountain here
17:57so that's the set up
18:00I'll leave it for a few days
18:02and come back
18:03and see if there's anything
18:04on it at all
18:06and then see how the batteries
18:08are doing as well
18:10as it's a little bit more exposed
18:13and further up the track here
18:15where I did try and get to
18:16it actually leads to some
18:18I don't know if you can see
18:19above me
18:19there's a ridge
18:20of rocks there
18:22and there's quite a deep cave
18:24on that side
18:25so I've set another trail cam up there
18:28to watch the cave
18:32and see if anything is using it
18:37and maybe if there is
18:39I might be able to come down
18:41with my camera
18:42set up a hide
18:43and photograph in person
18:45some things
18:46so anyway
18:47that's the new set up
18:49and we'll see how it does
18:51so
18:53catch up with you again
18:54in a few days
18:55and hopefully
18:57some results
18:58see you then
18:59so hello again
19:00and this is the last hello again
19:02for this video
19:05as I've come up again
19:06to the ravine
19:07to the camera trap
19:08which is just up there
19:10looking out
19:11at the path
19:12which is coming down the hill
19:15and
19:17I'm going to pull it this morning
19:19and
19:19it's been here for a week
19:22but
19:22in a couple of days time
19:23I'm
19:25taking my first flight
19:26in
19:27two and a half
19:28three years
19:28something like that
19:30and going back to the UK
19:31for
19:32a couple of weeks
19:33of work
19:34so
19:35I can't leave it here
19:36for that time
19:37as it's
19:38too close to
19:39residential area
19:40and I'm too worried
19:41with walkers
19:42and what have you
19:42dogs coming down
19:45so
19:45I decided
19:46I'm going to pull it
19:46and
19:47whatever is on it
19:49or not
19:49is either on it
19:50or not
19:51so
19:53it's been
19:55a total of about
19:56two months
19:56that I've been
19:58doing various setups
19:59throughout this ravine
20:01and not had much luck
20:02at all
20:02so this will be
20:04last chance
20:05to
20:05see if I've got anything
20:07on it
20:08until I get back again
20:09from the UK
20:10so
20:12I'm just going up
20:14and
20:15going to have a look
20:16at the back of the camera
20:17I don't know if it's still triggering
20:18or not
20:19still triggering
20:20oh it is
20:22so you can see it there
20:24I don't know
20:26fine
20:27yeah
20:28so it's still triggering
20:30which is good
20:31because it's been here
20:32for about a week now
20:34without any change
20:35of battery
20:37and I'll see if there's anything on it
20:39so let me find somewhere
20:40to put
20:41this
20:44whilst I look at it
21:02I have a total of 132 images on here
21:07just put this in a little bit easier
21:11the last few of which
21:12are me scrambling up now
21:15so we'll see
21:16bear with me
21:17because there's 132 to look through
21:22me setting it up
21:28the dog walking through it
21:30oh
21:31oh oh
21:32oh
21:3830th image in
21:39and I have a badger
21:40which is
21:41awesome
21:42because
21:44I really didn't expect
21:47to have
21:49badgers
21:50up here
21:50ow
21:54that's amazing
21:55it looks sharp
21:56it looks like it's been lit
21:58I have to have a better look
21:59when I get back
22:02and it's in the half light as well
22:06that's awesome
22:07okay so carrying on
22:09two shots of a badger
22:14which could well be the
22:17his home could be the cave system
22:19that they found up there
22:20underneath the overhang
22:23nothing nothing nothing
22:27nothing that I can see at least
22:29it could be just a little bird or something
22:31that's triggered it
22:37oh I've got a J
22:39so a J has triggered it a few times
22:44again nothing nothing nothing
22:45nothing that I can see
22:47it was windy for a few days as well
22:49so that could have been triggering
23:12okay so then back to me
23:14arriving to break it down
23:15so it looks like I've got
23:17two shots of a badger
23:22and a few shots of a J as well
23:25so that's cool
23:27it was something
23:28I don't know how good the photos are
23:30until I get them back on
23:32the laptop at home
23:33so I shall have a look
23:35and put those up for you in a sec
23:37but yeah it's been a really tough
23:41location this ravine in general
23:43to try and get any
23:45any decent shots
23:47so yeah so like I said
23:48I'll be leaving in a couple of days
23:50to the UK
23:51for a couple of weeks
23:54so I'll set it up again
23:56when I return
23:57and hopefully
23:59the trail cam that I've left
24:01overlooking the cave system
24:04underneath the
24:05the rock overhearing up there
24:08might produce something
24:09which means I can set the trail cam up
24:12the DSLR camera trap
24:14in a better location
24:15or even come down myself
24:16and set up the hide somewhere
24:19overlooking the cave entrance
24:20so yeah
24:23I hope you haven't been too bored
24:24with all the various setups
24:25and it's taken weeks
24:26and weeks and weeks
24:27just to get two images
24:30but yeah
24:31thank you for watching
24:33please do subscribe
24:35if you think you'd like to see more
24:37as I do intend to bring you more
24:40videos such as this one
24:43and some more traditional
24:44wildlife photography
24:45long land stuff
24:47so yeah
24:48thanks again for watching
24:50and I shall catch up with you next time
24:58so yeah
25:19I'll catch up with you next time
25:21and I'll catch up with you next time
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