Observing nocturnal animals in natural settings can be a challenge but photographing them with reduced disturbance can reveal extra information about their lives: behavioral activity, other animal associations, microhabitat preference. This project is a photographic portrayal of animals active at night while being spot lighted as we move through their habitat or observe them from nearby. The primary techniques are to minimize light trapping effects and move slowly through the habitat using minimal light to scan for individuals and take their pictures. Some individuals seem to be diurnal species resting in cover sites while most are actively moving around when spotted.
I have decided to include spot light luring of species to this project since the background each photograph of the house walls makes it easy to discern what the "habitat" sampling technique is. That is house wall means i used a light to lure in insects for taking pictures. When i walk through the natural environment around the house at night I am simply not getting that many species. There are more moth species showing up at my night house wall spot light and i am certain they are not visible during the day. I think including this technique to this project will allow me to better dentify nocturnal species. I will still continue to do collecting night walking through the natural habitat to see what i can "spot" with a carried lantern since that allows me to observed their more natural behaviors but as noted the plant background makes it easy to discern when this "natural" sampling approach was used. I will be able to distinguish "natural" from "anthropocene" back "habitat" in the photographs directly from the photographs. I also label the artificial context images from natural by labeling each posted pictures with "NIGHT SPOT LIGHT HOUSE WALL". Pictures from before 2023 may not have this done but again the back ground of a flat wall makes it easy to determine which technique was used. less ↑