evenstad geographic
DESCRIPTION
half scientific magazine about the applied ecology course (fieldwork) in Hedmark University, Norway Moose, Lynx, Photography, FunTRANSCRIPT
EVENSTAD GEOGRAPHIC
outserie n°1 - May 2013
SPECIAL FIELDWORK
Tales of a field-
worker #9Cameras
Comparative#11 You
want more ? #45
#47 About the Author
#33 Fieldworker’s
survival guide 2013
illustrations: Christerik
#1. Preface
#2. Scandlynx Project
#13. Portfolio
#36. Moose & ForESTRY
What’s in ?
Ours
*Design : O. Chuberre & A.Ballanger*Pictures : O.Chuberre except mentions All Rights Reserved*Text: O.Chuberre, second lecture by --
*Printed Edition : Available soon___
Fieldwork Report Edited for HØgskolen i Hedmark, Norway
___
Evenstad geographicSpecial fieldwork MaY 2013
illustrations: Christerik
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Once upon a time in Evenstad, was a student called Oscar Chuberre.
For his second semester in Hedmark University, he had the choice between staying
in the warm buildings or going outside by -25°C. Eating burgers in the
canteen or homemade lunch in the forest. Keeping study
theorethical things or apply it.
He finally choose the cold wind, forget the burgers
and signed for the Applied ecology course.
FHeth
canin
H
“ I cannot see of what use
these slides can be to a field man.
I don't believe in looking at a mountain
through a microscope. ”
Andrew Crombie Ramsey
SCAND-
LYNX
PRO-JECT
SCANDLYNX PROJECT
his story begins in January 2013, in Oslo airport. My plane has just landed from France Into a foggy night and I touched the norwegian ground after 3 weeks back home.
I spent one night in Oslo and reached the Next day the
fieldstation. The Norwegian full time fieldworker, Kjartan, picked
Me up at Svarstad’s bus station and drove me to my apartment.
The welcome and the accomodation were really nice, but the
atmosphere was kind of strange, with a roe deer carcasse in front
of my door and blood from it in the bathroom.. Ambiance.
Currently, SCANDLYNX is a
Norwegian Institute for Nature
Research (NINA) project among
lynx populations in Scandinavia.
The scientists have different
research axes, mainly about demog-
raphy : evaluate the lynx density and
total population, set out the age
repartition, but also understand the
relation with humans, deers, mooses
and wolverines.
For this purpose, they are using
different methods : camera trapping,
live trapping, collaring and footprint
tracking among others. I will so have
to work for it during one month,
under Kjartan’s supervision and
advices, what will give me more
skills about lynx, and more generally
about scientific studies.
Driving is a big part of the fieldwork. Fortunatly,
norwegian roads are beautiful...
g
supervisio
ll give me m
x, and more generally
ic studies.
rtunatly,
beautiful...
The atmosphere was kind of
strange, with a roe deer
carcasse in front of my door,
and blood from it in the
bathroom.
Who is NiNa ?
T
Biogeography of the Eurasian lynx
Distribution :
Eurasian lynx is one of the most
widely distributed cat species, with
a broad distribution from Norway to
eastern Russia and Tibetan plateau.
That makes it the more largely
distributed lynx species. A lot of
projects of reintroductions have
been set up in Europe, not all
succeded. Most of the populations
are small and fragmented, except in
Scandinavia and Russia. Seven
sub-species are represented, often
native from their own area.
His distribution is greatly limited by
the presence of humans and their
activities. Related to forest habitat,
you have more chances to encoun-
ter him in steep areas. He is largely
able to climb or swim if necessary.
Well adapted, you can also find it
occasionally in Tundra habitat in
northern scandinavia and open
wooded places in Asia. However,
the size and the connectivity of the
habitats can be a limitating factor to
his distribution, as well as prey.
Picture from Henrik Andrén
Map from iucnredlist.org
Dispersal :
The youngs leave the mother in April/May but stay close to her
home range during the first months. Real dispersal occurs often
after the summer and yearlings often walk ahead several hundred
kilometers from their natal area. The survival rate decrease during
this phase, due among other to illegual hunting.
Home range :
Males try to maintain exclusive territories, using the core as well as
the peripheries, which are marked with gland secretions, urine and
occasionally faeces. In the study areas of Ostfold and Vestfold,
Their home range is 500 to 1000 km² when those from the females
is about 200 to 500 km². Due to less productivity, the northern areas
are used more broadly by each individual. The home range size can
then reach 2300 km² for the females and up to 3800km² for the
males ! In comparison, the Switzerland lynx has far more little
ranges, never exceeding 250km². Overlapping is very common
between male and females, but males tend to avoid core areas of
females territories when kittens are born, avoiding in this way a
negative prey competition. Movements into the home range are
primarily affected by daytime period and time since the last kill.
I spent my first days with Kjartan in the Vestfold area, to
have a reminder of the technics I had already learnt in
December with Sabrina, the precedent fieldworker.
The West Side
The work principally consists in the management
of a camera pool: backing up the pictures, re-initializing
the memory cards, changing the battery if needed, clean-
ing the lens with anti-mist liquid, and put a tissue soaked
with vegetal/animal oil to attract or make stop the lynxs.
Occasionally, I also have to move a camera if it’s covered
by snow or not in a good place, or even more install a new
one. Additionally, every suspected lynx footprint or
animal carcasses have to be reported with GPS position
and pictures..
Back to the office there is still to extract
data from the pictures: this work is down in a
copied file to keep a backup of the raw pictures.
Every empty pictures are deleted (a lot!) and I
have to keep the best shoot for each “event” (one
passage of one animal). The human, cars and
pets activity in front of the camera have to be
recorded in an Excel file with the number of the
camera, the date, the hour, and the number of
people caught on camera. I created a last file for
the “camera fails” to estimate the number of
events not caught (when under the snow, lack of
flash, …). Finally, every lynx pictures has to be
sent out by e-mail to Kjartan. Camera’s
positions are available on a special map in the
work computer. All the principal data are updat-
ed on a webpage with private access for all the
Scandlynx’s staff.
In january,
beautiful light colors are surrounding
the snowy hills of Vestfold
Days are alike one to each other, but I discover a nice part of norway. Days after
days I take a rythme and manage to make an average of 3 cameras per journey.
Walking is not easy in this deep snow, even with snow shoes, and the slopes are
sometimes really steep. The cameras are often at the bottom or worth at the top
of cliffs that can be a bit dangerous to “climb” with all this snow.
One evening, Kjartan received a call informing
him that a lynx has just been discovered dead
in the area. A man is going to bring the fresh
carcass to the fieldstation before sending it to
an autopsy. I’m invited to come out to observe
the animal. 30 minutes after, a car is comming,
transporting the dead body in the trunk.
Here he is. Around 2 years old, the felin looks
very muscular and has a well devellopped
dentition. the hairs are really long, and the feet
are impressives. Born to hunt, he has finally
been hunted by his only predator : the Human.
Illegually, out of the hunting season.
____
The second camera that we
are checking reserves me a great
surprise : A beautiful lynx picture
who walked trought 3 weeks
before! It’s not the first time that
they catch something on this
camera, but the last one was long
time ago. 4 more pictures will
follow in the month in others places,
with among other one who was not
known before. These pictures are
really useful to identify each indi-
vidual. Currently, everyone has a
different patern of black spots on
the hairs that permits to differenci-
ate them. It also permit to see if it’s
a lonely individual or a family.
“My” first lynx picture, took
by one of the two cameras
used for this purpose.
Lynx tracks. Normally, the dissymetry on the
feet (one toe longer than the 3 others) is more
accentuated but it’s not always clear. They
generally sink into the same depth than a man
walking with snowshoes.
With the size of the volar region of a human’s
hand, they are bigger than fox tracks, and we
can generally see the mark of the beginning of
the leg on the back of the footprint.
____
The East Side
After 2 weeks, it was time for me to change of study area. I took a
boat to pass the fjord and arrived in the evening at Moss. 20 kilometers
later, I arrive at this big house which is the fieldstation, where I already
spent few days in december to learn the methods. It’s really far too big for
me alone, and here I wish that some people could join me this month !
The work here is exactly the same, and even more easier because the snow
layer is smaller and the area is flatter. But these two parameters made the
other area really more attractive, more breathtaking.
One evening, when I was driving back home, it started snowing. But this
apparently good new for the landscape was in fact almost a death warrant
for the car. I slowed down my speed to 60-70 km/h, but this was apparently
still too fast : in a light curve, where the road seemed really clean, the car
started to drift away. I managed to rectify the trajectory but it started to drift
to the other side. This was continuing for maybe 50 meters, just the time to
slow down again my speed, when finally the car ran out of control and went
hitting the crash barriere on the left, bouncing on it and finishing its course
on the right gap after a 180°. I was a bit shocked and it took me several
seconds to realize what just happenned. Going out of the car, I inspected it
to evaluate the dammages. The bull bar was completely smashed but it
fortunately protected the rest of the frontcar. One man was already stopping
on my side to propose his help. I was ok but taking the car out of the gap
was a bit hard, even with 4 wheels driving. Finally, the car did it and I was
again on the road. More fear than hurt, but among all a chance that nobody
was coming in front of me when I’ve lost the control ..
under: The bull bar has
fortunately took on all the
energy of the shock
above: The east side fieldstation
SCANDLYNX PROJECT
From what I’ve learn, The Scandlynx project is the only one following the
lynx populations in long period of time and with regular update of the data.
Thanks to this, scientists and large public can have a better understanding of
this rare animal. His management and hunting quotas can be more relevant
and accurate. As a great carnivore, this one is really important in food chain
and is a good indicator of an healthy ecosystem, but he is also a large source
of questions about his real effect on livestocks, big and small games. For all
this reasons, it is a crucial point to study the Lynx, and forward to protect it.
Emblematic and still mysterious, he hasn’t finish to make speak about him.
Researchs are not focusing only on the lynx itself, but also on intraguild
interactions, to have a wider view of the ecological links among large
predators in boreal forests. We now know for example that brown bears can
displace lynx (from about one third of its kills in the Dinaric mountains).
Moreover, Studies on relations with the wolverine (Gulo gulo), a scavanger
and opportunistic predator, show that increasing lynx population in northern
scandinavia can in some case result in a decrease of reindeer kills. In fact, lynx
reduces wolverine’s predation on the ungulates due to more scavanging
opportunities, provided by lynx kills leftovers. This discovery is only one of
the new parameters we have to take in account when managing predators in
reindeer husbandry areas.
Unlike the Iberian lynx which is classified as “critically endangered” on the
IUCN red list, the eurasian lynx is only listed as “least concern”. However,
habitat destruction/isolation, eutropication and hunting pressure are sensible
factors likely to drive fast and important changes in lynx population, both in
behavior and demography terms.
Which future for the Eurasian lynx ? Larger studies and implications
Kjartan Sjulstad
Tales of a Fieldworker
After several years tracking lynx, Kjartan is a skilled man spending a lot of time outdoor...
And has plenty of stories to tell for who wants !
They get
lazy !
Driving a bit forward, we are turning around
a steep cliff. pointing the rocks he explains :
“ In this area are a lot of lynxs, if you stay
here with a pair of binoculars, a ton of
patience and a leap of luke, you could
“Here once, I saw a roe deer coming out of the
forest, about 20 meters in front of my car. He was bleed-
ing and runing really fast. Few seconds after, a lynx
came out also but gave up the pursuit when he saw my
car, and went back into the forest. I don’t know if the roe
deer is still alive, but at least he had a incredible luke.
Deers have few chances to get safe of a lynx attack, at
least on short distances.
maybe see the felins on their daybeds up there. Lynx
really like steep areas. As you know, they have a excel-
lent view, and like eagles, enjoy embracing the landscape
to have an eye on all what’s happening. All the time, they
see or feel you before you can see them. Then, instead of
escaping like deers would do, they just sneak out of your
path. They stand few meters away observing their prey
or hiding from an eventual danger. We often see tracks
on the roads that are just going few meters out, probably
when a car is coming. Yeah they often use roads and
others pathes in the snow. They get lazy ! But it’s a lot of
energy to spend when walking in deep snow ! ”
I’m here thinking about myself when walking in
snow, even with snowshoes... Indeed it’s a lot of
energy ! Even us, humans, always try to avoid this
lost of calories and are searching for the easiest way
to go from a point to another when it comes to
snowy areas !
“Of course I hunt them. It can seem
strange that a scientist working on lynx
and lynx protection also hunt them. But
you know, it’s just how things are in
Norway. Hunting traditions and relation
to nature are really different than other
parts of europe. The beginning
of the hunting season for lynx in the 1st of February.
It’s going until the 31st of March. The quota is fixed
at 1 quarter of the global population, with quotas by
counties. If you see some hunters when you’re out,
just go back, don’t disturb them. When they shoot
one, I have to go there to identify the lynx and make
a report about the kill shot, to see if some rules are
respected. There is unfortunately people that shoot a
lynx in a area and move the body into another
because the quota is already filled. It happened last
year in Hedmark. There is also poaching and
illegual traffic. They are rarer but they do exist. ”
Roe deers, the favorite
lynx’s prey, are present in
huge numbers in the two
study areas. Red deers
are less common but are
also part of lynx diet.
“ I’ve met a lot of people around here. People knows me, and I
know them. Some are also hunters, others aren’t. Most of them
are really interested in this project and are part of it. They call
me when they see tracks or carcasses. They ask me interesting
questions when they see the logo on the car. Some people even
didn’t knew that they were lynx in this area ! It’s true that they
are really difficult to see. If you see any this month, you are the
luckiest guy I’ve ever seen !
I also have this feeding station for deers and mooses. They
have hard time in winter you know. That’s why I don’t want
you to go too often there taking pictures. We have also a project
with collaring deers. They walk into a box trap, the same kind
of we use for the lynx. Then we just go with four strong men,
taking it by the feet, taking care to not hurt it and quickly put
the collar. It’s a bit stressfull of course, but it’s the better way to
do it with deers, rather than drugs. But for the lynx we use
drugs before collaring them. I would not try to get a lynx out of
a box-trap by pulling him on his legs !!
After a while, when you have followed so much time lynx tracks,
you begin to be able to think as them. You are following these
footprints, and you know if they are going to continue the way
more to the left or to the right, function of the landscape. Where
they are going to rest and where they will just walk trought. But
you can still have some surprised. It’s really common to follow
one lynx and in fact the track suddenly split on 2 or 3 tracks !
Then you know that it was a mother and the kittens. They are
really good to walk in the same footprint.
Conflicts with humans or domesticated animals happen some-
times. But lynx are way far less a problem than wolverines for
exemple. And they don’t come into this bloodrun into which
wolves are coming for exemple. They kill only one animal a
time. But the problem is that they are not so selectives. Wolves
are going to kill the less adapted or the sickest animal when lynx
are just going to kill by surprise. ”
PortfolioMoments gathered in the norwegian winter,
in the fieldwork’s places
Here we are.
in the heart of norway,
in the heart of winter
Here we are.
in the heart of norway, iiiinnn tthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of winterin ttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Here we are.HHeerree wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of norway, innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn tthhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of winteriinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Here we are.HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of norway, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of winteriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Here we are.HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of norway, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
in the heart of winteriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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Portfolio
Stucky, posed on a rock,
Cinclus cinclus is watching for his prey
Norwegian moonshine:
called "Hjemmebrent" or "Heimebrent" ,
moonshine is an homemade distilled whisky,
usually with a very high alcohol content.
It got its name because it was normally distilled
in secret by night, because of its prohibition .
black & white.
It’s what norwegian
winter is all about
Empty spaces,
Beautiful places
Great spotted woodpeckers are part of the
little number of bird species who are
staying in Norway during wintertime.
I took the time to enjoy the view
on the Fjord before checking the
camera trap that was standing
there. Humans are found of these
points of view, lynx too : On the
camera was an uncollared male
walking there by the sunset.
Mooses are not so affraid. Here we stopped
the car by 15 meters from him. He just stood
up, and didn’t mooved anymore, even
when I went out of the car !
A perfect model for wildlife photographers,
an inadapted reaction concerning hunters...
They have also inadapted reactions
concerning wolves, probably because at the
opposite of their north-american cousins,
here in Norway they were not confronted to
these carnivores for several decades.
Frozing sunset
on the Vestfold coast
This roe deer and 2 others were coming
on the edge of the field and were posing
for me on the last sun radiations
Salt is popping out of the water
when this one is freezing,
creating an in�nity of shapes
In the
forest
or in a
field,
roe
deers
were
posing
for me
several
times !
Driving
LicenceNecessary for
most of the
fieldworks, you
should think
about it ! And you
cannot always count on an
eventual binome. Licence are
universal but don’t forget that in Norway,
driving is on the right side ! Snowdriving skills
are appreciated but not compulsory for most of the jobs.
Swiss Army KnifeThe hiker’s friend is also the
fieldworker’s one. From your
lunch to manual work, you
will use it in many situations !
Try it, you will love it ! You can
also take a lighter, even if you are
non-smoker. Very usefull to
unfreeze some stuff or to start
a sausages grilling, every
fieldworker should have it in
his pocket. By the way, clothes
with a lot of pockets are obviously
important when you go out !
Fingerless glovesVery useful to have
and keeping fingers mobility to work.
Wool is probably the best textil for it.
Can be an underlayer if harsh weather : gore-tex gloves
should then be added above.
The Fieldworker’s
Surv val Guide
2013
CookiesChoose your favourite one ..
And bring it with you !
Your survival depends on it !
The Book. The only one who unify christians and muslims,
darwinians and creationists, fieldworkers and headmasters.
Available in several languages, and printed in more
than 1 million copies, How to shit in the woods
by Kathleen Meyer is an inescapable
work for people who spend a lot of
time outside. Ecology is a science,
but this is an art. Read it carefully and
practice the methods regularly to become
an experienced fieldworker, and more !
A
p l i a b l e
measure-stick .
Datas are often about measures.
Trees, tracks, snow depth, bones ...
Everything has to be measured !
Can be combinated with a
diameter measure tool. Warning :
fragile. If you break it,
you will probably have to
pay a beer to your
supervisor !
Hand GPSnecessary to almost all
fieldworks. Collar positions
to check, points recording,
transects, and classical
orientation... The GPS
technology has taken
a great part in applied
ecology this last decade.
GIS software skills are
recommended if you also
want to analyse the GPS
data from the field. A lot of
different brands are available
and the integrated map is an
option you should consider.
Cameras & Binoculars are a must have in the field. For the passionated and
experienced photographers, reflex models combined to
appropriate lens will allow you to well pixelize wildlife.
A 55-300 or 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 are short telezooms but their
relative low weight permits to bring it on easily.
A 18-55 can come to complete the focale range
to shoot landscapes. Tropicalized bodies are
also a great plus on difficult conditions. If
you can’t afford it, you can try one model
of plastic rain cover to protect your material.
to
ize wildlife.
telezooms but theeir
n easily.
e range
are
Fingerless gloves both warm hands
eeping fingers mobility to work.
Wool is probably the best textil for it.
Can be an underlayer if harsh weather : gore-tex gloves
should then be added above.
he Fieldworker’s
Surv val Guide
2013
CookiesChoose your favourite one ..
And bring it with you !
Your survival depends on it !
The Book. The only one who unify christians and muslims,
darwinians and creationists, fieldworkers and headmasters.
Available in several languages, and printed in more
How to shit in the woods
athleen Meyer is an inescapable
work for people who spend a lot of
time outside. Ecology is a science,
this is an art. Read it carefully and
ctice the methods regularly to become
an experienced fieldworker, and more !
To Be or Not to Be ... a Fieldworker ?
If you still don’t manage to figure out
what to do the 2nd semester, here are
7 more reasons to take or not to take
the Applied ecology course.
1. The temperature can reach -35°C, and is often around -10°C. It is relatively ok with good clothes providing that you keep moving.
But for some fieldworks (Moose & Forestry for exemple), the activity is
limited and you can quickly turn yourself into an iceberg.
2.
You can be hosted & paid back for the food and transport.At least for the Scandlynx project. Regarding the lifeprice in norway,
you should think twice about it.
3. Another way of learningAlone on the field, you learn maybe less than in a classic lecture.
But what you learn in the field, you never forget it. Moreover, discussing
with specialists, having time to ask them all the questions you want and
be directly implicated is an unvaluable richness of the mind. You have to
be autonom, organize yourself and work with a partner. A fieldwork
experience is always a good line in a curriculum vitae !
4.
Free lesson of ice drivingAt your own risks ! Of course you should avoid to fall in a gap, but
university’s staff is always there to take you out, and you are insured for
the damages. A good way to practice without too much consequences.
5. Increasing your chances to see wildlifeThat sound obvious but it’s good to remind it. Norway is the land of
large carnivores : wolves, lynx, bear, wolverines. And is also a land for
other animals, as interesting as the latters (Mooses, Grouses, deers ...).
Spending time outside and further to study them is your best card
to see them ! You will maybe have the chance to participate capturing
and collaring/marking some.
6. Your body will be thanksfullWalking, climbing.. what a healthy way of studying !
Way far better than stay on a chair behind a computer,
isn’t it ? It’s the good solution if you don’t want to
become as fat as this bullfinch..
7. BecauseI could also talk about the 30ECTS credits to be
outside and so much other things, but the best way is
to make yourself your own idea of it !
Moose &ForestryProject
Forest covers almost 40% of Norway,
whose more than 7 millions hectares are
potential or already used productive forest.
A lot of private owners (around 100 000) are sharing this giant
natural product, as well as government/municipalities and com-
panies. And as a natural product, they also have to share it with
all the animals that are part of this boreal ecosystem. Moose is
one of them, and as one of the biggest herbivory, he eventually
browse tree’s branches. This can become a real problem in forest-
ry and logging, so further a true norwegian concern when you
know that these activities are the 2nd income for the country.
Browsing reduces tree’s growth rate and deform them. This
results directly into smaller trees with non-straight stems and
with a lot of knots, that need more energy to be cutted and are less
valuable. Moreover, the injuries formed by browsing are a
opened door in the plant for a lot of diseases and parasitisme. In
order to quantify the repartition and the effect of moose browsing
on trees, as well as finding alternative way(s) to regulate it,
this Moose and forestry project has began in 2011.
Economical savings and important
wildlife management decisions are
waiting for the results
of this research
“
Leaded by Karen-Marie Mathisen,
a norwegian post-phd, (below), This
project is divided in two main parts :
Studying moose’s diet and browsing
behavior in one hand; searching for an
alternative way than shooting down
moose population to protect young
forests in the other hand. Economical
saving and important wildlife
management decisions are waiting for
the results of this research. The first part
is done in 8 forest roads between
Koppang and Rena, the second one is
done close to Sweden’s border, In
Graveberget and Ljordalen.
of Norway,
whose more than 7 millions hectares are
ential or already used productive forest.
MOOSE &FOR€$TRYPROJECT
Excited by this project, I come back in Evenstad at
the begining of February, ready to help for this inter-
esting task. Unfortunately, I didn’t measured that it
implies following moose tracks and recording each
tree within one meter on the left and on the right. A
ant job, that nevers ends unless the snow melts !
Each tree as so to be identified, total height
measured as well as top shoot length and diameter.
Economical savings and important
wildlife management decisions are
waiting for the results
of this research
”
Leaded by Karen-Marie Mathisen,
a norwegian post-phd, (below), This
ect is divided in two main parts :
Studying moose’s diet and browsing
behavior in one hand; searching for an
alternative way than shooting down
moose population to protect young
sts in the other hand. Economical
saving and important wildlife
management decisions are waiting for
the results of this research. The first part
is done in 8 forest roads between
Koppang and Rena, the second one is
close to Sweden’s border, In
First part : Counting the trees, that’s your job !
If this tree is freshly browsed, you then have to count
every bite for each “layer” of 50cm high. and again
for the next tree. The maximum distance walk in a
single day work as this never exceed 500 meters !
The moose tracks has to be as fresh as possible and
followed backward to not disturb the animal and so
recording only natural browsing behavior.
We so followed 24 moose and recorded 1020 trees in
one month, that come in addition to 16 mooses and
1259 trees from the last year study. This data set is
now big enough to exctract nice statistics about natu-
ral moose diet and browsing behavior in Hedmark
(Figure 1 next page).
Fig. 2
Fig. 1
Fig 1 : Moose natural feeding records in
Hedmark these two last years (this study)
Fig 2 : Mean daily course of the sectional sap
flow of birchs ans spruce trees
(Forest Ecology and Management)
Fig 3 : Long-term browsing impact around
feeding stations for moose in Southern Norway
(Forest Ecology and Management)
Fig. 3
The logged stands are so divided in “control” (normal
logging) and “experimental” (with piles). They include
pine, spruce and birch, at different logging schedules
(end felling, seed trees felling...). For the first, transects
are established on site, on the longest way of the stand.
Points are made every 50 or 100 meters, depending of
the general size of the stand. At each position,
fieldworkers are then looking for fresh and old moose
clues (pellets, tracks...), available food (living cutted
branches above the snow) and for fresh browsing into
a 10 meters diameter circle.
Fresh browsing estimation is very accurate in summer,
with exact bites counting, but can be more biased in
winter, when the estimation is done in percent of the
available food without bites counting. Another bias
source is the sap flow and viscosity. It’s our main tool
to know the freshness of the bite, but it can unfortu-
nately be different due to humidity, tree part, daytime
and season (Fig2).. For the experimental stands, piles
are randomly selected with a in-between distance of
50 or 100 meters. The work is then the same as for
control stands. All the stands are visited every 2 weeks.
MOOSE & FOR€$TRY PROJECT Second part : The piles
This other part of the project occurs 3 hours driving
from Evenstad, in two areas close to the Swedish border.
These places have been chosen because the forest there
is owned by a unique state compagny, allowing an
easier communication and fieldwork planning.
The goal is here to compare two types of logging.
The “normal one”, basically used all over Norway,
consists in letting the branches on the ground when
removing them from the cutted trees. Or according to
Karen-Marie, this technique, although fast and cheap,
could be improved in a way that moose would get
advantage of it... In fact, when the branches are laying
like this on the ground, they are eventually
covered by snow, making it unaivailable for mooses.
And even if they are not covered, another
problem arises : Mooses pull off the top shoots
more than cutting it. An impossible way here,
the branches aren’t attached to the rest of the tree
anymore and are so too free to be a meal.
The solution proposed and studied here is to
build piles out of the branches, that would stick out
of the snow and maybe be dense enought to tie
all the branches together when frozing. The final point
would be to provide these new natural feeding stations
as an alternative that the moose would choose more than
going browsing and damaging the young forest.
Mara checking piles (below) - Wood
for industry or wood for landscapes,
turism and wildlife? (right)
The logged stands are so divided in “control” (normal
logging) and “experimental” (with piles). They include
pine, spruce and birch, at different logging schedules
(end felling, seed trees felling...). For the first, transects
are established on site, on the longest way of the stand.
Points are made every 50 or 100 meters, depending of
the general size of the stand. At each position,
fieldworkers are then looking for fresh and old moose
clues (pellets, tracks...), available food (living cutted
nches above the snow) and for fresh browsing into
Fresh browsing estimation is very accurate in summer,
with exact bites counting, but can be more biased in
winter, when the estimation is done in percent of the
available food without bites counting. Another bias
source is the sap flow and viscosity. It’s our main tool
to know the freshness of the bite, but it can unfortu-
nately be different due to humidity, tree part, daytime
and season (Fig2).. For the experimental stands, piles
are randomly selected with a in-between distance of
meters. The work is then the same as for
control stands. All the stands are visited every 2 weeks.
Preliminary results already show some trends : As for
trees, mooses concentrate their browsing on the same
piles where they come again and again. The height of
the piles seems to be really important : too low, and the
branches are still too free. Moreover, too low meens
that they will be covered by snow and would probably
be less atractives for the mooses that will have to bend
down the head to eat. This is clearly seen on the big
piles : browsing is found mostly on moose’s head
height. But too big, and it will be a lot of the pile (core
and sommit) that isn’t available. The position of the
shoots and even more the top shoots also seems to be
an important point. Looking down, they are less atrac-
tive and less accessible for the mooses.
The ungulate density in the areas of interest is determi-
nated by pellet counting in spring. At the same time,
young forest stand survey is set out around both control
and experimental sites to evaluate the change in brows-
ing activity. And the first results are encouraging
Despite this first victory, several uncertainties are yet
to be wiped before claiming this solution as a new
paradigm shift in wildlife management and forestry.
As said before, the winter data are way far to be
acurate, because of the variations between fieldwork-
er’s estimations. Moreover, with a 5 to 15 meters inac-
curacy in GPS positions, their is another real risk of
bias : did we checked each time the same piles or did
we sometimes checked others ? Tape or paint marking
would be a simple solution to this question, but the
other side of the coin is a possible disturbance in
moose’s browsing behavior, that we canno’t assess
with certainty. In addition to all this come the same
problems raised in the first part (browsed versus
broken branches, browsing from other animals ...).
Third, as pointed out by previous studies, feeding
places set out by humans can have a pervert effect :
huge increased of damages (ransawking of the soil,
intense browsing...) is often observed in the vicinity of
these places (Fig3), due to the anormal mooses density.
In the other hand, mooses density are already higher in
logging areas, mooses being atracted by the oddor of
fresh cutting and probably by the logging machines
sound, as a pavlov reflex. Finally, as most of scientific
studies comes the problem of generalisation. If this
technique is working out there, will it work also in
other part of Norway ? Of Scandinavia ? Of the
world ? Others monitorings like this will have to be
built out and will show how this solution can be
applied out of this hundreds km² pilot experience.
MOOSE & FOR€$TRY PROJECT
About the Author
Oscar Chuberre - 20 - France Bachelor of Wildlife Management
HØgskolen i Hedmark, Norway
#Photography #Surfing #Hiking
#Diving #Partying
www.oscar-regards.com
Contact
Le Parc Faou, Kergouët - 56410 Erdeven
+33 6 48 23 53 90
Oscar Chuberre - 20 - France
#Photography #Surfing #Hiking
This Issue was a long-term work, and I hope you enjoyed it !
A lot of ideas born in the Hottub, and this was one of them.
Instead of writing an enieme scientifical-classical style
report, The possibility was given me to write it in a different
way. I so choose this magazine form, which was I think an
interesting manier to present a report. Involving more inven-
tivity and style, it is also likely to be easier and nicer to read.
I send a special thank to Kjartan for his welcoming at
Svarstad, to Lucrezia for proposing me these fieldworks, to
Karen-Marie and Thomas for taking me into it.
Thanks also to Adrien who helped me with the design and to
all my evenstad friends for the help on this report but more
generally for the amazing time I’ve spent here.
More pictures from my year in Norway are available at
www.follow-the-moose.blogspot.no
To Maike,
who didn’t stayed long enough
to see the mooses !
>EXIT<