Reveal life in the dark.

A Reflex Standard camera has been set up in Tortworth by 'BATS Research and Training' using a 100 Ah battery and a deliberately oversized 285 W solar panel. The camera is mounted approximately 15 m up a tree, pointing at a squirrel-opened woodpecker hole.

It has recorded the activity at a male noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula) lekking roost for over two years: advertising behaviour, investigation flights and scent marking. It has also recorded interactions between the bat and squirrels, woodpeckers and Bechstein’s bats (Myotis bechsteinii).

The camera has operated in motion-triggered recording mode throughout the two years, including in winter with less sun, with the solar panel under the canopy.

Videos are available on Instagram @batsrts, with more information at BATS Research & Training ↗.

Reflex Standard cameras have been used in Western Australia to monitor ghost bats (Macroderma gigas) and Pilbara leaf-nosed bats (Rhinonicteris aurantia) in active mines around blasts.

The Reflex Standard is paired with an external IR floodlight: SECURVIEW CCTV IR Illuminator, model VSIR11W30D. The setup uses a 130 W solar panel and a 24 Ah battery, operating in motion-triggered recording mode throughout the day and night.

Estimated power draw is 0.2 A for the camera and 1 A for the illuminator, both at 12 V. Together, that is approximately 1.2 A (14.4 W) when both are operating.

Species identification has been possible using the imagery captured.

A Reflex Standard camera was installed alongside a 20 Ah Victron lithium battery housed in a Nanuk waterproof case. Similar in size and construction to a Peli case, the Nanuk provided a compact enclosure for the battery. Waterproof cable glands were fitted to route the power cable out of the case to the camera whilst maintaining a weatherproof enclosure. Both the camera and battery case were rigged to the tree using ratchet straps.

This setup provided two weeks of continuous monitoring and was used to investigate the presence or absence of bat roosts during the maternity season. The extended monitoring revealed brief nocturnal visits by individual bats that would have been missed on climbing visits.

Two weeks describes this deployment, rather than a runtime guarantee for every setup. A lack of recorded activity needs to be considered alongside camera operation and coverage.

Reflex Standard cameras have been used in loft voids between emergence surveys to supplement evidence from external emergence surveys.

One user said the camera footage provided information on the exact locations of bat roosts within the loft void, enabling a better understanding of where bats were roosting which assisted mitigation.

A Reflex Lynx and Reflex Pit Viper have been used to monitor roosts and bats emerging from a church roost. The wide-angle imagery enabled full coverage of the large elevations. External illumination from a basic floodlight, the Nightfox ARC, was used with the Reflex Lynx.

The cameras tracked bats at distance and followed the trails of individual bats. Videos recorded as bats emerged from the roost were tagged automatically by the system, enabling targeted and efficient footage review.

Floodlight specification supplied for this example: 20 W, one 6,000 mAh lithium battery, 850 nm wavelength, 1,077 g including the built-in battery, and a 140° beam angle.

A Reflex Pit Viper has been used in a railway tunnel to see bats passing through the structure over a long period.

In the same manner, it can be used for crossing-point surveys where an understanding of commuting behaviour across infrastructure is essential. Motion tracking and summaries make interpretation easy.

Videos are named in timestamped files, so they can be dropped into a folder with bat-recorder WAV files and sorted by name or date to pair with acoustic records.

The railway tunnel is a reported deployment; crossing-point surveys are a further application. Align the camera and acoustic-recorder clocks when matching events.