Hot stuff in the bushes: thermal imagers and the detection of fossorial
burrows in vegetated sites
Abstract
1. 1. Thermal imaging technology is a developing field in wildlife
management. Most thermal imaging work in wildlife science has been
limited to larger ungulates and surface-dwelling mammals. Little work
has been undertaken on the use of thermal imagers to detect fossorial
animals and/or their burrows. Survey methods such as white-light
spotlighting can fail to detect the presence of burrows (and therefore
the animals within), particularly in areas where vegetation obscures
burrows. Thermal imagers offer opportunity to detect the radiant heat
from these burrows, and therefore the presence of the animal,
particularly in vegetated areas. Thermal imaging technology has become
increasingly available through the provision of smaller, more
cost-effective units. Their integration with drone technology provides
opportunities for researchers and land managers to utilise this
technology in their research/management practices. 2. We investigated
the ability of both consumer (AUD$65,000) mounted on drones to detect
rabbit burrows (warrens) and entrances in the landscape as compared to
visual assessment. 3. Both types of imager and visual inspection
detected active rabbit warrens when vegetation was scarce. The presence
of vegetation was a significant factor in detecting entrances
(P<0.001, α=0.05). The consumer imager did not detect as many
warren entrances as either the professional imager or visual inspection
(P=0.009, α=0.05). Active warren entrances obscured by vegetation could
not be accurately identified on exported imagery from the consumer
imager and several false-positive detections occurred when reviewing
this footage. 4. We suggest that the exportable Hz rate was the key
factor in image quality and subsequent false positive detections. This
feature should be considered when selecting imagers. Thermal imagers are
a useful additional tool to aid in identification of entrances for
active warrens and professional imagers detected more warrens and
entrances than either consumer imagers or visual inspection.