Now, a miserable spell of rain meant the high bank we scaled a week earlier was even thornier and ten times muddier than before.
After almost losing a welly we made it to the top and, thank God, the camera was still in one piece. But only just. There were scratches on the case and muddy smudges on the lens – someone had been having a good old sniff at this strange new feature in its territory.
I practically danced on the spot as Matthew carefully unwound the camera strap from the tree.
“Shall we check that it’s worked?” he asked. Yes, let’s check that it’s worked and review the footage RIGHT NOW.
I couldn’t contain my excitement. There were 11 files and I was desperate to know what had investigated the camera.
A moth had triggered the first video, a waving tree branch the second, but what had set off the third? Nothing happened for a few seconds, then we heard the snuffling.