Selfies taken by UCL wildlife

The UCL Conservation Group joined forces with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the UCL and University of London Estates teams to undertake a wildlife survey around the green spaces on campus

ZSL have been studying the hedgehog population in Regent’s Park for some time and are now expanding the study to include some of the green spaces within close proximity of Regent’s Park.

ZSL kindly offered the use of nine camera traps around the Bloomsbury area for three weeks before Easter to allow students to gain experience in camera trap surveying and to explore the wildlife population on campus.
 

The camera traps were placed at ankle height and were triggered by movement. So every time anything moved near to the camera, it would snap a photo and produce a valuable insight into the wildlife living in Bloomsbury.
 

The cameras were placed in Gordon Square, Malet Street Sunken Gardens and around the Institute of Education. Thousands of photos were taken and will remain available for any staff and students who wish to use them for research purposes.

Unsurprisingly, no hedgehogs were recorded, but less elusive creatures were not so shy, with photos showing a number of foxes around the estate at night as well as squirrels, blackbirds, magpies and jays all contending for the best wildlife selfie.
 

A big thank you to Chris Carbone, from ZSL, who coordinated the study, provided the equipment and trained UCL students in the use of camera trap surveys.