Thermal imaging survey technique captures unique Scottish wildcat footage

Forestry and Land Scotland’s use of thermal imaging technology to help in surveying deer populations in the Angus Glens has been trialled for other uses and yielded better than expected results – footage of a potential Scottish wildcat hunting… with a kitten in tow.

The imagery – thought to be the first thermal drone image of its kind in Scotland - was captured by Forestry and Land Scotland contractors, BH Wildlife Consultancy, which is run by  team, Ben and Katie Harrower.

The cutting-edge technique makes use of a drone mounted thermal camera to more easily find well camouflaged animals in the wild, providing they give off a heat signature. Once located, the camera can switch to the daylight camera and can use a powerful optical zoom to get a close high-quality image of the subject. By marrying up the imagery with GIS data, land managers can build up an in-depth understanding of wildlife populations to support population management activity.

While Forestry and Land Scotland typically use this technology for monitoring the deer population, testing the technology’s potential for locating wildcats and getting footage of the hunting cat was a lucky bonus.  

The same technique has also been used to film another potential wildcat in Glen Doll, a location that is integral to FLS’ Angus Glen’s project. Footage of a third cat was captured in July.

Gareth Ventress, FLS Environment Forester, said;

“We have been working with Ben and Katie for about three years on deer surveys and the results have been phenomenally successful in helping us to refine our deer management work. It’s also been useful in helping us to build our understanding of feral goats and feral wild boar populations.

"Following this success we started looking at other applications for the technology, thinking that it might have potential in searching for protected species in complex habitats. We asked more in hope than in expectation but Ben was up for the challenge and came up with some great footage.

“This spurred us on to make a more focussed effort in Glen Doll and that too came up trumps.”

Definitive wildcat identification can be complicated because wildcats have a significant history of hybridisation (interbreeding) with domestic cats. Identification is only possible through a combination of genetic and pelage scoring (which is related to their external appearance). NatureScot has recently issued new guidelines on reliable identification to enable the protection of the species and to ensure land managers, animal welfare organisations, conservation practitioners and others operate within the law.

The high quality images obtained via the drone allow us to assess the visual clues and pelage scoring so that we can make an educated assessment as to whether the cats are likely wildcats, hybrids (an individual with a mixture of wildcat and feral domestic cat genetics), or feral cats. Although it is likely the case that most wildcats are hybrids - other than those released into the Cairngorms through the Saving Wildcats project - FLS works on the precautionary principle that any suitably marked cats spotted could be wildcats. When their presence is confirmed in a woodland we will manage it accordingly.

Forests managed to produce timber offer a mosaic of habitats that are ideal for wildcats. Clear felled and replanted areas are usually grassy and can support high densities of voles and mice, which makes them ideal hunting areas for wildcats as you can see from the hunting behaviour recorded.

And with only a small part of any plantation being harvested in any single year, wildcats will always be able to find large undisturbed areas in plantations for resting and breeding.

Ben said;

“We might have a rough idea of a general area to search and it can take many hours and several attempts before capturing anything. It’s also pretty challenging when you are trying to fly between inclement weather and often being smothered in midges.

“Capturing images of any animal the size of a cat in the wild would be next to impossible without the benefit of the thermal camera but once you have a target in-frame, it’s easy enough to then track and film them.

“It was something special to watch as the adult female showed the kitten how to hunt voles, with the most important part of the lesson being that she only managed to catch one vole out of four attempts. And the kitten even showed off what it had learned by pouncing on its own.”  

Later footage from Glen Doll showed a single wildcat roaming amongst windblown trees.

Gareth added;

“This footage is really exciting to see and illustrates the potential of this technique in aiding conservation efforts, particularly for critically endangered species.”

The wildcat is critically endangered and on the verge of extinction in Scotland. FLS is one of many partner agencies in the Saving Wildcats conservation project that is working towards restoring wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park to boost the Scottish population.

Led by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in collaboration with NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Nordens Ark and Consejería de Sostenibilidad, Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul de la Junta de Andalucía, Saving Wildcats is supported by the LIFE programme of the European Union, with releases being supported by Cairngorms Connect.

BH Wildlife Consultancy and FLS recently won the Confor Innovation Award for their pioneering drone work and its contribution to supporting foresters conduct deer population surveys more efficiently and capture better data to help manage for biodiversity in forests.

Notes to Editor

1. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) manages forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers in their stewardship of Scotland's national forests and land.
2. Solo wildcat on windblow footage  
3. The wildcat and kitten hunting footage 
4. BH Wildlife Consultancy has been operating since 2016 and provides a nationwide service by being at the forefront of the latest methods and technologies to aid understanding of wildlife within our environment.
5. BHWC specialises in thermal imagery drone surveys to aid woodland/estate managers and conservationists to establish a baseline of wildlife present.
6. Updated NatureScot guidance for wildcat identification.
7. Home - Forestry and Land Scotland | twitter.com/ForestryLS
8. Media enquiries to Paul Munro, Media Manager, Forestry and Land Scotland Media Office 07785 527590 or paul.munro@forestryandland.gov.scot