Track censuses

The aim of track censuses is to assess the presence, relative abundance and spatial distribution of the species in relation to artificial feeding sites. We record the presence of all mammals and birds species in sampling plots distributed throughout the whole study area. Censuses are conducted in winter, when artificial feeding is most intense, and twice a year (at the beginning and at the end of winter). We register animal footprints on the snow in the plots; in the case of birds, sightings and/or calls are additionally recorded in the plot and its vicinity during sampling. The locations of the plots are generated in a way that the plots are distributed more or less uniformly and they represent a gradient of various distances from the feeding points.

Bear snowtracking

In the winter we search for bear tracks on the snow and follow them (always backwards!!) for several km. It is an excellent method to see “written in the snow” everything what the animal is doing and to collect bear scats and hair, look for winter dens and daybeds and describe them, and investigate the bear activities.