Emily Rayner
@flightemily.bsky.social
Ornithologist, engineer and programmer. Fascinated by flight. Making Skytrap, an avian camera trap for flight and aeroecology research.
Little pied cormorants coming in to roost at the end of the day. I’ve watched them fly this path so many times, but I don’t often get this many on skytrap all in frame at once!
November 1, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Little pied cormorants coming in to roost at the end of the day. I’ve watched them fly this path so many times, but I don’t often get this many on skytrap all in frame at once!
First light on a solar/battery powered skytrap! No shortage of sunlight in FNQ for testing.
September 28, 2025 at 3:04 AM
First light on a solar/battery powered skytrap! No shortage of sunlight in FNQ for testing.
Red Wattlebird flight silhouettes
August 15, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Red Wattlebird flight silhouettes
Silhouettes of a Little Corella motion tracked past a skytrap. In this moment, this individual is flying with a wingbeat frequency of 4.5Hz - pretty close to expected scaling for a bird of that mass!
August 11, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Silhouettes of a Little Corella motion tracked past a skytrap. In this moment, this individual is flying with a wingbeat frequency of 4.5Hz - pretty close to expected scaling for a bird of that mass!
Red Wattlebird landing next to skytrap 5. If Silver Gulls are my most trapped species, this is one of my most trapped individuals. Slowed to about 20%.
August 4, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Red Wattlebird landing next to skytrap 5. If Silver Gulls are my most trapped species, this is one of my most trapped individuals. Slowed to about 20%.
I spotted an Australian Hobby manoeuvring through some strong and gusty northerlies today and skytrap saw it too! Video at half speed, still 30fps. You can see its tail working overtime for yaw stability and directional control.
July 26, 2025 at 9:53 AM
I spotted an Australian Hobby manoeuvring through some strong and gusty northerlies today and skytrap saw it too! Video at half speed, still 30fps. You can see its tail working overtime for yaw stability and directional control.
Little Raven heading west past skytrap 5. In the right light, their glossy feathers catch the light beautifully. Last week one reflected the pinks of the sunset and had me quite puzzled - what is this pink and black bird?
July 21, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Little Raven heading west past skytrap 5. In the right light, their glossy feathers catch the light beautifully. Last week one reflected the pinks of the sunset and had me quite puzzled - what is this pink and black bird?
Silver Gulls on skytrap 5. They’re my most trapped bird by far, I always wonder where they’re heading.
July 21, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Silver Gulls on skytrap 5. They’re my most trapped bird by far, I always wonder where they’re heading.
Little eagle spotted today on skytrap 5! Gliding into the northerlies that came through.
June 23, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Little eagle spotted today on skytrap 5! Gliding into the northerlies that came through.
First data coming from Skytrap 5 is looking great. Finally captured video of the Little Pied Cormorants flock that flies past when heading to/from their roost.
June 17, 2025 at 11:15 PM
First data coming from Skytrap 5 is looking great. Finally captured video of the Little Pied Cormorants flock that flies past when heading to/from their roost.
Skytrap 4 has been on big parrot duty. Four has had some focus issues, which makes ID trickier. It has been fixed for the next deployment. I’m relieved the cockatoos haven’t chosen four as a chew toy. Rosella sp, and sulphur crested cockatoo.
June 11, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Skytrap 4 has been on big parrot duty. Four has had some focus issues, which makes ID trickier. It has been fixed for the next deployment. I’m relieved the cockatoos haven’t chosen four as a chew toy. Rosella sp, and sulphur crested cockatoo.
Finished building my Skytrap long deployment prototype! It’s the second long term camera in my skytrap camera network and will spot urban bird movements from my home. No UV protection for this prototype.
June 1, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Finished building my Skytrap long deployment prototype! It’s the second long term camera in my skytrap camera network and will spot urban bird movements from my home. No UV protection for this prototype.
Yay! Backyard (front actually) bird list goals! Fairywrens! Plan to gradually replace lawn with natives is working 😁
May 26, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Yay! Backyard (front actually) bird list goals! Fairywrens! Plan to gradually replace lawn with natives is working 😁
A skytrap surprise - two Australasian Darters returning to their roost site
April 11, 2025 at 9:15 AM
A skytrap surprise - two Australasian Darters returning to their roost site
Low winds, clear skies - a fantastic evening for sky trapping with the flight camera. A few target species obliged too! Today’s camera shy bird was the yellow rumped thornbill.
April 2, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Low winds, clear skies - a fantastic evening for sky trapping with the flight camera. A few target species obliged too! Today’s camera shy bird was the yellow rumped thornbill.
Found in Sunshine. Happy to see love my my local creek further upstream. I wonder what species of frog… Thanks to the Friends of Kororoit Creek!
March 30, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Found in Sunshine. Happy to see love my my local creek further upstream. I wonder what species of frog… Thanks to the Friends of Kororoit Creek!
This lone juvenile Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) seems to be a regular at a jetty I pass on the way to work. There is usually a lot of juveniles at the waters edge early in the year. I wonder if this one is from one of the late summer clutches.
March 28, 2025 at 6:05 AM
This lone juvenile Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) seems to be a regular at a jetty I pass on the way to work. There is usually a lot of juveniles at the waters edge early in the year. I wonder if this one is from one of the late summer clutches.
Superb fairywren inspecting the flight cameras… but did not fly through. 😆
February 21, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Superb fairywren inspecting the flight cameras… but did not fly through. 😆