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Methodology <br />Video surveillance technology was utilized to monitor heron nesting activity. The <br />primary advantage to this approach is the ability to collect continuous data while minimizing <br />the risk of human disturbance. In addition to Peltier Island, the colony at Pig's Eye Lake (St. <br />Paul, MN) was also monitored for use as a control. Comparisons between the study colony <br />and the control colony offer valuable insights into potential cause(s) for colony desertion. <br />Table 1 shows the locations and quantities of cameras deployed in each field season. <br />Cameras were installed between May 4, 2004 and May 12, 2004. Batteries were replaced <br />every two days and total time per replacement was about 10 minutes. Cameras were <br />clustered within trees in order to capture regional disturbance events. Figure 3 shows the <br />typical setup for video cameras during this study. <br />Year <br />Colony Location <br />Total # cameras used <br />Cameras per tree <br />2004 <br />Peltier Island <br />8 <br />4 cameras per tree <br />Pig's Eye Lake <br />4 <br />4 cameras per tree <br />2005 <br />Peltier Island <br />14 <br />1 camera per tree <br />Table 1: Locations and quantities of cameras deployed in each feld season. <br />Figure 3: <br />Typical video surveillance camera setup used to monitor <br />Great Blue Heron nesting activity at the Peltier Island and <br />Pig's Eye Lake colonies. Note: multiple cameras in a single <br />tree were used to capture regional disturbance events. <br />4 <br />• <br />• <br />• <br />