The footage published on YouTube on March 22nd, 2021 by Adrien Ducouloux, a 25-year-old amateur beekeeper, is the result of three years of observation in the Doubs forest in France and of sorting through 22,000 videos.
Discover our latest podcast
It all began in 2015. After noticing tracks on the ground near his bee water feeder, the young man, who is also an environmental officer, wanted to investigate.
A family of wild boar caught splashing around
‘Curious by nature, I bought a small hidden camera to see who came to visit my installation. The first time I picked up the camera was a big surprise,’ said Adrien Ducouloux. The camera, equipped with an infrared device, is triggered by movements, which allows the beekeeper to come and take out the memory card and change the camera's batteries from time to time.
This hidden camera provides the possibility of observing the comings and goings of wild animals in their natural habitat. The footage is thus rare, and sometimes funny as well. ‘The months went by and I started to get a good picture of the animals in my forest. On the one hand, I brought them a little water to quench their thirst and on the other, I captured some absolutely incredible scenes like the one where a whole family of wild boars used my water feeder as a jacuzzi,’ the young man joked.
Birds also filmed thanks to the hidden camera
The mammals in the Doubs forest are not the only ones who took a little break to quench their thirst in the bees' water feeder.
I noticed that I regularly had birds coming to drink and take a bath. I saw chickadees, finches, and woodpeckers appear. But what really surprised me was to see raptors up close such as buzzards, hawks, and a beautiful vulture.
A Eurasian lynx observed in the Doubs forest
Among the many images viewed and sorted through by Adrien Ducouloux, a protected species that now numbers only a hundred or so individuals in his country appeared on the screen in September 2017: a Eurasian lynx.
There he was, in broad daylight, in the light of early autumn. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this majestic creature appear on my computer screen. The lynx stopped for a drink and disappeared like a woodland ghost. I knew that day that one day I would have to share all these encounters with nature lovers.
First posted on the Ornitho France-Comté Facebook group, the video was commented on by several enthusiasts, allowing Adrien Ducouloux to identify some of the bird species visible in the footage.
The Facebook group's administrator suggested organising a participative work site to improve the bee water feeder by giving it a more natural appearance. This metamorphosis will then perhaps attract new wildlife for his future footage.
