Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~7 min read
Chapter 8: The Camera Trap
FINN
The conversation with Cal lasted approximately four minutes.
Finn said: “I told you to stay away from the cottage.”
Cal said: “I brought good coffee.”
Finn said: “I told you to stay away from the cottage until I’d done the initial access sessions.”
Cal said: “The initial access sessions were Tuesday and today’s Wednesday. I think that’s —”
Finn said: “Cal.”
Cal said: “She asked good questions.”
Finn said: “What did you tell her.”
Cal said: “That the south cliff path was useful for her survey route. Which it is. I also mentioned the outer headland track connection for the Thursday boat access.”
Finn said: “What else.”
Cal looked at the ceiling.
Finn said: “What else.”
Cal said: “She asked if the data was accurate. I told her every piece of data in the federal database was accurate.”
Finn said: “And complete.”
Cal said: “I said accurate.”
Finn looked at him.
Cal said: “She’s going to say that herself, Finn. She already knows the data has a qualifier. I didn’t give her anything she didn’t already have.”
He was right. That was the problem.
Finn said: “What did she ask about me.”
Cal looked at the ceiling again.
Finn said: “Cal.”
Cal said: “She asked how interested I was in her opinion of you. I said that you’d extended an afternoon to six-fifteen for the first time in ten years of researcher visits. She said she wasn’t forming an opinion of you. Then she crossed something out in her notebook.”
Finn said: “What did she cross out.”
Cal said: “I don’t know, I was on the other side of the table.”
Finn thought about this.
He said: “Don’t go back there without telling me first.”
Cal said: “Obviously.”
He said: “I mean it.”
Cal said: “She said I could come back if I had things to say about the cliff geography. I have extensive things to say about the cliff geography.”
Finn said: “I know you do. That’s what concerns me.”
Cal left, and Finn drove down to the research cottage with the catch data and the intention of being professional and efficient and then leaving at a reasonable hour.
She showed him the camera trap she’d set up.
It was on the north path — the one that ran along the upper cliff edge from the research cottage to the first documented survey position. She’d mounted it on a post at the junction where the path diverged toward the outer headland track, aimed at the higher section of the path.
He looked at the camera trap.
She said: “The position should capture any activity on the upper path from around eleven to five, when the light is sufficient. I’ve calibrated it for the light level at that time of day.”
He said: “That’s a good position for the path traffic.”
She said: “It’s also aimed at the section of headland behind the lighthouse.”
He said nothing.
She said: “There’s a thermal shift in that section in the late afternoons. I noticed it on Monday — the rock face holds the day’s heat and you get a temperature differential that shows up in my thermal camera. I thought motion-triggered footage might capture what’s using that area.”
He said: “It’s probably deer. There are black-tailed deer on the upper headland.”
She said: “Possibly. I’d be interested to see what the footage shows.”
He said: “I’ll check with the community about permission for cameras on the upper path.”
She said: “The survey protocol gives me access to the accessible coastal monitoring points for monitoring equipment. The upper path is within the access area.”
He said: “Let me confirm that with the community.”
She said: “How long will that take.”
He said: “A few days.”
She looked at him with the patient expression she used when she knew a timeline was being extended.
He said: “I’ll have an answer by Friday.”
She said: “I’ll leave the camera running in the meantime.”
He said: “Of course.”
He drove back to the community with the camera trap’s position in his head and the knowledge that she’d identified the thermal differential on the upper headland on her first afternoon.
He moved the camera after dark.
He went back down the coast road at eleven at night with a torch and the weighted mount she’d used and repositioned the camera to face the south path junction instead of the upper headland section. The south path junction would capture deer, coastal birds, possibly a fox. It would not capture anything on the upper headland.
He remounted it carefully. She’d used a specific angle on the north post; he matched it as closely as he could and tilted the lens toward the south path.
He drove home.
In the morning he went to the cottage at eight to bring the fish catch data he’d promised.
She was at the door.
She said: “Someone moved my camera.”
He said: “The coastal wind —”
She said: “It’s on a weighted mount. It was repositioned, not shifted. The angle changed by approximately forty degrees and the focal direction is now the south path rather than the upper headland.”
He said: “That’s odd.”
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
He said: “You should use the heavier weighted mounts for anything on the north path. The wind exposure is higher there.”
She said: “I’ve ordered the heavier weighted mounts. They’ll arrive Friday.”
He said: “That’s good.”
She said: “In the meantime I’m going to use the secondary anchor system I brought.”
He said: “That should do it.”
She said: “Yes.” She paused. “I’ll get the camera back in position this afternoon.”
He said: “Let me know if you need help with the mount.”
She said: “I’ll manage.”
He gave her the fish catch data and drove back to the community.
He found Cal at the rescue station.
He said: “Do not help her set up any monitoring equipment.”
Cal said: “I didn’t —”
He said: “I’m telling you in advance.”
Cal said: “I heard about the camera.”
He said: “How.”
Cal said: “Mum asked me this morning if I knew anything about camera trap positions on the north path. I told her I didn’t. She told me to make sure I continued not knowing anything.”
Finn said: “Listen to her.”
Cal said: “I always listen to her. She’s much less irritating than you.” He paused. “For what it’s worth, Finn, she’s going to get a count of the upper headland section. She’s methodical. She’ll find another angle.”
Finn said: “I know.”
He said: “So what are you going to do.”
Finn said: “Be present when she does.”
He drove back to the research cottage at two to check the repositioned camera trap. She had it back on the north path post, upper headland angle restored, and beside it — slightly offset, partially obscured behind a coastal shrub — a second camera he had not seen her set up.
He stood on the path and looked at the second camera.
He thought: *she set a secondary camera.*
He thought: *she knew I moved it.*
His eagle had what he could only characterise as an amused response to the second camera, which was not the response he needed.
He drove back to the community.
He was, he thought, losing ground at a rate that bore examination.
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