{"id":9532,"date":"2026-06-14T08:15:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T06:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juliuskramer.de\/projects\/in-the-shadow-of-the-forest\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:15:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:15:19","slug":"in-the-shadow-of-the-forest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.juliuskramer.de\/en\/projects__trashed\/in-the-shadow-of-the-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Shadow of the Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Long-term project \u00b7 since 2015<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

In the Shadow of the Forest<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n

Tracking the Eurasian Lynx \u2014 with camera traps in the Bavarian Forest.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Home<\/a> \/<\/span> Projects<\/a> \/<\/span> In the Shadow of the Forest<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Period<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

since 2015<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Region<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Bavarian Forest<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Technique<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

DSLR Camera Traps<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Partner<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Bavarian Lynx Project<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Bavarian Forest is home to the Eurasian lynx \u2014 one of the last refuges for this shy cat in Germany. Here, I share my experiences photographing these tuft-eared felines and offer insights into the conservation projects dedicated to their preservation. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In May 2015, a cry of outrage went through the national and international press: illegal lynx killings in the Bavarian Forest became known. The perpetrators were even so brazen as to place severed lynx paws in the immediate vicinity of a camera trap belonging to the Bavarian Lynx Project. For me, it was clear: good images of these animals were needed to evoke emotions and understanding for these wonderful cats through their unique beauty. But how? <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Eurasian<\/span><\/div>\n

A Eurasian lynx roams the moss-covered forest floor \u2014 an apex predator, yet rarely seen.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lynx Photography in the Bavarian Forest<\/h2>\n

In collaboration with the Bavarian Lynx Project<\/a>, I began exploring possibilities in the Upper Bavarian Forest for photographing lynx with DSLR camera traps. Lynx have large territories ranging from 150 km\u00b2 to 400 km\u00b2 \u2014 females slightly smaller than males. A male's territory often overlaps several female territories. Nevertheless, the chance of encountering a lynx by chance is correspondingly low. It's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. <\/p>\n

After the extinction of the lynx in the Bavarian Forest in 1846 and only isolated sightings of migrating individuals, between five and ten animals were released in the region in the 1970s. In 1987, 17 lynx officially followed in the Czech Republic, forming the basis of today's population. Meanwhile, around 40 independent lynx are once again roaming Bavaria \u2014 from Waldm\u00fcnchen to Passau. A large proportion are cross-border animals between Germany and the Czech Republic. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Eurasian<\/span><\/div>\n
\"Eurasian<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Bavarian Lynx Project has been conducting camera trap monitoring for many years to record the lynx population development and distribution. Each lynx can be individually identified by its fur pattern. In winter, tracks are also documented to gain further evidence. <\/p>\n

Working with DSLR Camera Traps<\/h2>\n

Working with camera traps requires a significant investment of time to find the right locations. Lynx are comfortable and prefer to move along forest paths and logging roads. However, photographing there is neither beautiful nor safe \u2014 a DSLR camera in a box quickly attracts unwanted attention, not to mention countless false triggers from bicycles, dogs, and hikers. <\/p>\n

My cameras are placed in very inaccessible rocky areas. I deliberately avoid sitting in a blind \u2014 the risk of influencing the animals as a human is too great for me. In places where lynx leave their scent marks, with a lot of patience, it is possible to capture images of this typical feline behavior. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Eurasian<\/span><\/div>\n

Rocky, inaccessible locations disturb the animals the least \u2014 and provide the most impressive images.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Nevertheless, lynx are not very shy \u2014 on several occasions, an animal must have been in the immediate vicinity of my camera. Every now and then, I leave the camera, and only half an hour later, a lynx inspects what the human has been doing there. Unfortunately, this naivety often proves fatal for the animals. <\/p>\n

In addition to lynx, the camera trap naturally captures all kinds of bycatch: from garden dormice and edible dormice, weasels and raccoons to wild boar and roe deer\u2014everything the fauna of the Bavarian Forest has to offer. Fascinating: time and again, a lynx can be seen in the same spot. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Images from Lynx Country<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n

A selection from over a decade of camera trap photography.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Read more<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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All Projects \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Wild<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Reportage \u00b7 Scandinavia<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

When the Sun Doesn't Sleep \u2014 The Wilderness of Scandinavia<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Blue-colored<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Species Protection \u00b7 Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Hidden Life \u2014 Amphibians & Reptiles on Our Doorstep<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"A<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Photo Project \u00b7 Bavaria<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Bavaria's Original Inhabitants \u2014 Small, Wild, and Forgotten<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Don't miss another adventure<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Come outside with me.The wilderness awaits.<\/em><\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n

Sign up for the newsletter and regularly receive new photo projects, image stories, and tips from nature photography \u2014 directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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