CHILDREN have been learning how to capture footage of animals in their school grounds.

Durham Wildlife Trust has donated a motion detector camera to Ebchester Primary School, near Consett.

It takes snap shots and ten second clips of creatures moving about.

Pupils were shown how to use it by Kirsty Pollard, the trust’s community education officer.

Teacher Rachel Clasper said: “The children have been talking pictures of wildlife and it has been fantastic because we have clips of deer and badger squirrels and all sorts of wildlife.

“The whole school is involved and we get to keep that camera now.”

The school was hoping to receive a visit from nature enthusiast Kate MacRae, better known as Wildlife Kate, who has featured on Springwatch and the BBC Wildlife magazine, but she could not attend after getting stuck in traffic.

Durham Wildlife Trust is visiting Gainford Primary School, near Darlington, tomorrow. (Thursday, December 13).

Trust spokesman John Dean said: “This project is setting schools up with a motion-activated wildlife camera and helping them explore and enhance their school grounds for wildlife.”