I want to capture animals. Actually I don't want to capture them, as much as see which ones are coming 'round.
Well yes, I meant capture in images
I'm not sure if this camera can be used with an external power supply. I have one those external battery chargers. That might work.
Most Canon P&S can only be powered by a Canon specific adapter, which either uses a dummy battery or a dedicated plug. If you look on Canon's website for your specific model, it will tell you the compatible adapter, and you can then find cheap knockoffs on Amazon etc. if you want.
USB chargers / powerbanks will almost certainly
not work. Recent cams with a micro-USB port can charge over USB, but generally only in playback mode.
Right, I hadn't thought about the blurring with long exposures. That might be the killer.
Yes, most wildlife camera traps and security cams have an IR light for night. P&S cams have an IR filter, so you can't use this approach without modification (a few on the forum have removed the IR filter, but it's definitely not trivial.)
You can easily do test a few shots using yourself a subject at various ISO and shutter settings.
