Bird Box cameras

Permalink Reply by Mike Mottram on February 7, 2011 at 14:29

I assume you are refering to Bird box cameras, I tend to prefer making my own camera bird box kits rather than buying the ready to use kits as they can be so over priced and you learn more about wildlife cctv and come up with new ways of filming birds nesting by making a bird nest camera setup yourself.

Permalink Reply by Kate MacRae on February 7, 2011 at 18:24

Take a look at my website and see what you think!!... I think they are definitely worth it... but as Mike said, there are lots of different ways of achieving images... personally, the pleasure I got and the amount I learnt from following a blue tit family in one of my nest boxes last year meant the camera was definitely worth every penny... and now blue tits are looking in again. I then took the camera out in the winter and put it in my mouse box... the possibilities are endless! I would recommend getting one, but you get what you pay for... the cheaper camera systems do not give clear crisp images... depends what you want to use it for...

Permalink Reply by Jon Kirkham on February 7, 2011 at 19:17

Hi Myles

My experience with these cameras is limited, but I used the camera last year to film a fox you can see the results here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kVjfm2cMSE

At the moment I am watching a Blue Tit in my nest box, or should I say their nest box, sleeping and occasionally shaking his feathers and preening, I use a usb device called DVD Maker 2 to connect the cam to my Mac and this way while I am working I can keep a fatherly eye on him, you can see a sample of how he treats his lodgings here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxdPr_-Zs4g

The camera is the high res night vision version and the box I think is called the odd box, not the cheapest but I think it's worth it, hope this is of some help

Jon

Permalink Reply by Jon Kirkham on February 7, 2011 at 19:43

Myles I have uploaded a small video that was recorded between my last post & now, showing the cam in action at night

Permalink Reply by John Cheney on February 7, 2011 at 20:46

Yes I think they are worth having, I'm on the 4th year with mine and when the Blue Tits have finished with the nest box I take the camera out and put it in it's own home made box so I can use it around the garden the rest of the year on other nests,bird tables, bird baths etc. It's great to watch a bird build a nest, lay eggs, hatch them and feed the chicks, but can be hard when none fledge as happened last year. A Blue Tit is very active in the box at the moment so lets hope we have a better year this year. I have it connected to my computer so I can take video or photos.

Permalink Reply by Wildlife Whisperer - Jason on February 7, 2011 at 22:09

I would say they are definitely worth it! I've designed many over the years. In fact I designed Jon's 'Odd Box' camera system a couple of years ago to give a slightly different view to the conventional nest box cams. Great to see them being enjoyed by birds and humans!

I guarantee, once you've watched your first pair of birds nest and the young fledge you'll be totally hooked!!

Kate is right, you get what what you pay for in the nest box cam market.

In my experience nest box cam owners fall into two categories - 1. those who like to experiment and build their own systems, and 2. those who are complete technophobes who just want something they can plug in and switch on.

There are many different factors to consider when designing a nest box camera system and not all cameras lend themselves to use in a nest box.

I'll be adding several 'How To Guides' over the coming weeks to the Wildlife Whisperer website detailing all you need to know about nest box cameras - how to build your own, how to connect them to your computer, how to add live images from your nest box to a web page and how best to share your experiences with others.

We will also be adding our own range of Wildlife Whisperer Nest Box Camera Systems to the WW online store in the next couple of weeks, complete with an installation DVD (presented by Simon King) and one or two other little extras!

So if you haven't already signed up as a member on Wildlife Whisperer then now is the time! Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter 'WILD WHISPERS' too as we'll be adding regular special offers on some of the nest box kts!

Jas

Permalink Reply by Myles Storey on February 8, 2011 at 7:58

Thanks everyone.

But Mike, how would you make your own camera?

Permalink Reply by Myles Storey on February 8, 2011 at 8:02

Thanks guys!

Permalink Reply by shirl on March 3, 2011 at 21:19

HI Jason I wouldn't agree at all with you re categorising people with nestcams. I have a few cams and am neither

1. those who like to experiment and build their own systems, and 2. those who are complete technophobes who just want something they can plug in and switch on.

Permalink Reply by Phil Haywood on March 9, 2011 at 19:56

Well worth it.

I built a three compartment "sparrow terrace" three years ago and on cleaning it out discovered that birds had been roosting in the two ends and a blue tit had nested in the centre. This happened two years running, so just after Christmas I installed three cameras, one in each box.

Since then I've been watching blue tits roosting in the ends and am eagerly awaiting nest building in the centre.

I hope I'm not disappointed. Having said that even if it doesn't happen just seeing the roosting birds will have been worth it.

Permalink Reply by shirl on March 20, 2011 at 11:21

@ Phil, I agree completely. I too have a very messy rooster in one box and have enjoyed seeing another in another until now. I am awaiting further visits of a pair that might consider nesting in a new box just put up.

I'd say you won't be dissappointed at all. Your biggest issue will be watching any birds that fail to survive. I've seen that twice. and that isn't nice to watch. Although that is the reality of nature. I was thrilled last year to see the whole nesting process for the first time and it was brilliant. Having a camera in a nestbox is gives a wonderful insight.

I had a spare camera and put it in an unused single storey rabbit/guinea pig hutch that had no legs.I use this as a hedgehog feeding station now and it doubles up as a winter feeding area for birds.

Wishing you successful nesting in your box this year :-)

Permalink Reply by jennie alford on March 2, 2012 at 17:34

I have just treated myself to a bird cam box, now i have the issue of where to put it. Where i want it is where i already have one. I dont think they have started nesting in old one, so i may just have to bite the bullet and take that one down and replace with new one. I wonder how far apart boxes need to be? Any idea?

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