Wildlife Cameras

Wildlife Cameras In Their Many Forms!

When we think of wildlife cameras we most likely conjure
up in our minds the cameras we've seen being used in documentaries made about wildlife in the African Savannah
or a South American jungle. Highly sophisticated equipment that is large and most certainly very heavy.

And where would the Professional wildlife photographer,
come explorer, be without them?

Not quite what could be used or fit into a wildlife friendly garden or that accommodates most wildlife garden budgets, whereas the wildlife webcams used on programmes such as "Wild About Your Garden" and "Spring Watch" are much more within the reach of the ordinary every day wildlife gardener.

Wildlife Webcams

There are Three main types of wildlife webcams,
wired, wireless and a combination of both.

Each has its own advantages and which one we choose depends on our requirements and where we want to
place a wildlife cam.

For simplicities sake as you would expect from Wildlife Gardening Tips.com we are not going to get technical,
just briefly discuss each of these wildlife cameras.

The Wireless System has a transmitter on the camera which transmits a signal which is received by a receiver plugged into the back of the TV or to a PC via a USB capture device.

The legal signal frequency thats used to transmit the images with a wireless system is also used with other household systems such as baby monitors, so depending at what power these are being transmitted there could be interference to the pictures we are receiving.

This reminds me of when we used to get interference on our television screen from cars and motorbikes that did not have
a suppressor fiited.

The Wireless system also still needs a power supply.

Standard or rechargeable batteries can be used but they only last a few hours so will need replacing which will disturb the wildlife we are watching via the wildlife webcams, all of this
is very impractical which brings us to the combined system.

The combined system simply uses a wire to feed the power
to the transmitter on the wildlife camera, preferably this can be run from a power source outside the house, either from a garage, garden shed or outside power point so as to avoid drilling a hole in the house wall.

This would be the better option of the two highlighted so far.

The Wired System uses a high quality composite shielded
cable that supplies the power to the wildlife webcams.

The same cable also transmits the audio and visual signals.

This cable connects either into a TV or PC and comes with
pre-fitted plugs that are approximately 16mm in diameter, which means a hole big enough to allow these to go through will need to be drilled through the house wall or a window frame. Once its installed that's it.

Running the cable along a fence or burying it helps to hide it from view. In both cases its a good idea to protect it in some way to prevent accidental damage or being chewed by a family pet or wildlife.

This system is the more practical of the three in
my mind even with a hole needing to be drilled.

Bird Feeder Cams And Nestbox Cameras

There are several ways in which it has been made possible
to use wildlife cameras in a wildlife friendly garden.

Along with bird feeder cams and nestbox cams
we now also have a digital underwater camera.

Nestbox cameras can be obtained as kits that we can then
use to make a custom built box or adapt an existing bird
box to accommodate a wildlife camera.

There is also the option of a fully equipped nest box that would suit any wildlife garden. Diy skills and cost may be
the deciding factors as to which one is best for our situation.

One of the great things about bird feeder cams is that we can record what's being going on during the times we have been out, the same is also true of nestbox cams.

We can also have our own Pondwatch with an underwater cam that can be placed in a pond and then watch the pictures on the Tv or Pc via a cable supplied.

Even more amazing is that there is a portable system that is carried in a small aluminium case which has a screen that the transmitted images can be viewed. All manner of aquatic life can now be seen in it's natural habitat.

This system can also be used on land to watch wildlife.

What David Attenborough would have given for
this during his early days of watching wildlife.

Why Not Fit A Wildlife Cam?

Anyone who has an interest in wildlife and especially someone who has embarked on the very satisfying route of creating a wildlife friendly garden knows there's more that goes on than meets the eye in their garden.

One way we can find out just what does visit our garden at times when we are asleep or out working is by installing a Vari-focal outdoor colour camera.

By night and by day these wildlife cameras help us find
out what wildlife we are getting regular visits from.

Foxes, hedgehogs and other creatures can entertain
us without them even knowing their being watched.

Watching wildlife in our own wildlife friendly garden has become much easier with the availability of affordable,
easy to set up and maintain wildlife cameras.

From bird feeder cams to underwater cams
the natural world is there for the watching.

Having said all that I always get a buzz when Im stood
in our garden and there's Hoverflies, Bee's and Butterflies flitting from one flower to the other seemingly oblivious
to my presence.

Here again it's simple experiences like this that
make wildlife gardening worthwhile.

Wildlife Cameras