Adding a video camera

. . . is not difficult and doesn't cost the earth.

The best thing is you can see the owls any time without disturbing them.

Testing, testing . . . anybody there? This is the pic I get on my camcorder from the setup shown at left.

CAMERAS ARE A NEW VENTURE for us and we're still installing ours for next season. So I'm not claiming any expertise in this area and for the time being can only report on our experience so far. Also I'll be recording on to a camcorder, so there's no advice here about live webcasting. As both our nestboxes are some way from mains electricity, what's described here is two setups that are each powered by a portable 12-volt supply (i.e. a car battey). One box has just one infrared (IR) camera, and the other has a colour and an IR camera. Anyway, here goes . . .

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When I made my first nestbox in 2004 I did think about the possibilty of putting in a camera, but at the time it seemed no more than a dream. We weren't even sure our owl pair would use the box. Eventually they did, and after a successful brood in spring 2006 it seemed logical to make the progression to video. When we saw the equipment demonstrated at Boxwatch it was obvious that it would fit snugly in the "attic" -- a small top portion of the nestbox above the ceiling panel (see pic below). The installation did indeed prove very straightforward, and the nestbox is now back up in its tree with the infrared light permanently fitted. The camera can be popped in quite easily any time, but I'm keeping it in the house until later as the on-board microphone may be affected by continuous damp conditions, and this winter is being wet. Putting it in and hitching up the cable is simple and can be done without a ladder (this tree can just be climbed from the ground). So I'm looking forward to going out one cold wet night soon to see if the owls are visiting the box.

The camera is an infrared one, so pics will be in black and white. This box is too dark to use colour successfully during the day. As I was modifying another box that could be made suitable for a colour camera I decided to go ahead and set it up for another pair of owls that's been nesting near the house. So this couple are getting two cameras -- an IR one for the night and the colour one to spy on them during the day. No camera that does colour during the day and IR at night was available. Another pic below shows the equipment setup in this box.

The cabling looks daunting, but it's a lot less complicated than what goes on behind most computers. Yes, with a camera you have black cable hanging down the tree and snaking over the ground to wherever you are! There's actually two cables. One is for the power supply, which is shared by the camera and the infrared light, and the other is for video and sound (if the camera has a mic). The sites are not near a mains outlet, so there has to be a car battery for each nestbox. The battery at nestbox no. 2 will be switched between the two cameras as and when. Batteries are the biggest bugaboo as far as I'm concerned -- the one down at the main nestbox will have to be lugged 600 yards back to the house for a recharge about every week. As for the unsightly cables, well, they could be painted a greeny-grey algal colour, I suppose!

Finally, you need something to take the video feed. Again, as both sites are too far from the house this has to be my trusty camcorder. The camcorder came with an adapter that allows a connection (via, I think, a male-to-male phono adapter) with the video and sound cable. As this camcorder will be fully occupied recording what's going on in the nestbox, clearly I'm going to have to get another one to take the outside shots of owl comings and goings. It's just best not to think what I've spent on these creatures since first finding a little owl chick on the ground and thinking wouldn't it be nice to help!

If all goes well, next year (2008) we'll consider a direct internet connection for the nestbox near the house. But this will need two 100-m lengths of cable (for the two cameras) and a hole in a window frame and upgrading the broadband connection. And the cable would have to be buried as it crosses a drive. All this -- and the fact that there's no guarantee the owls will use the new box -- is why we left things simple this year.

What's the cost?

For main nestbox: One IR camera with light and 20 m cable plus all connectors and a mains adapter cost £140.

For second nestbox: IR camera, colour camera, ca 25 m cable for each plus all connectors cost £350.

Doesn't include: Car batteries (but does include crocodile clips to take power from batteries). A mains adapter is essential for testing back at the house.

Pics of the setups

I don't have all the pics I need to cover the camera installations properly yet -- was in a hurry and kind of overlooked taking enough photos. There'll be more later in January when I've been down to the country to finish everything off. The pics at the top and below left show the setup in the main nestbox, while the diagram below right shows how the second nestbox is being set up for two cameras. This nestbox is shown in much more detail on Page 7: Modifying a chimney box.

Photo of main nestbox during construction to show where camera and infrared light are placed. Photo at top of this page (click it to see more) shows equipment being fitted earlier this autumn.

Setup in nestbox no. 2, a modified "chimney" box. This has two cameras sitting on a bench behind a partition. The owls' nursery is the rest of the box left of the partition. Cabling not shown.

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