If you ever wanted to know how all our cameras and bird boxes are set up, this is the page to read! Below is lots of information about each bird box and the feeders we have in our garden.
Nesting Boxes
We currently have 2 self designed hole nester bird boxes rigged with cameras and lights in the garden. Both boxes are identical in design and have a side compartment that houses a High Definition camera. The top part of the box has an array of White LED lights that enhance the colour during the day and Infrared LEDs that, along with the IR cut filter on the camera, provide crisp, clear night time viewing. A small piece of circuitry and a light sensor monitors the light condition outside the box and mimics that inside with the White LEDs. A microphone is also present in each box and connected to the camera to provide audio with the recordings.
We also have a Hedgehog box located in a corner of the garden. This is fitted with a High Definition camera with a wide angle lens that can capture all the activity in the box. This camera also has Infrared lighting and a built in microphone to record sound as well as video.
Feeders
We feed a range of food in the garden. A bird table holds a variety of seed mix, suet pellets, raisins and other scraps. Two seed feeders and a fat ball feeder hang underneath. We also feed peanuts, nyjer seeds and mealworms in separate feeders around the garden. They are all visited regularly so require constant refilling!
We get all our garden bird food (including live mealworms) from CJ Wildlife and can highly recommend them
We also have two bird baths providing fresh water for all the garden birds.
Two high definition cameras are mounted on the bird table, one looking at the main table top itself and the other looking at a seed feeder providing close up images. You will often see Goldfinches, House Sparrows and Blue Tits on the seed feeder and even the occasional Blackbird! Another camera is located next to the bird table looking at the feeder tray and ground area around the feeders. During the day you will see many garden birds feeding from the ground and at night the hedgehog family enjoys the food we put out.
Computer and Live Cameras
The cameras in the garden and nesting boxes are Vivotek High Definition IP cameras and connect via network cabling to a network switch in the garden shed. This switch also provides power directly to the cameras. A computer in the house runs a piece of software called iCatcher console which monitors and records motion from each camera 24/7. The iCatcher software also provides a web view that can be accessed on our Live Cameras page to view all the live streams and recorded footage.
This website is designed and hosted by Infocus Multimedia
Plusnet provide a Fibre to the Cabinet internet service that has a download speed of around 50mb and an upload speed of 15mb. This allows us to broadcast all our live streams to multiple viewers without much strain on the internet connection. We can highly recommend them if anyone is after reliable and affordable broadband. The banner below will take you to their website to find out more!
