The Wingscapes BirdCam...
Digital technology has made photographing birds somewhat easier and more affordable, but it’s still usually very difficult to capture the image of a living, moving bird. How to get close enough, for one thing?
Most photographers try to solve this problem with either (1) long lenses on their cameras, or (2) digiscoping -- using the optics in their spotting scopes in combination with a hand-held digital camera to take longer-distance shots.
However, there’s another approach: take yourself out of the picture and use a well-placed, motion-detecting camera instead. Used to be that kind of equipment was used only by scientific researchers who had to spend half their funding on it. Not anymore -- now there’s BirdCam! It’s fun, simple and affordably priced from Wingscapes: view link
A new way to birdwatch?
Both “serious” birders and backyard newbies are all a-twitter about BirdCam as a new way to take cool photographs and videos of birds. BirdCam is weatherproof and motion-activated, and very easy to use. And it’s designed specifically to photograph birds.
Properly positioned near a feeder, bird house, or other birdy spot, it can show you what’s really going on with the birds -- even when you’re not looking. As the Wingscapes folks say, “You’ll never look at your backyard birds in the same way!”
I can’t really “review” the BirdCam because I don’t have one and haven’t used it myself. But I’ve heard a lot about it from friends and I don’t know anybody who has one who doesn’t enjoy it. So I’m happy to “report” on it and share some links.
Key BirdCam features
The BirdCam is self-contained when used in the field. It runs for about a month on 4 ‘D’ batteries (please use rechargeables). Or you can power the camera with a plug-in adapter for indoor use. A photoelectric eye shuts it off when it’s nighttime or the light is otherwise inadequate.
The BirdCam’s built-in memory is only 32 megabytes, but it accepts conventional SD memory cards up to 4 gigabytes. According to Bill Schmoker in Birding magazine, you can expect to get about 1,200 JPEG format images on a 1-gigabyte card. That’s a lot of bird photos…
You can focus the camera to any of four focus range settings from 18 inches to infinity. You can also set the detection sensitivity, image quality, number of images taken per “event,” the date/time, and other useful parameters.
There’s even a time lapse mode, which you can set at intervals of 30 seconds to 24 hours -- cool, huh? But if you find techno-widget setup a hassle, there’s a basic “easy” mode that works well in many situations right out-of-the-box.
If you want, you can also configure the BirdCam to shot 10-second video clips when triggered. Or, if you happen to be observing the action from a nearby window, you can trigger the shutter yourself using a remote.
The Wingscapes folks really did think of practically everything! Besides a little laser for aiming the camera (the light shows you just where it’s pointing) there’s even an optional accessory mounting arm that lets you mount the BirdCam from a fence post, feeder pole, or whatever.
If you visit the BirdCam website be sure to check out the Resources page -- it’s got some good tips: view linkresources/
Really for the birds
You might have seen so-called “game cameras” or “trail cameras” at hunting retailers and sporting goods stores. But these don’t tend to work very well with birds, because they’re designed to capture images of larger animals, like deer, and often in low light.
As such, they’re designed to disregard small movements -- which are the only kind most birds make. Trail cameras also have a wider field of view to show large subjects. So even if they could “shoot” a bird it would be an unsatisfactory, small image.
BirdCam, on the other hand, is designed specifically to detect small birds in daylight while disregarding the swaying of feeders and trees.
Obviously the BirdCam would make a neat gift not only for adult bird-lovers, but also for children.
Eons birders, please let us know if you already have a BirdCam or end up getting one -- and be sure to share your “candid” photos of the birds also!
Peace and good birding,
Scott Cronenweth
Eons birding mentor
www.naturalpathwalks.com
