As spring approaches, it is time to ensure that any nestboxes you have in your garden are clean and in good condition, ready for use by a new nesting pair.
We have decided to add a camera to one of our nestboxes. I'm very much looking forward to seeing baby birds being raised this spring!
Conveniently, the box that has been used most in the last few years is close to a power socket and within range of our wifi. Therefore, we decided to use a solution that streams video over Wi-Fi so that we can access it from most of our devices anywhere in the house. We used a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a small, compatible infrared camera with Raspbian and UV4L.
As in previous years, we are expecting blue tits to nest in this box, as the size of the entrance hole is best suited to this species (25mm).
We attached these devices to the inside of a plastic container (just upcycled something lying around the house). This was to help with waterproofing.
Then we built a new wooden compartment to house the camera, replacing the lid of the current nestbox.
We also covered it with leftover pond-liner for extra protection from the elements.
We put the box back on its original tree and fed the power lead for the Raspberry Pi through the window of our summer house into a power socket.
Now it's time to wait and see what will happen! I will update you with progress.
We have decided to add a camera to one of our nestboxes. I'm very much looking forward to seeing baby birds being raised this spring!
Conveniently, the box that has been used most in the last few years is close to a power socket and within range of our wifi. Therefore, we decided to use a solution that streams video over Wi-Fi so that we can access it from most of our devices anywhere in the house. We used a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a small, compatible infrared camera with Raspbian and UV4L.
As in previous years, we are expecting blue tits to nest in this box, as the size of the entrance hole is best suited to this species (25mm).
We attached these devices to the inside of a plastic container (just upcycled something lying around the house). This was to help with waterproofing.
Then we built a new wooden compartment to house the camera, replacing the lid of the current nestbox.
We also covered it with leftover pond-liner for extra protection from the elements.
We put the box back on its original tree and fed the power lead for the Raspberry Pi through the window of our summer house into a power socket.
Very clever!
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