So the last month or so I’ve been busy frantically installing cameras into boxes to hopefully give me a little more info and not leave me guessing as to what’s going on under my eves. After last year’s new arrivals that I thought were non breeders, this should now take some of the guess work out should I gain new birds this year.
I’m a pretty competant diy’er however I will say I had a few hurdles at times during the installation, so my tips if anyone else is going down the same route are always double check or even third check lol. I initially began threading the cable under my eves only to find I had them around the wrong way and had to re do five cables 🙄 not great when you’re working up a ladder 😂 Always check your cable and camera work before installing and where you can take the box down and set the camera up on the floor makes it easier for any adjustments to be done rather than up a ladder.
Being on a budget I’d kept everything as cheap as I could to afford as many cameras as possible however it does come with the drawback with regards to the quality of images. The cost of 16 cheap basic cameras I picked up for less than £200 as opposed to nearly £1000 if I wanted better images. However after seeing some other nest cams on social media I have taken the plunge and just ordered myself one 🙈 fingers crossed it comes before my first pair arrive back to their holiday home😁.
Other preparations included removing old Sparrow nests that were built last year and I re adjusted the nest of the Swift pair that ejected Sparrows who were already nesting. I was debating whether to just leave this as it was but due to the sheer amount inside what was already a smaller spec box, I thought it best to remove the bulk of it whilst keeping the nest intact before securing it back in place in the same spot.
Swifts & Things 