With spring on the way, we are approaching the time of year where smaller species of UK birds start investigating nesting sites. Rather than listening to the scratching of birds nesting in your guttering and eves, now would be an ideal time to provide them with an alternative and give yourself the opportunity to observe the birds rear their family without disturbing them.
Due to the recent explosion in CCTV supply from the manufacturing power houses in the Far East, there are a number of relatively inexpensive DIY bird box kits incorporating good quality day/night cameras. Easily installed, these provide a good habitat for native species and allow you to see into their lives from the comfort of your living room.
Let's look at the installation of one of these kits and the results you can expect.
The kit I used is provided by Gardenline and contains the following in the box:
- A weatherproof colour camera with a microphone and infra-red LED lighting
- Approximately 50m of green cable
- A 12v PSU and SCART attachment
- The wooden bird box parts themselves
- Screws and cable clips to assemble the kit and mount on a tree or a wall
- Clearly written pictorial instructions
You will need the following tools if, like me, you decide to run the cable through an exterior wall of your house.
- A suitable screwdriver
- A hammer drill with a 12mm masonry bit. Make sure the bit is long enough and the drill has sufficient torque to get through the wall.
- Sealant to finish the hole that is suitable for exterior applications
- A ladder
The first job is to assemble the bird box and install the camera within it. This is extremely straight forward and the only part that requires some care is ensuring that the cable exit is on the correct side of the box. The kit come with an optional species plate that, when fitted, would ensure that only smaller species could use the box.
Once this is done, the next task is to decide a suitable place to run the cable through the wall. Care should be taken here to ensure that you don't hit any cabling or pipework within the wall. You can pick up pipe and cable detectors from any DIY store. I simply drilled just above the skirting board and angled the bit slightly down (this is to help stop any moisture finding it's way along the cable). Finishing the hole with a good quality sealant or cable grommet should completely prevent any problems with water.
I chose to mount the bird box on the North face of my house to avoid the prevailing wind and excessive sunlight although you could just as easily mount it on a suitable tree. I went for around 3 metres height and used a couple of all purpose screws and rawl plugs to fix the box.
When running the cable from the bird box through the wall, I found out to my cost that it is best to have a helper feeding the cable from the other side for you. If snagged in the wall, it is a major pain to free it up again.
After these jobs have been done, the cable connects to the PSU and SCART adaptor and plugs directly into your TV. The picture and sound quality are surprisingly good and I was particularly impressed with the night time capabilities of the camera. Looking straight down at the floor of the box, we are going to have a great view of any birds and their families that choose to nest with us.
Roll on spring.
