It’s been a busy spring and this po’ blog has sure taken a backseat to projects for my clients (yes, having to make $$) and spring migration, when more than 120 bird species pass through or arrive in Oklahoma. Busy, I have been! And I have two bird experiences I’d especially like to share in the next few days. But I’ve also been a bit busy with some new tech-toys / bargains that I’ve run across and that’s what today’s post is about. I bought a new camera for my bird photography… I’ve replaced my Panasonic FZ30 (8MP) with the FZ50 (10MP) and have taken 5,000 photos in 3 months! I splurged on a TomTom GPS system (found a refurb for under $100) and also a new camera to add to my Backyard BirdCam system! The newest camera (Camera #3) is a Trendnet TV-IP100W that’s wireless and I’m hoping will allow me to move it around the yard and showcase some of the birds that rarely get to appear on the main BirdCams. The goldfinch are gone for the summer but it would have been great to have a camera I could easily point at the thistle feeders. I look forward to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arriving at my feeders in August and plan to put this camera close to that action. At least that’s the plan! For now, I have the camera on the main birdbath in the backyard to see if it can catch some of the birds, like the robins and wrens that don’t use the feeders. I have a small bird-pond and a fountain, so the birdbath isn’t the only water feature in the yard but it is often a popular spot. In the upper right corner you’ll see the feeders that are on Camera #1 and when the wind is blowing and the skinny desert willow at the birdbath bends, you’ll see a small sunflower seed feeder that the Carolina Chickadees really enjoy.
I hope this camera will prove to be as durable as the Axis 2100 cameras that have been operational 24x7x365 for the past 6+ years. It was cheaper so I’m not sure if it’s just the decreasing price of technology that made it so affordable or if I paid less for less quality. Nothing like testing in the “field” to learn about equipment!
Let’s see if the birds will cooperate and enjoy being “on-cam”!
Hi Pat. It’s been about a month since I checked in, so I was excited to see a 3rd bird cam in action when I looked today! You’ve given me some inspiration, which is to place food a little closer to our bird bath. We seem to get pretty slow traffic at our bird bath, even though it has a dripper on it, which I assumed would bring more traffic. Our feeders are kind of far from the bath, so I might try adding a smaller feeder closer to the bath. On a technical note, I have noticed that the Beta camera doesn’t reload consistently – it seems like the picture only refreshes every 2nd or 3rd countdown of the reload timer. I hope that’s helpful feedback to you. And 5000 photos in 3 months?! Holy cow! You are a busy lady. I’ll have to check out your photo gallery for potential updates.
Take care!
Hi Pat
The new camera is looking good and handles the light changes well.
Viewing is better now that you have moved in closer to the birdbath.
Les
I’m using an Olympus digcam as a webcam. I wrote software for it. You can see at http://www.SquirrelCam.org The quality is very very good. I’m looking forward to some good bird pics this spring.
-Mike