Monday 21 June 2010

This should have been a fox!

I've been trying to get some close-up footage of our local foxes. On Friday I set up a minicam, connected to a DV camera, and sat up all night waiting for the fox to turn up so I could press the 'record' button at the crucial moment. Needless to say, the fox didn't show up!

Not to be outdone, I downloaded a motion sensing cctv app for the mac, and left the laptop watching over my bait.

Turns out the laptop connection isn't as sensitive as the DV camera's, so it didn't spot foxy sneaking in under cover of darkness and lifting the two eggs I'd placed just in front of the camera. Still I did get this nice shot of a crow.

Next step is to find a way of illuminating the scene properly... Watch this space!



UPDATE 23/6: Turns out there's more to this than meets the eye. The HQ2 camera I've been using is not sensitive to IR light. That's because they put in a special filter to stop IR spoiling the image in daylight! After an email conversation with the helpful chaps at Dogcamsport, I'm ordering an adapter cable to use another camera, which is sensitive to IR and performs very well as a night vision device. Plus I've extended the cable connection to reach the computer in my spare bedroom, so I don't have to leave the laptop in the shed (thieves please note, there's no point breaking the door down). And I've got hold of a super-powered IR cctv floodlamp to cover the area. And yes, my wife does think I'm getting a bit obsessed with all this!

1 comment:

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Excellent!! We your loyal readers salute you as a naturalist, a hobbyist and a fellow OCD-ist!

Good Work
SBW