My Mum loves her garden and wildlife, so when it came to Christmas 2019 I was stuck for ideas and wanted to design something really special for her.
Mum and Dad are lucky enough to have had some families of various birds move into their bird boxes but I wanted to take it to another level.
I looked at some camera bird boxes but they all used quite an old school method of viewing the cameras, basically a wireless cctv style camera into a screen.
So I designed my bird box with a typically sized bird box space in one end (the bottom as you look at it) and a camera section in the top.
The inside is ready to accept a camera, these are wired cameras with wifi connectivity and the ability to view live feed and recorded clips from your smartphone so you can see the birds nesting from beginning to end. We have carved a divider for the camera to fit into so the bird cannot see the camera behind the wooden insert.
We use and recommend the Tapo TP C100 camera. https://www.tapo.com/uk/product/smart-camera/tapo-c100/
The camera has motion detection settings and night vision features which can be adjusted in the app to capture as much birdy action as possible! Videos can be downloaded and shared with friends and family. Live streams can also be shared!
We have had many successes since launching these and are pleased to announce the sighting of many babies hatching in our birdboxes sold to customers.
These bird boxes are made by myself from pine and stainless steel lined with cork to ensure longevity. There are multiple colours to choose from - green (sage), brown, black, grey (light) and raw pine.
Birdbox info and advice:
- We want your bird box to last a long time so you can see many families of birds nest, so we have developed our design from a completely solid wooden box to a metal roof and base (lined with natural cork) with wooden sides. We keep the front and rear of the box made out of wood so that the entry hole for the birds was as natural as possible and to avoid any injuries. We also kept part of the box wooden and lined with cork to ensure the box does not get too warm in the summer months or cold in the winter.
- We have addressed any concerns regarding metal roofs and the advice given by the RSPB by using a thermal insulation of cork. Cork is a natural material which is not harmful to wildlife, it provides a natural base for the birds and most importantly it absorbs any heat transferred through the metal roof. It also prevents any condensation from forming inside the bird box. We have lined our rooves and bases with a thin layer of cork to provide the optimum nesting area for the birds but also the use of the metal roof ensures you have your bird box for many years to come.
- We have thought this through carefully and tested our bird boxes and consulted other metal bird box manufacturers on the market to ensure the ultimate safety of the birds.
- We would always recommend placing your bird box out of direct sunlight regardless of material.
I do hope you have as much enjoyment as we have had from watching the nesting birds. It really is lovely to see them make their homes and watch progress as the days and weeks pass by!