I’m sure there have been other discussions but I wasn’t able to find the right search words. Not to mention that tech keeps changing…
So, I feed the birds. I am an old woman with bad eyes so I have birds on the feeders I can’t ID. (Is that a flicker or a woodpecker? Maybe a sapsucker?) I would like to put up a game cam but don’t know what I really need or want.
Some of the things I want are inexpensive and easy to operate. I would like it to send the pics to my comp or phone. It needs to be fairly easy to mount about 10 feet away from the feeding station. It doesn’t need to have night vision, but color images would be pretty helpful.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions (I know I’m going to get a bunch, you folks are so helpful and knowledgeable.), I will look at them all!
There are probably many choices. One I would recommend is the GoPro Hero9.
It is waterproof (so can stay out in the rain) and has motion triggers (it will only film when something in frame is moving). Current MSRP is $300. (on sale)
It takes high resolution photos/video and includes lots of fancy features (features they all have…this is actually the lower end of their offerings).
It uses a micro-SD card to record the pictures (sold separately). You’d need to remove that on occasion and plug it in to your computer and download the photos/video and then put it back in the camera.
Extra costs would be the micro-SD card ($30-ish per card), a tripod or some other mounting system to put the camera on (cost depends on many options), and perhaps a micro-SD reader for your computer if it does not already have one ($15-ish for a USB reader).
There would be a lot of futzing to get it to get the photos/video you want it to but once configured it should be mostly hands-off except to charge it and swap memory cards.
I have used an Arlo Camera before near a hummingbird feeder to get great pictures. It detects motion and turns on by itself and records about 1 minute video clips that you can watch on your cell phone. Amazon.com
As to identifying birds, try BirdNET, a app that detects bird by their sound / song. You can then look for the birds. It has helped me find birds that I didn’t even suspect were present.
I am so sorry for not replying to your very helpful post until now. I’d blame life happening, but honestly…I got so distracted by BirdNET that I forgot.
We have both Gila AND Ladderbacks here. Amazing, I had no idea. Thank you so much!
Presumably the feeder is in her backyard so maybe she can run an extension cord out to power it. Otherwise, the GoPro battery will last for just hours on standby & less than two hours while recording. A true trail cam will retain power for days/weeks/months, depending upon the model.
Thank you for helping fight my ignorance. I don’t want a high quality trail cam, I just wanna look at the birds. I didn’t know what words to use for my search and your post was very helpful.
I wouldn’t spend $200 on a GoPro for watching birds eat at a feeder.
There are LOTS of actual game cams out there for a lot less- the term used is ‘Trail Camera’ if you want to google “best of” lists.
If you’re using it in your backyard for daytime viewing, just about any game cam will have decent color pictures and a motion sensor. The distinguishing things for most game cams are storage capacity, things like cellular hookups, and night vision. None of which are big concerns in your backyard.
I might consider something like a Wyze Cam v3 in your situation. They are controlled from a cell phone, have HD photo and video capability, spectacular night vision, and are IP65 weather resistant. And they’re about $36.
$36? Holy cow! That’s an amazing price. So good as to be near disposable. Give it a go and if you do not like it give it to your niece or nephew or neighbor. Then get a different camera.
I am not trying to be dismissive of tossing $36 in the trash but that is a really great price that is worth a try IMO.
I recently got a Bird Buddy as a gift. It’s a feeder with a camera built into it. It has a motion sensor to take close-up pictures and video automatically, and connects via Wi-Fi to a phone app. I can’t really say anything about how well it works yet because it’s been raining pretty much every day since I got it, but it seems well made with a well-designed app