Birds are such wonderful creatures. But with a drop of a needle, they fly away. So upgrade your bird watching with security cameras.
There are many ways to do it, as well as capturing high-quality images of them flying too! You will be able to impress various of your friends that enjoy watching.
Apart from that, they do not have to be expensive and can be used to guard your home at the same time.
Therefore, you can get a two-in-one deal. Enjoy the outdoors without attempting to take a picture, and keep burglars away.
Binoculars are outdated. Lay back and let your cameras picture the moment which you get to experience.
As well as getting in a laugh or two from a squirrel outside, or even your kids running around. But how do you choose one?
Let's go through a list of the best bird-watching cameras in the market today, and ditch the binoculars!
Bird watching with security cameras
To capture the best images and the most high-quality footage you need to understand what to look for in a camera.
Certain features can either make or break your whole bird watching with security cameras experience and end up giving you horrible footage.
Let's look into what you do need when you want to use security cameras to bird watch.
High Resolution
Birds are fast creatures and scatter around quickly. With a blink of an eye, they disappear into thin air.
Therefore, when choosing a camera, you should definitively focus on the high resolution so you get usable footage.
If you pick a camera with low resolution, your image will come off pixelated and might even miss most of the bird due to speed.
However, when you invest in a higher resolution camera, you will have sharper footage. Then leading to better bird watching with security cameras.
When shopping for a camera, attempt to go for cameras that have high resolution stating at least with 1080p.
You can also spring for 4MP, 5MP, and even 4K. These high-resolutions are going to make bird watching with security cameras worth it.
To make it worth it, you should be able to see the bird's incredible colors in amazing quality. The image should be vivid and clear.
Having security cameras outside can also double as a lookout for any weird behavior that can be going on around the neighborhood.
The high resolution can capture details and even make it easier for authorities to identify suspects and culprits.
Bird watching with security cameras can definitively be fun but can keep you safe in your home at the same time.
Night Vision
Having night vision can be a great add on. Even with poor lighting conditions objects, animals and people can be seen with striking details.
This should be included in any surveillance camera, as it is crucial to protect your house, especially from burglars that can target your home at night.
In low light conditions, the camera can further see birds and their nightly behaviors. This can be useful if you enjoy studying them.
Though you will usually not be able to observe colors, with the use of infrared lighting you can observe the picture in black and white.
But some brands have gone out of their way to make it happen. Some companies developed a way to bring your colors even at night.
These cameras use starlight image sensors that allow you to vividly see the birds' colors even when night comes around.
Surely this is an upgrade from binoculars to bird watching with security cameras at night. Especially since you could not observe birds at night with binoculars at all.
Not only will you be able to observe them in their natural habitat, but you will also see their beautiful feathers in all their true colors!
Listen to the music
For a true bird watcher, looking is not enough. Part of the bird watching experience is hearing the chirping and joyful music.
Watchers might argue that bird watching with security cameras are not going to cover the listening experience.
Having a camera with a microphone such as the Nest outdoor IQ can pick up the sounds from a bird's chirping nearby.
Whether recorded or live, you will get the sensation of being beside them. As well as listening to the sounds of nature that surround you.
Such as a grasshopper, the leaves rustling, and the peaceful night. It is a great way to bring in the outside!
Blend in
To make sure your camera is good for bird watching, you want to make sure that it is a durable camera that can withstand different circumstances.
The best bird-watching cameras are going to perform strongly whether it is rain or shine. However, outdoor cameras were built more durable than indoor ones.
The camera you want might not have protection against rain or debris. But do not worry. This problem can usually be fixed with a junction box.
These boxes protect from water damage and moisture, keeps debris and anything from getting stuck in the lens, and more.
But do not forget about your cables and connectors that play a big role in the camera's ability to function.and connectors.
Installation
Though choosing a camera is a very important part of the bird watching with the security cameras process, you must install it in the perfect spot.
Usually, you will see birds more in your backyard, then pointed at your front door. Therefore, the location can be everything.
If you find a location pointed at a nest, you just hit a jackpot! The goal is to find a spot in which birds pass by constantly.
Having a professional do it for you can be quite helpful. Especially since backlighting can be an issue.
Finding the perfect angle to avoid rain, and get the perfect lighting can be advice a professional can tell you.
Keep in mind most security cameras do not run on batteries and need to be plugged in and wired through your house or the outside.
Solar panels are also a good source of energy, however, they might be a bit hard to install by yourself.
Additionally, the camera must have access to your house's WiFi to be able to transmit footage. So a professional installer might come in handy.
And with a good expert in hand, you can even get creative. Bird watching with security cameras does not have to be boring!
Some watchers even get the cameras installed in their bird houses to see the birds coming in and out whenever they please.
Motion Sensors
Just as a camera takes a picture of your license plate as you pass by a toll, you can get pretty pictures of birds without working for them.
With cameras that include motion sensors, the cameras can capture pictures of the birds without a push of a button.
Cameras can detect movement and begin recording in less than one second. Giving you the perfect shots of your birds.
As well as send you alerts immediately to show you what is going on around the camera. So you can observe and take your own pictures when you please.
Or you can just rely on the camera to do it for you and take a look at the pictures later.
Live viewing
Being able to watch your footage live wherever you are can sure be an add on. This feature allows you to log in to your account and gain access.
Whether you are on a trip, at work, or inside the house, you can have total access to the outside world.
No matter what device you are on, you can have total access to your cameras. You can be on a phone, tablet, or laptop.
This feature also allows you to check up on your house for security purposes and give you peace of mind.
No matter if you are thousands of miles away, in the middle of the ocean, you still have complete and total access to your cameras back home.
If you are wondering whether or not you should invest in this feature, we definitively recommend it to anyone!
Step by step: Bird watching with security cameras
Setting up a camera can end up being quite a long process so let's walk through it together.
The setting up portion can be lengthy due to finding the perfect angle, though the setup and connecting of the camera is usually quick and easy.
If you find any problems with setting up your camera you can look for professional installers in your area, or ask someone from the company to come down and help you out.
However, if you wanna tackle the challenge alone, most companies provide video demonstrations on how to correctly set it up.
Placement
You might want different viewing angles than other people, that's why you can install cameras in various places, as long as you have the resources to.
Keep in mind that the cable and WiFi must reach the camera to make sure it will work properly even in a faraway distance from your house.
You might want to install the Wi-Fi camera in the birdhouse if you want an inside look at the bird's day to day travels. This can also be useful if you have a domestic bird that is allowed out.
Installing it in a feeder can also make sure you will see a bird or two once you put food out for them. As long as the camera is facing out, you will definitely see some birds.
If you want to place cameras in these locations, the smaller the camera the better. And you might want to look for battery-powered cameras too!
Using cables can not only be a safety hazard for animals around such as the birds, and squirrels but for your kids too. Apart from that wires left all over your grass is never safe or appealing to the eye.
Some people even try to install the cameras inside or outside of trees to get a good look at the birds and their daily routines and behaviors.
Wires
Though you can use battery-powered cameras, you will eventually need to go outside and replace them, which you might not be able to.
This is where the wires come in. They are a good power supply and type of data transmitter to bird watch. However, there are some key things you must keep in mind before installing everything.
Firstly, you must find the shortest route so you do not waste extra wires, and if an issue occurs you will need to check a smaller area.
You can then protect the cables with cable stabilizers, or even thin PVC pipes that run around the route and keep it protected from any pulling, tugging, or even from rats!
Make sure you leave a few extra inches in case the wires do not reach the camera once they are in the protectors, and also so you do not lose all your work.
Set up bird watching with security cameras
Lastly, after all the wires and placement of the camera, you want to connect it to the internet of your house. Set up an account, password, etc.
You might want to set up other features available to you such as night vision and other routines available through the company app.
You can then log in on other devices or even mirror the image to your TV so you can watch even during a rainy day!
Additionally, you can also ask your voice-controlled friends to display it on the screen or mirror it to any TV in the house.
And make sure you turn those notifications on! You do not want to miss a reminder that your lovely feathered friends came to visit you.
You can then capture a picture or look at some that the camera took for you. Then it is your job to click upload and share it with everyone you know that loves to bird watch too.
The bottom line
The cameras don't only detect birds. They can keep some intruders out by shining bright lights or admitting a loud alarm.
It's a win-win for all bird watchers! And do not forget you can stream your watching experience to bird watchers everywhere and allow them to take a look at your view.
So does bird watching with security cameras live up to your expectations? Is it worth the investment to get some pretty pictures?
You can watch them anywhere, day or night! Learn more about their daily lives and routines by watching them through the cameras!