June 16, 2008 Backyard birdwatchers will love this wildlife spy-cam from Wingscapes. The motion-activated BirdCam is designed to capture video and digital photos of birds and small animals while you’re not around to see them.
The weatherproof camera boasts easy operation and three capture modes; auto, which makes use of an Infrared sensor to capture images based on motion detection; manual, which includes remote control operation from a distance of up to 30 feet away: and time lapse mode.
The camera supports a 4GB memory card and includes a USB cable for downloading your images to computer plus a TV-out cable. The photo size can be preset to either High (2048x1536), Med (1328x996) or Low (640x480) resolution, so at the highest setting its roughly equivalent to a 3.1 megapixel camera. Video capture is is 640 x 480 at 10fps for a 10 second AVI clip.
The adjustable focus works at a distance of 18-inches or farther and a laser aiming device is incorporated to make setting-up the focus easier. The device is also "specially engineered to discriminate against non-bird movement" according to Wingspan so it shouldn't be triggered by moving plants. BirdCam can be tripod-mounted or attached to stationary object and there's also an add-on mounting arm available.
The applications for the device are of course not limited to monitoring the backyard birdhouse - all sorts of critters could be caught in the act from short range and time lapse mode could be used to watch flowers budding or a host of other scenarios. The device is also being used by field biologists and professional ornithologists as a tool for research.
The Wingscapes BirdCam retails for USD$249.99 plus $29.00 for a mounting arm.
Via Wingscapes / Picture Snob.