Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

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jztemple2
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Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

I recently put out a bird bath and from the water splashed on the ground it is apparently being used. I don't have a window that overlooks it so I was going to be all techie and put out a GoPro camera or something like that to record the little guys. I figure a lot of folks out there have experience with this sort of thing. Here are my requirements:
  • I don't want or need a live camera feed.
  • I want to record roughly an eight hour time stretch. I can change out SD cards (or whatever) during that time if needed.
  • Mounting the camera won't be an issue as there is a handrail nearby and I can always use some HandiTact for that.
  • It will be outside but the air temp is in the seventies or eighties. I can make a sun shield if needed for the camera.
  • I will be reviewing the videos on my computer, so I'll need to have some way to transfer the video. I have SD card readers if needed.
  • Continuous recording is preferred, but I guess I could explore time interval snapshots
  • I don't need a huge amount of resolution, just enough to identify the bird enjoying the splashing :D
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by jztemple2 on Sun Feb 19, 2023 3:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Anonymous Bosch
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivelent camera need

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

jztemple2 wrote: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:52 am I recently put out a bird bath and from the water splashed on the ground it is apparently being used. I don't have a window that overlooks it so I was going to be all techie and put out a GoPro camera or something like that to record the little guys. I figure a lot of folks out there have experience with this sort of thing. Here are my requirements:
  • I don't want or need a live camera feed.
  • I want to record roughly an eight hour time stretch. I can change out SD cards (or whatever) during that time if needed.
  • Mounting the camera won't be an issue as there is a handrail nearby and I can always use some HandiTact for that.
  • It will be outside but the air temp is in the seventies or eighties. I can make a sun shield if needed for the camera.
  • I will be reviewing the videos on my computer, so I'll need to have some way to transfer the video. I have SD card readers if needed.
  • Continuous recording is preferred, but I guess I could explore time interval snapshots
  • I don't need a huge amount of resolution, just enough to identify the bird enjoying the splashing :D
Thanks for any help!
A motion-activated trail camera is what you're after.

Here's one for <$80 that includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. This makes it more convenient than necessarily having to pull SD cards to review your images and footage:
But there's a broad variety of motion-activated trail cameras you can choose from, with more or less features like built-in solar panels and higher resolutions that are priced accordingly. So take your pick.
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jztemple2
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivelent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

Cool! Thanks for letting me know about this, I think it's just what I'm looking for.
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

I took some time, but I got the camera you mentioned. It took a couple of days to get everything figured out, and then a couple of days for the birds to show up :roll: but now here it is. Thanks for the help!

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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

That's some great footage jzt, and your avian pal there certainly seems to appreciate the bird pool. :handgestures-thumbup:
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 4:04 pm That's some great footage jzt, and your avian pal there certainly seems to appreciate the bird pool. :handgestures-thumbup:
Yup, that's a really nice camera and does really high quality stills as well as 1080p video. .
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by naednek »

I'm waiting for shots of the flamingos
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

naednek wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 4:47 pm I'm waiting for shots of the flamingos
Funny you should ask :wink:

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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by GreenGoo »

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

Nice recommendation AB. Video looks great.
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by naednek »

jztemple2 wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 5:15 pm
naednek wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 4:47 pm I'm waiting for shots of the flamingos
Funny you should ask :wink:

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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

Link fixed

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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by TheMix »

:clap:

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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by em2nought »

I would suggest moving the bird bath over into the grass just in case a raccoon decides to visit. Raccoons love to wash their hands in the birdbath, and then they tend to topple the bowl. If it falls in the grass it's less likely to be cracked. Or, you might also get some construction adhesive to connect the bowl to the stand.

If the stand is hollow, it might help to fill that with concrete also for stability.
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Re: Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera need

Post by jztemple2 »

em2nought wrote: Thu Feb 16, 2023 4:36 pm I would suggest moving the bird bath over into the grass just in case a raccoon decides to visit. Raccoons love to wash their hands in the birdbath, and then they tend to topple the bowl. If it falls in the grass it's less likely to be cracked. Or, you might also get some construction adhesive to connect the bowl to the stand.

If the stand is hollow, it might help to fill that with concrete also for stability.
The birdbath is plastic, top and bottom locked together and it is weighted in the bottom. But thanks for thinking about it :wub:

Meanwhile, Thursday (today) at the birdbath... OK, the last clip was from the day before :D

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Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

After a couple of slow day, suddenly every bluejay figured it was a good day to take a bath!

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Not only birds come to the birdbath:

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Jeff V »

Now, stock it with baby alligators and see what happens. :twisted:
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Daehawk »

I never knew birds liked them so much. I may see about getting one. Trouble is they take upkeep to keep clean and also my window shrubs make it hard to see anything that close to the house. id need to put it in the way of mowing out in the yard...i already cant see the bird feeder i have. i used to be able to 10 years ago. I trimmed them short as i could last time I tried to do work on them.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

I just came to realize that allowing the camera to run only two minutes is not enough. Today we had bluejays chasing each other and a real good closeup of some bird type I can't quite identify (any help would be appreciated). Yes, five minute recording time is going to be a must!

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Daehawk »

Mockingbird.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

jztemple2 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:34 pm I just came to realize that allowing the camera to run only two minutes is not enough. Today we had bluejays chasing each other and a real good closeup of some bird type I can't quite identify (any help would be appreciated). Yes, five minute recording time is going to be a must!
Perhaps the state bird of Florida, the Northern Mockingbird?

Enlarge Image

I'm shoddy with bird identification though, so you're better off using the free Merlin Bird ID app for more reliable bird identification.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Daehawk wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:31 pmMockingbird.
Thanks!
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:33 pm
jztemple2 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:34 pm I just came to realize that allowing the camera to run only two minutes is not enough. Today we had bluejays chasing each other and a real good closeup of some bird type I can't quite identify (any help would be appreciated). Yes, five minute recording time is going to be a must!
Perhaps the state bird of Florida, the Northern Mockingbird?

Enlarge Image

I'm shoddy with bird identification though, so you're better off using the free Merlin Bird ID app for more reliable bird identification.
Thanks for the suggestion about the app, that would be handy.

I thought the state bird of Florida was the plastic lawn flamingo, but I might be wrong :think:
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Kraken »

jztemple2 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:42 pm I thought the state bird of Florida was the plastic lawn flamingo, but I might be wrong :think:
In Massachusetts, it's the construction crane.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by dbt1949 »

In Arkansas it's the buzzard.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Daehawk »

TN seems to have 2 state birds...the Mockingbird and the Bobwhite........not related to the Walterwhite.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Not much going on this week with the birds, but right near sunset a mockingbird watches a bluejay take a dip. The bluejay returns for a very quick rinse.

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Not twenty seconds after I topped off the birdbath this morning a couple of bluejays decided to stop by and have a drink. Then they decided that hey, the water's fine, might as well take a bath.

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Daehawk »

My sister says if you take a birdbath like that and fill it with marbles and water it will attract butterflies. They can land on the marbles and drink and not fall in and drown.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

The temps are way above average here, my birdies need to get cooled off.

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by TheMix »

Definitely going to need to pick up one of these when it warms up enough to put my bath back out. I've got a temporary water bath up, but none of them seem to use it. :(

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Hrdina »

When it gets a little warmer up here in NJ we'll put our birdbath back outside.

Maybe I'll get some video of the pigeons using it. Sometimes they try to get 4 or 5 of them into the bath at the same time.

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Sometimes we get grackles, cardinals, junkos, chickadees, and the occasional blue jay.

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Sometimes we get non-avian visitors too.

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Last edited by Hrdina on Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Unagi »

Daehawk wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 7:59 pm My sister says if you take a birdbath like that and fill it with ...
I don't know why, but I thought you were going to say "Hookers"
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Unagi »

Hrdina wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:37 pm Enlarge Image
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No offense, but the image quality vs. image size being shared... well... it's hard on the eyes. Go with the bigimg tag.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Hrdina wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:37 pm When it gets a little warmer up here in NJ we'll put our birdbath back outside.
My wife is very jealous about you getting deer there. She's from Camden, where in NJ do you hail from?
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Hrdina »

Unagi wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:27 pmNo offense, but the image quality vs. image size being shared... well... it's hard on the eyes. Go with the bigimg tag.
Sorry about that, corrected.
jztemple2 wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 11:02 pm
Hrdina wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:37 pm When it gets a little warmer up here in NJ we'll put our birdbath back outside.
My wife is very jealous about you getting deer there. She's from Camden, where in NJ do you hail from?
Well, I grew up in Riverton and went to Palmyra High School, which is about 15 minutes north of Camden.

I do a lot of genealogical research, and have a bunch of families that lived in Camden. My next trip to visit my mom (in Cinnaminson) will involve a side trip to Harleigh Cemetery, on the edge of Camden near Airport Circle.

I currently live much closer to Newark than to Camden.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

Only one bird appearance on Saturday, but on Sunday the camera was triggered ten times! After editing, just over seventeen minutes of birdbath goodness.

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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by em2nought »

We have deer in Florida too, here's one I met one night while bringing my cousin back from TPA last fall. :lol:
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by jztemple2 »

em2nought wrote: Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:00 am We have deer in Florida too, here's one I met one night while bringing my cousin back from TPA last fall. :lol:
:D

Sadly we are too suburban for deer to come wandering by.
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Re: Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

Post by Blackhawk »

We have entire seasons where people try to be home before evening because there are so many deer on the roads. Here, driving in deer is as normal as driving in fog in San Francisco.
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