Greatbluehopefuls nest box 2019 & 2020 - Kildare,Ireland
May 29, 2020 12:04:13 GMT
YorksherLass likes this
Post by greatbluehopeful on May 29, 2020 12:04:13 GMT
Thanks, all, yes, so far so good!
They are baking in that nest today though ...temperatures were reaching the high 20's yesterday and scheduled to reach the low 30's today....I feel bad for them! But its going to be a smashing long weekend it seems!
Wow, Beechnut, I can't believe those eggs are hatching already!!! Amazing....best of luck with it.
Here is a 2min vid of how my little guys look now....so delighted to be finally "one of the gang" finally having an opportunity to share my nest videos. At last!
This is Day 13 since hatching - big jump since yesterday again I think!
Lastly, inspired by the fabulous trail cameras that people bought on here, I decided to treat myself this morning and buy a trail camera on Amazon....my CCTV dome camera just wasn't 'cutting the mustard' I felt.
So, I ended up buying the Toguard 'H85' (this edition was upgraded from the Toguard H80, in the 2nd half of 2020).
It has a 20 mega pixel camera with 1296p video and a "camera to phone" local wi-fi network for live viewing of footage
(but note!!! This camera cannot be used via your Wi-Fi home network for viewing outside of the home - it is not a webcam).
Having the local Wi-Fi means you can access the images and download them within 10 metres of the camera, without having to go near the camera to take out the SD card. I thought that was a handy idea in case it goes in a hard to reach location at some point.
Plus, in addition to this, it has a bluetooth connection i.e the camera controls work via the bluetooth on your phone so you can switch it on and off from afar and change the settings. No separate remote control needed, as per the previous model.
I paid £74.50 on Amazon (see link below) and it was a little bit more than I intended to spend
, but hey, I have barely spent a penny during the lock down....feck it!!! 
And I enjoy these little guys so much!!! 
It will be worth every penny - I hope!!!
It is due to be delivered on or before 9th June...hopefully sooner though as I might use for the chick fledging if I can time it right.
If anyone is currently doing some research on them, with a view to buying, here is what I got:
(I know I always like to know what people have bought to make an informed decision. I'll let you know how it goes.)
Note: As the Amazon seller is using the same advert for both the older model and the upgraded 2020 model, the reviews on Amazon have become a bit confusing...you might end up being uncertain as to the actual model you are getting.
The model must have only been recently upgraded in the last month, as even right up to May 2020 there reviews still referring to the earlier H80 model which people are accidentally still being sent by the seller (so watch out for that!!).
The buyers 'review photos' show a totally different looking model with a beige / greeny camouflaged coloured blocky looking camera with a lower half opening door and the IR black screen is semi-covered in a 'spider web' style plastic casing.
However, the one that they are now selling is the 'H85' upgraded model as per their advert picture i.e the grey camouflage model with full door opening to reveal larger control buttons than its predecessor, plus a less fussy, simple black rectangle low glow IR screen - no spider-web style plastic covering.
Thankfully, I think this model looks much more steam-lined and a lot nicer that the previous model. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this was the model I would be getting.
Disadvantages common to most trail cameras: You've to get 8 x batteries to work it (better to invest in a 6v DC power supply with a long lead instead) plus in order to enable the 'recording of footage' function, you'll need a good quality SD memory card such as a Class 10 U3 V30 standard size SD card.
These cameras are only capable of accepting an SD card up to 32gb, so I got a Sandisk 'Extreme' 32gb SDHC Class 10 U3 V30 memory card for £9.00 on Amazon as recommend by several reviewers.
Note: in case you think its a clever idea to put in a higher spec memory card for longer recording - don't bother!
These cameras won't cope with anything higher than the 32gb SD SDHC memory cards...I have looked into this, and read that a 64gb or 128gb SD memory cards just don't format correctly and won't work.
Even using the micro-SD 32gb SDXC versions (usually used for extending memory in mobile phones) along with an SD card adaptor can be problematic, so best to just get the recommended full sized 32gb SDHC card.
Anyway here is the link:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083Q78XRS/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
Edited to add a recent YouTube review that I found:
They are baking in that nest today though ...temperatures were reaching the high 20's yesterday and scheduled to reach the low 30's today....I feel bad for them! But its going to be a smashing long weekend it seems!
Wow, Beechnut, I can't believe those eggs are hatching already!!! Amazing....best of luck with it.
Here is a 2min vid of how my little guys look now....so delighted to be finally "one of the gang" finally having an opportunity to share my nest videos. At last!
This is Day 13 since hatching - big jump since yesterday again I think!
Lastly, inspired by the fabulous trail cameras that people bought on here, I decided to treat myself this morning and buy a trail camera on Amazon....my CCTV dome camera just wasn't 'cutting the mustard' I felt.
So, I ended up buying the Toguard 'H85' (this edition was upgraded from the Toguard H80, in the 2nd half of 2020).
It has a 20 mega pixel camera with 1296p video and a "camera to phone" local wi-fi network for live viewing of footage
(but note!!! This camera cannot be used via your Wi-Fi home network for viewing outside of the home - it is not a webcam).
Having the local Wi-Fi means you can access the images and download them within 10 metres of the camera, without having to go near the camera to take out the SD card. I thought that was a handy idea in case it goes in a hard to reach location at some point.
Plus, in addition to this, it has a bluetooth connection i.e the camera controls work via the bluetooth on your phone so you can switch it on and off from afar and change the settings. No separate remote control needed, as per the previous model.
I paid £74.50 on Amazon (see link below) and it was a little bit more than I intended to spend
, but hey, I have barely spent a penny during the lock down....feck it!!! 
And I enjoy these little guys so much!!! 
It will be worth every penny - I hope!!!It is due to be delivered on or before 9th June...hopefully sooner though as I might use for the chick fledging if I can time it right.
If anyone is currently doing some research on them, with a view to buying, here is what I got:
(I know I always like to know what people have bought to make an informed decision. I'll let you know how it goes.)
Note: As the Amazon seller is using the same advert for both the older model and the upgraded 2020 model, the reviews on Amazon have become a bit confusing...you might end up being uncertain as to the actual model you are getting.
The model must have only been recently upgraded in the last month, as even right up to May 2020 there reviews still referring to the earlier H80 model which people are accidentally still being sent by the seller (so watch out for that!!).
The buyers 'review photos' show a totally different looking model with a beige / greeny camouflaged coloured blocky looking camera with a lower half opening door and the IR black screen is semi-covered in a 'spider web' style plastic casing.
However, the one that they are now selling is the 'H85' upgraded model as per their advert picture i.e the grey camouflage model with full door opening to reveal larger control buttons than its predecessor, plus a less fussy, simple black rectangle low glow IR screen - no spider-web style plastic covering.
Thankfully, I think this model looks much more steam-lined and a lot nicer that the previous model. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this was the model I would be getting.
Disadvantages common to most trail cameras: You've to get 8 x batteries to work it (better to invest in a 6v DC power supply with a long lead instead) plus in order to enable the 'recording of footage' function, you'll need a good quality SD memory card such as a Class 10 U3 V30 standard size SD card.
These cameras are only capable of accepting an SD card up to 32gb, so I got a Sandisk 'Extreme' 32gb SDHC Class 10 U3 V30 memory card for £9.00 on Amazon as recommend by several reviewers.
Note: in case you think its a clever idea to put in a higher spec memory card for longer recording - don't bother!
These cameras won't cope with anything higher than the 32gb SD SDHC memory cards...I have looked into this, and read that a 64gb or 128gb SD memory cards just don't format correctly and won't work.
Even using the micro-SD 32gb SDXC versions (usually used for extending memory in mobile phones) along with an SD card adaptor can be problematic, so best to just get the recommended full sized 32gb SDHC card.
Anyway here is the link:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083Q78XRS/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza
Edited to add a recent YouTube review that I found: