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Post by pete11 on Nov 19, 2023 6:39:35 GMT
Hi all
Can't believe this year's nearly over already.
I had all kinds of grand plans for upgrading cameras in time for the 2024 season but just haven't had any time to devote to it.
I haven't even managed to clear out my main box to remove last year's nest...I'm going to be doing that later today, and hoping I haven't left it too late.
I also need to take the camera out and upgrade the firmware - it was ever so flaky back in the spring - hopefully an upgrade will help.
Good luck everyone with your boxes, roosters and nests this coming season.
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Post by Ann70 on Nov 19, 2023 7:01:23 GMT
All the best Pete
Roll on when the days stretch out again, the short days and wet weather doesn’t help when you need to get out for those jobs.
Can’t wait until the season starts, I’ve been enjoying the activity to the feeders after about 4 months of quiet😊
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Post by pete11 on Nov 19, 2023 16:00:25 GMT
Box cleaned out. It looks as if there has been some roosting activity since the chicks all left home 6 months ago - the nest cup has been trampled down and there's a fair bit of poop. But this is all speculation as the camera power supply connector had fallen out - I haven't been checking the camera feed so no idea what's been happening. More annoyingly, the firmware update GF sent me back in May turns out to be the wrong file, so I haven't been able to sort that out today. All the faff of taking the box down and I was hoping to do everything needed in one go.  Camera still works, but hard to tell if it'll behave itself or flake out like it was doing.  |
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Post by pete11 on Nov 26, 2023 16:26:06 GMT
Camera firmware now upgraded, power connectors held tight together using some garden wire.
So far the camera seems to be better behaved....only time will tell for sure!
Very much thinking about buying a mini dome camera off ebay and seeing if I can tweak the lens on it so it focuses close enough to use in a nest box....not sure I'll have time to sort that for Spring 2024 but we shall see.
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Post by matt on Dec 1, 2023 15:13:42 GMT
Looking good Pete - best of luck!
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Post by pete11 on Dec 10, 2023 21:57:22 GMT
Camera still flaking out periodically - but it's dawned on me it might be partly due to my powerline adapters, which (I've been reading online) are notoriously unreliable and have a tendency to drop connections or lose bandwidth every so often for no apparent reason. I've tweaked them so they don't ever go into 'power save' mode, but still I've had a couple of flaky camera episodes since.
On the plus side, when the camera's behaving itself, it's logging pretty much daily visits from a blue tit, usually around 8am-10am, especially when it's sunnier weather.
So it would appear my nest box is on their radar already, which is nice to know!
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Post by johnb2023 on Dec 11, 2023 9:00:02 GMT
Sounds probable with power Pete. Maybe worst case you can replace this box with new innards one evening and they won't notice? Still early.
Daily visits is great. Maybe a rooster soon.
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Post by pete11 on Dec 13, 2023 20:53:58 GMT
Yes John agree time's still kind of on my side as far as the season's concerned, but just need to find a good mini dome security camera as a candidate for tinkering with and also some time to do the tinkering!
Amazingly though, my GF camera is still bearing up with no problems - I'm genuinely starting to believe it was my powerline adapters all along causing all my trouble.
I've also set up a continuous ping every 5 seconds from one of my Raspberry Pis indoors, to the router in the garden box (the access point on the other end of the powerline adapter) - I read someone's comment somewhere online saying how by doing this they sorted the flakiness out due to it keeping the network activity going.
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Post by pete11 on Dec 29, 2023 23:16:06 GMT
Probably the last post of 2023.
Happy New Year to all.
Pleased to report:
1) camera has been rock-solidly well-behaved since I tweaked the powerline adapter settings and left the Raspberry Pi doing its ping thing (see previous post).
2) my main tree box (with the GF camera) has been getting several BT visits per day, with the occasional double visit. Looking promising for the coming season!
Best of luck to everyone for 2024.
Cheers!
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Post by Ann70 on Dec 30, 2023 6:36:37 GMT
Happy new year Pete so may it continue and you have a good season
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Post by karenupnorth on Dec 30, 2023 11:41:52 GMT
Glad you got sorted Pete. Excellent news on the visits, good luck for Spring  |
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Post by pete11 on Mar 12, 2024 21:29:04 GMT
Been a while since I last checked in.
Visits were going v well in Jan/Feb but with all this constant rainy wet weather it's been a bit quiet lately. Hopefully things will pick up when the sun comes out more!
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Post by WildlifePaul on Mar 14, 2024 17:18:43 GMT
Nice to have you back Pete!
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Post by pete11 on Mar 16, 2024 9:11:05 GMT
Not really sure what to make of things this year. All seems extremely quiet compared to 2023 & 2022.
Still hardly any visiting going on since mid-Feb. Just the odd head poking into the entrance hole a handful of times per day.
Either it's all delayed due to the horrendous wet weather, or my box hasn't been chosen this year. Perhaps there's a new box nearby!
The more we progress through March the less likely it's looking for mine.🤷
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Post by pete11 on Mar 17, 2024 13:06:19 GMT
Just checked my other box (side view) for the first time in a long time... Some bits of material in there, but not the usual green moss. No idea how long ago it might have been brought in. Probably an abandoned attempt? Also clearly some hole-pecking judging by the sawdust...and a few poops. I would blame them for abandoning it in search of somewhere more waterproof though   |
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Post by WildlifePaul on Mar 17, 2024 15:29:59 GMT
Oh keep us posted Pete!
Still early days, My blue tit is taken more material out than she is bringing in at the moment.
Still very much at the "in no real rush" stage here but it is only mid march so plenty of time for nests to start!
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Post by pete11 on Mar 26, 2024 9:29:16 GMT
All the excitement this morning 😄  |
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Post by pete11 on Mar 26, 2024 9:39:59 GMT
I checked the side-view box last night and there was nothing but the same tiny bit of grass in there as per a while ago.
But as per pic above, it's clearly all been going on this morning.
Noticed a BT going into the box about an hour ago so looked at the feed and lo and behold she's being very busy.
We mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday and she's finding all the moss there.
Hope the cats don't catch on or there'll be trouble, as this box is a lot more vulnerable than the tree box.
The timestamp is out of sync on the camera too. I'll have to sort that out later!
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Post by karenupnorth on Mar 26, 2024 10:19:59 GMT
Congrats pete, very exciting, she is doing very well.  |
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Post by suep on Mar 26, 2024 16:45:40 GMT
That is looking super Pete. Amazing how fast they can work if they want to .
Sue
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Post by pete11 on Mar 27, 2024 21:47:50 GMT
Little bit concerned as there's clearly a bit of a leak in the box roof, letting rain drip a small amount - you can see the drying-out patch on the floor in the pic of the empty box.
Unfortunately that seems to be very close to where female BT has decided the nest cup is going to be.
Very young chicks + dripping water is a bit of a risk to them in terms of losing heat etc.
Hmm. Might have to sneak out and apply some strategic sealant or waterproof tape in the next few days.
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Post by pete11 on Mar 28, 2024 10:08:56 GMT
BT seems to be spending a lot of time pecking furiously at the side of the nest box just next to where she seems to be creating the nest cup.
Sawdust building up.
Can't decide what she's up to.
Trying to widen the space?
Drilling a ventilation hole?
🤷
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Post by pete11 on Mar 28, 2024 22:23:36 GMT
Couple of videos from yesterday (still haven't reset the camera timestamp) including a little moment where the male offers the female a little treat to eat (2nd clip ~35s in) Most of today has been all about furious pecking sessions hacking away at the back wall of the nest box (you can see a fair bit of this in these clips, too)  Wish I knew what she was trying to achieve! |
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Post by Ann70 on Mar 28, 2024 22:53:36 GMT
Lovely touch with him bringing a treat
She seems rather nervous and certainly making a good go at chipping away at the box for whatever reason v strange
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Post by suep on Mar 29, 2024 11:00:28 GMT
Maybe she was a woodpecker in another life  . Seriously, have no idea about the pecking but have also had birds do this over the years. If only we could read their minds  . Looking good though Pete. Sue |
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Wish I knew what she was trying to achieve!
. Seriously, have no idea about the pecking but have also had birds do this over the years. If only we could read their minds 
. Looking good though Pete.