Nature Done Wright

    Sorry for the techno-geek photo above, but wanted to let everyone know that I will soon be hooking up a second miniaturized infra-red video cam — a Fowl Cam, or Duck-o-Vision — to monitor what goes on in the wood duck box just beyond the backyard.

   Last spring a female wood duck laid nine eggs in the box, but I could only guess that was what happened because I had no way of seeing inside. 

   At one point, Ace the Screech Owl hung out in the box with the wood duck eggs, and I pretty much missed it because I lacked a camera in the box.

   I have been told that wood ducks tend to use the same box every year, so with a little luck, I might be getting a lot of use out of the new cam.

   The new video cam  comes prewired, contains a built-in mike, and has a 100-foot cord attached — long enough to go from the duck box to my TV in a pinch.

   Last year’s screech cam installation took 30 man-hours over two months and cost roughly $700 — and required the expertise of an electrical engineer.   

   I gave the new cam a test drive last weekend all by myself, putting into the top of the wood duck box with an oversized paper clip.

   I plugged two prongs of the cord into the color-coded inputs of the TV, and plugged the third into an electrical outlet, and I had a picture and sound in less than 15 minutes, for under $100.

   This weekend the electrical engineer is back, and we are going to hook up the new cam a bit more permanently.

   I’ll give you a full report new week.

   Maybe I’ll have a "name the cam" contest. I am now accepting suggestions.