This time of year is all about preparing for the coming season. Not only do I have nest boxes that need their cameras re-established, but I also wanted to get my hedgehog feeding station up and ready for the first visitors. At the end of the summer, Ark Wildlife sent me a new feeding box to try. My hedgehogs were not visiting much so I have waited until now to get it up and established. It is quite a large, low box that makes it difficult for cats to get in.
Last year, I fitted some solar lights in my hedgehog box, so I could get colour images of them feeding. They were not disturbed by the light at all, so I was keen to set up something a little more reliable this year and had looked at several options. My friend Dave Brining (who is a lot more electrically / technically minded than me!) contacted me to say he had found some white LEDs and he popped some in the post for me.
They are in a long string, with 5 units, cabled together. The great thing about this is that I could spread the light out, rather than all the light coming from one single source. They can also be powered by the camera’s 12v supply, with a power splitter, so no additional cables needed.
To get it all set it all up, I bought the box inside and played around with different arrangements and used a small monitor to check the image. I put the feed bowl and a prickly seed head I had in the house to take the place of the hedgehog!!
I was thrilled with the light coverage and the subsequent image and you will be able to see this cam live on my night cameras. I don’t think the hedgehogs will appear for a bit, but I bet the wood mice will be popping in as soon as they realise there is food in there!
Keep an eye on my live night cams and let me know if you spy anything!
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