WINGSCAPES

Bicoastal Podcast about the BirdCam

Greetings...
Bicoastal media just posted an interview I did with them. Check it out...

Listen to Part 1

Listen to Part 2

BirdCam on Dr. Mobey's Lab Blog

Dr. Mobey's Lab posted about the BirdCam in early February. 

Maybe the BirdCam can help him find out what is under his deck...

He writes:

Check out this piece of gadgetry. the Wingscapes BirdCam. I may have to get one of these. They look like the camera traps they use on my least favorite cryptozoology show, MonsterQuest. This would really come in handy at the house, snapping pictures of the none birds that frequent my yard. Not a single one. I’m the only Naturalist in the neighborhood and I have almost no wildlife in my yard. But maybe the Wingscapes will capture an image of whatever the hell is under my deck that the dog simply must bark at. My guess? Sasquatch…it’s a big deck.

Chasingame.com Reviews the BirdCam

Chasingame.com is perhaps the best resource on the web for reviews of all motion-activated game cameras. They began reviewing the Wingscapes BirdCam in December 2007.

Below is an update to their original review...

02-27-2008 update:  We have had this cam setup on a neighbors feeder for a while trying to capture a picture of a never seen before in the area bird. Possible some type of oriole. To date we have only manage to document every other bird that has ever hit the south but not that bird. We are entering a cold spell and this might bring in some visitors that we have not seen before. The setup is at 6 feet and even the small yellow finch has managed to trigger the cam. It would be nice for some who has a pond with some Woodies on it to capture some pictures for us to display. This really gives folks a great way to still play with the cameras during the cold weather and is an important time to support the feathered friends that is also a part of the nature us trail camera folks enjoy to look at. We had some critter eating the edge of the ground feeder and a couple of days with this camera on duty allowed us to identify that we have more than tree rats in the area. These little rodents are as in tune with bird seed as the dreaded grackle.

Read the entire review...

WIRELESS BirdCam?!?!?!

Read this post. It is important to anyone remotely interested in remote cameras.

See the "Photo Albums" on the upper left corner of this webpage? Check out the album
 Taken on December 20th, 2007

These photos were automatically uploaded to this blog by a wireless router at my home that received images wirelessly from a Wingscapes BirdCam mounted on our deck.  This is all made possible by a very cool new product: the Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card.

We are still experimenting with this card and I should say upfront that we've had some hiccups. However, it is very exciting to report that when we've gotten it to work properly, this wireless 2GB SD card effectively makes the Wingscapes BirdCam WIRELESS!!! This means that I can setup the BirdCam, go to work, and as soon as it captures images of birds, it automatically sends the photos wirelessly to my home computer, an online photo service (the Wingscapes blog, in this case), or both.

This first version of the product has some limitations. It will only transmit .jpg photo files (not our .avi video files). Range is limited by a number of factors (camera type, distance to Wi-Fi router, etc), and there are not many options for controlling the process. We'd like to see the ability to schedule uploads and an option that deleted images from the 2 GB card once they've uploaded.

This product was designed principally for casual photographers who do not want to connect their cameras to a cable in order to get images onto their computer. For that purpose, it works. But, I feel the value of this technology is FAR greater in applications like the BirdCam....where it actually extends the an existing product's capabilities. Expect wireless to become a common feature of digital cameras over the next few years.

Wingscapes tips its hat to the developers at Eye-Fi. They've successfully brought a problem-solving product to market that will surely be a big hit (the product is already racking up awards). We are looking forward to using the Eye-Fi card with the BirdCam and have high hopes for Eye-Fi as they work to improve this new technology. (I also have to give due credit to whoever designed the product packaging for the Eye-Fi. It is one of the coolest boxes I've seen.)

If you want to experiment with an Eye-Fi card in your BirdCam, please go for it. Because the technology is so new, we can not offer support for these wireless cards and I'm sure Eye-Fi can't offer support for application in the BirdCam. But, we got it to work and are having a ball with it. If you use an Eye-Fi with your BirdCam, please let us know how it goes.

Birdwatch America or Bust...

...check...1-2-3...is the microphone still turned on?
OK, sorry for the long drought of posts. We've been working furiously to prepare for the product launch of the Wingscapes BirdCam at this weekend's Birdwatch America tradeshow in Atlanta.

Exactly one year ago, Wingscapes attended this tradeshow as a visitor and discussed the BirdCam concept with potential customers. The feedback we got was uniformly enthusiastic and the project moved forward. 2006 was a long year - that flew by. We've developed (what we believe is) - without question - the world's first easy-to-use and effective camera designed specifically for backyard bird watching. We are extremely excited to introduce the BirdCam this week.

 

So, here we are. We are here. We've arrived and we are ready to tell you about - and sell you - the Wingscapes BirdCam. Interested? Questions? Comments? Please get in touch...

Bart Stephens, Product Manager
bartstephens@wingscapes.com
Tel: (888) 811-WING (9464)
Fax: (205) 408-6157

WINGSCAPES
150 Industrial Rd.
Alabaster, AL 35007

Check back for updates and look out for our new, permenant website which we expect to launch next week...www.wingscapes.com

This blog will continue to publish from: http://wingscapes.typepad.com/wingscapes/

See you at Birdwatch America!

Coolest Starling Photo Ever

So, Bart has me testing out a camera prototype and I got the coolest photo of a starling!  I know, I know what you're thinking, "Sharon, you over estimate a person's interest in starlings."

Perhaps.

But, when I worked at a bird store, I can't tell you the number of people who would come in with blurred photos in the winter of a "cool, new bird" at their feeders.  Oh, how their faces would fall when they were told it was just a starling.  When starlings are in winter plumge, the tips of their feathers have a white spot and theil bills turn black.  Throughout the winter the spots will wear off and by spring, the bill will be yellow again.  This time of year they're kind of cool looking in an evil villan kind of way.

Proof

One frustrating thing about bird watching is that sharing your experience often depends solely on your good word. My friend Sharon Stiteler enjoys scrutinizing my sightings...which quickly turns my proud storytelling into weak muttering of: "No, I really, really did..."

Cameras alter the equation. One benefit of WINGSCAPE's new camera will be that it makes verifyinfg (and sharing) your sightings far easier. The hunt for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is clearly a lesson in the importance (and difficulty) of obtaining photographic evidence of sightings.

When I mentioned to Sharon that the cardinals in my backyard often visited the peanut feeder, even though sunflower hearts were close by and readily available, she looked at me sideways. Now all I need to do is show the photo taken this morning...

The steady breeze (not hair gel) is responsible for his accentuated tuft. As they say, a bird picture is worth a thousand bird stories.

Early Photos...

Here are some images taken during very early camera tests. Before seeing these photos, we were unaware that Red-bellied and Red-headed woodpeckers were visiting the feeders. They had been coming in the middle of the day while everyone was at work. Check back periodically to see more recent images.

The "BirdCam"

Our first product is the WINGSCAPES BirdCam - a weatherproof, motion-activated wildlife camera. This digital camera is designed to be mounted and aimed anywhere a bird will land (it can be used with other wildlife). In the automatic mode, the camera senses when a bird lands and takes either a photo or video (depending on how the user sets the camera).

The camera was designed to tbe extremely easy to use. Users can start using the camera minutes after unpacking. The camera also has numerous manual settings which offer increased control for more sophisticated users.

The camera is designed to be left outside, aimed at a feeder (or nest, bath, perch, etc.). Whenever a user wants to retrieve images from the camera - every day, every week, or once a month - they will simply download images to a computer, exactly as with any other digital camera.

The BirdCam will be available early Spring 2007. Keep your eye on this blog to track our progress and learn more.