Crane
Cam!
By Joe Duff, Operation
Migration
Because we are trying to keep our birds wild, no one is allowed to
see them up close except the pilots, a few handlers, and (once
in a while)
a veterinarian. Even those people have to wear costumes and not
talk.
Thanks to money from Duke Energy, we now have a camera that we can
set up near the pen. It takes video that can be sent to our website
using
the same signal that a cell phone uses.
A Problem Solved
The problem has always been that we don't have any electrical power
out where the birds are kept. In fact, the nearest plug is two miles
away — too far to run an extension cord! Here's how our new camera
solves this problem:
-
The camera is built into a trailer that has enough big batteries to last 21 days without being recharged.
-
The camera has a tower that we can raise 30 feet in the air and get the camera up very high so it can see better.
Keeping Watch from Up High
On
April 28 we set
up the new camera at Necedah NWR to watch the last remaining
nest of the season. This pair of birds will hatch their eggs on
May 5th if they
stay
on the
nest. After all the other nests failed, it's very important
that we keep a close eye on this one to see what we may learn.
Thanks to
this
new
camera,
we can see the birds by turning on the
computer in our office in Canada!
About the Camera
The
camera is very complicated. It has a computer onboard along with a
lot of other technical
stuff. Heather Ray from Operation
Migration
will be looking after it.
Power wheels
will allow us to remotely drive the camera trailer into position without
a truck (so as not to disturb the birds).
You
Can Watch the Cranes!
Once
we get the camera working properly, we hope to put it on our website
so people can see the birds up close for the very first time. It
is very expensive to send a video over the cell phone signal. It’s
like talking long distance all day. That's why viewers will be able
to watch
the video live a limited amount of time each day. During the rest
of
the
time you will be able to watch videos of the birds that were taken
earlier.
We are hoping to get the camer ready in time for the "flight school" training
this
summer.
Then
you
could watch the new chicks running up and down the runway after the aircraft.
We hope you like our new camera. We are very thankful to Duke Energy for funding
it.
