A quick gardening tip, if you have badgers visiting your garden, then don't plant tulip bulbs... for some reason they love digging them up and eating them!
And with your stripy visitors it's likely to stay that way! Thought I'd mention it though, just in case it saves someone some time and confusion.You've seen my garden ... not a tulip in sight!
I wish I'd seen this thread a week ago before I ordered an Apeman H70.
It did capture a hedgehog on its second night out in the garden which was a pleasant surprise to us in our urban location.
Things have gone downhill since then. I noticed an odd colour cast on daylight footage; The middle third of the image was a slightly different colour to the left and right thirds. Only subtly, like a less saturated green on the lawn it was pointed at. Anyone else had that issue?
It's very prone to false triggers. It seems to take video after video after video until the memory card is full with nothing to show bar the occasional moth. I could put that down to swaying of trees on some occasions, but not on the last night it was out which was very still.
Then as it turned to morning, all the videos are pink just like the one gramps posted. Which seems to be a fault it developed (after only a few days!) because it didn't to it before.
Oh, and the 4K videos I took looked very jerky and when I clicked on properties on them, they are only 10 fps.
So it's going back.
I think one of the causes of blank videos is that the still photo area is bigger vertically than the video and movement which is off camera on video still starts the video — I noticed this when taking video + still and would see a blackbird, for example at the lower margin of the still but nothing on the video. I admit this is only a guess .I wish I'd seen this thread a week ago before I ordered an Apeman H70.
It did capture a hedgehog on its second night out in the garden which was a pleasant surprise to us in our urban location.
Things have gone downhill since then. I noticed an odd colour cast on daylight footage; The middle third of the image was a slightly different colour to the left and right thirds. Only subtly, like a less saturated green on the lawn it was pointed at. Anyone else had that issue?
It's very prone to false triggers. It seems to take video after video after video until the memory card is full with nothing to show bar the occasional moth. I could put that down to swaying of trees on some occasions, but not on the last night it was out which was very still.
Then as it turned to morning, all the videos are pink just like the one gramps posted. Which seems to be a fault it developed (after only a few days!) because it didn't to it before.
Oh, and the 4K videos I took looked very jerky and when I clicked on properties on them, they are only 10 fps.
So it's going back.
More interesting interactions ! ”Quality” is good too.Plenty of action last night and what looked like discord in the family amongst the youngsters, with mum intervening.
However up until now we have only ever seen two cubs, including two along with both adults which we took to be the family group, yet in this video clip it seems that there were three cubs in the garden (watch for eyes glowing in the background too).
As we have only ever seen two before and with the obvious discord, I am wondering ... was this a third cub from the family that we just haven't seen before, or was it a cub from another family.
What do you think?
I think one of the causes of blank videos is that the still photo area is bigger vertically than the video and movement which is off camera on video still starts the video — I noticed this when taking video + still and would see a blackbird, for example at the lower margin of the still but nothing on the video. I admit this is only a guess .
Sorry to hear your disappointment, my first thought was that I had a bad one but it's clearly that the product is just not up to the job.
I had been looking at the Browning ones on nature spy originally, but wavered and went for the cheaper option from Amazon, mainly because I didn't know if I was going to find anything in my back yard to justify the cost. Lesson learnt.
If you do decide to continue I can certainly recommend the Browning.
Thanks I might go for one. Is it the recon force edge you have?
I wish I'd seen this thread a week ago before I ordered an Apeman H70.
It did capture a hedgehog on its second night out in the garden which was a pleasant surprise to us in our urban location.
Things have gone downhill since then. I noticed an odd colour cast on daylight footage; The middle third of the image was a slightly different colour to the left and right thirds. Only subtly, like a less saturated green on the lawn it was pointed at. Anyone else had that issue?
It's very prone to false triggers. It seems to take video after video after video until the memory card is full with nothing to show bar the occasional moth. I could put that down to swaying of trees on some occasions, but not on the last night it was out which was very still.
Then as it turned to morning, all the videos are pink just like the one gramps posted. Which seems to be a fault it developed (after only a few days!) because it didn't to it before.
Oh, and the 4K videos I took looked very jerky and when I clicked on properties on them, they are only 10 fps.
So it's going back.
The 'Thieving Magpies' (nicking from my mealworm feeder) have done well in raising three lively chicks.
Very fast triggers on trail cameras can be a problem. They detect something and very quickly trigger the camera to record and sometimes the animal has left the scene so you get, as you've seen, empty videos. However, having too slow a trigger can also be a problem. On our trail camera videos can often start with even quite slow moving animals right in the middle of the scene, as if it had just teleported in.
The camera use passive infra red detectors that react to changes in the amount of IR light(rather than movement) in the scene. When an animal walks into the sensor range its heat triggers the sensor and the camera, hopefully, captures it.
If it was very windy and the top and bottom surface of leaves reflected different amount of IR light then the camera might be triggered but usually that doesn't happen.
Dave
I keep to the minimum 5 second gap between clips and find an empty clip is often followed by one containing the source of the previous trigger (often the neighbours cat or a bird that was just out of frame on the first clip). Repeated empty triggers are usually caused by vegetation blowing in the wind and triggering the PIR, once again, this the offender can be just out of view so you can't see it (a branch or plant by the side or just underneath the camera but slightly in front of it), in which case, moving the camera to another position or removing the vegetation are the only options.Yes I can see how that can happen, but I set the camera to 30 sec clips with a 2 minute gap and when I retrieved the files, the time stamps were almost exactly every 2 and a half minutes, so it just kept shooting a new video as soon as it could, nothing was there, except one clip in the morning with a squirrel running across the frame.
I think that the quality of the camera makes a lot of difference.
I set my Browning to re-activate after 1 sec (it is reported to actually be 0.6 sec) and from last nights 60 x video clips only 2 were 'vacant'. The PIR on the Browning is superb, it sees the movement of a heat source (which the PIR looks for) and immediately triggers the camera ... the Apeman H70 gave me quite a number of 'false' or 'late' triggers.
Last night we again saw the third cub and, as before, there was a squabble!
I am of the view that the third cub is not a member of the original family, though of course could be wrong ... behaviour just seems to be different than the others together.
I think that the H55 is a more reliable cam than the H70, if the H55 had the video quality and even IR of the H70 it would be great.I keep to the minimum 5 second gap between clips and find an empty clip is often followed by one containing the source of the previous trigger (often the neighbours cat or a bird that was just out of frame on the first clip). Repeated empty triggers are usually caused by vegetation blowing in the wind and triggering the PIR, once again, this the offender can be just out of view so you can't see it (a branch or plant by the side or just underneath the camera but slightly in front of it), in which case, moving the camera to another position or removing the vegetation are the only options.
As for trail cams, for the ÂŁ34 to ÂŁ60 I paid for my H55s I've been happy enough with their performance, particularly the two I bought early last year, bearing in mind that mine might one day get stolen. If potentially losing a camera wasn't a risk then I'd buy from the Browning range as I believe they're the best quality for money at the moment. I think there might be a new 2020 model coming out some time this year, so it might be worth having a chat with Nature Spy and seeing if there's much difference and whether or not the 20 second clip limit has been increased?
ThanksAgree. We don't get many empty videos but as I said above the camera suffers from a delay in triggering and we can have no idea where the animal came from.
Great video of the cubs squabbling.
Dave
Thanks Stu, I'll watch out for the face markings, I've looked at fur markings but I'm barking up the wrong tree there.Hiya Roger, more fascinating footage. Buddy I've noticed something at home, I think repeat think,one might ID a cub by the black (darker) markings that run down each side of the face. I can see a difference in two of the cubs that come here. I should have three. Because knowing each individual is so tricky and we haven't seen all of them together for a while , I'm unsure if the smallest is still alive. I have noticed this difference in their faces though,which might just help you with your theory about one cub being from a different family. Personally I think you are on the money ,but it would be lovely to be sure.
They are a bit squabbly are they not. We even watched a cub tell mum off really snapped at her,fair play it was his food but even so,that surprised me
Roger have you learnt of any patterns in their behaviour ie regular times of visit...stuff like that?
Anyway mate just a little off the wall thing that might be of use. to you I can't say it's a sure way of ID,lol just something we picked up on this last couple of days
take care
stu
Mate I need some form of crash course in video editing posting, well everything really. Any ideas,you just might have some if not no worries Lol I haven't a clue as of yet god this is a steep learniing curve
many thanks
stu.
Funny I went from here to the video section and read through your thread there thanks, for the above. i'm more than a little bewildered at how different video is compared to stills through the same camera Roger Hey ho onwards and upwards
Thanks buddy i'm getting there footage wise, vixen seems more comfy with the lights each night.I think the vids look ok bar POV and dodgey DOP Got her alone for ages and a cub briefly this night gone,but I haven't a clue what i'm doing, i'll look into the above. there is a base editor from canon, but bar clip viewing and cutting and an option to make stills ,it doesn't seem to do alot,mind as above my head is spinning.
Roger, a question......... if I set up a trail cam with lights, at night would it film in colour?
Cheers again
Thanks Roger that's a great help. I have them feeding now feet from lights so it might work. My vixen will never relax,but that's as it should be. That said i'm making 10 15min long clips now,so she's as settled as can be . The light introduction has been less invasive than I thought , sure I've been slow and careful,but I thought she would be really scared by them and it turns out she isn't really. .
I'm not getting the fabulous interactions you are as yet,but definitely making progress thanks for the help, mate.
Give it time Stu, 'my' vixen is the most cautious of all the visitors, initially she wouldn't touch the food although she obviously wanted it and would stretch to sniff it.
Then she would pick up bits that had been dropped/knocked to the floor but she would never take from the feed tray ... she now takes from the feed tray but she is still very cautious in doing so.
I don't think they are going to drive them off roger,not just yet, i think what you are seeing is them being weaned???? I think i'm seeing the same. Her relationshiip is changing slightly and she's probably had a guts full of nursing . I suspect young 'un has just had a clattering and that's the above behaviour cause.
.
and i'll be in an equal amount of hardship as I'm midway through the front door mod:banghead: . Ahh for once lets just both hope I'm right, it would make a change for starters but more importantly we can both keep moving forwards . I'm downloading Davinci resolve Roger ( ok trying to) I'm going to start my editing journey there ,maybe one day you'll actually see some results from all this mayhem i've created at home...Ya never know stranger things have happened