Ivory-billed Woodpecker news and information

Peeper cam background

This "new, smaller" wireless camera came about as the result of several factors coming together. After building the camera described below and seeing how well it worked in the field for several years, I had a few requests for a smaller version from researchers that worked with the smaller Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

In July 2010 I was contacted by Kaitlyn Thomason, a young lady who had attended the Arkansas Audubon Society's Halberg Ecology Camp. She wanted to do something to help Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and the researchers that study them, so she applied for a grant that would have funded me to build 15 of the cameras to give away to researchers. We didn't get the grant, but I decided to proceed with the project on my own. As a result, I am selling the cameras rather than giving them away.

The first version

In 2006 I began working with Brandon Noel, a PhD candidate at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro under Dr. Jim Bednarz. In the picture at the right, you can see Brandon (right) and his brother Duane raising a first-generation wireless cavity inspection camera to a Pileated Woodpecker (PIWO) nest cavity. Brandon has studied PIWOs over a several-year period in eastern Arkansas for his PhD project. He and his field crew have monitored numerous nests and radio-tagged many birds to study their movements. They have worked extensively in both the White River and Cache River National Wildlife Refuges. They keep an eye out for IBWOs as well.

The nest cavity in the Water Tupelo (pictured at right) is 49' high, which makes getting a peeper-cam mounted on a wobbly 50' telescoping pole into a ~3.5" diameter cavity an extreme challenge. To make matters worse, the sun was almost directly above, so seeing the cavity from the ground was very difficult. The camera swayed about on the end of the pole and finally went into the cavity. There were two eggs in the cavity (the video taken by the wireless camera was recorded on a camcorder on the ground for later reference).

Click on the picture for a larger version - look for the wireless camera at the top of the white pole.

The one-minute video below shows the camera in action at this cavity:

The paper that Brandon Noel and I co-authored detailing the wireless cavity-viewing camera that I modified for his use has been published in Vol. 81, No. 2 of the Journal of Field Ornithology. If you are interested in a PDF copy of the paper, just email me a request (david AT ibwo.org) and I will send you a copy.

Wireless Cavity Inspection Camera

New! Camera bodies are now being made in black rather than the original ivory. There are several other color possibilities (e.g. red, blue, nectarine, and yellow) - I just haven't explored those yet. I think the darker color may be less of a visual intrusion into a cavity.

This color camera shoots video and/or still images and transmits them wirelessly to a handheld video monitor. The camera housing is made of durable, light-weight ABS plastic and has a built-in lithium-polymer rechargeable battery. It will fit into cavities as small as 3.8 cm (1.5") diameter and weighs only 97 g (3.4 oz). For comparision:

4 AA alkaline batteries - 94 g
ibwo.org wireless camera - 97 g
CD with case - 98 g
Standard deck of cards - 100 g

The small size makes it suitable for studying Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, bluebirds, kestrels, and many other cavity-nesting birds. The light weight makes it easy to carry and to manipulate at the end of a long, flexible pole.

The monitor has a built-in digital video and audio recorder, as well as a rechargeable battery. It will record video or still images and is compatible with NTSC or PAL formats (all cameras we sell are NTSC). There are many advanced features, such as date and time stamps, motion-detection recording, variable video frame rates, and more. Recorded images can be copied to a computer via USB cable (included) or by removable SD card (not included). Video and audio can be played back using the monitor and built-in speaker or by connecting to an external monitor and speakers using the A/V cable (included).

The base camera model comes with infrared illumination, which gives grayscale images inside cavities when the LEDs are on. Images from the infrared model are similar to the images seen in the video in the sidebar on the left of this page. For a full-color image, order the white LED option. Four bright white LEDs illuminate the cavity to give a color image.

Included with each camera:

Wireless camera with built-in rechargeable Li-Po battery
Monitor/DVR with built-in rechargeable Li-Po battery
120V chargers for both the camera and the monitor
USB cable
Video out cable
Ear buds
Silicone protector for the antenna end of the camera unit
A 2" long flexible connector with 1/4"-20 threads and a 3/4" long 1/4”-20 threaded set screw for mounting the camera to either a male or female screw mount

Instruction manuals
Water-resistant PVC case with lanyard attachment ring for the camera unit

Below you will see a still image from inside an artificial Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest cavity using the white LED version (note that the file name is the time stamp of the image; click on the image to see the original size and quality). Also, click on the video to see color footage from inside the same nest cavity.

Pricing and How to Order

Prices include all items listed above. Orders will generally be filled and shipped within three days. You will be notified if the order will be delayed.

Camera with infrared LEDs: $460
Camera with white LEDs: $505

Shipping (to the continental U.S.) and sales tax (for Arkansas residents) will be added at checkout. Contact us for expedited shipping or shipping to non-continental-U.S. addresses.

Prefer to use a purchase order or pay by check? Send an email to david@ibwo.org with details.

Accessories

We do not sell any additional accessories for the peeper camera. The camera and monitor come ready to use as shipped. However, there are a few items you may want to purchase:

SD card - The monitor has 120MB of built-in memory, which will store approximately five minutes of video at the 30 frames-per-second rate. The monitor will accept SD and SDHC memory cards (up to 16 GB) for additional storage capability. We recommend that you purchase a memory card to increase the amount of imagery you can store.

Telescoping pole - We have used a 50' (15 m) telescoping fiberglass pole for reaching tree cavities. You can find the Crain model CMR-50 that we used at EngineerSupply.

Carrying clip - If you are planning to climb trees (be careful!), you may want to use a carabiner to clip the camera case to some secure strap on your person.

Warranty Information

The wireless camera and monitor/DVR are warranted to be free from defects for a period of 90 days from the date of purchase. This does not include damage from water or from abuse. Please contact david@ibwo.org for return instructions.

Dr. Jim Wiley of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore took one of the cameras to Cuba to help with his research. The image to the right shows an adult West Indian Woodpecker with eggs. Dr. Wiley's camera has infrared LEDs, so the image is grayscale. Click here to see more images from Cuba (Fernandina's Flicker and Bare-legged Owl).