You must remember the nesting season in the geographic area, as this is not a device used year-round. The camera needs to be kept above 32 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal operation and the bird’s instinct is activated within a rather stiff window of time. If you are in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency’s date range for convenience, you will need to keep the nested box during this period.
Maybe maybe
Apart from the dubious nested hole size suggestions, several other polygon features also made me pause. No roof overhang prevents rain from blowing into the hole. Every time it rains, I see water droplets in the nest confirming it, which confirms it. There is also varnish inside, and although there is no obvious odor, experts clearly recommend you not to.
After five weeks of the birdhouse in my nesting window in my Pacific Northwest backyard, without a curious visitor (at least not a single shot captured), I approached Ornithology’s project director Robyn Bailey, Nestwatch program director at Cornell, with photos of my Polygon setup that could be scared of birds.
“If you live in a warm place, I could have at least reached the stuff in it,” she said. She did point out that she had a nest box from another brand and noticed that the interior was spectacular compared to what birds usually like.
“I think most birds shy away from boxes that are much larger than they need, and prefer the nesting box to be the right size,” she said. “I don’t know why… maybe this saves them having to make a bigger nest to fill the energy at the bottom, or maybe it’s related to temperature regulation. That is, if a good nesting site is missing, I’d like something to use the box.”
I can’t help but notice that the camera can click to see when triggered by moving or opening a live view in the app. Unfortunately, the sound is further amplified by the box’s spacious size and smooth varnish. Given that my feeder frightened the birds when the door was opened 30 feet away, I could see the sudden sound in their actual nest that could be a deal-breaker.
Photo: Kat Merck
Bailey notes, however, because birds are most active during the day and there is enough ambient noise around them, camera clicks may not register, although this may vary by species. Despite the pretty decent infrared night vision of the camera, I might avoid checking any nested birds at night, as they are more likely to be startled by the noise.
So, at the same time, I wait. I can say at least that while the box is about 20 feet from the house, the polygonal Wi-Fi connection never falters, and the 3-watt solar panels fill the camera’s 5200-MAH battery with charging. If the birds decide to visit, I believe the polygons will be ready.
