Hi Eric, For budget-conscious individuals, one spectacular option is a 8mm (or Hi-8) camcorder like a Sony TRV128, TRV68, TRV138 or similar model ($150-250 each). Prices these days are very low and many can be found on eBay or other discount sites. I've pushed my fleet of cameras very hard in the humid rainforests of Panama and have found that each camera has an average lifespan of about four years. Not bad for a $250 investment. Tapes record for four hours on long play setting, and you can buy batteries that have 8+ hour capacities. If the cameras are close enough, identification of prey and prey size (and measurement of the bird's bill for size estimation) is easy. Also, tapes are relatively cheap (from $0.50-4.00 on Amazon) and can be found in tourist shops, drugstores, and other surprising places around the world. They last for about four years before they become too fragile for repeated rewinding/fast forwarding, but this is usually not a large problem for most. I've also found that these models can get hit with torrential downpours and survive to tell their tales. Simply open them up and put them into a dry closet under a warm lamp, and they'll work like a charm after a day or two. They won't record in the rain, but they do survive. In any case, I'm sure many other ecologists on this list will recommend Hi-8 camcorders. You can also buy cheap a A/D USB converter should you want to digitize any important video segments.
Recently, I've seen or heard about many ornithologists and other ecologists using digital camcorders such as HD camcorders. For some purposes, this might be useful, and the technology certainly has its advantages. The cost is coming down, so this might be another option for you. Not so sure how easy it is to open these puppies up and dry them out though. I always hesitate to jump on the "new tech" bandwagon just because the new technology is available. Concerning protection from the elements: For years of doing this kind of work in the Panamanian rainforests, I've used a large (gallon-sized) Ziploc bag tied on to the top of my video cameras (Hi-8)--in an inverted U-shape with the "zip" side forward (so that the plastic won't collapse in front of the lens). Very cheap, compact, and works very well to prevent directly water ingress. Works best at angles less than ~40 degrees. Best, Patrick -- J. Patrick Kelley Wingfield Laboratory & Animal Behavior Graduate Group Dept. of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior University of California-Davis Davis, CA 95616 Permanent email: [email protected] Website: www.jpatrickkelley.org (under construction) -- On Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 11:24 AM, Eric Linder <[email protected]> wrote: > Eco-loggers, > > I am looking to purchase a couple of video cameras to do some analysis of > prey delivery (rates and prey ID) for songbirds. Obviously needs to be > durable and would prefer something that can hold a 2 hr charge. Obviously, > $$ is a concern. Please respond to my email at the bottom. Thanks for the > information. > > Eric Linder > Associate Professor > Dept. of Biological Sciences > University of Texas-Brownsville > [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> >
