Osprey Camera

Although the Osprey is quite a common bird worldwide it is relatively rare in the UK, so when a pair of ospreys returned to nest near Wigtown in the Southwest of Scotland, there was a great deal of excitement amongst the small group of people that knew of the nest’s existence, but also some concern over how to protect the nest from egg thieves.

Dumfries and Galloway Council in association with Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB approached Outersight to install a camera system that would offer nest protection, close up views of the nest in a discreet manner, as well as optimum reliability.

We surveyed the nest location and decided that a small, integrated pan tilt and zoom camera offered the best performance, and that linking this to the control centre via a digital microwave system would offer the best image quality and security. Powering the system using solar or wind power was discounted, as the sight of a wind turbine and solar panels would have highlighted the existence of a camera, so low voltage power cable over 1000 metres long was installed to the nearest power supply.

The viewing facilty has been extremely popular with the local people of Wigtown, as well as visitors to Scotland’s Book Town. In fact many people have travelled to Wigtown just to see the Wigtown Ospreys, which has in turn boosted the town’s economy. To keep the nest location a secret, the camera is controlled by the DGC Ranger and her team, who ensure the view of the nest does not show any local features. When the public are not present the camera can be used to record footage of the birds perching on branches around the nest. A microphone was also installed so that the sound of the chicks is also audible.

We have installed a Web video server for this camera which is currently used primarily for nest protection purposes, but it is hoped that in the future this will provide a live webcam image for a wider audience.

The Osprey’s have thrived in the area and have reared 2 chicks each year for the last 2 years but only one in 2006   To find out more then go to the links page and select the Ospreys link, which will take you to the Osprey diary pages on the DGC website