CCTV for Wildlife Monitoring: An Introduction (Data in the Wild) - Softcover

Young, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784270970 ISBN 13: 9781784270971

Verlag: Pelagic Publishing, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

CCTV for Wildlife Monitoring is a handbook on the use of CCTV in nature watching, conservation and ecological research. CCTV offers a unique ability to monitor wildlife in real time, stream video to the web, capture imagery of fast-moving species or cold animals such as wet otters or fish and maintain monitoring over long periods of time in a diverse array of habitats. Wildlife watchers can take advantage of a huge range of CCTV cameras, recording devices and accessories developed for use in non-wildlife applications. CCTV allows intimate study of animal behaviour not possible with other technologies. With expert experience in engineering, photography and wildlife, Susan Young describes CCTV equipment and techniques, giving readers the confidence to tackle what initially may seem technically challenging. The book enables the reader to navigate the technical aspects of recording: basic analogue, high definition HD-TVI and IP cameras, portable CCTV, digital video recorders (DVR) and video processing by focusing on practical applications. No prior knowledge of CCTV is required - step-by-step information is provided to get anyone started recording wildlife.
In-depth methods for recording foxes, badger, deer, otters, small mammals and fish are also included, and the book makes comparisons with trail cameras where appropriate. Examples of recorded footage illustrate the book along with detailed diagrams on camera set-ups and links to accompanying videos on YouTube. Case-studies show real projects, both the equipment used and the results. This book will be of interest to amateur naturalists wishing to have a window into the private world of wildlife, ecological consultants monitoring protected species and research scientists studying animal behaviour.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Susan Young is a photographer and writer living in South Devon. She gives wildlife photography courses, and has had numerous photographic exhibitions, as well as publishing various articles and books – including Wildlife Photography Fieldcraft. She now carries out research with Natural England, the Woodland Trust and the Mammal Society on the use of remote cameras to monitor wildlife.

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CCTV for Wildlife Monitoring

An Introduction

By Susan Young

Pelagic Publishing

Copyright © 2016 Susan Young
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-78427-097-1

Contents

Preface, x, 
Acknowledgements, xi, 
List of video references, xii, 
Abbreviations, xiii, 
CCTV for wildlife monitoring – an overview, xv, 
1. Analogue CCTV, 1, 
2. Advanced CCTV details, 15, 
3. HD-TVI CCTV, 45, 
4. IP cameras, 52, 
5. Portable CCTV, 64, 
6. Videos, 75, 
7. Technical case studies, 86, 
8. Wildlife case studies, 107, 
9. Scientific case studies, 137, 
10. Suggestions for CCTV monitoring subjects, 162, 
11. Comparison of portable CCTV with trail cameras, 169, 
12. Comparison of CCTV with remote triggered DSLR, 179, 
Appendix, 188, 
References, 192, 
Index, 194, 

CHAPTER 1

Analogue CCTV

1.1 Analogue CCTV Quick Start

The commonest use of CCTV for wildlife monitoring is the camera bird box. Many get great pleasure from watching young birds in the nest, from blue tits to barn owls. For the novice, a bird box kit is the best way to start with CCTV. This section gives details of how to set up the sort of simple kit that is available from a wide range of suppliers.

1.1.1 Bird box – a simple introduction to CCTV

Figure 1.1 shows a basic CCTV set up.

Step 1. Buy a bird box kit (see Figure 1.2) consisting of:

• Camera (fitted in the box).

• Cables with RCA plugs.

• Bird box.

• Power supply adapter.

• SCART to RCA adapter.

Step 2. Fix the bird box containing the camera to a suitable tree (see Figure 1.3) or other surface.

Step 3. Run the cable coming out of the bird box into your house. You may have to drill a hole in a wall or window frame. If you have power in a garage or shed, it is often possible to pass the wire past the door hinges or under the door. Cup hooks are good for keeping the wire out of the way (see Figure 1.4)

Step 4. Connect the camera power plug (red or black) to the power adapter, which should then be plugged into the mains.

Step 5. Connect the camera signal plug (yellow) to a monitor (also the white audio plug, if there is one). Some TVs have RCA sockets (yellow and white), but if your TV has a SCART socket you can connect to it using a SCART adapter. You can also buy monitors with RCA sockets.

Whenever you switch on the camera power and the monitor, you will be able to watch what is happening inside the box (see Figure 1.5).

If you connect a recorder (see Figure 1.6) as well as a monitor, you can record videos. Get into the habit of selecting and exporting the videos daily.

1.2 Basics of analogue CCTV

1.2.1 Introduction

1.2.1.1 What are CCTV cameras?

CCTV is short for closed-circuit television. CCTV cameras differ from the cameras delivering television programmes in that the signal is confined to a small area. CCTV cameras are either directly connected with wires to a television, monitor or recording device, or transmit the video signal wirelessly over short distances (generally less than 100 m). They are widely used for security surveillance, but are also suitable for monitoring wildlife. Unlike trail cameras, they film continually. The sensors in the camera usually detect both visible and infrared light. At night, infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) usually supply illumination.

Most CCTV cameras are analogue, which means they transmit a continuously variable signal, unlike digital IP cameras (Chapter 4) which transmit a digital signal consisting of individual pulses.

Standard analogue CCTV cameras are best used for portable CCTV (Chapter 5) where there is no mains power present. For situations where mains power is present, HD analogue cameras will give a high-quality signal, with HD-TVI (Chapter 3) being the newest form of HD analogue CCTV. HD-TVI uses the best technology from analogue and IP cameras to give superb quality at an affordable price.

1.2.1.2 What do they look like?

For the purposes of this book, the CCTV cameras described are those I have used for wildlife monitoring, but there is a huge range of cameras available, due to the size of the surveillance market.

Typical small camera

Figure 1.7 shows a typical bird box camera, which can also be used for mammal boxes and in confined spaces. The sensor will detect when light levels fall and will switch on the LEDs.

Typical connections for a small analogue camera

The connections for a small analogue camera are shown in Figure 1.8:

• The red barrel connector carries power to the camera.

• The yellow RCA connector carries the video signal from the camera.

• The white RCA connector carries the audio signal (although not all cameras produce an audio signal).

Typical bullet camera

Small 'bullet' cameras, useful for larger outdoor subjects, are available in a wide range of sizes and types. Figure 1.9 shows a typical CCTV bullet camera with the main parts labelled.

Typical connections for a bullet CCTV camera

The connections for a small bullet camera are shown in Figure 1.10:

• The barrel power socket delivers power from a power supply to the camera.

• The BNC socket delivers the video signal from the camera.

1.2.1.3 Uses of CCTV cameras

Although the most popular use of CCTV cameras is to monitor activity in nest boxes, hedgehog boxes and bat boxes are also suitable subjects. The advantage of this use of CCTV is that once the cameras are set up, there is no disturbance to the wildlife. The main features of standard analogue CCTV can be summarised as:

• Cheap cameras available.

• Good for bird boxes and small mammal boxes.

• Best for portable CCTV.

• Night viewing possible with infrared illumination.

• Image quality average to good.

1.2.2 Basic analogue CCTV setup

The basic components of a simple analogue CCTV system are shown in Figure 1.11.

1.2.2.1 CCTV component details

The camera

CCTV cameras consist of a lens which focuses light onto a sensor. The electronics converts the signal from the sensor to an analogue video signal. Audio is sometimes available as well. The details are shown in Figure 1.12.

Wildlife CCTV cameras often need an infrared LED light source as many UK mammals are nocturnal. During the day, sunlight is reflected from the subject and the camera gives a colour image. If light levels are very low, the camera uses its own infrared light source and this gives a black and white image.

A CCTV camera needs power, usually in the form of 12 volts DC. Cameras kits supply a power adapter which can be plugged into the mains and which converts AC mains voltage to 12 volts DC for the camera.

There is a huge range of CCTV cameras to choose from. In practice, using a wildlife camera supplier is advised initially, especially as they have suitable connection kits and suitable outdoor cameras. A camera with the highest resolution (number of TVL lines) is advised.

Monitor

A monitor is required to view the images. This can be a TV or a separate monitor (such as used for a PC). The monitor is also required while setting up the camera, to make sure that the camera displays the area you wish to observe. The...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Pelagic Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1784270970
• ISBN 13: 9781784270971
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 203
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar