cut the wood to size and paint the outside part to better match the bird feeder
pop out one of the plastic window pieces, I used the vented side of the bird feeder for the camera, but may switch the camera to the other side of the feeder during the Winter.
I used two adhesive velcro buttons to help hold the camera base to the inside of the bird feeder. The camera’s magnetic base wasn’t strong enough to hold up the camera on the slippery painted feeder wall.
The front of the camera didn’t sit flush with the feeder wall, it leaned back a little, so I used a small piece of foam to push the camera front up against the feeder wall. It’s good and snug now.
the camera power cable is routed to the other side of the feeder (there’s two sides) over the separator panel and out the bottom opening.
the feeder was secured to the rack with a zip tie to keep the wind from moving it around.
This enclosure isn’t water proof, but the feeder sits on a shelving unit under my porch eave. The previous Wyzecam had been exposed outside since April 2018, but mounted up higher to the porch ceiling. It still works and has been moved to another location. Hopefully, this new camera will last another year in the bird feeder.
This camera has yet to see activity around the lens from birds or insects, something that was experienced by the previous camera that was mounted to the porch ceiling directly above this cameras location. Maybe its because of the surrounding succulent plants or the bird feeder housing itself, but I’ve yet to get any false alerts from bird or insect activity.
Additionally, I don’t use the IR LED’s on the camera because they attracted insects at night. I’ve found the video quality to be much better with normal visible light illumination from my porch light and a backup 1200 lumen solar-powered LED motion sensing light.
Very nicely done. Perhaps if you cut out one of the square windows in the window panel, reinstalled the panel and shifted the camera to peer through it, it would be even more disguised. Maybe cutting all four of the windows would make it more uniform in appearance. Or a wooden panel could be made from craft sticks glued together.
Victor Maletic
I had considered modifying the window panel, but it it was just easier to entirely remove it.
The design will be revisited this Fall when I switch the camera to the more enclosed side of the bird feeder. Thanks for the suggestion.
UPDATE & TIP: the bird feeder enclosure was a nice home for some wasps, which I discovered when checking on the camera. I emptied out the enclosure, then sprayed the inside and wood with some insect killer that is supposed to last up to a year, but I only need it to last until Winter here in the Mid-West USA. Then I let the spray dry and put it all back together.
It’s been almost a year since placing a Wyzecam inside of a bird house that is located on my front porch. It’s still too early to put the plants out this year, but the bird house was modified slightly to include the original bird house window frame that I glued back in place after trimming off the cross pieces. Here’s some notes:
power can be an issue, but there are plenty of suggestions in the forums
Insects like the bird house, especially wasps. I used a chemical solution to kill and then deter them from returning. They don’t last over the Winter, but can be a problem in the warmer seasons and constantly trigger the motion detection.
The IR LED’s have been disabled because they don’t work very well and attract insects, which then attracts spiders that constantly trigger the motion detection. I’ve found that sufficient lighting is a security deterrent and provides a much better quality video. Solar powered, motion sensing, LED lighting is effective in areas without power, but several thousand lumens of bright light from a quality outdoor light makes for great video, even if it’s motion activated. My porch and all sides of my house are illuminated at night for safety and security.
Birds are curious and trigger the motion detection. I placed a small solar powered “dancing” flower in near the camera and it keeps them away.
I’ve added a pass-through capable 10000mAh portable power bank inside the bird house to provide backup power for the camera during brief outages.
I want people who approach my porch to look at the camera, so it is about 5 1/2 feet off the ground and the plant rack usually gets their attention.
I placed video surveillance signs to my homes front walkway and back gates. They are 10 x 10 inches, Rust Free .040 Aluminum, Reflective Metal Signs from the big A e-tailer. They are clearly visible from the sideway and street.
It’s been a fun project and learning experience. In the end, I feel that a POE wired security camera system with NVR is the way to go and I’m headed the direction, but the Wyzecams have their place. And their pricing is very attractive.
I have a cam plan in a commercial cover that looks like a bird house. I got an alert a couple days ago and thought I’d saved the clip, but can’t find it now. It has a grackle trying to fly into my camera lens, into what it must think is a bird house.
Hi byteme, can i ask what kind of 10000mah pass through power bank youre using? I cant find one that wouldnt intereupt the power and kill the recording
Welcome amo675. I haven’t seen ByteMe for a few months so I thought I jump in here. I’m not sure what ByteMe is using, but I’ve been testing two v3 cams running into a single 26,800 mAh power bank with pass-through for the past two months. I cut the AC power to the powerbank for a day (twice) to simulate power outages and it worked great with no interruption to continuous v3 recording even with IR on all night on both cams. Might be overkill for your planned usage… you can get it for $34.99 if you check the Coupon checkbox on the page before checkout. https://www.amazon.com/Titita-High-Speed-Flashlight-High-Capacity-Compatible/dp/B089X3YLWQ/
