Ron Bury's Wildlife

Climate changes shift wintering ranges of waterbirds

2013-05-11T00:30:00.000+01:00

Tufted Duck - Photo: Nigel Picknell

Migratory waterbirds have shifted their wintering areas north-eastwards due to climate change in Europe, according to a group of scientists including Richard Hearn of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).

Their new study published in Global Change Biology found a strong link between changes in the numbers of goldeneyes, tufted ducks and goosanders wintering across northern Europe and changes in temperature in early winter.

In Finland and Sweden, the mid-winter numbers of these three species are more than 130,000 individuals higher than three decades ago. Correspondingly, on

Ltl Acorn 5210 and 6210 Close Focus Adjustments

2013-05-09T16:26:00.000+01:00

Fig 1: Lens assembly sitting over the image
sensor on the main camera board.

Following on from last month's posts about close focusing, the following shows how to make the adjustments to the lens to achieve various ranges of closer focus with the Ltl Acorn 5210 and 6210 cameras.

Please be aware that if you mark or damage the camera when carrying out the following procedure it may affect or negate your right to claim under warranty; so you do this at your own risk.

To access the lens assembly you will need to remove the six screws from the back of the camera. This will release the camera front which can then be lifted away to expose the lens and IR filter assemblies.

Warning: There is a small sealing washer located internally in the pillar at the back of each case screw. They may become dislodged when the camera case front is removed. Do not lose them and make certain they are relocated before the case front is refitted otherwise water may gain entry past the case screws.

The IR filter assembly is actuated by a servo and can be manually moved back and forth across the lense to position it out of the way; but be careful not to knock or damage it while using the pliers to shift the lens.

Both camera models are basically the same except for the focal length of the lens. The 5210 models

Acorn 6210MG/5210MG Wireless Camera Instability - Continuous Triggering

2013-04-19T17:29:00.001+01:00

Fig 1: A lot of nothing!

There have been a lot of theories floated about recently regarding the problems with Acorn wireless cameras released since last December with the new SIM900 GPRS Module.

The new GPRS module is supposed to have a higher output than the old M10 and although I don't have the means to measure this accurately I'm fairly certain I've worked out what's happening. When the camera is triggered and tries to send an image (doesn't matter if it's MMS or SMTP) the RF output from the wireless module is causing interference with the camera PCB and upsetting its functions.

Continuous or self triggering:

The amount and type of interference varies from camera to camera. In particular the interference will cause self triggering in both MMS and SMTP modes, but as I said before. not in all cameras.

Continuous or self triggering is the most annoying and undesirable of the problems caused by this interference but remove the SIM card and the camera behaves normally.

I had tested several of these cameras and was not getting any self triggering. In fact they were working completely OK sending via SMTP during bench tests and I couldn't understand why so many users were reporting this problem. Then I realised

Pioneering marine research surveys in Hebrides announced

2013-04-19T11:09:00.000+01:00

Bottlenose Dolphin

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) has announced details of its 2013 surveys, in which volunteers and marine scientists will carry out pioneering research into the lives of whales, dolphins and porpoises off Scotland’s west coast.

The surveys – carried out from the charity’s research yacht Silurian between May and September – will gather data on the numbers and behaviour of whales, dolphins and

Acorn and Bushnell Trail Camera Night Time Infrared Lighting Comparisons

2013-04-18T12:37:00.002+01:00

Fig 1: Bushnell - High IR Light setting

It's always interesting and useful to make comparisons between different camera brands and models, particularly if you're looking for the right camera for a specific purpose.

All makes and models have their pros and cons and none more so than when it comes to IR night illumination.

Pete from Crowle in Lincolnshire kindly sent these comparisons between the Bushnell 119477 and the Ltl Acorn 6210MC.

These images clearly illustrate the difference in light output between the 28 LED Array of the Acorn and the 40 LED Array of the Bushnell which is

Norwegian animal rights activists take Norway's wolf issue to Strasbourg

2013-04-12T13:47:00.000+01:00

Image source

NOAH - For Animal Rights has this week sent a complaint to the secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats - also called the Bern convention, regarding Norway's management of wolves. The purpose is to defend the animals' right to live within Norwegian borders.

The consequence of the current management is that the wolves in Norway are unable to get out of the critical situation in which they now are. The policy is clearly not made to protect but to minimize the number of individuals of a critically threatened species.

Only in the last few weeks have we seen new

Pine Marten taken with an Ltl Acorn 5210A using Infrared light

2013-04-11T13:49:00.000+01:00

Pine Marten taken with an Ltl Acorn 5210A Trail Camera using Infrared light.

This image takes current pride of place in my close-up test results.

The Marten's nose is about 35cm from the lens and the original image has been

cropped at the sides but not top and bottom.

The image is full size within the crop and has not had any noise filtering or sharpening.
You can download the image to enlarge to full size but please remember that the image is my copyright and can only be reused with my permission.

Close Focusing with the Acorn 6210MC Trail Camera

2013-04-11T10:21:00.001+01:00

Fig 1: Feeder test for the 6210MC
The apple is 1 metre from the camera lense

This third post about close focus adjustment of Ltl Acorn Trail Cameras shows the bench test results for a 6210MC set to focus down to 50cm.

Compare the test cards on this page with those of the 5210A set to focus down to 20cm in
Close Focusing with the Acorn 5210A Trail Camera figures 2 through 8.

Compare figure 1 (left) with the cropped images in
Garden Birds Close up with Ltl Acorn 5210A and 6210MC figures 2 through 7.

All the images in this post are full size (2560 x 1920

Garden Birds Close up with Ltl Acorn 5210A and 6210MC

2013-04-10T23:54:00.002+01:00

Fig 1: Blue Tit - 5210 at 45cm - 640 x 480 pixels crop from 2560 x 1920

Following on from my last post these are a few full size crops from the original images taken during the first close up tests.
Compare figure 1 top (crop) with figure 1 (full size image) in my last post.

All the original images are 5MP 2560 x 1920 pixels and the crop is 640 x 480 pixels.

Click on an image to view a slideshow.

Close Focusing with the Acorn 5210A Trail Camera

2013-04-10T23:22:00.001+01:00

Fig 1: Great Tit and Blue Tit trying out the feeder I'm
using for the close focus tests with the Acorn 5210A
Click image to view full size

There have been a number of close focus experiments with trail cameras recently carried out by users of these cameras.

Adrian Jevons using an Acorn 6210 http://ourwildlifegarden.weebly.com/

Kate MacRae using Bushnells http://wildlifekate.wordpress.com/category/close-up-kit/

Both have achieved good results applying external close up lenses of various diopters.

Kate has produced her own piece of

Iconic and rare Highland birds in spotlight for new Conservation Week

2013-04-08T14:19:00.000+01:00

Roy Dennis with Osprey

Conservation charity Trees for Life is running a new ‘Iconic Birds of the Highlands’ Conservation Week from 25 May to 1 June 2013 – offering people the chance to see and learn about the area’s magnificent and rare bird species, and to take part in hands-on habitat restoration work.

Highlights include a day trip to the Isle of Skye to see white-tailed eagles, the UK’s largest bird of prey, and to discover more about the programme that has successfully reintroduced these stunning birds to Scotland’s

Sponsor an Acre at Dundreggan to restore wild forest in the Scottish Highlands.

2013-04-05T22:27:00.000+01:00

Dundreggan is a very special place, with wildflower meadows and aspen woods

along the River Moriston, rising through ancient Caledonian pinewoods

to the mires, lochans and heathlands on the higher mountain slopes.

With your donation of £5 per month, you can

Buckingham Palace reception for Trees for Life celebrates Jubilee Wood

2013-04-05T22:13:00.000+01:00

Right to left at Buckingham Palace
Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone;
Trees for Life patron Gordon Buchanan,
Rosalind Grant-Robertson, who generously supported
Trees for Life’s purchase of Dundreggan;
Steve Morris, Operations Manager for Dundreggan

Trees for Life’s creation of a Diamond Wood in Inverness-shire to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 has been recognised at a Buckingham Palace reception this week (27 March), hosted by HRH The Princess Royal.

The event recognised the creation of 60 new Diamond Woods across the UK, each at least 60 acres in size, to symbolise the Queen’s 60-year reign. As part of this tree planting campaign, Trees for Life planted a new 60-acre Jubilee woodland of native trees at its Dundreggan Estate, to the west of Loch Ness in Glen Moriston.

Two million trees have been planted across Scotland in a range of locations during this project, which was organised by The Woodland Trust.

International Day of Forests

2013-03-21T14:56:00.000Z

Call for renaissance of Scotland’s forests

Conservation charity Trees for Life has welcomed the first United Nations International Day of Forests today (21 March), with a call for more people to get involved in helping to create a renaissance for Scotland’s beleaguered forests.

The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 21 March to be the International Day of Forests – a day to celebrate and raise awareness of the

Wireless Connections - Acorn 5210MG and 6210MG - MMS Sending

2013-03-18T17:09:00.000Z

Fig 1: 11db Yagi Anttenae

In this post:
Using a Yagi Antenna.
RF Propagation at GSM Frequencies.
MMS Problems with the Acorn 5210MG and 6210MG.

Using a Yagi Antenna

At my indoor location a connection to the local cell tower is mostly non-existent and to enable bench testing I have recently set up two 11db gain Yagi Antenna.

The reason for two antenna is to enable simultaneous up and down links without insertion loss from the use of a splitter/combiner.

These antennae are the same as the one on my sales page and are working well, providing a steady 2 to 3 out of 5 bars on the Acorn wireless cameras. Since I installed them I've been able to carry out tests with a consistent almost 100% sending performance sending

Animal Cruelty - The Terrible Price of Fur Clothing

2013-03-18T11:37:00.000Z

Racoon Dog
Often skinned alive to provide vanity clothing.

The issue isn't so much that it's fur but how it's obtained. Most seems to come from China and very often from Racoon Dogs that have been skinned alive. Can you imagine the suffering of these animals and all for peoples vanity.

This has got to be the most repulsive practice perpetrated by humans and people still keep buying fur products.

Even fur products labelled as Faux Fur have been found to be real fur so some traders at all levels are complicit in this disgusting and

Ltl Acorn Trail Camera Technical Support and Repairs

2013-03-17T14:47:00.001Z

First of all I would like to apologise to anyone who hasn't received an answer to their email this last week, and promise that I will get back to you over the next few days.

I've recently become overwhelmed with support requests and found it impossible to keep up to date. As a result I'm afraid I've been forced to make decisions about the level of free support that I am able to provide.

I've been so busy sorting out users individual problems that I haven't had enough time to do other work and make posts, or keep the web site updated. As a result I will in future, only be able to offer free technical support to customers of this web site and Wildlife & Countryside Services.

I suppose I have become a victim of my own success and I regret that I'm having to make these restrictions; but from now on I will only be providing free help and technical support within the camera's warranty period to our own customers.

If you have purchased a camera elsewhere you can

Eight UK biodiversity firsts discovered in ‘lost world’ near Loch Ness

2013-03-06T12:16:00.000Z

Aphids (Cinara_smolandiae) on Juniper

Biting midge in the genus Atrichopogon
feeding on a cranefly (Helius longirostris)
Pictured on Eared Willow

Eight UK biodiversity firsts discovered in ‘lost world’ near Loch Ness

Biodiversity surveys in 2012 at Trees for Life’s Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness revealed eight new species never recorded before in the United Kingdom, and brought the total number of species recorded on the forest restoration site to over 2,800, it was announced today.

New species for the UK discovered at the 10,000-acre site in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire are a sawfly (Nematus pravus), an aphid (Cinara smolandiae), two species of aphid parasitoids (Ephedrus helleni, Praon cavariellae), three species of fungus gnats (Brevicornu parafennicum, Mycomya disa, Sceptonia longisetosa), and a species of mite (Ceratozetella thienemanni).

Another key discovery, made by Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone, included the first record in Europe of a biting midge in the genus Atrichopogon feeding on a cranefly (Helius longirostris). Although known in the tropics, this behaviour has never been observed in Europe before.

Alan Watson Featherstone said: “The surprisingly rich variety of life at Dundreggan highlights the vital importance of conservation work, and of protecting

GPRS Wireless Module Problem in Acorn Series 2 Wireless Cameras

2013-02-28T17:00:00.000Z

Post Updated: 06.03.2013

Please note that the information in this post only relates to wireless cameras produced from December 2012 to February 2013.

Fig 1: 6210 Wireless PCB and SIM 900 Wireless IC

Fig 2: 5210 Wireless PCB and M10 Wireless IC

Early in February 2013 I received news from Acorn that they were having problems with the production of their wireless cameras.

I've delayed posting about this until now because I wasn't sure of enough detail to make an informed comment.

It was obvious that something wasn't right because of recent problems with display and connectivity with the 6210MG which started last December. I've now got more information from Acorn and basically the situation is as follows.

I'm informed that the manufacturers of the original M10 GSM/GPRS Wireless Module (produced by a Shanghai local company) discontinued the product and forced Acorn to look for an alternative.

The new module is the SIM 900 which is produced by a big Shanghai international company; and is shown on the 6210 wireless

Help to save Sweden's Wolves

2013-02-21T09:21:00.001Z

I have no way of quickly validating this story but if it's accurate then the Swedish Government needs to re-consider the way they are dealing with any conflict issues between wolves and reindeer.

Please go to the petition site to register your support for protection of this wolf.

Sponsored on the Care2 Petition site
by: Mats Carnmarker

Susi, the female wolf, is extremely important to the whole of Sweden's wolf population. She has genes that are "fresh" and different from the rest of the populations which is inbreed. She needs to be

CONSERVATON VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGHLANDS

2013-02-18T11:44:00.000Z

Volunteer planting Juniper

Conservation charity Trees for Life has announced details of its Conservation Weeks for 2013, the Year of Natural Scotland – offering people the opportunity to make a positive difference to the environment whilst experiencing an unforgettable visit to the Scottish Highlands.

Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director, said: “The Year of Natural Scotland is the perfect time to enjoy Nature and wild Scotland, and to take action to restore the Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife. Our 2013 Conservation Weeks offer an inspiring hands on conservation experience in breathtaking Highlands scenery of mountains, forest and rivers.”

Trees for Life is restoring the Caledonian Forest to a spectacular wilderness region of 1,000 square miles in the Highlands to the west of Loch Ness and Inverness.

The award-winning weeks will allow people from all sorts of backgrounds and experience to directly help in the restoration of Scotland’s equivalent of a rainforest. Trees for Life is running Conservation Weeks at

MORAY DISTILLERIES TAKE ACTION TO RESTORE CALEDONIAN FOREST

2013-02-04T12:48:00.000Z

Representatives from Diageo’s Speyside East distilleries
receive life membership certificates
from Alan Watson Featherstone (far right)
of Trees for Life, at Drummuir Castle.

Staff from six Moray distilleries are helping to bring Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest back from the brink by taking up life memberships of conservation charity Trees for Life.

Representatives from the Speyside East distilleries, run by leading drinks company Diageo, recently received life membership certificates from Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone at a special event at Drummuir Castle, Diageo’s home of Scotch Whisky on Speyside.

Matthew Desmond, who works at Mortlach Distillery near Dufftown, developed the scheme in order to promote the importance of a healthy

The world beneath our feet

2013-02-01T12:34:00.000Z

So what did I do this morning. Had my breakfast, checked my email and got so captivated by this film of insect life that now it's nearly afternoon. It made a pleasant change from all the usual stuff.

Well worth watching but make a drink first.

Thanks to Nick Mann at Habitat Aid for finding this video

WWT WELCOMES LEAD POISON REVIEW

2013-01-24T19:26:00.000Z

WWT has welcomed the Government’s announcement to review the progress of the Lead Ammunition Group, of which WWT is a member.

The Group was set up in 2010 in response to urgent concerns about the toxic effects of ammunition

Ltl Acorn 6210 Wireless Module - IMEI Code

2013-01-24T15:35:00.001Z

Fig 1: LTL-6210-MMS-05
Quad-band GSM/GPRS

A user in Turkey recently asked if I knew how to find the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number for the wireless module fitted to the Acorn 6210MG.

I had to admit that I had no idea so I emailed the factory and at the same time dismantled a 6210 to find it for myself. I've had no reply from Acorn but I discovered the number on the white label on the back of the wireless module (see figure 1) below the first bar code.

In Turkey, and probably in other countries, private users are obliged to register the IMEI number of any GSM device brought into that country. I'm hoping there is a way of getting the information from the camera without going to the extreme of taking it apart; because this presents a real problem for users, either for the camera's warranty or getting the SIM blocked by the MPNO, which it is legally obliged to do.

I hope Acorn will tell me if there is some way of interrogating the module, possibly by SMS, to get the IMEI number. When I have more information I will update this post.

Figure 1 shows the Acorn printed circuit board (PCB) number LTL-6210-MMS-05 which is physically located between the camera's main PCB and the rear battery compartment.

Click on the image in figure 1 to get a larger view of the module and printed