Ltl Acorn Scouting Camera WINTER review

In January I received a Ltl Acorn Scouting Camera (model Ltl-5210A) from Mike at Wildlife Watching Equipment.  Mike was very helpful and even tested the camera for me before posting it to ensure there were no faults.  You can read about the camera’s specifications by clicking on the picture below.

The camera works like a security light.  PIR sensors detect movement and take a picture or video.

I had planned to use my camera out in the forest to capture pictures of animals that are not easy to get close to, such as Moose, Bear and Lynx but I have since found out that due to open access for all regulations here in Sweden, one must apply for permission to mount a camera in a specific location (which costs £300), and re-apply each time the camera is moved to a different location.  The only places were I can use my camera are on land that I own and that is where I have been testing the camera.

If you are interested to know what comes into your garden when you are sleeping or not at home, this is at great camera to use.

If you find tracks in the forest and are not sure what they are, this will also be a good way to find out.

The camera can take video/ and or photographs.  You can select how many seconds or minutes between each photograph also (I have it set to every five seconds).  All images are stored on an SD card.  The camera uses 8 AA batteries, but the camera uses so little power that I have not had to change the batteries at all and the camera still shows full battery.

There are three settings for the on/off button.  OFF when you are not using the camera, LIVE when the camera is set up in a location and TEST.  In test mode you can review pictures, alter camera settings via a menu or use the camera like a normal camera (press a button and take a picture (example below)

The camera also performed very well at temperature as low as -35 degrees C.

However, I was hoping for good quality pictures to use here and in magazine articles that I write and that appears to be beyond the capabilities of this camera, due to two major issues.

The first is exposure.  The white snow causes all of my pictures to be dark and there is unfortunately no setting in the menu to adjust exposure (This is why I am writing a Winter review just now and will then review the camera again in the summer when the snow has gone).

The second major issue is the focus, which also cannot be adjusted.  Unless the animal or bird fills the whole screen, the camera tends to focus on the background behind.

Though I think in the picture the squirrel was a little to close to the camera!

To resolve this problem you must have the background and animal close together, which is not often possible, but was with this Jay.

I am confident that the camera will perform better during the summer and even with the issues I have had, I have still managed to get some nice pictures.

Conclusion.

I feel that the camera does what it is designed to do and will meet the needs of most people, but does not meet my needs (in winter at least).  A software update which enables the use to adjust exposure would be a great addition.

A cold weekend at the cabin

Spring is going to be late this year.  A cold north wind has been blowing for three weeks now and although the sun lifts day time temperatures just above freezing, at night temperatures can still go down as low as -30 degrees.

I arrived at the cabin Friday evening and made fire in both the kitchen stove and in the fireplace.  After a couple of hours the cabin was warm and with a night time temperature of -20 degrees I kept the fires going all night.

Early on Saturday morning I cooked breakfast; potatoes, sausage, eggs and onions.

I spent some time ice fishing, but it was very cold and I caught no fish, so I decided to do some photography.

There were several different birds coming to the bird feeder and I particularly wanted to photograph Siberian Tit and Siberian Jay.  Siberian Jay’s were not so difficult to photograph.  After standing for 15 minutes they came to feed.

To get VERY close to the Siberian Tit’s, I put a reindeer skin on the snow, and some food just in front of me and laid there and waited for them to come down.  It proved more difficult than expected to get photo’s of them because they kept flying down and sitting on my head!!  Eventually they came for the food.

On Sunday, while out in the forest with my snowmobile I came across some very strange tracks.

I called my friend and neighbour at the cabin Erik, and explained what I had found and he drove out immediately to take a look.  Eventually we deduced that the spore was that of a displaying male Capercaillie.

We followed the tracks on our snowmobiles and found this fine print where the bird had originally landed (from the right you see where the tail touched the snow, then where the body impacted and finally the imprints of the wings, then he walks away displaying).

This is what the display looks and sounds like.

Great Grey Shrike

I had a nice surprise just outside the window of our house at 16:00 this afternoon.  There was a Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor),

which was on the ground having just caught a Great Tit on the bird feeder which Teres’ father has just made for us.

The shrike flew off carrying the Great Tit (Parus major), but hopefully it will still be here tomorrow.

A relaxing weekend at the cabin

I have started working full-time now and am finding it much easier to get around and do things.  At the moment I am building a new website for Nattavaara Hembygdsförening and this have given me ideas for a new look to this site, which I will be developing.

Last weekend we were at our cabin.  Teres’ cousin and here family were staying in a camper-van there also.  Friday was my first day free of medication for three months and so I enjoyed a couple of beers.

During the night and early morning I heard strange noises in the chimney.  I thought at first it was a mouse, but then realised it was a bird flapping on the chimney damper.  I made a net to catch the bird with out of a net curtain and then opened the damper and two House Martins (Delichon urbicum) dropped out and flew around.

I caught them both and released them to join a large number of House Martin’s flying around over the cabin.

On Saturday evening myself and Teres drove to a large stream to do some fishing.  Even with mosquito repellent, the mosquitoes were horrendous!  It is the worst year for mosquitoes here for several years  and after only a few minutes, the effect of the repellent stops working and clouds of them descend upon you.

We fished at various locations along the stream for a couple of hours.  I caught a Pike and Teres caught a Grayling.  The Grayling we took back to the cabin, where I made an improvised smoker, with Juniper added for flavour

I made a fire inside the stove I made last year and placed the tin onto the stove.

We will be back to the cabin next weekend.

Rustic Bunting – Emberiza rustica

The weather has been atrocious again today with strong winds,  snow, rain and cold.

However, it has been a good day because we have a Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica) singing in the garden.

The above image is from NatureGate and you can see more images and read about Rustic Bunting there.  If you click the play button next to “Listen to this bird” you can here it singing for yourself.

Dokkas nestbox cleaning

Last weekend I was in the village of Dokkas where I was helping Dokkas Hunting & Fishing Club with a nestbox project which has been running for many years.

The nestboxes are for Smew

and Goldeneye

We cleaned out the boxes and replaced damaged ones

Here you can see both old and new boxes

After the work was completed we gathered for……you’ve guessed it, coffee and sausage around a fire.

It was a very enjoyable morning and thanks to everyone at “Dokkas Jakt och Fiske” for keeping the project going.

A few photographs

To coincide with starting my new photographic blog; http://naturallorephotos.wordpress.com/

I thought I would put up a few pictures taken recently.

First a couple of sunrises as I have driven to work

In this next picture I am heaping snow up around a cabin to act as additional insulation.

Here is one of the seven reindeer we have at Solberget Vildmarksbyn

This next picture (for me) provides lots of  interesting information once you understand how to interpret it….

This picture shows spore from a Black Grouse landing in the snow.  From the right lower corner of the picture you see first where the Grouses tail mark in the snow, then above it you see the tip of the right wing and then marks from the whole of the right wing and at the same time, the body coming into the snow.  Then you can see footprints as the bird lands and the impact point as it lands into the snow (with left and right wing marks).  Finally the bird turns around and runs away out of the top right hand corner of the picture.

The next picture is of the tipi at Solberget, with a glowing fire inside

and finally here is a picture of a cabin at Solberget at dusk, with a the full moon behind it.

Solberget Vildmarksbyn

 

Yesterday I began working as a tourist guide at Solberget Vilmarksbyn as part of a work experience scheme with the local job centre.

Yesterday we took guests out on a ski tour around the local marshes.

We could not travel across the marshes because the ice was thin and there was water under the snow.

Water on skis freezes immediately and has to be removed.  Fortunately Dirk had a gas burner in his rucksack

We heard and found much evidence of Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus).  In the picture below they had been feeding on Birch buds

Willow Grouse have feathers on their feet so you cannot see toes in their tracks

In this picture a Willow Grouse has landed in the snow (you can see the wing pattern) and then run away.

We also saw many Red Squirrel tracks

After three hours, we returned to Solberget Wilderness Village

After the Reindeer had been fed this morning

we headed off into the forest on another ski tour to the top of Solberet (Sun Hill translated to English).

We skied uphill for about one hour until we reached a cabin and fire-watch tower

Once inside the cabin we made a fire

and had lunch

After lunch we returned to Solberget.

Roe Deer and a new use for a parachute.

This morning when I went outside I saw a lot of fresh tracks near the door and on the garden.  On close inspection I could see that they were Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) tracks.

There were at least two individuals and they had walked all over the garden

They had also dug down in the snow to find food

They had even been to inspect the new garage I have built for my car using three poles and a parachute.

As you can see from the pictures, it has been snowing quite a bit now and the temperature outside  as I write this is -20 so I need some protection for my car.

I keep my parachutes wrapped up individually in dry-bags and after randomly selecting a parachute to use, I was pleased to find my Fiskars hatchet (which I thought I had lost) at the bottom of the bag!  The last time I had used the parachute was when teaching a group of children firelighting skills here in Nattavaara and some of the children had helped me pack my kit away.  At some point one of the children must have put my hatchet in the bag before the parachute was put in.

Nature in November

I’ve been out and about this week seeing and hearing a few things.

The week began with 9 Capercaillie along a section of road just outside Nattavaara

There was also a White-tailed Sea Eagle sitting in the middle of the road drinking from a puddle, but unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough with the camera to get a picture before it flew off.  I have also seen two different Hawk owls, but only managed to photograph one (and the picture quality is not so good).

People in Dokkas have been seeing Pygmy Owl (Sparvuggle in Swedish).  Here is a picture taken by my friend Jeanette, from her window in Dokkas

The Pygmy Owl is only about 16cms long and feeds on small birds and mammals.  It is most active around dawn and dusk.  I did not manage to see the Pygmy Owl, but I did hear it two times singing it’s Autumn song which you can hear here.

On Wednesday morning when I drove to Dokkas,  I had a Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) run across the road and into the forest.  This is the first time I have seen one, but I wrote about them previously here.

We also have a pair of Siberian Tit coming to our garden bird table most days and I finally managed to take a couple of pictures.