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One of my favorite memories was a visit to one of our local parks that has a nature center with a "Window of Wildlife". It has a very large viewing window where you can sit on a bench and watch the birds and chipmunks have a field day with the food provided to them. A nice option during the cold winter months!
The best part is not the viewing aspect but the fact that sound was piped inside. The earth is mounded up to block noises from behind the area to maximize the sounds directly outside the window. It's really cool to watch nature from the window but the sound of nature makes an incredible impression on you that stays with you forever. It has been over 10 tens since I have been to that particular park but I can still feel how I felt watching nature around me.
I feed the birds at home and it is wonderful to watch them but I have always felt like something was missing. You know there is more going on than just eating and fluttering around. I knew they were talking to each other and I wanted to hear them. And I wanted to recreate the feeling I had that day at the nature center.
My first idea was to drill a hole in the wall and stick an old microphone in it. Just a little tiny hole to run the wire through. Not an easy sell to the man of the house, so I had to move on.
I started looking for devices made specifically for listening to nature outdoors. The only thing I ran across was a feeder with a built-in camera and microphone. I really didn't want or need a camera, so I passed on it.
The search for a nature listening device eventually brought me to a wireless microphone system. Most of them run over $100.00 and I needed a more realistic price to convince myself that sound was a much needed aspect of my birding experience.
My final resolution was a baby monitor! It isn't wireless but it serves the purpose and was less than half the cost of a wireless microphone. The receiver sits in my kitchen window and I get all the joy of listening to those birds talk to each other as if they were at the water cooler at work.
Many baby monitors have video now but you do not need it unless you want the option of close up views. Of course, that adds to the price and that will generally run the price up to that $100 mark.
The brand that I own is Safety 1st. It is white plastic and comes with a transmitter and a receiver with two channels for listening and of course, an off switch.
It is plugged into an extension cord which is then plugged into an exterior electrical outlet. That outlet is controlled by a switch just inside my back door which makes it very convenient. The transmitter sits just inside the shed where it is semi-protected from the weather. (My shed has no door, don't ask!) The distance is about 50 feet from the feeder and I was hoping that being in the shed, it would eliminate many other exterior sounds. We live close to a heavily traveled road, and it does pick up the vehicle noise. Way more than I wish. Sometimes, I can even hear the neighbors (who are an acre away) if they are outside and being a bit loud.
I plan to move the transmitter and strap it directly to the bird feeder post as soon as I can find a way to protect it from rain and not block or muffle the sound too much. I think then, I will be able to turn it down a bit and lose some of the unwanted sounds.
You won't be disappointed if you buy a baby monitor to use as a bird monitor. Their songs help to beat cabin fever and add some joy to the otherwise cold and dreary winter. If you found this article helpful, you can read more articles like it at http://www.myvintagegarden.com.
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Stephanie J. Block at Bird Land
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