Some of my
students have asked whether installing CCTVs in Swiftlets Farm would do harm to
the Swiftlets.
I had written about this before, perhaps 7 or
8 years ago in my previous articles. (www.swiftletfarmer.blogspot.com)
The
reason CCTV is installed in Swiftlets Farm is to observe the moments and the
activities of Swiftlets in the farm. From the CCTVs we could observe and study how
many birds actually stayed, how they entered the farm, any predators entered and
also intruders like thieves, etc.
There
are many CCTVs in the market today. As we know the internal environment of a Swiftlet
farm is always dark, so choosing the right CCTV is utmost important. It must be
able to function well in the dark enclosed areas to capture videos or images in
low light condition. In order to do that
the CCTV must have the IR capability (IR:
Infra-Red). IR CCTV could capture high resolution pictures and videos in
low light condition where as normal CCTV couldn’t do.
But,
there is a setback. Let me explain. Some IR capability CCTVs have Red light
indicators when switched on. These Red
light indicators resemble the eyes of predators, especially Owls and Eagles.
Owls and
Eagles are predators that hunt from an ambush. Often they hide at the edges inside
the farms (Outside). Smart and experienced Swiftlets knew this. Any sign of the
predators would deter them from staying in the farm. CCTVs are often installed
at the edges of the Roving areas, Nesting areas, etc so as to cover a bigger viewing
area possible. The places where the CCTVs are installed often are also the places
where the Predators like to perch.
One of
the indications that you could observe is when the birds make a sudden turn
back as they approaching the Roving area towards the second Entrance Hole. This
showed that they are afraid or they had seen something which is not right. This is bad for New Swiftlets farms as it
would take a very long time for birds to stay and build nests.
So
choosing a right CCTV to use in your Swiftlet farm is important. Find those
that don’t have the Red light indicators when switch on. There are many in the
market. Find one that has IR capability but without the Red light mode
otherwise when the birds fly in with speed you could only see nothing but a
shadow.
“The Best Is to
Share. Remember, Learn the Correct and Right way. Do not Let the Blind Lead
Blind”.
Contact: 012-3173811 email: swifjames@yahoo.com
