HD cameras capture unique images of nesting cahows

Very little is known about the activities of the cahow chick when it is safely burrowed underground away from the human gaze — that is until now.

A new camera has been custom designed, using cutting edge technology and military grade infrared lights, to fit inside the nests and stream high definition images over the Internet in real time.

The camera will allow birders, conservationists, school groups and the wider public both locally and internationally, instant access to these critically endangered seabirds. 

LookBermuda’s Jean-Pierre Rouja has spent the past two years developing the camera which is now installed in a nest at Nonuch Island where the birds are largely located. The plan is to install more cameras in other cahow nests in the coming months.

“We were talking about three to five at least set up constantly and have them in the nest during cahow season from November to May,” he said.

“We have gone where filmmakers have never been able to go before — currently when you want to film a cahow you have to open the nest up, stick your head in and stick the camera in and that disturbs them but this allows us a completely unobtrusive way of filming them all through this system.”

Mr Rouja’s camera uses miniature built infrared sensitive HD cameras with military grade invisible infrared lights. It uses the latest video streaming and wireless technologies to stream live video from the islands to the Internet.

Jeremy Madeiros of the Cahow Recovery Project said he has been overjoyed to be able to see cahow chicks displaying behaviours he never knew they performed.

The chicks have been seen exercising their wings at just a week old as well as building up their nests, or “playing house” as Mr Madeiros puts it. The first day they tested the camera on Nonsuch Island they were able to film, for the first time, a cahow chick hatching.

Mr Rouja said: “The camera also allows Jeremy and his team to walk around the island with iPads or iPhones and through Wifi they can look into the nest and control the cameras remotely.”

The Cahow Cam Project is a public/private venture between the Department of Conservation Services, the Ascendent Group, LookBermuda/LookFilms and Northrock Communications. All the cameras will be powered by solar energy which has been sponsored by Ascendant Group as part of a ten-year, $500k partnership between Ascendant and the Department of Conservation Services — The Ascendent Group Nonsuch Island Project.

President and CEO of the Ascendant Group Walter Higgins said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for scientists, as well as for students, birding enthusiasts and all who care about Bermuda’s unique natural heritage. In fact, we hope that the Cahow Cams will capture the imaginations of people outside of Bermuda, who may become interested in visiting the Island.”

Minister of Environment Sylvan Richards added: “The internationally renowned “living museum” on Nonsuch Island encapsulates much of Bermuda’s original beauty, while its isolation helps protect many of the rare speciesthat make Bemruda unique…This project demonstrates the true power of collaboration.”

The cameras is currently recording archival footage but as soon as the solar panels are installed onNonsuch they will be streaming 24/7 through the live stream player.

Pre-recorded clips are now available online at blog.lookbermuda.com/CahowCam. Live streaming footage is hoped to be available in the next few months.