Nick Baker, NHBS Ambassador, has been trying out the Bushnell XLT Trophy Cam Trail Camera. Here are his initial impressions:

These Bushnell trail cameras are about as good as you can get for the money, and using them is rather addictive too!

The XLT (right)  was the model I tested – the camera comes as an all-in-one small weatherproof box, which is both lightweight and easy to carry around and position. I’ve used mine for professional survey work such as attempting to identify bird nest predators as part of an RSPB Ring Ouzel survey, identifying the occupancy of Badger setts as well as simply leaving it up in the garden to find out who has been defecating on my lawn and messing up my flower beds (in the process identifying which of my neighbours cats use my garden – all six, it turns out!).

The camera shoots both still pictures (eg. left) and moving images(eg. below) and has a screen which allows reviewing of the images in the unit. All the image data is stored on an SD card and the unit is powered by 4-8 AA batteries.

Sensitivity and trigger delay are the only issues: making the camera less sensitive stops it being triggered by small movements – moths, mice, wind-blown vegetation etc. – but if the camera is triggered by an animal walking past quite close, then the one second delay means that by the time the trigger kicks in you might just get the tail end of the moment! This is easily overcome if you are setting it along paths or trails by making sure the camera looks down the likely pathway rather than across it.

All in all this is a fantastic good value entry-level trail camera – if you want to increase the picture quality and eliminate the ‘glow’ of the LEDs (some animals seem to be aware of the red glow produced by the 32 red LEDs) at night then the HD colour version is worth considering.

Roe Buck captured on a Bushnell XLT Trophy Cam Trail Camera by Nick Baker, 2011

Click here to view other Nick’s other Bushnell videos on the NHBS Vimeo channel

Save £54 on the Bushnell XLT Trophy Cam until 31/12/11  

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“I think this hide is great value for money.”

“If, like me, you’ve spent time trying to conceal yourself from your wildlife subjects, then doubtless you will have found yourself wrestling with scrim, and swearing and cursing as it gets caught on tripods, zippers and Velcro. The other extreme – and until now the only solution – would be to buy a ‘blind’ – a wildlife hide with many of the complexities associated with putting up a tent – a puzzle of poles and guy ropes. As well as often confounding the wildlife watcher/photographer, the whole set-up was both expensive and heavy.

I’ve been aware of these Stealth Gear hides for a year or so now and judging by the high demand, they seem to have caught on – and for good reasons.

It’s a robust camping chair design with a fan of hoops that unfurl from behind and over the seat. This in turn drags with it the polyester fabric of the hide itself. There is a little mesh pocket on one of the arms for your beer, which also can function as a lens holder – pity it doesn’t have two of them! The whole caboodle comes in a Camo-Tree design (photo-realistic leaves and bark, and woodland scenes) which in my experience works, pretty much anywhere, to break up the outline of the unit – and, almost as importantly, hides the contraption and the watcher from the unwanted attentions of his own species!

I found it best to sit in the chair with my gear in front of me and simply flip the hide over my head. Once inside it can be a little fiddly, and your personal organisation is tested a little, but so it is in any blind. If you have big elbows, lots of gear, a mate or intend to be waiting a long while, consider the two-seat option, otherwise you might find it a little too cosy for comfort. But the one-man works very well for me.

There are five apertures through which you can peer or shove a telephoto lens, all of which can be opened or closed easily with Velcro attachments, either opening them fully or leaving a printed mesh panel in place which enables the hide user to see out, while nothing can see in. The five windows are adequate enough, but you can’t see behind – which would on occasion be useful. That said, it would be a bit challenging to turn around even if there were a rear-facing window, especially with a hide full of gear. If full, all-round vision is what you require then this is available in the two-seat version.

The hide comes with a bag of ground pegs, also in a Camo-Tree design. Come on guys, you put the bag down in the long grass because you are in a rush to set up, and of course the wind starts to blow and where are your pegs to secure the thing to the ground as it fills up like a balloon and its skirts start to ruffle uncontrollably in the breeze? In a camouflage bag! Which is where? Somewhere in the long grass, doing its best to be not to be seen… I’ve attached a piece of orange baler twine now I’ve recovered it, so hopefully this won’t happen again.

Slight niggles: stitching holes let through pinpricks of daylight, and water does come spattering through in a torrential downpour. Leaving the hide is difficult – keeping your set-up and not totally blowing your cover requires agility and contortional abilities that are beyond most naturalists over 40! But having said that, all these problems can be applied to all but the most expensive hides and blinds I’ve used, so on balance I think this hide is great value for money.

(Note: if you have children and are fed up with the gaudy primary coloured plastic wendy house that jars with your aesthetic sensibilities then there is a hidden bonus to this hide – 4 year olds love them! And being made of camouflage material, you can sit it in the corner near the shrubbery and barely notice it’s there. It kept my daughter occupied for hours!)”

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1. Record bird and wildlife sounds in the field

The RememBird II allows you to record bird sound in the field. It fits snugly below your roof prism binoculars and is easily operated by a simple joystick button contol. The microphone works in a continuous loop recording mode so that your RememBird is ‘always listening’ – so you don’t have to scramble to catch the beginning of the calls you hear.

2. Keep your eyes on the action

The RememBird has a second micropohone which allows you to whisper notes about what you’re watching without stopping to look down at your notebook.

3. Listen to region-specific audio field guides through the built-in speaker or using headphones

Each RememBird comes pre-loaded with a regional audio field guide: European (in English or French), North American or Australian.

4. Manage your wildlife field recordings

The sophisticated software (available for PC and Mac users) allows you to manage your wildlife recordings,  log and identify species heard and build your own audio field guides for use in the field.

5. The RememBird II builds on the huge popularity of the RememBird I – including new features designed with users’ feedback in mind

Praise for Remembird I

For the size of the package, the RememBird provides a remarkably good recording (definitely adequate for identification later) and a convenient way of recording those valuable field notes. – American Bird Association

A marvelous innovation to take us into the next new frontier of birdwatching. – Martin Garner

Its versatility and ease of rapid use will make a real difference both for the professional and for the serious birder… You will quickly come to see how useful this is and will want to make sure it’s always to hand. - Ricard Gutiérrez, www.rarebirdspain.net

Is it worth it? Yes. It’s great for recording on-the-spot details of sightings while at the same time helping you to get to grips with bird sounds. – Dominic Couzens, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Designed 100% for birders, it would also be fantastic on safari, especially at night, for listening to the sounds of the bush. Elephants’ rumbles, bush baby shrieks and leopard coughs would all come through beautifully. - Wildlife Extra

Find out more about the RememBird II

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Popularity: 19% [?]