Remote camera nest boxes for Squirrel Gliders

Squirrel Glider selfies? Not quite, but almost..

Over the past 18 months, Thurgoona Men’s Shed (lead by their president Bruce Dyce) have been busy researching and developing a remote camera nest box for Squirrel Gliders.

There are a number of camera nest boxes available on the market (e.g. UK, US), however all are designed to connect to mains power via cables and are more suited to urban backyards. Some manufacturers even state that “there are no genuinely remote camera nest boxes available”.

Could this be a world first?

Maybe, but regardless we are stoked to announce that 15 of these camera equipped nest boxes have finally been built, tested, and installed at strategic (and secret) locations around Thurgoona / Wirlinga. We currently have a 12 month Telstra plan across the 15 nest boxes and this will be the test period.

We have partnered with a number of key stakeholders – including NSW Department of Industry -Lands, Albury City Council, Murray Local Land Services, National Environment Centre – to find suitable homes for the nest boxes.

This project was made possible via a grant received from the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, as part of the ‘Glideways Project’ of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative.

The aim of these nest boxes are to provide more homes for Squirrel Gliders, but also to capture and send images of the animals when they occupy the boxes. That is, send images taken by the infra-red camera via the Telstra 3G network from the box to a phone or computer.

Let’s call this the lazy man’s (or woman’s) way to monitor a threatened species!

The guys at Thurgoona Men’s shed certainly are not lazy, check out some photos below of this amazing and rewarding journey:

This project built upon a strong existing partnership that Albury Conservation Company has developed with Thurgoona Men’s Shed over the past few years. Under contract with ACC, TMS have designed and built over 200 conventional nest boxes for ACC, purpose built for Squirrel Gliders. Together we have worked to improve the construction and design of the nest box, which now features a ‘rubber baffle’ (a screen to prevent introduced birds  but allow easy access with a pole mounted camera), and a detachable bracket making the process of installing a nest box easier and safer.

The Thurgoona Men’s Shed have also serviced a number of other nest box orders from both Victoria and NSW, for Squirrel Gliders and a number of bird species.

This project wasn’t without its challenges and set-backs. The project was almost derailed mid way when the Thurgoona Men’s Shed member leading the design of the remote camera relocated interstate and ceased contact with the Men’s Shed and Albury Conservation Company. To make matters worse, the project was subsequently $3,500 out of pocket. Fortunately, Bruce Dyce (President) and his members (including John Plummer) rallied to inject more resources and expertise, and persevered to successfully complete the project, albeit a little later than the date initially anticipated. This project is testamount to the skill, ingenuity, and team work shown by these blokes and we can’t thank them enough!

To find out more about this project contact Sam Niedra (Co-ordinator, Albury Conservation Coordinator) – M 0447 183 747, [email protected] 

If you’d like to purchase a remote camera nest box please contact Bruce Dyce (President Thurgoona Men’s Shed) – M 0428 432 413, [email protected]

PROJECT SUPPORTERS: