Nest Box Monitoring Camera
The monitoring station
Live in the app
Installed in the tree
See inside the hollow without disturbing who lives there
The Comfy Creatures Monitoring Station is the world's first stand-alone, live-streaming camera and environmental sensor purpose designed to be installed inside artificial tree cavities. It enables unobtrusive monitoring of arboreal animals through a direct connection to your smartphone, and it can be deployed anywhere, with no dependence on existing Wi-Fi, mobile networks or power supplies.
We supply it as a combined system fitted to one of our nest boxes, or ready to fit to your own nest boxes and other artificial cavities.
Why it's different
- Purpose built for hollows. We designed it from the ground up to sit inside a nest box or other artificial tree cavity. It isn't an adapted trail camera.
- Completely stand-alone. Solar-charged batteries and a self-hosted Wi-Fi network that connects directly to your phone. No base station, internet connection or subscription required.
- Stream from the ground. Live video and data over more than 100 m with a clear line of sight. Vegetation reduces this somewhat, but you won't need to stand under the tree, so nest boxes can go at the height the animals need. Thirty nest boxes can be inspected in about as many minutes.
- Unobtrusive. True no-glow 950 nm night vision avoids disturbing nocturnal species. White light can be switched on when you need colour images.
- Environmental sensing. Probes measure the temperature inside the cavity, at the height of the animal, and outside it. The station also records humidity, air pressure and ambient light, with continuous logging.
- Safe for public sites. Anyone can stream and use the night vision, while white light, the pest alarm (red light, buzzer and vibration) and settings are PIN-protected. That means stations can be left on unsupervised public trails.
- Enabling data-driven conservation. The station and app are complemented by an integrated public database. Each observation includes an image, environmental data and all the variables of the nest box design and installation that may affect its success. Together, they show what works, and help close the gap for species we don't yet know how to support.
How it works
- Install. We supply the station fitted to one of our nest boxes, or ready to fit to your existing nest box or artificial cavity. Lens options suit shallow, standard and deep cavities. During commissioning, the app records key details about the cavity and its installation.
- Connect. From the ground within Wi-Fi range, connect to the station's Wi-Fi and open the free Comfy Creatures Monitor app on iPhone or Android. Stream live video, record or take an observation. Stations wake on a set schedule to save power and can capture scheduled observations while nobody is there.
- Share. When you're back online, observations sync to our public database. Over time this builds an open record of which nest box designs and installations are used by which species.
Who's moving in?
Plenty of common species readily use nest boxes. For many vulnerable arboreal animals, though, we still don't know which cavity designs and installations will work. The Comfy Creatures Wildlife Dashboard makes every synced observation public, so anyone can explore which designs and installations are being used, by which animals and under what conditions. That evidence is what's needed to design better habitat for our threatened arboreal fauna.
Who uses it
- Councils and land managers: live-stream walking trails and habitat programs the public can actually see
- Ecological consultants and researchers: regular monitoring without climbing inspections or retrieving camera traps
- Catchment, Landcare and bushcare groups: grant-funded trails that bring the community into conservation
- Schools and education centres: real wildlife, live, as a hands-on science resource
See the stations in action on our public walking trails, or read the specification, installation and general use guides.
Planning a project?
Tell us about your site and how many nest boxes or cavities you're planning, and we'll put together options and a quote.
The monitoring station, app and public database are designed and manufactured in Australia by Comfy Creatures.