http://www.harborfreight.com/high-resolution-digital-inspection-camera-with-recorder-67980.html I bought a digital inspection camera from Harbor freight today. see link above. With the 20% off coupon that is always available on line, and the in store discount already going on, I got the camera, an after-market warranty, 2 pair of scissors, a pocket LED light, a digital thermometer, and some small plastic squeeze bottles all for $96.46. This particular camera attaches to a computer via a cord. It uses 4 batteries. the length of the fiberoptics cord is sufficient for looking into boxes well above your head. The focal distance is 1 inch to 14 inches. What you see is in real time. It is not recorded. you can attach the camera to a computer if you need to capture images. The images are in color. Between 6 pm and 6:30 pm, tonight, Ray and I inspected 9 nest boxes where we live and found 3 newly hatched western bluebirds, 3 newly hatched white breasted nuthatches, 4 robin eggs in the nest, a Western Screech owl on the nest, all in a few seconds per box. Keeping the boxes closed kept cold air out of the boxes. The reaction of the parent birds was brief and not severe. The chicks did not seem to notice. No ladders were needed. No screwdrivers, no fumbling with box latches, We practiced on empty nest boxes until we got good at it. We found that the clip on angled mirror (provided in the kit) was essential. We barely inserted the camera tip in the box, and the mirror did the rest. There is a feature on the controls where the camera displays different views as you ratchet through the selections while holding the camera steady. It was necessary to throw a black cloth over our heads to see the LED screen on the camera. The tip of the lens needed cleaning with liquid lens cleaner and a lens cloth to remove dried water spots. The impetus for getting the camera was the fact that we are monitoring Western Bluebirds in a bluebird trail program. We are participating in a summer camp for children in July, and will see if we can incorporate the camera in some learning experiences for the students. Stephanie Hazen Ray Temple Salem, Oregon OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx