On June 24, 2015, a NGO named NatureBytes began a KickStarter campaign to raise money for a wildlife camera kit based on the Raspberry PI. Based in Berkshire UK, west of London, this conservation group set out to encourage kids to get off the couch and explore nature.

Within a month, the campaign raised £34,164 from 303 backers.  This was 108% over the goal of £28,995.  At that time, Ol’ Sopwith was living in London and was one of 50 backers who pledged £85.

It was expected the kits would ship in December of 2015, but there were delays caused by the complicated molding process used in creating the cases. I followed the updates closely because I felt their pain. Anybody who has ever been involved in the injection molding process of plastics knows how difficult this can be.

The kits were finally shipped in May 2015. I received mine in the US since I had returned home by that time. When my kit arrived, I was so busy I placed the box high overhead in a closet and forgot about it.

In the last couple of weeks, I have discovered there are unwanted critters wandering around my yard at night. I would like to know who/what they are, and what they are doing. Obviously, a Raspberry Pi with a camera is going to be the answer, but how do I put together a rig that can capture photos or videos in the dark of night?

Hey! What about the long abandoned Nature Camera Kit? Down came the box and the fun began. Lots of fun!

Follow along in this series as I build the kit and hack it so it works at night. In the meantime visit the NatureBytes web site and see what they are up to now.

Sopwith