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A few days after shipping we received an email from Ian Strange
to confirm that the counter had arrived OK. He was pleased with
what he had received. But of course, with a project like this,
everything hinges on how well it performs in the field. We heard
nothing, which is usually a good sign. It was expected that
the unit would be used until the penguin colony went back to
sea in the Falkland autumn, so we waited patiently until May
then sent an email to ask how things had worked out. The reply
is reproduced below:
Dear Jonathan
Must be what they call telepathy ! I was just about to
write to you regarding the Penguin Counter. I have parts
in the kitchen at the moment being cleaned down now that
our season is almost finished.
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The counter worked extremely well and we were very pleased
with its operation. We had minor teething troubles but
nothing major. The only weak point perhaps which I can
easily correct is the mounting which holds the "reflector"
and "red eye" casings. Believe it or not we
actually saw the odd rockhopper penguin jumping on the
casing, so very gradually this would upset the angle
and throw the beam off line.
We also had to clean the reflector and sensor especially
after any rain, as it would get mud splashed on to it.
To overcome this we might try building a well drained
grid which the birds walk over. I had the whole system
mounted on a flat timber board hoping this would keep
everything in line. What I am doing for next season
is to have a steel plate as a base board with steel
angle pieces welded to it onto which we can bolt your
fixtures.
We had a solar panel fitted up on site to charge the
battery which worked fine. What I would like to do is
to get the trust to give me funds to buy another sensor
unit because I think we could then operate a two way
count. We were just too late this season to get the
counter in place before the first birds arrived so our
counts don't confirm exactly how many birds were on
the colony to start with.
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We checked your counter daily for a good part of the
season, so we know how well it operates left alone.
As it counted both ways we could only get approximate
figures, but still useful.
Kind regards Ian
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It is fair to say that the counter and sensor arrangement was
not perfect but considering that the entire exercise was just
6 weeks from concept to final shipping we are not too disappointed
with the results. Significantly we had considered the possibility
of the odd penguin knocking the sensors or leaning on the housings,
but definitely had not expected that they would try and perch
on them. Similarly we had made allowance for some weather protection
from above, leaving the bottom of the enclosure open to maximize
drainage, we had not expected the rain to come from beneath,
not even in the southern hemisphere!
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