MORE WILD WONDERS
BLINK OUTDOOR
Blink’s nicely affordable Outdoor cameras are really designed to keep an eye out for human intruders, but their mix of AA battery power, HD video with night vision and handy boxy design means they’re ideal for snooping on wildlife. The app will ping you if one spots anything, and you can store videos in the cloud for £2.50 a month. from £100 / blinkforhome.com
BROWNING RECON FORCE ELITE HP4
While the name makes it sound like something out of Call of Duty, Browning’s wildlife cams have been used on BBC Springwatch – so the only thing it’ll shoot is 1080p footage at 60fps. With its camo finish it’s easy to squirrel away, and when triggered it’ll start to record in a fraction of a second. £165 / browning trailcameras.com
WILDLIFE ACOUSTICS ECHO METER TOUCH 2
You already knew your phone was a camera, satnav and general procrastination station, but did you know it could be a bat detector too? This gadget plugs into your phone or tablet (Lightning or USB) and listens in on ultrasonic bat banter, while an app analyses and translates. £199 / wildlifeacoustics.com
VAONIS VESPERA
If you’d rather look at what’s above the birds, this motorised smart telescope will point you in the right direction. It uses your phone’s GPS to work out exactly where it is, while the app lets you choose what you want it to show you… before snapping celestial portraits using the highly sensitive 1/2.8in Sony sensor inside.
€1499 / vaonis.com
EVE WEATHER
The weather might not be as cute as the local fox family, but it’s not going to watch itself. Eve’s weather station keeps an eye on the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure in your garden, and records it over time in an app. So you get a more accurate picture of what the skies are likely to dump on you over the next 12 hours. £62 / evehome.com
CELESTRON SKYMASTER PRO 20x80
Interested in the stars but not quite €1499 interested? A pair of binoculars might be a better place to start. Celestron’s waterproof Skymaster Pro 20x80s offer large lenses, 20x magnification and a built-in tripod adaptor for keeping things steady when you’re trying to inspect Uranus. £230 / celestron.com