The use of digital cameras to aid distant examinations

By Darren Hamburger

In my earlier article “ is my bird sick?” I discussed what observations we need to undertake when identifying an ill bird and the differences between distant and physical examinations. I also specified in the case that you do suspect your bird is ill, you should immediately take the bird to a veterinarian. In this article I wanted to briefly touch on the subject of using technology such as a digital camera to aid in the distant examination process. These days digital cameras are of such high quality that it is easy to take quality photos for distant examinations. While I am sure this concept “taking photos of ill animals to aid diagnosis” is nothing new, I have not actually seen any specific article about this. This is not to say their is no information on this topic, however I thought I would write a brief article regarding digital cameras aiding the distant examination process.

What is a distant examination?

In case you haven't read my article “is my bird sick?”, I will quickly define a distant examination as a process of using your observation skills from a distance without alerting your bird in a way that causes it to shift from its relaxed state of being into an alerted state of awareness.

Why use a camera?

There are many reasons why we can use a camera to aid a distant examination, some of the reasons are as follows:

A record of the condition of the bird
We are able to later refer back to an image to observe treatment progress or health deterioration
The ability to later refer to the image with a clear and concise representation of the observation, not relying on the memory to write down a clinical observation. As the old saying says “a picture tells a thousand words”
Photos can be educational, we can learn to decipher between normal and abnormal presentations
The ability to share the photo with others who are more experienced to enhance our own understanding
Ability to show a vet the bird in an undisturbed state
Ability to send image to a vet for long distance diagnosis
Providing a quality photo has been taken, we are able to get a clearer and closer view of the bird as if we were holding the bird in our hands
The act of taking a photo is not likely to disturb or stress a bird unless the person taking the photo is careless

What type of camera should I use?

The type of camera you may wish to use is really dependent on accesability, how much you really want to spend and or your preference of camera. These days mobile phones are convenient to use as the higher end mobile phones have quality cameras within. I personally dislike using mobile phones to take photos because I find it more difficult to take quality photos with them. I also don't like looking at a large screen when taking photos with mobile phones. I much prefer having a hand held camera, something I can look through an eye piece and easily balance a bigger hand held device which seems to improve my ability taking clearer photos. So for me I use the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with two lens options however my lens preference is the 40-150 equiv to 80-300mm which is a micro four thirds camera setup. I love this lens because it is fast, offers premium images, is great for distance photos in cages and aviaries because of its variable zoom capability which permits the opportunity to obtain reasonably close images. However it is always possible to use the 12-40mm lens for small cages that have minimal space outside of the cage to position the camera.

Photo Software

The next important thing needed is appropriate computer software to help zoom into the photos. The reason zoom is important is because it allows us to have a greater clarity in observation over the minor changes on the bird. Typically if I was using the Microsft Windows machine I would use the original Olympus software OLYMPUS Viewer 3 Software which allows you to import video and images and allows you to edit and zoom 1:1. The second optional program that I can use (not really necessary) is Olympus Capture which allows you to use your computer to remotely take a photo via tether instead of holding the camera. So an example here is having the option to set up the camera on a tripod in front of an aviary and not need to stand right in front of the aviary disturbing the birds.

However, given I am using GNU/Linux and Olympus seem to neglect users of such systems, I have found the free programs Darktable and Shotwell to be very good to view images, edit images and in particular zooming into the photos with clear rendering which is most important. If you wanted to read more about these programs, feel free to goto their respective websites or I wrote about these programs in my article “ My Favoruite Free GNU/Linux Programs”.

Your most probably thinking my camera set up is an overkill, and I would agree with you. However my camera setup was not bought for monitoring my birds, its just an added bonus to be able to use the camera gear I already owned which has provided some great diagnostic shots without disturbing birds. So remember, you don't have to be a professional photographer, however I can not overstate the ability to zoom into the photo with clear rendering is imperative. Zooming can either be achieved via your camera or via computer software or both. Poor quality photos resulting in blurs when zooming prevent or impair any clear distant examination observations. Perhaps the best thing about digital cameras is that we can take as many photos as we like at no charge and we can see what photo we have taken immediately. Therefore when deciding to take photos for a distant examination, take a lot so you can maximise your chances of not having to return back.

What should photos should I take?

For a full description to the distant examination observations of interest please refer to “is my bird sick”. So without rehashing that article, suffice to say the possibilities are limitless to what photos you choose to take of your subject. While not providing an exhaustive list here, some examples might be:

Photo 1	Photo 2	Photo 3

Photo 4	Photo 5	Photo 6

Photo 1: An example of damage to the beak of an Alexandrine Parrot
Photo 2: An example of a healthy King Parrot with clear eye, no ocular discharge, no swelling
Photo 3: An example of clear cere (nostrils) and well formed beak of a Lorikeet
Photo 4: An example of plumage in good condition of a king parrot
Photo 5: An example of safe clearance between ID ring and leg
Photo 6: An example of a Quaker Parrot habitually feather plucking

Photo 7	Photo 8	Photo 9

Photo 10	Photo 11

Photo 7: An example of a well formed Cockateil feaces
Photo 8: An example of a Cockateil with previous broken leg that healed incorrectly, sitting on perch abnormally
Photo 9: An example of an opportunity to inspect underneath Cockateil beak
Photo 10:An example of a healthy Cockateil with clear eyes, clear cere, good plumage and well formed beak
Photo 11:An example of prior history wing damage, wing feather growing abnormally

As you can see with the above examples, it is possible to use the camera to take clear photos and really zoom up close for further inspection on different parts of the bird. The photo of the eyes are a great example of just how close and how clear we can inspect the birds health with the aid of a camera in contrast to a standard distant examination. Even if I am standing directly in front of the bird, a visual inspection will not show as much detail. Photo 2 was taken at a distance of approximately 2 meters away in an aviary setting. Other things we may consider looking to inspect are feather quality, feather lice, beak condition, nail and feet condition, wing condition, condition of eyes and cere, quality of feacal matter / undigested foods or worms, skin conditions, soiled or blocked vents, wing condition, general body condition and posture.

Conclusion:

This article has attempted to highlight the importance and convenience of using digital cameras to aid information collection for the purpose of distant examination. The example images provided also highlight how beneficial it is to have a clear image to refer back to, because often with a clear photo we can see things much closer than the human eye. While it is not necessary to have the latest, greatest and most expensive camera, the reliance of clear photos which you can zoom in is essential. Even though this article uses still imagery as an example of using technology to monitor birds and other animals, the same use of video camera and audio recording is equally effective when monitoring bird behaviours and illnesses.

Until next time...

Darren Hamburger

Page Last update:03/07/2017

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