Each year we all dutifully clean out our nest boxes, then eagerly watch to see who might move in. We watch as the chickadees, titmice, Wood ducks, owls and even the squirrels check things out, start gathering nesting material and then disappear inside for weeks at a time. About the only short-coming of hanging all those birdhouses and nest boxes is that we are all left on the outside wishing we could be looking in. What's going on in there anyway? Why be content with only getting half the picture?

No more, because reality TV has even come to the backyard. Now, thanks to the new Night Owl nest cam, you can watch that lucky "bachelor" court his lady friend; see who gets "voted off," and who "survives" the trials and tribulations of the backyard nest box, all from the comfort of your easy chair.

It takes very little time or effort to mount one of these miniature portable television cameras in your own nest box. Then simply hang the nestbox, run the cable into the house, and connect to your television. When the birds move in, be ready for some truly incredible action. Best of all, not only can you hear what's going on inside thanks to the camera's built-in microphone, you can watch day and night, 24 hours a day. Six, small infrared diodes bathe the nest box in invisible light, making night viewing possible.

When connected to your television or computer the Night Owl gives you a real-time view of what's going inside the nest box. Watch as birds build their nests, mate, lay and incubate their eggs, raise and fledge their young. By the way, you can also connect the camera to your VCR to record what's happening.

We've found the Night Owl to be simplicity itself, from mounting it inside just about any birdhouse, to running the 100-foot cable into the house and plugging it into the TV. You can also daisy-chain additional 100-foot extensions between camera and house. Cameras have been connected to 1,000 feet of cable with no loss of video or audio signal.

For year-round fun, consider the Red Robin Wildlife Cam. Fitted in a weather-resistant housing, this miniature camera sends the action around bird feeders and baths, in vibrant living color to your television. You can also set it up under the eves, monitoring swallows' nests and down in the brush to spy on quail. One fellow mounted it in a beehive. Another customer set one up to see where bats were getting into his house.

To see what we're talking about -- this is, afterall, new technology -- please stop in and watch our video of scenes others have captured of fledgling Screech owls, titmice and chickadees; weaning squirrels (what a wrestling match), and zooming hummingbirds.

To see our full line of Quality Bird Watching Gifts for Attracting, Nesting and Feeding Wild Birds including: Bird Feeders, Birdhouses, Hummingbird Feeders, and Bird Baths, and Unique Home and Garden Decor such as Wind Chimes, Mylar Windsocks, Garden Gnomes and more, go to www.BackyardBirdsandGardens.com