Tuesday 30 August 2022

New Loch Ness Webcams and an Appeal

 


This week saw the arrival of a welcome facility at Loch Ness - better web cameras. In fact, five have been installed at various points around the loch to enhance the remote Nessie hunting experience. As you can see from the screen grab of the Visit Inverness and Loch Ness website, these are located at the sites of private businesses. These are listed below with their corresponding numbers on the map giving their locations and an idea of loch coverage.

  1. The Clansman Hotel
  2. The Airanloch Bed and Breakfast
  3. The Shoreland Lodges
  4. The Craigdarroch Hotel
  5. The Drovers Lodge



So, most of the cameras are on the busier north side of the loch, but this is likely in proportion to the number of commercial enterprises around the loch. However, as you can see, they are all nicely spread out to give different views of the loch surface. The webcams can be accessed at this link and this is where we go next to try each one out.

As each selection was clicked into live stream mode, the quality of the video was of good quality. Each can be expanded into what looks like full screen 16:9 and the square 4:3 aspect ratios. A zoom button moves in on the centre by a factor of 1.50 for a closer look. I assume this was a digital rather than an optical zoom. A click of the camera icon downloads an instant snapshot of the scene you are looking at in 4:3 format complete with date and time stamp. There is no option to record what you see or rewind or fast forward, but one could install an appropriate application to record the screen.

Most of them had a panning motion enabled apart from the Shoreland Lodges camera. All panned right to left but to varying degrees. Some would pan until 20% to 40% of the previous view was out before they reversed the pan. Some would pan with a greater sweep until a complete new view was seen. This has its pros and cons. The main pro is that more of the loch is under surveillance in a wider sweep and so more chance of seeing something of interest.

The reverse of this is that if you do see something, it may pan out of view before you get the snapshots you want. Given the rarity of seeing the monster surface before you on a live stream, I think I prefer the panning option to see as much of the loch as possible. The distance from camera to loch also varied as two were over 500 metres from the shoreline but the others were very close.

But all told, it is a great scheme that is up and running and I think my two favourites are the Clansman and Shoreland. The question is whether they will deliver game changing images? I think if the monster surfaces close to the shore nearest to some of these cameras, we will get some very interesting images that will not be so easily dismissed as the webcam fare we have been subject to in recent years. 

Obviously as an object surfaces further away from the webcam, the more uncertain the image. So snapshots of objects on the other side of the loch from any webcam should be treated with the same caution as before. Likewise, new images such as unfamiliar water patterns, passing branches and logs will get undue attention, but it should be no trouble to identify them as such.

However, it is the opportunity now to see objects much closer than before that open up possible new opportunities. So congratulations to those who put in the effort and money to get these projects going. Webcam users may now switch to the new webcams. With tongue slightly in cheek, perhaps each should sit a test to identify common objects and repeat to themselves daily, I will not pass off any old rubbish just to get my name in social media. I suggest a compilation of everyday objects be collected from the webcams over the year ahead and are published as a guide on the Visit Inverness Loch Ness website!

And now for that appeal. A film maker I know is producing a documentary on the Loch Ness Monster and its Hunters. He has asked if anyone knows of any film footage taken by tourists or locals of the loch from the 1960s to the early 1980s. This is just general footage of the loch and its surroundings, not anything to do with the monster. Email me at the address below if you have relevant information or leave a comment.


Comments can also be made at the Loch Ness Mystery Blog Facebook group.

The author can be contacted at lochnesskelpie@gmail.com






25 comments:

  1. Great stuff! Our friend Eoin will be busy.. Great more and better quality webcams.. I know some folk don't rate them but I always think that if these creatures are still in the loch and surface now and then they will get picked up on webcams! The Shoreland one is of interest to me as its opposite where I stay when I go and a cracking spot for monster hunting Good luck to all the watchers.. Especially Eoin.. Hope you see something.. Cheers

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    1. Hi Roy, Check out Eoin Fagan channel now on You Tube, I see he has published a sighting of something large coming out of the water, captured yesterday the 1st, on the Shoreland Lodges Cam, on the opposite side of the loch. Looks like he may have recorded it on his phone while looking at the cam, shaky at the start. The black round object is seen immediately on the right of the screen.

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  2. Good stuff! Just saw 3 canoes pass on the Shoreland cam which gave a sense of scale. (poor paddlers had no idea they were being spied upon! ;)
    A minus I've noted when switching computers is that all browsers don't show the "snapshot" function, but maybe it's a browser setting thing?
    Now to the interesting question: what do the statistics say is the best time of day to glimpse Nessie? Personally I think nighttime has potential but I assume one doesn't see much on the webcams then...
    Cheers

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  3. I'd seen these the other day, very welcome indeed! Regarding the new documentary, or rather an old one. Has the Channel 5 one aired yet?

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  4. Found this video where CBS interviewed Rines himself, I know it was your previous blog, but, thought Id post it here in case you had missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-lqkpMYIng

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    1. Yes, I saw this and have read articles as such. No doubt evolution accommodates. Take the seal as an example, it is a sea creature, but adapts to a freshwater environment.

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  5. Had a scour on webcams on break in work! Wow.. The clansman one is awesome I even zoomed up on my phone! U could defo tell if an object is a boat or not! The others are further away so not as good but the shoreline lodges one was decent and when I tuned in I saw a woman in a black bikini haha!!! I think these webcams can defo be a game changer on the arguments on what the objects are.. ie boats ... paddle boarders etc... At last we have it... Quality in my humble! Eoin will be loving these! I cud even screenshot on it. Brilliant... Cheers

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    1. Hi Roy. Thanks for the compliments, I have not had much of that lately. You will be interested to hear, I actually believe I may have captured a video clip of Nessie yesterday morning on the Shoreland lodges webcam, with my phone. A big black round mass, rose out of the water and submerged and came up but not as high the second time then a wash like short wake then gone.Put it this way, it was alive, not woody. I put it up on my You Tube Channel Eoin Fagan and I am looking for validation from VILN.

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    2. Keep up the good work Eoin.. Do what u want to do it's a free country lol.. Now we have these brilliant webcams in sure things will be picked up! Why not? We need summit cus it's bin a quiet summer with hardly a sighting! I quite enjoyed watching the loch yesterday for a few mins on break at work! Enjoy what ur doing . Sum people take it too seriously ..a great mystery but we can all enjoy it in our own way without squabbling! I will go take a look on your YouTube now... The shoreline one is good ans close to where I stay. . Enjoy . Cheers

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    3. OK Eoinh, had a look, nothing to see there, sorry. Not even a blob Nessie. Keep looking and good hunting. Subscribed to you channel, good luck. I'm afraid these new camera locations will amount to nothing but the same inconclusive "Blob Nessies"

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  6. I want to come back! No Bullshit this time. I promixes!

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  7. Of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW6eKLLViK8&ab_channel=Storied

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    1. Here's another doc I hadn't seen, inteview with Robert Badger at the 30 minute mark (about 30.20).
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXvoVDPwMaY

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    2. Yeah, I seen this Doc before. You could say Badger had a close encounter of the fourth kind. That's an old Doc, Steve Feltham had dark hair. Time marshes on and waits for no man.

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  8. Eoin.. Had a look but only using my phone. Defo summit there but cud it be an otter? They are in that area cus my dawta video'd one( I think lol) just across the bay from there in July! (av a look at my Facebook and scroll down to our hols in July) Great though u got something straight away! I had a few mins watching after my night shift this morning lol a couple are not working properly but the clansman one is great and you wud defo tell if an object was a boat or not! Let's hope you capture summit else! . Cheers

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    1. Hi Roy, one other person said an otter also, I saw the movement of the black shape before I zoomed in the cam, as I said to the other person I don't know would you see an otter on the cam over to the opposite side of the lake. I would be interested what GB makes of it. It also seemed to be on the large in width and round for an otter, but thank you for looking and expressing your opinion, I appreciate it.
      I zoomed in too much but I hadn't time to fiddle around trying to capture it on film. It was not like taking a landscape photograph, all the time in world to take it, the land wasn't going to disappear.
      The first 12 seconds is what matters in the video, I kept filming incase it reappeared.
      Cheers,

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    2. Hi Roy,
      I watched a program on otters swimming and diving, and at the point of diving the curve they make arching their back is nothing like the big black round object I recorded from the cam. An otters curve is a lot lower out of the water than the object first noticed in my video clip.
      Cheers, Eoin.

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    3. Well it's all up to interpretation. Personal wishes and beliefs, pareidolia and all that stuff. I have never seen a Bigfoot, UFOs, Mothman, ghosts etc. or experienced any paranormal events or any other forms of Paranormal manifestations. But believe me, I would know If I did. I remain open minded.

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    4. Oye, There's a monster in the water at 1:56 What the hell! Time is going by to fast. Dick Raynor and Steve Feltham have some wear and tear, You should look at me, I am wasting away!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wa319OXRNs&ab_channel=TODAY

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  9. Eoin... U might be right... I've only watched it through phone.. Defo summit there though! Keep up the watching and im sure ull get more results! I've even watched a few times myself after work! The clansman one is the best and u can clearly make out what's there even the models of cars going past lol. Good luck Eoin I truly wish u all the best cus I know ur a dedicated monster hunter.. Cheers

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  10. Ok, stop all this foolishness guys. There is nothing to see in theses far off low res cams. The best would be Roland's trail Cams. Crap! I have been waiting for years.

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  11. Well it's a new toy for us monster hunters lol.. Its a thumbs up from me and a thumbs up from Eoin by looks of it! Wonder wat the other monster hunters think of them.. Mr Feltham? .. and what bout you GB? what do u think of them? .. Cheers

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  12. I was reminiscing about all the time I have been here and my preposterous comments I remember everything and everybody. Geordie the Skeptic whatever happened to him? I think he gave up trying to debunk. Remember "john" the bullshiter. EKM God rest his soul was someone to be reckoned with. Dick Raynor, another person of note, whom I have much respect for, thank you very much. I have been in contact with him and he says he does follow this blog What a die hard!

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    1. As an open minded skeptic I do miss Geordie's comments. I am more of a reader than a commenter but yeah, lot of great memories about roy's older accounts, EKM, geordie. Remember the Ricky Phillips controversy?

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  13. Thanks Roland I can always trust that your judgement and wisdom will prevail and overrule my stupid comments. Although, maybe people should know what a dimwit I am, yeah like they don't know already.

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