Bird Cams

Bird cams are fascinating and viewers can get caught up in the drama of watching birds in their native habitats or housing. With the Covid-19 virus keeping us physically distant from each other, in most jurisdictions you can still take bird walks. But if you can't, try bird cams. You get a real "bird's eye" view (sorry) of nests, feeders, and other boxes.

Click on the link to visit each bird camera. Most are live so, of course, the bird may be away from the location. Many sites do include recorded video to enjoy if the birds are not there or it is too dark to see them. I'll add more as I find them, and please let me know if any disappear (some are hosted by businesses or individuals). Watching bird cams is very soothing although there can sometimes be drama.

Note: These are not in any particular order.

Texas Hill Country Birds live feed from Spicewood, TX.

Purple Martin Nest Cam the Purple Martin Conservation Association shows baby martins!

Owl Cam from Cornell Lab Bird Cams sponsored byWild Birds Unlimited. Watch a Barred Owl

West Texas Feeders from West Texas Avian Research sponsored by Perky Pets. Watch Hummingbirds and other birds at feeders.

Sapsucker Woods Pond Cam hosted by Cornell Lab. Watch ducks, herons, and other water birds and waders.

Northern Royal Albatross hosted by New Zealand Dept. of Conservation. Many of us will never get to see these beautiful birds in real life.

Panama Fruit Feeder Cam at Canopy Lodge sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Canopy Family, and explore.org., features various fruit eating birds in Panama.

Eagle Cam hosted by explore.org. This cam focuses on a bald eagle nest is located near a trout hatchery in Decorah, Iowa

Osprey Nest sponsored by Hog Island Audubon Camp and explore.org.  A pair of Osprey have been returning to this nest for years.

Cornell Feeder Watch Cam allows us to view common birds like doves and grackles feeding but also other birds passing through Sapsucker Woods.

Peregrine Falcons is focused on a nest in Rome, Italy.

Birds: Discovering North American Species

This very educational book provides an up-close look at 13 different North American birds. For each bird, Raines provides a poem, some facts, and descriptive information about the birds habits and behavior. Some poems are simply melodic while others add to knowledge of the particular bird or offer insights into the bird's personality (Blue jay, blue jay / strut your stuff!) The photographs are clear and near-life size or over sized. The book itself is large and square, making it easy to share with groups of children. The last three pages of the book are devoted to "story stretchers" designed to provide lessons and activities about birds in general or specific species. For example, a science stretcher asks children to explore the habits of hummingbirds while a listening stretcher explorers bird sounds.

American Robin

The birds covered are the American Robin, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Red-Winged Blackbird, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Pelican, Great Horned Owl, American Crow, Canada Goose, and Northern Cardinal. While several are found across North America, a few will be unfamiliar in some areas or are migratory visitors. This book doesn't take the place of a field guide but serves to introduce the birds, and the crisp photographs provide a good up-close view that will greatly help with identification in the wild. Additionally, most of the birds are ones that can be easily seen in backyards and fields.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Although the publisher is not well-known, the book is widely available through online bookstores and libraries and will be useful for elementary school birding groups and science classes. And hopefully the introduction leads to further investigation and research.



Note: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. It will be donated to my local public library.