Recently, a friend of my company sent me a link to a livestream his brother set up in a bluebird nest, and I’ve found it completely entrancing.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some birding livestreams in the past, particularly during the spring, but they’ve typically been for some big bird like an eagle. This livestream is just about a pair of bluebirds and their growing family, and the normality of it is meditative.
It’s also quite adorable, with little hints of drama. Today’s stream started with 2 eggs in the nest, then mama bird arrived to lay another egg. Papa checks in from time to time and even arrives with a bug to share, but after getting spooked by the camera, he eats the bug (perhaps he’ll regurgitate it for mama later). Later, after mama lays the egg and heads out, you can see papa peek into the nest to see their new egg.
I recommend checking it out and clicking around to see some of the highlights (the description helps), or just leave it running. It’s quite pleasant.
Do you ever watching birding livestreams? Would you recommend any others?
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a bunch of great feeder cams. My favorite is this one: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/panama-fruit-feeders/
Wow! That’s such a variety of birds all on one video. Thanks for sharing!
We have been watching the Friends of Big Bear Valley wedge-tailed eagle live nest cam for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE
Most years I use it in the classroom with my Year 8 students. I use it as a writing stimulus, and the kids like to keep tabs on how the eagles, their eggs, and their chicks are going. I often leave it running up on our big screen while we work on other things. It calms the kids down and adds a bit of interest to the room.
That’s incredible, Mike! Thanks for sharing.
Sorry – that’s Bald Eagles – not Wedge-tails