As birdfeeding action trends, this was outstanding.
All eyes popped when a large Ruffed Grouse flew in and began devouring sunflower seeds. The backyard appearance of this crested, chicken-sized, ground-dwelling bird, at about 40 cm (16 in.), was a first for this birder, as viewed at my new online birdfeeding station.
A real-time, livestreaming camera films a well-stocked birdfeeder located in a residential neighbourhood in Manitouwadge, Ontario (east of Thunder Bay). The Canadian FeederWatch cam is a project of Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology at Ithaca, NY.
Online since Oct. 26, the video cameras stream feathered mayhem during daytime hours, attracting some 500-plus viewers. South of the border, a U.S. cam overlooks a pond on the wooded grounds at Ithaca. The two online cams offer premier educational opportunities for bird identification, along with a chance to learn the sounds of myriad avian species. Daily visits by blue and gray jays allow viewers to distinguish their different calls. Every peep and squeek and squawk can be attributed to the accurate species. Various sized birds jockey for position, and skirmishes occur as larger, aggressive birds swoop in to claim munchies at a dizzying array of feeder types. At the Ontario site, jays screech in and gulp a dozen nuts into their gular pouch. Woodpeckers appear daily, along with purple finches, an array of nuthatches, chickadees, pine siskins, house finches, and great hordes of evening and pine grosbeaks.
The US site attracts both forest-dwellers and species – like Red-winged Blackbirds – that prefer open water environments, with a background bonus of waterfowl and kingfishers.
Best of all, it’s free, although donations are welcome. Check out: www.livestream.com/feederwatchcam.
wildernesswest@shaw.ca
