We're really enjoying reading a new blog from one of our favorite BirdCammers, David from Cary, NC. I'm sure many of you have enjoyed seeing David's photos in our photo gallery, and his Cary BirdCam Blog features some of his best BirdCam photography. David's blog chronicles his experiences with the BirdCam along with helpful tips and tricks for any birder.
While the Wingscapes team always enjoys receiving photos from enthusiastic Wingscapes BirdCam users, we also love to discover them posted on blogs and photo sharing websites. Bill of the Birds has done precisely that over at his blog of the same name.
If you post some of your own BirdCam’s images on your blog, or perhaps on a social media page like YouTube, Flickr, or Picasa, please drop us a note with a link to the image so we can share it with other readers of the Wingscapes blog as well.
Dan, from the Nervous Birds blog points out an excellent feature of the BirdCam - the ability to capture images of birds that visit feeders while you're away. He was able to photograph this superb Painted Bunting. As these are the first Painted Bunting photos taken with the BirdCam that have been reported to us, it has been added to the BirdCam Life List.
Thanks Dan.
He writes:
On December 18th (my birthday) good friends Bill and Gail from the Wild Bird Center store in West Annapolis called to tell me that a customer had recently seen a male PAINTED BUNTING on their feeders! I quickly called the homeowners to see if I could pay them a visit.
An hour or two later, I made my way over [and] they let me set up my BIRDCAM on one of their feeders, where they had told me that the bird had visited over the past two days.
On the morning of the 20th, I returned [and] managed to see and hear a lot of great birds, just no PAINTED BUNTING.
Around 8:30AM the next day, I returned to download photos from the BIRDCAM to my laptop in order to see if the bird stopped by.
Marcus from Orlando continues to send us great pics that cement his status as one of the better BirdCam photographers out there.
Great shots Marcus. Thanks.
I'm working through a backlog of items I want to post about. In early December, our friend Nancy Castillo posted some great BirdCam images on her blog The Zen Birdfeeder. Nancy runs a Wild Birds Unlimited store and was one of our first dealers to catch-on to a great benefit of the BirdCam...it can be used to showcase other products.
On Monday, Nancy posted some great images of Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, including this one in which she captured a Downy and Hairy woodpecker together. This two are nearly identical except for their size. (Hairy is similar size to Red bellied or Red headed Woodpeckers,...Downy is smaller.)
...the Tuesday, Nancy showcased the WBU Eliminator feeder...
...on Wednesday, Nancy posted some cool shots of various Rodentia...
...on Thursday, it was a smattering of different birds. I was surprised recently to learn that many backyard birders have an aversion to Blue Jays. I love them. They take great photos...
...on Friday, Nancy posted some great video. Click here to check it out.
Wingscapes loves Nancy. She is a BirdCammer of the first order.
Since beginning this project two years ago, I've been reading birding blogs. I have a particular interest in urban bird blogs. One of the most compelling aspects of birding is that it provides a way for people to connect with wildlife and nature regardless of where they live. Anyone, anywhere can enjoy birds...less true with other types of wildlife. That so much bio-diversity exists in cities is missed by many, and it sets up an "ah ha!" moment for many beginning birders. Once you realize how many species are around you everyday, it is hard not to be curious about what you can find if you actually start looking.
Anyway, I've enjoyed urban bird blogs like City Birder and A DC Birding Blog for a while. I'd asked both to test out the BirdCam and was eager to see some images, especially from New York City. I was surprised when Rob Jett (City Birder) didn't have quick success, but he seems to have had a watershed session with it. In just several hours, he captured a Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped
Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow and Purple Finch. Check out his post on December 1st. Hopefully we will see more BirdCam images from NYC.
Gary Lefko has begun posting some cool Wingscapes BirdCam photos at the Colorado Birder website. Including the interesting one below of what may be a Harris's Sparrow or a Lapland Longspur...
Dan Haas has posted some interesting shots at his blog - Nervous Birds - and commented...
"If you are thinking about a gift for the birder, naturalist or
photographer in your life, get the BIRDCAM...Get one. It's a hoot."
Thanks Dan. Here is one of his shots of a Carolina Chickadee and a Carolina Wren...
Mary & Susan from Wild Birds Unlimited in Tallahassee got some awesome video over Thanksgiving.
They captured footage of Baltimore Orioles, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and a female (likely Ruby-throated) hummingbird...three "lifers" for the BirdCam.*
Visit their site to see the video.
*BirdCam Life List...oh boy. This is an absurdly ambitious project for someone who has struggled to maintain a blog. Basically, the idea is to keep a record of all species photographed with a BirdCam (by any user). I am doing this partly to satisfy my own curiosity and partly to demonstrate the BirdCam's "range" beyond the backyard.
I have started a list on eBird. We'll see where it goes.