Webcams & Nestcams

Watch the birdie…

All around the world (but especially in the US & Europe) there are cameras pointing at nests or feeders or other strategic locations designed to capture live images of birds. Some are part of on-going studies, many more just for fun, education or viewing pleasure. They range from very poor to excellent visual quality and from the super professional to the rank amateur. Small dedicated video cameras have come down greatly in price and this is an increasingly popular use for them.

In Europe the favourite is definitely stork nests and in USA many for Hummingbird feeders and Eagles at either end of the scale. In the UK the most favoured are nest box cameras for Blue Tits & Great Tits or for Barn Owls, with Peregrines running a close behind. Many of the latter are in towns and cities on tall office blocks or cathedrals.

Generally speaking, nestcams are listed on the appropriate geographical page… a few are selected with no particular theme below. Of the sites listed below, many will only operate during nesting season… but, as the whole world is covered one should be able to find some live footage somewhere. Originally, images were taken every few minutes and the latest displayed. These days most stream continuously, although many sites also archive their best shots. If you can’t get out in the field… try these sites for virtual birding!

Even terrible photographers, with postage stamp yards can enjoy live action at their feeders.

Feedercams have also become popular, so when it’s not nesting time, you can see live bird action even in the middle of winter. Some cameras are seasonal.

By their very nature many webcams are ephemeral… help me keep this page up to date by telling me if any no longer exist or tell me about new webcams… on the other hand some nest sites have been occupied every year for decades or even centuries in some cases such as those favoured by storks… so nestcams can be there for years. Feeder cams offer a much greater variety of species, and it can be great fun watching overseas cameras and trying to ID the birds that turn up. Let us know if you find that the site has stopped transmitting or if you find others worthy of sharing.