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 are coming down in price and this is an increasingly popular use for them.

In Europe the favourite is definitely stork nests and in USA many for Hummingbirds and Eagles at either end of the nest size scale. In the UK the most favoured are nest box cameras for tits or owls.

Generally speaking nestcams are listed on the appropriate geographical page… a few are selected with no 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. In most cases images are taken every few minutes and the latest displayed. There is usually a facility to see the last few tens of pictures and many sites also archive their best shots. If you can’t get out in the field… try these sites for virtual birding!

Feedercams are also popular so when it’s not nesting time you can see live bird action even in the middle of winter. Most cameras are seasonal and, as some may only be occupied for one year. Let us know if you find that the site has gone away or if you find others. 

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.