Happy National Bird Day
A new visitor this morning... The Birdsy AI identified and recorded the clip. I was in a meeting and only saw it later in my Birdsy account. What a magnificent bird! Apparently it is a she, a Sharp-shinned. And she left hungry.
A word about Birdsy... I have been using their cameras since 2019, and I love the convenience of using a camera that is AI driven rather than unsing motion detection. My photo setup is motion activated, and it takes me a lot of time and computer storage to handle and edit the photos. I have used security cams to get close to wildlife before too, but I found it very time-consuming to sift through the footage to see if they captured anything fun. The cool thing with Birdsy is that the AI is trained on wildlife and captures exactly that so you do not end up with tons of “empty” videos. You also don’t have to install emulators or wonky software in order to watch your clips or livestream. With Birdsy, you get an app as well as an online account in which all your videos are saved and sorted by ID and date. And you can share your clips and livestream with others or embed it on your website, like I am doing here as well. In my opinion, nothing beats the convenience of this system as opposed to trail cams or security cams. No SD cards needed, and you are not tied to a setup like the gadgety smart feeders that seem to be all the rage now. You can build your own setup. Check it out on their website birdsy.com. I am streaming there too 😊
Summer is well under way,
and the garden is going crazy this year. The Blue Jays had a really good nesting season, and their youngsters are all around right now. In my efforts to capture baby birds, I also get some critters, and this squirrel was especially cheeky. Live streams will be down for the next couple of days for maintenance but back late Tuesday.
New livecam and life sign 🙂
Work has been a bit much these last couple of weeks, and I did not find enough time to go through photos. I have a little window here now so hopefully I can get some done. In the meantime, you can check out the camera that I set up temporarily by the leek blooms. The insects love them and there is a lot of activity going on. I am not sure how much of it the Birdsy AI will pick up but watching the stream alone is fun. And who knows, a Hummingbird may visit too! You can watch the livestream here: ostdrossel.com/livestream or on my channel on birdsy.com.
Video: a new visitor
It is always funny to me how seemingly stunned hawks look to find nobody at the scene yet hearing all the scolding from the trees. At first I thought this young Cooper’s Hawk would take a bath, but nope. It has been very dry here, so maybe it will come back for more. Such a beautiful bird. (I know the lens is dirty, there are birds bathing all day and I go out to clean it with vinegar constantly.)
Video: Hatch day for the Robins!
The Robins started hatching today! Mom and Dad share feeding and diaper duties, and they are such fresh parents that they still seem to be unsure how to do it. You can see Dad bringing some food and Mom wanting to feed it to the baby but then letting him do it when he seemingly insists. She's eating the diaper instead. You can watch this cam live here in my livestream section and on my Birdsy channel.
Video: The salad bar
I got a lettuce flower pot on sale this weekend, and made a little salad bar for the Groundhog family that lives under the shed. We still need to patch some parts of the veggie fence, and I hope that and the copious amounts of clover and dandelion on our lawn will keep them busy. Mom explored first, but the babies later came by themselves.
Video: A Rubythroated surprise
I have put out the pretty Allura feeder again, and yesterday in the evening as a late surprise for my birthday, a Rubythroated Hummingbird came to visit. He needs to figure out how to sit down but I am sure he will learn.
(I am livestreaming this camera in my channel on birdsy.com. The feeder is made by Perla: www.allurafeeders.com.)
Video: Robins sharing duties
The Robins have three eggs now, and since the female did not lay another today, I am assuming that the clutch is complete. It is very interesting to watch them do their thing in the apple tree. The female sits on the nest most of the day, turning the eggs to incubate them evenly. Whenever she leaves, the male stands guard on the edge of the nest. I am livestreaming this nest on here and also in my birdsy.com channel.
Video: The nesting material station
Like every spring, I put out a little nesting material station this week. The cement bowl contains mud mixed with leaves and grass. Behind it is some moss and alpaca wool. Several visitors have come to check it out, so I created a little clip (this is edited, they did not come by in such rapid succession). You can see a Grackle, a Blue Jay, a Chipmunk, a Chickadee, a Cardinal, a Flicker, a Groundhog and eventually someone who takes nesting material 😃
It is so easy
to get used to certain things and then feel bummed when they suddenly stop working. I’ve used my Birdsy cams since 2019 now, and when they had a server maintenance yesterday, it was awkward to not see what is going on in the yard. Interruptions happen occasionally but I guess it is extra hard when there is nothing else going on and you are thirsty for excitement 😜 Today, everything is back in order again, and you can watch my (mostly uneventful) streams here and over at birdsy.com. Activity is still low except for some finches, MoDos and a group of Starlings that comes several times a day to check feeders and destroy the bird baths. A hawk has been trying to hunt here too. I am slowly planning spring setups and enjoy spending a little less on bird seed. And the occasional action-packed Starling portrait.
Video: The hummingbirds
are making themselves really rare this year. I hear it is not just me, everybody seems to see less. I am not giving up hope, traditionally I have seen an uptick in activity by late July and August and even into September. So I am keeping the feeders clean and refilled. The Allura feeder that I was sent has proven to be very pleasant and practical because it is so easy to clean and has not given me any issues with ants or spills, and I don’t have to make huge batches of nectar that never get used. At least the baby Orioles are explory enough to come and visit. I am streaming this camera on BirdsyTv (birdsy.com), and hopefully there will be some hummer visitors at some point. The Allura feeder is available on Amazon.
Video: Miami Vice in the house!
I find Cedar Waxwings fascinating, they are so beautiful with their cool Miami Vice look. They never visit my feeders and only show up in groups at certain times of the year, so I think I am extra excited to see them. I admit we also planted a lot of native bushes and plants to attract them so I would have photo opportunities, but everything is still small. Anyways, please enjoy this group at the bath.
BirdsyTV is online!
As you may know, I have been testing and using Birdsy cameras for a while now - I use them for my videos as well as for my livestream. Well, I am happy to annouce that Birdsy has now launched BirdsyTV. It is a platform where you can watch Birdsy live cams and videos from all over the world, and you don’t need an account. Wanna check out an Owl box in the UK or hummingbirds and wondrous critters in Ecuador? Go to birdsy.com. They are still improving things, and new features will be added, and of course the community will grow. My stream and selected videos are there too. This is very exciting news and I am happy to be a part of it.
Video: Scenes from the Santa Stop
The yard has been quite busy today, with many birds (including a hawk earler) visiting the bird baths and feeders. Here is a fun little scene from the bath earlier, a gathering at the Santa Stop. With Goldfinches, House Finches, Bluebirds, Juncos and at the end an American Tree Sparrow. I love snow days.
Video: Cardinals are around my yard
all year but not always super present at the feeders. However, now that fall is here, they are coming out in larger numbers. And just like holiday lighting, the beautiful sight of them seems to help coping with the darkness of the cold season. Now that the clocks have changed, they are basically doing a public service in that respect. I’ve had up to eight of these glorious birds out there at the same time in winter before. That is one reason to look forward to snow 😁 A group has started visiting the bird bath in the evenings more regularly now. Here’s two of the males. Have a pleasant Monday!
Video: It’s thrush season!
The last couple of days, the air has sounded a lot like spring, with Robins, Grackles, Redwinged Blackbirds and Starlings calling and coming to feeders, Bluebirds visiting again and temperatures in the 20’s (Celsius). I spotted a couple of White-crowned Sparrows, some White-throated Sparrows too. And then this cutie. I believe it is a Hermit Thrush, at one point you can see a little red on the tail. It stayed by the water for about 20 minutes and looked pretty alert. I hope it comes back tomorrow.
I also worked a bit on the livestream, trying to figure out why people might not see it. It would be nice if people could comment in the comments if there are still issues. Maybe clear your cache before you load the page.
Happy Labor Day!
I am happy to let you know that the livestream is finally back working. There is still not a lot of traffic right now but hopefully things will pick up and we get a nice long end of summer. Happy Labor Day!
Video: Those slow summer days
where all the birds are taking care of their babies and there is a thunderstorm every four hours can be a bit boring for the backyard birder. But the bird bath still provides good entertainment. Here is a surprise Cedar Waxwing, who was joined by a Baltimore Oriole.
Pond season!
I have been rather busy last week, so there have not been many photos, but things are more relaxed now. I put the pond back together too, and while it is not finished yet, the birds seem to be happy, and the livestream is back too. My prediction of Orioles and Hummingbirds last week did not turn out to be true but sighting reports are becoming more frequent, and historically, the last week of April and first week of May have been THE time for the first ones to arrive in my yard. Here’s to spring, it truly has sprung now!
Livestream is back up!
There is a lot of snow and it is cold but the livestream is back. You can find it here in the livestream section. I know Germany also has very wintery weather right now, and I am sending warm greetings! Stay warm, everyone!
