Many birders attract Northern Cardinals to their feeders, many others wish they could (photo by DeborahYaworsky).

We all enjoy watching the activity at our feeding stations, chronicling the birds that visit and the seasonal changes that transpire. But every once in a while, don’t you wish you could check out the action at another feeding station with different birds? And certainly we all have a question come to mind about bird feeding, bird foods, feeders, and more. Now, there are some excellent resources that allow us to view distant bird feeders via live cameras, and we can also get answers to basic questions about feeding birds from professionals who study information provided by Project FeederWatch contributors.

First, the FeederWatch Bird Cams connect viewers worldwide to the diversity of birds at 2 locations hundreds of miles apart – one in New York and another in Ontario – that attract different species for us to spy on from time to time; actually any daylight moment you wish to check in. For some people, watching the feeder cams is an enlightening experience likened to a virtual field trip or a field biology lesson in their living room or office.

Both feeder cam webpages include some video highlights that show recorded minutes of rarer birds or exceptional behaviors observed, which interesting and insightful. Plus, each of the webpages provides a helpful list of birds seen at the eastern and northern feeding station locations that you can learn more about by clicking on the species photo.

The Cornell FeederWatch Cam is located in Ithaca, New York, on the edge of both Sapsucker Woods and its 10-acre pond at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This well-stocked feeding station attracts forest species like chickadees, jays, and woodpeckers as well as some species that prefer open environments near water like Red-winged Blackbirds. The live cam equipment used there includes an Axis P1448-LE camera with an ETS ML1-WPW microphone. The Cornell FeederWatch Cam is sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, and can be viewed at Cornell FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

The Ontario FeederWatch Cam is located in a residential neighborhood in Maintouwadge, Ontario, north of Lake Superior. This northern site is an excellent location to see winter finches like grosbeaks and redpolls, as well as 2 species of jays and even Ruffed Grouse. The feeders are positioned in the middle of a large backyard that harbors a large birch tree and a mixed stand of conifers with several fruit- and berry-producing shrubs. There is a small marsh just beyond the backyard as well as a woodland and small lake.

The feeder system at this Canadian feeding station is the product of the live cam hosts’ ingenuity, making use of plastic pipes to support the feeders high enough above ground to foil an occasional squirrel, and a rotating set of feeders that provide black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seeds, whole and shelled peanuts, and peanut butter suet in a homemade hanging log. The Ontario FeederWatch Cam is sponsored by Perky-Pet and can be viewed at Ontario FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Winter Bird Feeding: A Live Q&A With Project FeederWatch is a great hour-long informational video provided by Emma Grieg and Heidi Faulkner from Project FeederWatch and hosted by Benjamin Walters, the Bird Cams Specialist. This video begins with information about how to participate in FeederWatch, but after about 24 minutes the discussion progresses into answering general bird feeding questions that is helpful to all birders who feed birds. You can access this interesting video on YouTube at Winter Bird Feeding: Live Q&A With Project FeederWatch - YouTube and if you want more information about Project FeederWatch, see Project Overview - FeederWatch

The Cornell Feeders Webinar

Earlier this year, on June 16th birders tuned in for an engaging hour-long webinar about the Cornell FeederWatch Cam. The Bird Cams staff showed where the cam is located at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and shared 2 of their favorite video clips from the cam. They also walked everyone through the Cornell Feeders live investigation and the data visualizations that show how and when different species visit the feeding station.

During the second half of the program the staff answered questions submitted ahead of time and during the live session, which resulted in an interesting conversation about bird feeding. To learn more about behind-the-scenes activities from Bird Cams staff and the Cornell FeederWatch camera, and to check out the data visualizations from the Cornell Feeders live investigation, see Watch: Cornell Feeders Webinar | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Enjoy the birds around you, and share your backyard birding experiences and photos with The Birding Wire anytime at editorstbw2@gmail.com