Why Use Bird Cams?

Navigation

Live Cams can have a positive impact on your avian conservation work in many ways.

They Can Help You:

Bluebird Nestcam View - Photo by Nate Steiner (2019)

Capture Public Interest


    • Birds are flighty creatures and don't typically let humans get close to them. It can be difficult to engage the public's interest in an animal they don't see every day and may not even know exists. Adding a live came to a nest box or popular roost area can give people an up close and personal look at these fascinating creatures.

    • Live cams have been used to engage students in learning about wildlife (Dixon, 2015). Partnering up with classrooms and making your live feed available to students can help engage the next generation in the subject of your work.

    • A live cam can also help create empathy for little-known or uncharismatic species. People are more concerned with the survival of "cute" animals (Forsyth & Miyata, 1984). Seeing baby birds live in a nest box or watching parent birds care for their young can help people see birds in a different light.

Monitor Research Subjects

  • Having a live camera feed can help you easily monitor birds from a long distance or during the night hours.

  • It reduces the possibility of disturbing research subjects to check on things like the status of eggs in the nest.

  • The absence of any humans in the area may allow the subjects to act more naturally

  • If recording and saving footage is a feature of your bird cam, you can have the opportunity to go back and review behaviors and gather more detailed information as needed.

California Condor on a CondorCam at Pinnacles National Park

Engage People on the Web

  • Featuring a live camera feed on your website can provide visitors with an engaging look into your work

  • Video snippets recorded from your live cam can be used on different social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok

  • Having a steady source of exciting content can help expand your audience on social media and increase awareness around the bird species you work with

Pursue New Funding Opportunities

  • Installing a live cam comes with costs, but it can also bring in new income for your project.

  • A live feed can offer branding opportunities. Local businesses can donate a given amount to your project to have their logo added to your video landing page. This offers them the chance to advertise and helps cover the cost for your camera & more!

  • Having a local business on board can provide cross-promotional opportunities and broaden the reach of your work in the community.

Resources:

Dixon, T. (2015, Spring). Critter Cams - Capturing Wild Moments. Connections, 35(1), 10-11.

Forsyth, A., & Miyata, K. (1984). Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America. Touchstone.