feedmecam.com/blog

Comments, suggestions, advice

June 2nd, 2007 by Kip Draper - 3,401 Views

I have over five years of webcam experience under my belt, but I am a definite newcomer to birding. Any advice or comments on my current setup, how to attract more birds, etc. is appreciated. Please feel free to also comment on the quality/usability of the video, blog, website, or anything so related.

One bit of advice I can offer to newbies is don’t buy the cheap stuff! Get the real deal at a birding store, not to mention the advice that you can’t get at Home Depot or Wal Mart. If you’re set on buying the el cheapo feeders, drop me a line: I have several in my carport waiting to go on Ebay.

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187 Responses to “Comments, suggestions, advice”

on 07 Jun 2007 at 8:44 am Lynne

This new cam is a great addition to all your other cam “adventures”, and very enjoyable. Being able to hear and see the activity is fun! Yes, I was wondering what that sound of building was in the background, and now I know it’s your basement being finished. A suggestion I have is that it would be helpful to have a link to help us identify the birds we are seeing. Maybe a link to birds in your area. Thanks.
on 11 Jun 2007 at 6:50 pm Mary

Great view of the feeders, the new cam Rocks and I love the sound. Thanks for switching to the hummer, that was great to see.
on 11 Jun 2007 at 7:31 pm Kip Draper

Lynne, I’m working on a post to identify the common birds. Give me a little time because I only know a few of them so far! Being a newbie is fun after 40.

Mary: cool, ya caught a hummer. I watch sometimes while I’m working/surfing and when I hear them buzzing (can’t mistake that sound), I press a button to go to the hummingbird feeder. Now if I can automate that process.

This cam is better but it’s not good enough for this application (it’s better for long range shots); I have another coming that will zoom the critters with some serious detail. They’re going to have to sacrifice some privacy for a free meal!
on 18 Jun 2007 at 12:24 pm Joe Stubblefield

Maybe you could move the humming bird feeder to between the other feeders. Then I won’t get anything done at work. I saw a pan to it, but have not seen a humming bird there yet. I’m from Blairsville, but tune in from MD and VA.
on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:17 am Gloria

Hey Kip,

Just discovered your new webcam. Great job! We have been enjoying all the birds around our cabin in Blue Ridge. They are really numerous, and we enjoy their musical antics. We will be back up in time for the Fourth of July activities. In the meantime, it is fun to observe them in your backyard. It would be helpful to be able to identify them as we, too, are new to birding. Thanks, again.
on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:58 am Kip Draper

Joe: I believe I have the solution with this cam; instead of moving the hummer feeders to the bird feeders, the cam will move to the hummer feeders. I’ll be adding more feeders & trying out some new nectar to draw in some more traffic.

Hi Gloria,
Thanks! They are numerous (and ravenous); I’m really surprised at how many there are already. I’m hooked. Stopping by the shop Thursday to talk to Tom about adding more bird hardware. Now that I can get some good close-ups, I’m working on a post that will identify the birds with actual cam snapshots.
on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:09 am Judy

Kip, have just discovered your cam and am loving it. I have been a bird lover all my life–it was our family hobby to feed and identify the many birds of this region. Most of what I’m seeing on your feeders now are male and female goldfinch along with a nuthatch, Carolina chickadee, and tufted titmouse. I’ve even seen an occasional male cardinal. Saw a male hummingbird zoom by but not stop at the feeder, too. You are correct, they are a hungry lot! Please keep the cams up and running. They are most entertaining throughout my day!

Judy
on 20 Jun 2007 at 8:13 am Gloria

A bird established a nest under our carport and proceeded to raise her family. It was right in the line of sight of my kitchen window. By the time I realized it was there, the eggs had hatched, and the Mom was feeding her young. The youngsters got so big I couldn’t see how they all fit in the little nest. Then one morning they were gone…off to complete the cycle of life.

My son also had a bird nest under his carport. Check the eaves of your house. It would be neat to catch this on your webcam. Although you will probably have to wait until next Spring.
on 20 Sep 2007 at 3:17 pm Birdwatching Blog

Nice cam! I’ve featured you on my blog today. Have you considered using Ustream.tv? They have a really cool streaming video service that is free and I think would work pretty well for your cam. Just a thought..

http://www.birdwatchingblog.com/bird-feeder-cams/feed-me-bird-feeder-cam
on 22 Sep 2007 at 1:59 pm Terri

You need to add more food to the feeder!!! Thanks again for this feeder webcam; I really enjoy it so much! (and your real estate website is the best in the area too…I pass it along to anyone that inquires about property in the Blue Ridge area, along with the webcams!)
on 15 Oct 2007 at 9:42 am Kip Draper

Thanks Birdwatching Blog! Really appreciate the bird cam article. Better cam on the way. I’ll check out ustream. Threw you a blogroll.

Thanks Terri. I think I’ll put a “fill the feeder lazy!” link on the cam page.
on 20 Jan 2008 at 6:24 pm Barbara Owens

Hi,

I stumbled on your web cam for a bird feeder today and now need a user number and password.

I live in Georgetown, Texas, but have owned a cabin off Aska Road since 1999.

I was a member of the Fannin county Christmas Bird Count this year and have known Tom Striker since he began his store. May I have a user number and password to watch your bird feeder?

Look at the ajc story under photos and you will see my picture and misspelled name!

Barbara Owens
on 21 Jan 2008 at 11:46 am Kip Draper

Hi Barbara,
You caught me working on the cam. That’s the only time it asks for a password, which is rare.

We used to be neighbors with the Strikers when we had a cabin in Cashes Valley. We still have a lot over there so I guess we’re still technically neighbors. Great folks. Which AJC story?
on 29 Jan 2008 at 1:10 pm Barbara Owens

Hi Kip,

The ajc story was on Sunday, January 6 about the Christmas bird count–

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/01/05/birdcount_0106.html

I must confess to violating your copyright. I am enjoying being in Georgia vicariously and have set up a blog to remind myself of what we could be seeing at our feeder if we were there.

I take pictures at your feeders (glad you added the big one to the askcam. I’ll remove the blog if you object (or give you credit if you’d like that).

cabinbirds.blogspot.com

Barbara
on 29 Jan 2008 at 1:25 pm Kip Draper

Thanks for the link Barbara. That is too cool they’re citing Tom, Blue Ridge, etc.! I think that’s him in the hat with the face hidden.

Don’t worry about the copyright; it’s mainly there to protect me in the event that someone copies/republishes the entire site. Please post as many pictures as you like wherever you want!
on 29 Feb 2008 at 1:27 pm laurent

Hello,

I’m writting you from France,

I often have a glance on your webcam and I really enjoy it a lot.

To discover new species from my office, what a pleasure !

Where is exactly Blue ridge on Georgia ?

It would be very wonderfull if there where some sounds of the ambiance of the bird feeder, so that we could also have an idea of the voice of those magnificents birds.

Keep on it and thank you very much for this website.
on 03 Mar 2008 at 10:37 am Doyle Riggan

You’re webcam is great!

I’ve been feeding birds in my yard for almost ten years. There are all sorts of varieties. In the past week, my yard was invaded by a Northern Mockingbird. This “pest” has successfully chased away every bird that has been visiting our feeders, finches, starlings, cardinals, bluejays, etc. There’re all gone. I’ve tried moving the feeders taking them away for a couple of days, all to no avail. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to get rid of this worrysome bird.

Thanks.
on 12 Mar 2008 at 7:13 pm BIRDWATCHER

I LOVE WATCHING YOUR FEEDERS. YOU HAVE BIRDS WE DONT HAVE IN CALIFORNIA. I THINK I EVEN SAW A PIG ON THE GROUND THE OTHER DAY. GREAT CAM!
on 19 Mar 2008 at 10:28 pm Kip Draper

Hello laurent!
Blue Ridge GA is about a 90-minute drive north of Atlanta, home to CNN and the ‘96 Olympics.

The webcam is sound-capable. However, I have to use Java for sound (which I hate) and I’m not sure the quality will be worth it. Plus, they don’t make very much noise when they’re dining. I’m working on it…testing. Thanks for visiting laurent!

Thanks Doyle Riggan!
Drop Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company a line about your pests: 1-800-584-BIRD or tstriker@tds.net.

I’ve trained my little dog to chase-off the squirrels which leads me to the last post, LOL:

Thank you BIRDWATCHER!
Which birds do you guys not have?

you said: “I THINK I EVEN SAW A PIG ON THE GROUND THE OTHER DAY.”

You had my wife and I rolling on the ground! The piggy is our little half-lab/mutt squirrel-chasing dog, “Honey Bee”. She sits at the door waiting for them to hit the feeders, then pushes the door open and takes-off after them. She’s come pretty close; I didn’t know that squirrels do the same thing skunks do until she returned from a high-speed, nose-to-tail chase with one of them. She stinks for the day but not nearly as bad as getting skunked. I’ll dig-up a photo of the pot-bellied pig, squirrel-chaser extraordinaire…
on 24 Mar 2008 at 6:59 pm BIRDWATCHER

sorry about thinking your dog is a pig. we have scrub jays,
lesser goldfinch, northern mockingbird, house finches, american goldfinch, nuttles woodpecker. we have alot of birds but i dont always see all of them. i have 2 hopper feeders, one thistle feeder and one hummingbird feeder. we have alot of different birds but too many to name them all. we also have western tanager, lazuli bunting and blackheaded
grosbeak in spring. i like the bird bath addition. i have a bird bath also.
on 24 Mar 2008 at 11:16 pm birdwatcher

i read your question incorrect. i was a work typing the reply. we dont have tufted titmouse, northern cardinal,
carolina chikadee,red bellied woodpecker, pine warbler. we have oregon junco instead of slate colored junco. some of the bird like hairy woodpecker and downey are near my area but not in my yard. i havent seen american goldfinch this year yet and last year we had some but they move around alot. we also have annas hummingbird, allen hummingbird, rufous and black chinned. my brother is the president of a bird watching co in Austin Texas
called Victor Emmanual Nature Tours and he has taught me alot.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 1:24 pm BIRDWATCHER

I LIKE THE TUBE FEEDER WITH THE SPIRAL PERCH. IT LOOKS LIKE
IT WOULD BE LESS MESSY. SMALL FEED HOLES.
on 02 Apr 2008 at 9:04 am Doyle Riggan

Thanks for the suggestion. The Northern Mockingbird has moved on to greener pastures. All the regulars are back. We’re looking forward to the arrival of the hummingbirds. We also have a pair of mallard ducks that visit our feeders each spring. They have been visiting several times each day. Thanks for adding the hummingbird feeder to your site.
on 02 Apr 2008 at 12:56 pm Rachel

Hi Kip,
At 12:40 pm today, April 2, I saw a bluebird bringing grasses into your nest box.
This morning in my PA backyard I saw my bluebird started building her nest.
Now I have two bluebird nest boxes to watch.
What a great web(spy)cam, thank you so much.
Rachel
on 10 Apr 2008 at 10:00 am Kip Draper

I think it’s safe to say they’ve decided to move in.
on 12 Apr 2008 at 11:52 am Shelby Steele

I have blue birds in my back yard but I can’t see inside the house so I am glad you have the bird cam so I can watch your blue birds and kinda know what is going on inside my bluebird house. I put the house out 2 years ago but this is the first sprin I have seen them stop in my yard. The female is staying inside a lot now so think she is sitting on the eggs.
Thanks for the cam!
on 12 Apr 2008 at 6:08 pm Kip Draper

This is my first brood, but based upon my limited, newbie observations, I’d say you’re south of here & have eggs (if she’s hanging out a lot). My gal eats some meal worms (that the male feeds her sometimes, she’s making him practice eh?), does a little housework, and hits the road for the big crib on the hill. Late mornings seem to be her favorite time, but you never know when she’s going to drop in.
on 14 Apr 2008 at 9:04 am Guy

Wow!!
Very cool, and educational. Great comments also from the viewers around the world…
on 14 Apr 2008 at 10:33 am Doug Thornton

I think I just saw a screech owl on the meal worm feeder. How cool is that.
on 14 Apr 2008 at 5:59 pm Andrea

Thank you so much for sharing your feeder cam! I just saw a Carolina wren and a yellow-throated warbler (a huge and wonderful surprise) from my desk at work. Amazing! Do you have a compilation of all the birds that have visited your feeders?
on 14 Apr 2008 at 6:44 pm BIRDWATCHER

i missed the screech owl! what a bummer!
on 15 Apr 2008 at 5:22 pm BIRDWATCHER

The area where you live is beautiful! you have some great pictures of the bluebirds. we have western bluebirds here. keep up the good work!
on 16 Apr 2008 at 7:44 am Kip Draper

Hi Andrea: the yellow-throated warbler is so cool. I can walk right up to within two feet of the feeder and it just watches me & feeds after the other birds skeedattle.

A compilation would be a good idea. The problem is I don’t know them all yet and I’m too busy moving feeders, cams and buying and filling feed.

Cheers Rachel, Guy, Doug, Birdwatcher: thanks for watching.
on 16 Apr 2008 at 11:39 am BIRDWATCHER

I saw yellow throated warbler. I know all the birds i have seen on your cam. I’ve seen american goldfinch, carolina wren, northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, red bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, dark eyed junco, song sparrow, pine warbler, yellow throated warbler, eastern bluebird, mourning dove, occasionally on old cam id seen a blue jay. carolina chickadee, white breasted nutchhatch. there are too many to name! i love this cam!
on 17 Apr 2008 at 10:05 am Andrea

Hi Kip: It’s great that the yellow-throated warbler is so friendly. What a beautiful bird! To add to BIRDWATCHER’s list, I just saw a pair of brown-headed nuthatches moments ago! Along with the YTW, they are new birds for me that I have never seen before. I just got into birding a couple of years ago when I moved to Michigan, and their ranges don’t extend this far north.
on 17 Apr 2008 at 11:22 am BIRDWATCHER

I noticed that everybody on this blog is using their real name so my name stephanie but i love watching birds so i used birdwatcher. The yellow throated warbler is a beautiful bird. I live in california and we dont have that here but i’m still waiting for the black headed grosbeak, western tanager and lazuli bunting that we have in spring.
on 19 Apr 2008 at 11:28 pm birdwatcher

How cool! Yesterday there was one egg, now there are 2!
on 21 Apr 2008 at 6:46 am Polly

Enjoy checking in on the bluebirds & nest & eggs throughout the day. Along with just about all my friends and family! Thanks, Kim! And now in living color, lovely. We’d been wondering what color the eggs were.
on 21 Apr 2008 at 1:58 pm Andrea

Hi Kip: I just have a quick suggestion about the hummer feeder. I can’t tell for sure (?), but it looks like you’ve got the nectar mix with red dye in there. It’s generally thought to be better for the hummers just to mix your own nectar with one part white sugar, four parts water…no red dye necessary. I’ve also found that it doesn’t seem to spoil as quickly in hot weather as the commercial mixes with the dye. I put my feeders out last week, but I’m still waiting for the first hummers to arrive!
on 21 Apr 2008 at 2:19 pm Kip Draper

Hi Andrea,
Thanks for your concern. This is some new stuff I’m trying from the bird store. The coloring is 100% natural from hibiscus flowers. It’s also 100% sucrose. Tom assured me that it’s just fine. It takes a lot to fill up this feeder ($$), so I’ll probably go back to sugar water. Saw the first hummer on the 20th but he’s being camera-shy.
on 21 Apr 2008 at 5:57 pm Bill

Hi Kip, I really want to thank you for all you do. My wife and I bought 2 acres in Blairsville to retire on when we get to that age. Living in Florida its so cool to be able to see the birds, the weather and Lake Blue Ridge. We absolutely love it up there and visited 6 times last year.We can’t thank you enough for these sites and keeping us in touch with our future home!!!!!!!!!!Please keep up rhe excellent work.
on 22 Apr 2008 at 12:42 pm BIRDWATCHER

how cool! 5 eggs. i’m wondering what happened to all our hummers. we have them all year around here. we have annas all year and rufous, blackchinned and allens in spring.
on 22 Apr 2008 at 5:49 pm Ada

Great birdwatching ! This is Ada watching from the U.K. There seems to be an animal walking through the woods in the background right now. Does anyone know what it is? (Good view of woodpecker too!)
on 23 Apr 2008 at 9:38 am Mary Ann

view not bright enough. can barely see her. we love this site, i showed my 10 yr old daughter and she is going to show her teacher so they can watch the eggs hatch at school.
on 23 Apr 2008 at 9:50 am Kip Draper

Thank you Bill. Cool place we have here huh?

Birdwatcher, I’ve only seen one so far this year and they’re definitely seasonal here. That’s awesome you get them year-round, hope they come back for you.

Welcome Ada.

Is that better Mary Ann? I’m still tweaking this cam for the low light conditions in the AM & PM. Thanks for the input! Hope the kids enjoy the show.
on 23 Apr 2008 at 11:18 am BIRDWATCHER

kip. i just noticed this morning that all the hummers are on my bottlebrush instead of feeder. i also saw a lazuli bunting this morning on top of thistle feeder. i love the way you change camara angles on your feeders. that way we get a variety of views.
on 23 Apr 2008 at 1:22 pm BIRDWATCHER

here i am again. im at work watching birds. i just saw a rosebreasted grosbeak! how cool!
on 23 Apr 2008 at 5:35 pm Kip Draper

I wondered what that was; can’t find my book. First time I’ve seen those here and I counted at least 3. Guess they like that platform feeder I brought back from retirement. Now I have to finish the custom squirrel baffle for it. Thanks BW!
on 23 Apr 2008 at 6:08 pm BIRDWATCHER

your welcome. the females look like a large sparrow. i saw one female and 2 males. i use National Geographic field guide and sibley. if your interested in tours, check out Victor Emmanual Nature Tours in Austin. My brother is the president of the company.
on 24 Apr 2008 at 11:39 am BIRDWATCHER

i love the bluebird feeder view! is that a lake in the background? what a beautiful place you live in!
on 24 Apr 2008 at 2:46 pm Ada

Very busy time at the feeder now! I saw the rose breasted grosbeaks too ! Great ! Never seen them in my life before. Had no idea what they were at first and did not know where to go in the bird book, but found them eventually.
I love your website.
Living in England, I can watch during the evening, when it is still day time where you are. Very enjoyable. Thank you very much.
on 24 Apr 2008 at 5:27 pm Rachel

Hi Kip,
Many thanks for the cams. This afternoon at the feeder tray I saw the most beautiful rose breasted grosbeaks, now the tray is filled with gold finch. I click on the spycam and there sits the bluebird on her nest. It is delightful to visit you in Georgia.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 9:37 am Doyle

Would really like to know what happened this morning to the Bluebird Cam. I was worried that a fox or other animal disturbed the nest. Was releived to see all was fine.

My wife’s second grade class at Main Elementery School in Beavercreek, OH is eagerly awaiting the hatchings. The entire class hopes it occurs during class hours.

Thanks for this worderful experience.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 10:05 am Kip Draper

Yes, that’s Lake Blue Ridge in the background.
http://www.blueridgelakecam.com

The rose breasted grosbeaks are brand new to the feeder, never seen them before. Also saw an Indigo Bunting on the feeder for the first time but missed the shot.

The bluebird color cam was an afterthought. The night vision cam is securely mounted, but I had to Velcro the color cam so I wouldn’t disturb the nest. Well the Velcro glue didn’t adhere to the cam and eventually it dropped; I tacked the wire in the event this happened so the cam wouldn’t drop on the nest. I replaced the Velcro w/ All Weather “Extreme” Velcro, just need to realign the camera angle a bit. However, they get pretty excited when I fiddle w/ the box, so I’ll give them a break and readjust this afternoon.

I hope it starts during school hours too! Not to worry though, I’ll definitely capture color video w/ sound for viewing/downloading. I’m also working on streaming that cam w/ sound. However, it’s a USB device so I’m not sure it or the controller will handle the bandwidth demands.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 2:48 pm Barbara

Check out http://cabinbirds.blogspot.com

I captured the indigo bunting as well as the three grosbeaks.

Barb
on 25 Apr 2008 at 2:52 pm Kip Draper

Yay, you caught it. Thanks Barb!
on 25 Apr 2008 at 4:13 pm BIRDWATCHER

I missed the indigo bunting. maybe i will see it today.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:00 pm Ada

5 rose breasted grosbeaks on the feeder just after I arrived ! And is that a blackheaded grosbeak now (5pm)? The watching is really great again!
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:03 pm BIRDWATCHER

they dont have blackheaded grosbeaks in georgia. i live in southern california and we have blackheaded grosbeaks here. the bird you saw is probably a female rosebreasted grosbeak. they look like a large brown sparrow
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:09 pm Ada

Thank you Birdwatcher. I will do my homework a bit better next time… Have just looked up where Georgia actually is located. Anyway, have learned something again.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:16 pm BIRDWATCHER

your welcome ida. my name is stephanie. that is cool watching birds from the uk.! i am at work watching them. if that bird was blue, it was probably an indigo bunting or if brown, then the female grosbeak. good birdwatching!
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:24 pm Ada

Hi Stephanie, I had a better look in my birdbook, and it must indeed have been the female rose breasted. But why so many males (5) and only one female? A northern cardinal turned up too, lovely.
I can recommend birdwatching abroad, what is a common bird to you is new to me. Lots of leafing through the birdbook though.
Hope to see the indigo bunting too in the near future. It is bedtime here now unfortunately.
Happy birdwatching.
on 25 Apr 2008 at 5:25 pm BIRDWATCHER

happy birdwatching to you too. maybe we will sorta talk again next week!
on 26 Apr 2008 at 6:34 pm Guy

Kip,
What is the name of the birds that have a black face and red breast?
You have 4 of them in your feeder right now..
They are cool looking…I have never see them before in FL. or BR..

Also the mocking birds nesting in our front yard that I sent you pictures of had 3 babies (beautiful little fluffy chicks) well a cat ate them all during the night last week.
They nested again in a different bush in our front yard and the cat (neighbors pet)got the female and killed her while see was sitting on the eggs. The male has abandoned the nest and seems to be looking for another mate. He has been singing all day for days now. So we saved one egg that was not cracked opened moved the nest in the house and are trying to keep it warm with a light and turning the egg every 4 to 5 hours.

Guy (Miami)
I REALLY DISLIKE CATS!!!!!
on 27 Apr 2008 at 7:24 pm birdwatcher

its a rosebreasted grobeak! how cool!
on 29 Apr 2008 at 4:45 pm BIRDWATCHER

wow! what a beautiful cam shot of the lake!
on 29 Apr 2008 at 8:04 pm Kip Draper

You caught me swapping out cams. The lakecam was a PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) cam and the feedmecam was a stationary cam. Since the birds/feeders move more than the lake in our cove, I decided to switch them out. The PTZ will not do widescreen but it should be a least a little more interesting as I can move it around and get clearer closeups on multiple feeders. I hope to make it so others can control the PTZ too.

You can always view the lake here. It’s about another 100 yards downhill from the nest cam. I still need to do some analog, walkie-talkie zooming/focusing.
on 30 Apr 2008 at 11:28 am BIRDWATCHER

that would be great if there was a pan tilt cam. what kind of bird feeder is that wooden looking flat one? or maybe its not a bird feeder.
on 30 Apr 2008 at 5:01 pm Kip Draper

It’s an upside down double suet feeder.
on 30 Apr 2008 at 6:58 pm BIRDWATCHER

do the birds use it? or is it new? i’ve never seen it on your cam before
on 30 Apr 2008 at 8:52 pm Kip Draper

It’s new. I saw one upside down yesterday but I was in-&-out messing w/ cams and only caught a glance. I think the nuthatches will love it. They’re just used to the log, but when the big woodpecker’s on it, they must wait, so I’m trying to draw them out-on-a-limb.
on 01 May 2008 at 12:14 am birdwatcher

the red bellied woodpecker is one of my favorite eastern birds. they are beautiful. we have white breasted nuthatches here too but i havent seen one in my yard for a long time. we used to have a huge oak tree that attracted alot but its gone now. most of the time i’m watching from work and not getting any work done! just kidding.
on 01 May 2008 at 5:56 pm Rachel

IT JUST GETS BETTER! I was so surprised when the camera went from feeder to feeder. Bluebird hatching in the nest box. This is great, I just love my visits to Georgia. I’m addicted to the “feedmecam”. Thank you, for providing such a wonderful site.
on 01 May 2008 at 6:22 pm BIRDWATCHER

I am addicted too! this is great!
on 02 May 2008 at 5:20 pm Ada

Did anybody see that animal appearing to the right of the feeder just now? Seemed big.
on 02 May 2008 at 5:33 pm BIRDWATCHER

no i didnt, but i know he has a dog. i felt bad because i thought the dog was a pig. the camera kind of distorted the dogs face i guess
on 02 May 2008 at 5:38 pm Ada

Yes, probably was the dog then. I was hoping for something more exciting. Maybe he can teach the dog to stand still in front of the camera so we can have a good look at him I like dogs too. Saw a woodpecker on the upside down feeder, but couldn’t see what kind of woodpecker it was. Not much else to see at the moment.
on 02 May 2008 at 5:45 pm BIRDWATCHER

it could have been an animal but im not sure. i saw the woodpecker too. if it was black and white, it was a hairy woodpecker. if it was mostly white with a barred black and white back and red on top of its head, it was a red bellied woodpecker. i saw the hairy woodpecker.
on 06 May 2008 at 11:14 am BIRDWATCHER

oh never mind. i do see them. how cute!
on 14 May 2008 at 12:08 pm Terri

Hi Kip,
I usually watch the bluebird nest from my computer at work while I’m doing other things like paperwork,… but ever since you switched to a live cam a few days ago, I can no longer get it. I can get the birdfeeder one okay, and all the other cams. I’ve asked my IT support folks for help, but obviously this is not a high priority item for them! Any idea what I can do? I miss seeing the babies!!!
on 14 May 2008 at 12:17 pm Kip Draper

Hi Terri,
Can you get it away from work, at home, etc.?
on 14 May 2008 at 12:47 pm birdwatcher

i am getting the cam now. i watch at work while doing paperwork also and its working for me. i caught the parents feeding the babies just by switching from feeder to birdhouse at just the right moment! i can also here the babies!
on 16 May 2008 at 10:45 am Terri

Hi Kip! Yes, I can get it here at home. Trouble is, I have been unable to get much computer time lately at home (my mom has been in/out of hosp and is now in a rehab facility), so I mainly use it as a sort of “screensaver’ at work while doing other chores. It’s a government job, so I am guessing it is either security filters or something like that on my computer there. Hopefully my tech support guy (thank goodness he is nice!) will have an answer for me on Monday and can help. But I love the webcam, and just saw the “control the cam” downtown cam today! AWESOME!! Eric and I are hoping to be up to our cabin a week or two after Memorial Day weekend…I’m still wishing we could work something out for that cam from our view that you looked at a while back, but we’ve had so much on our plates lately that we’ve hardly had time to think! Anyway, I’ll let you know what my tech support says, as it is obviously just something with my computer at work. THANK YOU for these webcams; I pass them along to everyone!
on 20 May 2008 at 11:23 am birdwatcher

I have a suggestion. you should put a cam on the outside of the bluebird nestbox also, so we can see the babies fledge!
on 20 May 2008 at 11:37 am Terri

Birdwatcher, I like the way you think!
I’m at work and STILL can’t see the nest cam on my computer here, and it’s driving me crazy! My Tech Support guy has not gotten back to me about my problem…he’s busy installing a program for the pay system to several facilities; guess there are higher priorities than my bluebird watching.
I saw the babies last night on my home computer; how adorable! Thanks again Kip for making all this happen!
on 20 May 2008 at 12:00 pm birdwatcher

Terri. i couldnt see the babies a home this weekend but now i can. does your computer at work have java? i just got java at home and can see alot more cams that i used to be able to. i dont know if it will matter or not. i notice sometimes it comes in and sometimes not. iam at work also! hope it works for you soon!
on 20 May 2008 at 1:37 pm Kip Draper

birdwatcher, you read my mind. Refresh the birdhouse cam page & you’ll see the link. However, this is an old Panasonic cam w/ no zoom so it ain’t that great.

Ran out of mealworms yesterday. They chewed their way through 5000 count. Expecting a delivery today. There’s a nationwide shortage.

I’ll respond to more posts when I get a handle on all these birds–I’m birdbrained!
on 20 May 2008 at 2:15 pm birdwatcher

KIP GOT IT. CAM LOOKS FINE TO ME. THIS IS GONNA BE COOL!
on 20 May 2008 at 3:02 pm Kip Draper

Mealworms arrived! Man, they weren’t happy w/ that outage at all. Should I move the fledging cam closer?
on 20 May 2008 at 3:04 pm birdwatcher

maybe a little. i just watched bluebird fly off feeder, into the house and feed babies! all with just a few clicks!
on 21 May 2008 at 1:34 pm birdwatcher

kip sometimes the cam on the bluebird house locks up or moves. is that you adjusting the cam? i dont know much about them.
on 21 May 2008 at 3:00 pm Kip Draper

I had it set so others could control it but that wasn’t working too well so I turned it off so it would remain pointed at the house. Seems to be working ok now?
on 21 May 2008 at 3:15 pm birdwatcher

yes. its fine now. i caught the parents going in to feed the babies a awhile ago.
on 21 May 2008 at 4:03 pm Terri

Well, I ran home for supper before heading off to see my mom at the rehab facility, ….the baby birds look so BIG and ready to go! But now I can’t get the fledging cam here at home Couldn’t get it at work either, and I even tried to post on this blog from work, and it wouldn’t let me this time, even though I had just posted from work a few days ago. Guess my computer just has me stumped at work.
And yes, birdwatcher, I do have Java at work, so I don’t know what the problem is. I’m off the rest of the week, so at least I can peek at home now when I am here. Would still like to see the other cam when they leave the house.
on 21 May 2008 at 4:34 pm birdwatcher

i noticed that sometimes i cant post either but eventually i can. sometimes the fledging cam gets locked and wont move. i asked kip about it and i think hes usally working on the cam when it does that. maybe your computer will work when they fledge. good luck!
on 21 May 2008 at 8:13 pm Kip Draper

>>i noticed that sometimes i cant post either but eventually i can.

That’s my fault. I have spam-blocking set up and as usual it stinks. Now that I have some good feedback I know what the problem is. Who knows how many good posts we’ve missed? Should be good to go now and I’ll suffer through the spam until I find a better plugin.

Terri, can you view YouTube(Flash) stuff at work? Can you view it from work here?

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bluebird-birdhouse-cam

PS: none of my cams are running Java, only Javascript and Flash, etc.
on 21 May 2008 at 9:21 pm birdwatcher

thats ok kip. i still think your doing a great job with the cams! i have never seen anything like this on a webcam before and i think its great!
on 22 May 2008 at 11:28 am birdwatcher

thats a perfect shot of the bluebird house. leave the camara right where it is. its me again just checking on the babies. we had a sad thing happen around my area. a bald eagle nest with babies in it got raid by another bald eagle, knocked the babies out of the nest. the mother came back with food and the babies were gone. the babies are ok though, they are with some wildlife rehabilitators and will be ok. new vistors in my area also. red crowned wild parrots! my dog goes crazy every time she hears them. they are really loud!
on 22 May 2008 at 11:57 am birdwatcher

i made a mistake on the condition of those eaglets. one has a cracked beak and the other has a fractured wing but they will be ok. sorry!
on 22 May 2008 at 2:28 pm Terri

Yes, Kip, I can view YouTube at work. I”m not at work today, so I can’t try your link from work now, but will try next week. I only work part time (thank goodness!). But I can’t get the fledging cam at work or here at home. I get the things to the left of the screen, but not the view. But my computer here at home is old, maybe that has something to do with it..or my ignorance of computers! Eric is better at computers; any suggestions?
The babies are so beautiful! I think Eric and I may be coming up to Blue Ridge the weekend after Memorial Day, and I am SO looking forward to it! That is the FIRST thing I do, no matter what time we get in, is put the birdfeeders out, and it’s our favorite thing to do there; just watch the birds!
on 24 May 2008 at 11:56 am birdwatcher

Hi Kip. I just read that you need to remove old nest after fledglings are gone so bluebirds can began building a new nest. If you want to read about it, i looked in google, bringing back the bluebirds or any other sight regarding nesting bluebirds. I just saw one of the bluebirds looking in the nestbox hole.
on 24 May 2008 at 12:02 pm birdwatcher

i also saw another sight called eastern bluebird management guide that says they sometimes refuse to nest in box until old nest is cleaned out. good luck!
on 26 May 2008 at 10:41 am birdwatcher

young bluebirds from a first brood often help their parents feed a second brood! i did’t know that until and read it in Birds and Blooms magazine. Lets hope for a second!
on 28 May 2008 at 5:37 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

I just saw your dog again but this time she did’nt look like a pig. hehe. She is a really cute dog!
on 29 May 2008 at 10:03 am Susan in Ellijay

While we’re waiting to see if more bluebirds take up residence, you might like to look in on two bald eagles in a nest in BC, Canada. They hatched the first week of May and won’t fledge till they’re 12 or 13 weeks old. Amazingly the nest is in a not-too-tall tree, right on a busy highway … you can hear the trucks streaming by but that doesn’t seem to bother the eaglets. I’ve seen mama bring small critters and tear them up for the babies, but I haven’t seen papa yet. Copy and paste the link below.

http://wavelit.com/index.php?view=EaglesNestLive
on 29 May 2008 at 11:12 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

susan , check out what happened to the bald eagles nest at channel islands california. its sad but the chicks are ok.
on 29 May 2008 at 11:21 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

awww. i just checked it out! what a great view of the eaglets!
on 29 May 2008 at 11:34 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

i just saw a bluebird inside the bluebird box checking it out! how exiting! maybe for a another nest hopefully!
on 29 May 2008 at 3:46 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

how are the bluebird babies doing? are they still around? i have seen a couple of bluebirds checking out the house but i dont know if its the same pair as before. i would love to see picture of the fledglings!
on 06 Jun 2008 at 8:34 am Ada

Saw a woodpecker and a jay yesterday, beautiful. And the dog (I suppose) today. Can you post a picture of him, Mr Draper, so I know how he looks unblurred? And know when it’s the dog, not something else? Haven’t seen a bluebird for a while, but then I don’t watch all the time. Still love it! Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 8:39 am Ada

Can anyone tell me the name of the largish grey bird, long tail, white chest, big round black eye.
Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:27 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

If it has a crest on its head, its a tufted titmouse.
on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:29 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

I saw the dog rolling around on the grass and having a great time. Cute!
on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:45 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Ada, If the bird has no crest, reddish feed and black spots on wings, its probably a mourning dove.
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:10 pm Ada

I’ll have a good look next time I see it! Thank you, Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:17 pm Ada

Googled them both, and isn’t either of them. The tufted titmouse very cute!
ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:27 pm Ada

The birdhouse just got examined very carefully. Will they move in again? Exciting!
Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:31 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Hmmmm. Try googling All About Birds website, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They have a bird guide. What was the bird doing? What was it eating? Sorry for all the questions, but i like trying to id birds!
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:45 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

The bluebirds might move in again.
on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:49 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Ada. Look up blue jay. Although they are blue, black and white, they have a long tail, are large and have a black eye, that might be what it was.
on 06 Jun 2008 at 2:41 pm Ada

We did see a jay, but that is not the one I meant.
It is probably a very common bird. Or maybe it is the dove from a different angle I will look out for it again !
I hope the blue birds move in again!
Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 2:47 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

So do i. If anyone is interested, check out James Reserve webcams. There are several nestboxes with western bluebird babies and violet green swallow i think. They are only refreshing cams but i have been checking them out while waiting for more of kips bluebirds. I like this cam much better though!
on 06 Jun 2008 at 2:53 pm Kate

“Can anyone tell me the name of the largish grey bird, long tail, white chest, big round black eye.”

Ada - I think that might be a bluebird - I am pretty sure I saw one on the feeder earlier today. I think the lighting (maybe it was overcast?) made it look grey instead of blue on the screen.

Kate
on 06 Jun 2008 at 4:18 pm Ada

Well Katie, I have never seen a bluebird in real life, on the few on this website so it is possible although it does look a bit more gray than the one on the nest. Never mind, interesting quest !
Thank you all for helping me. I am quite well versed in western European great tits, blue tits, coal tits, blackbirds and robins but have a lot to learn about birds in the USA.
Ada
on 06 Jun 2008 at 4:22 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

I’ve found a couple of webcams in the UK. Very interesting birds where you live Ada.
on 09 Jun 2008 at 10:22 am Barbara

Kate and Ada,

You might want to look at my blog in which I capture screen shots of birds at Kip’s feeder and id them.

http://cabinbirds.blogspot.com
on 09 Jun 2008 at 5:42 pm Ada

Thank you, Barbara ! I haven’t found the id for ‘my’ bird yet. Probably something very common.
I liked the pictures with the snow. I only found this website a few months ago, so haven’t seen it in winter yet.
on 10 Jun 2008 at 12:46 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

I just saw a juvenile cardinal on the platform feeder shoveling down the sunflower seeds. How cute!
on 13 Jun 2008 at 11:30 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

The robin babies are getting so big that i sometimes wonder how they all fit in the nest comfortably! It looks like there going to fall out! I’m sure they’ll be fine though.
on 15 Jun 2008 at 7:03 am Dawn

We have been watching the robin babies. The last few days there has been no video. Just wondering if it will be back up any time soon?It has been wonderful watching the babies grow.
on 15 Jun 2008 at 7:17 am Linda Adams

My heart is broken. All the cameras are offline. No bird views again today.
on 15 Jun 2008 at 10:07 am Kip Draper

Sorry about that folks. The main cam on the homepage is in for repair, and I’m on vacation down in Sanibel Island, FL so I’m using gotomypc to reboot the cams when they crash. Send me an email when one goes off-air and I’ll get to it between Pina Coladas.
on 15 Jun 2008 at 11:59 am stephanie(birdwatcher)

Hi Kip! Hope you are having a great vacation! If you are a father, HAPPY FATHERS DAY! I missed the cam too but i had a feeling you were having something repaired . I’m so excited! Now there are 3 eggs and i just saw mom sitting on them for a bit. Those baby robins have really grown over the weekend! I look forward to all cams back on soon and i will be checking on them daily!
on 15 Jun 2008 at 12:15 pm stephanie(birdwatcher)

According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds website, baby robins fledge at 13 days old. I’m guessing they are about that age because they looked about 4 or 5 days old when the cam was installed on them back on June 7th. They almost look ready to go anytime now!
on 15 Jun 2008 at 12:59 pm Bill

Hi Kip, Hope your enjoying our state and the Pina Coladas. Definitely a big difference in the bird life.We’re heading up to the poteete campground next saturday to enjoy Lake Nottely and your great weather for 5 days.Can’t wait and really looking forward to dinner at Shoebooties!!!!
on 15 Jun 2008 at 1:52 pm sherry

The robins are sooo cute!:D
on 15 Jun 2008 at 2:07 pm Paige

WOW! Just stumbled onto your site today looking for screen savers of birds for my cockatiel to look at while he listens to bird sounds I downloaded for him. He loves listening to the birds singing online! HeeHee! I live in Thomasville, GA. We are going to Demorest for vacation the week of July 4th and I can’t wait. We plan to come up to BlueRidge for the day and ride the train. I can’t wait for you to get all cams up and running again so I can enjoy what I’ve been reading about! I did get to see the nest with 3 eggs and will eagerly watch it for signs of the parents. I hope you have a relaxing vacation and a Terrific Father’s Day! So glad I found your site!!!!! Paige
on 15 Jun 2008 at 7:58 pm Suellen and Nick

Happy fathers day Kip! Thanks for climbing that tree! These little guys are sure taking their sweet time!! They keep pushing on each other because the nest is too small for them. It is really too funny! One of them got irritated and started to poke his brother with his beak because his brother(or sister)kept sitting on him! They fly upwards a couple inches and end right back in the nest!!! These little guys will surprise me if the fledge tonight!!
on 15 Jun 2008 at 8:00 pm sherry

I think they will fledge soon. I saw them doing the same thing as you did. Now the cam is down but thats ok. It will be back up soon.
on 16 Jun 2008 at 10:40 am Paige

One baby out 2 to go! My cockatiel,Paco, sure loves the new “bird channel” I’ve found. He gets really excited listening to the babies carry on and other birds he hears in the background! He says thanks Kip!
on 16 Jun 2008 at 11:26 am terri

Hi Kip! Hope you are having a great time on Sanibel! Before we built our cabin in Blue Ridge, Sanibel was where Eric and I would always head to on vacations! Boating is wonderful there; Cayo Costa island to the north is only accessable by boat and the shelling and privacy is wonderful. But we haven’t been back since the hurricanes, so I hope the area is still as nice.
Got back from 2 weeks in Blue Ridge this Friday; had a great time as usual! Hope to be back for the 4th of July!
Was disappointed to not be able to get the bird webcams at home or at work, but will hope to be able to soon.
As always, thanks for the webcams and thanks to everyone for their posts; I learn a lot about birding from everyone!
on 16 Jun 2008 at 12:51 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

One baby is looking at the other one like” Hurry up and go, your crowding me”!
on 17 Jun 2008 at 11:17 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Awww! I missed the robins babies fledging! Oh well. They were getting a little crowded in the nest. The one kept standing on top of the other one and the one on the bottom looked like he was getting annoyed.
on 17 Jun 2008 at 3:50 pm irnybca pvsixegnj

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on 17 Jun 2008 at 3:54 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

WHAT KIND OF POST IS THAT? THE ONE RIGHT ABOVE THIS ONE?
on 17 Jun 2008 at 4:43 pm Dawn

Thank you for sharing your robins with us. We enjoyed watching them grow up. Hope you enjoyed your stay at Sanibel. We live in Fort Myers and have property outside of Young Harris. We will be in your area next week as we head to Illinois for a family reunion. We also enjoy seeing downtown Blue Ridge, it is one of our favorite towns in the Georgia Mountains.
on 18 Jun 2008 at 8:29 am Doyle

Could you provide an update as to the status of the Webcams. It appears that some of them are no longer active. Thanks
on 18 Jun 2008 at 11:28 am birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Doyle, look at about 15 posts up and it will explain whats going on. They will be back on soon! How exciting!
on 18 Jun 2008 at 3:35 pm Kip Draper

I can’t presently get connected to any of my computers/cams via gotomypc. To top it off, the DSL down here is awful and goes offline quite often which requires a call to the office to reboot the modem. However, I was able to benignly hack into their modem, so I can now reboot it myself when it goes down.

I’m giving myself an ‘F’ on running this show remotely, bit I’ve learned a lot for next time. Thanks for the patience everybody and I hope you’ll come back. I’ll post when I’m able to get back into my home computers and get things going again.

PS: Sanibel is lovely, highly recommended for a relaxing, non-commercial break.
on 18 Jun 2008 at 4:10 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

I thought you did a great job with the cam even though your on vacation! I, for one, will be back. I give you an “A” for effort! I dont think alot of people on vacation would try to mess with webcams when their away. Now that dedication! At least we know bluebird mama layed 4 eggs this time and now the show will start all over again! How exciting! Hope your having a great time and i look forward to the cams back on when you return!
on 18 Jun 2008 at 4:28 pm Kip Draper

Thanks Stephanie! I like watching too, especially from beautiful Florida, so it’s just fun and no work for me when it’s time to get out of the sun.

I was able to get back to most of my machines. However, I can’t stream the robin’s nest cam because IE decided to upgrade itself and gotomypc won’t let me authorize the changes in ZoneAlarm. Don’t think there’s much to see now anyhow as they’ve fledged.

I forgot to set one PC to power up on power failure so the nightvision cam is out until I get home.

I should be able to limp the bluebird color cam along until I return (and now I can just focus on one cam, phew), then it’s time to rethink & retool…
on 18 Jun 2008 at 4:33 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

Your welcome Kip! I’m still clicking in and out and watching the mother bluebird going in and out of the box and sitting on eggs. Its so slow at work here that i have more time to watch. Florida sounds great. Ive never been there. I look forward to your return!
on 18 Jun 2008 at 5:21 pm Kip Draper

Actually, I was able to get the robin’s nest cam to stream, so hopefully our cockatoo friend can at least hear them in the surrounding trees.
on 18 Jun 2008 at 5:38 pm birdwatcher(Stephanie)

The only reason i missed the robins fledging is not because of the cam, but California is 3 hours behind Georgia and it looks like they fledged early in the morning so i would have had to be up before the sun came up too see them. By the time i got to work that morning, they were gone. Oh well.
on 21 Jun 2008 at 2:04 pm Paige

Paco says “thanks” for keeping his entertainment going! I hope you have a safe trip home. I am enjoying checking in on mama bluebird. I can’t wait for the babies to hatch since this is my first time spying on them. I am going to be in the mountains near Helen june 28- july 5th. I hope they don’t hatch while I’m gone, Wahhhhh. I love it that I found your site in time to watch the Robins! That was awesome. Thanks Kip for all your hard work and creativity!
I hope you have a safe trip home.
on 22 Jun 2008 at 9:02 am Kip Draper

Thank you Paige. I’m home now so things will be a bit more reliable. Tell Paco he can currently move to the homepage for bird sounds.
on 22 Jun 2008 at 9:08 am Linda Adams

Hi all you bird watchers. I have a question. I noticed the eggs are right on the grid. Is there a chance the hatchlings could fall through?
on 22 Jun 2008 at 9:41 am Paige

Great! I Will enjoy watching the new camera placement as well!
on 22 Jun 2008 at 2:12 pm Paige

Thank you ‘Susan in Ellijay’ for the tip on the eagles nest! I’ve been checking it out some and finally was rewarded just a minute ago with the mom feeding her babies. So Cool!!! Paco also enjoys listening to the birds in the background noise at that site, although I am surprised to hear so many birds around since mom eagle is on the hunt for baby food!
on 22 Jun 2008 at 2:43 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Yea! Kips back! Hope you had a great trip! Today is my b-day so what a great present to have the cam working again! Just kidding. I really do hope you had a great trip though and i’m looking forward to birdwatching at work tommorrow!
on 22 Jun 2008 at 2:47 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Answer to Linda Adams:
I hope they dont fall through. Maybe Kip should ask the guy at the birding store. Sometimes there are things people can do to fix the nest without disturbing the eggs.
on 22 Jun 2008 at 4:45 pm Ada

Happy birthday Stephanie! Yes, great to have the birdfeeder cam back again. Thank you Kip. Switched it on just now and first thing I saw is a jay!
on 22 Jun 2008 at 11:25 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Thank you Ada! I’m so excited that the cam is back on. I didnt get time to watch today but will watch tommorrow! Have seen you on the blog lately. Its been great! Hope to see your comments more often!
Thanks again!
on 23 Jun 2008 at 12:39 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Linda,
Now that i think about it, the grid in the bluebird house is probably the very bottom of it with wood underneath. I dont think they would make a bluebird house that the hatchlings could fall through.
Hope that makes you feel better!
on 23 Jun 2008 at 12:58 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Actually, the mesh bottom of bluebird house is too reduce blowflies in the nest. I did’t know that till i looked up the Blue Ridge Seed Companys website!
on 23 Jun 2008 at 1:17 pm Kip Draper

Right, Stephanie, the wood floor is probably 1-inch below the mesh so I think they’ll be fine, but I will give Tom a call. Happy belated bday btw!
on 23 Jun 2008 at 1:32 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Thank you Kip!
The Blue Ridge Seed Company has some pretty good stuff for birding! I wish they had a company like that around my area.
I just had 2 male hooded orioles visit my oriole feeder yesterday! It was pretty cool but they are really shy. One sudden move and they are gone but they usually return later.
Do you have orioles around your area? They are beautiful birds!
on 24 Jun 2008 at 2:04 am Suellen and NIck

Hi Kip!
Welcome back!!We are leaving our beach town in 7 days to move up your way!! We found a cute house in Mineral Bluff! Even though I don’t know anyone..I already feel like I do in a way!! Everyone on this blog is very friendly and I have even spoken with several folks from the area!! Hec..I spoke with The lady at the post office for 30 minutes the other day!! Everyone is in such a hurry down my way that it will be a refreshing change living the simple life!!! I have a bird house that I plan on hanging from my tree in the back yard!!! Can’t wait to meet some of the birds in my neighborhood(as well as the nice folks…LOL)!!!!
on 24 Jun 2008 at 1:10 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Hey Kip! The red bellied woodpecker’s looking for food in the feeder and its almost empty!
on 24 Jun 2008 at 1:12 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Oh, I forgot about the suet basket on the side. Maybe she’ll come back for suet. Sorry!
on 25 Jun 2008 at 3:48 pm mary

fill up the feeder, its a nice view but no birds…
on 25 Jun 2008 at 5:44 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

I saw some birds. They are going after the suet. I saw what looked like a brown thrasher just a couple of hours ago. Also morning doves and even a squirrel!
on 25 Jun 2008 at 5:54 pm Kip Draper

I had to run down to Atlanta for business before I could get everything stabilized. I should have it all going again Thursday.
on 25 Jun 2008 at 5:59 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

yea!
on 25 Jun 2008 at 6:07 pm Ron

Well it’s about time!! Just kidding, Kip. Your business before OUR pleasure? (I hope you realize I’m just a sarcastic smarta__.) I will say, in all seriousness, I will be extremely happy when the cams are all functional again. I’m just trying to figure out how to swing a vacation to Sanibel. I think my time will be pretty well tied up for awhile trying to sell my place here in Valdosta and moving to my NEW HOUSE just north of Cleveland (”Gateway to the Mountains”). Closed last week and I can hardly wait.
on 25 Jun 2008 at 10:46 pm Paige

Yea! Paco has missed bird TV. He has been having to watch the eagles up in Canada. And you’ve gotta work some to buy all that bird food and meal worms, RIGHT! Glad you’re back!
Wish we were moving to the mountains.
on 26 Jun 2008 at 12:04 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

I was right! It was a brown thrasher i saw just a moment ago eating suet. Thats the first time i’ve seen one on the cam.
on 26 Jun 2008 at 1:04 pm Ron

I was just watching the eagle’s nest webcam and got to see one of the adults feeding the eaglets. They were feasting on some relatively large mammal (about the size of a cat). The adult was a pretty awesome bird.
on 26 Jun 2008 at 1:23 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

I just checked that out. Kinda looks like their eating a bird. I thought i saw feathers. Usually they eat fish but i think occasionally mammals.
on 26 Jun 2008 at 7:13 pm Paige

I was watching the eagle a day or two ago and saw the adult fly in with a mouse or rat in its’ claw. It was cool! Then I watched as it tore off little strips and gently held them out for the youngsters. Then when it was down to the bones one of the babies swallowed the remaining carcas! That surprised me! Then today the adult was sitting in the nest with its’ head tucked into its’ back napping. Usually they seem to always be coming in with food or dropping in to check on the babies. I’ve never seen them just chillin’! That was sweet. Sorry bout that Kip! I know this isn’t the eagle site, hope you don’t mind, but it is so interesting spying on all these birds. I can’t wait ’til the bluebirds hatch!
on 26 Jun 2008 at 7:22 pm Paige

I have a bluebird who has decided to nest in a cement block on our dock out in the pond. I’ve heard they are very particular about where they nest, but aparently this bird has not gotten the 411 on that! Same thing happened last year. After they moved out I removed the block, so it wouldn’t happen again, but some nut head has put TWO blocks back out there. I don’t live out there so didn’t realize they had until it was too late. Last year I nearly ran myself crazy trying to help those birds not get into the water as they fledged. Long story! I have got to buy some houses to put out there!!!
on 26 Jun 2008 at 10:20 pm Kip Draper

Ron, the only way we were able to swing Sanibel was to be fortunate enough to have friends who own a condo there. Still pricey though because the restaurants rocked! BTW, we almost bought a cabin in Cleveland on the Soque River adjacent to Ted Turner’s tract (great fishing).

>>Sorry bout that Kip! I know this isn’t the eagle site, hope you don’t mind, but it is so interesting spying on all these birds.

No worries Paige; eagles are birds too! I love reading about it, just wishing I could do an eagle cam. Yes, I have cam-envy. I would definitely put a house up if I were you. Two things I learned: don’t put them on a fence/wall line because snakes will just crawl right in if they find it; & put a predator baffle on your pole before they nest. I read about the need for them after the eggs were laid. It wasn’t easy juggling eggs and a baffle while the parents freaked! I thought it out for days, but after a snake-eating-eggs-whilst-schoolchildren-watched nightmare, I made it happen.

A few notes on the cams:
The main feedmecam is toast. Just out-of-warranty so I had to shell out $1400 for a new cam that should be here Wednesday. In the interim, I’m using a $100 Logitech USB cam (like the one in the birdhouse). As you all know, they crash quite often but that will at least be resolved on the main cam next week.

I figure I’ll just keep rebooting the birdhouse cam until the last brood of the year has fledged, then I’m probably going to build my own birdhouse for next spring with a more stable IP cam built right into the box as the roof. The negative to that approach is that ustream.tv, etc. don’t currently interface w/ IP cams w/o going through a pc/browser first that I know of, and that’s where things get unstable for me at least.
on 27 Jun 2008 at 1:28 am Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Well Kip, what do you think? Do you think those eggs will hatch this weekend? The last brood took about 2 weeks and this Sunday will be 2 weeks.
Yes, you do have cam envy. I think is cool. I wish i have a cam for my feeders. My daughter has a webcam but she uses it for instant messaging so she can see her friends. I’ve seen your other webcams also. I saw one with a gazebo in it. We dont have anything like that around here. I would love to come and visit Blue Ridge because from what i’ve seen, its a beautiful place.
on 27 Jun 2008 at 1:44 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Is that one egg in the middle with the crack across it hatching, or is that a piece of grass across it?
on 27 Jun 2008 at 2:11 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Oh, i guess not. The eggs are moved and the crack must have been a piece of grass.
on 29 Jun 2008 at 4:00 pm Stephanie(birdwatcher)

Yea! The main cam in on! Now i can watch the feeder also.
on 05 Jul 2008 at 8:53 am Ada

The images of bluebirdnest cam are not very interesting, but the birdsong in the background is great! No idea what birds they are, but it sounds lovely.