WINGSCAPES

VIDEO!!!

I've posted some great videos captured by the BirdCam prototype at a remote web page. We had always planned for the BirdCam to take both photos and video, but for some reason, I expected that the most common usage would be for still images. After having time to test the cameras and play with the video function, my mind has changed about this.

The videos reveal so much about behavior, I really think people are going to be fascinated when they start reviewing candid scenes taken in their backyards. There are many ways the BirdCam enhances the bird-feeding/-watching  hobby...and video does an amazing job of showing how much more is happening on their feeders every day than most people realize.

Take a look at these shots...cardinals yelling at other birds, doves chasing off mockingbirds, Carolina wrens - everywhere, but usually alone - dark-eyed juncos have a shy "where's waldo" presence...enjoy!

KEEP IN MIND...
These are early test shots. Some are overexposed and most do not have sound. Both of these issues have been resolved and will not be a problem with the final BirdCam.

Chinese Devil Squirrel

Today's squirrel-proof feeders would not stand a chance...

Cool Woodpecker Shots

Here's another woodpecker shot from testing at Carpenter.

I love this shot of a male downy woodpecker.  He looks as if he is saying, "You lookin' at me?  Yeah, I'm banging this suet, you wanna make somethin' of it?" 

Actually, what I think is really going on is that the downy has just landed on the feeder and is getting his balance as the feeder is swinging back and forth.  You can tell this is downy woodpecker as opposed to a hairy woodpecker because of the downy looking feathers around the bill and the size of the feeder in relation to the woodpecker.

Here is a larger hairy woodpecker.  It's hard to tell from this angle, but the bill is much longer and larger on this species than on a hairy.  You can also see a band on the woodpecker's foot.  This is the same woodpecker from the previous shot.  Since you can get so close with this camera, you really get a chance to notice tiny details.

Testing At Carpenter

I did some more testing with the camera at Carpenter Nature Center today.  I find that it's taking some practice on my part for finding the best light to get the best shot of the birds.  I have the option of having the camera take a few photos or several photos at once, but find that I like it taking as many photos as possible.  Even if the photo isn't the clearest, I'm learning some very cool things.

I found that one of the hairy woodpeckers visiting their feeders was wearing a band.  This wasn't too much of a surprise to me, since Carpenter does have a program for banding songbirds, but I noticed in I photo that I can enlarge the image and read some of the numbers on the band.  Pretty sweet.

Another fun image I was able to capture was the upclose shot of a male downy woodpecker.  I was able to place the camera close enough to the suet feeder that you can see the dark brown iris of his eyes.

Coolest Starling Photo Ever

So, Bart has me testing out a camera prototype and I got the coolest photo of a starling!  I know, I know what you're thinking, "Sharon, you over estimate a person's interest in starlings."

Perhaps.

But, when I worked at a bird store, I can't tell you the number of people who would come in with blurred photos in the winter of a "cool, new bird" at their feeders.  Oh, how their faces would fall when they were told it was just a starling.  When starlings are in winter plumge, the tips of their feathers have a white spot and theil bills turn black.  Throughout the winter the spots will wear off and by spring, the bill will be yellow again.  This time of year they're kind of cool looking in an evil villan kind of way.