Whether or not you enjoying feeding birds in your own yard, there’s no denying the joy and yes – addiction – that can come with watching live cameras not only fixed on wildlife in wild place but also within other people’s backyards and gardens. Not all of us have the time, energy, space, or indeed the desire to set up our own backyard bird feeders, so why not tune in to some of many “feeder cams” that more and more people are sharing with the world?
Wildlife and bird feeder live streaming has gone from a small niche to what is now a huge passion not only for those who set them up and maintain them, but often even more so for those people who enjoy tuning in – it’s not unheard of for passionate viewers to go from watching a few minutes per day to suddenly spending hours viewing the coming and going of wild birds at what are often elaborate and sophisticated setups. Bird feeder cams might be the “little brother” to the hugely popular and rapidly growing nest cams but they are often just as entertaining, informative and interesting and many of them are well worth the time to tune into. They can also be a fantastic way to gain new and innovative ideas for your own backyard feeder setup!
Here are 12 of the best North American (US and Canada) based bird feeder cams and live streams to check out. Our only rule is that the cams listed are of an ethical nature and that the feeding practices are not considered harmful or detrimental to the birds.
1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology FeederWatch Cam – New York
Located at their Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary in Ithaca, New York, the epicenter of birding and bird science in the US is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology so it’s little wonder they’ve gone all out on their feeder cam. The 4K video is set up strategically between a stunning pond that’s 10 acres in size at the Treman Bird Feeding Garden and the surrounding Sapsucker Woods forest so the cam features are huge variety of birds who utilize these variable habitats. The camera is left running at night as well, so you can get lucky with nocturnal creatures if you’re a bit of a night owl yourself, or live in a different timezone. Birds are provided with foods like suet, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Cornell posts short highlight videos to their Youtube channel regularly so if you miss any of the action, it’s there forever to view at your leisure.
Species highlights:
2. Canadian Bird Nerd Live Bird Feeder Cam – Rocky Mountains, Southern Alberta, Canada
Species highlights:
3. Bird Watching HQ Live Bird Feeder Cam – Ohio
Species highlights:
Birds of a Feather Live Bird Feeder & Critter Cam – Morris County, New Jersey
Species highlights: