Most of us aren’t fortunate enough to get up close views of birds of prey in the backyard (and if you have a bird feeder, you’re probably glad of that fact).
The popularity of live streaming bird of prey, or raptor, web cams has been increasing rapidly in recent years thanks to technology becoming more affordable.
Birds of prey are easily disrupted at their nest sites, and in the worst cases this can lead to total desertion of the nest.
This makes observing raptors at their nest difficult for most people, not to mention that many of these majestic birds create their nests in locations which can be difficult or even impossible to view or find.
Birds of prey should never be disturbed near their nest, nor should unauthorized people ever attempt to set up webcams or other equipment.
Authorized authorities with the required skills, knowledge and legal permission to set up cameras discreetly near the nest of a bird of prey has allowed these spectacular birds to stream straight to your home computer or smartphone – 24/7.
Most cams will show intimate images from the egg laying and incubation stages, right through to chicks being fed as they grow and (when all goes to plan) – the big day of fledging.
When these streaming cameras are set up and installed properly, the birds have no knowledge of their presence and continute to live their lives as normal; totally oblivious to the fact that they may have tens of thousands of adoring fans online at any one time watching their every move, and becoming emotionally involved in the breeding process.
Many long term streaming raptor pairs or nests find themselves being named by the scientific researchers in charge, or those fans at home. Raptors can be long lived and in many cases, the same pairs will return to the nest year after year.
