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Topic: Have you tried out this bird cam?

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achadamaia avatar
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Subject: Have you tried out this bird cam?
Date Posted: 7/3/2007 3:57 PM ET
Member Since: 3/31/2006
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I am so addicted to this now that I have DSL!  Bird watching for the lazy :)  This camera is set up on the property of the owner of Craig's List.  You manipulate the camera and take snapshots of the birds that come to his feeders and bird bath.  Then you try to identify them.  The rest of the community can see your shots and try to identify them as well.

It's pretty neat!  This would be a great project for anyone trying to keep their kids busy.

Here's the link:

http://cone.berkeley.edu/camera

I have found that 9 am, 1pm, and 6pm PST are good times to check for birds.

RaccoonGirl avatar
Date Posted: 7/5/2007 1:33 PM ET
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That's a pretty cool site.  I'll have to look over it some more when I have more time.

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/5/2007 11:04 PM ET
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I am so proud of myself because of some of the birds I've taken shots of.  I don't think you can find them in this part of the Bay Area (at least not where I live!)

You can see my finds here in the gallery:

http://cone.berkeley.edu/gallery/view/20889

http://cone.berkeley.edu/gallery/view/20875

http://cone.berkeley.edu/gallery/view/20722

I'm pretty proud of that last one.  I didn't even know the second bird was there.  He snuck in.

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/6/2007 6:13 PM ET
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I think I figured out to to link to my gallery.  These are the birds I've seen this week:

http://cone.berkeley.edu/concierge/profile?name=achadamaia

I just caught the Robin bathing itself.  It was so cute!

RaccoonGirl avatar
Date Posted: 7/7/2007 12:43 PM ET
Member Since: 10/26/2005
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That's so neat.

I'm going to have to send this link to my mom because she LOVES bird watching.  She has a few somewhat domesticated stray cats that hang around the house though that tend to scare any and all birds away.  I bet she'll love messing around on this site.

 

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Date Posted: 7/8/2007 1:32 AM ET
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Hello, Melody!

Just checked out your bird link and will have to check out the cam in the a.m.  What a great idea and you did get some good shots!

Cheers!

Linda

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Date Posted: 7/8/2007 1:42 AM ET
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Hello, Melody ~

Just "signed up"...thanks for sharing the information...

Linda

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/8/2007 2:55 AM ET
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You're both welcome!!!  Kimberly, I hope you're mom has fun with it.

I'm really enjoying it.  It's kind of a neat way to interract with nature.  As you know, birds are everywhere, then the minute you try to get closer they scatter.  This is a bit less intrusive.

A robin came to the bird bath yesterday and started splashing and playing.  I was mesmerized!  I also found this youngish dove in a tree.  At first I was a little worried that it might be dead.  Then he opened his eyes.  He was so peaceful just enjoying his quiet branch.

From what I read in the site FAQs is that this is a new way of doing field research.  Universities will be making agreements with different grounds to set up such WebCams.  They can them view wildlife from afar and make their observations.  The public can help as well.  By taking shots of the different birds, they can help be the researchers eyes.

 

 

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/8/2007 5:00 PM ET
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Hello, Melody ~

I really enjoyed the bird site and took my daily quota of 10 photos. I couldn't believe the variety of birds...great fun!

 Ciao!

Linda

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/11/2007 10:16 PM ET
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Linda, I'm glad you like it.  I saw somewhere that there are 22 varieties of birds that are native to this area.  I think I've gotten about 8 of them.  So, I've got a long way to go LOL  I live in the SF Bay Area but I have never seen a nuthatch or junco around here.  We've got alot of house sparrows, finches, robins, and crows.

It really is fun, even if you just want to bird watch.  I saw a mother finch protecting her baby from a house sparrow yesterday.  They can get pretty feisty!

 

Post your photo galleries so we can all see who you've captured.

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/14/2007 10:06 PM ET
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I just have to share.  I have been stalking the Stellar Jay but never got online at the right time.  Today, he just popped up!  Here's a shot:

http://cone.berkeley.edu/gallery/view/22705

or

cone.berkeley.edu/gallery/view/22705

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/15/2007 1:00 AM ET
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Hi, Melody!

I have been pretty busy this past week and have missed taking a look at this entertaining site...and gotta say...I have missed it. 

I lived in the Bay Area for years (Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland) and was intrigued with the different birds that live here in Utah.  We have so many robins!  Then there are the sparrows, and a beautiful little yellow bird that could be a finch?  Haven't done the homework yet.

Incidentally, Essence is a beautiful cat!  

 

Linda

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Date Posted: 7/15/2007 1:16 AM ET
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Melody ~

Too late to snap photos, but love  the Jay snap you mentioned...just perfect... I like the American Robin photos, too.

I went online on 7/8 to get the shots I took and used up 10 quickly.  Being new, I didn't realize that after your birds had been identified, you couldn't delete the ones you didn't care for!  :)  I went back later that same day and saw the most amazing red bird at one of the feeders and couldn't do a thing about it!  :(

Linda

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/16/2007 2:32 AM ET
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Thanks for the compliments.  I don't think I'd ever get such a good shot with my regular ol' camera.  Makes me feel like a wildlife photographer.LOL

Today, I was phasing out and then a hummingbird came right in front of the camera.  Too quick!  I missed it.  It was sooo cool though.

I had the same problem at first about the 10 shot limit.  Some folks classify your shots and then you can't delete them.  What I do is open My Gallery.  Then I check my shots as I go.  Sometimes you don't even get a bird LOL  I delete those right away. 

I've lived in the SF Bay Area all my life.  I have never seen some of these birds like a nuthatch or a junco. We just started getting yellow finches this year.

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/16/2007 10:27 PM ET
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Hello!

Waiting for our storm to break...the tension in the air is incredible...it affects me strangely...altho' the humidity is only about 22 percent. That said, I have to admit that the robot cameras reallly do give you that ol' confidence. Your photos are really in sharp focus and you can tell they are a bird!  I seem to end up being out of focus with a lot of mine, and finally realized the wind was blowing like crazy as I shot!  :)

Since I e-mailed you last, I discovered that what you suggested is the way to go.  Shoot and check...shoot and check. One photo I had taken said there was no bird, but I could see him...however he had moved almost completely around the back...   Thought I knew my birds and have decided I don't!  Back to my bird books!

The yellow finches are so pretty...we have something similar here, but almost all yellow...pretty! We used to see the juncos down in San Jose.

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/17/2007 10:40 PM ET
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Somewhere on the site is a link to websites for bird identification.  I'm starting to get a little familiarized with the names of the birds to be found, so I just search for them with google to see I can find a photo.

LOL Linda!  yesterday, I was trying to get the pygmy nuthatch.  I seemed to have clicked about 6 shots of his butt none of which I I thought was too appealing.  LOL

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/18/2007 12:58 PM ET
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Thanks...I will have to check the link.  I knew I had a bird book for California and located it yesterday...it covers So. CA, only....but still might help out, hopefully.

I had a couple of shots as you described, too.  You shoot and in a split-second, Mr. Bird has turned.....

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/18/2007 9:39 PM ET
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Linda,

The funniest ones are when you shoot, then you look, and...no bird!  They're that quick that they flitted away before the shutter closed.

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/18/2007 11:16 PM ET
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I agree!!  :)  It's much like photographing quicksilver!

Today I was watching them squabble and jockey for position at the long feeder. They moved so quickly during their fight, I could get nothing. I did have to laugh at them, however.

Still waiting for that red bird to come back...don't think it was a cardinal.  It was just beautiful!  Now don't I reek of fish stories about the one that got away??? :)

Linda

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/20/2007 10:40 PM ET
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Have you seen the red headed finches guard their babies from the house sparrows?  Wow!  That is something else.  They are a little bit mean when provoked.

I caught the Robin in the bird bath yesterday.  It was dunking his head and then shaking.  It was funny because a dove and a sparrow came up to watch what he was doing.  I wonder what they were thinking.

 

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/21/2007 12:21 PM ET
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I haven't seen "The Hatfields and The McCoys " yet, but got a kick out of watching a sparrow and a rock pigeon buddying up a few days ago. They looked so funny...the sparrow would follow the pigeon all over the railing...they looked like a living cartoon. It didn't seem to bother the pigeon in the least.

Love your Robin observation! I guess the others were amused...kinda like us watching a baseball game, or something similar.  (:>

Headin' for the cam...

Linda



Last Edited on: 7/21/07 6:06 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
macaw avatar
Date Posted: 7/24/2007 12:30 PM ET
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I can't use it because they won't send me a confirmation E-mail when I sign up!  Sigh.

Anyone else have this problem?

Silvercat avatar
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Date Posted: 7/24/2007 3:20 PM ET
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I wish I had an answer to that! Obviously you have tried more than once...did you leave out info along the way? There are 3 things they want from you...your e-mail address, your pswd and your observer name. Kinda hard to alert them when you can't get into the site, or blog site! Is it possible your spam filter is knocking them out?

Darn!

Linda

achadamaia avatar
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Date Posted: 7/25/2007 2:46 AM ET
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Beverly, I can't remember if they sent me a confirmation email...sorry (it was over a month ago)  Do you have spam block on your email address that might be preventing the email from getting to you?

Linda, it is funny to see the birds interract.  They seem curious about the other bird species around them. 

I am seeing some bird behavior that I think I would have rather not known about.  For instance, birds eat bird poop :{  I am sure it is loaded with nutrition...it is just something I never needed to know.  LOL

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Date Posted: 7/25/2007 11:47 AM ET
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Yeah, they definitely send confirmation emails. I had no trouble receiving mine.

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