Nature Done Wright

My column in The Record today is about three excellent New Jersey-based live-streaming raptor cams.

You can check out the cams here:

Osprey cam: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/ospreycam/

Peregrine Cam: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/uc-falconcam/

Duke Farms Eagle Cam (Eaglets almost ready to fledge) http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/eaglecam/

You can read the column here:

By Jim Wright

Special to The Record | USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY

   Can’t go birding for some reason? Try the next best thing: watching online live-streaming webcams of nesting birds. Now is their prime time, and no scripted TV shows can rival the drama unfolding before your eyes.

   One of the great things about these webcams is that you can pick almost any major bird species from anywhere in the world and watch those birds raise their young. 

  I’m partial to three live-streaming nest cams in the Garden State, presented by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. The cams show the three raptors that were almost eradicated by DDT: ospreys in Barnegat, bald eagles at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, and peregrine falcons atop the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

    “You never really know what is going to happen, and that is all part of the allure,” says CWF’s Ben Wurst. “Many people form emotional bonds to these animals, which we hope translates to them doing more to help wildlife, especially rare wildlife where they live.”

  A terrific feature of the cams is the ability to rewind the video for up to 12 hours to see what you missed. Two weeks ago, for instance, I was able to rewind a peregrine cam and watch a chick emerge from its shell – impossible to see without a front-row seat.

   The peregrine cams, in partnership with Union County, offer three views of the nesting site, but the close-up is the most fascinating. All four of the chicks have hatched, and you should be able to watch the parents constantly feeding them for a few weeks.

    The osprey cam provides great views of the shoreline by Barnegat Light. Last I checked, there were two eggs, with the first one due to hatch at the end of this month.

   The old standby is the eagle cam at Duke Farms, which has racked up millions of views since it went online 15 years ago.

    Nowadays you can catch the tail end of the nesting season for two eaglets. They are getting big, and are expected to leave the nest any time now, although it could take several more days.

    Another thing I like about all three is the advice that CWF offers along with the video feed.

  For the osprey cam, for example, it advises: “You can make a difference and help ospreys by reducing your dependence on single-use plastics, eating sustainable/locally caught seafood and by not releasing balloons.” Amen.

    For the eagle cam, it notes: “Bald Eagles are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. People who want to observe or photograph eagles and who come too close may actually cause the birds to abandon a nest.” (Great advice, and it applies to other raptors, including owls.)

   To view all three cams, go to conservewildlifenj.org and click the “Wildlife Education” menu.

   The Bird Watcher column appears every other Thursday. Jim’s next book, "The Screech Owl Companion," will be published by Timber Press. Email Jim at celeryfarm@gmail.com.

A webcam view of a peregrine feeding her nestlings atop the Union County Courthouse.

Photo credit: Courtesy Conserve Wildlife Foundation