Sunlight & Seasons

Spying on Nestlings: Nest Cams!

How would you like to peek into the nest of a robin, a bluebird, or even a rare Resplendent Quetzal from Costa Rica? You can do that, right here on your computer, thanks to nest cams. Some people set up tiny cameras or videocameras inside a nest. The cameras keep track of everything the birds do. It's easier to spy on the open nest of a robin than into a deep, dark cavity or bird box, but some clever people have even solved that problem.

This page gives links to all kinds of nest cams:

  • Live video cams allow you to actually see what's happening right now at this moment inside a nest far far away.
  • Photo cams let you see still photos of what was happening during a split second a few minutes ago.
  • årchived cam photos and videos let you see the best nest cam stuff whenever you want!

How do nest cams work?
Karin Nanos and her students set up a surveillance camera at a robin nest near their school. Here's how they did it:

At Monteverde, in Costa Rica, nest cam photos are shot in the dark nest box using infrared light. See how they do it:

Where can I find nest cams on the Internet?

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