BirdCam:  The Setup

BirdCam Setup

The BirdCam is now set up in a new location.  I have always had the feeders in the basement patio on the south side of the house.  Here, I could watch the visitors from the basement.  With shadows and glaring sun, however, the lighting is not the best for photography.  The entry garden behind the house has always been actively visited by birds.  They come to bathe and get a drink in the koi pond and trees and shrubs offer security.  I have seen Cedar Waxwings, Goldfinches, Kinglets, Nuthatches, Wrens and Chickadees.  It gets good lighting without shadows and glare, so this is the spot I have chosen for the BirdCam.

I am starting out with a suet feeder at the camera.  I have also added some seed feeders nearby to help get the birds accustomed to the spot as a food source.  I will add fruit to the mix shortly to attract Cedar Waxwings.  Eventually, I can rotate the various feeders at the camera to catch different species.  Finally, a test shot to check focus and position:

BirdCam Test Shot

I am sure there will be more adjusting and tweaking to get this right.  Before moving the camera, I managed to catch a few more ground feeders in the basement patio:

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel

Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee

Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay

House ('English') Sparrows
House (English) Sparrows

House Finch
House Finch

Townsend's Chipmunk
Townsend's Chipmunk