eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

If you want a meal that is as delicious as it is wholesome and traditional, you can't go wrong with a good Cape Cod clam chowder. The problem is, the best way to make a good chowder is to start by digging your own clams like the fellow above. Now for most folks, that's out of the realm of possibility, but for CapeCodAlan and me, it simply requires a trip to our TOPP SEKRIT clam flats in the neighboring town.

Having a hankering for some chowder (and more immediately, some fresh air), CCA and I set off, and in an hour, we dug up plenty enough of mercenaria mercenaria (the common quahog) for our chowder. Back home again, CapeCodAlan opened the clams and I prepared the rest of the chowder fixings. At last, I got out the bowls and dished us up one of the most toothsome treats imaginable--fresh homemade chowder with clams that were alive and singing two hours ago. Yummy doesn't even begin to describe it.

Here follows the recipe, which was culled from an old Cape Cod cookbook, lavishly supplied with illustrations and dryly humorous anecdotes from dryly humorous old Cape Codders. Warning: this makes a delicious and very rich chowder. I always eat too much because it's so darned good!

Ingredients:

• 4 dozen quahogs (about 2 cups, plus liquor)
• 4 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2" chunk of salt pork, diced as small as possible
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 dollop heavy cream

1. Start by simmering the diced potatoes in milk in a large pot.
2. While the potatoes simmer and soften, open clams reserving the liquor.
3. Next, chop clams fine, then simmer them in their own liquor to cook.
   
4. Render or "try out" the salt pork until dark brown and crisp. (If the cooked pieces (or cracklings) are too big, mince them once they're rendered.)
5. Remove cracklings from the pan and set aside.
6. Using the "cracklings" pan, add diced onions and fry until golden brown.
7. Once the potatoes are almost fork tender, add everything plus a dollop of heavy cream to the pot and simmer for half an hour.

See you by the feeders, right outside that old Yankee kitchen,

Mrs. CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you new to this blog, meet Toby...

Toby is a 15 pound Ragdoll cat. (Ragdolls are generally regarded as the largest breed of domestic cat.) And while Toby is big, his IQ doesn't necessarily equal his girth. In fact, at times, Toby can be "intellectually challenged". (He still struggles to open cracked doors, runs into things, flees for no reason, etc.) Regardless, there's something going on in his furry little mind. Of particular interest is his means of communication... But let's back up just a little...

In a past post, (see Crow Brains) we looked at the brains of corvids. There's little doubt that they are some of the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom because of the relatively large pallium areas in their brains. Conversely, there's also little doubt that Toby has a considerably smaller pallium bunch, or more accurately, a smaller "Encephalization Quotient" (animal equivalent of the human IQ) than a crow. (e.g. Crows have no problems avoiding trees. Toby on the other hand, has no problem attracting table legs with the front of his skull.)

Now, with the matter of bestial IQ in focus, let's go back to the issue of communication...

Toby is exceptional here...

• When he's frustrated, he invariably heads for the nearest corner
• There's a certain rug that means "serious play time"
• Bedtime is announced with his hop into a laundry basket

Hey, if Toby can talk with us, the birds certainly can...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Found this nest yesterday sitting on the stoop of our front porch. Originally, sparrows (we think) had attached it rather precariously to some decorations that the wife had mounted beside the door and beneath the overhang that shelters the entrance. We didn't see any shells or dead chicks, so we're hoping for the best. With luck, they fledged before a recent windstorm brought the little dwelling down.

What else is new? Well we still don't have the new battery for the motion-triggered, remote NovaBird camera. Looks like I'll have to track that down. Bummer.

Before I forget... We've been experiencing some computer problems... Here's a good chance for me to get on my soapbox and bellow. (Like I never do that... But this time I'm 100% right!) Here's the story... The machine I currently use to write these posts is an old Dell with an 80GB HD which is about half full. It's a straightforward XT box, and has been pretty faithful. But lately it's been acting strangely - lost/damaged emails, and this morning a hang early in the boot. Not good! This has the distinct feel of looming hardware failure. Sooo... Some fussing got the machine booted. But now what? And that's my question for you. What would you do if you thought your computer was by chance starting to circle the drain? More to the point, do you have a recent, reliable backup? And if not, what are you going to do about it? (Forgive my poking, but I've fielded literally thousands of phone calls and "hands on" concerning this issue, and the vast majority were unfortunate to say the least.) The bottom line is that you need to keep backups. If you don't know how to do that, get help, but get it done! There, I feel better, and I'll get off the soapbox now. (For you techies, I updated the backups for my .pst files and topmost business folder, and now if the old beast turns completely turtle, it will just be another day at the office fixing it.)

Back to the birds... Sun is setting now, and the birds are singing their night songs. While for the most part, only males sing at this time of day, and the purpose of the songs acts as a sort of territorial marker, it still feels fitting for dusk... What else?

A quick observation from Harwich...I haven't seen a coyote or a fox in a while, but plenty of rabbits. Probably just part of the natural cycle of excesses of predator and prey... (Speaking of which, a word to the wise for all you folks planning to visit the Cape this summer... Keep your pets inside or on a leash. According to Wikipedia, "The northeast coyote and the Cape Cod coyote are thought to be a 50% mix with the Red Wolf." Also, it might be smart to keep a very sharp eye on the little ones and the infirm when they're outdoors... One night the wife and I were working out in the garage, and a hybrid howled right outside... They are big, and they hunt in packs to boot. Say no more.)

Guess that's enough for tonight...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First off, special thanks go out to the men, women, and military families who serve this country in the United States Coast Guard, The United States Marines, the United States Air Force, the United States Army, and the United States Navy. Again, thank you.

Onward...

Well, another Memorial Day weekend has blurred by. Before going into the grim glories of the chores, here's the result of an early morning feeder foray... For just a few minutes, the rising sun offered a proper vanishing point for the edge of the garden and the shadow of the feeder pole. There was no time for a tripod or aperture settings, so a quick kneel and a glance into the lens to adjust for minimum entrance light, and that was that. (Funny the sublime things you see when you're just filling the feeders...) Anyway, while it certainly isn't a masterpiece, hopefully the full size, 6MB version offers the desired perspective.

Unfortunately, that dew-laden perspective also betrayed a lawn that was just a screamin' for a mowin'. Enter the grim glories of the start-of-the-summer weekend chores...

Yup, yup, yup... Nothing like trying to attack a small forest with a lawnmower that somehow got left outside (unprotected) all winter. Especially when said lawnmower's pull-rope starter pulls but doesn't "unpull" (retract). Long story short, MacGyver got the beast started, and the lawn got a flattop. Ah, but the fun never stops in the "'sum 'sum summertime..." We had to dig up a bit of the lawn and replant using some sort of miracle sod. And then there was the cedar edging for the front garden. But perhaps the most interesting project was that of raising a 60 pound kayak to the ceiling of the garage. Initially, I had secured two rugged oak cross members to the topside of the ceiling joists above and bored holes into the oak which lined up with the ends of the 'yak....We then used stout rope and pulleys to levitate the boat.

All well and good... But what I really want to know is what has happened to me over the last 30 years. Decades ago, in a cramped attic I was a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Drag Racer" scooting from ceiling beam to ceiling beam. Now I'm more a cross between Quasimodo and Peter Boyle trying to groan out "Puttin' on the Ritz!" Grim glory indeed...

Exhausted and sore...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, the new Canon Eos Digital Rebel XT has arrived, and the three pics below were taken with it... What follows are thoughts on those shots, a few observations about the camera, and finally, ruminations on the legality of both the eBirdseed.com bird cam and the proposed streaming bird-song microphone.

• Concerning the pictures themselves... Obviously, they're not very good. The topmost was a freehand shot of a crow flying away from about 30 yards. The middle snapshot is simply a zoom and cropping of the first. And the last is that of a crow helping himself to an old hamburger bun. Unfortunately, it was taken when the camera was mounted on a tripod from roughly 40 feet away... Yup, we've got a lot of learning to do.
• Now, about the camera itself... It's a very respectable 8MP, digital SLR with a 18-55mm lens. While we're rather baffled by the beast, in the hands of a pro it's capable of fine work. (See Kathryn Chandler's Wilderness Impressions.) A few observations...
  • The XT has the feel of quality... This is a high-grade device.
  • It doesn't ship with the required type I or type II CF memory card. Thankfully, we had an old 32MB card and that held all of about 5 photos... Say no more...
  • This isn't a camera for the casual photographer. Look to point-and-shoot for informal stuff.
  • Like all serious cameras, this guy is going to be a black hole to the drachmas. (Man, was that last sentence a horse of a different wheelbase! Onward...) No doubt that down the road we'll need other goodies like lenses, remote devices, larger memory cards, etc.
• Finally, about the legality of both the eBirdseed.com bird cam and the proposed streaming bird-song microphone... A quick check of the legality of private property and intrusive streaming video and audio shows that, in a phrase, "It ain't legal without permission." Our relevant neighbors are OK with both video and audio, but what about the strangers walking their dog down the street and talking? Time to step back and rethink the streaming audio... Rats!

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, some great news on the home front... We've ordered the Canon Digital Rebel XT camera, and it should be here by tomorrow! Yup, we're talking 8 Mega Pixels of high-quality pics, a superb lens, SLR, etc., etc., etc. Expect the wife to be fussing with the thing for the next month or so. (I'll be busy with the TV remote for the next decade or two...) I just want to get the remote RF (non-line-of-sight) control unit and start taking some new photos up close and personal. (Granted, the NovaBird remote camera snap below of the catbird isn't bad, but that's from a 3MP camera with a fixed focal length of 15" and a small lens.)

The XT is an entirely new ball game. Watch this Web site (and also our photo library link below) for new shots ASAP... Oh boy! (Hint: Odds are that there are going to be a ton of fresh images coming up...)

Let's see, what else?

• We continue the process of rolling out a new line of birding products... That should be exciting.
• I've got to knuckle down and get that streaming birdsong mic working. We've put some research into the subject, and maybe the microphone type shouldn't be cardioid, but rather parabolic dish? Expect an update soon... Anyone with thoughts is welcome to share.
• To be honest, I'm not happy with the bird cam (below). It's too blurry. We'll work on this too.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hi,

Well, the "Starling Anarchy" above seemed like a fitting backdrop for this post. In short, it's been a little crazy around here lately... Stuff...

• eBirseed.com is in the process of expanding our product line to include items like books and bird houses... Not an easy procedure when quality is the driving force. In the short term look for items like books and birdhouses. In the long term... (What would you like us to carry???)
• Here on Cape Cod, our home-office/network/eBirdseed.com bird cam has been down for much of the day. We've updated our Internet configuration, and that equates to "whoopee!" on the technical front. (Have to give the cable guy who came here absolute credit for switching us over from one high-speed provider to another. The open back of this 7' long computer bench is a twisted mass of cables 6" wide by an inch deep, and he didn't miss a beat. He jumped right in and made the conversion snicker-snack...) Still, there's the "Twilight Zone" matter of printers and hubs and scanners, oh my!
• Finally, lurks the issue of our exuberant 15lb cat "Toby". The animal developed crystals in his urinary tract, and for several days, we thought we might lose him. Thanks to a new diet and having rammed umpteen phenoxybenzamine tablets down his throat, he's no longer cat-box challenged and weirder and happier than ever. (Nothing quite like being charged by a euphoric, empty-bladdered beast the size of a raccoon while you're trying to get something done.)

Ah life... Someone should sell tickets,

See you by those zany feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a rainy night... In fact it's been raining off and on all day, so we've got no new bird pictures... Bummer... Nothing to do but dredge through the old bird picture library, and have a coffee-table chat with the results of that search... Alrighty then, let's get started... (Uh oh...)

Let it be said that there are no poor photograghs, only poorly implemented pics or photos bearing less-than-rich descriptions and ponderings. Consider the shot below...

Some would judge that image a complete loss... Not on this end. Not even close. I see today's presidential battle being played out in feathers...

Note the way that the starling on the left appears to have jumped "out of her feet". I'd equate that to Hillary being stunned and rocked by the rise of Barack - that flittering blur to the right. The still bird in the foreground makes for a wonderful John McCain - dumbfounded by the frenzy of the "Democrat Duel". Here's a quick breakdown as I see it...

• Senator Clinton is on her heels politically. The "Clinton Machine" never expected the dynamo that is Obama. Little issues like admitting that she "misspoke" about being under sniper fire hasn't helped the former First Lady either. (I've been on the wrong end of a gun... I don't think that I will ever forget the exact circumstances or "misspeak" about them.)
• Senator Obama is picking up delegates and super delegates by the day. But all he needs to do is utter another phrase as condescending as the following and Ms. Clinton is right back in this race.

  "And it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations..."

• Senator John McCain too has stuck his foot in his mouth. On May 2nd of this year, he stated:

  "And I just want to promise you this... My friends, I will have an energy policy, that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East. “That will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East.”

  Nice going John... Not only did you bumble the GOP, but you also managed to undercut the American Ethos of the last 67 years... Did McCain forget JFK's 1961 inaugural address... The part that read,

  "Let every nation know... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

  That's right... And we'll never return to France or Kosovo either, regardless of the need - after all, those skirmishes were all about oil too... (Just wondering... Did the Arizona senator forget about those 6 million Iraqis who risked their lives to vote? Details, details...)

Ah birds, and ah politics...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hope you're enjoying the new eBirdseed.com hummingbird cam. There's been a bunch of activity today. Also, we've added the "Chat" feature. (You'll need "Flash" version 7 (free) to chat. Instructions on how to get the new Flash are available on our cam site.)

So far, we've had 2,295 hits on the webcam... Not bad... But I'd also like to set up a live, streaming bird-song microphone. (At first glance, the obvious solution would be to use the mic built into the camera. Unfortunately, there are two problems with that theory. First, the camera needs to stay indoors. And secondly, the camera's mic lacks the quality we're looking for.) So how are we going to pull this off? Take a look at one possible way to introduce bird songs into the system via a cardioid mic.

It will be tricky, but it might just be doable. The big hurdles are going to be:

• Finding a microphone of sufficient range and quality
• Keeping the mic within 15' (max for USB) of the kitchen computer
• Making the instrument waterproof
• Finding a hosting service for the streaming sounds...
• The unknown stuff...

Well... It is in fact a plastic test tube filled with alcohol... Ya see, the networking dongle tends to run a little hot and fail. But if we use the test tube/alcohol as a heat sink, all is cool and works perfectly. (Don't try this at home! If the alcohol leaks out of the tube and into the hub, you could have a short and possible electrical fire.) Anyway... It's just weird how old technology and new mesh together...

Getting late...

See you by the feeders... Be sure to check out our Webcam!

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you all know, the costs of gas and diesel are simply going insane. In fact, the national average of diesel hovers around the $5.00/gallon mark. Well, we've certainly discussed this cost stuff before ("Buy in Bulk at eBirdseed.com", "Spring Cleanup, etc.", and "How to Afford Birdseed and Stay Warm Too, Parts 1" and 2). Obviously, it's outrageously expensive to grow/ship/store anything today, and the situation is only getting worse... Consider one of our special items below...

That's $97.42 delivered for 60 pounds of Nyjer, on sale, 5/12/08. And right now the cost of crude oil is $120/barrel USD... What happens when crude hits $150 or $200? What happens when diesel costs $7.50/gallon or $10.00/gallon? Until Americans are willing to tap their own natural resources (and build more oil refineries), the cost is going to continue to go up. (By way of explanation, look at China alone... The Chinese GDP climbs at a bewildering 12% - that equates to an ever-growing thirst for oil... And in a world where all of the "easy oil" has been consumed, the cost of petrol products is going to skyrocket.)

Look... We've got to get our act together ASAP... We're getting hammered by OPEC et al... (Oh, if this site wasn't rated "G"...) Onward! We've got to find a cheaper way to deliver seed to you folks. Truth be told, when I was hired by eBirdseed.com, lowering seed-delivery costs was a priority, and that priority certainly hasn't diminished one bit. And after a ton of research, the only solution I can find is the one that was obvious in the first place - that of bulk shipping. So here's the deal... We can cut seed delivery costs by shipping in bulk. But we're talking about 1,000 lbs or more... A few thoughts...

• We can do nothing, and eBirdseed.com will continue to do its very best to fend off the rises in prices for birdseed. Note: We're only human!
• We can simply feed the birds less, (or stop feeding them entirely) and let them suffer the consequences. (Personally, I think this is an awful idea seeing how humankind has gone to such extraordinary lengths to foul up the very environment that birds need to survive.)
• We can actually get together with our neighbors and local community, and buy in bulk. But how would that work? Well, one solution might be that we create a forum or message board. (Here's an example of a boat-building forum: Instant Boats Message Board.) We could use our message board to let friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, fellow birders, etc. communicate and congregate. These sorts of forums are surprisingly effective. (Just check out your local "FreeCycle" site and watch the action.) Once enough people local to your area are involved, a large cheap purchase can be made, and someone with a rodent-proof shed or garage can act as the "Seed Purser".

Waiting by the "Comment" button and the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those of you familiar with this blog, the fact that we use the remote, movement-triggered NovaBird camera should come as no surprise. And over the last year, the camera has performed admirably. But as all things flesh and/or electron, the battery has given up the ghost. What was once a proud and svelte rig now is just a haggard "wirey" mess... How the mighty hath fallen...

Not to worry, we can rebuild it, make it better, stronger, faster... You get the idea. As soon as I get the replacement battery, the NovaBird will click anew. (Note: I just ordered another battery, so expect the "eBirdseed.com Favorite Bird Photos Set" to start growing again sometime next week.)

On another (and slightly more important) note, as we head into the summer, now is a good time to review your disaster plans, and check/rotate your reserve supplies. (FWIW... The "Cape Cod Emergency Preparedness Handbook" is a great source info on this subject regardless of your locale.)

There's one other Spring-type issue that we should visit - that of safety around the water... Look... I don't mean to preach... But I can speak from experience. (I came very close to drowning not once but twice.) For heaven's sake, if you're going out on the water, wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) and follow the Coast Guard's safety guidelines. And for you parents out there, it's not good enough to make sure that the kids are wearing their PFDs; make sure that you grown ups are wearing them too. Nowadays, no one can use the excuse that PFDs are clumsy, restrictive, and hence unwearable. Today's life jackets are extremely comfortable and are designed for everyone. (Manufacturers even have PFDs for pets too!) So hit the Web, or get on down to your local marina or boating supply store and pick up PFDs that everyone will actually use. Trust me... The alternative is very unpleasant indeed.

Signing off on a dark and rainy night,

See you by those Spring feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com Webcam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now... About those orioles! Is that a cool bird or what? (We looked at these guys back in June, 2007...) Other stuff about the creatures...

• They're back from their winter in Mexico, and Central/South America... That can be a 2,000+ mile jaunt. Not bad for a little bird.
• The Baltimore's distinctive "peter, peter, peter, peter" song adds to the backyard racket.
• We usually plan on hosting the orioles from early May through late August/early September.
• While they do like oranges and grape jelly, they don't like orange marmalade, (go figure).
• For those of you in the eastern part of N. America with an interest in photography, these birds typically remain quite steady in front of a camera... (If only the hummingbirds were so calm...) And if you're looking for an excuse to buy a decent camera with your tax rebate check, birds like the Spring and Summer Oriole fill the bill rather nicely.

Whist on the issue of photography, the oriole pic above is only 1 of 32 the NovaBird remote camera shot today... If all had been functioning properly, we probably would have gotten 300 or more photos. What was the camera's cantankerous behavior a few weeks ago has turned into a complete "no go" today. I finally got around to putting a multimeter on the charger and the battery... The charger was delivering a robust 6.89 VDC, but the "fully charged" battery was producing a pathetic 0.02 VDC - bluntly, the battery is dead. (The camera itself is fine in that if we briefly connect the charger to it, the NovaBird springs to life.) Time for a new battery... Not a problem. In the mean time, you can roam around the eBirdseed.com photo library or check out our webcam below. (Hint... The "Favorite Bird Photos" portion of the photo library has more than a few images that would make for great wallpaper, and it's all free.)

Gotta run,

See you by the feeders, and I'll bring the oranges if you bring the grape jelly,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com Webcam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For those of you new to this blog, understand that we almost always discuss all things birds. From bird brains, to bird feathers parts 1 and 2, to moon-sent ponderings of using genetic engineering to re-populate extinct bird species... Chickadees, owls, and green herons... If it has flapping wings and visits your back yard, odds are that we've already talked about it or will talk about 'em in the near future.

And now, the eBirdseed.com Webcam is up... Maybe it's time for a "bird break"...

Time to throw my hat over the fence (and offer a challenge to you guys)... I hereby declare that I will start running again... I started running in my late 20s, and continued until I was 40. I was never very good at it. My best 5K was around a 9 minute mile as the race results in the pic below shows... That was from the 6/15/96 "Bob McCourt" 5K. I placed 343 out of 569 and 120 out of 161 for my age group...

(But hey, it ain't easy running with an oxygen tent in your backpack!)

Since my last run, eight years have passed, and during that time I took on a new dietary hobby which focused on the four basic food groups: "fried", "salt", "Slim Jim", and "beer". Those are the four basic food groups right? Yeah, I thought so... (Sometime I'll write a post outlining my favorite recipes including "Salted Deep-Fried Slim Jims", "Salt Lick Tartare", and the infamous "Fried St. Louis" - a clever spin-off inspired by "Baked Alaska" and consisting of a can of beer rolled in grease, deep fried, lovingly smothered in salt, and then garnished with sprigs of Slim Jim.) Running hurt like Hades ten years ago... I wonder if it will hurt less now?

Alright... All jokes aside... Time for a change... Change the diet, and go back to running. I'll use the NordicTrack to regain the aerobic and cardiovascular... My goal is to run both the Irish Pub Road Race, and the Brewster Brew Run... If you're even near the Cape, I strongly recommend attending/participating in those events... The people are wonderful. But beware; both are hot, humid, and hilly jaunts.

So that's it... That's my challenge... Anyone care to throw his or her hat over the fence too, and make a public commitment to better physical fitness? Anyone in the Cape area want to train with me?

See you by the feeders, but I warn you that I'll probably be sweaty,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com Webcam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As promised earlier, here's a slightly better diagram of the layout for the eBirdseed webcam. With a little luck, it might lend clarity to the first rough drawing.

Alrighty then, with the illustration out of the way, still something nags... What to do with the cam??? Yes, yes, yes... The hummingbirds are cool indeed. But what else?

• The camera, (like most cameras with small lenses) handles close-ups quite well. Perhaps we should encase it in a waterproof housing and perch it 2" away from our usual feeder. It would take a relay to get the signal back to the PC with the USB 802.11g 54Mbps adapter, but the technology is very doable.
• Then again, as mentioned earlier, a fish cam at night could be cool. What would be really neat is an "inside-the-tank" cam looking out.
• How about a "yard cam" that would focus on all of the back yard?

Ultimately, the challenge for this type of technology isn't the technology itself - it's trying to figure out how to use it. Put another way, if we could place a live-motion camera anywhere we wanted relative to birds, where would we put it? What perspective would you like to see?

Need some feedback here folks... (Else I'm going to use my imagination, and we all know that that ain't pretty...)

Waiting with the clapperboard over by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Interesting to note, that in less than 1 week into this eBirdseed.com cam project, we've had over 1,000 visitors on our CamStreams site. No doubt that more than a few of the camera hits were mine as I was testing the system. But beyond that, it also goes without saying that folks are tuning in...

References

eBirdseed.com Webcam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)