For Those Who Don't Have Time To Bird

One of my addictions this time of year are bird nest cams, here is a list of internet birding opportunities that I usually follow (even Non Birding Bill gets into these little dramas):

Xcel Energy Bald Eagle Cam
(incubation is under way).
Xcel Energy Great Horned Owl Cam (incubation is under way).
Xcel Energy Peregrine Falcon Cam (flirting is under way, all four of these are in my home state of Minnesota).
The Barn Owl Cam (incubation is under way).

For those who might wonder what Nebraska is like in March, check out National Geographic's Sandhill Crane Live Cam. Pay attention to the best viewing hours and synch that up to your time zone. The best viewing times are right at dawn and right at dusk as the cranes use that area for a roost. I love listening to it, it gets me primed for my annual trip to the Platte River. I've gone every year for the last four or five years. I was hooked that very first morning in the crane blind.

You can find more nesting cams here for different species or species mentioned above but in your town. For example, you may enjoy watching peregrines, but might find it more fun to watch them in Indiana if that is where you lived as opposed to Minnesota where I live.

And if you are one of those people who say they would love to go birding like I do, but don't have the time, now there is no excuse, you can bird from your computer. Hm, if I were a lister I would probably start a birds viewed live from the internet list. I don't see how it is much different than viewing a bird through binoculars or a spotting scope--well, apart from the images being much clearer and sharper through a good pair of binoculars than through an internet camera.