What is a live FeederWatch Cam?
A live FeederWatch cam is a camera that streams video in near real time, 24 hours per day, year round from a FeederWatch count site to a server where it can be viewed using an Internet browser.

How can I view the video?
If you are unable to view the streaming video, you will need to download Windows Media Player. If you have a broadband Internet connection, you should be able to successfully view the stream after installing Windows Media Player.

Which browser will work best to view the video?
Internet Explorer 7 provides the best browser for viewing the video. To download Internet Explorer 7, click here. Google Chrome also appears to play the video stream well. If you use Mozilla Firefox, you may need to download a special viewer to run Windows Media Player (see above).

Why is the screen black?
The Colorado cam is located in the Mountain time zone. If it is not daylight in Colorado, the video stream will appear black.

Will I be able to view the camera with a dial-up Internet connection?
It may be possible to view the camera stream with a fast dial-up connection. Many people with dial-up Internet access are having trouble viewing the stream, however, and a broadband connection should be used for best viewing.

How long can I watch?
Our streaming video server is restricted to 25 viewers at one time and is capped at 10 minutes of viewing time per viewer, at which point your browser will need to be refreshed in order to continue watching the live stream.

Why am I receiving an error message?
If you receive an error message indicating "not enough bandwidth" while trying to connect to the video, it is likely there are already the maximum number of users connected to the server at one time. Try to connect to the video again later or try viewing the other FeederWatch Cam.

Is it safe to install the Active X control?
It is a good idea to be weary of installing anything new on your computer, as Active X objects are a common exploit used by intruders. Our web cams use a common Active X control for Windows Media Player. Accepting the installation of this control is safe and should not be cause for concern.

Where are the cameras located?
We currently have two streaming FeederWatch Cams. One cam is located in the Treman Bird Feeding Garden at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, and another is streaming from Grand Junction, Colorado, by participant hosts, David Smith and Shanna Rendon. See the "Site Profile" on each FeederWatch Cam page to learn more about the camera's location.

Do the cameras disturb the birds?
The cameras are positioned in a way that does not interfere with bird feeding and activity. The cameras are completely silent and do not move to zoom, focus, or pan. Occasionally, the cameras are manually adjusted to correct positioning or focus, but this causes minimal disturbance at the feeders for a brief amount of time.

Why does streaming video cost so much?
Streaming video utilizes a great deal of bandwidth, which measures the amount of data that can be transferred in bps or Kbps (bits or kilobits per second). FeederWatch Cams stream at 128 Kbps to 25 concurrent users which costs us about $200 per month in streaming fees.

What can I do to help support the FeederWatch cams?
The FeederWatch cams are completely supported by donations from viewers. You can help support the cams by clicking on the "Support Live Cams" button on the FeederWatch Cam page.

What kind of camera is streaming the video?
We use the Unreal UM100 MPEG-4 IP camera with a 2.8-12mm focus, both of which are specifically designed to stream directly to a central Unreal® Streaming Server. 

Who provides the stream?
We are extremely thankful to our provider, StreamGuys, for generously offering ongoing recommendations, support, and service as we researched, implemented, and continue to stream our live web cams.

How can I become a FeederWatch Cam host?
Currently, we are in a trial stage of streaming two live FeederWatch Cams. If all goes well and funds allow, we would like to add more participant cameras, streaming from multiple locations in the future.

Streaming a camera requires DSL or Cable broadband internet service going into a router (unfortunately, satellite service typically does not offer enough upload bandwidth to provide a decent video stream). If you meet these requirements and are interested in hosting a FeederWatch Cam in the future, we will be happy to add your name to our waiting list for consideration. To be considered, please send an email to pfwonline@cornell.edu with "FeederWatch Cam host" in the subject line. Include your name, location, FeederWatch ID number, and indicate whether you have DSL or Cable broadband internet service and a router. For all potential hosts, a network speed test would need to be administered to determine your service's upload capacity.

Do participant hosts incur bandwidth charges?
Most DSL or Cable broadband internet service providers sell services based on speed, not total data throughout, so participants should not incur bandwidth charges for streaming, though it is important to discuss this with your provider.