The Two LIVE Cameras In My Backyard!
A few years ago, I decided to take on the project of installing cameras in my backyard that would continuously stream my feeding station.
Honestly, it was one of the BEST decisions I have made. Not only do I love watching what is happening on my feeders, but many other people from around the world have also found the birds to be entertaining, relaxing, or even a great video to show their cats. 🙂
Make sure to scroll to the bottom to see answers to 7 Frequently Asked Questions.
Currently, I have two cameras set up:
- Make sure to check out the Bird Watching HQ YouTube channel, where you can watch both of my cameras, along with any other feeding station live cams that I have partnered with!
#1. Bird Feeder Cam
This live camera watches my bird feeding station! It’s located at the back of the yard, just on the edge of the woods where the grass meets some trees. Nearby is a small swamp that attracts many wetland birds and also an open field with many native flowers. I live in northeast Ohio, near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
On most days, you can expect to see a wide variety of bird species, and my cam provides a great way to learn about the common birds of the eastern United States.
Common Birds Observed:
Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, House Finch, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Common Grackle, European Starling, and Black-capped Chickadee.
- Learn to identify the birds listed above: ID Guide To The Most Common Birds On The Live Cams (Mammals Too!)
It’s also common to witness our resident Eastern Grey Squirrels make a giant leap of faith from the trees to the feeders.
Featured Bird Feeders:
If you could look inside my shed, you would see that I have MANY bird feeders. This fact makes it hard to keep an updated list of the ones that are currently on display. To view a list of all of my favorites, I recommend reading this article –> The 16 BEST Bird Feeders In MY Backyard!
Most Common Foods Used:
- Sunflower kernels, peanuts (shelled and in the shell), safflower, nyjer seed, and suet.
#2. Animal Cam UNDERNEATH My Feeders
This animal camera points at the ground underneath my bird feeders, which gives an incredible opportunity to observe ground-foraging birds and many species of mammals. It’s active, whether it’s day or night, and features incredible night vision!
Please remember that this camera is situated only about 100 feet from the back door of my house. It’s common to see my dog running around, my kids playing and saying something to the cameras, or me filling the feeders. I’m sorry if we accidentally scare away something you were watching. 🙂
COMMON WILDLIFE YOU CAN OBSERVE:
Birds: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Crow, House Sparrow, Common Grackle, Mourning Dove, and sometimes even a Mallard duck.
Mammals: Virginia Opossum, Eastern Cottontail (rabbit), Eastern Gray Squirrel, American Red Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunk, White-tailed Deer, Red Fox, Groundhog, and Raccoons.
Featured Feeders: (links take you to Amazon to see prices)
Most Common Foods Used:
- Sunflower seeds, peanuts, safflower, and corn
- Learn more HERE -> Bird Seed 101: The 10 Best Types For Wild Birds
7 Frequently Asked Questions.
1. What kind of cameras do you use?
Let me tell you that setting up one of these bird feeder cameras is not for the faint of heart. Between the equipment and the software needed, the whole process is quite costly. In addition, these network cameras don’t work on WiFi, so you will need to supply PoE (power over ethernet) underground.
If you are serious about setting up a bird feeder camera, using an Axis network camera is definitely the BEST option, but also the biggest commitment and most expensive. Lastly, I am looking for additional live cameras to stream on my YouTube channel (I’d give you most of the ad revenue!). If you are interested, send me a message HERE.
2. Where is this located?
I live in Akron, Ohio, near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
3. What type of bird/animal did I just see?
If you have a specific question that is not answered here, then my recommendation is to head over to my YouTube channel. Visit Youtube Channel!
Youtube has a “Chat” feature for live streams, which allows anyone to ask questions about backyard bird feeding. You can watch my bird feeders live, and ask a question directly to know everything from the feeders being used or what species just visited.
You can expect to receive a response at almost any time of day using the Youtube live chat, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers that are called “moderators.” These “mods” volunteer their time to help answer bird feeding questions, and keep the chats a safe and clean place, absent from trolls.
Also, why you’re visiting, please make sure to Subscribe to my channel! 🙂
4. What does the surrounding area look like?
Check out this video to get a “Behind The Scenes” tour of my backyard and feeding station.
This interview that our local PBS affiliate did is also good to watch:
5. Where are the animals?
Please remember that all the live cameras you find on this page feature WILD animals. Food is continually provided to try and attract them, but you never know when they will make an appearance.
Also, keep in mind that I live in Akron, Ohio, and my timezone may be different than yours. If it’s night, then it’s unlikely you will see any birds, as they roost at night.
But both cameras have excellent night vision, which allows you to view nocturnal wildlife! Make sure to check out the ground camera once the sun goes down.
6. How do you try to stop or slow down squirrels?
Stopping squirrels from eating all of your bird food is one of the most common problems backyard birders face. There are a few strategies that I use and recommend.
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- Learn more –> 8 Effective Ways To Keep Squirrels Off Your Bird Feeders
7. How much food do you go through, and how much do you spend?
As you can imagine, the amount of bird food and seed that gets eaten each day is highly variable and depends on the weather, season, and the birds that visit. At my feeding station in Ohio, I probably go through about 5 lbs of food per day. As for how much I spend to feed all these hungry birds, currently, I am paying about $400/month!
If you enjoy the cameras and want to donate to the cost of food, you can do that here via PayPal.
Please know that while never expected, donations are greatly appreciated!
I love birds and squirrels!!! Shout out to Clintonville, Columbus Ohio!!!
Can I send you a video of a squirrel eating from my bird feeder? My grandparents are from Clintonville, North Columbus. As a young child, I lived in Worthington. My grandmother had quite a nice setup, to keep squirrels away!!!
WOW that was wonderful. Thanks for all of this showing us all of the land. Love it all.
ENJOY YOUR 2 FEEDERS . CAN YOU KEEP FEEDERS FULL OF FEED
Serendipitously stumbled upon your site while looking for caterpillar pictures. So nice that you are visited by redwing blackbirds. Love their song.
Hi! We are on April 20th 2022 and I like your new blue/green feeder. 🙂 Have a good day!
Scott-
Love your webcams. I grew up in Kent and now live in Calif/Silicon Valley. I love to check your cams not just for the wildlife but also for the weather. Could you put a digital thermometer in the field of view? Would also love another camera with a wider view. Perhaps it could get moved around (yes, I know power might be a problem). It would be especially nice to have a view of the marsh from near the end of the boardwalk. All much appreciated. Thank you. Geoff Thompson
Love the nature sounds so calming….I TRULY appreciate you posting this. New viewer here for sure!!! Although it doesn’t seem to be nearly enough….THANK YOU 😍
Absolutely love the feeders which we found after getting a fire stick for Christmas plus I love it that you are a fellow Buckeye (I am now in Hoosier land!). I really love the sounds of the birds and how wild it looks in the woods. I miss now the bird sounds due to the music which does not seem necessary. Thanks for the pleasure you bring as I work on volunteer projects at the desk and am able to keep up with the antics of the birds and the occassional squirrel. Love that you use such a great camera that I can see all the details of the blue jay’s tail feathers.
You’ve made my day. I have feeders around the house including ground feeding bowls for the squirrels and chipmunks. Unfortunately my living room isn’t positioned such that I can watch them. Now I have a web tab I can open anytime and enjoy anytime. I think I’ll be installing cameras really soon.
Very informative video, I learned a lot and I cannot wait for the next video! Keep it up, Scott!
I was just going to comment that it’s more like squirrel watching than bird watching. A squirrel actually has his head inside one of the feeders and is chowing down!
Wow, VERY nicely done!! I scrolled back during night hours and saw a rabbit, raccoon, chipmunk, squirrel!! The bird feeder was cool too! Nice work! Thanks!!
You have skunks eating in your ground feeder , I. Don’t see it listed above, And they eat
Are you an anti-squirrelist?
Peacefully co-existing
This is SO much better than watching television these days! 🙂
Pablo
07/06/21
I am a new viewer and I love your concept and set-up.
But I wish that the squirrels couldn’t take over the hanging bird feeders.
Just a suggestion
Is it just me or are your cams not available anymore
Thanks for all of this Scott. I grew up near the Akron-canton airport and now live near Sacramento CA. I tune in several times a week to see the one thing I miss about Ohio besides family – the beautiful red cardinals. They do not live in California.
Hi Scott. Your wonderful bird-cam is my new companion at work. I bring in my laptop to the office and keep this on in the background to hear some nature sounds. Very soothing, especially during a hectic day. Sometimes people will hear a jay squawking all of a sudden and look around to figure out where its coming from! Love that. I live near the CLE airport, and have about 2-3 feeders. Right now I have a tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds, and a suet holder. I am getting ready to put out my hummingbird feeder soon. Curious if you get a lot of hummingbirds (and orioles) near you. Keep up the good work!
Yes we do! You can usually see orioles on the cam a few times per day right now.
Baltimore Orioles!!!
Thank you so much for this great resource! We recently moved to Kentucky and have lots to learn about feeding birds here, and this is extremely informative and entertaining. Blessings!
Oh my goodness, I just saw a big beautiful cat scare away an opossum! I hope the cat is alright! Raccoons and opposums can probably do some damage with their sharp teeth and claws.
I hope the cat stays safe.
Just wait, raccoons are next. I just want the bunnies! What a treasure though, all just getting along.
You should add “Striped Skunk” to the list of wildlife visitors to your yard. It hardly waited 15 mins after you filled the feeder tonight at 9:30 and stuck around for 30 minutes!
The best way to destress…your family’s bird & animal cams and a yankee candle! Truthfully, between the beautiful scents from Yankee and those bunnies in the evening, really help calm! “Thank you” doesn’t seem like enough. Appreciate you!
Thank you for posting this !!I really love to see good people enjoying wildlife and taking care of nature. And the property behind your house is absolutely beautiful and really love to see that you keep it natural great job!!!
Just found this…https://birdwatchinghq.com/live-bird-cams/#akronfeeder
Link to Amazon for the AXIS P1448-LE cam….. but 1,000$. Can you recommend any cheaper ones?
Hello. I know there are many other cameras that can be used that are less expensive, but I’m not an expert on what those may be. Sorry!
I have been searching your sites but still cannot see anything about the type of cameras you use. Which are best for garden bird feeders.
Scott, Just wondering—what would you say are the most unusual birds that have visited your feeder? Thx.
absolutely love your webcam., I found it on the app @ive Camera and it’s hosted by a polish network
watching the birds and the animals is so lovely and interesting, just wanted to thank you for doing this!
There’s a skunk under your bird feeder!