This week is National Bird Week and we are so excited to be teaming up with the iconic frankie magazine to bring you a week full of birdwatching! From Tuesday and all this week we will be live-streaming bird families from our four cameras in Central Victoria straight to your home!
Tune in here each day from 8am until 8pm to watch the live-streams, meet the birds and find your chance to score one of frankie magazine’s amazing new 2021 diaries, which double up as birdwatching journals!
Don’t forget to take part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count this week! Find out how.
Remember The Wild subscribes to the ethos of always putting the welfare of wildlife above the pleasure of watching them. Accordingly:
- The cameras were affixed by an ornithologist in consultation with an ecologist.
- All cameras are disguised in the natural environment.
- The birds do not appear to be bothered by the cameras and have chosen to nest in close proximity to human habitation and activity.
- The cameras do not make sound and their infrared night-vision setting has been turned off so as not to disturb the birds after dark.
- We do not encourage nest cameras to be set up without professional guidance.
- Please read Birdlife Australia’s Ethical Birding Guidelines for further information: https://birdlife.org.au/
documents/POL-Ethical-Birding- Guidelines.pdf
Live Stream
Today we’re streaming our beautiful pair of Dusky Woodswallows, who have just laid their first egg!
Over the week, you might meet…
Crested Pigeons
About the birds
A beautiful native pigeon that feeds on the ground and performs elaborate courtship displays. Crested pigeons have become very common in southern and central Victoria since the Millennium Drought, although they were previously restricted to more arid areas.
About the nest
Mum and dad have chosen to nest in some dense and cosy false jasmine. Currently, there are two eggs in the nest and they should hatch soon. You’ll see both parents taking turns with incubation.
Dusky Woodswallows
About the birds
Named because of their flight behaviour, woodswallows are actually more closely related to magpies, currawongs, and black-faced cuckoo shrikes. Dusky Woodswallows produce a cheery song and often cluster together on a tree branch.
About the nest
Typical of the species, this nest has been built behind some bark that has become separated from a box eucalypt. You will see mum visiting the nest in between feeding as she gets ready to lay her first egg.
Willy Wagtails
About the birds
A common sight in rural landscapes, the Willy Wagtail is an active and bold bird known for harassing much larger animals than itself. Curiously, male Willy Wagtails will often call long into the night, especially when the moon is bright in the sky.
About the nest
The nest has been built on a young eucalypt in between a thick stand of saplings. Three naked chicks have recently hatched, and you will see mum and dad taking turns protecting and feeding them.
Brown Treecreepers
About the birds
Small, gregarious birds that – despite their name – spend most of their time on the forest floor. Because of their ability to scale vertical surfaces (like trees), they are often able to nest deep down in hollow limbs where many other animals cannot gain access.
About the nest
These birds have been lining this nest box with soft materials in preparation for laying. You will see them bringing bark and wool collected from the landscape into the nest and might even see the first eggs appear.
Remember The Wild x frankie magazine giveaway
To celebrate National Bird Week (19-25 October), we’ve teamed up with frankie magazine to give away copies of their amazing 2021 diary, which doubles as a birdwatching journal and is filled with gorgeous Australian bird illustrations by talented artist Cass Urquhart.
Head over to our Instagram page for your chance to get a copy of the much sought after frankie 2021 diary and bird watching journal!
FAQs
It is our hope that by sharing these live feeds others can come to understand and love birds as much as we do. Additionally, we appreciate that many cannot currently enjoy nature as they might otherwise would be able to, and so we aim to bring nature to you wherever possible.
These live cameras are set up on private property in central Victoria. The nests they show were all built in close proximity to human residence.
The birds do not appear to be bothered by the cameras. Indeed, all the birds have chosen to nest in close proximity to human habitation and activity. The cameras do not make sound and their infrared night-vision setting has been turned off so as not to disturb the birds after dark.
The live-streams rely on a local internet connection, which can sometimes drop out. If a stream goes blank, we suggest refreshing the page in case it has re-connected. The Willy Wagtail camera is set up furthest from the network hub, and so has greater connectivity issues than the other cameras.
The live-streams rely on a local internet connection but are at different distances from the network hub. Sometimes the streams may become out of sync, if one lags while the others progress in real-time. Resolution quality can vary for the same reason.