Nest Cameras

Prairie Ridge is excited to be able to share pictures of live bird nests with you over the internet. We use small video cameras that are installed inside nest boxes. These cameras are silent and do not move so they do not disturb the nesting birds.

An Eastern Bluebird nest at Prairie Ridge Ecostation

We are able to provide these images to you through a partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Science Foundation. Cornell hosts the Prairie Ridge camera as well as many others on their NestCams website.

Currently we can monitor several nest boxes and a nesting ledge. These structures typically attract species such as Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and Eastern Phoebes.

We plan to make these images of nesting birds available to you whenever possible. To view the most current image hold the "shift" or "option" key down on your keyboard while clicking the "reload" or "refresh" button on your internet browser. Images are updated every thirty seconds Check this page often throughout the nesting season to learn what is hatching at Prairie Ridge.

Beginning in July of 2008 a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nested and layed 4 eggs in the nest box pictured above. All 4 eggs hatched. The nestlings were fed by both parents until it was time to fledge. That time came on Saturday, August 9, when 3 of the 4 nestlings successfully fledged to begin their new lives at Prairie Ridge. The fourth nestling had died several days earlier from unknown causes.