The end of an (*almost) era

Hello, dear followers. It looks like Birdsy has finally come to an end, the servers seem to be offline. This means I will have to finally sit down this weekend and find a streaming solution. Please bear with me, this may take a bit (I have tried a bit with foggy head earlier this week and could not get it to work). In the meantime, I have trailcams out in various spots to capture clips and photos but it is of course not the same as a livestream.

I will try Youtube for streaming and the iSpy software for recording but if anybody has a free solution for the latter, please let me hear it.

Let me also again say that the five years with Birdsy were wonderful, and I am extremely sad and disappointed that this wonderful adventure has found such a sad ending. I hope in the future there will be another rendition of Birdsy, and one that conquers the birdwatcher world. Because there is nothing like it and we need it.

PS: This does NOT mean that I will stop posting things, it just means that I currently have no livestreams and no way to record the clips I recorded with Birdsy.

Birdsy news

Those of you who use it as well have gotten the email... After five fun years, Birdsy is shutting down due to lack of funding. Apart from my heartbreak over this happening, this means that my live cams will not be live and recording anymore within a matter of days, and I will have to find solutions. Streaming is possible via YT but recording clips may prove more difficult. Birdsy was so perfect for that, and I hate that the industry did not see it. In order to keep clips coming without screen-recording from a livestream, I need a solution for recording that is not breaking the bank, and tips are welcome. I wish more money would be put towards projects that bring joy. Farewell, Birdsy, I am going to miss you.

(This does not mean I will stop posting bird photos and videos. I will just have to rethink some of my cams. I am currently using five Birdsy cameras for livestreams and videos (apart from photo setups and other video cams) and will try to set up livestreams on youtube. I will have to find a solution for recording though.)

It's a moth party at the leeks patch!

After some good breakfast and wing practice, the first Robin baby has left the nest an hour ago. Robins cannot fly properly when they fledge, so the young ones follow the parents around by foot for a couple of days, learning how to feed and survive. I am not sure if the other two will follow today but they might. You can watch on my website or on my Birdsy channel on https://birdsy.com/c/Ostdrossel3

A new visitor this morning... The Birdsy AI identified and recorded the clip. I was in a meeting and only saw it later in my Birdsy account. What a magnificent bird! Apparently it is a she, a Sharp-shinned. And she left hungry.

A word about Birdsy... I have been using their cameras since 2019, and I love the convenience of using a camera that is AI driven rather than unsing motion detection. My photo setup is motion activated, and it takes me a lot of time and computer storage to handle and edit the photos. I have used security cams to get close to wildlife before too, but I found it very time-consuming to sift through the footage to see if they captured anything fun. The cool thing with Birdsy is that the AI is trained on wildlife and captures exactly that so you do not end up with tons of “empty” videos. You also don’t have to install emulators or wonky software in order to watch your clips or livestream. With Birdsy, you get an app as well as an online account in which all your videos are saved and sorted by ID and date. And you can share your clips and livestream with others or embed it on your website, like I am doing here as well. In my opinion, nothing beats the convenience of this system as opposed to trail cams or security cams. No SD cards needed, and you are not tied to a setup like the gadgety smart feeders that seem to be all the rage now. You can build your own setup. Check it out on their website birdsy.com. I am streaming there too 😊

It is a murky Sunday (perfect for baking cookies ☺️), and activity is slow, but there are some new visitors around!

A fun new visitor this morning! I hope she sticks around for a bit and also visits the photo setups.⁠

Another week

with mediocre bird activity has passed but there was a lot of sunshine, and it was nice to see the trees do their best to make everything glow before we now get into cooler temperatures. The Goldfinches have returned, now with more drab winter plumage, and the Blue Jays were ruling feeders.

In other news, Birdsy has cameras for pre-order available again, and for the first time will also be available in the UK. I use Birdsy cameras for videos and livestreaming. You can check out their offer on their website birdsy.com.

Last but not least - I seem to only sell calendars when they are on sale this year, so they will be on sale again next week. Come good into the weekend!

Possum kissies 😍❤! This one visits every night now and goes on little exploration walks. There is a bigger, older one as well but I don't see it as much as the little one.

Who’s ready for some possum butt? (Sound on!)

The most skeptical Robin ever 😆 (it's like that on other cameras too).

The opossum is at the tree cam right now :D

I am a proud member of the OAS, the Opossum Appreciation Society 😍 This was a first, seeing one on the tree, but I love how it gives you a really nice view of all the cuteness. This is an edit, the whole video was about 4 minutes.

They are so few this year, I am extra happy about every single sighting. And I love it that they keep choosing this feeder. Listen to the little noises ❤️Happy Monday, everyone!

Summer is well under way,

and the garden is going crazy this year. The Blue Jays had a really good nesting season, and their youngsters are all around right now. In my efforts to capture baby birds, I also get some critters, and this squirrel was especially cheeky. Live streams will be down for the next couple of days for maintenance but back late Tuesday.

New livecam and life sign 🙂

Work has been a bit much these last couple of weeks, and I did not find enough time to go through photos. I have a little window here now so hopefully I can get some done. In the meantime, you can check out the camera that I set up temporarily by the leek blooms. The insects love them and there is a lot of activity going on. I am not sure how much of it the Birdsy AI will pick up but watching the stream alone is fun. And who knows, a Hummingbird may visit too! You can watch the livestream here: ostdrossel.com/livestream or on my channel on birdsy.com.

It's a video kind of night… The Groundhog babies are all grown up now but there are still others walking with mom. These two were so stinking cute 😍