How to Use Your Webcam for Nature Observation


by JJ Murphy - Date: 2006-12-02 - Word Count: 318 Share This!

I originally thought of this when I drove past a lawn display just before Halloween. Most of the time when I see a scarecrow, it's either in a backyard garden, or it's a Halloween lawn decoration. Here's something else you can do with that scarecrow. It works really well if you have and old shirt, trousers, hat and gloves that look like what the scarecrow is wearing:

· Use an old lawn chair and position the scarecrow (headless or not) with its hands in its lap.

· Place an old cookie sheet in the scarecrow's lap and position the hands.

· Fill the cookie sheet with bird seed.

If the scarecrow's hat has a rim, sprinkle bird seed there, too.

The birds will avoid the scarecrow at first, but after a few days, they will start to eat the seeds.

· Set up your webcam to observe the scene.

· Spend a few weeks observing the birds. Make a list:

· What time of day do the birds come?

· What kinds of birds visit and when?

· Can you tell how many different birds visit?

After a few weeks, dress like the scarecrow and sit in the lawn chair with the tray of bird seed. How long did you sit there before the birds came?

How did it feel to have birds land in your lap or on your hat?

What did you learn about the different birds that visited? How long did the birds come to feed before you got up? Did you put the scarecrow back after you left?

This is just one way to use a webcam for nature study. You can also build a compass or anemometer and study wind patterns, you could use a webcam to study the relationships of plants and animals in a lawn, forest or other habitat. The natural world is fascinating, and it has never been easier to create, edit and share images. You might even spot a rare or endangered species.


Related Tags: webcam, bird observation, nature projects, webcam projects

JJ Murphy is a freelance writer who helps companies, small businesses and individuals to express their awareness and dedication to developing sustainable technology and to preserve our natural resources. She writes articles for natural magazines, hiking publications, simple living publications in print and online. She also creates curricula to help public schools home schooling groups, private schools, wilderness camps, adult learning groups, and continuing education programs stretch and expand their students' knowledge.

She holds a Master of Arts degree from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas and a B.A. degree in English and Anthropology from the University of Connecticut. Her client list includes writers, business consultants, motivational speakers, psychologists, financial planners, educators, and politicians.

Visit her website www.WriterByNature.com for articles, wild food recipes and for more information, including JJ's favorite places for gear and supplies.

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