Blue tit; Cyanistes caeruleus. (Photo from personal collection)
A little while ago, I began a little experiment. With the help of some strong tape, an inexpensive phone holder (one of those hands-free things designed to aid in livestreaming), and my smartphone, I set up a social media livestream from the birdfeeder station in the garden. It was all very makeshift, and it was very much for my own curiosity and amusement that I set this thing up - I just wanted to see if I could get a closer look at some of the birds out there.
My income is really quite low, so the equipment at my disposal is nothing highly technical or impressive.
The feeding station is a metal pole, stuck into the lawn, out of which branches limbs at the top, and from these limbs hang three feeders of various design. With one feeder removed from the station, I put the phone holder, with my smartphone in place, level with the feeder I wish to record, but with as much distance between the phone and the feeder as can be. Then, I simply apply as much black tape to the phone holder and the feeding station's trunk as it takes for the phone to remain firmly in place for the duration of the livestream. Like I said, it is very makeshift. But it works!
A pair of Blue tits negotiating a branch. (Photo from personal collection)
It is the Blue tits that most often visit the feeders I stream from, and all the other birds that usually visit stay out of shot. Perhaps they are unsure of the phone and what it is, or perhaps the other birds simply need more space, and are uncomfortable negotiating the protruding phone and holder. Indeed, I feel that this is a draw back, and perhaps it does hinder some of what I am trying to achieve, and maybe a more covert manner of filming would prove better. However, as I say, I only have what I have at my disposal and I am limited by that.
That is not to say that I am unhappy watching Blue tits on the livestreams. In fact, I love getting a closer view of these colourful little birds as they flit from the feeders, and then back to a branch somewhere. The vibrant blue of their caps and backs is beautiful, and the yellow of their chests is handsome. In these Spring months, they reflect the colours of the flowers that have been welcoming the season!
As the livestream broadcasts over social media, I sit and watch from a window. Always, on the livestream, the camera sees very little except for a feeder full of suet balls swinging in the breeze, in between brief visits, which is, of course, to expected. But, out of shot, there is much more going on. In the makeshift birdbath I constructed a while ago, a female Blackbird bathes whilst a Robin watches, waiting its turn to make use of the water. A Woodpigeon or two flutters in and searches the ground beneath the feeders, pecking at things unseen by human eyes, until something disturbs them, and they fly away with a flap and a clap and a fuss. Dunnocks also dot around underneath the feeders, much more at home feeding on the ground. In the meantime, the female Blackbird has left the bath and is feeding on berries in the ivy.
It's a busy and noisy urban garden, and some of the sounds the phone picks up as it records are as interesting as the sights. Whether it's birdsong or trains in the background, it definitely paints an aural portrait of this garden in an English town.
My makeshift birdbath, made from a planter dish, bricks for a little elevation, stones inside so that the surface is less slippery, and a piece of broken paving slab as a little platform. Not ornamental, but the birds appreciate it nonetheless. (Photo from personal collection)
I use this livestreaming technique of filming as a way to get a closer view of these birds whilst hopefully not infringing too much upon their space. And I do it because they bring me joy. There is joy in just watching them be what they are, and long may it be so, that they are here with us to gift us that joy.
I don't undertake these livestreams very often - how basic my set up is rules out anything but the most temperate of days, for a start - but if you would like to follow me on social media, so that you can see one for yourself, I will list my accounts below. However, it is on Facebook that you are probably more likely to see me go live. Twitter is geared more towards my writing endeavours than my pursuits in nature. Still, a follow would be appreciated if that's your thing!
If you do follow in hopes of seeing a livestream, be sure that your settings are set so that you get a notification when I go live!
Social media
The article I wrote on the construction of my makeshift birdbath can be found here.
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