Earthcam and other Live Cams...

Hi All,

With all the red light and speed cameras, tv on the web (not to mention movies on demand - hello Netflix) It seems like we live in a world of 24x7x365 video. Oh, right...let's not forget about tablets and smartphones that have video capabilities...I guess we do live in a world of video.

So, without further ado - here is Earthcam.  What is Earthcam you ask?  Great question.

As the site itself proclaims, "EarthCam.com is the premiere network of scenic webcams and offers a complete searchable database of interesting places and views from around the world. The award winning website (Webby Award Winner – Tourism) is viewed by fans in 192 countries and ranks among the top 1% of all websites. EarthCam.com is the world’s favorite webcam network and the EarthCam Network cameras have been seen on top news shows, including CNN’s Headline News."

So there you have it.  Earthcam is a major site for watching LIVE Webcams.  Just on their homepage visitors can look at video from Times Square, NYC, Las Vegas, NV, Venice Beach California, Washington DC, Mount Rushmore and much more....

There is even an Earthcam Hall of Fame - this link will take you to that part of the Earthcam site.  Basically these are webcams that visitors to Earthcam submit. 

Funstuff for sure...just make sure that you don't obsess over the webcams. 

Other interesting webcam sites include:
Yellowstone National Park - webcam
123Cam
GeoCam.tv
VolcanoLive.com
CornellLab of Ornithology - bird cams

Enjoy the sites and the cams!

Regards,
Stu

Birding on Long Island

Hi All,

You see them all around - possibly even feeding some of them. They have vibrant colors, sing wonderful songs in the morning and have adorable shapes. What am I talking about you ask? Birds of course!

And Long Island is home for some fantastic birds! Click here to find a small article about Suffolk County birds. The article discusses Dune Road in near Shinnecock and Moriches.

If you are a beginning birder this site from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a must see. Birding Basics, bird guides and more are all available from this very authoritative website. Note that users can find birds by name, bird shape, bird family and more.

Furthermore, when you find a particular bird, users get a picture of said bird, identification methods, a life history of the bird, sounds the bird makes and video of the bird. There is also a range map which describes the locations and geographical places that the bird can be found.

This is a wonderfully comprehensive birding website even for the intermediate birder in your life.

Click here for the Wikipedia entry on birding. The entry gives context to the hobby and is well written. Notice also that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is mentioned about half-way down the article. The SSAS has a wonderful mission statement that can be found on the home page link.

The organization sponsors birding outings and is active in promoting environmental education. Definitely worth looking into if you like birding or if you think you might like birding, click here for a more informal view of Long Island birding from Long Island Birding.com.

Going back to a site that I use often in this blog is About.com. Click here for the About.com birding entry - which, while somewhat similar to the Wikipedia entry, is more thorough and more comprehensive. Click here for About.com entry on '3 Steps to Easy Bird Identification'

Reades should note that there are many, many organizations dedicated to birding, especially on Long Island. Click here for the South Shore Audubon Society webpage.

Finally, click here for a more informal view of Long Island birding from Long Island Birding.com.

Regards and happy birding!
Stu

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