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We all enjoy the birds that visit our feeders each day, but there are times when we yearn for some new birds. Here’s a great option: It’s fun to periodically check on other active feeders located in other areas, for example, a prime feeding station in upstate New York, backyard feeders in northern Ontario, and a rainforest feeding station in Panama. It’s like taking a virtual trip to another active feeding site with a different range of birds for you to observe and identify – especially in the case of the tropical feeder venue in Panama.

A great place to start for an introduction to the Panama bird feeders is a new video compilation of species that include toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers, and motmots that have visited the Canopy Lodge fruit feeders. This video was created from clips from the live cam and is provided on YouTube at Panama Fruit Feeder All Species Compilation – Oct. 28, 2021 – YouTube although you may actually be overwhelmed by the remarkable diversity of birds recorded – in a good way. At the same time, the live cam feed is a bit more serene, and you never know what birds will visit next; access it at Panama Fruit Feeders | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Closer to home, the Ontario feeder cam can provide views of birds that probably don’t swing by your feeders, like Pine Grosbeaks, Canada Jays, a flock of Evening Grosbeaks, and other regional winter birds as you watch the snow fall, all at Ontario FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

Also, the infamous feeding station at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides a look at classic eastern feeder birds, plus an occasional Ruffed Grouse or Pileated Woodpecker. Take a look at Cornell FeederWatch Cam | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)

On each of the feeder links provided above, there are accompanying YouTube videos of recent highlights you probably missed. These videos come in handy when you visit the site at night or during another low activity period – and they are fun to keep up with throughout the year.

Enjoy the birds at your feeders this winter, but you will also enjoy checking in periodically to see what’s up at these interesting feeding stations in New York, northern Ontario, and Panama.

Unique photos go far in the BirdSpotter photo competition, like this close-up of a Northern Cardinal with a seed and attached snowflake (photo by Gregory Cruthis).

With the BirdSpotter Photo Contest beginning in just 12 days, it’s time to focus your camera on your feeding station to get your best photos of birds that visit your feeders, water feature, and landscaping. One of the nice things about the BirdSpotter contest is that it is a true hobbyist photo activity – professional photographers usually don’t contribute photos, so your chances of doing well in the twice monthly competitions are increased – but perhaps it’s really about the fun of sharing your photos with fellow birders who likewise share photos of birds in their yards and birding sites.

In advance of the December 4th start, you may wish to clean and organize your feeding station to provide clear photo sight lines with regard to the direction of the sunlight. You may even want to add a new natural perch or 2 for birds to use as they approach feeders or a winter birdbath. The BirdSpotter photo contest is a part of the winter activities of Project FeederWatch, but it’s not necessary to be a FeederWatcher to submit photos, or to vote for your favorite submissions, but most contestants are FeederWatch participants.

In short, here’s how BirdSpotter works:

Every other Monday there will be a BirdSpotter photo challenge with a theme that describes what kind of photo will be called for. For example, in the past, categories have included such themes as flying birds, female birds, colorful birds, and as many species as possible in a single photo – but the categories for this season’s BirdSpotter contest will be announced the first week of December.

Then, select your best photo within the category theme and upload it – each contest category is open from Monday through midnight the following Thursday. Even if you don’t submit a photograph, you can help by voting for your favorite photo in the competition.

There will be 2 photo winners every second week: 1 photo that received the most votes from other birders, and 1 “Judges’ Choice” photo. Winners will be announced every other Friday and they will automatically be entered to win the Grand Prize at the end of the contest.

What’s in it for you besides bragging rights and a bunch of fun? Great prizes from Wild Birds Unlimited and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for each of the photo challenge winners.

You can get information about the BirdSpotter Photo Contest at Contests – FeederWatch and you are welcome to check out the winners from last year and review the challenges provided during last year’s contest in the FeederWatch blog at BirdSpotter 2020-21 – FeederWatch

You can also review the archives of winning photos and photographer credits from past years of BirdSpotter competitions at Contests – FeederWatch and for more information about Project FeederWatch, see FeederWatch – Count Feeder Birds for Science You can also see that one of the fun aspects of Project FeederWatch is that you can send photos to share with other birders anytime for their never-ending stream of contributor photos year-round. Photography is obviously a big part of backyard birding, and we hope you enjoy the photo opportunities that come your way.

Share your backyard birding experiences and photos at editorstbw2@gmail.com