Those of you who watch the Cathedral of Learning falconcams noticed that the streaming camera disappeared on Monday and didn’t come back right away. Here’s why.
On Monday morning, the University of Pittsburgh, the National Aviary and PixController teamed up to replace the old streaming video camera (“CAM1”) with a new high definition camera. Here you see Dave Marti of Pitt and Bill Powers of PixController preparing to install the new cam.
In the background Bob Mulvihill of the National Aviary held a broom to protect the team from peregrine attacks but the birds didn’t put in an appearance. It was too gray and cold (18F) and Dorothy was sleeping off her breakfast on the other side of the building. The broom came in handy for sweeping away the snow.
The nest ledge is so cramped that Dave and Bill had to use the nest surface.
The job was finished by noon but the camera didn’t work right away. Soon it was clear that the camera had to be “factory reset” before it would talk to the Internet. Ack!
We reconvened yesterday afternoon. Bill went out on the ledge, removed the camera dome and hit the reset button. Indoors, I used a computer to configure the camera. Bob held the broom and was again disappointed that the peregrines did not show up.
Though the camera isn’t broadcasting yet the first big hurdle is over. It’s installed and operating before the February 15 deadline that prohibits nest ledge access of this Pennsylvania endangered species.
Here’s what the camera looks like from the maintenance screen.
In the next few days WildEarth will configure the stream and the camera will become visible to the world.
We’re getting there.
(outdoor photo by Kate St. John, remaining photos from the National Aviary falconcams at the Cathedral of Learning)
p.s.
i love this behind the scenes stuff. thanks for sharing!
I have always had difficulty understanding where the nest box is located in relation to the architecture of the ledge. Today’s pictures suggest that the nest box is on the floor of the ledge, sandwiched between two of those slanted pillars. In this configuration, the chicks would face the ledge railing from the nest box, not the open sky. Is my interpretation correct?
Nathalie, the nest box is in a tight corner that is not visible from inside the building — nor is the nest visible from the ground. The only way to see it is on camera.
The chicks face an ornamental “keyhole” in the architecture. The only way to see the keyhole is from the ground. Here is a description of where to look.
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrine-faqs/question-where-should-i-be-looking-to-see-the-peregrines-at-pitt/
Would be a nice Valentine’s present to have it up and running by Friday ?
Here’s hoping!
Looks good. Hopefully we don’t have the same problems as last year when moisture got inside the dome and the view was mostly blurry all year with this new camera.