Winter getaway -- Many Internet sites offering live birds at feeders

There are live video feeds of birds feeding or nesting throughout the world, many of them to be watched on your computer screen.

Today (Monday, Jan. 2) for instance, there is frantic activity at www.CasaBonitaBonaire.com, dozens of Bananaquits crowding each other at what appears to be a watering site. Bonaire is in the southern Caribbean.

The Cornell Lab bird cam site — cams.allaboutbirds.org — lists seven US sites as live today, but I could get images on four. The camera at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology shows empty feeders swaying in the wind. Must be a holiday problem. Try Tuesday.

The camera at feeders in Ontario show filled feeders, no birds at the moment I tuned in. This is a good site for Evening and Pine grosbeaks. It is a realiable site.

A Montana site shows snow blowing over an Osprey nest, the sound of a howling wind completing the no-bird story.

The West Texas site that was good for hummingbirds this fall is showing recorded highlights from its season.

There is a South American site that was watching a Green-and-White Hummingbird nest. Sorry, the two chicks fledged this morning.

The camera at Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Texas has Green Jays at its feeder right now (2:28 p.m.). This feeder is reliable.

There are thousands of Sandhill Cranes at azgfd.com (Arizona). The sound of calling cranes is wonderful. Put in your screen, turn the sound up, and enjoy.

These and many other sites are listed at www.viewbirds.com, stpetaudubon,org. Google gives you many addresses. Many of them are off-line. But, it's fun to search. Sort of like real birding.

Below, screen shot of Bananaquits on the island of Bonaire.