LGfL NatureCam & Birdboxes

​‘The London Grid for Learning is committed to providing pupils and teachers with LIVE data for the classroom. The connection is live video, not stop frame, with unlimited users, so anyone can see things exactly as they happen. During the Autumn term 2012, LGfL are in the process of servicing and upgrading the current birdbox resources, ready for the 2013 nesting season’​

In addition to the obvious applications for the Birdcam – unit 2B of Primary Science “Plants and animals in the local environment” – pupils could use pictures and video from the nestbox to write ‘bird diaries’.

Useful links

Other RBCs (regional broadband consortia) have set up or are setting up their own birdbox videocam projects

The SEGFL has four schools supporting birdboxes with lots of examples of pupils' work.

The LGfL’s birdbox was provided by Eco-watch. You can view a number of birdbox and animal watch video-cams in place on their website.

​Here is a preview of the sort of thing you can expect once our birds have nested in the box. These images were taken from a bird cam in Fern Hill Primary School in Kingston Upon Thames.

​ Sitting quietly ....	Spreading some young wings ....​
The mother enters ....	The feeding begins ....​
Some more for you ....	And some for the rest ....​

​In Charlton manor we have a Coal Tit nesting with 10 eggs.

Coal Tits will nest in hollows in trees or in mouse holes. The nest is similar to that of the Blue Tit (i.e. made from moss, wool, dead leaves and spiders' webs) except that it is moss-lined.

The Coal Tit's small (15 mm by 12 mm) eggs are smooth and glossy, and white with reddish-brown speckles. The female incubates the eggs by herself. After the young hatch, they are fed by both parents.

Breeding Starts mid April and normally will have between 7 and 12 eggs (we have 10).  The Eggs are incubated for 14 – 16 days and allow between 16 and 19 days for the fledglings to leave the nest.

In Child’s Hill School in Barnet we have a Great Tit with 5 eggs.

Great Tits will nest in a hole in a tree or wall, or among the twigs of old nests. The nest is a cup made from moss, grass and down, and lined with hair, plant down and feathers. Nest boxes are frequently used.

The Great Tit's eggs are the largest of the British tits at 18 mm by 14 mm; they are smooth and glossy, and white with purplish-red spots. The female incubates the eggs by herself. After the young hatch, they are fed by both parents.

Breeding Starts in March and normally will have between 7 and 15 eggs (we don’t have any yet).  The Eggs are incubated for 13 - 14 days and allow between 22 days for the fledglings to leave the nest.