No bird feeder, no problem: Bluebirds live on feeder webcam in Murrysville

Not everyone can have a bird feeder, let alone one that attracts the pretty, prized birds like Eastern bluebirds.

Without so much a kernel of corn or a sunflower seed, residents can take a nature break to watch all the action at a live webcam trained on six feeders and a heated birdbath in Murrysville.

The webcam is courtesy of PixCams, a free, educational wildlife webcam service offered by Bill Powers of Murrysville, who developed the first bald eagle webcam in Pittsburgh. It’s one of 17 nature webcams, most of which are in Western Pennsylvania, including the eagle cam and elk cam in Benezette.

Powers dubbed his most recent webcam “fun feeder cam.” It’s stationed at a family member’s home in a wooded section of Murrysville.

“I’ve seen feeder cams, especially the Cornell feeder cam, and I wanted to put out one for my mom to watch,” said Powers. “It was a present to her.”

Then Powers’ sister, Patricia Carlson of Madison, Wisc., created buzz at the feeder station by introducing mealworms that attract Eastern bluebirds. The Eastern bluebird is a top-shelf feeder sporting ethereal shades of blue, setting it apart from even the Northern cardinal.

“It’s easy for the novice,” said Carlson. “I mixed the mealworms with regular feed and the family was amazed that the bluebirds came.”

She developed her special feeder mix by visiting the Tractor Supply store in Delmont last spring and found mealworm cakes with illustrations of Eastern bluebirds on the label. True to its advertising, the Powers family feeders attract bluebirds by the handfuls, with a heated birdbath proving to be irresistible as well. Her special mix is proportioning 60% seed to 40% mealworms.

Powers thought the feeders were interesting enough put up on a live webcam, so he set up a pan, tilt, zoom camera last week. It’s operated by volunteers at various times who focus in on the birds during peak of activity.

“This is great for the shut-in people living in the city who can feel like they are watching a feeder,” Powers said. “The project has been an education for me as well as others.”

To watch the Murrysville feeder webcam, visit www.pixcams.com/birdfeeder.