9 Wildlife Live Streams To Beat the Coronavirus Isolation Blues
I’ve done the research so you don’t have to! 9 of the best wildlife live streams to bring joy into your current existence.
How I looked researching this article for you at 3 am… kind of.
Right now, we’re all experiencing varying degrees of isolation and cabin fever thanks to COVID-19, so let’s forget all about that for a while and instead get stuck into the great outdoors from home! During a recent bout of insomnia, I trawled the internet and compiled a list of, in no particular order, 9 of the best sources of wildlife live streams from around the globe (because sometimes scrolling on ASOS and laughing at memes needs switching up). Read on to find out why I am now obsessed with wildlife webcams and discover where you can find your favourites.
1.
This is potentially the most comprehensive source of wildlife live streams with a vast array available at any given time, including a stream directly from Tembe Elephant Park, where I saw two elephants fighting, and another from the Raptor Resource Project, where I watched an eagle sleep with it’s head tucked into its back feathers just like a pigeon (cute) then wake up briefly at 3 am (my time, no idea what time it was for the eagle), nudge its teeny eggs around, then reposition itself on top, just like a hen (double cute). Very therapeutic viewing, and you can catch up on past highlights as well as watch videos on various topics, including culture, global documentaries and nature meditations.
2. Wild Earth
This one is my absolute favourite! They take you on a LIVE safari! I’ve never been on a safari before but now I semi feel like I have. The safaris run at sunrise and sunset when the animals are most active. For UK viewers, that means 4-7 am for sunrise safari, and the much more palatable 1:30-4:30 pm for the sunset safari. I’d been planning on viewing the sunset safari instead of sunrise for this reason, but jokes on me because I can never sleep so at 4 am I was having the time of my life bounding through herds of impala with my Scottish guide answering questions live on screen! I cannot recommend this enough, it is particularly good for those of you who love to travel and have found your wings clipped recently. They also have a live camera on a waterhole that has heaps of activity at all times of day (trust me, I know).
The Wildlife Trusts across the UK have a variety of live streaming webcams that include puffins on the island of Burhou, badgers in Cumbria and barn owls in Dorset. Some webcams are seasonal, so as spring approaches be prepared for bats in Essex and kestrels in Kent. These cameras are a really lovely way to stay in tune with British nature if you’re stuck indoors, I particularly recommend the different angles of the puffin cam and staring at fluffy sleeping owls.
This site, which (according to Google) translates to Experience the Spring, from The Netherlands has a fantastic array of bird live streams. This is the best place to watch great tits live on webcam. Watch great tits live at home! Live stream great tits (I’m hoping that Google search will redirect people here). There are also a variety of other fantastic birds to live stream with less puntastic names.
These islands are located off the coast of San Francisco and are host to a huge array of wildlife, including birds, elephant seals and whales. One of my favourite features about this webcam is that you can control where it points! You join a queue and select where you want to see (marine mammal steps, tower point, shell beach, etc.) and after 2 minutes the camera angle changes! This is how I spent a long and happy hour watching sea lions frolic about close to the shore.
6. Africam
A lot, if not all, of Africam’s live streams can also be found on Explore, but it deserves a separate mention as the go-to site for African wildlife live streams. There is also a multi-view option where you can play all the live streams at the same time (I felt like Marty Junior in Back to the Future Part 2) so you don’t miss any of the excitement, and photo and video highlights are also available.
7. NYU Hawk Cam
This cam is focused on the nest of two red-tailed hawks that have returned to the 12th floor ledge of New York University since 2011 to breed. It is great fun watching the hawks survey their kingdom, and my favourite feature is a very active live chat right next to the live stream that allows you to ask questions and interact with other fans of the hawks.
While watching this live stream of a forest in Romania, I saw an adult bear foraging for food in the snow, and 10 seconds later her cub run up and help. It’s the cutest thing, and in my opinion the most therapeutic livestream around. You may also get to see wolves, foxes and other wildlife. The cameras have sound and night vision so it’s perfect for all hours!
9. Streamdays
Streamdays is a live streaming hosting site with a great wildlife and nature category. You can watch a variety of wildlife and nature scenery streams from across the world, including my personal favourite, red squirrels at Balmoral Castle in Scotland (though if you go there at the wrong time you do just end up staring at an empty feeder. Worth the wait).
Let me know which wildlife livestreams you enjoy the most! Do you know of any others worthy of the list? Comment below so that others can find them too! Don’t forget to subscribe for further self-isolation distractions.