Latvian nest-cam season underway

A selection of webcams viewing bird nests in Latvia, including those of Black Stork and White-tailed Eagle, have commenced streaming for the spring.

The Latvian Fund for Nature (LDF) has finished its work restoring and setting up live-stream equipment near certain nests after the winter. Some 13 nests will have a nest-cam feed this year, including Osprey and White Stork.

The Osprey pair has been known about for 20 years. The birds returned over Easter to begin renovating their nest.

The Black Stork on the nest at Ogre (LDF).

Stork cam

Black Stork has become rare in Latvia with decreasing breeding success and, at the time of writing, there is only a single bird on the nest at Ogre. Latvian ornithologist Jānis Ķuze said: "In the long run, the population cannot bounce back. There is reason to believe that the problem is the lack of food in the second half of summer when the nest has the young birds and needs the most food.

"One possible explanation is related to the melioration of forests. Ditches stand dry at a time when birds need food. The chances of finding food are near zero."

The Latvian livestreams attract up to 5 million views each year. All live broadcasts from from bird nests can be found on the LDF website.