Audubon Starr Ranch

Audubon Starr Ranch NestCam Video Aids Bird Sanctuary Conservation

Approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, the National Audubon Society's Starr Ranch Sanctuary rolls across 4,000 acres. SoCal's sprawling development is not far from the Sanctuary borders, reminding everyone of the critical need to balance development with open spaces. Starr Ranch is part of that balance, preserving nature for its own sake, and providing fertile ground for research and education and a model for conservation.

Starr Ranch Manager Pete DeSimone enhanced the Sanctuary’s website with streaming video of nesting birds, including barn owls, hummingbirds, hawks and black phoebes. Starr Ranch maximizes the viewer experience of the birds’ Nest Cams by using fixed infrared cameras plus moveable PTZ cameras to remotely control the pan, tilt and zoom of the image. So equipped, the Sanctuary can cover anything from owls bringing home a midnight snack to chicks taking their first floppy flight.

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