Allen Birdcam Feeder Station

A backyard feeding station

The camera overlooks a carefully arranged array of feeders — a lantern seed feeder, a tube feeder brimming with mixed seed, a nectar glass and a fruit-laden branch — set above a shallow water bath. The constant supply of food and fresh water turns this corner of the garden into a magnet for wildlife.

A diversity of visitors

More than fifty species have been recorded here, from Cape weavers and laughing doves to crested barbets, African grey hornbills and sunbirds. The same feeders also draw lesser bushbabies, genets and fruit bats — secretive mammal visitors that give an unusually broad cross-section of garden fauna.

The Highveld garden setting

Framed by dense foliage in a leafy Pretoria suburb, the feeder sits within the city's characteristic Highveld vegetation. The garden's mature trees and shrubs provide cover and perches that keep the feeding station continuously animated.

A living window on nature

This long-running community stream offers a relaxing, ever-changing view of South African birdlife, prized by birders and casual viewers alike as a peaceful glimpse into the everyday rhythms of an African garden.