The new cam isn’t available yet, but the CONE folks posted an update to the CONE Welder site yesterday that included a preliminary panorama image from the new camera. Here it is:
Here’s the note that accompanies the new image:
Update(4/17/2008): Great News! We have deployed the camera in Welder, Texas! The above panorama was generated from the new viewpoint. We will be launching the new Flash-based interface by April 28. We are very sorry for this delay; the wireless connection was slower than expected. We are currently working hard on improving the camera’s wireless connectivity to deliver a better video signal. In the meantime, we would like to prepare you for your upcoming birding adventure with these pictures from the Welder area. See you in Welder soon!
There are also some new images (not from the birdcam) from the Welder Wildlife Refuge; definitely worth checking out.
I haven’t been able to figure out from the panorama where the camera is actually located, though there are some spots in the Google Maps aerial view of the main refuge complex that seem like good possibilities. Poke around and see if you can match up the brush to a particular location:
I’m guessing that, like CONE Sutro Forest, the new setup is facing more or less north. (Update: Um, no. What was I thinking? CONE-SF faced mostly south, not north. Sorry about that.) We can see a dirt road with a parked car on the far right side of the panorama, a pair of vertical posts on either side, and that very interesting shadow extending away from the camera on the lefthand side. I’m guessing that shows an antenna or pole of some sort extending upwards from the area of the camera itself. And then there’s that complicated-looking circular object near the center of the field of view. What is that thing? A feeder station? I really want to zoom in on it to get a better idea.
All in all, very exciting stuff.
I can’t wait.
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