Ever since Panda Cam hit the watching-baby-zoo-animals-from-the-comfort-of-your-office-chair scene, other animal cams have appeared to give viewers a look into the lives of wildlife.

A great blue heron checking out one of the BirdCams. Photo: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

That’s including cameras following some Great Lakes birds. You can see Ms. Harvey, the great horned owl at The Feather Rehabilitation Center in New London, Wisc.; Big Red and Ezra, a pair of red-tailed hawks at the Ornithology Lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and a great blue heron at the Ornithology Lab.

“It allows people to build a connection with birds from their computer screens,” said Charles Eldermire, BirdCams project leader at the lab.

The Ornithology Lab at Cornell University has been monitoring birds with minute-by-minute photos for over 10 years, but launched their high-definition BirdCams in March.

“Our goal is to offer interesting, engaging content year-round with the best audio and video we can afford,” Eldermire said.

The great blue heron BirdCam even captured video of an owl attack, which gave experts at the lab a chance to explain the relationships between owls and great blue herons.

“It’s unscripted and that’s part of what keeps it so captivating,” Eldermire said.

You can follow the lab on Twitter at @nestcams.