Webcam chronicles sanctuary wildlife is available on Internet

After the sanctuary’s closure a couple of years ago, a deal was struck. Now, it remains owned by the National Audubon Society, but managed by the local Gorgas Science Foundation. It reopened in January 2011. A couple of weeks ago, about 800 feet of fiber-optic cable was buried on the grounds for a clear picture of a high-traffic bird feeder, with audio to be streamed live on the Internet. Those who work on the grounds say it’s proven to be a big draw so far.

"It’s amazing," volunteer David Benn said of the webcam. "It introduces people all over the world. ... It brings people to the Valley." Benn also serves on the board of the Rio Grande Valley Texas Master Naturalists, the group that sponsored setting up the camera.

Ecotourism is an important part of the South Texas economy, he said, so something like the camera is a necessary tool. He said he recently spoke to visitors who said their daughter watched from Canada, so they brought her down to see the sanctuary in person. Benn said a teacher in San Antonio told him she planned to use the live stream in her classroom.

Pablo Quintanilla, Sabal Palm Sanctuary head of grounds, carried out the project.

Quintanilla said the camera, a simple webcam covered by a handmade wooden protective housing, was installed in November. But, its satellite hookup proved problematic as it created a significant lag time for Internet viewers and a grainy picture.

"At points you wouldn’t get anything. It would go black," he said, explaining that people would soon turn it off out of frustration. "We wanted to get rid of that."

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College computer science student chose to make solving this problem his school project this year. He said the overhaul for a new upgraded technical setup appears to have boosted Web traffic for the sanctuary’s streaming channel.

The website that hosts the live stream also offers a chat function where viewers can point out what they saw and discuss it with others. Benn said a light has been added to the feeder area and the camera stays on constantly.

The raccoons come out as soon as humans leave the grounds, he said. A host of wild creatures like bobcats and native rodents can be seen.

In a few short minutes on Saturday, at least five different bird species landed on the feeder: the green jay, a golden-fronted woodpecker, a white-tipped dove, a cardinal and others.

Benn said occasionally a hawk will swoop in on its prey and the camera will give an unedited view of nature in action.

"It’s tooth and claw," he said. "Life is not easy in the woods."

Quintanilla said there are plans to put another camera somewhere on the grounds, though the first one proved a task, as it required digging through the wilderness and laying cables.

"That was not fun," he said. "It was an ordeal."

Now, the UTB-TSC student seems proud of his work and smiles when he says people have told him they use the video stream’s natural sounds to lull them to sleep.

He said this summer there are also plans to begin restoration of the Rabb Plantation house on the grounds to turn it into a new visitor center. The building dates back to 1891 and is known to some as Casa de Colores, he said.

The house shares the land with the thick growth of Sabal Palm forest the sanctuary is named after. It’s one of the last vestiges of original Sabal Palm forest in the country, Quintanilla said.

The mission is to not only showcase the palm forest, but its inhabitants and history too, he said: "The whole idea is to support conservation through education."

The creatures of Sabal Palm Sanctuary are unaware of their recent stardom, but if Web traffic is any indication, it seems they have plenty of material to occupy their time on the small screen.

"It’s like watching a movie," Quintanilla said.