Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do I see the word "Error" on a black background where the image should be?
A: The word "Error" posts when the camera is turned off. It is turned off at night and during periods of extremely poor visibility (e.g. smoke in the canyon due to forest fires) to save on bandwidth charges.
Q: Why do I see spinning dots and/or an atom animation on a black background instead of the eagles?
A: These mean the camera is up and the image is loading to your computer. Try waiting a few minutes. If that doesn't work, then there may be bandwidth limitations on your end. (If this is the case, you could test this by trying again at non-peak traffic hours, or contact your internet service provider to ask about increasing your bandwidth/speed.)
Q: Why is the image wavering?
A: As the sun heats up the canyon, air currents rise and cause visual disturbances. (Recall from the "About" page that the camera and telescope are located over 1200 feet from the nest!) These effects are unavoidable during the day, but are greatly reduced or even absent by late afternoon. Consequently, it is our practice to turn up the image quality later in the day. (It is left at slightly lower resolution at morning and mid-day to save on bandwidth charges; the thermal effects are such that higher resolution does not confer much if any benefit at those times.)
Q: Why do I see the word "Error" on a black background where the image should be?
A: The word "Error" posts when the camera is turned off. It is turned off at night and during periods of extremely poor visibility (e.g. smoke in the canyon due to forest fires) to save on bandwidth charges.
Q: Why do I see spinning dots and/or an atom animation on a black background instead of the eagles?
A: These mean the camera is up and the image is loading to your computer. Try waiting a few minutes. If that doesn't work, then there may be bandwidth limitations on your end. (If this is the case, you could test this by trying again at non-peak traffic hours, or contact your internet service provider to ask about increasing your bandwidth/speed.)
Q: Why is the image wavering?
A: As the sun heats up the canyon, air currents rise and cause visual disturbances. (Recall from the "About" page that the camera and telescope are located over 1200 feet from the nest!) These effects are unavoidable during the day, but are greatly reduced or even absent by late afternoon. Consequently, it is our practice to turn up the image quality later in the day. (It is left at slightly lower resolution at morning and mid-day to save on bandwidth charges; the thermal effects are such that higher resolution does not confer much if any benefit at those times.)