Bayfront Live Cam (Including Osprey Nest Watch) Launched in Seaside Park

Seaside Park webcam. (Screenshot)

Seaside Park has expanded its live webcam network with a new bayfront camera system that officials hope will catch some interesting sights on Barnegat Bay. The new camera, with panning views, is part of a new system the borough approved earlier this year, and just began running.

“Our bayside camera is now up and operational,” said Borough Administrator Karen Kroon. “We’re still working on the views – it is panning now, so you’ll see a view of the osprey nest and a view of the bridge.”

The camera provides a high definition live video feed all day and switches to an infrared mode at night, mainly overlooking the J Street Marina, but panning directionally to provide views of the Route 37 bridges and the aforementioned osprey nest, which officials hope will attract mating pairs again come spring.

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Nighttime shots of the osprey nest and J Street Marina from the Seaside Park, NJ webcam. (Screenshot)

Seaside Park webcam. (Screenshot)

Nighttime shots of the osprey nest and J Street Marina from the Seaside Park, NJ webcam. (Screenshot)

Screenshot

“It’s not quite panning to Bayview Avenue because we need to be careful we’re not looking into people’s homes, because that camera can see things from really far away,” said Kroon.

The new camera feed is provided by Coastal Camera Network, which replaced the feed that had previously run on the EarthCam network. The new live stream is significantly higher in quality and provides better vision at night, plus a more clear picture of the beach when zoomed in. It does not capture audio. The feed is already live on the borough’s website.

“With EarthCam, we had to buy the equipment, plus we had to pay EarthCam $250 per month for hosting,” Kroon said last year, when the borough approved the switch. “With this service, they own the equipment, they take liability for it, and they take $50 per month.”

The borough’s agreement with Coastal Camera Network allows the company to either begin a membership program or sell advertising on its website, however Seaside Park’s website will always host the live stream for free. The stream is available for between 90 seconds and two minutes before a user must refresh the page in order to avoid the stream being utilized on a constant basis – for example, a live feed on permanently in a store or at a public display – that would consume large amounts of bandwidth.