Bird's eye view: Stars go on show round the clock

Charles Eldermire, of Cornell University, makes adjustments to the DoC Royal Cam at Taiaroa Head.

The international fame of Dunedin's albatrosses is set to soar, and the stars will be on display round the clock.

The Department of Conservation's Royal Cam at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head has gained more than 3.5 million views of egg hatching and bird rearing since the livestream started in 2016.

Charles Eldermire, of Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, in New York, is in Dunedin upgrading the camera with night vision capabilities and the ability to pivot and zoom remotely.

The feed will also be added to the university's global network of bird cameras and expose the albatrosses to its 20 million annual viewers.

This could bring even more international attention to the plight of the birds, he said. "Hopefully this makes the audience much broader."

It was difficult to get people interested in birds by just talking about them, he said. "But the moment people see the beauty of a bird doing what a bird does, they feel it in their heart."

Department wildlife ranger Sharyn Broni said the night vision gave international streamers the ability to tune in any time, which helped when they were in different timezones.

As well as showing rangers how the birds acted at night, it would allow them to see what predators roamed the grounds. There were thought to be feral cats, stoats and potentially possums in the area.

The extra exposure would help to raise attention for the birds. "It takes that message of looking after the albatross and the ocean out to the world."

The area was where much of Dunedin's litter accumulated, and this was dangerous for the birds, she said.

While a record number of albatross chicks fledged in October, it was a "dangerous world out there".