Hummingbird Cam: Live Video of Tiny Birds in Their Irvine Nest

Move over Channel Island eagles, there's another elusive bird out there catching people's attention on webcam.

It's the Allen's Hummingbird, and thanks to a webcam set up by an Irvine family, millions of people over the years have visited the website to get a glimpse at the beautiful bird in its natural state.

Scroll down to view live video of the birds.

The family noticed one year that a hummingbird, nicknamed Phoebe, had built a nest in a rose bush in their yard, but when the bird continued to return year after year, the family set up the camera to get a closer look at the bird, the opposite of a "bird's-eye view" if you will.

"Not really a birder, but I enjoy them like anyone else," said Joe Dellwo, owner of the webcam. "I've always loved hummingbirds in particular. I would notice her nesting and try to peek in there with mirrors."

That's when Dellwo set up the camera to get a closer look.

"What amazed us is we thought it would be a one-time event," Dellwo wrote on the website. "After several years, we thought it would be fun to get a closer look and set up our first webcam."

He began streaming the webcam, using his computer as a server, but moved the streaming to UStream.com as the webcam became more popular.

The camera offers an incredible view of the nesting season, which runs from October through early June, when Phoebe will lay four to five clutches.

Phoebe periodically visits the chicks, which can currently be seen in a nest about the size of a golf ball, and viewers can watch the mother feed them.

One secret is that Phoebe isn't always the same "Phoebe."

"I have seen her have battles with other females," Dellwo said.

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