There was a webcam set up last spring above the nest of a Great Blue Heron high in a tree (or perhaps a light fixture) in New York state. I visited the website a few times. There was a counter on the page showing how many viewers were at that moment visiting the live ongoing activity of the bird incubating her eggs. There was a constant stream of chat in one corner, most of it superficial and only barely relevant. The bird appeared tense, on alert, even though there were no apparent threats near her perch, and I wondered if she was aware of, if she could sense, the over five hundred people watching her every move on their computers, pads, or smart phone screens.