Chuck the groundhog is camera shy or maybe just playing a joke on videographer Kevin Van Lierop.
Geography research associate Kevin Van Lierop set up a webcam to catch a visit from a groundhog, nicknamed Chuck, who lives outside his office window in the courtyard at the Social Science Centre. Live footage is being streamed and viewed by hundreds of people.
He’s refusing to exit his hole to see his reflection on screen.
Van Lierop is a research associate in the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory in the Department of Geography and occupies a small corner office on the first floor of the Social Science Centre.
With a tiny workspace, Van Lierop sometimes wonders about the world outside his window, particularly the routine of a furry rodent nicknamed ‘Chuck.’ So to entertain himself and others with small or windowless offices, Van Lierop set up a webcam to watch the groundhog activity.
“We have a webcam and we use it for videoconferencing,” he says, adding the majority of the time the camera went unused during the day.
“It was something I was just joking around with to show my friend,” he says. “It mostly catches windy trees.”
So far, more than 200 viewers have tuned in even though groundhog activity has been limited. Still, a friend told him it is a diversion for those without a window.
Van Lierop generally turns the camera on when he gets into work weekdays at 8 a.m. and stops at 4 p.m.. To date, shy Chuck has made only two appearances. But there’s hope for a surprise guest – a raccoon also lives outside his office.
When not operating the Chuck channel, Van Lierop’s job involves mapping and geographical analysis related to children’s health and historical geographical information system work for London, Victoria and Montreal.
“A one day joke turned into this,” he says with a laugh. “Nothing exciting happens, but you never know.”
To check out the Groundhog Watch 2009 live streaming video visit https://www.ustream.tv/channel/Groundhog-Watch-2009.