Technology is having a real impact on the bird feeding hobby, and lately it’s been a positive one. I’ve been experimenting with a few of the feeder cams you’ve probably seen all over the internet, and for the most part, it’s lived up to the hype—with a few exceptions.

Easy Setup, Fun Notifications

The tech itself—the camera, the connection, the app, the notifications—was easy to set up. I’ll admit the notifications have become an interesting interruption to my day: “Six different species visited your feeder today.” “A Northern Cardinal just stopped by.” That kind of thing. The close-up video of some of my favorite birds has been better than I expected, though at that close range things get a little distorted—for example, beaks can look bigger than they really are.

A New Way to Enjoy Birds

My wife has enjoyed it more than either of us expected. She’s not the avid feeder I am, but this has genuinely piqued her interest. I can see why this technology is pulling in folks who are new to the hobby, especially younger folks who are already used to notifications and apps running their daily lives.

The Feeder Has Some Limits

From a pure bird-feeding standpoint, though, the feeder itself leaves something to be desired. The perching area isn’t great for most species, it holds maybe three-quarters of a pound to a pound of seed, and the fill opening is small enough to make refilling a bit of a chore. Another downside: the housing is plastic, and squirrels will absolutely destroy it if you don’t protect it. I mounted mine on a 1-inch pole with a squirrel baffle, since I knew the squirrels would make short work of it given the chance— that’s worked well. But if you skip that step, don’t be surprised if you’re buying a new feeder in a month.

There are a lot of these on the market now. I’ve tried two or three of the most popular brands, and overall it’s been a solid experience. I like being able to see who’s visiting and how often, and the option to share clips or a running “diary” with family and friends. I got mine as a gift from my kids about a year ago and only just got around to setting it up—glad I finally did.

Impressive Bird Identification

The species identification is the most impressive part. It’s AI-based, and it correctly IDs visitors about 19 times out of 20—not bad at all.

Fun Technology, Traditional Feeding

Overall, I’d give the experience about a 7 out of 10. The technology, the app, the setup —all easy and well done. The feeder itself falls short as an actual bird feeder: limited perch space, low roof clearance, and a small capacity that means more frequent refills than you’d like.

Funny enough, the notifications have made me pay more attention to what’s actually in the feeder, too. More cardinal visits on the days I’ve got Joe’s Mix out there—no surprise, given how much they go for the sunflower in it. Technology’s fun, but it still comes down to what’s in the feeder. Some things haven’t changed in the past 35 years.

Originally published as a Chirps Column in the September/October Bird’s-Eye View Newsletter. Article by All Seasons Wild Bird Store Co-Owner David Netten