I’ve been trying out a new birdfeeder with a built in camera and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. The concept is simple. Stick a motion-activated camera on the front and capture videos anytime a bird visits. Think of it as a doorbell camera for birds.
If you check out this category on Amazon, the choices are overwhelming. There are hundreds of products that look and work much the same, ranging in price from about $80 to $180. Many even use the same camera and software. So how do you pick?
I read the Amazon reviews for many of them, watched YouTube video reviews, and compared the specs. I looked for one with the highest resolutuon camera, a large battery and wide field of view. The birdfeeder itself needed to hold a lot of birdseed and it needed to have a large opening to add the food easily. I wanted one with a solar panel that’ can be’s placed nearby in the sun to keep the battery charged. The feedrs come in many shapes and sizes. I wanted one that looked like a birdhouse and that blended in with nature.
After a ton of research, I selected this one from one of the hundreds of anonymous Chinese-named companies called Deerneuf, costing about $100. (I noticed that the price varied over one week from $90 to $120). It had all of the features I wanted – similar to models costing $150 or more. Frankly, it’s hard to go wrong as many use the same components and software.
Assembly, setup, and installation were easier than I expected. It came with a clearly written instruction book, unusual for a typical Chinese-made product. I charged the camera battery, paired it to my phone over WiFi, and mounted it atop a one-inch diameter metal pole. The product comes with a variety of mounting options for a fence post, tree, on the side of a vertical surface or using a strap to wrap it around a tree or post if you prefer not using a screw-in bracket.
The key to the product is the free app, VicoHome. It’s a general purpose home security camera app adapted for use on bird feeders.( It’s highly rated at 4.9 stars and #148 on the Apple app store.) The app is free for stills. If you want videos there’s a yearly charge of $48. It comes with a free one month trial.
Everytime there’s a visitor, the camera starts rolling and saves a 10-second video with sound to the supplied memory card. The software also identifies the type of bird and labels each image. You can set your phone to alert you whenever there’s a visitor or just check to see what’s been recorded.
The videos are actually quite entertaining. Here’s a screenshot from my phone:
Other things to consider is to be sure your WiFi reaches to the location where you want to place the birdhouse. You’ll need some sun to keep the battery charged. And don’t forget that you will need to be in a location where there are birds!