The smart home camera that opened my eyes to unexpected visitors

I never paid much attention to the birds that flitted through my yard, only noticing them when my dog decided that whatever bird caught his eye was an immediate threat worthy of a barking spree. That changed when I added the original Bird Buddy smart feeder to my front yard. 

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I quickly found myself checking every notification of a feathered visitor, noting when the same birds appeared again and again. My kids latched on, too, naming some of the regular visitors and paying attention to which seeds they preferred. 

When I got the chance to test Bird Buddy’s latest product — a smart hummingbird feeder<!–> released last fall – I immediately jumped at the chance to get new insight to my avian visitors.

How it works

Like the original Bird Buddy, the Bird Buddy hummingbird feeder is a simple plastic feeder with a camera attached. It connects to your home Wi-Fi, and when a bird visits, the camera records photos and videos with audio that are saved as postcards in the Bird Buddy app. 

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AI identifies the species (which helps track migration patterns), and you can tap to learn more about the bird’s habits, habitat, and favorite foods. I’m far from an expert, and I’m not sure I could recognize even one type on my own, but from the times I’ve searched to verify what the AI guessed, it seems pretty spot on.  

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At just under nine inches tall and lightweight, the feeder looks like any other hummingbird feeder. The camera captures 5MP and 2K video, which is enough to get quality shots of your visitors. 

If you want to share your bird visitors with a friend or relative, they can download the Bird Buddy app and connect their account to yours for free, even if they don’t have a feeder of their own. After the initial purchase, there’s no monthly subscription fee to access your pictures, but you can opt for a premium upgrade that gives you a slight boost in video quality and more pictures.

Unexpected visitors

Setting up the bird feeder was fairly simple. All I had to do was charge the camera via USB-C, snap the camera into place, and twist the base onto the unit (you twist it off again to clean and refill the nectar). You can purchase hummingbird nectar, but mixing your own with sugar and water (Bird Buddy says you should only use refined white sugar) is just fine, too. 

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While the original Bird Buddy can be pole-mounted, wall-mounted, or hung, the hummingbird version can only be hung using the included metal hook. Bird Buddy recommends placing the feeder at least 15 to 20 feet away from windows and 10 to 15 feet from cover (like shrubs or trees) to ensure the hummingbirds feel safe.

Once I installed the feeder, I headed back inside and opened the livestream to ensure everything was working. In the time it took me to walk from my yard to my house — less than 30 seconds — a hummingbird had already started dining on my newly installed feeder. 

I should note that this isn’t a common experience; Bird Buddy says it can take days or even weeks for birds to find your feeder and feel comfortable enough to visit. I only point that out to say that even if you don’t think you have many hummingbirds around, you might have more than you realize.

How it holds up every day

I can see my feeder from my living room, where I spend most of my day, and my camera catches almost every visitor. It does take a few minutes for a postcard to arrive sometimes, but I’ll often get an update while the bird is still there.

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The solar panel gets enough juice to recharge my camera every day, and I only have to charge it manually if we have an extended stretch of cloudy days. Bird Buddy recommends cleaning the feeder every three days, which is more often than the traditional Bird Buddy, but it’s a process that only takes a few minutes.

Bird Buddy’s app is easy to use, and the feeder itself is solidly built. I never thought of myself as much of a bird-watcher, but I enjoy keeping tabs on the birds visiting my yard. If you are a bird-watcher, I’d imagine you’ll like this even more. There’s an official Bird Buddy Facebook community where other users share photos, tips, and advice.  

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Bird Buddy smart hummingbird feeder<!–> is currently priced at $219, but you can get it a little cheaper if you opt for the version without a solar roof (that just means you’ll have to bring it inside to charge regularly).

I’m a sucker for smart devices (see my $400 luxury smart ice maker as proof), and I have plenty of devices that don’t exactly need to be smart (why does my toothbrush need an internet connection again?). Still, a bird feeder is one area where smart technology makes sense. 

The Bird Buddy hummingbird feeder is significantly more expensive than an ordinary one, but it does a fantastic job of taking close pictures and videos of usually skittish birds. Combined with the AI identification, this would be a fantastic gift for a bird lover or a nice splurge if you enjoy nature.