You’ve been asking us about them for most of the decade, and after careful research, we’ve listened. We are now finally able to carry a bird feeder with a camera in it!
The Beakview Bird Feeder Camera retails at $205 and for this, you get the bird feeder itself which is constructed of a durable plastic material (we tested the impact durability using our foreheads when we had it set up on our loading dock; we can assure you they hold up well) that will hold 1.8 pounds of birdseed.
Beakview Bird Feeder Camera
Also included is of course the camera. We have all been quite impressed with the image and video quality. The simple, wide-angle 2.0 megapixel camera might not sound impressive, but it is more than adequate to get you a crisp, detailed look at the bird while it feeds. The camera also has night vision, so if you have any nighttime visitors such as raccoons or the less common flying squirrel, you will get a good look at them. Video is recorded in full color and high definition and is smooth without noticeable lagging or buffering. In case you are wondering, the camera is waterproof so it will be just fine staying out in the rain. As for the battery, Beakview claims that it will last “30-90 days depending on activity,” although with the number of House Finches I had constantly triggering the camera, I was getting more like ten days to two weeks in between charges. Still, not too bad!
We’ve carried these feeders now for a few months, and I have been testing mine off and on during that stretch with no real issues to report. Once I learned how to disable notifications in the app, I found having the whole package to be enjoyable. I’ve even seen a few oddities that I would have missed while being away at work, such as an unusual looking White-breasted Nuthatch. These cameras also offer a subscription based AI powered identification software, but I would not recommend paying for that as there is no real point. In this area, you are going to be getting the same species of birds to your feeder for the majority of the year, and since you now have high definition video of the bird up close, a field guide should be more than enough to figure out what you’re looking at. I should mention that this software is NOT required to use the feeder or its camera.
Tufted Titmouse
Enough clarity for feather detail, even with only 2 megapixels!
So, who is this a gift for? Younger birders who are old enough to have a smartphone would likely enjoy the close up look at their favorite feeder birds. These would also make a great gift for somebody who likes watching their feeder, but perhaps work keeps them away from the windows for long periods. These cameras are also easy enough to use that all three of us were able to figure them out, which means anybody can use them! That being said, if you have any questions about using the app, or setting up the bird feeder itself, we are here to help and will do our best to walk you through it!