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2 weeks ago
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I archetypal reviewed the Bird Buddy past year, but I americium revisiting my reappraisal due to the fact that there's an upgraded camera that's present available, on with a hummingbird feeder and a stand.
Bird Buddy Pro Camera
The Bird Buddy Pro is Bird Buddy's newest modular setup, and it comes with an improved camera that supports 2K video, HDR, and slow-motion video playback. It has a wider tract of view, and amended sensor, and the HDR is new. If you already person the Bird Buddy similar I did, you tin bargain the camera connected a standalone basis, due to the fact that it is the aforesaid size arsenic the archetypal camera and the enclosure is the same.
The Bird Buddy enclosure is made from a heavy integrative material, and it has an optional star extortion add-on that keeps the camera charged up utilizing the sun. I've had the Bird Buddy up and moving for a twelvemonth now, and it's held up good contempt vulnerability to sun, rain, frost, and heat. The wide backmost sheet that pulls retired to cleanable the Bird Buddy has yellowed a bit, and my star sheet tin popular escaped a small spot astatine the top, but I different haven't tally into immoderate issues with the integrity of the vertebrate feeder. I'm capable to popular the star sheet extortion backmost down, and I haven't had problems with h2o intrusion oregon problems with charging.
When placed successful an country that gets a tiny magnitude of prima a day, the Bird Buddy stays charged up, but successful a shadier area, I've had to adhd supplemental charging. Right now, I've got the Bird Buddy successful a forested spot adjacent to my house, and it gets small to nary nonstop sunlight. Unsurprisingly, that hasn't been capable to support the artillery charged. Without the star extortion powering the Bird Buddy, it needs to beryllium charged astir each week, truthful I bash deliberation the star sheet is worthy the other $50.
The camera pops close into the Bird Buddy enclosure, which is wherefore it was casual for maine to swap retired the modular camera for the 2K model. The camera connects to the star sheet implicit USB-C, with the cablegram tucked distant from the elements. Seed goes into the hopper down the camera, and feeds into the tray wherever birds beryllium to eat.
With a amended sensor and HDR support, determination is simply a noticeable quality betwixt the newer camera that Bird Buddy offers and the archetypal model. Videos are a batch crisper, and I tin spot rather a spot much item successful each vertebrate that visits.
The Pro camera besides has the payment of having an enactment for a close-up presumption oregon a presumption with a wider angle, and that solves a occupation that I've sometimes had with the Bird Buddy. At times, birds volition travel to the borderline of the Bird Buddy to devour alternatively than the beforehand and truthful they tin enactment retired of view. That doesn't hap with the wider-angle lens, though I inactive thin to similar the shots that I get with the person view.
I don't privation to springiness the content that the camera is perfect, due to the fact that it inactive needs bully lighting to get crisp shots. In the acheronian and successful situations with unusual backlighting oregon sunlight shining close connected the camera, pictures don't travel retired the best. This isn't a DSLR by immoderate means, but each pictures and videos are an betterment implicit the modular Nature Cam acknowledgment to the hardware differences, adjacent though the Nature Cam besides has 2K video signaling arsenic an enactment and 5-megapixel photos. If you already person a Bird Buddy, bask it, and are considering the upgrade, I deliberation it's worthwhile for the amended prime pictures.
I bought the extended perch for my Bird Buddy, and I've been blessed with it. The birds usage it often, and it gives them much space. I besides bought the suet shot and h2o crockery add-on, but I've agelong since removed those. The suet shot was messy and it took up excessively overmuch space, arsenic did the h2o dish. I person a antithetic h2o root for the birds, and I service suet successful a dedicated suet instrumentality conscionable truthful I person little of a messiness to cleanable up.
The Bird Buddy is by nary means squirrel proof, and if you person section squirrels, they tin and volition get to it if it's successful reach. I've had luck putting it further than a squirrel tin jump. Hot effect besides seems to beryllium a bully deterrent due to the fact that birds don't caput the capsicum taste, but squirrels can't basal it.
I've had each kinds of birds travel to sojourn the Bird Buddy, and I sometimes get antithetic visitors depending connected what I enactment out. It tin accommodate bigger birds similar mourning doves, arsenic good arsenic tiny birds similar finches and sparrows.
As agelong arsenic squirrels aren't stealing nutrient from the Bird Buddy, I tin spell astir 5 days without needing to refill it. There are radical that merchantability larger hoppers that connect to it, oregon plentifulness of 3D files for that intent if you person a 3D printer. I bash privation Bird Buddy sold add-on options similar that. Seed is added done a small pulldown astatine the backmost of the hopper, and Bird Buddy does see a effect scooper that works well.
I cleanable the Bird Buddy each mates of weeks, and the app volition nonstop reminders to bash so. I region each remaining effect debris, instrumentality retired the camera, and springiness everything a bully rinse. I past sanitize with intoxicant and springiness it different rinse earlier letting it adust and filling it backmost up. It's casual to instrumentality isolated and clean, and it's a process that takes maine lone a fewer minutes. I cleanable each of my vertebrate feeders regularly conscionable to guarantee that I'm not perpetuating immoderate diseases to the section birds, similar vertebrate flu. I haven't seen an sick vertebrate astatine my feeder, but checking connected vertebrate wellness and knowing if a cleaning is needed is 1 payment of having a camera.
By default, the Bird Buddy comes with a hanger. I've utilized it connected a hanger for the past year, but determination is an enactment to acquisition a rod mount. I deliberation birds mightiness similar the stableness of a rod mount, but they've inactive been regularly utilizing it with the hanger adjacent though it wobbles.
With the Pro camera and immoderate Bird Buddy camera, you tin popular it retired from 1 enclosure and enactment it into another. So if you person a Bird Buddy and privation to determination the camera implicit to a Hummingbird Feeder, that's possible. The cameras are meant to enactment with Bird Buddy products, truthful if you conscionable instrumentality it retired of the enclosure oregon effort to transportation it to a homemade enclosure, it doesn't work. You can, however, adhd a magnet to get the camera to relation extracurricular of a modular Bird Buddy feeder.
Even aft a year, the Bird Buddy works arsenic it did erstwhile I archetypal received it. I've continued to usage it, and I'm inactive a instrumentality of it. The Bird Buddy feeders that I've talented to others are besides inactive successful use.
Hummingbird Feeder Pro
Bird Buddy makes a Hummingbird Feeder now, which I've been investigating for a fewer months. Hummingbird feeders are tricker, due to the fact that hummingbirds are seasonal birds. You're not going to commencement seeing them until close astir April oregon May, due to the fact that they migrate. They'll instrumentality astir until August oregon September, and past they caput disconnected again.
Before considering a hummingbird feeder of immoderate kind, you request to marque definite that you unrecorded successful an country wherever hummingbird visits, and there's a full website for that. As agelong arsenic hummingbirds are adjacent you, you tin apt pull them to your yard. They're bully astatine spotting thing red, which is wherefore hummingbird feeders are red. The Bird Buddy Hummingbird Feeder looks a batch similar accepted hummingbird feeders, and it has the aforesaid reddish flower-shaped nectar cups.
Like the modular Bird Buddy, the Hummingbird Feeder has a star extortion option. The star extortion is convenient, but due to the fact that hummingbirds are seasonal and due to the fact that the hummingbird nutrient needs to beryllium swapped retired often, it's not rather arsenic worthy the other outgo arsenic the star sheet for the Bird Buddy. It's inactive a bully enactment if you privation to beryllium capable to swap nutrient and enactment the feeder close backmost out, and it prevents you from needing to propulsion retired the camera to hook it up to a cable.
The Hummingbird Feeder unscrews from the bottommost truthful you tin determination sweetener h2o inside, and past it screws backmost on. The feeder holds 1.5 cups of liquid, which seems astir close for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are astir apt the cheapest birds to feed, which is simply a benefit. You conscionable request a large container of sugar, and past you tin marque your ain nectar. Bird Buddy recommends six tablespoons of h2o dissolved successful 1.5 cups of water. I conscionable marque it with blistery h2o from the descend and disturbance until the sweetener is well-dissolved, but you tin boil h2o and it whitethorn past a small longer. I don't boil due to the fact that it changes the attraction of the sweetener h2o mixture.
Sugar h2o doesn't past a peculiarly agelong time, truthful portion it's a cheaper feeder to operate, it requires much maintenance. Bird Buddy recommends cleaning and refilling the feeder astir each 3 days, due to the fact that hummingbirds won't portion sweetener h2o that's started to ferment. If your feeder is successful the shade, you mightiness beryllium capable to spell a small longer, and if it's successful blistery sun, it mightiness request to beryllium swapped retired much often.
I deliberation the plan of the Hummingbird Feeder works, though it does get ants due to the fact that determination isn't an ant moat. Hummingbirds person been utilizing it, but I'm not getting a immense assortment due to the fact that it's mostly ruby-throated hummingbirds successful my area, and they're territorial. Hummingbird feeders request to beryllium successful an country wherever the hummingbird has shelter, and it's not recommended to support them adjacent vertebrate feeders for larger birds. I had mixed luck with hummingbirds successful the aboriginal months of the year, but arsenic summertime turned to fall, visits picked up.
My 1 ailment astir the Hummingbird Feeder is the hook for it. It slots into 2 divots connected the broadside of the feeder, but it doesn't enactment successful place, and I ever person to hole it. I've besides noticed that the flowers are consecutive down and can't beryllium angled astatine all, which is antithetic from different hummingbird feeders I've had.
I bash privation that Bird Buddy sold the Hummingbird Feeder with different enclosure, due to the fact that it's not utile for astir radical respective months retired of the year. I packed excavation up successful precocious September.
Bird Buddy App
The Bird Buddy app is the cardinal portion of the Bird Buddy system. The cameras successful the vertebrate feeders drawback photos that are sent to you arsenic "postcards" successful the Bird Buddy app. Not each sojourn is recorded, with Bird Buddy choosing the champion images and visits to sphere artillery life.
Receiving postcards from visiting birds is free, arsenic is the recognition that the app offers. You tin usage the Bird Buddy without paying immoderate benignant of further fees for the app.
The app has changed a batch implicit the past mates of years, and sometimes, I deliberation the summation of caller AI features made detection worse. It's close astir what vertebrate has visited astir 80 percent of the time, but the different 20 percent, it tin beryllium mode disconnected oregon incapable to observe a vertebrate astatine all. I don't caput excessively overmuch due to the fact that I tin spot what the vertebrate is and I typically cognize the ones astir me, but it tin beryllium problematic for radical who are trying to usage the app to larn much astir birds. I bash sometimes find myself having to look up a peculiar vertebrate to fig retired what it really is, but determination are in-app features for reporting misidentified birds, truthful I anticipation the detection is going to amended implicit time.
There is simply a subscription that adds premium features, but it's not mandatory, does not see immoderate of the halfway features, and it is opt-in.
The subscription lets you stock unrecorded watercourse entree with much people, it unlocks 2K Ultra resolution, adds much unreality storage, and it lets you ticker much distant feeders from astir the world. There are besides options to sanction predominant visitors, get tips if you travel crossed a sick bird, chat with AI for vertebrate info, and place birds by dependable with your iPhone.
Nature Station
Bird Buddy has a Nature Station, which is fundamentally a rod strategy for the antithetic Bird Buddy vertebrate feeders and products. It's $349, truthful it's costly for a pole, but it is the astir premium rod that I've seen.
I've had the Nature Station extracurricular successful the afloat prima and rainfall for astir six months now, and it inactive looks new. The airy bluish pulverization coating hasn't chipped oregon degraded astatine all, and it's unchangeable successful the soil. There are 3 larch wood arms with prongs, and each limb tin clasp aggregate feeders. There are besides add-on arms for vertebrate houses and the Bird Buddy bath. At the bottom, there's an optional pollinator planter wherever you tin enactment flowers to pull further birds and butterflies. I don't person this, but it's fundamentally conscionable a cookware with drainage holes and a slot for the rod to spell into.
The baffle plan does work, and I haven't had a squirrel that's capable to ascent it. Squirrels are crafty creatures, truthful you bash request to marque definite that it's retired of scope of anyplace a squirrel tin leap from. Raccoons besides aren't capable to skirt the baffle. The crushed stakes are secure, and I've been blessed with its show adjacent successful an country that tin get reasonably wet.
The Nature Station is astir 90 inches tall, but if you privation it to beryllium shorter you tin permission retired a rod segment. I don't person thing antagonistic to accidental astir the Nature Station different than pointing retired that it's astir apt much than astir radical are going to privation to wage for a rod system. I person seen immoderate reviews astir the integrative arms snapping off, but my reappraisal portion did not person those arms truthful I americium incapable to remark connected them. I conscionable person the 3 branches, which person worked good for holding feeders.
I person a reasonably costly rod setup from Wild Birds Unlimited arsenic well, and Bird Buddy's mentation is sturdier and amended looking. My Wild Birds Unlimited rod has galore of the aforesaid components, but the basal isn't arsenic unchangeable and I person a harder clip keeping it upright.
Upcoming Products
Bird Buddy precocious announced the Bird Buddy 2. It has an upgraded dual star sheet that provides much power, it's faster astatine detection, it tin place birds with sound, and it holds much seed, truthful it's decidedly worthy considering if you're reasoning astir getting a Bird Buddy. I haven't had a accidental to effort the Bird Buddy 2 yet, but I'll stock a reappraisal successful the aboriginal if I'm capable to trial it.
Bird Buddy besides has a Bird Bath enactment that doesn't look to beryllium wide disposable yet, and I'm not definite however to get one.
Finally, there's a Kickstarter project for a "Wonder" camera that tin beryllium enactment anyplace and tin place bugs, birds, and different critters. It's coming successful June 2026. I backed this one, truthful I should beryllium capable to stock a reappraisal erstwhile it comes out.
Bottom Line
Two years in, I inactive similar getting notifications from the Bird Buddy and seeing what birds are coming to the feeder, adjacent if they're the aforesaid birds I'm seeing each the time. What visits does alteration with the seasons, and sometimes I get peculiar visitors that are retired of the ordinary.
I person not had issues with the Bird Buddy feeders, and they are inactive functioning with nary issue. The app tin beryllium a small deed oregon miss, but it's inactive amusive to person vertebrate postcards and browse done my visitors each day. I've bought the Bird Buddy arsenic gifts, and it's inactive my favourite happening to springiness radical that are hard to store for. If you don't caput getting into the wont of refilling and maintaining vertebrate feeders, the Bird Buddy is simply a amusive and household affable mode to bring immoderate quality indoors.
How to Buy
The Bird Buddy Pro and Hummingbird Feeder Pro tin beryllium purchased from the Bird Buddy website. The Smart Bird Feeder is $209, portion the Hummingbird Feeder is the aforesaid price. Solar charging is an further $50 fee. The Nature Station is $350 and is besides available from the Bird Buddy website.
This article, "Review: Bird Buddy's Hummingbird Feeder and Accessories Put Nature astatine Your Fingertips" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com
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