By The Associated Press’s Holly Ramer
(AP) CONCORD, N.H. When Marin Plank gave her husband a camera-equipped bird feeder for his birthday, she was genuinely uninterested in birds. However, by Christmas, her obsession with birds had grown to the point where the majority of the presents she got this year—books, stickers, and notecards—were connected.
She said, “This is who I am now.”
Plank has been stopped by acquaintances on the street to talk about the pictures of birds she posts on Facebook. She has a VIP membership to a shop that ships big sacks of birdseed to her home in Delaware, and she has learned the finest blend after much research.
It all began when she received her first postcard via the Bird Buddy app, which offers downloadable and shareable images and videos.
It’s like your own little private performance,” she explained, adding that all you have to do is click, and the bird will be in your face, staring at you and mugging for you. I became a bird admirer because of something about their adorable little cheeks and eyes.
Ironically, despite the sharp reduction in North American bird populations, more people are observing them. While the coronavirus outbreak encouraged many individuals to go outside and look for birds, smart feeders that record and capture images of backyard visitors have brought the pastime within for others.
Mark Pilch took this undated picture of a cardinal in his garden in Cumming, Georgia, on his Bird buddy bird feeder. (Pilch, Mark via AP)AP
In his backyard in Cumming, Georgia, Mark Pilch captured this image of an Eastern Bluebird on his Bird friend feeder full of blueberries. (Pilch, Mark via AP)AP
According to Franci Zidar, founder and CEO of Bird Buddy, which has delivered 350,000 smart bird feeders since 2022, it truly gives value with very little involvement. It can be an extremely taxing pastime if you’re a serious bird watcher. However, most American backyards are home to 20 to 30 different species of birds that people are either unaware of or don’t value.
Similar camera-mounted bird feeders are produced by a number of other businesses, such as Birdfy. By enabling users to care for animals, ordinary bird feeders appeal to people’s altruistic tendencies, but smart feeders go one step further, Zidar explained.
In the end, I believe it unites two quite lovely things. The first is to connect with nature, nurture it, and give back; the second is to simply observe and value it, he stated.
Because Bird Buddy has been so successful, the business is now adding Wonder Blocks, which can be put together to create habitats for butterflies and other insects, and Petal, a tiny flower-shaped camera, to its lineup. With a Kickstarter campaign this spring, details were revealed Monday at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas.
People won’t do strange things, so let’s avoid asking them to. Zidar suggested, “Let’s just point a camera into this lovely natural space to give them value.” We’ll tell you about the drama, events, and daily life that take place in that area of your house.
Mark Pilch took this image of a pinewarbler on his Bird friend bird feeder in his backyard on January 3, 2025, in Cumming, Georgia. (Pilch, Mark via AP)AP
In her backyard in Milton, Delaware, on May 30, 2024, Marin Plank captured this image of a newborn grackle and its dad on her Bird buddy bird feeder. (AP via Marin Plank)AP
When Judy Ashley of Ipswich, Massachusetts, received a Bird Buddy last year, she already had eleven bird feeders in her yard. In an attempt to draw more birds to the camera so she may snap pictures of the birds that have been hanging out in her yard lately, particularly a yellow-throated warbler, which is not often seen in New England, she has taken down some of the older feeders. On Monday, she finally made it.
“It’s incredible how you can see the details of backyard birds up close that you wouldn’t see if you just stood there with binoculars for hours,” she added. You simply come to appreciate the wonders of nature.
In Austin, Texas, Rachel Matthews has three feeders with cameras, one of which is dedicated to hummingbirds. She claimed that even though she grew up with bird feeders, the smart feeders had piqued her curiosity.
“With the camera, I can see details that I couldn’t see with my binoculars,” she remarked. The female cardinals are very amazing, with their tiny feathers and red eyebrows.
To raise awareness about bird conservation, the National Audubon Society announced in November that it will be partnering with Bird Buddy. According to Audubon Society spokesperson Nicolas Gonzalez, the agreement may offer a method for scientists to access data via the company’s community science platform.
According to him, we’re excited to see how intelligent feeders and the bird-feeding sector as a whole can continue to promote this love of birds and the natural world.
Plank has developed a bond with certain visitors to her feeder in Delaware, including a fierce female Red-winged Blackbird, a tufted titmouse that she claims seems to recognize his good looks, and blue jays that behave like inebriated uncles.
According to her, I give them characters in my head, and it’s about seeing them in front of me while they act out their little goofy things. I’ve been captivated by that.
The regular notifications and alerts she receives on her phone have also changed.
“It’s like a tiny spark of joy,” she remarked. Something about being interrupted serves as a reminder of this small but incredibly beautiful area of the earth.
The Great Outdoors
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