I had never been a fan of birds until I spent a morning in a friend's garden watching hundreds of birds congregate at her bird feeders. I immediately bought four feeders and built the buffet of any bird’s dream, which only continued to grow over time. For a few years, I just watched them come and go, or listened to them sing, but I never knew what I was watching. This year I've really upped my game with the help of smart technology, which makes birding even more fun.
Birdsong AI will identify birds in your area
Many apps will Shazam tweets of your local birds. The best-rated app by most birders is BirdNET from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology . It's available on Android and Apple, and best of all, it's free. Many other applications appear to rely on BirdNET as a data backbone. Cornell Lab has its own app called Merlin , which is also free and has a slightly slicker interface. Merlin relies solely on Cornell's data sources, while BirdNET brings in additional data sources so it has a larger library to work with. Both use artificial intelligence to pair the sounds of birdsong you point your phone at with library resources to identify the source. While there are other apps, such as ChirpOMatic ($3.99), they aren't free and aren't well reviewed.
Still, these apps require you to have your phone, open the app, and point your phone in the direction of the song, all before the bird stops singing. I recently installed a Haikubox ($249, includes first year membership) in my yard and it has been passively listening. The Haikubox looks like a small power brick that is always plugged in. It's weatherproof, so you can just place it in your yard. The app records bird sounds, identifies them, and then sends notifications and reports about the birds in your yard to your phone. While Haikubox isn't the most flexible of hardware or software (it requires two apps, one for reporting and one for updates; the user interface isn't very clear, and sharing isn't very polished), it's very attractive. Shortly after installation I received recordings of hummingbirds and pine siskins, which was exactly what I was expecting. But sounds I hadn't previously identified suddenly had an ID, and updates often had me running to the window or door to see if I could find the source of the song. Haikubox also relies on BirdNET and a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence. While the data is easy to download for your own use, if you want to keep the IDs and recordings for more than a few hours, you'll need to pay a subscription fee ($60 per year).
Smart aviary brings you up close
My favorite birdhouse is one attached to a window. I can see it from my desk. On a nice day, scrub jays will stop and look for the mealworms I’ve left behind. Unfortunately, the same goes for squirrels. Better solutions for closer encounters are smart birdhouses, the most famous of which is the Bird Buddy, which won an Innovation Award at this year's CES. I installed the latest version of Bird Buddy with solar roof ($299) last week. The cost of the birdhouse isn't the only expense, it also comes with a hook to hang the feeder, but that's a definite no-no if you have squirrels. I purchased a pole and squirrel baffle to install the birdhouse and create a squirrel-proof area. It took a week, but I've had my first visitors in the past few days. Bird Buddy has a well-developed app that allows you to view your camera in real time or send notifications with IDs, recorded videos, and photos to any visitors to your birdhouse, all for sharing. While you wait, you can listen to birdhouses from around the world.
There are a number of other smart birdhouses out there, including the Birdfy ($249), which also debuted at CES this year. Birdfy has a wider-angle camera than Bird Buddy, and a removable battery pack that may be easier to charge than Bird Buddy. Both have solar panels, so charging shouldn't be a problem.
Netvue Birdfy Ai
Bird Buddy also has a hummingbird feeder that will be available for pre-order this August ($359), and I'm eager to test it out. Hummingbirds are one of the most interesting birds in the garden, but they are difficult to capture on film.
Unfortunately, none of these apps will remind you to clean your bird feeders, which is non-negotiable unless you want to spread disease among local birds, so you'll need to set recurring reminders on your calendar. Depending on weather conditions, you may need to clean your feeder at least every two weeks; when the weather is hot, you may need to replace your hummingbird feeder every day.
You can buy custom bird seed tailored to your area
It turns out bird seed isn't cheap. You 'd be surprised how quickly your local flock starts eating the buffet. There may be a local birding shop you should visit because, despite all the smart technology, they know your local bird population better than anyone and know exactly what they want to eat. I was also delighted to find Happy Bird Watcher , which customizes seed mixes based on your zip code and ships them to you on a regular basis.
The smart chicken coop is also here
Most people who keep chickens or ducks already have doors on their coops that open and close with sunlight. Now, however, you can finally have a smart chicken coop. Smart chicken coops come with cameras, feeders and doors, all of which report to you via an app. You can buy the entire setup including the cage and run for $1,695, with the cage priced at $1,695, or just buy the door and camera for $399.99 and mount them on the cage you own.
