Hard to believe, but smart bird feeders have been around for six years.
\n\nThe idea started with Birdbuddy (then styled Bird Buddy), which launched a Kickstarter campaign in November 2020 for the world’s first app-connected, AI-powered smart bird feeder. Birdfy followed in 2021 with its first camera-equipped feeder, and today the two companies remain the most popular brands in the smart bird-feeder space, with a sizable catalog of offerings, including smart bird baths and smart nesting boxes.
\n\nThanks to two new releases from Birdfy and Birdbuddy, you can now get a premium smart bird feeder experience for under $100—something that just a year or two ago would have cost $200 or more.
\n\nI tested both Birdfy’s Rookie and Birdbuddy’s Nook in my backyard for four weeks each, noting annoyances, especially helpful features, and which features were available without a subscription.
\n\nWhile both have a significant number of pluses and minuses, Birdbuddy’s Nook, despite costing $20 more and failing to capture every visit, came out just slightly ahead due to its more premium hardware experience.
\n\nReleased in October of last year, Birdfy’s Rookie was positioned as a smart feeder for beginners, with USB-C charging only, no solar (though you can buy…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/