The breeding season for many native birds officially begins in March. A comparison of four models will tell you which birdhouse cameras you can use to follow the spectacle with razor-sharp clarity.
Bird study is one of the most popular hobbies of ambitious gardeners. Sure, because titmice, sparrows & co. delight us with their chirping and singing. That’s exactly why we’re so happy to transform our garden into a little bird paradise. To attract the birds, gardeners use water and food troughs and nesting boxes. But what goes on in the birdhouses usually remains hidden from amateur ornithologists.
Only in nature documentaries do we get a glimpse of how birds build their nests and feed their offspring. Until now. Thanks to birdhouses with cameras, we can follow the spectacle in the garden live via smartphone. The camera in the birdhouse usually connects to the home Wi-Fi network and sends us pictures to our smartphone if something moves in the birdhouse. Let’s take a look at which models there are and how they differ.
Birdhouse with camera: power supply and WiFi
Before we do that, we have to think about a few things. Of course, the camera in the birdhouse needs power and it must be able to connect to the WiFi network. Manufacturers solve the power supply in three ways. Very few cameras have a power plug. So they need to be installed near an outdoor socket in the garden. The much more flexible solution is a battery. It is usually large enough to provide enough power for about a month of video and photo recording.
However, you have to charge the battery, which is particularly problematic in a nesting box if you don’t want to disturb the birds. To access the battery, you usually have to open the box and remove the battery. That’s why there are also manufacturers who supply a solar panel that charges the battery for the camera. All you need is a sunny spot for the solar panel.
Attention: The birdhouse should not be installed too far from your home router. Because if you want the camera to also transfer images to your cell phone, you have to connect to your home WiFi. If that doesn’t reach your garden, you should set up a network with mesh repeaters. There are also repeaters that are suitable for outdoor use.
Nestera nesting box for tits
Enough of the preamble, let’s take a closer look at the nesting boxes and feeding places for birds. This is the beginning Nestera nesting box for tits for 200 euros. As far as its design is concerned, it is reminiscent of the classic birdhouse, which is quite charming and fits into any garden.
The camera is installed in the upper part of the nest box. Important: Before you install the camera in the birdhouse, you should connect it to the power supply and pair it with the associated smartphone app. Once installed, look on your smartphone to see whether you like the angle of the camera. If this is not the case, you can easily readjust the camera by hand.
You can install it in the birdhouse by pulling out the holder for the camera and simply inserting the camera into it. Important: The camera draws its power via cable. You should drape this neatly next to the camera. On the side of the nesting box there is a small cable holder through which you pull the cable and then plug it into a socket. The length of the cable is ten meters.
The camera offers a resolution of 4 megapixels. In the app you have the choice to switch between WQHD resolution (1440p) to a slightly lower resolution. This saves storage space. The camera has space for a maximum of 128 gigabytes (GB) of memory card. The camera also has a motion sensor.
If something happens in the nesting box, she will send you a message to your cell phone. If you want to take a photo or video of the feeding, you have to take it manually or start the video function. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work automatically. It’s a shame: The function to start a time-lapse video is also not available. However, the camera offers infrared night vision.
If you want to install the birdhouse with camera away from a power outlet, the manufacturer also offers a version with a solar panel.
Birdhouse with camera: Birdfy nesting box
It’s significantly more expensive Birdfy nesting box. Compared to the Nestera nesting box, it can definitely be argued that the Birdfy model is a little more elegant. The nesting box also has two cameras: one is in the box, the other films its entrance. Both cameras record in full HD resolution and of course they offer a motion detector in case something happens in or around the nesting box.
You will of course receive notification of this via push notification on your smartphone. As with Nestera, you have to download the corresponding app from the app store and pair the camera with the app. Both cameras in the nesting box draw their power from a battery.
Within the app you can see how long it will last. The camera automatically saves videos in a cloud. According to the manufacturer, it is free for the first 30 days. After that, a subscription will be required if you want to save videos up to 30 seconds long. Its costs start at 2 euros per month. Of course, the camera also offers a night vision mode.
The scope of delivery also includes several openings for different birds. This is what the Birdfy bird box with camera has over the Nestera bird house. Important: Many users report in reviews that the camera keeps losing its WiFi signal. You should definitely update the camera firmware before installing the nesting box and make sure that the WiFi signal is not too weak.
When it comes to power supply, Birdfy relies on a battery that, according to the manufacturer, is 8800 milliamp hours. It is estimated that the camera should be able to record for 20 to 25 days with both cameras when fully charged. Nice: The scope of delivery includes a solar module that charges the battery. If there is enough sun, you don’t have to worry about battery problems.
Birdfy feeding stations for wild birds
Which brings us to bird feeders with cameras. Here has Birdfy There is also a model on offer that is very similar in design to the manufacturer’s nesting box. This time, instead of two, the birdhouse only offers one camera. Of course, it has a motion detector and is controlled via the associated app on the smartphone. The camera takes photos and videos again in full HD resolution. And again, the camera also offers an infrared night vision mode.
The two containers each hold 1.5 liters of bird food. If you want, you can attract different types of birds. According to the manufacturer, the battery has a capacity of 5000 milliamp hours. When fully charged, it should be able to power the camera for around a month. It gets its power again from a solar panel, which is included in the scope of delivery. Any mounting brackets are included in the scope of delivery. Danger: The birdhouse is available in two versions: with and without artificial intelligence (AI).
The AI software detects which birds are snacking on your feeder and takes pictures of them. The version with lifelong automatic bird detection is about 30 euros more expensive than the Lite version. In the said Lite version, the AI software is only available for seven days and then costs 4.99 euros per month. To back up videos to the cloud, you also need to take out a subscription. The subscription price for the cloud starts again at 2 euros per month.
Lollyes bird feeder
Which brings us to the last model in comparison: The Lollyes bird feeder. It is significantly cheaper than the Birdfy model. Its tree look is actually original, but probably serves a camouflage function if you mount the nesting box on a tree. Important: Use aluminum screws to avoid damaging the tree.
The Lollyes food dispenser also has a battery. According to the manufacturer, it has a capacity of 7,000 milliamp hours and, when fully charged, supplies the camera with power for around 40 days. A solar panel that charges the battery is again included in the scope of delivery. So you just have to make sure that the camera gets a strong WiFi signal.
Of course, as with all other models, you pair the camera with the associated app. Like all models, it offers a night vision mode and has a resolution of Full HD. Of course there is also a motion detector on the camera. If a bird lands for a snack, the camera sends you a notification to your smartphone.
You have the choice when it comes to backing up your photos and videos: The scope of delivery includes a 64 GB SD memory card on which you can back up the data. Alternatively, the camera also saves photos and videos in a cloud. Unfortunately, a subscription is required for this.
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