Birdfy Feeder Bamboo
In recent years, Netvue has established itself as a true innovator when it comes to feeding garden birds, offering a range of hi-tech products that allow the monitoring of birds coming and going from feeders.
There is rightly a lot of emphasis on sustainability across many markets these days, and Netvue has stepped up with its latest product: the Birdfy Feeder Bamboo. As the name suggests, this product is made largely from durable bamboo that is designed to endure the worst a wet British winter can throw at it.
As with other Birdfy products, they key here is the presence of a camera, which slots neatly into a central chamber. Using the power of AI, it can purportedly identify up to 6,000 bird species that may visit your feeders and sends push notifications to your smartphone to tell you all about them. After this autumn's amazing arrival of American birds, I'm very much looking forward to getting notified of a Baltimore Oriole or Ovenbird appearing in my Lincolnshire garden! The Birdfy app also allows you to collate your feeder sightings and even share them with a like-minded online community.
The feeder has two 'bins' to fill with seed, meaning you can offer two types of bird food at any one time to the capacity of 3 L. The lid opens on a hinge, meaning it's very easy to fill the feeders when they're eventually emptied. It's also nice and easy to clean. While the camera can be charged by removing it and connecting to the mains, a solar panel is included to let the sun do the work for you.
One issue, if you can call it that, is that this product is rather heavy, especially when full of seed. It can be strapped to a tree, affixed to a special pole or nailed to a wall or fence. However, bear in mind that whatever method you choose, it'll have to be able to bear the quite substantial weight!
All in all, though, this is a great idea for engaging new audiences with birding, offering a mix of education, information and entertainment. Netvue has to be commended for its originality.
- Available from www.netvue.com.
