Netvue Birdfy Feeder Cam Assessment: Enjoyable However Wonky

Importantly, it’s a strong feeder, holding 50 ounces of seeds, with a pleasant perch large enough for a couple of birds (in the event that they don’t thoughts the crowding) and a roof to maintain all the pieces comparatively dry. The hinged roof is made for simple refilling, too. Simply slide it open to 1 aspect, refill, and click on the roof again in place.

The Birdfy is mountable with or with out really drilling something—nice for us renters. I used the included strap to connect it to my balcony railing, however the firm exhibits it strapped to bushes as nicely. I like to recommend including the photo voltaic panel for the additional $25. It’s price it to by no means need to cost a battery.

Netvue is a safety firm, so you need to use the digital camera as an added safety measure too, relying on the place it’s positioned. There’s an alarm siren you may set off—it’s not a piercing sound fortunately, however I nonetheless strongly recommend not doing that when little birdy ears are close by. The model has responsive customer support too, and you’ll even stay chat immediately via the app.

For the Birds

The Birdfy isn’t all good, and the place it’s missing is an enormous one. In case you go for the $250 Birdfy, you get a lifetime of free AI identification. In case you go along with the Birdfy Lite for $200, you get video solely, with the choice so as to add AI later for $5 per 30 days. A $50 cost for ceaselessly AI sounds nice to me, however that identification has a protracted option to go.

I get principally doves at my feeder, however there are a handful of different little ones that cease by too. Birdfy typically identifies a hen accurately in a single shot, after which instantly calls it one thing else because it strikes round. Within the pictures above, you may see it recognized the identical hen as a home finch and a pine siskin. These birds look actually related to one another, so I can perceive the confusion there. However typically Netvue recognized what’s clearly a dove as a cardinal. The solar blaring immediately into the digital camera may be guilty right here, and as you may see it created a reddish blur that the AI might have been confused by. However nonetheless, that is the massive and expensive advertising and marketing function.