I admire birds as much as the next person, but taking up birdwatching isn’t something I’ve considered. I don’t have the patience, nor do I own a good pair of binoculars — which is necessary for seeing the majestic, winged creatures up close. What I might sooner settle on, however, is the Bird Buddy Pro, a smart bird feeder with an integrated camera that can give you a much, much closer look at birds as they munch (and identify them using AI). Normally $299.99, the video-equipped feeder is matching its all-time low of $199 at Amazon as part of its Big Spring Sale, which runs through March 31st.
If not to satisfy your own desire to be a proverbial fly on the wall of a bird feeder, the Bird Buddy Pro could be a fantastic gift as well. We’ve got Mother’s Day coming up, though I consider this a good gift for anyone looking to ring in the shift to spring, as leaves come to life and flowers bloom. Bird activity will soon soar, making it the perfect time to try something like this out. You can spy on birds through its integrated camera, which can display 5-megapixel stills or video at 1080p resolution.
The Bird Buddy Pro is available in blue or yellow, and this one in particular comes with a solar roof, relying only on the power of the sun to run, not some fiddly battery system. The app that you can use to view the feed does more than just show you the birds. As mentioned previously, it can identify species and send you a notification when a bird is present. It’ll also provide educational context about each type of bird that visits your Bird Buddy Pro. If you opt for a Premium membership — which costs $6 a month or $60 a year, according to Wirecutter — the video capture resolution goes up to 2K, and you’ll unlock extra features for the duration of your subscription.