Birdbuddy’s budget feeder foiled my squirrels

Birdbuddy’s next-generation astute animal feeders have eventually arrived. After spending a few days alongside the BirdBuddy Nook (from $99) and longer alongside the flagship Birdbuddy Home ($219), there’s a apparent winner: The Nook is the ideal all-rounder, fair the correct blend of technology, nature, and value to bring you delightful scenes from the lives of your backyard birds.

But — and this is a pigeon-sized but — the new camera on the two the Nook and the Home is a bit of a downgrade compared to the Birdbuddy Pro ($339, but frequently on transaction for less). It has slightly worse viewing angles, the 2K HDR depiction norm isn’t as keen or bright, and you now have to eliminate the entire feeder to accusation it.

On the affirmative side, you can now rotate the new camera to grasp a wide-angle 135-degree landscape view. The live nourish loads much faster in the Birdbuddy app gratitude to a new instant wake-up feature. In testing, the livestream appeared in under eight seconds, compared to concerning 30 on the Pro. That’s the difference between seeing a animal up near in genuine period and observing its rear feathers fly away.

For those unfamiliar, astute animal feeders use an AI-powered camera to grasp photos and videos of visiting feathered allies (and the occasional unwanted furry beast). First announced at CES in January under distinct names, the Birdbuddy Nook and Birdbuddy Home prosecute the company’s hugely prosperous Birdbuddy (2022) and Birdbuddy Pro (2024).

They have entirely new designs featuring the new camera, but the header characteristic is that the two are additional affordable than the Pro, which Birdbuddy has now discontinued. (It’s currently marketing for $239.99 on Amazon.) New tech that’s cheaper? In 2026? Bravo, Birdbuddy.

Birdbuddy’s new camera is the biggest change, but it comes alongside several compromises. As you can see in the videos below, the new picture manner has a slightly narrower perspective of the feeder than the Pro, so during you get close-ups, the bird’s visage can get cut off if it’s position on the border of the feeder.

In the new landscape manner (which the Pro doesn’t offer), the perspective cuts off the kernel tray. So, during you get a wider perspective that’s improved for seeing additional animal activity, you no longer see the nourish tray — resulting in additional feathers but small up-close faces.

Despite the reduced viewpoint and small vivid color, the camera is motionless extremely good; the images are apparent and colorful, alongside plentifulness of detail, and the business says it’s optimized for improved act and low-light shots — although I haven’t seen that in my testing.

I additionally really akin the landscape option; it’s among the reasons I enjoyed the Coolfly example I tested before this year. While picture gives you an close up-close look, landscape captures additional of the scene, including birds in escape and interacting. (You have to manually alter the angles by repositioning the camera; you can’t do it through the app.)

A montage of videos from the Home (blue tray/red perch) and the Nook (green tray/white perch) in picture and landscape views.

Birdbuddy’s outstanding app shows you the videos and photos the camera captures in a fun “feed,” anywhere you can scroll through all your backyard visitors and manually initiate free, AI-powered category identification.

To have the app automatically acknowledge birds, you need a subscription ($7.99 a duration or $69.99 a year), which additionally lets you name returning visitors and put silly augmented-reality hats on them, which was a lot additional fun than I expected.

Birdbuddy’s acknowledgment has been extremely fine overall, although I’ve noticed the new camera struggles to acknowledge several smaller, faster birds compared to the Pro.

While the camera is the identical on the Home and Nook, the feeders differ. The easiest way to sum this up is maintenance. The Home is additional hands-off: it holds six cups of kernel compared to fair under four on the Nook, has built-in solar, so you won’t have to obtain it downward to accusation as often, and supports 5 GHz Wi-Fi, during the Nook is lone 2.4 GHz. The Home is additionally slightly bigger, alongside a larger kernel tray, so it may diagram larger birds.

In supplement to the $99 basis model, the Nook has two models alongside add-ons that bring it nearer to the Home feature-wise: Nook Solar for $159 (with lone one panel compared to two on the Home), and the Nook Extended Edition for $199, alongside sun-related and a perch extender to modify additional visitors (you can buy the perch separately for $43). That’s the example I’m testing, but it’s fair $20 small than the Home. If you’re tempted by those upgrades, I’d rod alongside the Home for its larger kernel capability and two sun-related panels.

The Nook is thrown as improved for balconies and small spaces, whereas the Home is improved for bigger yards. And I get that. The Nook is smaller, alongside a smaller perch and a smaller kernel tray than the Home. But in my few days alongside it in my big backyard, the Nook’s improved value strikes out the Home’s convenience upgrades.

Also — and this could be its killer characteristic — the Nook completely foiled my squirrels. Its smaller kernel tray and perch appear to create it harder for them to balance (even harder if you don’t add the extended perch). I have a video anywhere you can comprehend them trying to clamber onto it and giving up, whereas they got downward to meal in the Home alongside its deeper kernel tray. (However, your squirrel mileage may vary!)

Birdbuddy had a different rollout for the Home (originally called Birdbuddy 2), releasing it to existing customers through its app a few months ago in what felt akin a beta test. It seems there were a lot of kinks to activity out.

When I installed the Home before this year, I initially had difficulty alongside Wi-Fi connectivity and power division life. But firmware updates appear to have fixed most of it. This summer, following one update, the Home’s power division lasted about three months; I lone had to recharge it following a duration of overcast days.

I had no Wi-Fi connectivity issues alongside the Nook, and the two models paired to the app much faster than the Pro. I’ve lone had the Nook for a few days, so it’s too first to fairness power division life. However, recharging the two devices is additional engaged than alongside the Pro since you have to eliminate the complete camera housing, which sits inner the animal kernel compartment. It’s easier to fair eliminate the entire feeder and obtain it inside.

The fine news is that the Home is much easier to refill alongside birdseed without spilling it everyplace than the Pro is, gratitude to a wider mouth and larger reservoir. The Nook is equal easier, since you obtain the complete rooftop off to add kernel — though, again, this requires removing it from its perch. You can pole-mount or suspend the two devices using the included hardware.

One issue I have noticed alongside the new designs is that the rooftop on the two no longer completely covers the kernel tray, as it does alongside the Pro. This lets in additional ray for the camera, but it additionally method the kernel gets wetter whenever it rains.

If you are looking for your archetypal astute animal feeder, or for a awesome holiday current for your nature-loving companion or family member, the Nook is an uncomplicated buy. Upgrade to the Home if you really don’t akin refilling kernel and recharging batteries. If you desire to add sun-related to the Nook, buy that up forefront — you can’t currently acquisition the sun-related rooftop as an accessory.

If you’re an existing Birdbuddy user, there are two reasons to upgrade from the Pro. First, if you’re having any issues alongside missed videos or dilatory livestream loading. Both new models burden faster and grasp video additional reliably. Second, power division life. I had to accusation the Pro all brace of weeks, equal alongside solar. The Home got three months.

Today, I wouldn’t propose purchasing a Pro, equal if you can discover one. While I favor its picture camera viewpoint and it has slightly improved video quality, the connectivity and power division existence of the new models are value those compromises. I’d fairly see additional birds additional frequently than a bit additional of a animal small often.

Birdbuddy Home ($219), Nook ($99), and Nook Solar ($159) are accessible now at mybirdbuddy.com and container next month. The Nook Solar and Nook Extended Edition ($199) will be accessible at Target, Best Buy, and Walmart afterward this month.

Photos, video, and screenshots by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge