The Birdfy Bird Bath Pro combines a bird bath, solar-powered fountain and smart camera, sending garden visitors straight to your smartphone. Rather than encouraging birds to stop for a snack, it gives them somewhere to drink, bathe and preen, while quietly recording the action.
It's an entertaining addition to the garden, although it does require a little patience before the birds decide to investigate.
Design and assembly
The Bird Bath Pro is made from plastic and metal, and has a distinctly modern appearance in a nice shade of light blue, with the camera mounted above the basin. The stand rises to around 76.5cm, putting the camera at a useful height for capturing visitors.
Assembly is very straightforward, though note that the camera unit needs an initial charge before installation. Getting it out of the box isn't though! I had to completely destroy it to get to the goodies inside.
Solar fountain and camera features
Once in position, a built-in solar panel helps keep the battery topped up, while a separate panel powers the fountain. The camera is IP66-rated, so rain and enthusiastic splashing aren't a problem.
The fountain is a particularly nice touch, although it works best with plenty of direct sunlight. The water can be circulated through different nozzle options, creating an attractive little feature that should help make the bath more appealing to birds.
The real reason to buy the Birdfy is, of course, the camera. Rather than simply pointing a single lens at the bath, Birdfy has fitted two views into the camera unit. The wide-angle camera records at 1080p, providing an overview of the bath, while the portrait camera captures 2K video and is designed to follow individual birds for closer shots.
Performance and app
When it works, the portrait view is excellent fun. Seeing a robin, sparrow or blackbird suddenly fill the screen as it splashes around in the bath is considerably more engaging than the typical bird-feeder footage.
The tracking isn't perfect, however. Reflections and movement on the water's surface can confuse the system, causing the camera to move unpredictably. You get a lot of alerts on your phone when there's nothing there.
Nevertheless, the basic concept is excellent, and software improvements could make the tracking more reliable down the line.
The Birdfy app is pretty decent. There is also two-way audio and AI-powered bird recognition, with Birdfy advertising recognition for thousands of species. The service is great, as you aren't forced into the kind of subscription common with smart cameras. Recorded clips can be viewed through the app and saved to your phone, while Birdfy provides cloud storage with a 30-day retention period.
Attracting birds and verdict
Getting the birds to come is perhaps the biggest caveat. A bird feeder offers an obvious incentive: food. A new bird bath can take longer to establish itself as a safe and familiar place. It can take weeks for birds to become interested, so patience is needed.
Positioning matters. Putting the bath somewhere relatively quiet but close to bushes or other natural cover should help. Adding stones or other natural-looking features to the basin can also make the rather high-tech design look more inviting.
The Birdfy Bird Bath Pro is currently available for 199.99 from the Birdfy website.
