I decided to get my 75 year old mother a birdfeeder camera for Christmas. Her sister had just passed and she lives alone and I wanted something to ease the transition of loss. After extensive research on the many different styles available, I decided on the BeakView. It didn’t have a huge internet presence, but it was recommended to me by an owner of Wild Birds Unlimited. He was impressed with the product and the owner and said the customer service was great. He was not wrong!!!
I set the BeakView up for my mother a few days after Christmas and was impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the birdfeeder. The housing for the camera was incredible and I didn’t have worries about it breaking or moisture or an animal getting in. The birdfeeder itself went together very easily and there were plenty of options for attaching it to whatever you want to attach it to. We decided to use the strap to attach it to a tree until my mom decided on a pole she wanted (BeakView didn’t sell them at that time.) I was very impressed with the quality of the strap and how easy it was to tighten. This is not some cheap manufactured strap. It was serious business and the teeth were strong and held the birdhouse very tight. (I was expecting a cheap type of teeth like comes with an inexpensive belt-not the case at all!).
My mom and I attached it to a tree and got the solar panel attached and hung south(as recommended by Dave in customer service). The camera has held an amazing charge for over a month during some of the coldest and dreariest days. I was able to get the camera set up pretty well, but ran into a little trouble because I tried to put my mom’s and my account on the same email. I called customer service for help and got Dave. He stepped away from a Boise football game to help me because I really wanted to get it set up before I had to head back home 3 hours away. He helped me understand I needed two accounts, and walked us through my mom sharing her camera feed with me. That was really the only snag I ran into. (She goes to setting wheel to “share camera”. I go to “user” to scan the code.) Dave was great and walked us through all of that and got the setting set to where he thought she would like them(he was right lol.). Mind you this was all on New Year’s Eve with college football on.
(Remember, mom will need wi-fi and you will need her password to get it set up. If you have those things you will be golden.)
I had also purchased one for my sister and she was able to get hers set up easily and we have enjoyed looking at each others birds so much. I love that the camera angle is so wide. I can see my mother’s entire backyard and that gives me a real sense of comfort being so far away from her. The alarm is pretty loud 🤣😳 but doesn’t do much to scare the squirrels away. Lol. The light is also really bright, but it’s just a flash and doesn’t stay on permanently. I can can flash the light, sound the alarm, and yell at squirrels through the speaker on my own phone. I will get a notification that there is movement and see my mom putting in feed and we can just talk lol. So fun.
The AI feature is not free. The basic was about $3.00 per month so we didn’t get it. Dave suggested the identification app Merlin, which is a free bird identifier made by Cornell. It’s a little tricky to navigate past all the things wanting you to subscribe but it is possible if you are clever enough. During the winter we’ve had about 6 different types of birds show up (and 1 fat squirrel). It took them a little while to find it, but eventually we got all kids of activity.
My mom and sister love their bird feeders and I have a request from several family members to purchase more.
I looked at several bird feeders on Amazon and, through research learned that the cheaper versions are knock-offs made by overseas manufacturers. They just take the product and create a generic version of them. The ratings were so bad and there were so many complaints about them falling apart, the technology, being horrible, and so many other issues I decided I didn’t want that garbage for my mother. I wanted something reliable that wouldn’t break, go offline, or just be a general pain. It needed to be quality that would last and give my mother reliable enjoyment. I knew if they technology failed it would just become an overpriced bird feeders because my mom would never be able to get it fixed. I’m so happy I chose BeakView! It’s been almost a month through some of the worst weather Tennessee has seen and the BeakView has never had an issue. My mom has enjoyed it thoroughly and it was one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. If durability and customer service are what you are looking for, BeakView is for you!!!
The WBU ladies (Store # 411, Riverside) are big fans of your company, touting your excellent customer service which convinced me to buy this for my wife last Christmas. They were not wrong.
The customers love the feeder and Dave is always fantastic at answering questions and troubleshooting any environmental hazards that happen to the feeder!
I want to give a shout out to Dave who always has responded to my questions. Even when I needed help getting the micro card out and had to send the camera back, he negotiated that exchange without any issues. his commitment to this wonderful product and his customers is unique in today's market. Thank, Dave. Jim Woods MD Rochester NY
This solar panel charged my cam to 100% in 3 days, and it is maintaining that level. I contacted support regarding installation and they were very helpful. With their instructions it took less than 15 minutes to install. The purchase process was smooth and the items arrived quickly.
What a wonderful add-on to attract and capture videos of a Hummingbird up close!
Thank you for listening ... the 2 piece Hummingbird Feeder is a game changer! Beautifully crafted and easy to clean/fill with 2 ports and spikes for oranges. I can't wait for Hummingbird season to arrive now.
I recently purchased and installed the BeakView solar panel on my BeakView bird camera station. It has kept the camera battery fully charged even in the local winter weather that has been as low as +10 F, occasional partial snow covering and our typical winter gray sky. I would recommend the solar panel as a good addon to the camera to provide autonomous operation. I steam the camera for 30-60 minute intervals daily and the solar panel has no problem keeping the camera battery at a nearly full charge level.
The camera feeder is a Christmas gift to me. It is easy to setup and the camera quickly charged and was ready to be put outside the next day. I initially set it up to capture short videos on the SD card. But there were so many visits once the birds discovered the food I decided to setup for live streaming when I could watch such as over lunch. The battery has maintained its charge for a week under it's current use and in the colder weather of the NE USA. I am adding the solar panel to the unit to allow more streaming without worry of the battery running down.
I would recommend this camera feeder for anyone interested in close birdwatching or just for pure entertainment. You won't be disappointed. Below is a short video of a white breasted nuthatch at the feeder and a northern flicker on the adjacent feeder pole and very much in the view of the camera.
P.S. There are a lot of deer here and one of them had discovered the feeder and took some of the seed. I added some red pepper flakes to the seed mix. It won't bother the birds and it helps to discourage the deer some stealing the bird food.
I've been looking at camera feeders for a while but wasn't sure what the quality would be like. We went to WBU in Riverside before the holidays and noticed the one they had outside the shop. The lady at WBU was showing us the video from it, we were amazed at the quality of the video. We bought one, then noticed you had the hummingbird accessory so bought another feeder from WBU specifically to use for the hummers!
We also like the fact support is in the US.
Thank you for listening to feedback and creating this metal flange that attaches the Beakview BirdFeeding Camera system to the pole system we stock here at Wild Birds Unlimited in Buckingham. My customers are loving the ease of mounting this onto their pole systems not to mention it is weather resistant and made out of polished aluminium-alloy. JUST WOW .. you not only met my expectations you exceeded them!
Dave always answers all our questions and is there for great information anytime we ask. The quality of the product along with the excellent customer service make the Beak View the best camera bird feeder on the market!
Easy to install, keeps my battery at 100% all the time and I only have 1/2 sun where it is located. Def recommend.
I love the quality of the videos. And I really like that the solar panel is optional. Not all of our customers need/want solar, so I don't have to overcharge them for something they don't want! Great communication and service from the Beakview staff. Fort Collins WBU store.
Thank you so much for all your help tonight! We reset the router box and the camera/WIFI connection connected right away! At least now I can "trouble shoot" with a customer if I have to. Thanks again and I hope you have a great week. WBU of Fredericksburg, VA.
Real Time Notifications & Live Viewing
If squirrels arrive, the camera will notify you instantly. Simply use the siren and white light in the app to deter them from stealing birdseed.
Also, acts as an incognito home security camera. See what is going on from your yard, day or night!