Some people camp out with a pair of binoculars to spy on their feathered friends, but for backyard birders, there’s the smart bird feeder. These models include a small wireless camera that gives you an up-close view of live and recorded visits. Some even have bird-recognition technology that can ID your visitors. It’s like having your own private on-demand nature channel.We recommend the Birdbuddy Pro because it produces stunning imagery, has a lively in-app community, provides more information than a bird encyclopedia, and limits notifications to the best encounters.Note that Birdbuddy has announced the Birdbuddy 2 and an updated version of this Pro model, both due in 2026. For now, this is the best model.