4 tips to set up a bird feeder camera with Alexa

Set up the ultimate bird feeder camera with Alexa

Written by Amazon Staff

Upgrade your bird watching with your Blink Outdoor camera and Echo Show.

Bird watching is all the rage these days. Whether you’re gazing out the window at your bird feeder, strolling around the neighborhood, or trekking through the forest with a pair of binoculars, anyone can reap the benefits of a little time observing the world around them.

There’s something special about getting to know the birds that show up by the kitchen window every morning, and the world feels a little more vibrant when you spot a surprise visitor at your bird feeder or in your bird bath.

But sometimes, like it or not, you can’t be at the kitchen window. That colorful new bird is flapping away in the distance before you have time to take a picture.

That’s where Alexa and Blink come in.

Blink Outdoor’s sleek, compact camera is built to withstand the elements, so it can be mounted on your bird feeder or bird bath. Two-years of battery life, weather-resistance, easy setup that takes minutes, and Alexa-enabled features make Blink Outdoor any bird watcher's best friend.

@birdladydrin
All the ways birdwatching is better with my @blinkforhome Outdoor camera and my @amazon Echo Show 15! #ad #BirdladyDrin #birdnerd #birdwatching @alexa99
♬ original sound - Drin

Want to level up even more? Pairing your Blink Outdoor with an Echo Show 15 will help you maximize your bird watching experience.

Follow these simple tips to make sure you don’t miss a wing beat.

1.

Set motion detection alerts

False Alarm? Customize motion zones so you’re notified of birds, but not of nottabirds (that’s real birdwatcher slang for, you guessed it, not birds).

Nobody, not even the most patient birder, wants to stare at an empty screen or unattended feeder for too long. Blink Outdoor helps you make the most of your day by letting you know when the birds are around. You can set up motion detection alerts through your Blink Home Monitor app on your phone, so you’ll know in real time when your bird feeder has a visitor.

Alexa for bird watching
2.

Connect to your devices

Any bird watcher knows how hard it is to predict when a bird will show up. Except for roosters, birds aren’t the kind of animal you can easily schedule your life around. With Blink Outdoor, you don’t have to.

If you’re away from home when you get the bird alert, get a view of all the action with live view in real time. Hear chirps and watch the birds in HD on the Blink Home Monitor app.

Oftentimes, however, a phone screen isn’t enough to do justice to the detail of a bird’s beauty. For an even clearer look at the most complex feather patterns, and for booming audio of the full range of a bird’s song, link your Blink to your Echo Show 15. The Echo Show’s impressive HD displays will bring the birds from the feeder right into your home.

With Alexa-enabled two-way audio, you can even scare off squirrels or any other unwanted visitors to your feeder.
3.

Store your favorite clips in the cloud

Few birdwatchers can resist the temptation to brag about ticking a bird off their life list. With the Blink Subscription Plan (sold separately), you can store photos and video clips of rare visitors and everyday companions in the cloud. That means you can take all the time you need to replay a birdsong or identify an unfamiliar species, and then share away!

But storing shots in the cloud doesn’t just bring your bird log to life, it’s hugely useful for citizen science as well. By working with your local Audubon society, you can more accurately identify species as well as track populations and migrations.

Blink camera footage of a woodpecker at a feeder.
4.

Keep watch at night

Spring migration is a big deal, and it can bring some of the most colorful birds, and bird calls, right through your neighborhood. But the birds don’t stop when the sun goes down, and you shouldn’t have to either.

Connect your Blink Outdoor to an Echo Show device to amplify birdsong from the tanagers and warblers passing overhead, or use Blink Outdoor’s infrared vision to get a clear view of any birds that might stop by in the dark. It’s no big deal if you sleep through the night shift. Just go back through the stored footage in the morning and wake up to a more pleasant alarm than any rooster call.

Have you spotted some beautiful birds with your Blink Outdoor? Or have you discovered any new ways to use your Amazon smart home features to bird watch? Let us know! You can email us or tag us on Twitter or on the Instagram pages for Alexa and Blink.

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