Happy birds
By Andrew Gregory. Posted
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/2lpsze4g694w/PR9SkgmIcwnOGoqxPKWcv/fbe325a98a575ef7ae77730d42aa4e72/Screenshot_2022-02-25_at_11.37.59.png?w=800)
There’s a lot to take in with this build, so we’ll go slowly. It’s 3D-printed. It’s solar-powered. It’s connected to the Internet of Things. It takes photographs of birds when they land on the bird feeder, and then sends those photographs to your smartphone via a free app. Most of all, it looks great: it’s not a proof of concept or a slightly wobbly prototype.
The two solar panels on the roof charge a 4800mAh Li-ion battery, which powers an ESP32-CAM board. This sleeps in low-power mode until a PIR sensor detects a bird, whereupon it wakes up and takes a picture.