Welcome to the Bird-Cafe Wiki!

As you may have already seen on our different social media platforms, this repository contains the software required to create a smart bird feeder with a Raspberry Pi and some basic electronic components. The aim for this project was to have a bird feeder which could take photos of something that lands/approaches a feeder, reads the image and identifies whether or not a bird has landed. If the picture taken was a bird, a Tweet would be made on behalf of the user to show their Twitter followers their project. Another added feature was to allow the user to look at the bird feeder stats on devices other than the Pi since the Pi may be difficult to access when in use.

According to the RSPB, more than half of the households in the UK now feed birds at least once a week, and thanks to a scarcity of bird-friendly food caused by our vast urban landscapes it is something that birds now rely upon us for [1]. Although many people believe garden birds do not need fed in the summer, the RSPB themselves say this is a myth and feeding should in fact take place all year round, with as many as two feeds a day in the harsher months during autumn and winter [2]. As well as being a necessity for the birds, feeding them is also something many people take joy from, with an estimated 3 million adults UK-wide participating in bird watching recreationally [3]. It can be fulfilling to see what turns up in your garden or on your windowsill when you're putting food out and the Bird Café can help you keep track of that.

It is also recommended to keep bird feeders clean by decontaminating them regularly with a 5% disinfectant solution [4]. This is because over time droppings can accumulate around the feeder and spread disease between birds. To help keep visiting birds happy and healthy, our feeder provides reminders to the user to clean their feeder after a certain number of birds have visited.

Latest Version

Version 1.1 is now available!

Watch our video below to find out all the latest on it, including a demo of how it works.

Bibliography

[1] “Feeding the birds is more popular than ever,” RSPB.org, 16-Mar-2013. [Online]. Available: https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/details.aspx?id=342483#:~:text=More%20people%20are%20putting%20food,at%20least%20once%20a%20week. [Accessed: 18-Apr-2021].

[2] “Feeding Birds: When To Feed Garden Birds,” RSPB.org. [Online]. Available: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/when-to-feed-garden-birds/. [Accessed: 18-Apr-2021].

[3] “Watching birds: The Birdwatchers' Code,” RSPB.org. [Online]. Available: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/birdwatching/the-birdwatchers-code. [Accessed: 18-Apr-2021].

[4] “Preventing Bird Diseases Around Your Bird Feeding Table,” RSPB.org. [Online]. Available: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/keep-your-bird-table-healthy/#:~:text=Clean%20and%20wash%20your%20bird,to%20prevent%20droppings%20accumulating%20underneath. [Accessed: 18-Apr-2021].