REVIEW – While I can appreciate birds flying around our backyard, my wife is a bird nut. She can identify most—if not all—Florida birds. She gets excited when a bird shows up that is not usually seen in Florida or is arriving out of season. Me? I can’t tell a cardinal from a blue jay. When the Onlyfly Bird Feeder Cam came up for review, I thought it would be a fun way to see birds up close and learn something about what birds we have in Central Florida. I was right about the close-up part and once the birds found this new food source, they’ve been a source of amusement . . . until the squirrels showed up.
What is it?
The Onlyfly Bird Feeder Cam is an outdoor wild bird feeder that has a built-in HD camera allowing birds to be seen up close as they feed. The camera connects to a home wifi system allowing birds to be watched from almost anywhere.
The “roof” of the feeder has built-in solar cells which help keep the camera charged without having to manually connect to a USB charger. While not waterproof (no dunking), the feeder can be rained on continuously. Note that the feeder can be charged via USB-C. The USB-C ports are deep-set with one having a pass-though rubberized plug.
The Onlyfly Feeder is made of plastic. Ours is blue with a clear, plastic window showing at a glance how much birdseed remains. The camera sports a wide-angle lens that allows a wide-range view of the surrounding area. It also makes the birds appear closer to the camera lens (and larger) than they may be.
Also included with the Bird Feeder Cam are two red hummingbird nectar feeders, two fruit holders (forks), a jelly feeder, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
The feeder contains a loud alarm and light that can ward off critters who are not welcome. More on that later in this review. There is also a speaker that can broadcast what is said using a mic from a smartphone.
The free VicoHome app connects the Only feeder to a smartphone (iPhone for me). Many feeder control settings are included in the app. Some of the settings are Mic, Alarm, Video (2K or SD), Night vision, Light, Motion detection, Notifications, and SD card.
An SD Card slot can record and store video/photos to an SD card (not included). Since we opted for an optional paid subscription, our videos/photos are sent to the cloud, so I don’t use an SD card.
What’s included?
- Bird Feeder
- HD video camera
- Mounting base
- All necessary hardware for mounting
- Red hummingbird feeder x2
- Fruit holder x2
- Jelly feeder
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
Tech specs
Click to expand
- HD video camera
- 160° wide angle view
- Motion detection
- AI bird identification
Design and features
The Onlyfly feeder is easy to assemble—only a couple of pieces to snap or screw together. Parts are included that allow the feeder to be attached to a wall, tree, pole or almost anything you can think of. I attached ours to a deck post which we can see from our dining room off the kitchen.
An L-shaped base was screwed into the wooden post (screws supplied). The feeder snaps onto the base. It can later be un-snapped for removal for adding birdseed or cleaning. When trying to separate the feeder from the base, it may feel stuck and then suddenly give way scattering leftover seed. It’s prudent to be careful and take your time. While it’s possible to add feed without disconnecting from the base, it’s easier when separated. Note that the roof needs to be unhinged to add seed.
This roof has built-in solar panels that charge the internal battery which reduces—or eliminates the need to use a separate charger. So far, we’ve not had to worry about any charging. It’s taking care of itself.
Once seed has been added, the Vicohome app needs to be downloaded to set the feeder up. The app has a multi-stage setup, but the prompts are clear and straightforward. Once the app is set up, it asks for a subscription to the “Bird Fans Plan”, bird identification, and cloud recording backup service for appx. $48/year for a single camera/feeder (monthly service is offered). A 30-day free trial comes with the app. We opted for the plan because my wife is a bird nut and shrieks with delight when she’s alerted by a bird she hasn’t previously seen. So it’s worth the cost. The subscription provides 60 days of video history.
The camera begins recording (in 10-second increments) once a bird has tripped the silent motion alarm. Since it’s Wi-Fi-based, you can keep tabs on what bird has visited no matter your location anywhere there’s internet access.
The Bird Fans service also uses AI to help identify what bird tripped the sensor. So far, it’s been correct about 85% of the time. Other times it gets it completely wrong. Once, it confused a male Cardinal with an Albert’s Towhee—a bird not from Florida. Since it’s AI-based, the identifier may get “smarter” as it’s used. Time will tell.
The Vicohome app has some glitches that can be annoying. When I log in, I usually have to click a “Sigh in” button three times on three successive screens. However, sometimes there is no Sign In prompt and the live camera feed immediately shows on my iPhone screen. It’s not consistent. Now that I officially have an account, I wish the app would recognize me all the time and open the home screen.
OnlyFly allows family members to share devices with a single account. This makes it easier to view the feeder together at the same time. Sometimes though, there are issues. If my wife is already using the app and I log in, the app sometimes kicks her off. But if I’m logged in, her logging in doesn’t kick me off. This happened even after we successfully shared our devices per OnlyFly’s instructions.
I tried to call the phone support number listed on the OnlyFly website (open 9 am-7 pm every day). Every time I call, I receive this answer, “We could not complete your call. Please try again.” I’ve been trying again for a month—same answer.
Did I mention squirrels? If you have a bird feeder, squirrels quickly find out. They eat all the seeds and make a horrendous mess doing it. However, the OnlyFly feeder has built-in audible and light alarms to scare away any squirrels. Cool! So, when I saw our first squirrel on the feeder, I could imagine the furry pest sent flying (pun intended) when the alarm was activated.
I happily sounded the alarm—at full volume. No reaction. The alarm was quite loud, too. The oblivious squirrel kept stuffing his cheeks. So I used the flashing light alarm. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. We ended up switching the regular bird seed with seed that has hot peppers mixed in. Birds don’t care. Squirrels care—kinda. At least the rodent raids have dropped off. Bottom line—the alarms are useless
Despite these annoyances, we like the Bird Feeder Cam because we get to feed wild birds that are in abundance in Central Florida—and we get to watch them on our iPhones as they pig out on seed. That never gets tiring!
What I like about the OnlyFly Bird Feeder Cam
- It’s lots of fun watching birds eat close-up
- Easy to set up and mount
- The Vicohome app is easy to set up
What needs to be improved?
- The app needs work—it sometimes requires a triple sign-in.
- Squirrels laugh at the alarms
Final thoughts
Despite some annoyances, the OnlyFly Bird Feeder Cam is a great way to see birds close up—much closer than they would ever allow. Plus, you can learn how to identify types of local birds—common and not common ones. Who knows, it could even make you appreciate our feathered friends on a whole new level.
Price: $199.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by OnlyFly. OnlyFly did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
