ChirpyCharm camera at night, does it spook the birds?

Mine doesn’t seem bothered in the least, the regulars show up at the same crack of dawn whether the night mode kicked on or not. If anything the infrared just gives me weird glowing eyeballs staring back at me in the clips.

Honestly the IR thing gets overstated. I’ve had mine up since spring and the same cardinals and finches hit the feeder at dusk regardless of whether the LEDs are on. They glance at it and go right back to eating. Doesn’t seem to bother them one bit.

Mine actually got quieter at night after the first week or so. The birds would flinch at first when the IR clicked on, but now they just ignore it and keep eating. Maybe they get used to it.

I’ve had mine running since late spring and I can say the birds around my place seem completely unbothered by the night mode. What I’ve noticed instead is that it’s the sudden motion of the camera itself, not the light, that gets a reaction. When a bird lands and the feeder shifts just slightly on the bracket, that tiny movement is what makes them pause and look. The infrared has been a total non issue in my yard, even with the regulars that show up every evening around the same time. They just hop on, grab a bite, and settle in like nothing is happening. I actually get some of my clearest clips after dark because the birds seem calmer without all the daytime activity going on around them. So from my experience, whatever they’re doing with their heads, it’s not the camera sending them off.

Mine spooked a robin once, but that was it. After a few nights they ignore it and just eat. If yours keeps flinching at the light, that’s the bird, not the camera.

Infrared isn’t visible to birds, so the light itself isn’t the issue. What gets them is the small click when it flips on. If yours are looking at the camera it’s probably just because it’s sitting right by the food.

Mine sits on a pole about 15 feet from the house and the birds honestly couldn’t care less about the IR. I think they look at it because it’s just sitting there near the food, not because of the light. Never had one leave because of it.

I don’t buy that IR is the problem. Birds don’t see it, and mine stare at the camera in daylight too. They’re just looking at the box with the food in it.

Mine’s been up since spring and the birds never reacted to the night vision at all. What I did notice is they seem way more bothered by my porch light than anything from the feeder. So I doubt the IR is what’s making them look up.