[Sophie Nguyen]

I’ve been using mine for a few weeks and the night vision is pretty cool. But I noticed the birds sometimes look right at the camera when it’s dark. Does the infrared light bother them at all? I’d hate to think I’m scaring them off. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this or if it’s no big deal.

[Nate Harlow]

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.

[emily_r]

No idea, but mine barely reacts to it.

[Dan T.]

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.

[Tom 2020]

IR light is invisible to birds, so the “looking right at the camera” thing is probably just them glancing at the feeder itself, not the LEDs. That said, I’ve noticed mine get twitchy at dusk when the camera switches over, not because of the light but because the little click or whatever the mechanism does seems to startle them sometimes. Two of my regulars bolted the first couple nights and then got used to it. So I don’t think the IR is the issue, but the transition moment might be. Could be coincidence too. I haven’t exactly run a controlled study on it.

[Chris Writes]

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.

[Sam Reads]

Mine clicks when it switches over and I hear it from the window, but the birds at my setup don’t scatter. They just keep eating. The camera itself doesn’t seem to register with them at all.

[Jordan Writes]

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.

[Elena Voss]

Mine’s in a spot where the IR kicks on around dusk and the birds don’t seem to care one bit. They keep coming back to the same perch every evening. If the light were bothering them they’d have found somewhere else by now.

[Rachel Cole]

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.

[Devvit]

Mine’s been up since spring and I’ve never seen a bird react to the night mode. They look at the camera because it’s sitting right where the food is, not because of any light. If they were actually bothered they’d stop showing up, and mine come back every night.

[MikeRobbins]

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.

[Tom Bill]

I’ve watched mine for about six weeks and the IR doesn’t seem to bother the regulars at all. What I did notice is the birds that do stare at it are the ones already sitting on the perch, so it’s probably just the camera being right there. That said, if it keeps happening with the same bird, something else might be up.

[Mike89]

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.

[Paul847]

Mine’s only been up about three weeks so I’m no expert, but the IR thing hasn’t seemed to matter much. What I’ve noticed is the birds that show up at night are mostly just passing through anyway, so they’re not hanging around long enough to get bothered. The regulars during the day couldn’t care less. I did get one clip of a possum staring straight into the lens though, so at least something’s interested in it.

[Taylor R.]

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.

[d4niel]

Mine actually did seem to spook a couple birds early on. They’d land, catch that faint red glow, and take off again. Settled down after a week or so though.

[Chris Lee]

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.

[Sophie Nguyen]

Appreciate all the replies, sounds like I was probably reading too much into the staring thing. My regulars have kept showing up either way so I’ll just leave it be and enjoy the night clips.

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