Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,083
38,825


Bird Buddy, known for its line of camera-equipped bird feeders and accessories, today launched new nature tech products, Wonder Blocks and Petal. The devices are designed to let users attract and view all manner of insects, from butterflies to bees.

wonder-kickstarter.jpg

Wonder Blocks is a modular system that create an ecosystem for pollinators, and there are several different components that are part of the setup. The system includes smart planters, a hummingbird feeder, a butterfly feeder, a butterfly shelter, a bee habitat, a bee observatory, a stream for providing insects with water, an observation pole, and a frame for holding all of the components. Petal is an AI camera that attaches to the Wonder Blocks setup so that users can watch the pollinators that visit their homes.

The camera, which is equipped with a solar panel, is able to recognize more than 2,000 species of butterflies, bees, birds, and plants in real time, and it can be equipped with either wide or macro lens options. As with the Bird Buddy, camera footage is turned into more viewable snapshots that are viewable in the associated app.

For the Petal camera, footage is turned into "beautifully narrated nature clips." The camera is able to identify creatures, but it can also detect behavior patterns and environmental changes to alert users about nesting or plant stress. It also visualizes biodiversity activity and provides an impact score on the contribution the user is making to their local ecosystem. While the Petal camera can be mounted to the Wonder Blocks setup, it is also possible to mount the cameras anywhere in an existing garden.

petal-kickstarter.jpg

There are three different versions of the Wonder Blocks available to order. The Wonder Planter is a self-watering planter that has an integrated Bee Habitat that can integrate with a full Wonder Blocks system or work on a standalone basis. The Wonder Blocks are the main modular habitat with an observation pole, feeding stations, and more, while the Wonder Blocks Hero is the full-featured setup with The Frame and multiple cameras.

The Wonder Blocks and Petal have already raised more than $1.2 million on Kickstarter, where the project has launched. The first products are set to launch in June 2026, so only pre-orders are available right now.

The Petal camera alone is $129, while the Petal Duo bundle with wide and macro lenses is $249. The Habitat with no camera is $149, and the Wonder Blocks set with Petal camera is $299. A Hero set with two cameras and extra accessories is also available $499.

Article Link: Bird Buddy Debuts New 'Wonder Blocks' and 'Petal' Products for Getting Up Close to Pollinators
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: blob.DK
Yeah, I don’t understand the tenuous link to apple’s product ecosystem. There are much more useful products that could be featured.

Nice as the product is, this isn’t the kind of news I would expect.

Like what? I try to share different things that I think a variety of people might be interested in, so if there's something new and useful let me know and we can check it out. We've covered Bird Buddy before, and have a couple reviews coming up, so it's not totally out of left field. If it's an accessory for an Apple product or has a useful/cool app, I think it's fair game.
 
I'm sure those bee's are gonna LOVE all that wi-fi / bluetooth radiation coming off that thing!
 
What's the world come to, when instead of getting out into nature and taking in all it's beauty naturally, you now have a camera and watch a tiny bit of it on your phone screen? I guess it's better than no nature at all, but how often are you going to look at this for how long, when you could just use that time to go outside instead of being glued to a screen even longer.
 
Like what? I try to share different things that I think a variety of people might be interested in, so if there's something new and useful let me know and we can check it out. We've covered Bird Buddy before, and have a couple reviews coming up, so it's not totally out of left field. If it's an accessory for an Apple product or has a useful/cool app, I think it's fair game.
This thing does seem a bit odd. A good fit for this website as it is at least a year away from release and rather costly. <grin> I respect and enjoy the work you do here Juli. Maybe the other (guys) think this is beneath them.
Does this mean there will be more kitty photos?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.