Gastonia attorney becomes social media hit with his bird's-eye view of avian life

As Ash Smith was growing up in Eastern North Carolina, he recalled how his father built blue bird houses and put them around his White Lake home and all 18 holes at the golf course. His mother loved cardinals and would tell him when she saw one it was a message from a loved one.

His remembers the enjoyment both his parents took from seeing hummingbirds come to a feeder they placed right outside their kitchen window. Smith still cherishes the little illustrated book on identifying birds, along with some binoculars, his father left him.

So when Smith saw an advertisement for a kickstarter project on a bird-feeding device called Bird Buddy he knew he wanted to buy one, even if the cost seemed a bit steep at first.

Bird Buddy not only helps Smith feed birds, but the bird feeder also takes snapshots and videos of feathered friends as they fly in to eat some treats. The startup says its AI technology can recognize more than 1,000 species of birds, allowing users to share through a mobile app what kind of birds they’re feeding.

"I immediately thought of how excited my father, and my mother as well, would have been to have been able to see the birds up close like this," Smith said in an exchange of emails. "It was a bit expensive but I just knew I had to have one. It makes me feel like I am sharing something with my parents even though they’re both gone now."

Weeks ago, Smith started posting the "post cards," as the company calls them, of his close up photographs and videos of Carolina chickadees, tufted titmouses, Carolina wrens, and of course, cardinals to his Facebook page to the delight of his friends. Some have told him they check in daily just for a virtual moment with nature..

"When the light is really good, you can see inside the birds’ eyes and the detail in their feathers. There is an almost iridescent sheen to the feathers," Smith said. "The video quality is really amazing."

Bird Buddy started shipping its bird feeders in September and reports it has already sold all 100,000 in its inventory. The price for the basic feeder is $199, although Smith's cost an additional $50 because it came with a solar charger built into the roof.

Smith has worked as an attorney for the city of Gastonia for more than 27 years, and has been the city attorney since 2002, offering legal counsel to City Council and town officials from his City Hall office. He lives in the appropriately avian-named Eagles Walk neighborhood near the intersection of Union and Beatty Roads, not too far from Forestview High School.

After seeing the popularity of Smith's bird videos and photographs, The Gazette asked Smith some questions about his Bird Buddy, which he kindly answered.

What's your role in making it work?

I buy regular bird seed mix that includes sunflower seeds and refill it as needed. I am going to try dried meal worms next to see if I can attract blue birds, which have not yet paid a visit to it much to my chagrin. You periodically will get a message from the app telling you to update the software. You have to detach the camera from the feeder, plug it in to a charging cord, and then leave it undisturbed for about 30 minutes after you tap the app and tell it to update. It’s also important to periodically wash and clean the feeder to protect the birds from spreading illnesses to one another.

Has this fed your avian interest?

You have to download the Bird Buddy app to use the feeder. You use the app to view the photos and videos, though of course you can download them to your phone or computer. The app preliminarily identifies the bird for you though it doesn’t always get it right. You can tap on the photo and it will tell you about the species, show you a map of their habitat range in North America, and other facts. It’s definitely educated me about species I was not familiar with (Dark-eyed Junco, anyone?) and made me go to Wikipedia to read more about the species I wasn’t familiar with.

Any surprises?

As mentioned, I haven’t gotten a blue bird yet and I really would like that. I have so many photos and videos of cardinals now that it’s almost too much. I really think it is the same male and female cardinal coming every day now and they are just chowing down. Lots of finches and sparrows too. Brown-headed cowbirds are mean! They will fight each other in the feeder and of course run any other species off.

Why a social sensation?

I thought there would be some interest but it really has been a big hit with a lot of folks. It has been really interesting to be the “early adopter” and see all the reactions from my Facebook friends. I’ve had several people comment that they check every day now for the videos.

Things to know before buying?

Obviously you have to have a smartphone to download the Bird Buddy app and a Wi-Fi network with coverage to the part of your yard where you place the Bird Buddy.

I’ve seen several knock offs by other companies and can’t really speak to whether they are better or worse than Bird Buddy but I did have one Facebook friend who bought a knock-off and last I heard she could not get it to take photos.

There is apparently quite a wait list now for the Bird Buddy feeder and it may take you several months to get one. Again, be patient when you get one as it takes a few weeks to really start sending photos.

Difficult to install?

Out of the box, it is really not that hard. I do think the area where you plug the camera into the cord to the solar charger is a bit tight. It took me a few weeks to place the feeder in a spot in my back yard where the sunlight was on the solar panels long enough to adequately charge it. It’s working very smoothly now.

Final bird shot

I’ve been called a bird brain before and I guess this really seals the deal now!

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@GastonGazette.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Bird Buddy turns Gastonia attorney into Facebook sensation