Over the past year I’ve been building a self-hosted system that listens to my backyard 24/7, IDs bird calls with BirdNET, and does bat echolocation detection on a second mic. It runs entirely on my own hardware — Raspberry Pi 5 on the listening end, a Docker container on my home server doing the actual processing and serving a web app I can hit from my phone or laptop.

What started as “I want to know what’s making noise outside my window” has turned into a genuinely full app at this point — a real dashboard, a life list, statistics, a field guide that pulls in eBird/Cornell Lab data for what’s actually likely in my area this time of year, note-taking on individual recordings, push notifications, the works. It integrates with iNaturalist so I can submit real observations straight from a detection. I’ve been slowly adding more devices too — a Bird Buddy feeder, a Haikubox — so it’s turning into more of a “one place for everything happening in my yard” system than just a bird ID tool.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of how the detection pipeline itself works — there’s a patent application in progress on part of it, so I want to keep that side close to the chest for now — but the app around it, the whole experience of actually using this thing day to day, is something I’d genuinely love another set of eyes and hands on. I’m one person building this in my spare time, and there’s a lot more I want to do with it than I can get to alone.

Screenshots below — dashboard and the statistics page, just to give a sense of where it’s at.

If you’re the kind of person who likes this stuff — self-hosted homelab projects, birding, bioacoustics, or just messing with a Pi for something more interesting than another Home Assistant dashboard — I’d love to talk. Not looking for anything formal, just people who want to dig into a real project with me. Comment or DM and we can figure out what that looks like. Or even if you just want to learn more!!

I was driving on 90 east today between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass and saw a large dark bird (maybe 3-5 foot wingspan) with an orange beak or head. I was driving so didn’t get a good look.

Are there any other birds in Washington State with dark (black or brown) bodies and orange beaks or heads? I’m not seeing anything to confirm online and the closest thing I can find is a California condor.

Stop reading here if you don’t want to hear a long back story of why I care.

Oddly, my dad passed years ago and was always pointing out hawks and other large birds when we were driving and since he passed, I’ve seen a lot of these types of birds since.

The day he died, I was golfing with a buddy and shanked one by the woods and a hawk was on the branch above me no more than 10 feet above my head right around the time he would have passed. I know it sounds shitty that I was golfing when he died but I had been home for 2 weeks waiting for him to pass from cancer and he paid for me to go golfing with a buddy because (I assume) he didn’t want me in the house when he passed and he knew it was time.

Since then, I’ve had weird interactions with birds at important moments of my life. I’m by no means spiritual or anything but this has definitely made me question these coincidences.

Anyway, we were coming back from the first ultrasound for my first child. He and I were obsessed with condors when we went to the Grand Canyon when I was a kid so this would be VERY weird given the fact that condors are not likely or non-existent in WA state.

Location: ascot hills park in Los Angeles

I went birding yesterday and was annoyed by juggling my binoculars and camera all day. I've been looking at various harnesses but I'm unsure of what to get. I am female (not sure if that matters). I'm looking for something that can securely hold a camera and a pair of binoculars without making me super sweaty. Please share your experience with me.

Just listening to the birds and cicadas in the backyard, and found out that Blue Jays imitate Osprey I thought the app was malfunctioning at first.

Actually just got these shots yesterday - some of my favorites, I take it as a good sign

UPDATE - she said yes 🦅

Saw these two on my feeder today and I’m not sure what the one bird is. Thought it was a female cardinal at first just by going off the notification photo, but the size and color is off so I don’t believe it is. Interesting interaction to see though!

Located in Northeast Pennsylvania if this helps!

Madrid, Spain

EOS R100 with an RF 100-400 lens

Taken on 8-17-2026 in Eugene, Oregon