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Posted by arnemunthekaas 22 hours ago

Show HN: An e-ink frame that hears birds and draws them as 1800s illustrations(github.com)
See also: Avian Visitors - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48343424 - May 2026 (20 comments)
1649 points | 206 commentspage 4
smnplk 13 hours ago|
Needs to also have an alarm clock waking you with this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4J1zyrW_VQ&list=RD-4J1zyrW_... :)
thuruv 13 hours ago||
This is an excellent execution and refreshing to see the thought process behind it. Kudos. the ideas such as these, gonna keep us swim sane and specifically extending far beyond the 9-5 is no longer sideProject category but refreshingly needed one.
mrbombastic 18 hours ago||
this is so cool :) thinking about some remixes already with maritime traffic and tides
pnw 20 hours ago||
Cool project! I set up an e-ink frame with this recently as a gift and it's been so much fun creating themed collections.

https://github.com/defl/hokku_epaper

sailfast 18 hours ago||
I just happen to have an extra Pi and an e-ink display sitting around and I LOVE this idea. Going to try it on my screened in porch - we typically get 10-20 Merlin detections on a decent day so this could be fun!
albertgoeswoof 17 hours ago||
I built one of these that shows the hacker news front page, nyt front page, my most listened to album of the last 7 days etc.

Refreshes every hour

Battery lasts a few months

Esp32 and a colour eink panel, same as this one I think

the_real_cher 17 hours ago|
That sounds cool! Where did you get your color e-ink panel?
albertgoeswoof 16 hours ago||
I got https://www.waveshare.com/13.3inch-e-paper-hat-plus-e.htm from Amazon, about 300 gbp
the_real_cher 10 hours ago||
Thats cool thanks!
jarek83 19 hours ago||
Cool project!

On a side note. How do people deal with all the ugly mess birds cause in such settings? I'd love to have such thing but seeing all the white stuff on glass door does not really feel fun to me overall.

originalvichy 19 hours ago||
What do you mean specifically? These birdsong analyzers are sensitive enough that they do not rely on setting up a feeder. It’s obviously dependent on where you live, but in the Nordics, living outside city centres is good enough for both background noise and birdsong from nearby trees/parks/forests. Privacy matters aside, setting a mic up on a balcony or window is enough. Another solution is feeding data from a cheap security camera with a mic through wifi. This way the camera can stay outside in different weather, it’s not super close to you actual living area and splitting audio from the RTSP stream should be relatively easy to be analyzed by BirdNET.
jarek83 18 hours ago||
Well I specifically meant having a bird feeder on a window or glass door for a chance to watch them live closely. That's why I put it as a side note ;)

You gave me few ideas for the analyzer setup too - thanks!

originalvichy 16 hours ago||
Yeah that’s definitely going to be messy. Based on your region, there should hopefully be generic security cams that can even work with a batter and solar. That combined with wifi if it can reach your house can hopefully steer the blast zone way further :D There’s a few TP-Link cameras on discount around 100€ that have 2k res. Feels a lot easier this way rather than taping together a weatherproof box for various components like the Pi and a mic. So far I’ve only used a plug-powered one since I have a IP-rated socket outside and the TP-link cam has a magnet for my wall. Hope you find a nice solution!
eichin 18 hours ago||
Sounds like you've got birds crashing into the door? That's often something that can be improved (with stickers or hanging decorations) that make the glass more perceptible to the birds. (Another thing that sometimes helps is having bushes or shrubs, or even potted plants, in sight of the feeder - most small birds will use a "staging area" and fly somewhere nearby first, "check out the scene", and then fly to the feeder from there; it doesn't really control the activity, but it adds some options.)
forcemajeure 9 hours ago||
This is amazing, well done! It would be a great travel piece
RGS1811 21 hours ago||
This is one of the most wonderful uses of AI I've seen in a while.
telesilla 21 hours ago|
I agree. It's such a pity Cats don't recognize images, would make for wonderful CatTV.
water-drummer 7 hours ago|
Reminds me of Arthur's jounal
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