Bird Buddy, the startup best known for turning birdwatching into a livestreamed hobby with its AI-powered feeder cams, is branching out. Literally.
We first saw the new Wonder-branded duo – Petal and Blocks – back at CES in January, where we awarded a Best in Show to the former.
And now, you can order them via Kickstarter… although shipping isn’t estimated until June 2026.
Starting with the Wonder Petal and it’s a solar-powered garden camera designed to quietly observe bugs, blossoms, and whatever else is crawling or growing in your flower beds.
It teams up with the wider modular system called Wonder Blocks, which includes planters, pollinator shelters, and a central trellis-like frame.
Petal is essentially a 4K, 12MP camera on a flexible stem that can be stuck into the soil, clipped onto a pot, or mounted more permanently. A small solar panel disguised as a leaf helps keep it powered, and the camera’s lens can be swapped out depending on whether you’re aiming for close-up macro shots or wider footage.
The idea is to make it easy to capture what’s happening at ground level; from butterflies landing on flowers to bees visiting a DIY wildflower patch.
Petal uses what it calls “Nature Intelligence” – a blend of computer vision and sound recognition that can supposedly detect and interpret events like bees pollinating, a flower blooming, or a butterfly flapping its wings.
What’s more interesting is how this fits into Bird Buddy’s broader ambitions. With Wonder, the company is moving beyond birds to create what it describes as a full “backyard ecosystem platform.”
The Wonder Blocks system is modular – think Lego for nature nerds – and includes things like self-watering planters, bee hotels, butterfly feeders, and micro water features. All of it designed to attract more biodiversity, and all of it (of course) trackable via the Wonder app.
While some of this risks tipping into gimmick territory, there’s genuine potential here too, particularly for families, schools, or anyone looking to better understand (and support) the quieter parts of local wildlife.
And coming from a team that’s already delivered one hit in this space, the execution may actually live up to the promise.
The Kickstarter includes multiple bundles, from a single Petal ($129) to a full Wonder Blocks setup ($299+) and a $499 “Hero” pack that throws in two Petals, planters, pollinator shelters, and the modular frame.
There’s no subscription required, and existing Bird Buddy users can apparently expect cross-platform features down the line.
It’s not cheap, but if the tech holds up, it could make the “smart garden” idea feel less like a novelty and more like something actually worth planting.
