Not everone is into bird watching,but recently it is a past time that has been grabbing the interest of a lot of people. The My Spy Birdhouse is appealing to this new interest, but the question is does it really allow you to see the birds without scaring them?
Overview This product is a simple birdhouse that is held to your window with two suction cups. It has a two way mirror so you can see what the birds are doing when they enter it. While you can see them, they can’t see you so you are less likely to frighten them. It really is a unique way for bird lovers to get up close to be intrigued by the visiting birds.
The Claim
The Company claims that the product is made with sturdy materials and all weather suction cups to prevent it from falling off the glass. They claim that it will work on all types of glass. They promote the fact that it is an ideal learning adventure for children.
The Hype
For the My Spy Birdhouse it would be more appropriate to approach their marketing concept as appeal rather than hype. While there are tons of birdhouses on the market, and some even similar to this particular one like the Coveside Panoramic In-house Window Bird Feeder available at Amazon, the price of the My Spy is quite reasonable. The Company can rely on the fact that there are lots of people of all ages who love to watch birds.
The Cost
If you choose to purchase this product, it is going to cost you $23. which includes your shipping and handling. You also have a bonus option. This is a closeup bird feeder that you would have to pay just the shipping and handling for which would be an extra $8. There is a 30 day money back guarantee which excludes the shipping and handling.
The Commitment
This is going to take a 2 step commitment. First you are going to have to take a few moments to install the birdhouse, which appears to be quite easy. The real commitment comes to taking the time to observe the birds when they discover your bird house as their new home.
Evaluation
Whenever a product encourages the observance of nature then it is a good thing. There are many benefits to bird watching that is applicable to all age groups. This product is appealing because it does allow one to observe these beauties of nature without intruding on their privacy or frightening them. As mentioned there are several similar type products on the market, and for the most part the reviews in general for these are good. One word of caution though is, that even if the birds cannot see you observing them, you need to be quiet during your observations and not touch the glass as they could pick up on the sound and this in turn could frighten them. If they have had babies in this new home and the Mom gets scared she may not return to the nest.
Final My Spy Birdhouse Review
The concept of this birdhouse seems to be appealing to many and based on this and the overall reviews of this type of product we have decided to give the My Spy Birdhouse a thumbs up rating. It appears to be made of good quality materials and is durable for the elements. It is reasonably priced and offers a lot of bird watching opportunities for youngsters who want to study nature, and for the shut ins who will certainly be able to enjoy a little of what nature has to offer without costing them a fortune.
Our Recommendation
If you really enjoy animals whether it be the domestic kind or those who live in the world of nature, this product would be a good addition to your pet related products. A lot of time we put a great deal of attention on our domestic pets such as our dogs for example, and their safety and comfort. You can see evidence of this in our review of the Pet Cave which is appealing for both dog lovers and their canine friends. It is worth investing a little money in a product that allows you to safely get up close to the animals who live in the free world like our birds, so we think the My Spy Birdhouse is ideal for this.
Ive had mine up on a window in my bedroom for a couple of years, sorta forgetting about it. Just recently, I started to hear some bustle and opened up a curtain that I rarely open and, alas! There’s a nest in there. I’m excited to see what ends up with it! I hear the bird in there early every morning now!! I have a 2nd one i Haven’t put up yet and now Im anxious to find a spot for it!
DOES NOT WORK —- JUST NOW TOOK IT DOWN AFTER BEING UP FOR 4 YRS —–DON’T BUY THIS PRODUCT —PERIOD — WASTE OF MONEY
How do you attract birds to your birdhouse?
I have a friend that has been very pleased with hers. She has had babies in hers the last two years !!! I bought my 1st one today & cannot wait to mount it. I found the My Spy Birdhouse, as seen on TV at Family Dollar today for only $5 !! So glad I didn’t order one on-line.
Imagine the pomposity of writing reviews for products that you never even saw? Maybe these “reviews” are paid advertisements or perhaps just the brain child of someone who really believes he’s smarter than anyone else who looked at a picture.
This “review” site is a waste of time and an insult to anyone fooled into wasting their time to read it.
I’ve had my house up for almost a year and while sitting in my yard the other day, I realized why birds won’t go in it. When they fly up to it, they get spooked by their reflection in the window that it is mounted on. Unless you can put something on the outside of the window so they won’t see their reflection when they fly up to it, they will get spooked everytime.
What side of house should this my spy bird house be
Can you say “parabolics”?? If you knew anything about them, you’d realize that there is NO way the I spy bird-feeder could have possibly started a fire. I smell a fish… a BIG fish. Do your homework – and science. If a fire marshall determined this was the cause, he is the biggest idiot ever or your neighbor is. I am not for or against this product, but this is clearly bologna at its worst.
I have a male beta fish so I was worried a lot about the mirror. Chickadees surrender very easily and may leave a potential nest site upon seeing another bird wanting the nest. I simply do not use the mirror. I have gotten a black capped chickadee interested in my house. shortly after getting my my spy birdhouse i put two feeders near the house(15 ft and 5ft away) and put some leaves off of tulips in the house and the black capped chickadee has landed on top of the house(claiming the house) and landing near the perch. So it may work but it seems to me that birds and far more untrusting of this birdhouse.. who wouldnt be? With all the movement and on a window near activity. The place to put it.. if you want a chance at getting a bird would be on a window facing a nonactive area such as a backyard. And you cant put a feeder too near the birdhouse otherwise birds will be scared off by competition and possibly no birds will nest. But a feeder, nesting material placed in or around house, and a water source will help attract birds. I wouldnt dismiss this product I would just say you have to be patient and when you get a bird nesting very very cautious.
This is in ressponse to some other comments about the bird feces on the window.. there is a protective clear piece of plexy glass that goes between the birdhouse and the window so no feces or other debris would touch the window at all
I have a myspy birdhouse and i havent got a bird in it yet. I do not use the one way mirror thing because wouldnt the birds get spooked if the saw another bird in the house?? I do use the cardboard do not disturb sign though. But about the one way mirror.. I think that would spook them.. anyone agree?
My neighbor just posted that his I spy bird-feeder started a fire apparently by concentrating the sun’s light on a fence next to his window where it was installed. Be careful with this product. If it weren’t for an observant neighbor and quick response by the local fire department (a block away), his home could have gone up in smoke!
we have had this house installed on our window, with the blinds down for added security and not one bird has decided to inhabit this house. We do have about 20 other wooden birdhouses on our property and those are very attractive to the birds. I think tha nesting on the side of the house is just not attractive to them. So, in my opinion, this little house is a bust and we lost money thinking it would work.
I have had this product for 6 weeks. For the size of the birds that nest near my house, the materials it is made from are adequate. I placed it in an area that should have appealed to birds. We have a bird house on a pole nearby that currently has a nest of baby American Blue Birds being taken care of by their parents. We have had 2 nests built in the My Spy Birdhouse. Unfortunately they have been red wasps nests! So does it attract nature? Sure.:-) But you might not end up with the kind of nest you had hoped for. We are trying one more location before passing it along to our 6 year old grandson. He might enjoy watching wasps.
I followed all instructions for where/how to attach My Spy Birdhouse but have failed to attract any birds to it. When I called for help the customer service rep all but laughed that I was asking for tips and said they do not have any information on helping or any tips for customers. About the suction cups, they work well (at least with no nest in it) but that’s the only good I have to say…
My concern (with relation to this product review) is not that you guys rely on other posts around the internet for your information but to ask where you are getting positive reviews? There are a few things to consider and overall, I’ve found nothing to suggest that the company or products is reliable. My main concern is whether or not the birds will use it. They won’t. I have looked for ANY indication that the box attracts native birds and I have seen no one saying that they have seen any takers. I’d love to hear that I am wrong. All the concerns that Jennifer brought up (except for the mites… that one is not an issue… there is bacteria and mites possible in these nests but the main issue is that the outside of your window would get covered in bird poop but nothing would get into your house and if it did, it would only be a danger to your pet birds) are valid. The company claims that the birds can’t see you but in reality, because the box is dark and your room is light, the birds would see you much better than you see them. All the other issues, the weak suction cups, the cheap plastic housing, etc, would be a problem if the box actually attracted birds. But it won’t. If anyone were to be able to show native birds using the box, it would be the company that produces it but if you look at the birds using it in the commercial, you see that the birds are actually Canaries or some other pet birds. The nesting material they show being used is commercially provided string nesting material used by pet birds. Don’t waste your money on this.
A few things I found out that deterred me from buying this product or something similar. The suction cups may fail while there is a nest inside and will fall and kill the birds/ baby birds. Also in some cases there are mites, lice and or maggots that grow in the nests that could come in your house and affect other pets and your kids in the house. If the baby birds are abandoned by the parents for any reason you will witness baby birds die. So in a nutshell (especially if you have kids) you may have a very REAL nature experience that you might not want to have. I’m sure cleaning up the nest from your window wouldn’t be pretty either. So just a few things to consider if you are interested in something like this.
I’ve been quite skeptical of this product since seeing their commercial for the first time. A child would need to be supervised by a mature adult who’s familiar with birds and species in their area. These are living creatures and this is putting human elements into their breeding process. I say mature adult because there’s plenty of adults out there who have no respect for nature and don’t care about the consequences their actions might cause on living creatures and their habitats. Animal life isn’t valued as much as it should be, especially if it isn’t cuddly and sweet.
First of all, we don’t know how good the suction cups are that are being used and the person installing it would have to ensure that they’ve properly cleaned the surface they’re attaching it to as well as making sure that it’s staying secure. It could appear secure but as the eggs are laid, the eggs hatch, and the baby birds grow it may not be secure enough to support the weight anymore causing it to crash to the ground. I, personally, would try to keep something soft below it to help lessen the blow in case it did fall or add some straps to tie it upward to help spread out the weight but keeping an eye to see if predators can get to it. I’m not saying that the suction cups aren’t good but I just don’t know and that would concern me a lot.
As the review states, birds can be scared of easily and possibly never return to the nest leaving the baby birds to die. This is just nature and their natural instincts. Every species is different and some species are more likely to be scared off by certain things. Though it is a two way mirror that covers the window light still will seep through. It wont be completely blacked out and I would imagine that light will seep through the edges of the cover. Animals don’t understand electricity and light and dark is their way of knowing the time of day it is. Having the lights coming into their birdhouse randomly could interfere with the growth as well as possibly scare of the mommy or daddy bird leaving the baby birds behind to die. Also, how are the birds reacting the mirror image. I’m sure no long term studies have been done on it because it hasn’t been necessary but animals are creature of habit and any change could really hurt a species. If the mirror didn’t go up until the eggs were laid and suddenly is there then the mommy bird or daddy bird (some species have the males care for the babies) could think that another bird is in their nest. I know it sounds ridiculous but we just don’t know how they’ll react. Some animals will attack their reflection in a mirror.
Lastly, there is the noise issue. When the bird originally starts making the nest there’s going to be very little interest. When the eggs are laid it will slightly increase but when the eggs hatch there will be a lot interest. Everyone is going to want to see what they’re doing and how they’re growing. If they’re not quiet or it’s not in a quiet room, it could scare off the mommy or daddy bird who’s taking care of the nest. Even if the child is supervised while watching what if they decide to go check it out while their supervision is taking a nap and wants them to move around or thinks one is dead, after all children can be quite dramatic, and start tapping on the glass. What if they have a friend over who’s parents haven’t raised them to have respect for nature and animals? All it takes is one scream or one bang on the glass to scare off the bird for good leaving starving baby birds in your window.
I know some of this might be a little far fetched depending on the circumstances and the species in one’s area but it’s definately something to think about especially when kids are involved. I know the makers aren’t going to pursue these issues much because it might effect their sales but I think some in depth studies need to be done acorss the country with these bird houses. It’s a clever idea and it never hurts to find ways to better their own product. They have a product that could help people develop an interest they never knew they had. A child could pick a new career choice to be when they grow up. We just have to respect nature and do the most we can to not interupt their habitats and routines.
They’re not telling you if it works or not. They’re telling you what other people have said about the products. I just discovered this site and am really enjoying reading the different reviews. I appreciate it because I would have to spend a lot of time doing numerous searches to find out what the reviews are saying when the recap is right here. On top of that, anyone can write their personal experiences right here adding to the reviews. I’d rather see a recap of reviews from different sources than a single person’s opinion because then I’m back at the starting point of having to keep searching to read other opinions from different sites to make sure I’m getting the right information.
How in the world can you say if something works or not without actually testing it? There’s no telling how acurate someone else’s written review of a product is or even if they actually own it or are just marketing it.
We really appreciate your feedback. Everyone’s experience can vary from purchase to purchase, and I’m sorry you had a bad experience with My Spy Birdhouse. Your feedback will help others make an informed decision on whether or not to purchase this item, which is the type of community we want at DoesItReallyWork.org.
We are currently unable to physically test every item we evaluate, but we do assess the opinions of dozens other shoppers from various different sources from around the web, and for this product the feedback at the time we reviewed it was mostly positive. Management changes can also hurt a companies service and reputation overnight as we have seen before.
You guys should actually order products and try them out before you review them. The bird house is cheap plastic made to look like wood on the commercial, it can take several weeks to show up on your doorstep, the company will sell your information to third parties to blow up your phone with telemarketers, and the sleaziest part of all is that a sales rep will call you within days of ordering and tell you that your credit card will be charged $30 a month (for a separate, totally unrelated product) unless you cancel when you receive the package. This product is a scam, and you should remove this review if you care about this website’s credibility. Start getting affiliated with products that are actually worth buying.