A man experienced an unexpected surprise when his bird feeder camera alert indicated a human presence, only for the ‘human’ in question to leave him feeling unsettled.
Installing CCTV and cameras around our properties often comes with the understanding that we are doing so to safeguard ourselves and our belongings.
Yet, at times, we utilize them to observe things we wouldn’t typically be able to witness, such as birds feeding during nighttime hours.
Most people don’t have the luxury of time to watch birds throughout the day, so when the chance arises to capture them on camera, it’s an opportunity worth seizing.
Nonetheless, this can sometimes lead to missing out on eerie occurrences happening around your home while you rest.
An example of this was recorded and shared on Reddit by a man who wanted to show others what his bird feeder had detected.
He uploaded a screenshot from the camera, which displayed the time as 8:08am, and explained to the subreddit, r/Weird: “My bird feeder app gave me a notification that said ‘Human body detected.’ There’s what appears to be a disembodied face to the right.”
In the picture, you can distinctly see a night vision view with a bird perched at the bird feeder.
He shared more about his experience and the ‘human’ supposedly detected with a publication, revealing some intriguing details.
He detailed that the footage was captured ‘in the south-east of the Netherlands,’ and although he hadn’t received any human detection alerts on his app before the incident, he ‘did get a few more afterwards’.
He mentioned that since the incident, there have been ‘no new sightings unfortunately’ of the eerie face, and he believes the alert was probably triggered by the bird, stating: “I’m sure the bird set the alert off, and the face just happened to be a creepy coincidence.”
As to whether it was truly a ghostly visage, people have been spooked yet have generally concluded that it’s a trick of perception.
One individual commented: “Holy s*** that branch/leaf face is terrifying.”
Another remarked: “I see it but I think it’s just how the branches and leaves look in that particular spot.”
Someone else added: “Probably, the location of the face doesn’t make sense given the surroundings. Still creepy.”
Indeed, it was merely the leaves (or so they say) that activated the bird feeder, with what looked like a floating head being formed out of leaves, branches, and lighting.
The phenomenon of seeing faces in objects and scenery, known as Pareidolia, was mentioned to explain the ‘face’: “Paradolia mixed with grainy lighting and over exposure. Nothing unusual here. With that being said, if I got that notification alone in the night I would p*** myself.”
However, it does lead to other questions.
A user pondered: “Are we not questioning WHY THE F*** does the bird feeder app even HAVE a notification for THAT SPECIFIC THING?????”
That remains to be explained.