The Perch Light is a lovely illuminated gadget, a lighting fixture that doubles as dynamic decor.

Wrapped in synthetic paper, the counterbalanced bird rocks gently in the breeze or when poked gently.

London-based architect and designer Umut Yamac originally created a limited run (or: flock) of these a few years back, but recently relaunched them commercially as well.

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Remote-controlled flying machines used to be firmly in the realm of the hobbyist, but the rise of the drones has made the technology available to just about anyone. The problem with most RC planes and copters is that they have spinning rotors which can prove dangerous to nearby wildlife. A much more natural version of the drone is in the works, and it looks and moves so naturally that even other birds can’t tell the difference. The nine-gram bird charges on a small egg-shaped charger. In just 12 minutes it gets enough of a charge for 10 flights of up to eight minutes each.

The Bionic Bird is biomimetic, meaning that it is designed to look and act like its natural counterparts. When it’s flying, the Bionic Bird alternately flaps its wings and glides on the air currents. To anyone who isn’t scrutinizing the drone with binoculars, a high-flying Bionic Bird is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. The bird is controlled via Bluetooth 4.0 from a smartphone or tablet, which makes it easy to fly but also limits your range to about 100 meters. Future planned developments include motion control and support for Android devices.

Although we can imagine how much fun the Bionic Bird would be to play with, it’s also a little scary to know that one fitted with a camera could easily go unnoticed basically anywhere. The creators of the bird drone launched a wildly successful IndieGoGo campaign that raised more than 620% of its initial goal. The drone itself and its control programs are still under development, but the system is expected to be fully operational by Spring 2016.

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The humble cuckoo clock is a reminder of simpler times, when we could be delighted by a bird popping out of a box on the hour. The Charming Bird watch from master Swiss watchmakers Jaquet Droz is a unique take on the cuckoo clock aesthetic, using 18th century automaton to make a truly breathtaking watch.

The transparent watch face lets you see all of the watch’s inner workings – cogs, pistons, gears, and all of the other bits and bobs that keep wristwatches running. That alone is lovely, but the addition of the singing bird is what makes this watch charming. The songbird sits in a transparent bubble near the bottom of the watch face. It is seemingly impossibly intricate, staying true to even the tiniest details on the bird’s feathers and eyes.

But the truly spectacular feature is the way the bird flaps its wings, moves its head and opens its mouth to sing. The action is driven by a miniaturized version of 18th century watch-making techniques, namely a piston-driven bellows system. If you’ve got your heart set on getting one, you’d better start saving your nickels now – it costs a cool half million dollars and only 28 units will ever be made. (A video of a working prototype can be seen on A Blog to Watch.)

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Although portable music players seem like a rather recent invention, they have existed in some form for hundreds of years. The one above was built in 1890 by famed Parisian automaton maker Blaise Bontems. It faithfully reproduces the sound of a bird singing beautifully via a complex series of moving parts. It was restored by Michael Start of The House of Automata.

The sounds created by this 120 year old gadget are surprisingly realistic. The bellows, gears and springs all work together to make a song that is lovely and sounds just like a live bird. The electronics of today might be able to record actual birdsong and play it back, but they can’t invent sounds from intricate moving parts like this antique. And in our humble estimation, those invented sounds are far more compelling than the reproduced ones.

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Bird watching is about to join the 21st century thanks to the Bird Photo Booth. The device is basically a bird feeder with a space inside for a smartphone or GoPro camera. As birds come up to feast on the treats set out for them, the phone or camera captures their images from up close and sends them – via Bluetooth or wi-fi – to another device.

The user controls the shutter from the second device. You can take still macro pictures or HD video (with sound!) of the birds that come up to eat from the adjustable stainless steel bowl. The Bird Photo Booth’s design keeps the bowl out of the frame while letting birds get very close to the lens for the most incredible nature shots ever.

The case protects your expensive equipment from curious wildlife but still lets you utilize your high-tech stuff to enjoy nature in a completely new way. The device allows you to mount whatever type of bird feeder or food will attract the kind of bird you want to photograph. The feeders can be moved into whatever position will offer the best view of the birds.

If you don’t want to take pictures of birds but are interested in other animals (or maybe your new neighbors – we aren’t judging), the Bird Photo Booth offers the perfect outdoor camouflage for your smartphone or camera. Future generations of gadgets will be compatible with the Bird Phone Booth thanks to interchangeable interior foam pads that hold the devices in place.

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