US Patent 9247719 Flying animal feeder control, monitoring, and reporting system

Powered flying animal sustenance-dispensing stations described herein may be capable of supplying food or water to flying animals, of controlling electrical loads that prevent liquid sustenance freeze-up or overheating and other loads that help sanitize the sustenance, that illuminate the station, or that generate sounds; of acquiring and processing data from a variety of sensors both internal and external to the station, and of reporting both raw and processed data. They may also be capable of wirelessly communicating with other stations, or with non-station devices over wireless communication networks to facilitate reporting of sensor and other data, and to support configuration of station controller operational and reporting behavior. Station configurations may facilitate monitoring of video and audio activity of nearby animals, tagged animals visiting the station, weather conditions in the station's vicinity, station food or water supply levels, and other parameters according to the sensors of a given embodiment.