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FAQ

The questions that have been asked the most. If what you're wondering isn't here, see the end of this page.

Do I need a Raspberry Pi?

Only for the panel. It plugs straight onto a Pi's pins and uses Pimoroni's driver.

Everything else runs wherever Python or Docker does - a NAS, a homelab, an old laptop. See Container.

Do I need the e-ink panel?

No. It is what makes this look like a picture frame instead of a screen, but fugleramme serves the same page over HTTP either way, in the shape of whatever shows it - a TV, an HDMI display straight from the Pi, any device on the network, or even your desktop wallpaper/screensaver. See Screens.

Do I need a mic?

No. Without one, the frame can use a public BirdWeather station instead - your own or anyone's. See Using BirdWeather instead of BirdNET-Go. If you have a mic, BirdNET-Go is still what I recommend.

Which Raspberry Pi?

A Pi 5 for the full build, because BirdNET-Go classifies around the clock. For a frame that only draws, any 40-pin Pi does - people are running a Pi 4 and a Pi Zero 2 W, and render time varies by model. See Frame only.

Can I use a smaller or a different Inky?

Yes. Other Inky Impressions work and fugleramme reads the resolution automatically. You lose size and sharpness, and below 13.3" the birds get small fast - so cap how many birds land on the page, under Species on the page. See Alternatives.

What does it cost?

The panel is most of it. Here are some rough ranges (prices fluctuate a lot at the time of writing):

Build Roughly
Full 13.3" - Pi 5, cooler, PSU, card, Inky Impression 13.3", Clippy EM272Z1 + sound card, frame €380-450 / $420-500
Full build, cheaper - the same on a Pi 4, with an Inky Impression 7.3" and a USB lavalier mic €170-220 / $190-240
Frame only, reading a BirdNET-Go you already run, or BirdWeather - Pi Zero 2 W, PSU, card, panel, frame €110-270 / $120-300, depending on the panel

Hardware has what I actually use, recommend and why.

Can I buy a kit?

Not from me - you source the parts yourself, and Hardware lists them. Teddy Warner sells kits for AvianVisitors, which uses the same panel. They're made for his frame, so getting fugleramme running on one might require some tinkering.

Will it work where I live?

BirdNET works basically everywhere. The artwork is the limiting factor. Coverage is best across Europe and northern Asia, good in North America, and thinner in the tropics and the southern hemisphere thus far - however, it's quickly growing! Pick your location in Species coverage to see which of your local birds are supported.

If your local regulars never show up, open a Missing bird issue - that is how the list grows. Better still, cut one yourself and open a PR.

Does it support my language?

The species names come in any of BirdNET-Go's 40+ species languages, or BirdWeather's if you use that. Fugleramme's UI currently only supports English. See Languages.

Why isn't a bird I heard on the page?

Three possibilities, in the order worth checking:

  • There is no artwork for it. The admin page greys the species out with "no art", and the Detector tab counts all birds your station has heard without art. See Adding artwork.
journalctl -u fugleramme-frame | grep "No artwork"

journalctl -u fugleramme-frame | grep "Not a bird"
  • BirdNET-Go never recorded it. Open its dashboard on :8090 (or the station's page on BirdWeather). If it isn't there either, it's a detection question rather than a frame one.

I'm getting birds that can't possibly be here

That is BirdNET-Go's side, and mostly comes down to your location, gear and its confidence thresholds - see Avoiding false detections. Marking a detection as a false positive in BirdNET-Go also removes it from fugleramme.

What about bats, frogs and squirrels?

Fugleramme currently only draws birds - it's a bird frame, and there isn't the historic plate coverage to do the rest justice. See Species on the page.

Let me know if you have some good ideas for how to get other animals up too.

Which microphone?

Any USB mic works, but it's worth spending a little extra on, and it needs a windshield and some weather protection - see Microphones.

Where does the artwork come from?

Public-domain natural-history plates, mostly from Wikimedia Commons and rawpixel. Every cut-out records the plate it came from in its style's manifest.json, and the works and their terms are listed in ATTRIBUTION.md.

Is any of the included art AI-generated?

No. Every bird is cut from a plate drawn by a real person, and retouched with conventional tools. A generative model may at most patch a small spot of damage - see Artwork.

Can I use my own images?

Yes. Drop them in assets/artwork/custom/ on your own frame and they are picked up, named for the scientific name BirdNET-Go uses. Nothing is checked there - it's your frame, put what you like on it.

Artwork meant for the repo has a higher bar - see Artwork.

Can I point it at a BirdNET-Go I already run?

Yes. It can be on the same machine or anywhere on your network, so the frame can hang in a nice room while the mic sits wherever the birds are. Set it during the install, later in the settings, or with an environment variable in the container.

Already using :8080 for BirdNET-Go? The installer lets you put the frame on another port.

Where are the settings?

On http://<host>.local:8080/admin. The root path is the kiosk, which is deliberately just the picture.

What's planned?

The open issues are the roadmap. Anything still half-formed is in Discussions.

I have a question, a bug, or something to contribute

  • Something is broken - see Troubleshooting, then a bug report
  • A question, an idea, or a frame you have built - Discussions
  • A fix, a doc change, or a bird you have cut - open a PR, no issue needed

This is a hobby project maintained by one person, so replies may take a few days. CONTRIBUTING.md has the details.