A man in the southeast Netherlands shared a bizarre experience on Reddit after his bird feeder’s camera app sent him a notification saying “Human body detected.” The screenshot showed a morning view of a bird perched as usual but to the right of it, some people swear they see what looks like a floating face-like shape, which startled users who saw the alert.
The Redditor, known online as casperlakes, told reporters that he hadn’t seen anything humanoid in the image when he went back to check the footage later, and he believes the app might have been triggered by the bird or other motion rather than an actual person.
Why It Looks Creepy
People in the Reddit thread — especially in communities like r/Weird — pointed out that what looks like a face is most likely a visual illusion caused by branches, leaves, and the lighting around the feeder. This kind of effect is commonly linked to pareidolia, a psychological phenomenon where the brain interprets random visual patterns as familiar shapes, especially faces. Some users described the shape as creepy and unsettling, while others insisted it was simply a trick of shadows and background elements — nothing supernatural or truly human. That’s a common reaction in threads discussing strange camera captures or unexpected notifications.
The Technology Behind These Alerts
Modern smart cameras and connected bird feeder systems use motion detection and AI-based subject recognition to notify owners when something unusual is in view. These systems are designed to tag objects as “human,” “animal,” or “bird,” but they aren’t perfect — and what the camera believes might be a person can easily be a tree limb, leaf pattern, or another non-human shape, especially in grainy or poorly lit images. In this Reddit case, many people think the app’s notification was a false positive, likely triggered by the bird or background movement. Some commenters even joked about how unsettling it would be to get such an alert first thing in the morning.
Human Reaction: Fear and Humor
The incident highlights how easily our brains can be tipped into thinking something scary or mysterious is happening, especially when technology labels it as a potential “human detected.” On Reddit, reactions ranged from genuine curiosity and confusion to humor and skepticism. Some suggested the face looked like a commentary on modern surveillance technology, while others simply didn’t see any human shape at all. This mix of reactions is typical online — strange images often get people speculating wildly about paranormal or unexplained phenomena, even when there’s a simple explanation rooted in how cameras and motion detection software work.
Why We See Faces in Objects
Psychologists explain that seeing faces in random patterns is a well-known cognitive bias. We are wired to recognize faces quickly — a trait that helped human survival — so sometimes our brains interpret random shadows or shapes as familiar facial features. It’s why people see faces in clouds, tree trunks, and everyday objects. In this case, what triggered fear or fascination was less about what was actually there, and more about the unexpected label from the camera app and how it played on that instinct.
