She added: “It took several weeks of experimentation before Tom was happy with the new design.

“It has evolved to house a tray at the front for food as well as a counter. Tom created two small shelving units for me to fill with tiny food items.

“I fixed the camera on the bracket in the back of the box, and set it so it would be positioned so the birds would visit the food tray in the front but look like they were visiting the snack bar.”

The real food MacRae puts out for the birds includes black sunflower seeds and suet pellets.

It took only 10 minutes before the first bird, a robin, came to the table. “Before long, there was a flurry of visitors. Even as it got dark and the internal lights illuminated the snack bar, the robin still visited. I’m thrilled,” MacRae said.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds advises feeding birds twice daily in winter: in the morning and early afternoon.