ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Gifts for the Birder on Your List

Updated on October 23, 2018
naturegirl7s profile image

Since the mid-1980s, Yvonne has maintained a registered NWF backyard wildlife habitat where a variety of birds, insects, and frogs abound.

A Prothonotary warbler bathes and quenches his thirst on a hot summer day. They always nest in cavities near water.
A Prothonotary warbler bathes and quenches his thirst on a hot summer day. They always nest in cavities near water. | Source

Nature Gifts for Bird Lovers at Christmas or Any Special Occasion

Are you looking for a holiday gift for the bird watchers on your list? If so, then you've come to the right place. We are nature lovers and have gathered suggestions for some great gifts that we, birders, would like to receive.

We have featured our favorite guide books, binoculars, cameras, apparel, feeders, nest boxes and more. There are also links to other pages with more great gifts for nature lovers that would be just right for your favorite birder for Christmas or any holiday or special occasion.

We Love Birding

We have been birders for over 30 years, probably longer. Since we were both children we spent most of our free time outdoors observing nature's fantastic creatures. I would tromp around the hills and dales on our ranch in north Louisiana and Al would spend the day in Audubon Park at the zoo, the lagoon and the hatchery.

Birds are such fascinating creatures that they soon became our favorite animal to observe. When we married and bought our first house, we put up bird feeders and baths and began to plant trees, shrubs and flowers that would provide food and nesting sites for the songbirds in our area. Before we knew it, we had created a backyard wildlife habitat that attracted a variety of permanent residents and migrants. Our life list grew and many of the more unusual sightings were in our own backyard.

Most birders feed the birds and many like to garden for them as we do. Birding is a hobby that you can enjoy during all stages of your life, from childhood on through your elder years.

Bird Watchers and Photographers

Good Binoculars

Any birder would be thrilled with a good pair of binoculars. I prefer straight line ones that are medium priced. My bird watching is in the forests and from the windows of my home. Since I watch hummingbirds and birds at the feeder, I prefer binoculars that perform well from 4 or 5 feet away as well as at a distance. My old Bushnell SLC 8x42 and the newer 10x42 have served me well.

Cameras

For bird photography, you need a camera with a minimum of 12x optical zoom and higher is better. We used a Canon PowerShot S5IS to take most of the photographs on this page.

We upgraded to the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12MP Digital Camera with 2.8-Inch LCD (Black) It has a 50X optical zoom and just love it. The SX50 is an excellent camera. It's light enough to hold in one hand and has an automatic motion stabilizer. The macro and the zoom are fantastic and it's reasonably priced. We also have a Canon PowerShot SX60 which takes very large photos that can be enlarged to poster size prints.

See how you do on the Bird Song Hero song learning video below. Not a birder? Well give it a try.

Birders Love Books

Good Bird Guides

I have two favorite bird guides. Sibley is one of them. I like it for the descriptions and also the accurate drawings. This one covers the birds in the United States. There are also smaller guides that cover the east or the west.

Take it from me, birders can't have too many different guide books. Each one is unique. The Kaufman guide is another of my most favorite.

Hummingbirds Books

Many people specialize in a certain kind of bird, such as hummingbirds so there are many guides and other books written just about these winged jewels. Wildlife gardeners may enjoy Nancy Newfield's Hummingbird Garden book.

A Peterson Field Guide To Hummingbirds Of North America (Peterson Field Guides)
A Peterson Field Guide To Hummingbirds Of North America (Peterson Field Guides)
Sheri Williamson has written an excellent guide to North American hummingbirds. Descriptions are accurate and thorough and the photos detail several points of identification for each species of bird. This is one of my favorites.
 

Gifts to Improve Bird Habitat

Bird Gardening

Many people create wildlife gardens. Gardening for birds will bring the birds to you. Creating a habitat for birds and other wildlife adds another layer of enjoyment to your yard. Stokes Bird Gardening is one of the many books available that will help you plant the things that birds need to thrive.

The video below gives ideas about how to create a bird habitat.

Water Features and Good Feeders

Prothonotary warbler numbers are decreasing due in part to destruction of the wetland habitat that they nest in. By providing houses and water features, you can help increase local populations of this beautiful small bird.
Prothonotary warbler numbers are decreasing due in part to destruction of the wetland habitat that they nest in. By providing houses and water features, you can help increase local populations of this beautiful small bird. | Source

Solar Birdbath Fountain

Smart Solar 20622R01 Country Gardens Solar Birdbath, Stone
Smart Solar 20622R01 Country Gardens Solar Birdbath, Stone
Fountains that are powered by the sun are more earth friendly and energy efficient. The sound of running water attracts birds to the source. This attractive birdbath can be used by small and large birds alike.
 
We've had this Brome feeder for several years and it has served us well.
We've had this Brome feeder for several years and it has served us well. | Source

Squirrel Buster Standard 5"x5"x21.5" (w/hanger) Wild Bird Feeder with 4 Metal Perches, 1.3lb Seed Capacity

This Brome feeder is squirrel proof and also has a special perch for Cardinals. We have had one of the tube style for many years. It withstood attacks by squirrels and even chewing raccoons and still operates well. One trick we learned is to use safflower seeds instead of sunflower. The birds love them, but the squirrels and raccoons don't.

Bluebird Needs

Bluebirds are permanent residents. During winter they gather in groups and feed on holly and other native berries. In late January, here in the south, the males begin to search for a nesting cavity. In the north, groups of bluebirds will seek shelter in nest boxes.

Spring Eastern Bluebird

A beautiful male eastern bluebird sits on top of the nest box where he and his mate will raise their brood.
A beautiful male eastern bluebird sits on top of the nest box where he and his mate will raise their brood. | Source

Bluebird Nest Boxes

When buying bluebird boxes it is important that the dimensions and the hole size follow the specifications of the North American Bluebird Society. The house should also have a monitoring and clean-out door. The front should have no perch and the roof should overhang the front to provide shade and to act as a predator guard. A predator guard on the pipe or post is also needed if you have cats, raccoons or snakes in your area.

Hummingbird Needs

Hummingbird Habitat

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a native perennial flower which provides food for hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a native perennial flower which provides food for hummingbirds and other pollinators. | Source

A hummingbird garden is filled with nectar-rich plants that bloom all through the year. A source of water is also a necessity as are nesting sites. Seeds and flowering plants are good gifts for birders who are maintaining hummingbird habitat.

Hummingbird Feeders

Don't forget about the hummingbirds. In the Southern U.S. species such as Rufous, Black chinned and broad-tailed spend the winter. We leave our hummingbird feeders up year-round. I have twice as many Perky Pet feeders so that I can just exchange a batch to clean them. The newer pinch-waisted ones have an ant moat and a bottle with a wide mouth for easy filling and cleaning. Humzinger also makes a good one that holds a lot of sugar/water solution and is easy to fill and clean.

Regal Ruby-throat

Male ruby-throated hummingbirds usually stake out a feeder or a patch of nectar-rich flowers.
Male ruby-throated hummingbirds usually stake out a feeder or a patch of nectar-rich flowers. | Source

Art and Photographs for the Home

A bright red male cardinal in a holly tree.
A bright red male cardinal in a holly tree. | Source

Nature Calendars - Beautiful and Useful

Beautiful nature calendars are a gift that can be appreciated throughout the year. I've found some of the most beautiful and unique on the web at print-on-demand shops. These calendars can be customized and personalized in every way - the year, special dates, styles, even the photos.

Hummingbirds of Louisiana Calendar

A male ruby-throated hummingbird after a brief skirmish over territory.
A male ruby-throated hummingbird after a brief skirmish over territory. | Source

Gift Poll

What gift would you like to receive?

See results

© 2008 Yvonne L B

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)