Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Now that Martha Stewart and her kin have finished wrapping all their Christmas presents, it’s time for the rest of us to start shopping. There are plenty of great birdy gifts around–here are a few suggestions for last minute shoppers.

Bird houses and hummingbird feeders may make great housewarming gifts and late winter and early spring presents, but I like Christmas gifts to be usable right away. Most bird feeders are perfect for immediate gratification. A plastic coated suet feeder complete with suet cake makes an inexpensive but thoughtful gift for anyone who enjoys birds, and if you don’t know whether the person already has a feeder, ifs perfect since you can never have too many suet feeders. A small suet feeder complete with suet cake would make a fine choice for a nature-loving teacher. A bag of sunflower seed or white millet would be appreciated by someone on a budget who loves feeding birds.

A field guide is a good gift for a new birder–the best are the Golden guide, the National Geographic guide, and the Peterson guide. Houghton Miffiin just released a reprint of Peterson’s original field guide, exactly as it looked in 1934. It isn’t very good by modem standards, but is an historical treasure for sentimental Peterson fans–I’m hoping to find one in my stocking.

Binoculars are tricky to pick out for someone else. You want a pair that are comfortable in the hand, with clear optics. Beginners do best with 7-power field glasses, but experienced birders may prefer anything between 7 and IO-power. If you’re not certain which power to get, make sure they can be exchanged for a different pair.

My favorite children’s books about birds are Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and Nights of the Pufflings, by Bruce McMillan. By the time kids are in fifth grade or so, they aren’t interested in children’s books–they want real adult bird books. A good choice for kids or adults is Kenn Kaufmann’s Lives of North American Birds. It’s $35, but well worth it.

An owl decoy from a hardware or outdoor store can be useful for attracting migrants in spring and fall, and makes an interesting addition to a living room the rest of the year.

There are all kinds of other bird gifts, from refrigerator magnets and playing cards to door knockers and shower curtains–available at nature and wild bird stores.

There are plenty of bird postcards available. A nice set of postcards and a book of those great Blue Jay postcard stamps makes a great stocking stuffer. Yes, there are plenty of gift possibilities, even at this late date. If you wait too long, you might have to search out four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and that partridge in a pear tree–that’s one mess of Christmas gifts.