Ultimate Bird Lover’s Gift Guide – 25 Truly Best Gifts & What to AVOID

During the holidays, birthdays, Mother’s day and Father’s day, it can be a real challenge to find a gift for someone. But if you happen to know that the person you’re buying for is a bird-lover, this can certainly start you in the right direction. But you’ll need to be careful, especially when dealing with a bird expert.

The bigger the bird lover, or the more expert a person is, the harder it is to find a good gift. Decorative birdhouses and feeders won’t cut it. Plants birds love, motion cameras and bird-themed journals are some examples of many creative, useful gifts for your expert bird lover.

So in this article, we’re not going to give you the generic 100-item list of stuff your bird lover actually doesn’t want. As big-time bird experts, we definitely have some knowledge about this area, and will give you some real advice on gift-giving.

Gifts Always Perfect for Bird-Lovers

When shopping for true bird lovers – the real big-time experts – these are the gift ideas where you cannot fail.

Not only are they nearly fail-proof, they’re ideal for the birders out there who seem to have everything they need when it comes to birds.

In this collection of ideas are things real bird experts will truly love, as well as things bird lovers cannot have enough of, or creative bird-related gifts that they may not have even thought of.

Donation to bird/wildlife rehabilitation centers or conservation organizations

Best for: people who say “I don’t want/need anything.” Or for people who want to cut clutter.

Price Range: Any

A donation is your intended person’s name to rehabilitation organization or local conservation center is the top of our list because the work they do is extremely helpful.

Perhaps your bird-loving someone didn’t even realize there was a local rehabber around. Not only will this gift, in their name, be a wonderful way to support this organization, but it will also spread more awareness that these organizations even exist in the first place.

Once they happen upon an injured bird, or injured animal, they’ll know exactly where to go, and feel even more gratitude for the earlier support.

If you can’t find a local rehab center to support, then consider a local conservation organization, or even your state’s conservation department.

Something really important about donation gifts like these is not to skimp on the unwrapping experience.

Sometimes, for people, it’s not always what’s in the package that matters – it’s the fact that they even got a package to open in the first place. So we recommend either picking up a nice bird-themed card, to put the donation tag in, or even splurging for a gift bag and putting the tag in that (maybe along with the card too).

Tip: If you can ask a mutual friend to get insight about charities and organizations your someone likes to support, you’ll be able to target just the right place. Of course, they may not list a bird-themed charity – but then, that’s ok too. Donate to the charity they most desire, and the ultimate challenge of finding a good gift has been solved.

Memberships to Bird or Bird-Related Organization

Best for: people who say “I don’t want/need anything.” Or for people who want to cut clutter.

Price Range: $25 – $100 (annual)

Next on our list are memberships to organizations that your bird-loving friend might not have joined yet. A lot of these programs come with a small fee, so it means they may have put off joining these organizations.

Some of these programs come with immediate gifts and perks.

And it’s not just limited to programs like the North American Bluebird Society or The National Audubon Society. No, this could also include membership programs into local wildlife photography organizations where they can attend regular meetings with guest speakers.

This kind of gift will take a little research. You might casually start a conversation about birds, and ask them if they already are in some organizations or wish they had joined any.

Below is a list of some organizations to consider:

• The National Audubon Society
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• The North American Bluebird Society
• The Purple Martin Conservation Association
• The International Hummingbird Society
• North American Nature Photography Association

With some research, you may find local communities or state-specific organizations as well.

Once again, with a gift like this, we still recommend putting the little slip of paper or notice that you’ve signed them up in some kind of gift bag so there’s the experience of opening.

Of course, if you live long distance, an email can still work great.

Blink Outdoor Cameras for Backyard Birding

Best for any and all birders. Best for birders who already have motion cameras.

Price Range: $72-$120 (depending on sales)

Nest Hollow recommends Blink Cameras* because of our tremendous experience with them. They are so incredibly easy to use, mobile, outdoor-friendly, battery life and so much more. In fact, we have a whole article about why they’re so amazing for nest boxes (and also birding really).

We even recommend these over the bird feeders with built-in cameras because Blink cameras are not permanently fixed in one place. You can have several mounts* (super inexpensive) placed in different locations so that you can move the camera around.

Or even without the mount, you can place them in a Gilbertson Mealworm feeder, and watch bluebirds, chickadees and Carolina wrens enjoying the bounty!

Even if your bird-lover already has a Blink camera – THEY WILL NEVER BE UPSET TO BE GIFTED ANOTHER ONE! Seriously, birders who have Blink cameras get addicted to them.

They’re also reasonably priced, especially when they go on sale, which is all the time.

Compared to the Birdfy feeder systems* with cameras built-in motion cameras, the Blink cameras are way less expensive and come with incredible value.

If you’re shopping for an older person, you might worry about the learning curve on these cameras. And it’s definitely a concern. The upside is that there are a lot of general YouTube videos about Blink camera setups, and we even have a running playlist for installing them in nest boxes, getting the most out of the batteries, and installing a solar panel.

So while it might be a bit of a challenge, there are a ton of resources out there. And it’s all still relatively easy that friends or family members could help the person you shopped for out.

Popup Blinds for Birding

Popup blinds are typically used for hunting. But seasoned birders have learned that keeping themselves concealed while observing birds lets them get really up-close.

And the benefit of a popup blind is that they’re transportable, lightweight, and shield them from rain or wind on cold days. Even in their own backyard, these popup blinds can allow birders to take some incredible photos too.

When looking for a popup blind, make sure to look out for ones that are easy to open up, stake down, and roomy enough to sit in. They also need plenty of openings where your birder can look out or prop their camera.

If they are really into photography, make sure the interior dimensions are big enough to hold a tripod and them as well – ones that fit multiple people are usually a good option.

Here are two recommendations based on their specifications, reviews and features:

Rhino Blind R75-PRED* – This is a 60″x 60″ popup blind that can be set up in about a minute. The mesh windows can be taken off, which is good for photography.

2 Panel Blind* – Rather than a tent, this blind works like a wall, concealing you from birds you might face. The screens open up, allowing you to photograph these birds.

Please know that we have not personally tested these as of yet. But based on the specifications and our knowledge of what is needed for a blind for photography, we believe these recommendations to be a good start in your search.

Squirrel Resistant Feeders

Best for any and all birders.

Price Range: $40 and up

We have tested several squirrel-resistant feeders, and while none of them are completely 100% squirrel-resistant, there are several, especially weighted-activated ones, that work very well.

Conversely, there are others that are too heavy, require too much maintenance or have awkward sizing that make them less ideal.

Ultimately, when it comes to a good squirrel-resistant bird feeder, your bird-lover cannot have enough.

This is yet another type of gift where even if they have one, they will probably be glad for another.

The key here is not to be fooled. As we pointed out, not all squirrel-resistant feeders are ideal. But don’t worry, after significant testing of different products, we can give you the breakdown here.

Recommendations:

Squirrel Buster squirrel-resistant feeders* by Brome

Brome has an outstanding reputation, and we have been thrilled with the results of the squirrel-resistant feeders we’ve tested.

The Brome Squirrel Buster* feeders are weight sensitive. In this type of feeder, the perch is on a spring or other similar type object, and heavier animals like very large birds or squirrels will cause the perch to lower, thus bringing down some kind of cover that prevents access to food.

While their smaller feeders are easier on the wallet, they will require much more frequent filling. The upside, is that the smaller feeders are compact, light weight, easy to handle and won’t cause a shepherd’s hook to lean or fall over.

For a low-cost, entry-level product, their mini feeder* is a great option. The design is perfect for clinging type birds like titmice, chickadees, nuthatches and various woodpeckers. One thing to note, the perches may be too shallow for a cardinal to comfortably sit.

Brome even considered the issue with suet and made a 2-cake squirrel-proof suet feeder* that is really fantastic.

Their nut feeder* is another great option for putting in meatier seed that are better sources of proteins and fats that birds really need, especially in the winter time.

And the even have a squirrel-proof finch feeder*. Though in our experience, we haven’t observed as many squirrels raiding finch feeders. Still, it’s reasonably priced, good quality, and if your birder is a big-time goldfinch lover, they would really enjoy this gift.

Absolute Squirrel-Proof Feeders*

Our next favorite is the hanging double-sided absolute feeders* (pictured in the section image). This feeder is held under one umbrella brand with many names: Panacea, Woodlink and Audubon to name a few of them.

We have used this product for years and have had incredible success. Yes, a few very acrobatic squirrels will be able to contort themselves in such a way that they don’t trigger the weight-sensitive perch, and they can grab seed out one at a time – and really, that’s ok. With this feeder, a squirrel cannot empty you completely, nor can several at a time do this.

There are different versions of absolute feeders, but the best one is the hanging double-sided full-size feeder.

We love this feeder because birds can use both sides, the perch is large enough for even cardinals to enjoy, and it really works.

It also holds a lot of seed!

There is a mini version of this feeder. We recommend you avoid that one. While it still works reasonably well, those acrobatic squirrels have a much easier time getting food from that feeder.

Sky Cafe Squirrel-Proof Feeders* NOT RECOMMENDED:

| Image is to show you what the product looks like. This image is clickable and will take you to amazon. While this is an affiliate image, we do not recommend this product.

The Sky Cafe Squirrel-Proof feeders have had a lot of decent reviews. But from our testing, we really don’t recommend this feeder for a number of reasons:

1. large size and awkward shape
2. Squirrels figured out how to remove the “hat” and dump out all the seed.
3. Requires a very tall pole to hang from in order for it to work effectively.
4. Requires a lot of precision when hanging it.
5. Not weight sensitive.

Now, if you’ve heard your bird-lover talk about this feeder, and they really want it – I’d say go for it. Or maybe talk to them and find out if they understand that they’re going to need some extra accessories to get this one to work right.

Droll Yankee – Yankee Flipper* NOT RECOMMENDED:

| Image is to show you what the product looks like. This image is clickable and will take you to amazon. While this is an affiliate image, we do not recommend this product.

The Yankee Flipper by Droll Yankee is another really popular squirrel-resistant feeder. And Droll Yankee does produce high-quality products. But we at Nest Hollow are not a fan of this feeder in particular because of the dizzying ride it puts squirrels through.

Though hilarious for some bird hosts to see a squirrel get its comeuppance, we find it a little too much for our mission of conservation and wildlife stewardship.

And the perches on these feeders are a little tight. Beloved cardinals may be more reluctant to use these feeders.

Native Flowers or Bushes for Birds

Best for any birder with a backyard

Price Range: Varies

Making sure a yard helps birds thrive is a great way of bringing and keeping birds in the area. Plus, it helps promote the lives of songbirds – some of which are in decline.

Your bird lover may be blown away by the fact that you even though to get a small little berry bush or other native plant to feed or shelter the native birds in their yard.

Some ideal plants to consider are ones that berry late in the year, which gives birds more access to food, especially foraging migratory birds.

Cedar Waxwings eat a lot of berries, especially in the winter, and they are exceptionally beautiful to see.

Eastern red cedar (so long as its native in your birder’s region) is a great option. They fruit late in the year, and birds not only rely on their berries as a food source, but because they’re an evergreen tree, they provide incredible shelter for birds.

Winterberry is another amazing option, but it does require both a male and female plant

Recommended native plants to consider ordering (While these are native to North America, you will need to double check with the state or region your birder resides to make sure it’s native in that area or can survive in that zone):

DIY Plant Growing Kit with Seeds

Best for any birder with a backyard

Price Range: $15 and up

Maybe a tree or shrub or dealing with a live plant is a little too much for you, another great gift idea for your bird lover is to make your own plant growing kit including soil, containers, seeds for native plants and more.

In terms of seed selection, you can’t fail with purple coneflower, cardinal flower, cut leaf coneflower, milkweed and showy goldenrod.

Coneflower will feed finches and other hungry birds once they go to seed, the same is true for showy goldenrod.

Milkweed may not feed your birds, but it will bring the pollinators and smells soo incredible.

Things to include in your plant growing kit, aside from the seed are:

Make-shift indoor greenhouse: The goal of this kit is to get seeds started during the off-season so that your birder can transfer them outdoors later for their birds to enjoy. Some kind of clear-cover that forms a greenhouse helps keep plants from drying out. During the wintertime, this is especially concerning, and the plants that did start to germinate will die out.

There are a few options in this department. The first, is using a 2-liter soda bottle. Just cut the top section almost all the way around, leave just a bit of plastic to act as a hinge. Then you can set growing pots within. We’ve used this technique for years, and it it is an excellent indoor growth chamber. But, it’s not very pretty.

So to upgrade this look for not a lot of money is a mini indoor greenhouse*. These are fairly reasonably priced and act the same way that the soda bottle would.

But if your birder has a lot of taste, you might even want to consider the two-tier wooden greenhouse*. What we love about this small greenhouse is that aesthetic meets functionality, with windows at the top and sides to let light in from all direction. It’s also larger, which means your birder can work with a lot of plants.

Soil: Of course your plant growing kit is going to need some potting soil. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to get. We honestly don’t have many recommendations in this department as we have used any soil we can find – even dirt from the ground to get our plants going, and it’s all seemed to work very well.

Seed Growing Containers: For this, you could go with the little plastic containers, or try some mini clay pots. If you are using the soda bottle greenhouse technique, the very small containers is what you will want. And it’s all you really need for any seed growing kit.

The first option for seed starting containers are your basic plastic containers*. They’re plentiful, small enough and easy to transfer the plants to the yard when they’re ready.

BUT, there are seed starting containers with dome lids*, meaning you would have less need for a mini greenhouse. These will work fairly well, though they may not shield your plant from the dry winter air in the house as well as the soda bottle or a designated greenhouse. Still, they’re very affordable and incredibly useful. They’re a great choice on a tight budget.

***Just know you are going to want saucers* for underneath the containers so excess water doesn’t leak out onto the surface.

Complete seed starting kit*: You could also scrap the soda bottles, greenhouses, containers and all that for an affordable seed starting kit. While we have not tested these out ourselves, these appear to have incredible value, are easy to set up, and come with everything you need except the soil and seeds.

Native Plant Guide

Best for any birder with a backyard

Price Range: $10 – $30

Maybe your birder is very very particular about doing things the right way. And we absolutely support this. In fact, it’s our whole mission – educating people on how to actually help with bird conservation in their own backyard.

This might mean shopping for plants on behalf of your bird lover could go the wrong way. Instead, they will still greatly appreciate guide books on native plants, and creating bird gardens in their own backyard.

Some books are even set by region, so you can easily find the guide book perfect for the area your birder lives.

Here are a few selections* we recommend:

Wingspan Board Game

Best for any birder with a backyard

Price Range: $45-$55

If your birder doesn’t have the Wingspan board game* yet, they might have been wanting it for a while. And, we have to admit, none of us at Nest Hollow have this one either, but it’s on our list, and that’s why we think it should be on yours.

We’ve known a few birders already who have bought it, loved it and rave about it – or as much as you can when you’re a bird nerd who enjoys a board game every now and then.

Heated Bird Bath

Best for any birder with a backyard

Price Range: $60-$120

Heated bird baths are a must in the winter. But when it comes to the right one, we recommend textured baths. And, we have really loved the ones that sit on the ground because they’re usually inexpensive, easy for birds to access, and you can put them near a bush for a winter wind break.

We DO NOT recommend bird baths with smooth surfaces and narrow ledges because it’s harder for birds to grip, balance and enjoy. And the result of these types of bird baths are few birds actually using them.

Our first recommendation is the Farm Innovators heated ground bird bath*. We’ve used this one for one winter, and it’s worked really well. It attracted a lot of birds. On snowy days especially, it got a lot of action and worked really well.

There is a downside to this bird bath though. The coating doesn’t hold up, and over time the water will start to leak out of it.

We even talked to the reps at Farm Innovators about this bird bath, and they know it’s a problem. They’ve even been trying to rework the material, but so far, they just don’t have it quite right.

With that said, it may last one or two winters, and your birder will definitely love it.

Another option, which is more expensive, is to buy a nonheated grippy, ground bird bath and put a bird bath heater in it.

We also have this bird bath*, and have had it for years. Our birds have loved this one. It’s suitable for birds of all sizes. From tiny goldfinches and chickadees to big robins and mockingbirds. All you need to do is get this bird bath, and a bird bath heater* for it.

Humorous Bird Shirts/Gear

Best for big bird nerds

Price Range: $15-$30

It is no secret that the bird world has some funny names. Dickcissels, American Woodcocks and Titmice are North American species that might make a few of us blush. Then there are the Great Tits and Blue-Footed Boobies abroad that make us all chuckle.

So it stands to reason if you’ve got a big bird nerd on your hands, they may be proud to wear a shirt promoting a birder’s unique sense of humor.

At the top of our list is the classic “Nice Tits*“ shirt that features a few different Tit species.

By the way, if you didn’t know, Tit in this context evolved from the word petite.

If you’re just not sure how well received that shirt will be, you may still want to browse for some other options*.

You do have to be careful: With a T-shirt gift, a birder could get inundated. You might not have been the first person to think of this. Or if you’ve already seen them wear 6 different bird shirts – maybe refer to a different option on this list – that is, unless they say they collect bird shirts.

Healthy Birdseed Blends

Best for: Any Birder

Price Range: $15-$50

Maybe all this bird stuff is too much research. And you’re thinking, “maybe I can just buy some bird seed. They’ll always use bird seed.”

It’s not the most exciting gift, but you’re absolutely right in your mindset – your bird lover will not be upset if you gift them a good bag of healthy birdseed, they will be thankful.

But the key is a good bag of healthy seed.

Different species are attracted to different types of seed. And the infamous, nonnative house sparrow loves seed blends that contain millet, milo and cracked corn.

Birders do not want house sparrows in their yard. They not only hoard feeders, but the actually routinely kill native North American birds.

If that news surprised you, we do have a pretty heavy video about this topic. It’s not for the faint of heart. Their destruction of native birds is pretty gruesome to see.

So seed blends containing sunflower, safflower, berries, peanut, pumpkin seed and other nuts (not grains) are ideal.

These seeds are packed with nutrition, fats and proteins that really help birds survived.

Here are a few selections we highly recommend*:

Any of these options will reduce, but not completely prevent invasive bird visits. They will also attract a much wider variety of birds and give them better nutrition than basic “songbird blends” that really only feed house sparrows.

Species Themed Basket

Best for: Any Birder

Price Range: Varies

This is a gift where you can get really creative and put a personal touch. The species themed basket is just what it sounds like. You’ll shop for products that would attract and support a certain species. You can go as big or as small as you want.

The one thing we would advise you be careful about is avoid bird housing products. Bluebirds, chickadees, tree swallows and purple martins are called cavity nesting birds. This means they build nests in tree holes or nest boxes.

But serious birders, are very very serious about this. The specifications and level of care are demanding. So unless you yourself are a bigtime birder, we would recommend avoiding those types of products.

Fortunately, you can have a lot of fun putting together an oriole themed basket or a goldfinch basket, a hummingbird basket, or a cardinal basket.

Even with bluebirds, you could get a feeder, some mealworms and maybe a guide book for your basket.

Below are some ideas* for products you could include in your species themed basket.

Bluebird Theme

Cardinal Theme

Hummingbird Theme

Oriole Theme

Birding Magazine Subscription

Best for: New Bird Lovers

Price Range: $10-$15

A bird magazine subscriptions may be a great gift option for bird lovers who are just getting into the hobby.

What we love about bird magazines is not the information, but the photos that make great art inspiration.

But there is also good information in bird magazines too.

The downside about some of the popular bird magazines is that they don’t advocate conservation as highly as we do. But they still do well to educate newer birders.

Birds & Bloom and Bird Watcher’s Digest are two really great options to consider.

Be sure to check that your bird lover doesn’t already have a subscription to either of these.

Hummingbird Window Feeder with Ant Moat

Best for: Any and all birders

Price Range: $30 – $35

The Aspects or Songbird Essentials Brands are our best recommendations. These products come with ant moats to prevent ants from getting all over your feeder, and they stick really well.

Even if your bird lover already has one, they will love having another.

Something to watch out for is if their windows have full screens rather than half screens.

Half screens allow you to suction cup the feeder somewhere on the window. But full screens prevent that. It’s not a complete dealbreaker. Your birder can always take the screen off of the window they intend to use it on.

The Aspects Jewel Box* is our top recommendation with 3 ports and an ant moat. You can also find a version very similar at Wild Birds Unlimited stores sometimes that are also very good quality.

Aspects also has a smaller, 2-port version* in case the 3-port is a bit too pricey.

Goldfinch Feeder & Seed

Best For: Any and all birders

Price Range: $20 – $60

During the summer, goldfinches are one of the most striking birds. These little lemons are so fun to watch and listen to at feeders. They also have a lovely song if you ever happen to hear one.

During the winter, they lose their bright yellow plumage, and become a dull brown. A lot of people think they leave for the winter because they have a hard time differentiating them from other brown birds.

Either way, goldfinches are a delight to any birder of any level, and they’ll happily use a goldfinch feeder.

After testing various finch feeders, we are partial to screen feeders. These feeders are made with a metal mesh tube that holds the seed. Finches can then get their beaks through the gaps of the mesh in order to get food.

We’ve found these types of feeders really attract goldfinches more than plastic tube feeders which are made of plastic with small holes and perches where finches eat from.

Our two best recommendations are the Perky Pet mesh thistle feeder, and Droll Yankee’s Finch Magnet*.

We’ve tested both of these. They’re easy to use, come apart for cleaning, and both attract lots of goldfinches.

Bird Themed Jewelry

Best for: Bird & Jewelry loving people

Price Range: $15-$50

Bird themed jewelry can be a challenging gift, but if your bird lover also loves jewelry or collecting earrings, they may appreciate this gift.

Our recommendation when it comes to this is to go for something that is either very pretty or showcases the bird pretty well.

We have some picks because we also collect bird jewelry when we can, and staff at Nest Hollow have purchased most of these, with the others being on their want list.

Small Seed Cakes and Suet Holders

Best for: Any Birder

Price Range: $20-$50 (depends on vendor)

At Nest Hollow, we usually promote Seed Cakes more than suet cakes. This is because suet tends to attract a lot of European Starlings. This is another invasive bird that kills native North American birds.

They also hoard backyards in large flocks and can deplete feeders in as little as half an hour.

And yes, suet is packed with so much fat that helps birds during the wintertime, but good nut cakes also have a lot of fat and also protein content – all good for birds.

So with that in mind, a carefully selected seed cake and a small suet feeder will definitely be appreciated by your birder.

Amazon does have seed cakes available online, but usually they’re in multipacks. You can find seed cakes at wild bird stores. Just be sure to look for seed cakes containing nuts, seed and berries. NO millet, milo, and cracked corn.

If you’re not sure how to identify millet, milo and cracked corn, we have a helpful video on that. Otherwise, you can use our Amazon recommendations* – just know that you’ll be buying in small bulk.

Tip: Buying seed cakes with hot pepper will minimize squirrel invasion.

Vintage North American Bird Field Guide

Best for: Devoted Birders

Price Range: $10-$20

Vintage field guides and bird books are an excellent gift idea for your birder, especially your more devoted bird lovers.

These old field guides can have out-of-date information, but the old hardbound look, and historic information is very valuable.

One of the interesting things about the really old field guides is how certain bird ranges have changed over the years.

It’s a truly unique gift that your birder will love.

To find one, Ebay is going to be one of your best options. You may have some luck at a used book store.

Gifts for New Bird Lovers

Know someone who has just begun really getting interested in birds? This is the perfect time for calendars, posters and field guides. As your bird lover grows in their hobby, they might be less enthusiastic about another bird coffee mug.

But this is your chance, and really, a lot of the other gifts above will work just as well for your newbie birder.

Bird Identification Posters

Best for: New birders

Price Range: $25+

Right now is a great time to get a bird poster dedicated to common North American backyard birds, North American being a key phrase there.

Amazon* and Etsy* have plenty of options. When looking for one, consider the region your bird lover lives. If they’re up in Maine, see if you can find a poster specifically for Northeastern birds.

You could also go by types of birds; for example, different native sparrows. There are several North American sparrows, and being able to identify them is actually really important because the House Sparrow (we’re all familiar with him) is a non-native, invasive bird that routinely kills native songbirds.

Something very important to keep in mind when looking at different posters are the sizes. Some on Amazon and Etsy are listed as 8 inches x 10 inches. This is hardly a poster!

Look for something that is a 16″x20″ at the very least.

Field Guides

Peterson’s Eastern-Central Field Guide (Affiliate linked Image)Best for: New Birders

Price Range: $10-$30

A field guide is a booklet with images and information that birdwatchers can carry with them. Upon observing a bird, they can use their field guide as a reference to figure out what kind of bird it is, and interesting facts about the bird’s behavior.

Field guides are being quickly replaced by free apps like Merlin and E-Bird, but they are still very handy to have. Plus, they can be loaned out.

When looking for a field guide, consider these factors:

• Region your bird lover lives – look for a field guide for that area.
• Keep it North American (if that’s where your birder lives).
• Look for pocket sized. Actual pocket sized guides are hard to find, but a 5″x8″ is decent and can be stuffed in a back pocket or in a purse.

Birdwatching Observation Journal

Best for: New bird lovers & Birders who love journaling & Writing

Price Range: $10-$75

A birdwatching observation journal is not for everyone. And it takes a special journal to really be good.

But birdwatchers do happen upon interesting events and observations in the bird world. And the more serious ones do like to document it in someway or another.

If used, a birdwatching journal can become a great place for your birder to keep track of interesting case studies.

This is something you can purchase or even design yourself. But when it comes to ordering one, Etsy is the best place to go. There are lots of options. You could go for a general pocket-sized notebook, or one that lets you record information about the bird that you’re making an entry for.

Online Bird Sketching/Drawing Course

Best for: Any and all birders

Price range: Varies

The naturalists of old were very talented artists. Most notably in the bird community is perhaps ornithologist David Allen Sibley who has illustrated so many birding books.

So if your shopping for an artistic or even mildly creative bird lover, they may really enjoy an online course for bird art.

When choosing an online course, look for programs that feature North American birds. Domestika and Udemy are good starting places for courses like these.

And again, with digital gifts – if you plan to be giving this to someone in person, we recommend putting a nice card and gift bag together. Maybe add in a few nice colored pencils and a watercolor sketch book.

Bird Drawing Books

Best for: Any and all birders

Price Range: $8 – $20

Rather than an online course, there are plenty of really amazing bird drawing books. These types of books will help your bird lover sketch out the framework and then the harder lines in order to draw American robins, cardinals and blue jays.

Different drawing books will have different themes, like songbirds, birds of prey, marine birds, birds of certain regions. You’ll want to consider these factors when browsing drawing books.

To dress up this gift a little bit, you might want to include some nice sketch pads and pencils.

Below are some recommendations of bird drawing books* based on the content they cover:

Custom Map of Local Birdwatching Hotspots

Best for: Any and all birders

Price range: Varies

A custom map of local birdwatching hotspots is the type of gift that involves some creativity. So if you’re a DIYer or love shopping Etsy for those unique, handcrafted gifts, this is a great option.

The way you can do this is to use the Ebird app, or just visit Ebird and create a free account. From there, you can use the Explore tab and scroll to “Explore Hot Spots.”

Look for your bird lover’s area, and then use the map and the legend on the right of species number observed to figure out where the hottest spots are.

Now you can pin those locations on Google Maps and copy the image of the map.

If you’re pretty savvy with graphic design, you can have a lot of fun using Adobe Illustrator to handcraft the map. Or you can send the map information to an Etsy creator to have them craft the perfect item.

This is really a fantastic, unique gift idea for your bird lover.

Gifts that will take a little research and planning

We’re going to get a little advanced here with some of these gift ideas. These are the types of presents that will take a little research, whether it’s product research or discreetly learning the needs of your bird lover.

Within this list of items are things like optics, photography programs, and more. We will do our best to recommend specific products based on our own experience or understanding of the topic. However, we strongly recommend you do a little further due diligence, and again consult some mutual friends about whether this will be appropriate for your birder.

Cornell’s Online Photography Class

Best for: Birders wanting to get into photography

Price Range: $99 – $125

Some of the photos you see on this article, and many more on Nest Hollow’s entire website our from our own photography. And let us just say, songbird photography is both challenging and addicting.

If your budget allows, this is an excellent gift idea for birders who have expressed interest in photography. Perhaps you even heard through your mutual network that your intended recipient will be gifted a decent camera. Having some expertise right up front when it comes to bird photography will really empower your bird lover’s creative side.

You can find more information about Cornell’s photography online class here. We will note that we have not taken this course, though when we got started, we wished we had. It has taken years to start finally getting fair photos of songbirds. Speeding up the process would make anyone happy.

Hardcover Photobook ofPhotos Your Birder Took

Best For: Birders with a digital portfolio

Price Range: $40 +

Surprising your bird lover with a hardcover photobook of all the different birds they’ve photographed is a really special gift for your bird lover.

Mpix and Shutterfly are two very popular places to have these projects done, and done very quickly.

Before you rush off finding photos off their Instagram or from texts, you need to get someone on the inside to get you the high resolution images. These will come directly from where your bird lover has them saved on their computer. And they can be given to you with a flash drive, or through email – though email may lose some resolution.

Here’s some other things to keep in mind when trying to put this book together:

1. Spend time looking up the names of each bird you wish to showcase. Google Lens can help with that.
2. Look for the sharpest images with the bird’s eye in focus.
3. Have someone proof read before you print – even if only a few words were used.
4. Plan ahead – Shipping and processing is usually fast, but make sure to give yourself enough time to really plan this out.

1 Year Adobe Suite/Product Subscription

Best for: Birders getting into photography

Price Range: $120 – $720 annual subscription

Photography is generally the natural progression of any birder. Eventually, it’s not enough to watch birds – we all want to capture those special moments whether by a camera or drawing.

So if you got word your bird lover is getting a decent camera, you may want to look into an adobe subscription (as long as they don’t already have one.

The programs Light Room and Photoshop will be top of their list when it comes to the adobe programs, but they also have the full suite available for an annual subscription.

While most photographers would recommend Light Room over Photoshop, our personal recommendation is Photoshop over Light Room, if you have to make the choice.

This is because Photoshop is incredibly versatile. You can make cutouts around a picture, you can still adjust color and lighting to some degree, you can layer in other photos into one single photo. There is just a lot you can do with photoshop.

Lightroom, as we understand it, is a photo editing tool that lets you enhance exposure, lighting, and color. It also lets you crop images as well. But Photoshop has far more effects that can be applied.

Lightroom is less expensive, coming in at about $10 USD per month. And Photoshop coming in at around $23 USD per month. Please note, these may be the monthly dollar amounts if you do a one year subscription.

The whole Creative Suite is about $60 USD per month. We would recommend this if your birder is wanting to do a lot of other graphic design work – making icons, doing brochures and flyers, designing posters, etc. If not, go with Photoshop and/or Lightroom.

Binoculars and Monoculars

Best for: Birdwatching enthusiasts

Price Range: $50 – $3000

Binoculars are an important birdwatching tool. But finding the right type really takes a lot of research.

Right up front, you need to decide whether binoculars or a monocular is the right choice. In our personal opinion, after using both, we’re partial to the monocular for the compact design, and quick use for spotting birds.

If you go the binocular route, then you will need to decide between porro prism or roof prism binoculars. Due to the lightweight, slightly more compact nature of a roof prism binocular set, we’d recommend going that route in the beginning – unless you’ve heard your birder explicitly say they want a porro prism.

Once you’ve narrowed it down, now you need to decide on magnification – usually more is better, but you can lose some clarity. Another factor to consider is the weight, and then brand.

Finding a quality brand, lightweight pair of binoculars is a great route. While we don’t have any specific recommendations, we do recommend sticking to name brand binoculars like Nikon, Leica, Zeiss, Vortex and Swarovski.

Nikon, Leica and Zeiss are companies with extensive experience in optics development from camera lenses to microscopy lenses, they’re excellent quality.

Nikon, Zeiss and Vortex have Amazon* storefronts that will allow you to easily compare products and reviews. These are listed below

• Nikon*
• Zeiss*
• Vortex*

We’ve had experience using Vortex binoculars, and we will say that going from a cheapy off-brand, Vortex is a gamechanger! And while we have not used Nikon and Leica binoculars, we have used their other optics products and have been blown away by their quality. Personally, we’d lean more toward Leica for its rich color and quality. But Nikon is extremely reputable and loved by many.

Cameras

Best for: Any and all birdwatchers

Price range: $500 – $5,000

If you notice the price range for the cameras and lenses section, it varies big time. And that variation means incredible research. So this might not be the best gift option unless you’re interested in doing a lot of research for yourself, and have heard your birder repeatedly express the need for a camera.

When it comes to birding, bird lovers learn very quickly that their cell phone is not enough. It just doesn’t have the range or features to capture songbirds the way the see in other photographs.

So now what?

When it comes to digital cameras, there are 3 common types: point-and-shoots, dSLRs, and mirrorless.

It used to be that the dSLRs were the best of the best, but point-and-shoots have come along way. And when it comes to mirrorless, a lot of birders are switching to these.

So first, the biggest thing your birder’s camera will need is good zoom! For dSLRs and mirrorless cameras, this means getting the interchangeable lenses. And you’ll want a lense that goes out to at least 400mm. By the way, that gets really expensive ($1000-$2000, and up to $12000 for the high-end lenses).

Fortunately, there are point-and-shoot cameras called bridge cameras with superzoom features that are a great entry-level camera, and also saves you the money on buying a bunch of lenses.

Bridge (Super Zoom) Point-and-Shoot Cameras

We recommend super zoom (bridge) cameras for people who are just wanting to get started with bird photography. It will save a lot of money, and also it doesn’t weight nearly as much as carting a camera frame and 2-3 lenses along with you.

The best super zoom cameras out there right now are the Canon SX70 and the Nikon P900, P950 and P1000.

The Nikon P1000 has the largest zoom, and can take some incredible lunar photos. The P950 comes in second, and both are bulky and clunky and large.

One feature that is fantastic about the Nikon cameras is their bird tracking option. But after testing it out, the user experience was just not what we’d hope.

So that brings us to the Canon SX70. We’ve had a lot of experience with this camera, and know several birders with this camera. It has a zoom range of 1365mm! While that comes under the Nikon P1000, it’s really all you need, and beats the zoom range of dSLR and mirrorless lenses (without using extenders).

The SX70 is not nearly as bulky, and takes some quality shots!

A quick note: Super Zoom cameras do not perform as well on overcast days or in low light. But for general birding, they really offer incredible value.

Another quick note: You’ll want a memory card with at least 128 gigabytes or more.

All of these super zoom cameras are extremely popular for birding, and can be hard to find. But we have links below* to help you out and help you compare them even more.

Canon SX70*

Nikon P950*

Nikon P1000*

dSLR Cameras

Maybe your birder already had a bridge camera and now wants to upgrade into a dSLR, it’s up to you whether you want to get absolute top of the line or an entry-level camera.

In this article, we’re only going to make entry-level recommendations. These will be cameras with crop sensors, and a lower price. They still have excellent features, and take amazing photos. Many of our own pictures are taken with entry-level cameras (we’re not rich enough for high-end).

With that said, our recommendation for a dSLR camera, which comes with experience, will be the Canon T7i and the Canon T8i.

This photo was taken with a Canon T7i. Both the T7 and T8i will take quality images.

Just so you know, there is a less expensive version of these cameras – the T7 and T8 (no i), but these don’t have stabilization, and bird photography needs as much help as it can get.

These cameras will require you to buy lenses with it. So we recommend getting a kit off Amazon that comes with a few factory lenses. The most ideal kit lens for birding will be the ef 55-250 mm.

This will give you enough range for some backyard bird pictures – when the birds are close enough.

Remember, we also recommended a Blind to hide in while taking pictures. So combined with a blind, this lens will do a great deal.

We were able to find a Canon T8i* with the 55-250mm lens, but not a Canon T7i. We recommend that if you buy a T7i body or kit, that you also buy a 55-250mm lens with it.

Canon T8i

Mirrorless Cameras

When it comes to wildlife and bird photography, mirrorless cameras have really started to stand out. The technology has just gotten so good, that many professionals have begun recommending these types of cameras.

If your bird lover has been in the market for a birding camera of higher quality, getting them a mirrorless camera as a gift would be a huge surprise.

However, when it comes to shopping for cameras, this takes considerable research. So we don’t recommend this as a gift to just anyone. If you’re the type who spends hours really digging into products and have already really really listened to your birder’s needs, then you’re probably the best qualified to shop for a gift like this.

Our experience with mirrorless cameras have only been with Canon brands. That’s not to say Nikon is not as good. In fact, Nikon and Canon both have the primary market share for cameras.

For an entry-level mirrorless camera the Canon R10 or Canon R7 are both great choices. The R7 is a little pricier and has a few more bells and whistles. But the R10 is an exceptional entry-level mirrorless camera for birding.

What we love about both of these cameras is that you can set the subject to animal, and then the camera knows your subject will move. It will then track your subject as it moves and help you keep it in focus.

Both of these images were taken with a Canon R10

Amazon has some great deals on camera kits that come with lenses and other accessories. You can still buy just the camera body, but the lenses do get expensive. We also recommend using Canon brand lenses rather than off-brand lenses.

Find the Canon R10*

Canon R10 kit with a 75-300mm Canon lens, enough to get you started. The 800mm lens in this kit is also useful, but is not Canon brand, and is a little lower quality.

Canon R10 body with a small 18-45mm lens included – you will need a larger lens.

Find the Canon R7*

Canon R7 kit with a 75-300mm Canon lens – a good starter lens for birding. The 800mm lens in this kit is also useful, but is not Canon brand, and is a little lower quality.

Canon R7 body only. You will need to purchase a lens for this one.

Bird Lover Gifts to Avoid!!!!!

We wanted to have this section because there are a lot of things that might seem like a good idea for bird lovers, but aren’t. Reasons could be that these types of products could stress a bird out or endanger them. Or because a birder will already have a million of these items and not need another one.

Drones for birding

Best for: Avoid

At the top of our list are drones. Oh, believe us, they seem really cool. In fact, when observing a hawk’s nest in a really tall oak – we wished we had one.

But we also knew the reality: It would stress the hawks out, which as an organization that strives for bird conservation, this is not a good thing. And the mother or father hawk would very likely destroy the drone.

Not to mention that interfering with active nests of protected North American birds is illegal. While monitoring bluebird nests is a different situation, and is welcomed by conservationists, interfering with a hawk nest, or any open nesting bird (robins, finches, blue jays, etc.) by using a drone will likely get you into a lot of trouble if a conservation officer drives by.

Another problem with drones is that they have the tendency to run away, run out of batteries and fall, and therefore it could harm birds.

So – this is why drones are the top of our avoid list.

Decorative Birdhouses

Best for: Avoid

Next on our list are decorative birdhouses. And this one is an equally dangerous conservation risk to native songbirds.

Not all types of birds use birdhouses. Only cavity nesting birds use them. These include woodpeckers, bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, tree swallows, purple martins and more.

Cavity nesting birds are generally in decline due to habitat loss, poor human management, house sparrow and starling attacks, and predation.

While beautiful, decorative birdhouses put these vulnerable birds in so much more danger. These types of birdhouses are not suited for specific species, they’re subject to leaking, overheating which kills eggs, and heavier predation events.

Unless your birder collects decorative birdhouses for indoor use, this must absolutely be avoided.

Hummviewer Hummingbird Mask

Best for: Avoid

Price Range: $70-$85

Next on our list of gifts for bird lovers to avoid is the hummviewer mask. We have it pictured* so you can see what we’re talking about.

Hummviewer hummingbird mask – this is an affiliate linked image. While we recommend avoiding this product for conservation reasons, you’re welcome to explore and research and make your own decision. Please see our affiliate discloser at the bottom of this article.

And it’s another one of those gifts that seems like a really amazing gift idea for a bird lover, but again we see it as a potential issue in terms of conservation.

A caveat to this is that yes – hummingbirds do get curious, especially if you sit still long enough, and they will fly right up at you. But we see the hummviewer differently, because in this case you’re actively encouraging this.

And that might seem pretty harmless, but we’re of the mind that we don’t want birds to get too tame around people.

If you’ve every watched videos of raptor rehabbers raising a baby eagle, they’ll use an eagle puppet to feed the eaglet because they don’t want the baby to imprint on the humans.

Adult birds are less likely to imprint. But birds are incredibly intelligent, with brilliant memories. And they may eventually get a little tame around you.

While this is not nearly as problematic as a drone, it is a gift that you may want to deeply consider from an ethics standpoint.

*Disclosure

This article has affiliate links marked with (*) next to the product link. When you purchase something using these links, Nest Hollow does receive a very small commission, which helps pay for the maintenance of running this site. Please know that we take our recommendations very seriously. If we have tested a product, we will say so. If we have not tested a product, we will also disclose that. We will never recommend products that we believe may harm native songbirds or conservation efforts.