Finding the right gift is often a challenge, but if your gift list includes a birder, we can help! Did you know birdwatching is the fastest growing hobby in the United States? According to USDA.gov, “birding ranks as the fastest-growing single outdoor activity, even surpassing gardening, with 70.4 million people who report some level of involvement in birding. This represents 33 percent of all Americans age 16 or older.” So, if you aren’t a birder yet, just wait. It’s coming.
Since today is Black Friday, followed by Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, we thought it would be a good time to share some gift ideas for the birder in your life. Whether they’re just learning about birds, or a seasoned birder who has been at it for decades, we have some ideas to help!
Let’s start with the basics, birding attire and gear.
Birding attire is basically hiking attire, with a focus on neutral, earth-toned colors to help you blend in with your surroundings. For a list of some of our favorites, check out this recent blog where we recommended pants, shirts, and hiking boots. Several of them are having Black Friday Sales this week-end!
A good pair of binoculars is a must for birdwatching. While there are great binoculars for every budget, it’s a good idea to buy the highest quality binoculars you can afford. With proper care and maintenance, binoculars should last for years and be an essential tool you need only buy once. Many brands offer lifetime warranties and will clean or repair your binoculars as needed. This Audubon Guide to Binoculars is an excellent resource to help you navigate all the choices.
A waist pack or back pack with “pouches” for water bottle(s) always comes in handy, and gives you an easy way to carry snacks, your phone and car keys. A quick Google search will give you dozens of options.
How about some stocking stuffers to go in the backpack? Sunscreen, bug spray, after-bite gel, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer. Some other ideas for that stocking could be a small whistle (in case they get lost while birding), a lens cleaner (brush, cloth and liquid). Some birders also like a small notebook to record their observations. A rechargeable battery and cords to keep the phone charged comes in handy.
Another gift idea is bird baths and bird feeders, both essential to anyone interested in their backyard birds. Choices range from simple hummingbird feeders to more elaborate seed feeders that can accommodate multiple birds at once. And many feeders come with built-in cameras now, so you can watch videos or capture photos of your hungry visitors. With the advances in AI, smart bird feeders can even tell you which species of bird is coming to your feeder. Several of our SIB members have these feeders and can attest to the entertainment value! These make excellent gifts for the casual or serious birder in your family.
To help you sort through the variety of bird baths and feeders, here are a few websites to help get you started: Duncraft Bird Feeders (pictured above), Wild Birds Unlimited, and Brome Bird Feeders. A simple Amazon or Google search will turn up many more recommendations.
For Smart Bird Feeders, you may find this article helpful: 5 Best Bird Feeders with Cameras.
And it’s not just smart feeders. Many of these same companies now offer outdoor cameras to capture activity at your birdbath, or nest boxes with cameras to give you an amazing up close view of baby birds as they hatch and grow. Both of these are guaranteed to be a favorite of birders.
Looking for something unique and different?
Receiving socks for Christmas might be a little cliched, but not these socks! Browse the internet and you’ll find a great selection of novelty “bird nerd” socks which every birder would love! Check them out here! The same goes for funny t-shirts, well, funny to a birder, anyway. You can find shirts and other personalized gifts on Etsy!
For your more competitive friends, how about a game? Several of our members enjoy playing Wingspan. As mentioned in this blog from 2023, it’s a game of strategy that happens “to give you a chance to learn more about ornithology and birds you know and don’t know “.
Or Sibley Birder’s Trivia game might be your answer. It’s described as, “A game for birders to test their knowledge—with 200 cards offering 400 questions of varying difficulty about the birds of North America from the bestselling author and ornithologist David Allen Sibley.“
Do you have children in your family who are interested in birds? Maybe a future ornithologist! This website, Bird Collective, has several gifts appropriate for children interested in nature, wildlife and birds.
What about the person who has everything? They have all the gear and all the right clothes, and they’re a gift-giving challenge! Then experiences, rather than gifts, might be the way to go. It can be as simple as spending a day hiking in a local wildlife management area or preserve, or go all out with a trip to a birding festival or migration hotspot. Here’s an extensive list of festivals from US Fish & Wildlife to give you some travel ideas.
While we can’t do your shopping for you, hopefully these suggestions will get you started. There are many more great gifts that every birder would love to have so let us know in the comments which ones are your favorites! Happy Shopping!
Submitted by Gina Sanders