IT’S THAT GIFT SEEKING TIME OF YEAR (12/04/03)

I always think that shopping for someone who is interested in birds is a pleasant prospect. Just walk into any store that specializes in this type of merchandise and you’ll be surrounded by a wide array of articles. If you share the birdwatching interest, you won’t have any trouble find something suitable for someone else, but if this is not your bailiwick, you might feel overwhelmed by all the choices.

I write this column each year with the hope that I can provide the type of guidance that will help both neophytes and aficionados know what’s new and “hot,” as well as what’s an old standby. I personally dislike getting bird knickknacks or any item with birds on it. I prefer to select my own, but maybe I’m just too fussy. Nevertheless, I will direct you toward practical articles.

Since books are the first gifts I think of for myself or for giving to others, I would top my list with the recently-published “Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.” This wonderfully illustrated guide, a pocket-size version of his much larger guide to the birds of North America, is 431 pages and covers 650 birds. The companion guide to Western birds of North America would be a good choice for anyone planning to travel beyond the Mississippi or for someone who lives there. They are both published by Alfred A. Knopf and are available locally and online for $19.95.

Sibley’s earlier guide was the most comprehensive one published in years. Ever since its appearance, birders have been saying, “Well, Sibley says....” The only problem with that book was its size. It’s definitely not one that you carry around in the field; you consult it in your car or when you get home. The new guides, though, are true field guides, and ones that every serious birder will have with him in the field.

After books, I’d look at tapes of bird songs. There are many great ones on the market and are of great use to birders, especially beginners. Learning the songs of birds is as important as learning what each species looks like. A new bird song identifier CD with 189 different eastern and midwestern birds digitally recorded along with a brief narration after each song is “Bird Song Ear Training Guide.” It also includes descriptive, memorable and often funny mnemonics (words to help you remember a bird’s song). A distinctly different gadget is the “Birdsong Indentiflyer,” a handheld audio device that plays bird calls when you touch the button next to the image of the corresponding bird. It comes with several sets of cards, so if you chose this gift last year for someone, consider adding more cards to it this year.

Early this fall I wrote about Droll-Yankees’ “Flipper” feeder. This fun squirrel-proof feeder spins vigorously around when a squirrel steps or jumps on it, sending the squirrel back down to the ground in an astonished state of disbelief. After two attempts, though, these critters learn that it’s hopeless to keep trying, so they stay on the ground, scavenging for windfalls of seeds. There is an improved version of the original and word has it that it’s even more effective that its predecessor. It looks the same but is faster and stronger, holds a battery charge longer and is more user-friendly.

Another squirrel- and large-bird-proof feeder is the “Bouncer” by Vericrafts, a high quality large seed tube with collapsing perches. Cardinals can use it but crows cannot. Squirrels collapse the perches and fall off. These, or any other types of feeders, including one for hummingbirds, make suitable gifts for folks who feed the birds, especially if there are novel features to them.

Speaking of feeders, you can never go wrong giving a person who feeds bird more food for the feathered crowd. Thistle (niger) seed is always welcome, as it’s the food of choice for goldfinches. Suet cakes and holders are extremely practical gifts and are sure to be appreciated. Peanut hearts and safflower seeds are extravagances that many folks don’t usually buy for themselves but would welcome as gifts.

Birdbaths are essential for birders who want to attract both wintering birds and those that are present in other seasons. A new and smaller (14” versus 20”) version of Allied Precision Instruments’ EZ-Tilt deck mount heated birdbath comes highly recommended to me.

If you’re looking for something that’s quite novel, you might select “Mother Nature's Monitor,” which transmits the songs and calls of backyard birds to an indoor FM radio. Now, isn’t that a great thought for us when we can’t be outside with the birds? A wonderful gift for a traveling birder would be Pentax’s 8x21 mini travel binoculars that will fit in any pocket, bag or glove box.

A subscription to a birding magazine would surely be a welcome gift in most homes, especially “Birds and Blooms” (www.birdsandblooms.com/,1-800-344-6913); Bird Watcher's Digest (http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/, 1-800-879-2473); Birder's World http://www.birdersworld.com/, 1-800-533-6644.

For many seasonal celebrants, a fresh tree is de rigueur. For years, I’ve been encouraging you that when it’s time to remove the tree from your house, give it another life as a tree for the birds. Now, I’d like to suggest that for friends who don’t celebrate the season with a real tree, give them a small cut tree and “decorate” it with small cups (I use those plastic measures that come with cans of coffee) filled with suet and grapefruit halves cleaned of all membranes and filled with bacon or other grease from your kitchen. String cranberries, popped popcorn, peanuts (in shell), bread, dried and fresh fruit on heavy lines. Fill pine cones with peanut butter mixed with millet and other seeds. Let your imagination run wild!

Finally, if you’re still stymied, remember that gift certificates show your thoughtfulness just as well as any of my suggestions!

Please send your comments and anecdotes about birds to me in care of the Cape Cod Times, 319 Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601 or, if you use email, to emiller@seepub.com. I regret that because of an overwhelming amount of mail, I cannot respond to each of you personally. However, I have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to the web page with my current and past bird columns, now found at http://home.comcast.net/~elliemiller/index.html. If you can’t find the answer to your question there, try Bird Watcher’s Digest at 1-800-879-2478 or check out their FAQ at www.birdwatchersdigest.com.