Gifts For Birdwatchers & Birders

Last Updated on August 16, 2021 by Nancie

Need gift ideas for a birder or a backyard birdwatcher? Or maybe you are a bird lover yourself and want gift ideas to hint to someone else. Whether for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday or a holiday gift, here are some ideas to make a birder or bird watcher smile.

Is the Gift For a “Birder” or a “Bird Watcher”?

Note: People can enjoy birds in different ways. Some bird lovers are “Birders,” people who leave their home to seek out birds wherever they may be. Others are “Backyard Birdwatchers” who often put out feeders and birdbaths in their yard to draw birds to them. And some people are both. So when choosing gifts, keep the recipient’s interests and approach to birds in mind.

Feeder & Birdbath Gifts

Bird Feeders

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers)

There is a seemingly endless number of bird feeders out in the world. Some are excellent and some are frankly junk. The feeders on this list are feeders I use and like in my own yard. I think any one of these would make a great gift for birdwatchers. I’ve done posts/reviews on most of them. (Follow their links to read more about them.) Look for these feeders in bird specialty stores or if you can’t find them locally, I’ve also included Amazon links.

When buying a feeder, also give some thought to where the recipient might put it. Will they need an extra hook to hang it? A pole to hang it on? A baffle to keep squirrels off it? If you are gifting a feeder, one additional idea would be to include a bag of appropriate bird seed/food as part of the gift.

Birdbaths

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers)

Offering water can be an important way to draw a wide variety of birds to your yard. There are all kinds of birdbaths available that suit all kinds of tastes and budgets. If your favorite birdwatcher has a yard, think about giving them a birdbath. Here are two that I use in my yard that I like very much.

Also See: DIY birdbaths below.

Binoculars, Harness & Bags Gifts

Quality Binoculars

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers & Birders)

A pair of good quality binoculars is a gift that would be useful to both birders and birdwatchers. I have personally owned and used two types of Nikon binoculars for birding. Both are mid-priced, costing hundreds of dollars but not thousands. Both are solid good quality binoculars that will work well for birding.

I am currently using the Nikon Monarch 7 10×42 binoculars and like them very much. The way the Monarch 7’s depth of field works, I can get slightly higher magnification (10x vs 8x) but don’t have problems finding the bird the way you sometimes can with 10x binoculars.

Notes: 8×42 binoculars are often recommended for watching birds because they give decent magnification but their depth of field allows you to fairly easily find a bird in front of you. You also need to think about how much you want to spend as they can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. More expensive binoculars can give you crystal clear views with excellent color even in low light levels.

Binoculars Harness

(Appeals to: Birders)

Need an gift idea for a birder who already has a pair of binoculars? How about a binoculars harness? If you only pick a pair of binoculars off a table to check out a bird on your feeder, you probably don’t really need a harness for them. But a regular binocular neck strap can result in muscle soreness when you walk around with binoculars hanging from your neck for hours.

On the other hand, a binocular harness takes weight off your neck, making the experience much more pleasant. This is the harness I use. It is one of the best birding purchases I’ve made.

Birding Bags

(Appeals to: Birders)

Do you need a gift for a birder with lots of stuff to tote? When you go out birding, you often have quite a bit of gear to bring with you. A bag that holds what you need, keeping it convenient, but that doesn’t get in your way, can make a big difference in your experience. These are the bags Jim and I use when we go for a day-long birding trip.

Gifts To Learn About & Find Birds

Online Birding Class: Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers or Birders)

Does your favorite birder or birdwatcher want to learn more about birds? The folks at Cornell Lab of Ornithology know a lot about birds. I’ve taken several of Cornell’s online Bird Academy classes (and am still working my way through a few more.) There are classes for beginners and classes that are more advanced. Many focus on bird identification, but you can also learn about bird behavior and biology.

Some courses are focused on birds you might see in your backyard while others are broader classes that cover one or more species found in the United States. I especially like the classes taught by Dr. Kevin McGowan. I have learned a lot through their classes. I have personally received some of their courses as a gift and I loved it.

Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy

Books About Birds

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers or Birders)

Birdwatchers or birders who would like to learn more might enjoy a book about birds. While there are lots of printed bird field guides, I personally use bird identification apps. I do have a few specialty field guides (often a Kindle version I can take with me but some are good for reading through to prepare for a birding trip.) When reading about birds, I especially like books that take you beyond identification and look at bird behavior and biology (on a layman’s level.) Here are a few books that I particularly like:

The Warbler Guide / On Amazon

Beaks, Bones & Bird Songs / On Amazon

Into The Nest (Review) / On Amazon

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior / On Amazon

Birding Apps

(Appeals to: Birders and some Birdwatchers)

Does your birdwatcher or birder have a smartphone? With the advent of smartphones, many birders have moved away from dragging paper field guide books into the field. They instead use smartphone birding ID apps. Some are free (covered a little later) and some must be purchased or need a subscription. I touch on these birding apps in my “Four Favorite Birding Apps” post. (Note: Links below go to the app’s website pages.) These are the kind of gifts that a birder can use often.

iBird Pro: Purchased outright. Excellent in-depth bird ID app. (Note: I originally purchased iBird Ultimate. Because of changes required by Apple’s store, the equivalent version is now iBird Pro.)

BirdsEye: Monthly subscriptions. Several available, depending on the country where you will be birding. Very helpful for birders who want to find birds seen recently in a particular area.

Give Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers)

If the gift is to be given during the warmer parts of the year/country, you might consider flowers that appeal to hummingbirds, either flowering plants that could be planted in the garden or in a container for outside.

Ideally, look for native plants and regardless, be sure they are neonicotinoid free. Neonicotinoids are broad spectrum systemic pesticides (so they can get into the roots, leaves, pollen and nectar of a plant) that can kill pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Some stores label plants treated with this pesticide but at some stores you will need to ask.

Look for nurseries in your area that sell plants native to your area. Often plant tags will note when a particular flower is native and/or attractive to hummingbirds.

Cameras and Scope Gifts

Camera and/or Lens For Bird Photography

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers and Birders who want to photograph birds.)

Many birders and backyard birdwatchers get drawn into bird photography. But to get decent pictures of birds, especially birds in at a distance, your smartphone camera or a basic point and shoot camera isn’t going to cut it.

Professional bird photographers and many dedicated amateurs use DSLR cameras with long lens of 400 mm or higher. Amateurs on a budget or who are more comfortable with a camera that is more point-and-shoot, might instead go for a bridge camera with a built in long lens. (See my post on photographing birds at Magee Marsh for a demonstration on why a longer lens is important.)

Suggested Cameras & Lenses

Choosing a camera for bird photography is a really big topic that is too large for a paragraph. These are the cameras my husband and I use to get your research started.

Nikon Coolpix p900 or p1000 bridge camera: I have the Coolpix p900 which is an easy-to-use, lightweight point and shoot camera with a long reach. The Coolpix p1000 is the newer version with some additional cool features. My p900 still works fine though so I couldn’t justify springing for it.

Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera w/Canon 400 mm lens: This is the camera and lens that Jim uses. If you get a DSLR, keep in mind that you will need at least a 400 mm lens for most bird photography. (Professionals and really committed birders will usually/often go higher with 600 or bigger lenses, but these are even more expensive and are too heavy to handhold and need a tripod.)

Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera with Tamron 100-400 mm Lens: I recently purchased this camera and lens for birding. While more expensive than my Coolpix p900, it is still on the lower budget end of bird photography gear. It lets me photography birds-in-flight and other faster moving birds. I recently posted about choosing this gear: Bird Photography Camera On a Budget: Nikon D7500.

Birding Scope

(Appeals to: Birders)

While not every birder has or needs a scope, they can be wonderful in certain birding situations. A scope is a powerful tool that can allow you to view birds that are too far away to see well with regular binoculars. And they can get you a more magnified look at a bird than you can see somewhat with binoculars. They are particularly useful for watching waterbirds that are often way off shore or otherwise far away and hard to see.

Most birding scopes are too heavy to be hand-held successfully so when purchasing a scope, you almost always also need a good quality tripod to mount it on as well as a protective cover designed for your particular scope. To get good quality, you will likely be spending thousands of dollars. This is another huge subject and again, while I’ve tried out a few scopes on group bird walks and in stores, I haven’t used them all. This is the scope my husband and I use and like:

Photo Editing Apps

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers and Birds who like to photograph birds)

If your birdwatcher or birder friend enjoys taking pictures of birds, they may need photo editing software. I used Adobe products like Lightroom and PhotoShop for many, many years. While their quality is excellent, I dropped them when Adobe moved to a subscription-only payment model.

I now use On1 Photo Raw, which can be purchased outright. This program is like a mash up of Lightroom and PhotoShop. While a little rougher around the edges than Adobe products, it does good quality work on adjusting my photos and the company continues to actively to improve it and add features. (I’ve found their 2020 version to be faster than the previous version.)

I also recently started using Affinity Photo, a worthy alternative to PhotoShop for many purposes. It is sold for what I think is a very reasonable price but without a subscription requirement.

On1 Photo Raw (On1 Company website)

Adobe Lightroom (Adobe Company website)

Affinity Photo (Serif Company website)

Free and/or DIY Birding Gifts

Want to give someone a birding related gift on a limited budget? How about a free or do-it-yourself idea?

DIY Birdbath

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers)

While birdbaths often cost hundreds of dollars, you can make one using inexpensive supplies from your local home improvement store. If you are creative, you could decorate it as well. (To make sure you are not adding anything toxic to birds, just keep the decorations on the outside and not inside where the water goes.)

Make Birdsavers Blinds

(Appeals to: Birdwatchers)

Huge numbers of birds die each year due to striking window glass. If this is a problem that the birdwatcher recipient has at their home, you might offer to make them a set of Birdsavers “Zen Window Curtains” to go over one or more of their windows. This project uses minimal supplies.

Free Smartphone Birding Apps

(Appeals to Birders and/or Birdwatchers)

There are several apps that work on smartphones that are incredibly useful for identifying birds that are free. If you know someone who has a smartphone but isn’t technically savvy but you are, you might offer to set them up with these apps and show them how to use them. (Note: Links below go to the app’s website pages.)

eBird Mobile App

Merlin Bird ID App

Audubon Bird Guide App

Raptor ID App

More Ideas for Birding Gifts?

Do you have additional gift ideas for birders or birdwatchers? Have you given or received a birding related gift that was especially appreciated? Please add your ideas to the comments!

Nancie

---