With thousands of bird feeders, bird houses, bird baths and accessories to choose from, finding the perfect gift for someone who likes to attract birds to their backyard garden or patio can be a daunting task. Here is a top 5 list of gift ideas that are sure to be a hit with your backyard birder.

Squirrel proof feeders can be fun to watch
Squirrel proof feeders are fun to watch, and effective.

Unique Gift Idea #5: Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders

Squirrels can be a huge nuisance to a backyard birder. They can quickly destroy an average bird feeder as they gorge themselves on premium bird seed. Luckily, there are bird feeders designed especially to prevent squirrels from feeding from them, and that provide hours of entertainment as the spurned squirrels stubbornly try to get to the seed (see squirrel obstacle course video).

Our best-selling squirrel proof bird feeder is the Yankee Flipper. It has a motor driven, battery powered, weight activated perch ring that allows the birds to eat and twirls squirrels off. It holds 5 lbs of seed, and is durably constructed of stainless steel and non-yellowing polycarbonate. The Yankee Flipper link above includes a video of it in action.

Also, a squirrel proof baffle can be added to a favorite bird feeder. For an automated spin, our Twirl-A-Squirrel baffle sits above an existing feeder and uses a squirrel’s weight on the feeder to activate a motor which gently spins the squirrel to the ground.

Heated Bird Bath
Heated Bird Bath

Unique Gift Idea #4: Heated Bird Baths

If the fall migration has left your backyard birder’s garden devoid of birds, adding a heated bird bath is the perfect solution to draw in an amazing variety of winter birds looking for a source of unfrozen water.

There are a number of heated bird bath options available, including deck mounted bird baths and pedestal style bird baths. Some backyard birders choose to protect the pumps of their favorite fountains by storing the fountains over the winter, and placing a separate heated bird bath or basin close to a window or vantage point.

Also, if your backyard birder already has a fountain in their backyard, heating elements (some thermostatically controlled) can be added to deice the bird bath during the coldest winter months.

Bird-Song-Audio-From-New-England-BirdhouseUnique Gift Idea #3: Bird Song Audio Learning Devices

The enjoyment of watching birds in your backyard is dramatically increased, when you can identify bird songs and bird calls. Being able to identify a bird based on its song is now attainable through technology.

Devices such as the Identiflyer, store and playback a recording of wild birds’ calls and songs, and can even be used sparingly to attract birds to the area. Bird song scanning wands use bar codes that can be placed in bird watching field guides to scan and playback recordings of bird songs in the field. There is even a singing alarm clock that wakes a sleeping birder with the call of their favorite bird. The convenience and simplicity of these devices, make them a terrific resource for kids interested in backyard birding.

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