These are a few of our favorite things...

Many of our recent posts have had a very serious tone, so I thought it might be nice to take a breather and think about something a bit more light and festive. Kenn and I would like to share some cool things that we'll be gifting to the people we love this holiday season. We hope you'll consider some of these wonderful gifts, too!

 

Winged Journey: a 16-month calendar of birds.

With lovely photos from photographer Bryan Holliday (I mean, come on, his name's "Holliday" for goodness sakes!), and beautiful poetry by Sally Deems-Mogyordy, this calendar makes a perfect gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list: birder and nonbirder alike! One calendar fan told us that she bought a calendar for all of her friends and family and wrote in reminders of all the special dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.  Isn't that a great idea?! And, as if you needed any more reasons to order your copies right now,  a portion of the proceeds benefits Black Swamp Bird Observatory, so you get a wonderful calendar AND support a great cause, too!

  Hand-turned wooden writing instruments made by
Galen Frank-Bishop, a young birder from Massachusetts.  

This picture just doesn't do them justice.  These pens are fabulous!

If you're looking for the gift for that person who has everything (or maybe even a treat for yourself), this is it! These are more than simply "writing instruments."  These are fine works of art.  The barrel of each pen is hand-crafted by Galen himself and the "innards" are by the Cross Company - so they're refillable! Choose from Spalted Maple, Mesquite, Bloodwood, Cocobolo, Kingwood, Rosewood, and Zebrawood. Purchase Galen's works of art, HERE!

Buy yourself, and all of the coffee drinkers on your holiday gift list,
some certified shade-grown coffee.

As you might imagine, Kenn gets asked to endorse a lot of bird-related products. He usually politely declines, but when the folks at Birds and Beans came calling, Kenn looked at the company's mission and agreed to become a spokesperson.  If you'd like to introduce someone to a great tasting cup of coffee and support the Birds and Beans mission to make sure that people who enjoy coffee and care about conservation can get great coffee that they know is good for bird conservation, family farmers and the environment. Then visit their website and order some of their wonderful, bird-friendly coffee today:  Birds and Beans: the Good Coffee

Give the Gift of Wildlife Conservation This Holiday Season:
purchase a conservation stamp, like these:

The Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp

Impress the wildlife enthusiasts in your life with an Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp this holiday season. When you purchase this attractive gift, $14 of each $15 stamp sold supports:

* Habitat restoration, land purchases and conservation easements
* Keeping common species common
* Endangered and threatened native species
* Wildlife and habitat research projects
* Educational products for students and wildlife enthusiasts, such as the Division's popular field guides and CDs.

Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp:

also known as "The Duck Stamp."

But, purchasing this stamp doesn't just help ducks! Ninety-eight cents of every dollar from the sale of this stamp goes directly toward habitat conservation.  Since 1934, the sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated more than $750 million, which has been used to help purchase or lease over 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. These lands are now protected in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. 

The Junior Duck Stamp

The Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) recognizes the conservation efforts of young people and supports environmental and conservation education programs in the United States. The stamp design is selected from a national art contest administered by the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. The first place national winner of the art contest graces that year's JDS and is sold in a variety of places for $5. All proceeds of the stamp are used to fund environmental education programs, award the students for their work, and market the JDS program.

These stamps make GREAT stocking stuffers and you can get them all in one convenient place: RIGHT HERE!

Gift Memberships to Your Favorite Birding and/or

Bird Conservation Organizations.  For instance:

Black Swamp Bird Observatory

Ohio Young Birders Club

American Birding Association

Give a kid (or a beginner of any age!) the gift that will last a lifetime.
Give them the joy of birds and birding this holiday season!

Here's a great way to start!

Get them a Kaufman Field Guide

The best guide for beginners!

Team the Kaufman Guide with some great optics from our friends at 
Eagle Optics - we recommend these:

 The Eagle Optics Raven is the perfect binocular for young kids. They fit even really small hands, but they also work great for kids of all ages (adults love them, too).

Another great binocular for beginners of all ages is

The Eagle Optics Ranger 

A Kaufman Field Guide paired with quality optics like these makes the perfect combination for beginning birders!

Wishing all of you a holiday season filled with peace and joy,
and of course, lots of birding adventures!   ~ kimm and kenn