ToddSpace: John's Birding Page

Birding gift ideas

It’s that time of the year again. What can you get a birder for Christmas?

Try thinking in broader terms when searching for a gift for a birder. Everything from a feeder to binoculars and scopes will make a birder happy. Guide books, specific species books and ID guides will bring a smile to anyone’s face.

If your birding friend lives in Massachusetts, how about The Massachusetts Atlas and Gazetteer. Another favorite is A Birder's Guide to Eastern Massachusetts.

Does someone you know have the dreaded squirrel problem? Get them a baffle or a squirrel-proof feeder. A lot of feeders have metal seed ports to keep squirrels from chewing holes in the feeder.

From birdsong identifiers to specialty seed, there’s a wide range of gift ideas for your birding friends and family members.

Let’s hear some of your gift ideas. Simply reply by clicking the “Comments” link at the end of this article.

Happy birding!

Spotting Scope

When you step into a deal, you can do it big time like my wife and I did yesterday at Rivers Camera in Dover, New Hampshire.

After visiting Plum Island, Massachusetts for some birding, (more on this trip in another article soon to come) we decided to head to Rivers Camera to see the Celestron Ultima 80ED spotting scope in action. We have been wanting to see this scope after reading many wonderful reviews, but had trouble finding a dealer. After searching the internet for a dealer that didn’t require driving too far, we came across the Rivers Camera shop.

This place is a birders and astronomers dream come true! Binoculars, telescopes and spotting scopes galore. There are many different brands and styles to choose from, many of them high quality glass.

To make a long story short, the shop had many Meade and Celestron spotting scopes in stock that were ordered by customers, but never picked up. So, they decided to have a sidewalk sale, available in store only. (Sorry, internet orders do not apply.)

This great spotting scope that retailed for the great price of $499.99, was now 40% off! Final cost: $299.99! They have a few more left in stock, so if you would like this scope, don’t tarry too long, when the stock is sold out, the sale is over.

This scope in the reviews that I read, put it up there with the high quality optics such as the Swarovski spotting scopes. In side by side comparisons, it performed just as well as the higher end optics, with very subtle differences.

We used it in the field this morning at the Scarborough Marsh, and the sharpness, clarity and colors seen in the birds we viewed took our breath away!

I did purchase a connector to attach my digital camera to the scope, but got the wrong one. So later today, we will return to Rivers Camera to exchange it for the correct size. Look for some great pictures coming soon, because digiscoping is coming to ToddSpace: John's Birding Page and Birding In Maine!