My inlaws have asked for a book on birds for Christmas and I'm hoping there are some bird lovers on this site that might be able to give me a few recommendations! They're both recently retired and enjoy sitting in their kitchen and watching the birds outside the window and would really like to be able to identify the different types of birds.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions =)
Sibleys is a great guide book. There is an eastern and western one or one with all the birds. We also use a national geographic book, but not as often. For song birds most field guides are going to be good.
There is an awesome magazine subscription you could order for them...it is called Birds and Blooms...I get it every month...and it is geared towards bird lovers....I highly recommend it...and every month they can... read so much informative facts and identifying them. Bettr than any book I've ever gotten. Hope you check it out!
You could always go with a classic and go with the Audubon books!
This one is a little higher in price:
http://www.amazon.com/Audubons-Birds-America-Audubon-Elep...
But there are other options too!
http://www.amazon.com/Audubons-Birds-America-Tiny-Folio/d...
Something else you can get to add to the gift or give it for something else is a window bird feeder. It has two suction cups that attach to the outside of your window-you fill it with birdseed and walah-birds come and feed. It's amazing and costs around 7 bucks. I find mine at Farm and Fleet. Birding is a great hobby!
I gave a book similar to Lee Lee's suggestion to a friend. She loves it!!!!
You already got a lot of great answers. My absolute favorite bird identification book is Sibley. He has the best pictures and makes it super easy to identify what is sitting in your back yard. Can't go wrong with birds and blooms and those bird song books are fun too. Not so great with the identification but fun.
Oh, I love birds too! Is there a pocket guide for their area? I found one at the library which sorts by color (double listings on some birds, esp. if they change color by season or hens are a different color than males).
I also found this online: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Easter North America by David Allen Sibley, published by Knopf. (I recommend this on the assumption that they are situated East of the Rocky Mountains; western US has its own book by Sibley, an expert in the birding world.Here's the link:
http://web4.audubon.org/market/licensed/fieldguides.html
While I like the smaller pocket guides, the larger book will be perfect as they are indoors and not actively birding outdoors. I like the amount of information the Sibley guide offers as well, the depth of info will be engaging for them, too.
We have this book and gave a copy to my in-laws, who are interested in birding. This book is fabulous and plays real bird sounds for each bird listed. Highly recommend!
http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Songs-North-American-Birds/dp/...
Added: I think this site is cheaper:
http://www.birdfeedershoppe.com/proddetail.asp?prod=CB###...
