Here we are in holiday gift-giving time again, which means that we have to remind you of three of the best possible gifts to give this season. Yes, they all have to do with birds, and they all encourage a love of birds and the outdoors that will last a lifetime. We must admit that two of the three gift ideas are items of our own creation.

A gift idea that is a perennial favorite is our book “Maine’s Favorite Birds,” published by Maine’s own Tilbury House Publishers. Brimming with beautiful artwork that depicts birds that people not only love to see but that are among the species that are most likely to be seen in Maine backyards, parks, land trust preserve trails, and along the shore of ocean or lake. Beginning bird watchers (from child to adult) and the currently mildly interested-in-birds will find the book much easier to use to identify the birds they are learning than a standard field guide with eight hundred or so species from across North America. Its also easier to use than field guides, which have a single photo on each page, making it difficult to compare among birds that are easy to confuse with each other. For kids, it’s a great book that they can call their own without the adults in the family worrying about keeping it pristine. Let them write in it, keep it in their backpack, or bring it to school with them. It’s a book that should be used, and if it gets a little dirty or dog-eared along the way, it only means that someone is learning from it and may become the next great ornithologist, birder, or conservationist.

During the cold, dark days of winter, the minds of many northerners drift to thoughts of warm, sunny places marked by beaches and palms trees. Just a few days ago, while walking our little black dog, a neighbor stopped to chat for a few minutes and mentioned that they had booked a stay on the island of Aruba and that they would be leaving soon. We reminded him, as we will remind you now, that his family and any family traveling to (or who has traveled to in the past) the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, or Curaçao absolutely needs to have what we think is one of the best guides to the birds AND birding. Our book, “Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao: A Site & Field Guide” (Cornell University Press) illustrates every species that occurs on these three beautiful islands in the South Caribbean. From emerald green brown-throated parakeets to boldly pink flamingos to flaming orange troupials, the birds are spectacular, and having a guide to telling what they are will open up anyone’s eyes to these special places and their special birds. The detailed maps and directions to the best birding spot on each island are indispensable for a short visit or a long one. Birding legend and author Kenn Kaufman says of the guide, “Beautifully designed and filled with helpful information, this outstanding guide will transform the whole approach to birding on these alluring islands.” According to Pulitzer-nominated author Scott Weidensaul, “This book is a superb field guide, a site guide with colorful maps, and a well illustrated introduction to the ecology and conservation of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, all in one package. It raises the bar significantly for birding books.”

These books can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or through any online seller, but get them now so you’ll be able to gift them in time!

Our third gift idea is not something you can buy but it is something that is incredibly meaningful: take someone out for a bird walk or teach them about the birds that you can see from your kitchen window. Kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews especially will remember the birds and the special time they shared with you while experiencing the natural world.

Happy holidays to all!

Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vice President of Boreal Conservation for National Audubon. Dr. Wells is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists and author of the “Birder’s Conservation Handbook.” His grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a nonprofit membership organization working statewide to protect the nature of Maine. Both are widely published natural history writers and are the authors of the popular books, “Maine’s Favorite Birds” (Tilbury House) and “Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao: A Site and Field Guide,” (Cornell University Press).