08 Dec 2022 Gift guide for bird lover on your list
It’s December 2022 and if you’re like me, you still have a ways to go on your holiday shopping list. You might also have a few animal loving friends and family that you really want to find a special something, because you that making animals happy makes animal people happy. Well you are in luck, we have curated a holiday gift giving guide for the wildlife lover, the parrot person, even the dog, cat, and charity minded family or friend on your holiday list. For any type of budget, there are over 60 holiday gift idea for the bird nerd and animal freak in your life. From books to parrot toys to composers, we thought of it all!
Books
Books about birds, nature, and our food systems can be challenging to maintain the proper scientific lens. I have been disappointed a few times to have books recommended as science based only to find them under researched to the point where the species of bird is obviously incorrect. Each of these books had a remarkable impact on my outlook and changed my life in some way.
The Secret Perfume of Birds Danielle Whittaker
The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman
Entangled Life by Merlin Drake
A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kemmerer
The Nature Fix: Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative by Florence Williams
Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A history of food, from sustainable to suicidal by Mark Bittman
Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis
The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World by Richard Prum
Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul (Pulitzer Finalist)
For Parrots
What’s on our list for parrots and other birds this year? Pretty much everything! We love a good foraging idea, but finding natural shreddables that don’t break the bank as well as swings and other fun furniture pieces that encourage exercise always make us happy when we watch our birds engage with them. We included some Aussie items for our friends across the Pacific, as we know there are many on our list!
Parrots R Us
Parrotsrus never stops! They always have really interesting items. Follow them on social and check out what they have in store for yourselves if you are so inclined. These are some of my personal faves for a wide variety of offerings.
Holiday Talon Toy Gift Box for Medium and Large Parrots
$45.95
Rudolph stops at the snack bar for tiny, small and medium parrots
$79.95
Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages
Natural Inspirations proceeds primarily funds a non-profit parrot sanctuary we founded in 2020 called Wingspan Parrot Sanctuary They give lifelong sanctuary to birds for owners who have made adequate provisions for their care should they no longer be able to care for them and we rehabilitate and rehome rescue birds. They have rehabbed and rehomed 50+ cockatoos and even more macaws, amazons, conures, etc.
Various sizes and prices
Various sizes and prices
Bonka Bird Toys
We have been shopping at Bonka for a while now!
Stainless steel cups A favorite for our kookaburra and corvid (like all day long)
We love a different kind of swing. This one is a popular one
$25.99
Bird Toys Etc
$49.00
Make Your Own Bird Toys
Great Foot Toys
3 for $0.40
6 for $0.75
6 for $0.65
Australia
Chipper Parrots Bird Toys
Favorite: Pizza with the Lot
Great shreddable natural foot toys
Dog Toys
Foraging toys, slow feeders and safe exercise items that don’t encourage your pup’s obsessive behaviors are on our list this year! Enriching your dog has never been so easy, but making sure that it’s safe to do so can be a slippery slope. Any item can be made dangerous, so be sure to watch your dog the first time they interact with something. And we also included some agility items, because it’s a fun way of engaging with your buddy, even if, like us, you have no desire to compete!
$5.99
$39.95
Dog puzzle– Puzzle feeder with different difficulties
$29.90
$25
Voice buttons – if you recall our exclusive email content about these buttons from November, you might have felt like a number of our workshop guests and been inspired to purchase some!
$40
Agility poles – heck yeah! Join in the fun and get your dog exercising in a new way!
$130
$65
Furbo pet cams with bark recognition, microphone and treat launcher
$150
Meal dispenser with adjusting difficulty levels
$55
Cat Toys
Like dog toys, cat toys have really elevated in recent years. Keeping cats engaged can relieve a number of seemingly disassociated behaviors, from spraying to “missing” the litter box to excessive vocalizations.
foraging toy for cats! This one might be the cutest one out on the market
$20
$28
Full disclosure – we don’t have this, but we promptly ‘added to cart’ when we saw this and are really excited to see what the kitties do!
Price Varies
These beautiful pieces are a great answer to “why do cat towers always have to look like that?”
$12.99
This is a popular toy that can be found in many different styles
$21.99
$250
This is the answer for people who have very active cats or inactive cats. A great way to keep those kitties indoors and safe but getting the exercise that they need
$30
Duh. Cats love this, and it will keep them off of our TV equipment or microwave.
Wildlife Lovers
Bird feeder with camera
Netvue Birdfy with Camera and AI
$199
There are a lot of different models and brands. While we haven’t vetted them all, we love this idea and encourage you to check them out!
$49.95
See what is visiting your yard! You might be extremely surprised at the amount of wildlife that comes at night. We love having trail cams at our place.
$199
$499
Great for birding, your trip to a national park
In home composting – reduce methane emissions at the landfill
$349
Moisture,pH, and sunlght sensor to avoid overwatering your garden
$9.99
Loupe microscope my latest obsession thanks to Robin Wall Kemmerer for looking at plants, bugs, and mosses
$19.99
$194
American Kestrel, Screech Owl or Saw Whet Owl Box
$65.99
We rely on ours heavily here and absolutely love this workhorse!
$155
Giving
There is something for everyone, and when you want your dollars to stretch farther, giving to smaller organizations can have a huge impact in the work that they can do. Consider the following organizations, look into the work that they do and see what appeals to you!
Charities
Below are a list of nonprofit organizations of various areas of interest that benefit wildlife and conservation in different ways. We feel strongly that a holistic approach to our biggest challenges is the only way through this.
Located in Wilson, Wyoming, this organization focuses on education, research, and rehabilitation. Your donation can focus on one of the most unique aspects of their work: tracking the success rate of released rehabilitated eagles and other raptors. There is very little data on released birds, and it costs over $3000 for one GPS unit, let alone the related costs of monitoring the birds of prey.
This organization focuses on field research and long term data collection of wild owls.
This organization works with species of raptors creating, maintaining, and preserving nest sites for sustainable population management.
Mission: To facilitate the large scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands and livelihoods of their inhabitants through holistic management.
Local Organizations
San Diego
New York
Alley Pond Environmental Center
Illinois
Texas
North Carolina
Canada
Marine education and research society
South America
SAVE: Brazilian bird conservation
Africa
Mabula Ground Hornbill Project
Australia
Japan
India
These items are not ads, we do not make any commission from this list. We do not make any claims to the safety or the integrity of these items, please use your best judgment as to what you find will work best with the animal in your care.