Clever Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Bird-Watching Moms

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and many people are wondering what they can get their mom this year. A lot of moms enjoy bird watching, and a Mother's Day gift that encourages this hobby (which an estimated 75 million people enjoy) can be both unique and one that mom will actually use and appreciate. It may prove better than giving her that goofy greeting card with the syrupy sing-song prose that you would never utter in a million years.

In order to determine the right Mother's Day gift, you need to know how serious your mom is already in bird watching. If your mom just likes to feed the birds in the back yard, you'll focus on a different gift than if mom belongs to the Audubon Society and is head of the local bird watching chapter.

If your mom is a backyard bird watcher, the ideal Mother's Day gift would be basic supplies. The cost of bird seed has skyrocketed in recent years and a large bag of seed so that mom can feed the cardinals, blue jays and yes, squirrels and chipmunks, in the yard would be a great gift. You can pick up a package of five 7-pound bags of Morning Song Songbird Garden seed at Sam's Club for $19.36 or you can go to an online site, such as Flat Patio and have a 50-pound bag of top-rate seed which leaves no husks for mom to clean up for a total of $95.28 delivered.

Perhaps you would like to give a gift that will last awhile longer than seed. Then bird house feeders and water fountains would make an excellent Mother's Day gift. Bird house feeders come in all shapes and sizes. If mom is open to unusual looking gifts, this is a great place to start. One idea is to look for feeders made from gourds, which give a distinct shape. You can find local places, even roadhouse stands, that sell these or you can try an online seller. Amish Gourds has a variety for sale and some as cheap as $20.

Another bird house feeder idea for Mother's Day is to get mom a hummingbird feeder. Hummingbirds are great birds to watch due to their small size and constant movement. And they even offer a chance to see some good rough housing, as hummingbirds are famously territorial. Again these come in all price ranges and can be found easily in major retail stores or online merchants. To see a some of the great variety of hummingbird feeders available, visit Ruby Throat for information, pictures and links to online merchants.

Bird fountains make a great Mother's Day gift. These are usually more decorative than bird house feeders while still providing practical use. If mom appreciates sculpture, you have no shortage of choices. However, keep in mind that standing water in a bird fountain does have its disadvantages - most notably being a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Also, if mom or any of the neighbors have outdoor cats, a water fountain is not a good idea! Visit Bird Baths to see a great selection of these starting at $50.

If mom already has all the feeders and fountains she needs, another good idea is a book to help identify which birds are coming to the house. Mom can recognize the blue jays and cardinals and doves but what is that bird with the red forehead and throat and a white stripe along the wing? Pick her up a copy of the Audubon Field Guide for your region of the country at either your local bookstore or online at Audubon.com. These books are great reference guides and are easy to use. And mom can identify that bird as a Yellow-bellied sapsucker.

If mom is ready to venture away from the backyard to enjoy bird watching, she absolutely needs a good pair of binoculars. Generally, price is a good proxy for quality in a pair of binoculars and you can spend anywhere from $100 to $2,000 for a pair suitable for bird watching. Birdwatching.com has a nice breakdown of available binoculars and gives their thoughts on 17 different models. If you poke around that site, you'll also find spotting scopes, which are more like portable telescopes, at similar price ranges. Finally, if mom also likes to take pictures, she'll absolutely love a digiscoping device, which allows her to observe and capture digital images at the same time.

And if you are one of those people who would never insult your mom on Mother's Day by spending a measly $2,000 consider sending the two of you on a bird-watching vacation. Travel packages are available to all seven continents and mom will never forget that time the two of you went to Ecuador to see the giant raptors. If you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it, but consult your local travel agent for all available packages.

So, be different this Mother's Day and get your mom a unique gift that she can enjoy year round. Bird watching supplies can be a wonderful idea.