As hummingbird lovers, we have given and received many hummingbird gifts over the years. We thought it might be useful to share the ones we love and use the most.
Some of our favorite hummingbird gifts are books and specific feeders. We have listed them, along with our equipment and suggestions for small, fun items. If you want to put together a basket of hummingbird gifts, look for our suggestions at the bottom of the post.
Click on the photos or links for details on Amazon or iBooks (we are affiliates)*.
Hummingbird Feeders
We like to give hummingbird feeders that we think are practical and one that we think is beautiful. We often include port brushes when giving a feeder (see “small practical accessories” below). Due to our desert climate and small number of birds, we rely mostly on small volume feeders.
Small Dish Feeder
This Humm Blossom feeder is a favorite. Its size and ease of care are perfect for us. We have given several of these feeders as hummingbird gifts. We are starting to give two at a time. One can be hanging in the yard while the other is being cleaned.
Decorative Hummingbird Feeders
Large Dish Feeder
We use this 16 ounce HummZinger dish feeder during migration and breeding season when more birds are around. We also use it when we start to get bees at the bottle feeders. It can be washed in the dishwasher.
Other Feeders
We also use these economical single port feeders and this Perky Pet glass bottle feeder. These are important in our feeder routine but we do not typically give them as gifts. They would make a nice addition to a hummingbird-themed gift basket – see the bottom of the post for suggestions.
Small Practical Accessories
Practical hummingbird feeder accessories – small items that would be perfect to include in a basket (see the bottom of the post for a suggested list).
Brushes
These tiny bottle brushes are used to clean the feeder ports.
We also use a “feeder mop” like this one.
Ant Moats
When ants find their way down to our feeders, we use ant moats like this one. There are several styles available.
Hummingbird Books
Here are some of our favorite hummingbird field guides, coffee table books, and gardening books. Some are meant for browsing at home; some are meant to take outside.
Books to Enjoy at Home
Amazing Hummingbirds is one of our favorite hummingbird books. This book has gorgeous photos and an interesting discussion of hummingbird behavior.
The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds is a small, very brief paperback from the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It has a good overview and beautiful photos.
Hummingbirds: A Life-size Guide to Every Species is a comprehensive photo guide to hummingbird species – more than 300. This is a book captures an astonishing array of species. Some of the photos are glamorous, some are not, but the book is remarkable.
Do Hummingbirds Hum? is a book of questions and in-depth answers about hummingbird physiology and behavior. The serious hummingbird lover and naturalist will enjoy the detailed essays and illustrations.
Interactive Ebook for Children and Adults
Hover: Hummingbirds in the United States is an interactive ebook for children and adults. We created the ebook and all of the contents. Hummingbird life is shown in photos, video, and in slow-motion. Simple, clear text accompanies the visuals. It can be read on iPads, iPhones, and Mac computers.
Know Your Hummingbirds – Field Guides
Getting Started
We highly recommend Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds. We found this book to be very useful, especially during migration when several species might be in the same area. It shows examples with photos. It is small and easy to use.
Serious About Hummingbirds
For the serious hummingbird enthusiast, here are two invaluable field guides: North American Hummingbirds: An Identification Guide by George West and Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri L. Williamson. The guide by West includes his own lovely paintings as well as photographs to assist with identification. The guide by Williamson has a large number of photos showing different aspects of the birds’ bodies and field marks.
These are not beginner books. Both were written by hummingbird banders, for other bird banders. The guides go into depth about the bird’s physical characteristics and field marks. Both books are small and easy to carry into the field.
General Birding – Field Guides to North American Birds
General birding field guides cover all the bird species in North America. The information is broad rather than deep, and the books are larger and heavier. There are many other bird guide options. These are two we use most often.
The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Edition includes an expanded section on hummingbirds. The hummingbird material was also printed as a stand-alone trifold meant to be used in the field. It is hard to find online just now but we have seen it in stores.
We have used the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America for many years.
Gardening For Hummingbirds
For our western gardeners, we rely on these books.
Hummingbird Plants of the Southwest is a relatively new book. It is loaded with useful information about local plants.
We have relied upon the Sunset Western Garden Book for many years.
Decorative and Fun
Hummingbird Ornaments
Hallmark carries a series of hummingbird ornaments and mini hummingbird ornaments. The mini is truly mini but it is beautiful and well-made. These seem to sell out, so if the link shows that particular model is sold out, look for other Hallmark hummingbirds.
Hummingbird Hats and Socks
We have several of these embroidered hats and have given several as gifts. We have seen Ruby-throated, Anna’s, Rufous, Lucifer, and Blue-throated Hummingbirds embroidered on these caps.
And of course, hummingbird socks seem like a good idea. There are several kinds available on Amazon. We will add a link once we have received the ones we have our eyes on.
Artwork and Crafts
There are many beautiful hummingbird-themed works of art and hand-crafted items. Since art is a matter of personal taste, we suggest searching etsy for “hummingbird”. The art and craft market seems to change fairly quickly.
Stationery and Clothing
We love hummingbird stationery and t-shirts. This is another category that changes fairly quickly, so we suggest searching for the latest.
Hummingbird Pictures
With a site called “Hummingbird Pictures”, you might expect that we sell photos of hummingbirds. We do not today but plan to do so in the future. If there is a specific picture on the site that you would like to purchase now, please contact us here.
Equipment
Binoculars
We love these Minox BVII 8×25 BR Compact Binoculars. We have other binoculars (some more powerful and more expensive) but these are the ones we really love for everyday use. Bright, fast focus, small, light – perfect.
Camera and Lenses
Since cameras and lenses are large purchases, we recommend doing research – not only on price and quality, but also on whether the camera fits in the hand properly.
As an FYI, this is what we like and use.
We use a Nikon D600 – now a Nikon D610 – as our camera body.
Our lenses include this new Nikkor 200-500 mm lens.
And a Nikkor 70-300 mm lens.
We purchased our camera and lenses at our local camera store. We made sure that the camera fit our hands.
Monopod
Our most important camera accessory is a basic Manfrotto Monopod with a Manfrotto Ball Head. Tripods are important for photographing at feeders, but when we try to catch the birds in the wild, this is what we use. (Absolutely necessary for Maria when using the large, heavy 200-500 mm lens.)
Hummingbird Gift Baskets
Here are some suggestions for hummingbird-themed gift baskets.
Beginner Gift Basket
- One feeder from above
- A set of port brushes and a feeder mop
- An ant moat
- A mini-ornament
- A small box of plain white granulated sugar for making hummingbird nectar
- Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds, or
- A book to browse such as Amazing Hummingbirds or Hummingbirds: A Life-size Guide to Every Species
Over-the-Top Basket
- Two feeders from above
- A set of port brushes and a feeder mop
- An ant moat
- A guidebook
- A book to browse
- A decorative/fun item: an ornament, a hat, socks, stationery, or a craft item
- If you really want to splurge, include binoculars or a gift cart for equipment
- A basket to hold it all
Hummingbird Gifts – Your Suggestions
There are hundreds of hummingbird books, feeders, and gifts – if there is one you like but do not see here, please send us a message. We love discovering new (or new to us) ways to enjoy hummingbirds.
Thanks for coming by!
Go here for home or here for more hummingbird pictures.
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