The Field Guides
Naturalist Gift Guide
Do you have a plant nerd on your holiday shopping list? A girlfriend obsessed with wildlife? That weird cousin that seems to care more about his potted plants than his fellow humans? The Field Guides are here to help! Here’s a list of nature-themed gifts for the naturalist on your list…
1. Naturalist: A Graphic Adaptation
Bill squealed with delight when he saw this new version of his all-time favorite book, E.O. Wilson’s Naturalist. Regarded as one of the world’s preeminent biologists, Wilson’s 1994 classic has been called “one of the finest scientific memoirs ever written.” (Los Angeles Times)
“This 2020 graphic edition, adapted by NY Times bestselling comics writer Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by C.M. Butzer, brings Wilson’s childhood and celebrated career to life through dynamic full-color illustrations and Wilson’s own lyric writing.”
2. WWF Tee
There’s nothing we could put in this description that would add to the awesomeness of this shirt.
3. Vortex Optics Diamondback HD Binoculars
Buying binoculars for the birdwatcher on your list can be a daunting task. Bill recommends this pair for the casual to semi-serious birder. The 10x42 model is a great all-around bin that won’t break the bank. They’re a little over $200 on Amazon, but you can often score a pair for under $200 on eBay.
4. Vortex Optics Binocular Harness Strap
If binoculars are too expensive, consider buying your nature-loving relation a binoculars harness instead. Nothing says “I am a serious birding dork” like having your binoculars attached to your body by a complex arrangement of straps. Seriously, though, for anyone who spends more than a little time birding, a harness is a must for fending off neck and back pain.
5. Dr. JB’s Hummingbird Clean Feeder
A hummingbird feeder seems like an easy thing to pick out. It seems straightforward. But if you’ve ever had one, you know that cleaning it can be a frustrating chore; so frustrating, in fact, that many of us tend to avoid cleaning the feeder, leaving it up for far too long, allowing the nectar to go bad, and causing us to wonder if, instead of providing food for our neighborhood hummingbirds, we’re actually drawing them in for a sweet taste of poisonous death nectar. This feeder is obviously designed by someone who’s been through it because it’s so easy to clean that changing the nectar is no longer a chore.
6. Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison
While not ostensibly a nature book, wildlife and landscape permeate the poems within this slim tome. It’s a poetry book for people who think they don’t like poetry. Ted Kooser was the United States Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006, and, while receiving treatments for cancer, it was recommended that he avoid direct sunlight. So, he took to walking during the predawn hours, writing a poem on returning home, and mailing them to friend and author Jim Harrison. Kooser collected 100 of them into this lyrical and moving work.
7. VTech DM111 Audio Baby Monitor
We’ve included this item NOT for the people with babies on your list, but rather for the person who feeds birds. Placing the transmitter outside by their feeders, your bird enthusiast can then place the speaker inside and listen to the sounds of the birds coming from their backyard. A low-tech, low-cost, quick-to-set-up way to bring bird sounds indoors. It’s a gift that keeps giving through every season.
8. Black Diamond Storm 400 Headlamp
Simply the best headlamp we’ve come across in terms of price and versatility. Whether we’re herping, camping, or owling at night, this bright and powerful lamp doesn’t disappoint.
9. Rite in the Rain Notebooks
Anyone who’s tried to take field notes in high humidity and/or damp weather can attest to how frustrating it can be. Rite in the Rain offers a variety of products designed for intensive – and wet – field use.
10. Field Guides Apparel
In the name of blatant self-promotion, we couldn’t NOT include our t-shirts and hoodies on this list. Even if the person on your list hasn’t listened to the Field Guides (after you’ve told them again and again to do so) this would be the perfect gift to shame them into finally tuning in.