New Products
Can you believe that Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour?
Since 1994, McNaughton Inc. has been thinking green and promoting the re-use of plastic soda and water bottles by turning them into inexpensive bird feeders.
McNaughton, the makers of Soda Bottle Wild Bird Feeders, is introducing Soda Bottle Watering Well. This turns an empty plastic soda or water bottle into a fun, affordable water source for thirsty wild birds. Each kit includes a blue watering tray, bottle net and hanger. Your customer provides the bottle. Watering Well has four water holes and four perches. And it can promote re-use of plastic soda bottles.
Some product introductions arrive with a thud. Others with buzz.
This one has generated a hive of buzzing.
GreenBird LLC’s new paper birdhouse is designed to promote conservation and bird education. Completely biodegradable, the birdhouse is made from a special three-layer laminate of recycled paper with a water-resistant coating. The houses are designed for one nesting season. At the end of the season, you simply toss the house in a compost bin for use in next year’s garden. Each house comes with a biodegradable cotton strap for ease of hanging.
We are not biased and will not cave to the public relations enticements of any company out there. No siree. But you can’t blame us for passing along the latest introductions from the entertaining shirt maker Earth Sun Moon.
Coming your way: Squirrels for Peace and Advice from a Bluebird. Bluebird builds on the company’s popular Advice from Nature series. Squirrels is the latest addition to ESM’s Peace Tees, depicting a gray squirrel, red squirrel, black squirrel and flying squirrel, all hilariously giving the peace sign. With the popularity of “squirrelly” stuff among backyard birdwatchers, this design is sure to be a hit.
Retailers who like offering their customers new feeders might take note of several introductions of the window-mounted variety. From Duncraft, these feeders feature a one-way mirror to bring birds closer than ever. The bird sees only a reflection of itself and doesn’t see inside the house. Get as close to the window as you’d like and observe every tiny movement and detail. The bird dines totally unaware and undisturbed. The three models are a covered platform tray for a variety of seed and two different sizes of hopper feeders for songbirds. These one-way Mirror Window Feeders are handmade of durable, 1/8-inch clear polypropylene at the Duncraft factory in Concord, N.H.
In 1934, Roger Tory Peterson wrote and illustrated a revolutionary guide to birds. But over the years, birds in North America have changed and it’s time for the Peterson Guide to catch up. Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has updated the guide and included all sorts of extras, including downloadable video podcasts on how to use the book and on bird identification. The book’s content has been updated to include smaller range maps next to species illustrations as well as a larger map in the back. The artwork has been updated and now includes birds relatively new to North America. This book is a classic with updated information.
One of the hottest books hitting shelves this year is The Young Birder’s Guide for eastern North America by Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest.
Thompson used his kids and his daughter’s fourth grade class for input on what kind of bird guide they would like. The result is a book of 200 common species with information on habitat, “wow” facts on bird species, photos and range maps. Julie Zickefoose, nationally known wildlife expert and Thompson’s wife, contributed illustrations.
The book is geared for kids but adults like it, too. It’s especially useful for someone who is looking for something more than a Stan Tekiela guide but not ready for a Sibley guide. Customers can also download a companion to the guide from birdJam: songs, calls notes and photographs for 160 species to your iPod to ratchet up your birding knowledge and fun.
Tell your tech-savvy birders that birdJam has a new TravelSound i80 Speaker for third-generation Nano iPods (4GB or 8GB). Weighing just 3 ounces, the i80 TravelSound speaker will easily slip into most any pocket. The iPod click wheel is completely accessible. You control volume with the TravelSound speaker, and both volume and sound quality are excellent. No batteries are required, and a convenient on/off button allows you to judiciously manage the 15 hours of playback when fully charged. You’ll also use your TravelSound speaker to recharge your iPod, so no additional wall charger is needed. At $79.99, the TravelSound is also available as part of a 4GB birdJam TravelSound Bundle.
