Take Flight with Bird Watcher's Digest -- Learn A Lot!
Written: Aug 30 '07 (Updated Feb 23 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: informative articles, well-written and presented, color photography
Cons: can always use more color photographs of the birds (they are beautiful)
The Bottom Line: An excellent magazine for wild bird-lovers.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Bird Watcher's Digest Magazine |
The Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine routinely finds its way into our company’s break-room. Since a lot of us are animal and bird lovers, it’s a grabbing match to see who reads this magazine first.
A Bit About Me – And the Birds
I have been an unofficial bird watcher since I was old enough to know the difference between a robin and a cardinal. My New England backyard is partially wooded and sees an active bird population. Between my neighbors and me, we have several bird-feeding stations in our yards, and the birds flock to them.
It’s not unusual for me to race through the house for the binoculars when I see an interesting bird in the yard. I saw my first Cedar Waxwing the other day! When I don’t know which bird species I am observing, I do my best to discover what it is, whether through a book, the internet, or my neighbor who is an avid bird watcher and is involved in several related societies. (He just returned from a bird-watching trip to Costa Rica and had a terrific time.)
Description of the Magazine
The Bird Watcher’s Digest is a small in size measuring 5 1/4” wide x 8” high. It typically runs about 128 pages. The paper is of excellent quality, and the front and back cover contain beautiful color artwork. Their tagline is: “North America’s favorite birding magazine since 1978”.
This is a bimonthly magazine with an annual U.S. subscription rate of $19.99 a year for six issues. Canadian subscriptions cost an additional $5.00, and foreign subscriptions are an additional $10.00. Individual issue price is $4.99 U.S. / $5.50 Canadian. Pardson Corporation is the publisher.
My Thoughts
Despite its compact size, this magazine delivers excellent content about wild birds and their habitats. I especially enjoy the articles. The authors sound just like me, people who enjoy bird watching. They don’t come across as scientific, and it’s rare to find an article populated with unpronounceable words. If I had to pick one thing this magazine could use more of, it’s color photography. Maybe that’s because I enjoy the photographs so much! Each article is accompanied by at least one color photograph and often more than that, but I always want more pictures. Granted, color costs money, and I’m sure that is a consideration when choosing how many images to publish.
I also enjoy the “Question Box” section. Sometimes the questions make me shake my head, such as the question, “What if a bird is afraid of heights?” … and the answer didn’t offer any real insight to if it’s even possible. And then there are questions that teach me something, like the question asking if birds are poisonous. I was astounded to learn the answer is “yes”. In case you are wondering, three of the six pitohui species generate a toxin the same as the toxin produced by poison-dart frogs.
The personal essays also delight me. It’s always fascinating and fun to read about other people’s encounters with wild birds, whether the birds are in their area or discovered while on vacation. I also like the birding observations that are reported.
This magazine not only covers information about birds and their habitats, it also includes information regarding birding books and equipment, bird diseases, bird feeders and feed, and even garden ideas to attract various types of wild birds.
Magazine Content
The Table of Contents at the beginning of the magazine divides the content into various areas. There is a Features section, which contains the bulk of the magazine’s article content. Another area focuses on The Backyard and offers some helpful advice or insights into making the backyard a more bird-friendly environment. Regular columns include Letters from Readers, Book Notes, and personal pieces.
I find the Table of Contents easy to read with its bold print, and it is well organized.
Each page in the Bird Watcher’s Digest is well-designed. I appreciate the larger type font. I don’t have to squint to read the articles. The occasional cartoon also brings smiles.
A word about the advertising … the ads in this magazine focus on birding equipment such as binoculars, cameras, feeders, publications. There are also notices posted through the magazine about birding events. At the back of the magazine is a section called “BWD Nature Shop” that features items for sale, and a Classifieds section where people place sale and advertising notices.
Summary
My coworkers and I thoroughly enjoy this magazine. I am glad it “magically” appears in the break-room and that we can share it. While I enjoy reading the magazine during breaks and lunch, I’m not one to spend $20.00 a year on a subscription. However, I would definitely buy a subscription for a bird-loving friend or relative. It would make a great gift.
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
Bird & Blooms Magazine
Country Extra Magazine
Track Finder (A guide to mammal tracks of eastern North America) -- book
Bird Illustration Clipart Book & CD (Dover Publications)
Droll Yankee Tipper Bird Feeder – squirrel proof
Deluxe Pyramid Composter
Upside-Down Tomato Garden
Rubbermaid Big Max Storage Shed
Black & Decker Cordless Battery Mulching Lawnmower
Copyright 2007 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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