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Welcome to BirdTracks® Online!
An e-mail newsletter from
Wild Birds Unlimited for December 2002.

In This Issue:
1. Holiday gifts – naturally from Wild Birds Unlimited.
2. White House Christmas tree for the birds.
3. Where in the world would you find a partridge in a pear tree?
4. Whooping cranes arrive at their winter home.

Holiday gifts - naturally from Wild Birds Unlimited!
The holiday rush is on! There's not much time left! If you're seeking last-minute gifts for the important people on your shopping list, consider Wild Birds Unlimited! From exclusive birdfeeders and custom seed blends to binoculars, coffee, chimes and gifts for the garden, Wild Birds Unlimited has something for everyone on your list.

If you're in a hurry, stop by and take a look at our variety of gift packages - all wrapped and ready to go! (Classic Too feeder in a gift-wrapped package shown at right.) If you're unsure of what to get your special someone, our Certified Birdfeeding Specialists stand ready to help you choose the perfect present. (Products featured here are pictured below.)

• Introduce a friend or family member to the joys of birdfeeding with a Classic Too feeder - with a red or green roof!
• Break the ice (for the birds, that is) with a birdbath heater or heated birdbath!
• Seed wreaths and seed balls make delectable treats for the birds - and environmentally friendly decorations!
• Chick-a-Depot feeder - makes a great hostess, teacher or helpful neighbor gift!
• Wind chimes of all sizes can provide sounds to soothe the soul.
• Stuff the stocking of someone super with a pair of compact (and completely portable) Energy binoculars!

To find these items and more stop by a Wild Birds Unlimited store near you soon and bring a little nature home for the holidays!

White House Christmas tree for the birds!
Birds are in the presidential spotlight this season as the White House Christmas tree is decorated with 400 birds native to the United States. The tree is the centerpiece of this year’s official White House theme – all creatures great and small. The Bushes are celebrating animals in the wild and the history of pets and the role they both play in American life. “Families around the United States are comforted and amused by the animals that they get to watch out in nature, like bird watching, or that they live with in their own homes, their own pets,” Mrs. Bush told reporters when she accepted the tree. At the White House request, governors of each state chose an artist to have a bird represented on the tree.

Where in the world would you find a partridge in a pear tree?
If you want to add a little birdwatching to your holiday merry-making, take a walk around your neighborhood, a drive into the country or a trip to a local park or nature preserve. Keep an eye out for any members of the partridge family (a quail will suffice)! Give yourself extra points if you actually see a partridge in a pear tree! Next try to spot turtle doves (a pigeon or mourning dove is a member of this family). Three French hens – well, you might have to hit a farm for these birds. Four calling birds. Legend has it that these birds are simply black birds – grackles, starlings, etc. Originally the birds were called colly birds, and colly is an old English word for coal. Six geese a-laying – this one is easy. Find any area with water (landscaped office parks, in particular) and you’ll find far more than six geese! Seven swans a swimming – a bit more difficult to find than the geese but not impossible!

Tally up all your findings and have fun! And in a couple of months, you can use your birdwatching skills in the Great Backyard Bird Count!