Walking our dog on one of these recent very cold days through the snow and ice on what had been the sidewalk only a few weeks ago, we heard a familiar mewing call. It sounded like a yellow-bellied sapsucker but we hadn’t seen or heard one in months. In fact, most of these migratory woodpeckers are much farther south by December, some as far south as the Caribbean and Costa Rica.

Yet, there it was, a juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker on a tree in a neighbor’s yard, calling and showing off the vertical white stripe on its side, clinching the identification. A quick look at eBird showed that there were sapsuckers reported from ten or so other locations across the southern half of Maine this month, so there are several hardy individuals still lingering despite the cold. A few are always counted on Audubon Christmas Bird Counts (which take place from mid-December through early January) every year. Maybe this one will stay until the count for this area.

We loved the moment of surprise and delight that this sapsucker gave us while on our dog walk.

That’s a special gift.

It’s the kind of gift that inspired us to write our bird books, with the hope that it would in turn inspire others who enjoy birds.

Our book, “Maine’s Favorite Birds,” is the perfect holiday gift for helping to spark or cultivate a growing interest in birds, whether the recipient is a child or an adult. We created it to be an easy introduction to the birds you are most likely to see here in Maine. Most field guides will include hundreds of species that do not occur (or are exceedingly rare vagrants) in the state—we’ve seen the frustration and confusion that can cause. So our “Maine’s Favorite Birds” includes the 100 or so that you will see 90 percent of the time. If you see a sapsucker in Maine, you won’t have to try to figure out if it’s a red-naped, red-breasted, Williamson’s, or yellow-bellied that are all included in standard field guides to North American birds. Only the yellow-bellied sapsucker occurs in Maine, so “Maine’s Favorite Birds” includes only that species.

We’re also proud that the species in the book are illustrated through paintings, which we think are better depictions than photographs when people are learning to ID birds. The paintings were done by our colleague Evan Barbour and are delightful in the fine details of plants and insects and fish that provide clues as to the ecology of each species beyond their identification alone.

We’ve heard from many parents and grandparents who’ve gifted “Maine’s Favorite Birds” to kids who then feel like the book is sort of uniquely theirs to learn from and for some, to add their own drawings and notes to. It becomes their special learning portal to the natural world.

Adults who have had their eyes opened to birds later in life or who have more time to pay attention to birds also find the book a gateway to learning more. We hope they the book helps them receive the gift of seeing and learning about and experiencing the connection to the living world in a new way.

For those who want to dream about far away places to visit and see new and striking birds, or who want to accommodate the needs and desires of family who are looking for warm, sandy beaches; pools, and fine dining in the Caribbean, we have another gift suggestion:  our book “Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao: A Site and Field Guide.” Many people from Maine have visited or regularly visit Aruba in particular, but have missed out on seeing and learning about some of the special birds of the island. It’s a shame to miss out on seeing birds like ruby-topaz hummingbirds, blue-tailed emeralds, bananaquits, yellow orioles, burrowing owls, troupials, bare-eyed pigeons, and many more. Our book will show you where to find these cools birds and help you identify them, too.

Both books are available through your local book seller or online. Good birding, everyone, as you celebrate the gift-giving season!

Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vice President of Boreal Conservation for National Audubon. Dr. Wells is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. He is a coauthor of the seminal “Birds of Maine” book and author of the “Birder’s Conservation Handbook.” His grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a nonprofit membership organization working statewide to protect the nature of Maine. Both are widely published natural history writers and are the authors of the popular books, “Maine’s Favorite Birds” (Down East Books) and “Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao: A Site and Field Guide,” (Cornell University Press).