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w e m : \ _ THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, Mar. 25, 1994 â€" 16 ‘ Don‘t be alarmed when you see two black and white cows on Trafalgar Road. You are not sudâ€" denly entering farm country. These particular Holsteins act as a kind of allâ€"weather welcomâ€" ing committee for Birders Nature Store, a unique Oakville shop that. has been described as an oasis of calm in a hectic world. As soon as you walk in the door of Birders, you are greeted by the sounds of wind chimes, falling water and chirping birds. Colorful kites and wind socks float gently above the heads of three cute stuffed animals perched on a bale of hay. To the left, you‘ll find various bags of birdseed in every size mixture imaginable. As you walk along the ancient barnboards that creak and flex underfoot, you‘ll find a small pond filled with goldfish. Here, you can pick up a Chilean rainâ€" stick or birdâ€"shaped door knocker while you look over the varied assortment of patio stones and garden ornaments. Further along are the birdbaths and birdfeeders in every shape, size, and color imaginable. Even if you don‘t know a Sparrow from a Woodpecker, you‘ll probably family nature lover. Come and see our wide array of oneâ€"ofâ€"aâ€"kind gift selections, perfect for the 468 Trafalgar Road enjoy a browse through the huge selection. The baths range in price from $30 for a basic ceramic model to $1,250 for a majestic triple bath design. The helpful staff at Birders can show you feeders that cost as little as $2, or a wonderfully designed "Estate" model with copâ€" per cupola that sells for several hundred dollars. By far the most popular feeder in the store is the "Absolute" which is 100 per cent squirrelâ€" proof. Birders also carries several ingenious products designed to handle squirrel problems. "Squirrels," says Sam Ilian, "drive my customers crazy." At this time of year, many homeowners and bird watchers are setting up bird houses so that the wood becomes properly weathâ€" ered in time for spring. Birds returning from the south will soon be looking for their Canadian homes. Surprisingly, bat houses are also very popular items at Birders. Bats provide an enviromentally sound way of keeping bugs down in the summer months, says Sam. For the young nature lover, Birders has an area specifically for BIRDERS NATURE STORE WILD BIRD FEEDING SPECIALISTS 844â€"2215 Birders is a tranquil oasis for bird lovers children, with its own little pond. There are dozens of educational toys to be found here, including activity guides such as The Bug Book and The Bones Book, as well as a howâ€"to kit for making pressed flowers. ___ But education is not just for the young. The store is stocked with hundreds of books about birds. The owner‘s goal is to stock every bird book in the world, including those for younger readers, and guestimates that right now he has more bird books than the World‘s Biggest Book Store. This extensive collection is just one of the features of Birders Nature Store that makes it unique. Other oneâ€"ofâ€"aâ€"kinds include wildflowers in a can, knapsacks and hip packs decorated with stuffed ladybugs, and, of course, "Poopets" â€" animal shaped fertilâ€" izers containing chemicals which 4 E are slowly released into the soil. In fact, Birders is one of a select few stores to carry the offiâ€" cial Great Canadian Weather Rock. It‘s a gift item worth checkâ€" ing out. Once you‘ve stumbled upon this little getn of a shop, you‘l find yourself coming back agai and again, if only for a perfect bag of birdseed and some time in th tranquil atmosphere. And if that atmosphere is some thing you want to take with you, Birders carries a large selection of Solitudes tapes that feature bird= songs and classical music. Nature lover or not, young 6r old, there really is something fo everyone at this Oakville shop. Birders Nature Store is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday to Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. + Gifts and Curiosities: » Nature Books Field Guides + Nature Cassettes, CDs + Videos * Binoculars Bird Feeders â€" Bird Seed + Bird Houses â€" Bird Baths or Bag of Our High Quality Bird‘s Special Seed Mix L. ts ms mee sn mm se tss ow tss m hss ns mewe Suet Cake Valid to March 31/94