; f your lifestyle has you J stressed out, but a week in the Caribbean just isn‘t in the budget, try taking some time out at Birders Nature Store on Trafalgar Rd. As the name implies, this is a shop devoted to nature lovers of any age.: As you enter, you‘re greeted by the sound of trickling water. Ancient barnâ€" boards creak and flex underâ€" foot, and old tree trunks soar through the ceiling. Birders Nature Stores were started by a Toronto couple, Mike and Mikki Illion, less than two years ago, and have been so successful that several franâ€" chises, including the Oakville store, have been opened around Ontario. Owner Garrett Hall who will preside over the official openâ€" ing this weekend, thinks of his store as a "stress releaser", a place where people can browse unpressured and take in some of the sights and sounds of nature. Basically, the store is devotâ€" ed to bird enthusiasts of every stripe, whether you‘re a diehard birdwatcher or just a backyard hobbyist who enjoys watching songbirds at the backyard feedâ€" er. Even if you don‘t know a starling from a woodpecker, you‘ll enjoy a browse though the huge selection of bird feedâ€" ers, houses and birdbaths, ranging from the whimsical to the deluxe. Hall can show you feeders that cost as little as two dollars, or a wonderfully designed "Estate" model, complete with copper cupola, that sells for several hundred. One of his best sellers, "The Absolute" is priced at about $90, and as the This store 1s for the biuirds In fact, if squirrels are a problem with your backyard feeder, Hall carries several ingenious products designed to handle the problem. As you might expect from a store devoted to birds, there is also a wide variety of specially formulated seeds. Hall says it is important to use a good qualâ€" ity seed, otherwise, birds will simply reject it, and you‘ll be left a large percentage of uneaten seed strewn under the feeder. He can recommend a variety based upon the type of bird you wish to attract. name suggests, it is absolutely guaranteed to keep the squirâ€" rels out of your feeder. Throughout the store, there are a variety of unusual prodâ€" ucts to catch the eye, including children‘s educational craft kits, windchimes, Tâ€"shirts and sweatshirts, colorful throws, walking sticks, binoculars and an intriguing product called "Poopets" which is an organic fertilizer sculpted into decoraâ€" tive animal shapes which can be used on both indoor and outdoor plants. There is also a section of the store devoted to books, tapes and videos on a variety of nature topics. A viewing screen and headphones are provided so customers can try them out. As baby boomers hit middle age, Hall says hobbies such as birding are experiencing a real boost in popularity, and part of that popularity stems from the fact that it is an activity one can do at any age, any income level and any fitness level. Hours of business at Birders Nature Store are Monday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 10 .m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.