Customer Reviews

Birds & Blooms

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an avid bird watcher and backyard feeder, I currently subscribe to four various magazines on the subject of our feathered friends. Some bird magazines, like any other subject of a periodical, are obviously designed for the true thorough enthusiast of the topic. Where the publishers assume that for the reader money is no object, and nary a page is turned without yet another colorful AD taking up most of what should be regular features and articles. Birds & Blooms is the definitive example in my opinion of a periodical on the subject of backyard birding and habitats written and designed for everyday, down home regular folks. It is interesting, colorful, easy to read, humorous, and always and ever informative. If you're looking for a travel log of some bird watcher who just got back from a mountain tour of Costa Rica, your looking at the wrong magazine. B&B is made up of articles, memories, and features written on a home spun level that could be easily drawn from the recesses of our own story. Backyard feeding advice and reader contributed pictures of yards, gardens, and home made bird houses make up the bulk of its material. Along with helpful, easy to understand departments that offer a variety of entertainment and valuable advice. I highly recommend B&B as a magazine to just sit back and relax with, and simply enjoy. As a subscriber to many magazines of this nature, its my opinion they don't come any sweeter...

Update: Since the writing of this review, I have to reluctantly admit that this magazine has significantly changed its format due to a new ownership. It's not exactly a shadow of its former self, but it certainly has taken an unfortunate turn for the commercial. Never did I see large 2 and three page ads for vacations and cruises and other things that have nothing to do with....well, birds and blooms. It's still not a bad magazine for backyard birders, but I would now suggest you pick up a copy at your local store first and judge for yourself if its worth it for you. Most unfortunate they have gone so commercial...

Very colorful photos, informative articles written by subscribers and bird watching nuts like me! Tips on feeding birds, gardening, etc. Extremely informative magazine. Not a page of it wasted. There's as much info in the magazine on "birds" as there is on "blooms" so regardless of your interest, you'll enjoy the publication. I look forward to it every other (bimonthly publication) month and have gleaned a lot of tips on attracting, feeding and identifying birds as well as planting tips for flowers.

I have been a long-term subscriber to Birds & Blooms. Apparently a few years ago Reader's Digest took over Reiman Publications. Ever since, I've noticed the quality of the magazine going downhill. It used to be ad-free. Not anymore. Now, I have to deal with 3-page drug company ads in a magazine that is supposed to be devoted to birding and gardening. I can pick up any other old magazine and see at least 4-5 drug company ads. I don't want to have to page through them in this magazine. I won't be renewing my subscription.

Birds & Blooms is somewhat entertaining, but its far too thin and infrequent of a publication to pay this amount for. There isn't a lot of useful information but the photography is pretty good. There are better publications out there for the money.

I have been a long time subscriber to Birds and Blooms. I always loved it. However, since Reader's Digest took over the ownership, the magazine is not what it was. It seems to have been "dumbed down"....(a couple of months later): OK, I just received my last issue, and I have decided to renew again, after all. There is still some great content in the magazine. But I beseech the new editors not to put in too many trendy/ cutesy features and formats! The new "your life" feature is not helpful, but rather "hypeful!" None of us in today's celebrity-obsessed world need yet more articles about fashionista super-achiever (on the surface, anyhow) types. And why, oh why, did you take out the lovely Canadian connection in the magazine? Birds and Blooms used to have a much-appreciated North American focus which included the provinces of Canada. Now, in the "Regional Reports" section, Canada has been discarded entirely. Kind of sad and short-sighted....Well, as I said, I am re-subscribing. But with some doubts.

They used to ban ads, now they fill it up with some "house" ads for travel, etc. Used to be a lot better choice of material, so I'm dropping it. Try Garden Gate for an easy gardening magazine.

I have been reading Birds and Bloom for over 8 years and I find it a delight to comb each page for descriptions of tranquil peace and simplicity. It is a way to focus your attention to something outside of your daily reality and it brings you down to earth and grabs your attention away from those superficial clouds that make up daily life. You know that you should stop and smell the roses once and a while, but while you are at it check out the whole garden and stay for a while. The rest of the world can wait. It doesnt matter if you are an expert gardener or bird watcher, the colorful photos and lively articles will draw the attention of beginers and captivate seasoned agriculturalists from Seattle to Vermont. Beauty is universal. Let the magazine speak for itself.

This had been my favorite magazine forever. When they began using thinner catalog style paper I was disappointed but understanding. The magazine originally gained fame by not having any advertisements. It was all content. My latest issue - October 2011 - seems to be 50% ads. You have to LOOK for the content. This is such a shame. I am very sad to say that they have lost me as a customer. I won't be renewing again after all these years. Talk about ruining a good thing!

I have to agree with the many reviews on here that talk about this magazine not being what it was-simply not as good-and all the ads in it now really bother me. But I do still look forward to each new issue (also take Birds and Blooms Extra so I get one or the other each month) and still mostly enjoy it. I need to renew my subscription so I came to Amazon because I subscribe for my other magazines through them and what did I find? I found that Amazon's price is $5.00 higher per year than if I go to the magazine site and subscribe/renew through them. Now why is that? I will be renewing there rather than here! Why would I pay that much more for exactly the same product???

At the end of March I received my first copy of Birds & Blooms. It came sooner than expected, which was a nice surprise. This magazine did not disappoint. Beautiful pictures and interesting articles. I would recommend it for any bird/flower enthusiast. It is geared more for the amateur, with lots of input from readers. Fun to read!