Birds & Blooms and Birds & Blooms Extra are two popular magazines published by Reiman Media focused on birdwatching and gardening. Both magazines provide useful information for backyard birders and gardeners, but there are some key differences between the two publications.
Birds & Blooms is the original magazine launched in 1995. It covers a wide range of topics related to attracting birds, identifying birds, understanding bird behavior, creating bird-friendly habitats, and enjoying the beauty of birds.
Birds & Blooms Extra launched in 2006 as a special interest publication with more focused content. Each issue concentrates on a specific theme like bird feeding, bird houses, bird gardening, and bird health.
Understanding the distinction between these two magazines can help backyard birding and gardening enthusiasts decide which publication best suits their interests and needs. This article will compare and contrast Birds & Blooms and Birds & Blooms Extra in terms of topics covered, writing style and depth, special features, photography, and subscription options.
Topics Covered
The main difference between Birds & Blooms and Birds & Blooms Extra is the range of topics covered in each magazine.
Birds & Blooms
As the original publication, Birds & Blooms features a wide variety of articles in each issue related to wild birds, birdwatching, bird feeding, and gardening to attract birds. Specific topics include:
- Latest bird identification tips such as deciphering bird songs and recognizing distinct plumage
- spotlight on unique bird species and behaviors
- seasonal birdwatching with tips for the best sightings
- how to properly use bird feeders and bird houses
- creative bird-friendly gardens emphasizing native plants, water features, and landscape elements
- plant selections to provide food, shelter, and nesting sites
- backyard bird feeding tips and suet and seed recipes
- crafting birdhouses, birdbaths, and other bird accessories
- understanding bird biology and life cycles
In each issue of Birds & Blooms, readers will find a balanced mix of birdwatching tips, birding hotspots, garden design advice, plant recommendations, feeder techniques, and DIY bird project instructions. The diverse content allows casual bird lovers to geek out on their favorite backyard birds while picking up useful gardening knowledge.
Birds & Blooms Extra
While Birds & Blooms covers a wide range of topics in each issue, Birds & Blooms Extra takes a targeted approach. Each edition focuses on a single specific theme allowing for more in-depth exploration of key backyard bird and gardening subjects. Past themes have covered:
- Feeding birds such as types of bird food, feeder styles, placement tips, and bird feeding habits
- Bird houses including nest box construction plans, where to site birdhouses, and bird nesting behaviors
- Hummingbirds including specialized nectar feeders and plants to attract hummingbirds
- Bird gardening with a focus on trees, shrubs, and flowering plants to lure birds
- Bird health and understanding common bird illnesses and injuries
- Bird photography skills from capturing birds in flight to close-up pictures
- Backyard bird watching with specialized optics, bird call technology, and bird tracking techniques
- Bird migration patterns, nesting periods, and lifecycles
The single theme approach allows Birds & Blooms Extra to really explore each subject through extensive how-to advice, bird species spotlights, plant lists tailored to the theme, expert tips, and reader Q&A. Enthusiasts obsessed with a certain facet of birding and gardening often appreciate the concentrated knowledge.
Writing Style and Depth
In addition to differences in topics covered, the two magazines have distinct writing styles and depths of information provided.
Birds & Blooms
As a general interest publication covering diverse bird and gardening topics, most articles in Birds & Blooms magazine have an approachable, conversational tone. Writers avoid technical jargon and assume readers have a casual interest in birds.
Shorter, breezy service articles dominate covering things like quick tips for cleaning bird feeders, simple garden plants to attract birds, and identifiable bird behavior traits. Longer feature stories may profile unique bird enthusiasts and their watching adventures. With the variety of subjects in each issue, most articles provide useful but not in-depth information. The accessible writing style suits beginner to intermediate backyard birders.
Birds & Blooms Extra
Since each edition of Birds & Blooms Extra focuses intensively on one theme, the articles provide more specialized, scientific information. Writers assume readers have mastered basics and hungry to level up their skills and knowledge on very specific topics within birdwatching and gardening.
The magazine goes into great detail on subjects like bird physiology, plant taxonomy, specialized equipment, and advanced methodologies. For example an issue on bird feeding will not only cover basic types of feeders but also explore nutrient profiles of various seeds and grains, strategies for deterring squirrels, project plans for elevated pole systems, and studies on bird food preferences by species.
The more advanced content is written with precise, technical language for an audience passionate about the niche theme. The depth satisfies enthusiasts seeking to become true experts in specialty areas of bird and garden topics.
Special Features
In addition to article differences, the magazines contain some varying special content features.
Birds & Blooms
Every issue of Birds & Blooms contains recurring highlighted content sections including:
- Backyard Birdsource: Q&A column answering common birdwatching and gardening questions from readers.
- What’s Happening: Calendar spotlighting upcoming bird festivals, conservation events, and seasonal birding activities across the country.
- Sneak Peek: Short product highlight that gives readers a first look at new backyard bird and garden gear about to launch.
- Parting Shot: Bird themed comic drawn by artist Maria Scrivan.
These regular special sections allow readers to interact through Q&A, stay up to date on community happenings, discover new products, and enjoy lighthearted artistic content to complement the main articles.
Birds & Blooms Extra
Since each issue of the Extra edition focuses so deeply on one theme, the magazine has different unique content tailored to the topic:
- Spotlight Interviews: Q&A with bird and gardening experts extensively covering the edition’s theme.
- Hard Data: Tables, charts, resource lists, and growing zone maps all related to the central topic.
- ID Guide: Visual bird or plant identification guide featuring different varieties specific to the theme.
- Regional Wisdom: Birdwatching and gardening techniques and insights from enthusiasts in a region associated with that issue’s focus like the American Southwest for an edition on hummingbirds.
Rather than general recurring sections, the Extra edition swaps in specialized content tied directly to enriching reader knowledge on the theme. This bolsters the deep-dive mission of each single-subject issue.
Photography
Both publications use abundant high-quality photography and illustrations to engage and inform readers. However there are some differences in the image content style and production process.
Birds & Blooms
Every article in Birds & Blooms contains relevant, appealing photos of birds in action, backyard habitat features, beautiful flowering plants, and birdwatchers participating in activities. Photography aims to be fun, lively, and complementary to each article.
While some photos come from professional shoots, Birds & Blooms also curates and licenses quality user-submitted images of real backyard birding scenes from readers across the country. This gives the magazine an authentic, crowdsourced feel.
Birds & Blooms Extra
The imagery in Birds & Blooms Extra takes a more immersive, instructive approach tailored to the topic at hand. For an issue on bird houses, every section contains detailed diagrams, building plans, maps, and captions walking readers through construction and placement. Issues on bird feeding include vivid photos illustrating types of seeds or demonstrating proper feeder use.
The didactic photography provides visual step-by-step guidance to fully educate readers on the best practices for each theme. All images come from new professional photoshoots commissioned for the specific edition, allowing close editorial control over the instructional components. This creates a more comprehensive imagery package tailored to teaching the issue’s singular subject.
Subscription Options
Birds & Blooms and Birds & Blooms Extra are sold separately but also together as a bundle. Here’s an overview of current subscription options for each magazine:
Birds & Blooms
- 1 year (6 issues) for $8.95
- 2 years (12 issues) for $12.95
- 3 years (18 issues) for $18.95
Birds & Blooms Extra
- 1 year (4 issues) for $10.95
- 2 years (8 issues) for $18.95
Birds & Blooms Magazine AND Birds & Blooms Extra
- 1 year (6 issues of Birds & Blooms + 4 issues of Extra) for $13.95
- 2 years (12 issues of Birds & Blooms + 8 issues of Extra) for $21.95
The combo package with both magazines represents one of the best values for backyard bird and garden enthusiasts seeking both wide-ranging general interest content as well as concentrated deep dives on specialized topics.
Conclusion
Birds and Blooms and Birds & Blooms Extra provide complementary perspectives on backyard birding and gardening. Birds & Blooms serves as a lively general interest magazine covering a variety of bird and nature topics suited for casual hobbyists. Birds & Blooms Extra offers single-subject intensive issues to satisfy enthusiasts obsessed with specific niches like bird feeding or nesting boxes.
Subscribers can choose to receive either magazine individually or together in a bundle based on their reading interests and knowledge levels within the birdwatching hobby. Both publications provide engaging education through expert advice, illuminating photography, insightful features, and useful tips to support the shared mission of connecting people with the beauty and joy of nature in their own backyards.
