Wild Things columnist Eric Brown is shocked to discover garden centres and publishers pushed the festive accelerator button three months in advance and examines two books sure to surface in many Christmas stockings.

My local garden centre is crammed with every type of plant, tree, and accessory you could possibly imagine. When you wander past the flora you come to china, forks, spades, fertiliser, toys, clothes and rows of sturdy shoes to wear while potting or pruning. But what's this? A Christmas display of snowy toytown with moving trains accompanied by Yuletide background Muzak. Nearby are rows of calendars, diaries and Christmas cards for sale. On September 20 - fully three months before Santa summons Rudolph and pals for their annual rooftop world tour. Publishers have also pushed the accelerator button with books aimed at the festive market rolling off presses.

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Two RSPB-backed publications caught my eye with a similar month-by-month approach to a birdwatching year for those wishing to learn more about birds.

Dominic Couzens is one of Britain's most prolific and readable authors with dozens of books bearing his name. For the RSPB Birding Year he teams up with Sian Duncan to conduct the reader on monthly bird excursions. Birds' lives in gardens, parks and the wider countryside are examined in detail. There are birds of the month to look for with October's being the colourful jay which emerges from hiding to collect acorns. Others to find include nuthatch, treecreeper, tawny owl and barn owl. There's useful advice on where to see them and where to find the October challenge bird, the short-eared owl. At the month's end the reader is directed towards any berries left by woodpigeons which will become a target for redwings and fieldfares arriving from the continent to enjoy our milder winters.

Dawn Casey's RSPB Bird Tales is slightly more lyrical. It includes much bird folklore, traditional stories and activities. The book celebrates 25 of our most familiar birds with in-depth portraits of each species. Each includes a roll-call of old English names so we meet the sheepstare, the cushie doo and the screek. There's a folk tale from around the world for every bird including the Welsh yarn about how the wren became known as king of birds. Bags of practical advice include constructing bird nest boxes, how to cook bird food, how best to use binoculars, how to draw birds and feather identification. A really unusual and entertaining addition to bird literature.

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These books will be appreciated equally by the young and the young at heart. Both offer fascinating insight into the world of birds and seem certain to weigh down Santa's sleigh before ending up in many Christmas stockings.