Aren’t you satisfied (like me) with standard iCal Birthday calendar? Are you missing better birthday notification with possibility of some modification? Then use this simple AppleScript Birthdays. It’s freeware and you can download it here.

Use:
Download the script and save somewhere in home directory. Then rename it like this (name of the script replace argument settings):

calendarName,firstAlarm,secondAlarm,hour.scpt

for example:

Birthdays,14,1,10.scpt

that means script will save events in the “Birthdays” calendar, first alarm is set 14 days prior birth day, second alarm day before birth day and both alarm will be fired at 10:00. If you need just one alarm on birthday at 9:00, don’t use all parameters:

Birthdays,0,9.scpt

WARNING! Calendar used as first argument (begin of script name) already NEED to exist in iCal and will be erased every time script runs (so don’t use it for other events)!

Then in any calendar (not in the one with birthdays!) make new repeating event, for example weekly, in which will be script started. This script will go through your AddressBook, find all people with birthday dates set and create new event in Birthdays calendar with closest birthday (one year ahead).

I personally have all my calendars (“Private”, “Work”, “Namesdays” and “Birthdays”) in the iCloud and just the “Script” calendar On My Mac - here I have periodically started scripts and calendar is hidden from view.

What’s better then standard way:

• I can have up 2 alarms (14 days before and one day before)
• I see, how old the person is