BinocularsBlog – Advice on Digital, Waterproof, & Compact Binoculars for Bird Watching, Sports, Astronomy, Night Vision, & more!

Despite being under the weather, this weekend, I managed to get out and do a little birding. Added a Cerulean Warbler (real treat), Purple Finch, Philadelphia Vireo and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker to my fall list and heard, but did not see, some Sandhill Cranes. My binocular was a Nikon Premier LX 10x25 and I couldn't be more pleased. The 10x offered just a touch more resolution than my usual 8x compact binocular and steadiness was not an issue as long as I wasn't huffing and puffing too much from pedaling. Perfect for sitting at the edge of a pond and scanning for shorebirds and waterfowl. Optics? Well, Nikon doesn't call it a Premier for nothing. Right up there with any premium compact binocular I have used.

"Everyone should own a binocular!" or "A binocular in every pot!" are campaign slogans I would like to see, though I doubt I will see either of these on a yard sign in my lifetime. Seriously, though, I typically vote the environment as an issue, so unless you've been in a coma for the last seven years, you can pretty much guess who will get my vote. Of course, I will not automatically dismiss anyone based on their party affiliation, since I don't care for stereotyping of any kind. If McCain and Palin start wearing binoculars around their necks during the debates, I will be impressed, though they'd be well advised to make sure they are premium binoculars. I will go out and strenuously campaign against them if they go with zoom binoculars.

There's more than one way to identify a bird. This is one thing that sometimes surprises beginning birders, but it is so true. Last night was a great example. Out on the bike trail happened to notice a small songbird flying in the tree canopy, bouncing from place to place. I knew it was a warbler, immediately, and from the its distinctive butterfly like flight, I knew it was a Redstart even before I raised the binocular. It was and an immature male Redstart at that. In the binocular, the pinkish orange shoulder patch cinched it. Down the trail a bit, spotted another warbler low in the brush and though most of the birds body was hidden from view, the tail pumping screamed Palm Warbler. Confirmed it a minute later with the binocular. It's often the little things that provide the best clues when it comes to bird identification.

A new moon not far ahead. Cool fall evenings. Clear skies. Sun setting earlier. Quality astronomy binocular. That's a great recipe for binocular astronomy. Don't get me wrong; I love summer, too, but nothing quite like a fall sky to get me pumped for some astronomy. My goal for this fall and winter observing is more double stars in the binocular, since this type of deep-sky object is less susceptible to light pollution and also because there is a wealth of double stars to observe in fall and winter constellations. Of course, for double stars, I should definitely add a tripod to the above recipe. Hoe could I forget?

Songbird migration is definitely underway, but still not to a level that would tempt me to burn a vacation day. Just the same, the binocular and I both got a good workout over the weekend. Added a Flycatcher, probably a Least, to my fall list, but without a call, hard to say for certain. On the other hand, two tough warblers for my area in a Wilson's and a Connecticut were a definite. The Conecticut reminded me of the Macgillivray's I used to see out in Oregon, so all the more fun. Also pleased to spot a Kestrel in an area not usually known for this little falcon. A new bird? Regardless, the male was spectacular in the Zeiss Victory Compact binocular. Would have been even better in a spotting scope.

Really hate to put an astronomy binocular on a tripod. That's why I usually stay at 10x in an astronomy binocular, but, still, I find that for some types of objects - double stars, very small globulars like M15 and some tiny open star clusters, a higher magnification is a plus, even though you need to add a tripod. Nothing will ever replace my Nikon 10x70, but the same binocular in the Nikon 18x70 would be a great addition. Guess that would make it a pair of binoculars for double stars. Nice balance, don't you think?

Paged through the latest version of the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America at a local bookstore and just had to have it. Okay, I need another bird guide like I need a a lousy neighbor, especially since I still have my 1947 Peterson edition, which was actually a repalcement for the very first Peterson, which I plain wore out as a youngster. This new version, with its larger format does such a great job of highlighting all those great old Roger Tory Peterson plates, I couldn't resist. I was a bit concerned about some of the digital updates, but the authors did a tasteful and excellent job of preserving the tradition of the original. Paging through this field guide was a real trip down memory lane for me. I love it. If you don't mind the added size and weight, this Peterson would be all a beginning birder needs, other than a birding binocular.

Bike trails are finally beginning to dry, so I hope to do some birding some evening this week. Not a lot of activity, so far, in my area, but I keep the binocular handy, just in case. The birds are coming and I will be ready. The good news about the fall migration is that it is usually a bit more protracted than the spring migration, since the birds are not driven by the need to breed and get a family raised. The bad news, of course, is that identification is a bit tougher in the fall with all the juvenile and immature birds. Of course, I like a challenge. See you on the trail.

Will be hitting my favorite warbler spots this week because, as all birders in this area know, September is the prime month for warbler migration. Birders also know that drastic changes in weather often spur migration and, this last week, we have had all the drastic weather any birdwatcher could want. Not sure just how the birds are responding to record rainfalls and flooding, but will report back, soon. In the meantime, "have binocular, will travel."

It's fun being a binocular expert, but it comes with a price. After so many years of heavy and extended use with premium binoculars, I have become almost obsessively fussy about some features. First, I must have a binocular that focuses smoothly, with no slop and with a minimum of effort. I often carry other equipment and need to focus with one hand. I have no use for a binocular that fights me, even a little, when I focus. This is a performance issue, but I sometimes wonder if I am going overboard when I reject a binocular that takes more than one finger to focus. What is less of a performance issue is edge of field sharpness. I can't claim that a binocular with only average edge sharpness is any serious handicap, but after so many years of using the best binoculars in the world, anything less than sharp to nearly the edge of the field just annoys me. Am I getting grouchy in my old age?

It's true what they say about 10x binoculars and getting old. As the years pass, I find it harder and harder to steady a 10x binocular, especially a 10x compact binocular. Funny thing, though - I don't feel old and it's not like I am out of shape. Far from it. Guess it's just one of those things we all face, later in life. The good news is that there are so many great 7x and 8x binoculars available, that I am not exactly stuck with a 10x. In fact, now I have another excuse (like I need one) to buy another 8x binocular. Don't get any ideas, though. I am not about to sell my favorite 10x binocular anytime soon.

I was pedaling along a bike trail, thinking of the shorebirds I had seen, yesterday. I really wasn't paying attention to all the wonderful life around me. Guess that's why the Cooper's Hawk decided to land on a low branch over the trail, not 10 yards in front of me. Hawks have always been my personal spirit guides in my belief system, so I guess it was my hawk spirit's way of reminding me to open my eyes and concentrate on the gifts of the moment. The Cooper's did not move, even as I raised my binocular. Through the Swarovski compact, every detail of the plumage and face was visible. The bird turned and looked at me and still did not fly. I was instantly hypnotized. Don't think I was even breathing. Finally, the hawk looked away, dove from the limb and flew on through the forest. I forgot all about the shorebirds.

Although I deal in technical products - it's my job - I am still a keep it simple kind of gal at heart. Guess that's one of the reasons I have always loved birding. Just grab a binocular and a field guide and you are ready to go birdwatching. Sure, you can get into all the technical specs on a binocular and I frequently do, but you don't have to be a geek to actually use a binocular and, unlike so many other pursuits, you won't get sucked into that upgrade it mentality. There's nothing more to buy, as long as you bought a good binocular in the first place.

My shorebird list for 2008 just keeps growing. This is one of the most delightful surprises, yet, for my 2008 birding year. I live in the suburbs and, since my only means of transport is a bicycle, I don't have access to a typical marsh or mudflat. This usually means I come up short on shorebirds. Not this year, though, thanks to a suburban park lake which seems to be improving each week in terms of habitat for shorebirds. Last week, I added a Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher and Solitary Sandpiper to my list. Yesterday, using my binocular, I picked up a Lesser and a Greater Yellowlegs. In fact, at one time I had both Yellowlegs, plus a Solitary and a Killdeer in the same field of view in my Swarovski compact binocular. It was the perfect opportunity to compare and see the different sizes on all four species - an important field mark when you can see more than one species at a time.

Rode the dirt in one of our Forest Preserves up here in the northern Chicago suburbs over the holiday weekend. Lots of birds, of course, but probably the best sighting was of two buck deer and not just any bucks, either. The two bucks were, in typical fashion, sneaking off one side of the trail on a little used path, while the does were more visible on the other side of my trail. The bucks were spectacular in the Swarovski 8x20. Both were at 5x5, or what they call ten pointers, here in the east. Those were the points I could see in the binocular, though there may have been some smaller ones. One of the racks had already been rubbed, but the other was still in velvet. Definitely the two best bucks I have seen in my five years, here, and both traveling, together.

With hunting seasons approaching, I know a lot of hunters are thinking about buying a hunting binocular. Besides reading our information article on hunting binoculars, I would also like to remind hunters that a camouflage binocular can actually be more effective at hiding the binocular from the hunter than from the game. It's true, I know, because I have talked to more than one customer who set a camo binocular, such as the camo Bushnell Excursion, on the ground while occupied with a task, only to discover that it disappeared when they went to pick it up, later. That's right, a perfectly good camo binocular left behind because the camo made the binocular too hard to see. The moral of the story is to keep the binocular strapped around the neck at all times. Actually, that is good advice for any binocular, camo or not.

Now that the summer season is unofficially over, time to look back. Had a great summer with the bike and the binoculars. By my computer bike log, I pedaled some 3174 miles since June 1st and I carried a binocular, or at least, a monocular on every one of those 3174 miles. Ride, Joanie, ride - that's me. In terms of number of bird species seen, pretty average summer, but in terms of just gorgeous, wonderful to behold species, one of my best ever summers. The only target bird that eluded me was an Indigo Bunting, though there still may be time to get one in the binocular.