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

What is the best remedy for relaxing after a long Monday at work? For me, it is bicycling home at a leisurely pace. The only thing better is bicycling home at a leisurely pace so I could do some birding. Paid off, this last Monday. Action continues on warblers; Palm Warblers are everywhere! Best birding of the evening, though, was at a local pond. Added several Lesser Yellowlegs as well as a Solitary Sandpiper, but the bird of the day was the American Pipit, my first Pipit in this area and a bird I have not seen since I left the prairies of Nebraska. It was especially noteworthy because this Pipit was a scant 10 yards from me and I could see almost every feather in my Leica 10x25BL. Quite a different experience from seeing a Pipit far out in the marsh flats with a spotting scope, as was the usual sighting, back in Nebraska. This bird also shows why a good birder should own and use a variety of Field Guides. The American Pipit varies quite a bit in its plumage. Best match on this individual Pipit was with my latest edition of the Geographic, followed by Sibley's, with Peterson's coming in a distant third.

I sometimes think rough weather is more of a concern for birders and bird watchers than it is for the birds, themselves. For sure, the crazy weather this last weekend had no effect on the many new migrating birds I added to my spring birding list other than cause me to duck for shelter, now and then during the sudden, violent downpours. On the marsh, saw my first Blue-winged Teal and heard my first Sora of the spring, just where I heard one last year. Same bird? Also added a Swamp Sparrow in the cattails back on the creek. Out on the lake, saw many flocks of Ruddy Ducks with males in full breeding plumage - a real treat in the Leica 10x25 which has become my constant companion on my daily bike commute. Also spotted a Caspian Tern amid all the Ring-billed Gulls. Reminded me just how large this species of tern is, seeing it with all those smaller Ring-billeds.

Warblers continue to move, with my first Tennessee Warbler of the spring and I expect more action on warblers in the coming weeks as the insects are definitely thriving in this warm humid weather. Maybe that explains the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the same area where I have seen a pair nesting for the last five years. Might have to burn a vacation day to keep up on all the birding action.

Sat in this week as a teacher's aide to Steve in our Riflescopes 101 class for our employees, here at Opticsplanet and I just have to say, first of all, that Steve did a superb job and that, second of all, I was reminded yet, again, of how different it is to teach people about binoculars, as I had done several weeks, ago, compared to teaching the same people about rifle scopes. For many of our employees, it was the first time they had actually been in the same room with a gun and their reactions varied, widely. It reminded me that I grew up in such a different world, where guns and hunting were more than just hobbies, but a way of life and that everyone hunted, girls and boys, right alongside fathers, uncles and aunts. It also reminded me that the rural life I had so taken for granted as a youngster is disappearing one farm field and woodlot at a time, along with the birds and animals I so love. No, I don't hunt anymore, though I understand and appreciate those that still can and still do and I thank them for the habitat they have saved. I fear that when hunting and hunters are gone, so too will the fields and birds I so love, all crushed under ever more parking lots, subdivisons and congested roadways. I fear that when there is no place left to hunt, there will be no place left for me to use my birding binoculars or dark, unpolluted skies to use my telescope. That will be no world for someone like me.

Added more new 2009 birds this last weekend, most notably warblers. The warblers are here! So was the rain, but there I was, Sunday morning, on the bike, my Leica binocular, in hand, watching birds. Hey, takes more than a little rain and cold to keep me indoors. Saw my first Yellow-rumped, Palm and Black-and-White Warbler to get my warbler season off to a good start. Some of the Yellow-rumped males were in full breeding glory and quite a treat in the Leica 10x25BL. Also seeing many, many Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and they had no hesitation showing off those brilliant ruby crowns. It amazes me at the distance you can see that ruby crown, even without a birding binocular, when these little birds want it seen, but how rarely you see it when they don't. Wouldn't it be nice if we humans had such a thing? Hmmm …

There is so much documented evidence, now, of what I call the Empty Playground Syndrome that it is time for action, not more evidence. Still, it bears repeating that the ever declining participation of young people in outdoor activities bodes serious long term issues when it comes to protecting the environment. Children who don't experience the outdoors are not likely to grow into adults who are concerned about the environment. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to come to such a conclusion. There are many reasons for this alarming trend, but one of them is an ever growing urban population with no connection to traditional outdoor activities. So what can be done? Plenty. One of the best ways to get kids outdoors and connecting with nature is bird watching and, no, you don't have to head for the wilderness to do some bird watching a so many think. It comes as a surprise to many urban dwellers when I tell them that some of my best birding has been in urban areas and that birds are everywhere. In other words, anyone can start bird watching, as explained in my article, 10 Reasons to Start Bird Watching Today But what about all those kids who need a guiding hand to get started? To that end, there is no better program than Cornell's Celebrate Urban Birds. A small donation in this program is truly an investment in the future of our environment, not to mention the well being of so many young people. OpticsPlanet is a proud sponsor of the Cornell Lab and as both a birder and former middle school science teacher, I can't think of a more worthy cause than our kids and our environment.

Binoculars are not the usual observing tool for planets - even 25x100 astronomy binoculars lack the magnification needed for serious planet work. Strangely enough, though, you can have fun with any astronomy binocular or even a birding binocular, with Jupiter's moons. The four largest of Jupiter's moons - Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa - will appear as tiny stars in nearly any binocular, lined up in a straight line on either side of the planet. The fun part is watching them switch positions from one side of the planet to the other, night to night, and there will be nights where you will not see all four, as one more may be obscured by Jupiter, itself. So which one is which? Get an issue of Astronomy or Sky&Telescope for the current month and check the pullout star map section. There will usually be a chart of Jupiter's moons showing the positions of each moon, night to night. For even more fun, read up on each moon and you will discover that each is a uniquely interesting world of its own and quite unlike our own moon.

Where are the birders? This is a question I constantly ask myself when I am birding, locally, not just because I prefer to have company when I am birding, but also because so many bird species are in decline and our birds need friends like never before. The birds are certainly, here, compared to the many places I have lived. So where are the birders? Seeing another birder in my neck of the woods happens about as often as spotting a Bald Eagle or a Merlin, here in the suburbs. It does happen, but not very often, maybe once or twice a year and I am out nearly on a daily basis. What's going on? One answer might be demographics. The statement in the US Fish and Wildlife Service Study 2001 on birding put it this way: "The average birder is 49 years old and more than likely has a better than average income and education. She is slightly more likely to be female, and highly likely to be white and married. There is also a good chance that this birder lives in the northern half of the country in a small city or town." Okay, at one time that was definitely me, although I'm a bit older, now, divorced and no longer living in a small town (sigh). It also does a fair job of describing the few other birders in my area that I do know, but it definitely DOES NOT describe the vast majority of my neighbors in this densely populated, very multi-cultural suburb, north of Chicago. I don't believe for a second, though, that an interest in birds and nature in general has anything to do with one's culture and ethnicity. I know, because when I set up my spotting scope at a popular neighborhood lake, I get people of every kind, many of whom do not speak English, lined up behind me to look through my spotting scope. Everyone likes to see birds. If we, as birders, don't find a way to take birding outside our little slice of the American population, we may all be asking where are the birds instead of where are the birders. To that end, I will be setting up my birding spotting scope more this summer and doing my best to bring birds to ALL my neighbors.

My Leica 10x25BL compact binocular was put to good use this weekend. I picked up my first Lincoln's and Fox Sparrows for the year, as well as a Hermit Thrush in the Forest Preserve. At my neighborhood lake, added some more Ruddy Ducks and the Martin house along the bike path is now open for business with Purple Martins everywhere! Also spotted several Cooper's hawks up high, working the air currents, instead of the usual down and low dodging through the trees. All in all, a fine weekend for birding and my binoculars, despite the cold weather and stiff winds northeast winds of Lake Michigan to keep things chilly. With the weather slated to warm up, later in the week, the birding will only get better. Did I mention how much I enjoy spring!

Seeing my first Wood Duck of the spring never fails to bring a smile to my face and seeing one last week in my Swarovski Crystal compact binocular was no exception. Of course, a Wood Duck is always brilliant, no matter what birding binocular you use. After a long, drab winter, nothing like the brilliant color of a male Wood Duck to brighten up the landscape and seeing a Wood Duck in the spring is a sure sign that the really nasty winter weather is behind us, as these are not especially hardy as ducks go. Seeing that Wood Duck was also a reminder that I should have been carrying a camera. Even a little point and shoot digital camera like the Canon 890 IS could have captured that most photogenic species of duck, close as it was. Next time …

"Can it get any windier?", I muttered as I scanned one of our local lakes, last night, with my Leica 10x25BL binocular. Yes, 35 mph and higher gusts makes it pretty tough to steady a 10x compact binocular, not to mention riding a bike, but I wasn't really complaining. The wind is just part of our March landscape as are welcome birding surprises, such as the lone Bonaparte's Gull that I had picked up in the Leica amidst hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls. Earlier, I also spotted my first Swainson's Thrush and my first Tree Swallow of the spring, biking through the Forest preserve. Now that's my idea of a great commute home after a long day of work.

The weather pattern of storms on the weekend has been holding with this last weekend's high winds and cold temperatures. Hasn't exactly been the best birding weather, but the birds keep moving, nonetheless. Good numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets are moving in the area and what a delight they are to view in a good compact binocular such as my Leica Ultravid 10x25 BL. Unlike the crown on the Ruby-crowned Kinglets, the crown on this Kinglet blazes forth in all its glory. At the lake, still seeing Lesser Scaup and good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers. Also managed to add a Horned Grebe as he bounced up and down between the whitecaps along the shore.

It's been a typical spring, so far, in this suburb north of Chicago - cold, wet, windy, blustery with a rare break of nice weather, now and then. For an avid birder like me, this does present challenges, but also surprises. Rough weather tends to blow migrating birds here and there, so I never know from one day to the next what I will see in my binocular or spotting scope. Regardless of the weather, though, I always carry a compact binocular or, at least a monocular, as I pedal back and forth to work each day. On days off, I tend to pack a spotting scope in my backpack and strap a tripod to my bike rack and head to one of our suburban lakes. Hey, just because I don't own a car doesn't mean I am not serious about my birding. By exploring my own area a bit more closely on my bicycle, I have been able to keep the number of birds seen each year about the same as when I had a car. I think a lot of birders might be surprised and just what their local neighborhood might have in the way of habitat and, hence, bird diversity.

Is there any binocular series not currently offering an open bridge design binocular body, a la the Swarovski EL? Seems like everyone is getting in this act, with an open bridge design option on their most popular series of binoculars. Check out some of these new open bridge style binoculars in the Bushnell Excursion EX binocular, the Leupold Mojave binocular and, now, the new Nikon Monarch EX version of the ever popular Nikon Monarch. Why this open bridge design on a binocular? It's all about handling. An open bridge bino doesn't offer better optics, but, for most folks, an open bridge or EX binocular does balance nicer and feel better in the hands than a conventional bino. The down side to this open body design? It costs more to make this binocular body style, so be prepared to pay more for that handling.