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

I tend to be enthusiastic about the things I love and something inside me drives me to share them with others. For instance, my habit of watching birds and wildlife with the binoculars has infected my husband, Bill. Before we met, Bill had an interest in wildlife, of course, and he even had a few old binoculars collecting dust in his closet, but it took being married to me to have him reaching for binoculars every time he looks out the window when he sees something of interest. I wouldn’t call him a binocular nut, at this point, but it has been nice to share my love of binoculars with him.

On the other hand, it’s a good thing I bought my expensive compact binoculars, birding binoculars and astronomy binoculars before I met Bill, because spending so much money on binoculars might make him wonder about my sanity. Could cheaper binoculars have allowed me to do as much and see as much as my current stable of expensive binoculars? Absolutely. Would cheaper binoculars have allowed me to enjoy what I have seen? Absolutely not. Some folks will spend as much as it takes to get great image quality in their optics and I’m one of them. As for Bill, I have work work to do.

About the pic: Not my most expensive binocular, but certainly the most elegant - the Swarovski Crystal Pocket compact binocular

I would love to see a better class of binoculars in the movies. I don’t expect too many folks in Hollywood to be binocular experts, but you would think that if someone goes to all the trouble of making sure the guns, cars and other props used in the movie are believable, they would do the same for the binoculars. That only rarely happens, though. Most of the time our well-funded and outfitted character shows up with a car that costs as much as a house, an arsenal that would make a small country drool and then … a $50 binocular and almost, always, a porro prism binocular at that. Someone ought to tell Hollywood that roof prism binoculars do exist and have been outselling porro prism binoculars for many years, now.

It’s darn hard to “suspend disbelief” and play along in a movie or even a book when you know more about the equipment than the screenwriter or the author and they make some very avoidable mistakes.

For instance, I once started a book by a well-known author in which the heroine is passionate about astronomy. That’s great! Then the heroine turns her telescope to the constellation Orion to see the … Andromeda Nebulae???? That’s not so great. I’m sorry, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of astronomy and telescopes knows that you go to the constellation Orion see the Orion nebula, not the Andromeda nebula (which is actually a galaxy, not a nebula). You go to the constellation Andromeda to see the Andromeda nebula. The nebulae in these instances are named for the constellations where they are found. It’s not rocket science. Likely conclusion: the author has never looked through a telescope eyepiece or astronomy binoculars. That’s not a confidence-builder in a book whose main theme is a catastrophic astronomical event.

Given that amateur astronomers and people who know binoculars are not that rare, it would seem that somewhere in the production and editing process, someone would ask a few simple questions.

Last week was a good week for wildlife and birdwatching at our place, up here in the north woods.

On the wildlife front, we got a close-up view of an otter opening and expanding some air holes in the ice, out on the lake, thanks to our spotting scope. There’s nothing like spotting scopes to get you close to the action without alarming wildlife.

We also spotted a rabbit in the yard. Now, that’s something you can see in just about any suburban yard, of course, but it’s the first rabbit we’ve seen in months, so we take it as good news.

Our neighborhood deer herd seems to be growing. We now often see six does, together, rather than the usual four. I put out corn primarily for our squirrels, but the deer don't appear to care, as long as it's there. I've even caught a doe standing on her hind legs to reach up into one of our tree-mounted squirrel feeders.

On the birdwatching front, we’ve been invaded by flocks of Common Redpolls. The redpolls seem to come and go at random, however. Now you see them, now you don’t. Redpolls are lovely birds to view in the birding binoculars and birding spotting scope - some of the males have quite a bit of reddish tinting on the breast and that little black goatee they all have on their head is distinctive.

We’ve also seen more visits from Pileated Woodpeckers, so I’ve been putting out extra suet, just to make sure they keep coming, back. A woodpecker the size of a crow makes for a dramatic entrance when it appears in your yard, believe me. The Pileated is also one bird you don’t see at suburban bird feeders, so it reminds us that we really are living in paradise, here in the north woods.

One bird that was with us last winter in good numbers, but has been completely absent this winter is the Pine Siskin. If anyone sees any Pine Siskins, please tell them to report to Joanie’s yard for a free meal.

I’ve always maintained that the choice between 8x and 10x in binocular magnification is largely a personal preference and that is still my position. That little bit of extra detail that 10x binoculars deliver is not enough to make a difference as far as what you can see and it typically comes at the cost of reduced steadiness and narrower fields of view compared to 8x binoculars.

That said, I own more 10x binoculars than I do other magnifications, even in my compact binoculars where steadiness is even more of an issue than in full size birding binoculars or hunting binoculars. Why would I choose to go 10x in compact binoculars knowing they are noticeably harder to steady than 8x compact binoculars?

I like the balance, better, on 10x compact roof prism binoculars, compliments of their longer barrels. That little bit of extra heft in your hands aids in steadiness. My 8x compact binoculars tend to be a bit flighty in my hands, by comparison. This matter of feel in the hands is, admittedly, a subjective thing, but like I said, the choice between 8x binoculars and 10x binoculars is a matter of personal preference.

About the pic: two of the world's great compact binoculars, the Swaovski Pocket 8x20 on the left and the taller Leica Ultravid 10x25 BL on the right.

I have a rather notorious reputation for sending laptop computers to an early grave by spilling coffee on them. I can’t write without having a coffee cup nearby, so what’s a girl to do?

Fortunately, most binoculars are built of better stuff than laptop computers - I know because I have put my binoculars through the same kind of unintended spill test many times. Over the years, my birding binoculars, compact binoculars and even my astronomy binoculars have had unexpected rendezvous with a wide variety of liquid or semi-liquid agents, ranging from peanut butter, mayonnaise, diet soda, coffee (always coffee), pasta sauce (I keep a binocular in the kitchen) and just about anything I may have for lunch when wearing binoculars around my neck. M binoculars have also survived unintentional dunkings in lakes and streams.

It’s not that I am a klutz (though, by now, you probably have that impression). In fact, I tend to baby my binoculars. It’s just that I use binoculars on a daily basis and, after forty plus years of binocular use, accidents do happen. Nevertheless, I am proud to say that I have yet to send a single binocular to an early grave with one of my spill tests.

Now, if someone would please make a laptop computer as tough as a binocular, I would be grateful.

Some of my friends who have aquariums in their home claim great things about the therapeutic benefits of aquariums and I can’t say I disagree with them. For me, watching fish in an aquarium is very relaxing. Unfortunately, I just don’t have a green thumb, so to speak, when it comes to maintaining an aquarium. I’ve sure tried, but any self-respecting fish would be better off with someone else at the aquarium controls.

Besides, I already have my own therapeutic counterpart to an aquarium with my bird feeders. Watching birds through my binoculars and spotting scope from the comfort of my own kitchen as I sip coffee is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things I do. This form of birdwatching ranks very high on the old therapy scale in my book. All I have to do is keep the feeders filled and clean them, now and then, and I manage to do that quite well. When I do slip up and let the feeders go dry, the birds don’t die, at least. It’s not like accidently unplugging the aquarium, which I’ve been known to do.

Maintaining bird feeders is so simple a child can do it and, in fact, getting kids setup with a bird feeder is a great way to spark an interest in wildlife. Next thing you know, the little ones will be asking for their own birding binoculars and field guide and they’re off to a lifetime of enjoyment watching birds. Now, that’s what I call a great gift.

A home is not normally considered a great place to do birdwatching and view wildlife, unless your home is in the north woods like ours. Birding binoculars are always within reach and my spotting scope is just steps away. We are happy campers, right in our own home, so to speak.

Does this mean you have to pack up all your belongings and head to the north woods to enjoy wildlife from your home? No, not at all. I’ve lived in urban areas and suburban areas, too, and even in the biggest city, I’ve always had an opportunity to view wildlife with binoculars and spotting scopes from my window (and I am talking wildlife, here, not my neighbors).

Okay, you may not see bears, moose and otters, as we sometimes do, but you’d be amazed at the variety of wildlife that you can see in the binoculars, once you start to look. Squirrels and rabbits are present in just about every yard, of course, but even while living in Chicago, I regularly saw coyotes, deer, raccoons, bats and opossum right from my apartment window. A short walk to a city park pond and I could see muskrats, beaver and even a mink, now and then.

Many wildlife species have an amazing ability to make themselves at home in the big city, right along with the rest of us. If you live in the city, buy binoculars if you don’t already have some and take a look.

About the pic: deer needed in the snow, taken from our bedroom window!

Birdwatching in the winter is very much a come and go affair. Your bird feeders can be filled with goldfinches and redpolls one day and they are gone the next. That’s all part of the fun, though and yet another reason to constantly watch the feeders with your binoculars.

Still, as much as I love watching the feeders with my binoculars during the winter months, I’m a bit anxious to be out in the woods, again, birding binoculars in hand, actively checking the trees for migrating warblers. That’s still a good three months away, but thats what winter dreams are made of for a gal who loves her bird watching.

Our north woods of Wisconsin do get warblers, though not quite the diversity you see in the southern hardwoods and farm country to the south. While living in the Chicago area, for instance, I remember one day when I recorded twenty warbler species and a number of days when I managed to see fifteen species. That’s a lot of warbler action in the binoculars, just about anywhere.

Okay, back to watching birds at the feeders. We still have some three months of winter to go. That's a lot of cabin fever.

Okay what is the animal that is sleeping in the pic? Is it a dog? Is it a fox? Maybe a coyote? One of our dogs?

Actually it is a deer and I took the pic with one of our digital cameras from our bedroom window, no less. Our bedroom window looks out on a hillside and I was close enough to get the pic of this backside view of a bedded dear with the lens on our Panisonic Lumix set at 400 mm focal length, no tripod needed, because I braced the lens against the window.

Some of our neighbors consider deer to pests and some don’t. We’re ones that don’t. Oh, for sure, planting a garden in our neighborhood means also putting in a lot of fencing, but we thoroughly enjoy seeing wildlife in our binoculars and spotting scope. That’s one of the reasons we chose to retire in the north woods, after all.

That’s why Bill and I have binoculars scattered all around the house, just in case something interesting makes an appearance. Most of these binoculars are compact binoculars, but I’ve also been known to leave my larger birding binoculars in a convenient location, too. It’s always been my opinion that a gal can’t have too many binoculars and now that we are living in the north woods, I can prove it.

After weeks, okay months, of seeing the same species of birds at our bird feeders, I just happened to be checking on the feeders with my Nikon Premier LX 10x25 binoculars and (drum roll), I spotted a Common Redpoll. Now redpolls may be common at some locations, but our yard isn’t one of them. I do expect to see a few redpolls every winter, but this current winter has been slim pickings as far as bird diversity at the feeders, so seeing the Common Redpoll in the binoculars was a real treat.

That’s birdwatching for you, though. You can get lulled into thinking that all you’re going to see the same old birds in the birding binoculars that you've been seeing for weeks and then, without any warning, a new bird makes an appearance. I love this element of surprise in birding. It truly does keep things interesting.

By the way, thee redpolls appeared just before the arrival of a polar cold front, which I regard as not being a coincidence. As always, it pays to keep an eye on the weather forecast if you are a bird watcher.

About the pic: I was lucky enough to do some digiscoping, this morning and got these two Common Redpolls at my feeder.

I’m out in the snow and the woods on an almost daily basis, mostly to ski and/or work our dog, but I always carry binoculars (usually compact binoculars to lighten the load) for the sake of bird watching, especially bird watching for raptors (birds of prey).

Hawks, falcons and owls have always fascinated me. Could there be anything more magnificent to view in the birding binoculars or birding spotting scope? I don’t think so, at any rate. To me, these birds are the very essence of wild and untamed.

This has not been a good winter for raptor watching, however, and I suspect one reason is lack of a food supply. For instance, I haven’t seen rabbit tracks in the snow in nearly two months and I’m out in the snow almost daily. Maybe that's why I haven't seen hawk or heard an owl at night for a long time. Then too, the woods seem especially devoid of songbirds, this winter, with the exception of our yard, thanks to bird feeders I keep filled.

The woods, as always, are lovely, dark and deep, but this winter, they are also rather quiet.

Birdwatching can actually be an arduous undertaking if you elect to head to the jungles, climb mountains or visit polar areas in pursuit of rare birds. On the other hand, I don’t know of too many outdoor activities that you can also enjoy right from the comfort of your living room or kitchen, provided you keep the binoculars handy and have a window to watch birds in your backyard. This time of year, especially, is when I do most of my bird watching indoors, thanks to my bird feeders.

Winter is considered to be a slow time of the year for birding in northern areas of the country because a great many bird species migrate south for the winter. This means that winter is the season that presents the least variety of birds for your birding binoculars and also the lowest number of birds, overall. Feeding birds improves your odds of seeing birds, immensely, both in terms of variety and numbers.

Our northern Wisconsin winters are especially bird poor. In fact, I could bundle up, grab the binoculars, and head out into our snowy woods and look for birds and still not see as many birds as I can by just sitting in my kitchen, binoculars in hand, watching the feeders. I still bundle up and head outdoors on a daily basis to go skiing or run my English Setter and when I do, I always carry at least one of my compact binoculars to see what birds I can. Most of the birds are back at our bird feeders, though.

When it comes to binocular accessories supplied with a new binocular, there are some binocular accessories I always use and some binocular accessories I never use.

In the always use category, the most important binocular accessory is the binocular strap. This is a binocular accessory that is supplied with all binoculars and rightfully so. In the world of binoculars, the number one culprit for damaging a binocular is dropping a binocular while in use or putting a binocular in harm’s way while in use. Both possibilities of damaging a binocular can be completely eliminated simply by making it a habit of using that binocular strap. I use the binocular strap on all my binoculars, from my smallest compact binoculars right on up to my largest astronomy binoculars. The only time I don't have a binocular strap around my neck is when mounting a binocular on a tripod, as in the picture. The binocular strap, however, never comes off the binocular.

Next, in the always use category or, at least in the almost always use category, is the rain guard or eyepiece covers. The only time I don't keep the eyepieces on my binoculars covered is when I am actually looking through my binoculars. Why? The eyepieces on your expensive birding binoculars or hunting binoculars are directly exposed, not only to the elements – rain, snow, dust – but also to whatever abuse you inflict on them, be it peanut butter from your sandwich or scratching caused by other gear you happen to be using at the time. If you instal your binocular rain guard properly by attaching it to only one strap, you flip it off the eyepieces as you are raising your binoculars with no loss of time.

In the never use binocular accessory category, for me, at least, are binocular objective covers. In forty years of NOT using objective covers on my binoculars, I have yet to scratch or damage an objective lens on my binoculars. On the other hand, I can promise you that messing with the objective covers is one sure way of alerting birds, deer and other wildlife to your presence. Those precious extra seconds it takes to mess with objective lens covers on your binoculars will cost you opportunities in birdwatching and hunting and general wildlife viewing. On my binoculars, objective lens covers stay in the box, permanently.

Another never use binocular accessory are the cheapie lens cloths that often come with lower-priced binoculars. While I give manufacturers points for supplying a lens cloth, the only type of lens cloth that is useable on binoculars for cleaning purposes is a microfiber lens cloth, such as the Carson Stuff-it At that price, you can't afford not to have one for your binoculars. If your new binocular does not come with a bona fide microfiber lens cloth, my suggestion is to round file it and get the real thing.

Maybe it was a bird watching coincidence or maybe, as I mentioned in my blog, yesterday, it was related to the snowstorm that was in the forecast, but I spotted our first Ruffed Grouse on our property after living here for two years. Our neighbors have reported seeing some grouse in past years, but nothing in the last several years.

Also a coincidence, I was just sitting down to start a Binocular Blog when I happened to see the grouse. I looked up from the computer and out our kitchen window just in time to see something walking in the snow, down in the bog. My Nikon Monarch 3 10x42 just happened to be sitting on the table, so I grabbed the binoculars for a closer look. I thought perhaps what I had spotted out of the corner of my eye was a squirrel, but, to my very pleasant surprise, it was a Ruffed Grouse.

Now, when you live in the north woods, maybe you should not be surprised to see a grouse in the birding binoculars, but knowing there are grouse in the general area and actually seeing grouse in your backyard are two different things. There is also the matter of having not seen any new birds in the yard for over month, so this was a real birdwatching treat.

What does the weather have to do with birdwatching, other than prompting some bird watchers to stay home when the weather turns nasty?

The weather, in fact, has a lot do with bird watching and we’re not just talking folks who watch birds in their binoculars, here. Weather also affects the movement of birds, as every serious bird watcher knows. Storms, especially winter storms, trigger some unusual bird sightings because birds will often move as needed to avoid the brunt of a storm. Then, too, birds that are swept up by fierce storm winds, sometimes find themselves in areas they wouldn’t ordinarily frequent. All in all, when a storm is in the forecast, it’s time to grab the birding binoculars and be on the lookout. It’s also a good time to make sure your bird feeders are full. Birds seeking sanctuary during a storm often need a quick source of food to replenish their strength.

In fact, if you watch your bird feeders and/or the birds in your neighborhood on a daily basis, you might even be able to forecast the arrival of a storm on your own, simply by noting a change in bird activity patterns or the arrival of new birds.

Keep those binoculars handy next time a storm approaches.

Over the years, I’ve found myself using compact binoculars more and more for just about all my binocular needs, with the one exception of astronomy. The difference between large astronomy binoculars and compact binoculars is immediately obvious when doing astronomy, but for other uses, one of my compact binoculars usually gets the nod.

I’ve seldom felt handicapped with compact binoculars, despite some of their optical shortcomings and, yes, before you rush out and buy compact binoculars, you should be aware of these shortcomings. Compact binoculars may or may not be right for you.

Compact binoculars are right for me, mostly because I can compensate for any lack of optical prowess on their part with my experience in using binoculars , as well as my expertise in the applications where I use binoculars. Birdwatching is a good example. I know my birds well enough, after forty years of birding, not to need large birding binoculars. As far as identifying birds, there is no advantage for me to carry large binoculars, so I prefer not to deal with all that extra binocular size and weight. Why carry more binocular than I need?

I should mention, though, that I don’t use just any compact binoculars. I do insist on premium compact binoculars that meet my fussy optical standards. Good optics can, at least to some extent, also compensate for lack of binocular size.

Pictured: my Leica Ultravid BL 10x25. Doesn't get any more premium than that.

Birdwatching, as with so many outdoor pursuits, is a very varied undertaking – there are many types of bird watching and some can be quite different as to techniques and even equipment used. Oh, no! Does this mean I need to buy more than pair of birding binoculars? Does this mean I also need to buy a birding spotting scope and a tripod?

The answer is yes and no. If you are going to confine your birding to songbirds in the woodlands or farm country, you will do just fine with conventional birding binoculars of 7x through 10x. These will also do quite well for watching birds at the feeder.

In open country, a lot of birders select 10x binoculars for that little bit of extra detail on songbirds, but the 10x is optional. Songbirds, as a general rule, allow a close approach, so, even in open country, you can still do just as well on songbirds with 8x binoculars or (heresy!) 7x binoculars.

It’s when we start to observe certain groups of birds at great distances that conventional birding binoculars of 7x to 10x magnification come up a bit short on detail. You can still use your conventional birding binoculars for this work, of course, but stepping up the magnification with higher magnification binoculars or a spotting scope will allow you to identify more birds. I’ve used both.

Binoculars of 12x, 15x or even 20x can be used without a tripod, but only if you are in a position to brace the binoculars against an object for the sake of better steadiness. Otherwise, what extra detail you gain with the increased magnification is lost to unsteadiness. One place I have put 15x binoculars to work on birding is when driving backcountry roads in search of hawks and falcons. In open country, these birds don’t allow a close approach, so the extra magnification is quite useful. I’ve also used these binoculars for spotting waterfowl out on a lake from my vehicle. Bracing the binoculars on the frame of the car or a window does an adequate job, for the most part, as far as steadiness.

Will 15x binoculars take the place of a spotting scope? No. Not for certain types of birding. Sometimes you need the much higher magnifications of a spotting scope to get the job done. Shorebirds, for instance – those little brown birds of marsh and shorelines – will make you a believer in birding spotting scopes in a hurry. On the other hand, spotting scopes can take the place of high magnification binoculars if you are willing to use a tripod or a vehicle window mount.

In the end, most birders who tackle all the bird groups, end up with conventional birding binoculars and a birding spotting scope, but the place to start is the binocular. Higher magnification binoculars for birding are optional.

Most folks would love to own and use premium birding binoculars or hunting binoculars (often one and the same, given the way manufacturers tend to package features in their binoculars), but most of us just don’t have that kind of money to spend when it comes time to buy binoculars. The question, then, is at what price are we getting the most bang for our optical dollars, assuming we are an average user and have no particular loyalty to a brand or insist on a specific feature?

Porro prism binoculars may not be the sexiest, sleekest and most modern design in the binocular world, but porro prism binoculars are optically very efficient. It actually costs less to make a porro prism binocular to high optical standards as the more popular roof prism binocular design. This means you can buy decent optics for less with a porro prism binocular. How much will it cost? I’ve found that porro prism binoculars in that $150 range are probably the best buys. The Nikon Action Extreme 8x40 or the Pentax PCF WP II 8x40 have long been popular choices in this category.

In the roof prism world, you will need to pay a bit more for something on a par with a $150 porro prism, but $250 to $300 will do the job, nicely. This $300 price point is the most competitive price point in the binocular market, so lemons are weeded out, quickly. That means just about any 8x42 or 10x42 you will be a good choice. The traditional best selling $300 binocular in the world has long been the Nikon Monarch 8x42 and now with the new Nikon Monarch 3 8x42, a Monarch is more affordable than ever.

Want to be able to see more detail with your astronomy binoculars, hunting binoculars or even your birding binoculars? Here’s a trick: use a tripod. Most folks can steady 8x or 10x binoculars enough to be usable, without the use of tripod, so they never think to use a tripod. Fact is, though, even with 8x or 10x binoculars you are not taking advantage of all the detail they can deliver unless you use a tripod.

When I first started testing binoculars for optical performance, years ago, I quickly discovered that testing binoculars for resolution was meaningless unless I put the binoculars on a tripod. Otherwise, I was testing my ability to steady binoculars as much as I was testing resolution. Indeed, a lot of binoculars look pretty good in terms of detail they show when you hold them in your hands, but put those binoculars on a tripod and use a resolution chart and it becomes obvious that they aren’t so good, after all. The charts don’t lie.

Attaching binoculars to a tripod is, of course, a real pain as far as convenience goes, since portability goes out the window. On the other hand, before you assume that your favorite 10x binoculars don’t have enough magnification to do a particular job, you may want to see what they can do when mounted to a tripod.

Note: Most, but not all, binoculars are threaded to accept a tripod adapter. Attach the tripod adapter to the binoculars, then attach the binocular/adapter combination to nay standard camera tripods. For binoculars that are not threaded for a tripod adapter, there are universal adapters, such as the Nikon Binoc-u-mount.

Most of us enjoy watching squirrels. I sure do. Squirrels are such active creatures that you can’t help but notice them. Squirrel watching is nowhere near as varied as birdwatching, true, but squirrels and their antics are entertaining, to say the least. We humans have something in common with squirrels in that both of us are active by day. Most other mammals, by contrast, tend to be night creatures. That makes the squirrel the other mammal that we are most likely to see when we are out and about.

While you certainly don’t need binoculars or a spotting scope to watch squirrels, you really can’t appreciate what beautiful creatures they are without them. Any type of binocular you may own will do just fine for watching squirrels, too. I use my compact binoculars as much as my birding binoculars to watch squirrels. Squirrels really are handsome creatures, so take the time to look at them with your binoculars.

Up here in northern Wisconsin, we have both the (American) Red squirrel and the Gray squirrel. Of the two, the red squirrels seem to be the most energetic. When moving from point A to point B, red squirrels don’t walk. They run. In fact, it constantly amazes me how fast these little squirrels can run and climb. Gray squirrels are no slouches as acrobats, to be sure, but they look positively slow by comparison to red squirrels.

On the other hand, I see more color variation in our Gray squirrels. In our yard, we see some individuals that are pure gray, some mixed with red and we even have one individual that is pure black.

Although squirrels can be very territorial, they seem to call a truce around the feeders, though they do squabble now and then. Our yard would certainly be a duller place without them, that’s for sure.

Ah, January in northern Wisconsin! Sub-zero cold, icy winds and plenty of snow. If you love outdoor winter sports, as I do, it’s northern Wisconsin at its best.

That said, I freely admit that the bulk of my winter birdwatching is done from the warmth and comfort of my kitchen table. It’s not that I don’t venture out in the cold with the binoculars and look for birds. For sure, I never go cross-country skiing without taking one of my compact binoculars and skiing is almost a daily thing when the snow is right. No, most of my bird watching is done from my kitchen with my birding binoculars, simply because I see more birds from my kitchen than I do out in the woods this time of year. Is this some kind of birding magic?

No, it’s all a matter of setting up bird feeders and keeping them full. Do that in a north-country winter and the birds will find you and in good numbers, too. Birds will travel form great distances to take advantage of a steady supply of food, so get those feeders up and put the coffee on. Winter bird watching can be comfortably warm affair.

The snow is starting to pile up around our home, here in northern Wisconsin, but that’s the whole idea of living in northern Wisconsin. We like snow. Snow let’s us do our cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. It’s good for our economy. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

I do have to work around the snow for my astronomy, though. As the snow deepens, it get’s harder to clear a place to setup & use a telescope and it takes a larger space to use a telescope than one might think. That’s why on cold winter nights I often opt for the astronomy binoculars rather than the telescopes, because the binoculars are simply held in my hands, not usually supported on tripods like telescopes. Standing in the snow with my binoculars is really not much different than standing when there is no snow, as long as I am careful to wear good snow boots.

Astronomy binoculars are also easier to use in the cold, too. Telescopes require you to take gloves off to change a telescope eyepiece or to focus or fiddle with any number of telescope accessories. That adds up to cold fingers in a hurry. Not so with my astronomy binoculars. I can leave my gloves or mittens on and do just fine. Everything we observe in astronomy is at infinity focus, so we only have to set the focus, once and then leave it where it is.

Binoculars are a girl’s best friend when she steps outside or bitterly cold winter nights to do astronomy.