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What You Need To Start Birdwatching
Over the past year, many people took up new hobbies. Some of these were pretty conventional, such as golf or bonsai trees. Others, like metal detecting, were a bit more outré. Birdwatching (or birding, as its practitioners call it) falls somewhere in the middle. If you did not get in on this trend during the height of COVID, do not fear. It is never too late to learn something new. And like the best hobbies, birding has a very low barrier to entry.
To unleash your inner Jonathan Franzen you only need one thing (well, besides a place without internet access). As soon as you have a good pair of binoculars, you can start birdwatching. Yes, there are many apps and other fancy online resources for the tech-savvy, but the moment you look through those lenses and see a yellow warbler, you have officially “watched” a bird.
The Hontry 10×25 compact binoculars are a perfect introductory pair for novice birdwatchers. Inexpensive at just $20, they are lightweight and can easily be taken with you on your peregrinations. With that in mind, they do not skimp on quality. The high-def clarity is way better than such a cheap pair has any business being. You will be able to see your query in its full splendor from as far as 1,000 yards away. If you’ve never birded before, this is where you want to start.
Maybe you’ve done the amateur birdwatching thing and want to take your experience up a notch. You can pay top dollar for this pair of binoculars made by Zeiss, a high-end German optical brand associated with products like digital cameras and microscopes. Of course the company tasked with making the replacement of the Hubble Space Telescope is going to make better lenses than some no-name factory in China. Still, unless you are Bobby Axelrod on the lookout for an ortolan to eat, we recommend the Hontry binoculars, or ones at a similar price level.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition — $19.30
All right, you have your specs. In theory, that is all you need to immerse yourself in the world of birdwatching. If you are the meticulous type that birdwatching tends to attract, however, you are going to want a field guide. How are you going to brag to your friends that you spotted a Hooded Merganser if you can’t tell the difference between a merganser and a smew? The National Geographic Field Guide is the most popular resource out there. Don’t overthink it: Get the book, and get to birding!