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About BirdDude

BirdDude has been a member since July 27th 2009, and has created 114 posts from scratch.

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Top Rated Birding Binoculars

 

At BirdOculars, we know you need the best and most up to date birding binocular info. Even though we try hard to provide this, sometimes we have to go outside our site to get it. One of the best of these resources is the Amazon Marketplace. Whether your looking for birding binoculars from Pentax, Nikon or Bushnell, you’ll find great prices and millions of customers eager to review products they’ve purchased. This is truly a win-win for you.

How We Rated Them

No complex mathematical formulas here, sorry. What we’ve done is to look at the top rated birding binoculars in the Amazon marketplace that are priced below $200.00 and have more than 3 stars with at least ten reviews. Then, we’ve consulted our own experience with various birding binoculars to come up with a list of top rated birding binoculars.

What we were looking for is birding binoculars with a combination of value and reputation. We hope you enjoy reading our picks and would like to know what you think.

Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter

If you’re looking for a low-priced pair of giant binoculars, the Celestron SkyMaster Giant fits the bill. They’ve got multicoated optics and BaK-4 internal prisms which are two key features you should look for when considering a pair of giant binoculars as they promise brighter and better images. Furthermore, this pair comes with an adapter for attaching them to a tripod and a soft carrying case to keep them protected. Our verdict? They’re a great value pair of giant binoculars but if you’re planning on using them for long periods of time you’ll need to get a tripod as they’re just too heavy to hold for a long while.

[Check Prices - Read Reviews]

Bushnell Powerview 8×21 Compact Folding Roof Prism Binocular

This pair of Bushnell PowerView binoculars marries contemporary styling with the quality and durability we’ve come to expect from Bushnell. The optics are fully coated so you’re guaranteed superior light transmission and brightness. They also have an easy-to-use center focusing system. Our verdict? Incredibly low-priced binoculars that are great for taking anywhere and everywhere as they won’t load you down, however the neck string they come with is thin and could be better quality.

[Check Prices - Read Reviews]

Bushnell Falcon 10×50 Wide Angle Binoculars

Another great price pair of binoculars from Bushnell, and it’s clear to see why the Falcon model continues to be so popular. With its rubberized abrasion-resistant finish they’re super-comfy to hold, while the InstaFocus lever ensures smooth feedback and the right tension to get magnification to just the level you want it. Our verdict? We love the cool fold-down eyecups which make scratching the lenses virtually impossible, but for those with poor eyesight these might not be the binoculars for you as they could do with a broader range of diopters.

[Check Prices - Read Reviews]

Bushnell PowerView 10×50 Wide Angle Binoculars

With an incredibly easy setup, it’s no surprise these Bushnell PowerView binoculars are popular with bird watchers as they are simply great for tracking and focusing on moving objects. And because they’ve got the non-slip coating they’re easy to hold, too. Our verdict? Great for bird enthusiasts as all it takes is a quick toggle of the finger on the center focus knob and you’ve got your bird in sight. We’re not so keen on the fact there’s no way of attaching them to a tripod however.

[Check Prices - Read Reviews]

Bushnell H20 10×42 Porro Prism Waterproof/Fogproof Binocular

If you spend lots of time bird watching by lakes and rivers, or even while out on the water, the Bushnell H20 Porro Prism binoculars are a great choice. With a 10x magnification they’re powerful, but weighing in at just 27 ounces means they’re nice and light, too, plus you can attach them to a tripod if need’s be. Our verdict? At first use, the focusing mechanism is a little stiff but this should ease up with use, however we can’t fault the BaK-4 prism glass which maximizes light transmission and helps give super-clear images.

[Check Prices - Read Reviews]

At BirdOculars, we realize we aren’t the holy grail of reviewers. So, check out these other resources to find more top rated birding binoculars and more.

  • Binocular Reviews has reviews on nearly every make and model of birding binoculars and even breaks them down by star ratings.
  • All Best Binoculars gives detailed reviews of the top binoculars and allows you to browse them by brand or type.
  • The Binoculars Advisor from the Birdwatching.com site shows you where to start in your quest for new binoculars and answers questions you may have along the way.

Just keep in mind if you click those links you will be leaving the BirdOculars site and we cannot be held responsible for the opinions or ratings of those sites.

Tell Us About Your Favorite Birding Binoculars

Is there is a pair of birding binoculars that are your favorite that’s not on the list? Do you have any experience with those on the list? If so, please leave us a comment below. We’d love to hear what you think of our list of top rated birding binoculars.

Olivia Lennox is a bird watcher and word botcher from London, England. She blogs on a diverse range of topics from last minute ski breaks to cookery, but her free time is spent watching the sandpiper and the smew in the cold winter sky.

Hand Feeding Birds Faster

It Doesn’t Have To Be A Struggle

If you ask a person who’s been feeding birds for a while about getting them to hand feed, you’ll either get a bewildered look or one of “you poor person.” That’s because if they’ve read anything about hand feeding birds they’ve been told how long it will take and how patient you have to be. I’ve been experimenting with hand feeding for a few years now and I’m going to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, it’s true that some birds and species will never hand feed. However, I believe you can have success at hand feeding birds without spending hours sitting out in the cold.

Read More…

Leaving The Nest YouTube Video Posted

Yes, you heard it right! I’ve finally finished editing and uploading my latest YouTube video. It’s called “Leaving The Nest” and it shows four bluebird babies leaving the nest one at a time. I mention in the video that the amount of video needed to successfully capture the event is staggering. I feel for nature videographers. The most challenging part for me was editing hours of video to come up with a six minute video that didn’t seem rushed or like watching grass grow. I still feel it’s a bit long but I had to let go after almost two months of editing. I learned a lot and the next videos will go smoother, I promise.

For now, go check out “Leaving The Nest” and leave a comment, like it, tweet it, stumble it and share it with your friends.

Leave me a comment below and I’ll answer anything you need to know about it.

BirdOculars Christmas Buying Guide

I wanted to put together a quick list of the things I think would make a great gift for your birding friends or yourself this holiday season. I’ve put this together from reviews I’ve done and things you’ve been coming to my site to read about. It’s a quick list you can reference, read a bit about and move onto something else today. Hope you like and would love to hear your thoughts.

In no particular order:

Vanguard Endeavor ED 8545

This Vanguard Endeavor ED 8545 were a pair of binoculars that really took me by surprise. I knew Vanguard was known for their photographic accessories and had achieved distinction with it. When they got into optics I thought it would be a learn as they went thing. I was wrong! The pair that I demoed for them and what I’m hearing from other users has been unbelievably positive. Given the fact that they’re priced below the competition, you really need to take a look at these before you make your next binocular purchase.

Read Review

BirdJam

BirdJam is a bird identification application that I have been using for years. It is super-fast at locating bird calls and songs and for the Stokes bird images it uses for that quick ID. Since it works with my iPhone, it doesn’t require me to carry anything extra on my birding trips. I can use it with earphones so as not to disturb the local birding landscape which I love. I know there are quite a few of these programs out there but I can tell you firsthand that the product is updated regularly and their customer service is second to none. You can’t go wrong with this tool in your birding pack!

Read Review

Lowepro Field Station

Now, I’m not a big pack carrying kind of guy. I also don’t have thousands of dollars of photo equipment to haul around. If I did, I probably would have heard the Lowepro name much sooner. They’ve been serving professional photographers for some time and their reputation proceeds them. Recently, I got a chance to demo the Lowepro Field Station pack and I was really impressed. There was a place for everything I needed, it was durable and not a chore to wear for hours. Lowepro defiinitely did NOT farm this design out overseas because it shows the same attention to detail their pro gear has. For less than 100 bucks you can have a pack you’ll be proud to wear for many years to come.

Read Review

The Crossley Id Guide

This book was long awaited by many birders because of the revolutionary approach it took to identifying and clasifying birds. For me, The Crossley ID Guide was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The quality of the graphics and the logical system for finding birds you’ve noted in the field just blew me away. True, this is NOT a book for the field because of its size and weight. Unless you’re training for birding Mt. Everest and need some serious ballast-LOL! Still, once you make yourself back to the hotel or lodge, this book will help you to identify your findings from that day very quickly. Yes, there is a bit of a learning curve but once you’ve got that down, you’ll love this book.

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I told you it would be quick. I hope I’ve helped give you some ideas for that birder on your. Even if that birder is you. Please let me know what you think of my list below as a comment.

Additional Resources

Vanguard Products

Lowepro Products

BirdJam Maker

Crossley Books

First Titmouse Hand Feeder Of The Season

For the last couple of weeks when I put food out in the afternoon, I’ve been taking down the feeders and just standing near the feeder station. I started out about six feet away and would gradually and slowly move closer to the station. My goal: to see how close I could get before the birds would stop landing on the feeder station arms and then feeding. I found I was able to get to about three feet before activity moved away. Keep in mind, I was not taking down all feeders which can be necessary sometimes to start with. From that point on, I would take down the feeders and stand there with sunflower seeds in one hand. It’s important to be very still and not make eye contact with anybody at first. What I’ve seen for the last week or so is the chickadees would continue feeding but most would go to other feeders. The titmice, however, would mostly keep coming to the feeder but not take me up on my offering.

Read More…