Binoculars Bird Watching

Binoculars for bird watching is a rather specialised subject with quite specific needs. This is due to the fact that many species of birds we watch are small and fast little creatures, so the binoculars we’d use are quite different from those if we were scouting for elephants in India! There’s a wide range of bird watching binoculars available on the market so let’s look at the important features and make an informed decision before purchase.

Most people in to bird watching go for binoculars with a magnification of between 7 to 10. There are of course higher magnifications in binoculars for bird watching however they are not the best choice for our purpose. With lower magnifications you are able to see a wider field of view which is referred to as FOV. The rule is the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view. Since birds are often fast and agile having a wider field of view is advantageous, this is also true when viewing flocks of birds.

Another aspect of magnification is the image brightness and you’ll enjoy brighter imagery through your bird watching binoculars with lower magnifications, especially helpful in low light situations when you are in wooded areas, at dusk and dawn or owl watching.

With binoculars for bird watching what we are looking for is a balance between all the important elements. 8x magnification is a good choice and very popular among birders. While it’s true that 10x binoculars will give you more detail they won’t make the difference between successfully being able to identify a bird or not. Price wise it’s also far better to choose a decent 7x or 8x over a poorer pair of bird watching binoculars rated at 10x.

Let’s review some popular binoculars for bird watching…

Nikon Monarch 8 X 42 mm All Terrain Binoculars Bird Watching

There are a best selling model of bird watching binoculars and are considered ideal. The build quality is sturdy and rugged so they’ll last a great many years and it’s also rubber armoured. The lens is of excellent quality with multi coloured lenses for super clear and bright images. This reduces eye fatigue a lot and helps to increase the comfort and usability of these binoculars. The lens cap simply snaps on and it’s 100% waterproof so you can take it out in all weathers without worry. Also comes with a micro fibre cleaning cloth to keep the lens crystal clear.

Bushnell 8x40 Bird Watching Binoculars

These binoculars are especially designed with bird watchers in mind although they will also perform well in many other applications. The diameter of the lens is 40mm which is great for maximising the brightness of images in low light situations and it will give you a FOV of 340 feet at 1000 yards. Most importantly there is no distortion when looking close up even within a wide range of space. Viewing wildlife intimately and close up without risking disturbance is a breeze with these custom binoculars for bird watching. Tough, well made and built to last.

Eagle Optics 8x32 Ranger SRT Binoculars For Bird Watching

These binoculars are particularly lightweight and compact but offer serious birders the features and quality they are looking for. The clarity of close up images make this pair of binoculars not only good for bird watching but also great for butterfly’s and dragonfly’s! Anything within 3 feet can be focused on. They are equipped with something known as Superior Resolution Transmission along with phase correction lenses to help improve viewing resolution and image sharpness. It gives you true colour fidelity thanks to the multi coated lens. These binoculars for bird watching are well built, water poof to rain and snow and have anti fogging lenses. Exceptional value in it’s price range.