Binoculars you already have are probably fine

Binoculars You Already Have Are Probably Fine

Let's start with the thing that stops people before they even get in the car: they don't have "real" binoculars, so they figure they're not ready.

You're ready. Whatever's in your hall closet from a trip to the canyon or a Scout campout is probably fine.

Here's my actual opinion on this, and I hold it pretty firmly: you don't need expensive binoculars to start birding. Mine were on sale at the sporting goods place four winters ago and I still use them. Get a cheap pair, decide if you even like doing this, upgrade later if you want to. Don't let gear be the reason you don't go. I've seen people spend more time researching binoculars than they've spent outside using them.

What you're actually looking for

If you're borrowing a pair or digging out something old, here's what matters:

Two numbers on the binoculars, like 8x42 or 10x50. The first number is magnification. The second is the size of the lens in millimeters. For winter waterfowl on open water, something in the 7x to 10x range works well. Higher than that and they get heavy and shaky, and shaky binoculars are worse than no binoculars, honestly.

Weight you can hold up for a while. You'll be standing at the edge of the lake with these things up to your face more than you'd think. If they feel heavy in your kitchen, they'll feel a lot heavier after twenty minutes outside in the cold.

That's about it. You don't need waterproofing for this class. You don't need the fancy coatings. If it's got two lenses and a strap, bring it.

The part nobody tells you about

Now, the actual point of this lesson, and it's the part I wish someone had told me.

The first winter I brought binoculars out, I had them on the wrong setting the entire first hour and thought that was just how blurry birds were. I figured this was the experience. Everyone kept saying how great birding was and I was standing there squinting at gray smudges thinking, this is fine, I guess this is what we're doing.

Alan finally looked through them and started laughing at me. Turns out there's a little dial, usually between the two barrels or on one eyepiece, that focuses them. Nobody had told me it existed. A stranger walking past us on the trail saw me fumbling and showed me how to use it. That's birding for you. People are kind about the dumb stuff, and everybody's had their own version of my dumb stuff.

So, at home, before you ever get to the lake:

1. Find the center focus wheel. It's usually right in the middle where the two barrels meet.
2. Look through them at something far away, like a tree or a street sign, and turn that wheel until it's sharp.
3. There's usually a second adjustment, a diopter, on one eyepiece only, for if your two eyes see slightly differently. Close one eye, focus with the center wheel using just the other eye, then switch and adjust the diopter eyepiece to match. You only have to do this once and then leave it alone.
4. Practice bringing them up to your eyes a few times while looking at something specific, like a bird feeder or a tree branch. This sounds silly to practice in your living room. Do it anyway. Fumbling with binoculars for the first time while an owl is sitting right there is a genuinely bad time to learn the dial.

A couple of real cautions

Don't use binoculars to look anywhere near the sun, ever, even accidentally, even in winter when it feels low and harmless. It's not harmless. If you're scanning the sky for raptors, know where the sun is and keep your sweep away from it.

And if you wear glasses, most binoculars have eyecups that twist down to accommodate that. Play with this at home too, not on the trail, because that's not the moment to be troubleshooting eyewear while everyone waits.

Before next time

Dig out whatever binoculars you've got, find that focus wheel, and get them sharp on something in your backyard. If you truly don't have a pair, tell me before we meet and I'll see what I can scrounge up, I usually have an extra set in the car.