Equipment for Birdwatching
With a larger field of view binoculars are more versatile as birds are easier to find
Marsh tit
Willow tit
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Birdwatching must be one of the cheapest hobbies to take up because you do not actually
need any equipment at all.
A lot can be learned about birds simply by keeping your eyes open, and by remembering
what you observe. However, to see birds more easily and to retain as well as interpret the
information you gain about them, you need a small amount of inexpensive equipment.
There is not much to be gained from bird watching if you do not know which birds you are
observing. A good field guide that will help you to name the birds you see is essential. A
field guide is a book that has illustrations of all the birds you are likely to see in the region
where you live. You should choose one that you can understand and use easily. It should fit
into a coat pocket so that your hands will be free when you are not consulting it. There are
also many websites that feature birds as well as bird song and video of birds, see our
links on this website. Bird Tick List Pro also helps you identify birds by linking to websites
automatically to show you images and information about birds.
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A field guide is not the only kind of book that is useful to a bird watcher. To understand
and learn more about birds, it is a good idea to read general books about birdwatching
and the lives of birds. Some may tell you how to make the most of bird watching, like this
article, and give practical hints and advice. Keen bird watchers will also want to read bird
journals and magazines, which are published by bird societies, These publications give
news about birds, as well as special articles on aspects of birds that you would not find in
a book. New discoveries about birds are usually published first in such journals.
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It is usually difficult to get very close to a wild bird, Unless you are hiding, the bird will
become well aware of your presence long before you approach closely. As soon as it
feels threatened by you, whether or not you mean any harm, it will fly away. Birds may also
be hard to see close up because they live in remote places that you cannot reach, or
because they usually keep to the air. To be sure of getting a good view of any bird, you
will have to carry a pair of binoculars or a telescope. Binoculars and telescopes can give
you a close-up view of a bird that is nearby without you having to approach it and disturb
it. They can also give you a view of a distant bird that is large enough for identification and
general observation.
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Binoculars are easier to use than telescopes, but they do not give such a magnified view.
This is not necessarily a disadvantage, because the field of view (how much you can see)
gets smaller as the magnification increases. Having a small field of view makes it difficult
to locate a bird, and to keep track of it if it is moving. On the other hand, you do want
sufficient magnification to show up details of the bird's body and its behaviour. Every pair
of binoculars bears a sign such as 8 x 30 or 10 x 50. The first number indicates the
magnification of the instrument. The bird will appear eight times (8 x) or ten times (10 X )
bigger than it appears to the naked eye. The second figure is the diameter of each of the
objective lenses (the bigger lenses) in millimetres. The higher this figure, then the wider
the field of view and the brighter the image seen. From this, you might think that you
should get a pair of binoculars with the highest figures indicated. However, big binoculars
are heavy and tiring to hold up to the eyes. Also, if the magnification is too high, the image
appears to dance about as your hands shake. In practice, the largest binoculars that can
be satisfactorily used for birdwatching are 10 x 50, and the smallest 7 x 30. Choose a pair
in between these limits that produce the sharpest image for the price you can afford, but
do not buy a pair that feels too heavy. When birdwatching, always carry the binoculars on
a strap around your neck - in case you drop them.
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Telescopes give much higher magnifications than binoculars - from about 20 x up to
about 60 x . They can give a very good view of distant birds, but should be fixed to a
tripod to prevent the image shaking. Some telescopes have zoom lenses, which are
useful for locating birds at low power and then zooming in on them to get a close-up view.
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Spotting scopes give excellent views of birds at long distance
