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Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!
Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!
A decent pair of binoculars can considerably enhance your enjoyment of birds. In this episode, Dara Miles Wilson — a naturalist with Montgomery Parks in Maryland — shares a crash course on how to use binoculars.
More tips from Dara:
- With binoculars, it's important to pick a pair that’s right for you. Cheap pairs can cost as low as $25, and high end binoculars can cost over $1000. The most important characteristics for a pair of binoculars are its magnification and its aperture, also known as the field of view. For birding, a magnification of 7x or 8x would be perfect, and the aperture should be between 25 and 45. Higher magnification can help you see distant birds such as seabirds better, while lower magnification offers a wider field of view. My binoculars are 10x42. Try different sizes and styles to see what suits you best.
- The diopter adjustment knob helps compensate for any differences between your eyes. Once you find the diopter adjustment knob (usually near the right eyecup), hold your binoculars up to your face and close your eye that isn’t on the same side as the diopter. Raise your binoculars up to your eyes and use your hand to move the diopter adjustment knob until you can see clearly out of your open eye.