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Birders can only see so many birds with out the assistance
of binoculars. If you want to step up and become a serious
birder with a large list of birds under your belt your
going to need a good pair of binoculars.
Those unfamiliar with buying binoculars we've listed
a couple basics for buying a good intermediate to advance
set of binoculars.
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Magnification: This refers to the power of the
binoculars. A pair of 7x35 binos are magnified 7 times.
The lower the power, the wider an area you can see through
your binoculars and the brighter the image. This is particularly
important in low light situations such as dawn or dusk.
Higher powered binoculars are useful for distant birds
in open landscapes with abundant light.
Aperture: This is the measurement
of the lens furthest from your eye, or the "objective
lens". The objective lens pulls in light from your
surroundings similar to a camera lens. In a pair of 7x35mm
binoculars, the aperture is 35mm. A larger aperture can
compensate for the loss of light associated with a higher
power, the trade-off is greater cost and weight.
Glasses: If you wear glasses at all times, do
not choose a pair of binoculars without testing them with
your glasses. Glasses increase the distance between the
lens and your eye, changing the eye relief.
Focus: Poorly focused binoculars or binoculars
that are out of alignment can cause dizziness, eyestrain,
or severe eye-ache. To avoid this, be sure to calibrate
your binoculars before you go birding or after anyone
has used them. Here's how:
1. Adjust the two halves of the binoculars
so the eyepieces are the same distance apart as your
eyes.
2. Pick a distant fixed object to focus
on.
3. Turn the center focus all the way
to the right.
4. Close your left eye and adjust the
right eye piece (the secondary focus knob) until the
object is in focus for the right eye. This feature equalizes
the difference in strength of your eyes. If your binoculars
do not have a focus knob on the right eyepiece, look
for this knob either in front of the center focus knob,
or around the objective lens on the right. For future
reference, note exact location of this setting (+,-,
or 0 on most binoculars).
5. Open your left eye and adjust the
central focus knob until that distant object is clearly
focused.
Have patience, this can be a very frustrating experience
and may take many tries to get it right! If you or a
more experienced birder cannot focus your binoculars
clearly, you may need to have them re-aligned.
Source: The US Fish and Wildlife Service |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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April
9, 2006
March
3, 2006