The Basics of Birding Gear

Chickadee on perch by Charlotte Lukes.

To the left of my desk at the Peninsula Pulse, three large picture windows look out onto the water of Baileys Harbor – and, in the foreground of the scenic view, several bird feeders. Those feeders are kept well-stocked by Pulse publisher David Eliot, and they draw a constant stream of small birds to distract me at work all day. 

Other than the occasional blue jay or cardinal, I can identify pretty much none of the birds at the feeders. That’s part of why I attended a recent Door County Land Trust webinar, led by the organization’s community conservation coordinator Paige Witek, about the basics of bird identification. This week, I’ll be going over the basic birdwatching gear Witek recommended; next week, we’ll talk about what parts of a bird to consider while trying to identify it.

Binoculars

Binoculars are typically described by two numbers, like 8×42. The first number describes how many times the object in your sights is being enlarged, while the second number is the diameter of the objective lens (the far end of the binoculars) in millimeters. 

The bigger the difference between the two numbers, the sharper and brighter the image seen through the binoculars will be. 

Binoculars with objective lenses larger than 42 millimeters will be large and heavy, so they work well if you’re watching birds at a stationary feeder, but not as well if you’re hiking and carrying the binoculars around your neck.

Most birders, according to Witek, use binoculars with full-sized (40-45 millimeters) or mid-sized (30-35 millimeters) objective lenses. 

As for magnification, the most popular options are eights or 10s. Witek recommended against going lower than a seven, but other than that, it’s a matter of personal preference. More magnification means the user has to hold the binoculars steadier for a clear image, so binoculars with very high magnifications can result in shaky images.

The National Audubon Society’s website (audubon.org) features binocular recommendations based on quality; otherwise, going to a store and testing out a few options is a good way to figure out what works for you, Witek said.

Another option is a spotting scope, a small, portable telescope. Because these instruments have such high magnification, they aren’t optimal for watching fast-flying birds, but they’re useful for viewing small details on birds at great distances, like waterfowl.

Field Guides

When searching for a field guide, there are several factors to consider. For one, Witek recommends getting a guide that includes drawings of birds rather than photos. A photo depicts one individual bird in a specific light at a specific time, which can be deceptive, but drawings are compilations of many individual birds that emphasize specific field marks. 

An optimal field guide will also include range maps and a description of the bird’s habitat and behavior, as well as how they look and sound. 

A working knowledge of bird part terminology and taxonomy are helpful when using a field guide. The latter is especially useful because most field guides are organized taxonomically, going from the oldest birds to the newest in terms of their evolutionary history.

Birding apps can be helpful too; one free, beginner-friendly option is Merlin Bird ID. It asks users five questions about the bird they’re trying to identify and creates a list of possible birds based on the answers. It also includes bird sound recordings (which works better to identify birdsong than short chirps, Witek said.) Another free app is the Audubon Bird Guide, which works more like a classic field guide.

A strong paid option is The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition. A physical field guide by the same name can supplement the app. On the app, users can compare two different birds on the same screen, which is helpful for distinguishing between similar-looking species.