# Any birdwatchers here? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 17, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696 "2018-11-17T19:05:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/21 "2018-11-19T14:58:37Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > Since digital tech has been incorporated in almost everything in the world, I ASSumed it was available in binoculars. I thought the same thing a while back, but failed to find anything along the lines of decent binoculars that incorporate a digital camera. Which does seem strange, as it really seems there’d be a market for this. Every birder out there suffers with birds that won’t sit still to be identified. The ability to examine photos at leisure would be wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/22 "2018-11-19T15:40:43Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > Well, certainly didn’t intend to open a can of worms - so to speak. Her interest is moderately casual. I’m searching for a unique Christmas gift. Since digital tech has been incorporated in almost everything in the world, I ASSumed it was available in binoculars. She has a couple of good sets now. > > Back to the drawing board. Well, they certainly exist, but as [this review](http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/binoculars-with-camera.html) indicates, they are not particularly good as either binoculars or cameras unless you go very high end. I think they might be frustrating for the casual birder because of their heaviness. Most of the time you spend a lot more time looking for the bird with binoculars than actually focused on it. Unless you are birding in very open areas your opportunities for taking a good photo are only a small percentage of the time you are using your binoculars. From the review: > [@](#): > > Cons of Binoculars with Camera or Video Capability > > Low-quality photos: Most users complain they cannot get clear, focused photos. Most of these camera binoculars would need to rest on top of a tripod to get in-focus photos. > > Short battery life - some lasting as little an hour and cosume battery life even in the “off” position. > > Binoculars are typically not very high quality, with longer close focus distance, small exit pupil and small Field of View - especially not good as birding binoculars. > > Are heavey and bulky to carry around. Like I said, I have never encountered a birder who used them in the field, and I wasn’t really aware of them myself until this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/23 "2018-11-19T17:23:04Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I’m deeply interested in this thread and will follow it closely. My biggest problem though is the fact that I am nearly blind in my right eye. Binoculars are useless for me. I need a good quality, extremely portable, tripod mounted spotting scope/camera setup. **Chefguy** ’s Celestron looks interesting but I’m certainly open to other suggestions. For the money, it’s a great scope, if a bit awkward to handle until you get it mounted. I’m always impressed with the clarity of the image, and it doubles as a small telescope for night sky stuff. I’m not a ‘birdwatcher’ as defined above. Those people are a bit. . .odd. In fact, I was never much interested in birds until I went on my first African safari in Botswana. The huge variety of bird life in that part of the world demands that you take an interest. And when I saw my first [lilac-breasted roller](https://www.google.com/search?q=lilac+breasted+roller&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_sMaQ_ODeAhWNGTQIHdB5BFMQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=969#imgrc=uwXuQ2fwCak6HM:), I was semi-smitten. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/24 "2018-11-19T17:43:15Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Yes, there’s some rare birds in the place, but what you’re getting all excited about? It’s a mallard. You’d ignore it or take the kids to chuck bread at it if you saw it somewhere else. This is occasionally something that very slightly annoys me about a certain class of hyper-dedicated elite birders, but from the opposite direction of the above :). Utter dismissal of common birds, because they’re common. So to be sure some birders can be tedious, antisocial weirdos in a variety of ways. The rivalries that spring up between photographers and non-photographers can get particularly heated. But that’s the case with literally ALL hobbyists. Folks can get a bit obsessive about just about anything involving their pet…obsession ;). ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/25 "2018-11-19T19:58:41Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > This is occasionally something that very slightly annoys me about a certain class of hyper-dedicated elite birders, but from the opposite direction of the above :). Utter dismissal of common birds, because they’re common. ‘Twitchers’ is the name in the UK at least. I’ve met a few, the extreme ones are just there to tick the species off their list; it could be a stuffed one on a stick, they’d get just as much pleasure from finding it. I enjoy watching birds, common or rare, I just think it’s pretty daft to spend over £1000 on a fancy telescope but not £5 on a book so’s you know what you’re looking at… Plus I guess making a special trip somewhere known for birds you can’t go anywhere else then spending the whole time watching birds you could see at the canal feels a bit like going to a fancy restaurant and asking for Kraft Mac 'n Cheese because it all tastes the same to you. Personally, I have a pair of tiny elderly binoculars only, portability and lack of worry about breaking them are more important, as I’m rarely sitting in a hide all afternoon these days. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/26 "2018-11-20T02:27:55Z")
I don’t list because I’m not interested in competing. I do enjoy the challenges of birding, and, like any other interest, it provides some direction to my travel. I have an upcoming day-long tour in the mountains near Quito that I’m really looking forward to, followed by Galapagos. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/27 "2018-11-20T02:36:31Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Every birder out there suffers with birds that won’t sit still to be identified. The ability to examine photos at leisure would be wonderful. It is. That’s why we take a camera with a zoom lens birding. OP, have you asked your wife if she’s interested in a camera? ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/28 "2018-11-20T03:36:59Z")
> [@susan](#): > > [Vortex](http://www.vortexoptics.com/category/binoculars) makes a decent optic for its price. They’re well-rated, sturdy, and sometimes on sale at Cabella and Audubon, to name two. I have two pairs, Viper 8x32 (good for birds in trees) and Razor 10x42 (better for close marine distances). Vortex also has a great guarantee. If it breaks for pretty much any reason at any time they will replace it. My spotting scope blew over and got a chip in the lens. No problem they said, just fill out the on line form and send it in. A couple weeks later I got a new one in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/29 "2018-11-20T09:13:59Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > Well, certainly didn’t intend to open a can of worms - so to speak. Her interest is moderately casual. I’m searching for a unique Christmas gift. Since digital tech has been incorporated in almost everything in the world, I ASSumed it was available in binoculars. She has a couple of good sets now. > > Back to the drawing board. I too, was unaware digital recording binocs were available till this thread. After googling such, there seems to be a wide array of them out there, ranging in price from $75 to infinity, depending on the optics and digital capabilities. Some sound quite fantastic! Reasonably lightweight, reasonable optics, and good digital rendition- if you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks. Your notion of buying her a pair sounds like a plausible idea for a Christmas gift, so don’t let my disdain of the techno-phile “professional” birders… or other old school cranks who have no experience with such technology dissuade you (and her) from giving it a shot. A couple hundred bucks and time will tell. FWIW: A nice substitute (or addition to) your gift would be a subscription to: Bird Watcher’s Digest. I know the publisher(s). Good down to earth people. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/30 "2018-11-20T18:12:44Z")
Not a birdwatcher in any real sense, but just barely – I look at wildlife everywhere I go, and I get considerable satisfaction out of identifying what species I just saw if at all possible. So I have some of the characteristics of a a semi-serious birdwatcher. and might one day tip over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/31 "2018-11-20T20:24:01Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Not a birdwatcher in any real sense, but just barely – I look at wildlife everywhere I go, and I get considerable satisfaction out of identifying what species I just saw if at all possible. So I have some of the characteristics of a a semi-serious birdwatcher. and might one day tip over the edge. Honestly at the end of the day that’s pretty much where I am. As a bio major once upon an era I was just into natural history in general. If anything my preference ran towards herpetology. I got into birds more in recent years mainly because I developed a photography habit( which I’m honestly not that great at, but it keeps me entertained ). I don’t keep a life list or participate much in group outings or surveys. But I do enjoy watching/taking pictures of birds, I’ve always been decent at visual ID’s( song is a different story ), I very vaguely follow local rare bird reports, and probably qualify as a birder by most standards. But I usually don’t think of myself as one ;). ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/32 "2018-11-21T05:18:59Z")
I didn’t start out as a twitcher. My dad was a tour guide, so I got pretty good at spotting and narrowing down bird IDs, but never kept track. Then I moved to California, and thought I might as well try and see every species in the field guide. I started out low-tech with a pencil in the index, but after a while I discovered ebird, an amazing resource for both birders and bird researchers. It’s an online database of sightings, uploaded by birders all over the world. If I go out birding, I do so with the intention of uploading an ebird checklist when I get home. There’s a smartphone app to do so in the field, but I prefer to use my camera roll. So not only do I have a record of all the birding I’ve done for the last 8ish years, (“where did I see that long-eared owl again?”) bird researchers can examine the data to follow population trends. Lots of awesome tools exist (e.g., target species, to narrow down recent sightings of lifers in my area). I even keep track of the birds I see in my own yard – not every day, but I’ll upload a checklist if an unusual visitor stops by. Check it out! [https://ebird.org/home](https://ebird.org/home) ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/33 "2018-11-21T06:01:58Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I’m deeply interested in this thread and will follow it closely. My biggest problem though is the fact that I am nearly blind in my right eye. Binoculars are useless for me. I need a good quality, extremely portable, tripod mounted spotting scope/camera setup. **Chefguy** ’s Celestron looks interesting but I’m certainly open to other suggestions. If I could also recommend that you look into monoculars - [example here](https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10x42-Waterproof-Monocular-Black/dp/B002T3H49Q) - monoculars tend to be lightweight and easy to use, and are good for birds you might not be able to get a scope on (close-in forest birds like kinglets for example.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696/34 "2019-12-09T03:24:36Z")
Bumped. Those scandalous Japanese penguins!: [Japan's aquarium penguins lead complicated lives of feuding, love -- and incest | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/aquarium-penguins-japan/index.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-birdwatchers-here/824696.md?page=1)