So here's a list of my stuff. Nothing fancy, as you can see, but everything works and it all suits me. Links and more below.[On the right: Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro. Photo by Delane Sims on Flickr.]
Binoculars
A good pair of binoculars will make an avid birder out of just about anybody. My binocs are Pentax DCF ED 8x43s, and I love them. I've looked through Swarovskis, and they didn't kick my Pentax bins to the curb at all, so yay. I have another medium-priced pair of binocs [the now discontinued Vortex Fury 8x42], and they are just fine, and in fact were a super intro to the world of modern birding optics.
I bought the Pentax binoculars at Optics4birding in Orange County, CA. Optics4birding is run by birders, for birders, and it's a great place to shop for optics. Vice Prez Steve Sosensky [one of the top birders in Cali, and a contributor to this terrific book] brought out a selection of binocs in my price range that he thought would suit me, and I tried them one after another until my
Anyone interested in checking out birding optics in SoCal should call or visit Optics4birding — they're terrific, and no, I don't get a discount for saying that.
Some binocular links:
Audubon's Guide to Binoculars
Birding Optics
Binocular Reviews by actual people, posted by the good folks at Eagle Optics
Midpriced Binocular Review [pdf] from Birdwatcher's Digest
And a hat tip to Mike McDowell, whose review of the Vortex Fury started it all and put me on the path to good optics.
Other Gear
My camera is an antique Canon PowerShot. It's good enough [just] to prove I saw that parrot or that sapsucker.
[Here is a savvy take on birders, scopes and big lenses, via Mike McDowell.]
I usually wear a waist pack when I'm birding away from the truck for any length of time. I take along water, my cellphone, a Swiss Army Knife, pepper spray in case of grizzlies, and the following [for me] birding essentials.
Pocket notebook and pencil: Ecosystem 3.6"x5.6" notebook from Barnes & Noble. I keep a pencil inside the notebook for [what else?] recording birds and other wildlife sighted. Extra pencils go in the ancient yet still serviceable waist pack. Some day the BirdsEye app may make the notebook obsolete, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy those Ecosystem colors.
Hat: Possibly the most important piece of equipment I take birding, because without it, I'm useless pretty quick. This is Southern California, people — you try birding Salton Sea without a hat in mid-August. My old reliable is a cloth thing much like this, except mine cost maybe $15 at an REI store somewhere. It's old and lives in the truck, so I'll never leave home without it. Also living in the truck: ear warmers. Absolutely essential for cold and/or windy days. Here's my fave model.
Boots: Bad footwear will make you miserable and curtail your birding rather severely, but you can walk all day in good boots, then wake up the next morning and bird all day again. My awesome boots are Keen, from an REI in Orange County. I love them.
Field Guides
At the moment I usually carry the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America in my waist pack, and keep copies of the new Stokes Field Guide and Identify Yourself in the truck. Sibley and Peterson and more specialized books generally stay at home, in the reference pile next to the laptop.
