Whether or not this bothers you may depend on how long you plan to carry them, and how far.
Specification: For general wildlife watching you need an all-purpose pair of bins that will give you a reasonable-sized image, a good field of view, and be able to cope with reduced light conditions at dawn and dusk. For this reason it’s usually best to buy a pair with 8x magnification (10x if you do all your wildlife watching in the open or at a long distance); and an objective lens measuring between 32 and 42 millimetres: i.e. an ‘8 x 32’, ‘8 x 40’ or ‘8 x 42’ specification. This will provide a good, bright image.
Optical quality: This really is the key factor – make sure that the image is sharp, bright in low light and reproduces colours faithfully.
Design, handling and build: Design is very much a matter of personal taste. Some people prefer the more traditional look, others something more modern. More important are whether or not they are waterproof (vital if you plan to go out in the rain or in areas of high humidity), and the general build quality. But if you are only using them to watch the birds from your back window, then ruggedness isn’t all that important.
Other factors: If you want to watch butterflies or dragonflies, then choose a model with the closest focus available. Make sure you buy your binoculars from a specialist shop, not from one of the high street outlets. You’ll get much better advice and the prices are generally more competitive. Allow plenty of time, too, to try out different types and styles – ideally by watching real wildlife out in the field. If you get the chance, try out a couple of pairs belonging to your friends before you buy.
Other equipment
There are all sorts of items of specialist equipment you will need if you are taking an interest in a particular group of creatures, such as small mammals, moths or bats (see Advanced Equipment on page 176). In the meantime, there are a few things that are always worth having:
Bill's top tip
_ Ultimately, the best advice is to get the best binoculars you can afford – and possibly even pay slightly more. Remember that, as with most things, with binoculars you get what you pay for and the best don’t come cheap. A good pair will never wear out and, with care, can last you a lifetime. A portable digital camera is a real asset when out in the field.
Clothing
If you’re new to watching wildlife, you may not realise there is a dress code! Birdwatchers often have a woolly hat, dark green jacket and walking boots. If that’s what you like to wear, this is good, practical kit, and if it isn’t, ignore it. The two important things you need to consider is how you will keep yourself comfortable in bad weather, and also that bright colours might scare off wildlife.
Wearing layers such as a T-shirt and fleece with a waterproof or light coat on top is a good combination. Windproof fleeces are excellent – some are even showerproof so you can wear them as a top layer in most weather conditions. Wellingtons are the cheapest waterproof footwear, but can be quite heavy if you are going for a longer walk, and can cause blisters. Don’t forget that you lose about one-fifth of your body heat through your head, so wear a hat!
Waterproof walking shoes or boots don’t come cheap, with a good pair costing around £80, but they will last you a very long time. Like binoculars, you get what you pay for. Waterproof overtrousers are also essential in wet weather.
If you’re going out for more than a couple of hours, think about how the weather might change. You might want to shed some layers so, if this is necessary, can you tie them round you? Or do you have enough room in a rucksack to store them? It can really take the fun out of a walk if you end up carrying more items of clothing than you are wearing.
In terms of what not to wear, then the rules are quite simple: avoid very bright colours, fabrics that rustle (especially if you want to get close to mammals or birds), and anything that is uncomfortable or makes you look like a fashion victim. If in doubt, go to a reputable outdoor clothing centre and ask their advice.
Bill's top tips
_ It’s best to avoid cotton shirts and T-shirts as they tend to trap sweat and get clammy, whereas new synthetic fibres draw or ‘wick’ the moisture away and keep you much more comfortable.
_ Open yourself up to learning from children’s guides or pamphlets – they are often very well laid out, simple and yet with enough detail for you to pick things up, but not so much it becomes overwhelming.
Field guides
Many wildlife experts, especially birders, are sceptical about using field guides. They claim, with some justification, that you end up spending more time looking at the picture in the book than at the creature you are trying to identify!
In the ‘good old days’, every birder carried a notebook and made field notes as they were looking at the bird, then used these to identify it at leisure afterwards. You may not have the patience (or skill at note-taking or drawing) to do this, but it’s worth giving it a try.
The other problem with field guides is that they can lead you down all sorts of false alleys, often making people believe they have seen something that they haven’t. Others cover far too large an area. For the beginner, avoid anything that has the word ‘Europe’ on the cover – with birds, this more than doubles the number of species included, while for other groups such as mammals, butterflies and dragonflies you’ll find that around nine out of ten species included are not found in Britain!
The other dilemma is whether you choose a guide with photographs or illustrations. Most experienced naturalists prefer illustrated guides, as photographs can, paradoxically, be much more misleading due to differences in light quality and colour reproduction, whereas artwork is more consistent.
With some groups of wildlife, a shortcut is to use one of the laminated sheets produced by bodies such as the Field Studies Council. These usually include only the species you are likely to see, and are well illustrated and designed for use in the field: they’re waterproof!
Site guides
Once you’ve been watching wildlife for a while, you may want to explore sites a little further afield, or even plan a longer trip or holiday. At this stage, site guides (or ‘where to watch’ guides, as they are often known) can be very useful.
