The most important part of birdwatching is the equipment that you take with you. However, you do not actually need much. You just need a really good field guide and a really good pair of binoculars. That is definitely something that is necessary and sometimes difficult to acquire.
Binoculars
You can easily find some adequate binoculars for around one hundred dollars. You can use them even in the best birdwatching locations in the world. It is necessary to have really good binoculars because these are your eyes when you are on the field. There are many different forms and shapes that exist. However, what is really important is making sure that the binoculars have a magnification of over 7X. The diameter that the lenses have is also really important but if the diameter is higher, the weight of the binoculars also goes up. This can be a problem since mobility is highly important when you go birdwatching.
When referring to portability, if you go to an area that is remote, you will want a pair of compact binoculars since they need to flex and be really easy to carry around. Image distortion is possible with the binoculars of a low quality. You should practice with your new binoculars before you actually take them with you on your trip.
The last thing to mention about binoculars is that you need a fast hand to eye coordination. This is definitely something that is necessary to quickly spot the birds you are looking for.
Field Guides
It is quite sad to notice the fact that people from around the world do not actually take field guides with them on their birdwatching trip. We now have access to hundreds of guides. The original one appeared in the sixties thanks to the work of Roger Tory Peterson.
Keep in mind that there are basically 2 types of field guides you can utilize. You have to consider them both. For starters, we have field guides that highlight different birds you can see in different parts of the world. The second option is getting a field guide that is specific to the location where you will go. This is definitely something to consider since it offers a lot of great data you can take into account.
Do look at the guide and see how the birds are organized before you reach your destination. This is because you can end up looking at a bird and not knowing what it is. Naturally, you will browse through the guide but if you have no idea how the species are organized, you can end up not knowing what you saw since the bird would fly away eventually.
Make sure that your binoculars are of the highest possible quality and never forget about the portability that you need based on where you will travel to. The guides should be appropriate and highlight the exact bird species that you have a really high possibility of seeing while on the trip. If you get this equipment, your birdwatching experience will be a lot better.
