The spotted towhees are pissed. Instead of filling their birdbath promptly this morning, my husband and I made pancakes. I sip tea and watch them rampage through the mulch, raking bits of bark into the air with their tiny golden dinosaur feet. If I don’t act soon, they will move to the flowerpots and dig up any seedlings they find, in protest of our sloth. A pair of big fat robins look on, hopping around the trunks of the pine trees, their white-framed eyes comically indignant above their puffed-out orange breasts. I put on my garden clogs, grab the watering can, and head to the spigot. The air is full of house finch music. Before returning inside, I spot a juniper titmouse perched at the top of a juniper, a ball of pearl-gray floof in a pointed hat, trilling a couple rounds of mating call before launching into flight. It’s a darn peaceful feeling, being engaged with the comings and goings of my neighborhood’s feathered denizens. Not once do I pick up my phone to check the n
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A pair of binoculars is an excellent addition to any hiking kit: they allow you to spot distant peaks and zoom in on wildlife. “It’s easy to spend upward of $500 on field binoculars, but for the beginner or intermittent enthusiast, Nocs makes a solid pair at an affordable price,” wrote contributor Aleta Burchyski in her how-to guide to birdwatching. We also included Nocs (pictured above) in our 2020 Summer Buyer’s Guide: “A high-end prism enhances sharpness, and the textured grip and waterproof housing are adventure-ready,” wrote tester Stephanie Pearson.
In 2020, we interviewed our moms about their favorite gear, and the Nikon Monarch 5 made the list: “It’s a phenomenal buy for an amateur birder,” wrote former editorial assistant Claire Hyman’s mom. At $300, it’s a little more of an investment than the Nocs, but you get an enhanced zoom to spy on far-away nature.