Binoculars are to birders as a glove is to a baseball player. While you could catch a fly ball without a glove, you'd do it better and much easier with one.

After first finding a bird in your binoculars, a spotting scope can give a better look, but is heavier and requires a tripod to keep it steady. They are mostly used for birds like ducks or shorebirds that tend to be out in the open and stay still.

Most birders use 7x35 or 10x40 binoculars. What do those numbers mean? Check out this site for information about binoculars:

- Basic info about binoculars.

And some reviews:

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