Birdwatching Dot Com is about wild birds and the sport of birding. It's for everyone who's interested in bird watching and enjoying nature.

$400 SPRING REBATE
ON TOP KOWA SCOPE

KOWA PROMINAR 88mm Scope

SPRING REBATE -- $400! Buy a Kowa TSN-883 or TSN-884 scope body and a TE-11WZ zoom eyepiece before June 15, 2018, and receive a $400 mail-in rebate.

See details HERE.

BIRD BRAIN FOR THE MAC

BIRD BRAIN 7.2  
World Birding Database for the Mac

New version Bird Brain 7.2 is now available!
You can download a FREE TRIAL.

Bird Brain is a birding database for Macintosh computers.

Use Bird Brain to record your sightings and keep your life list, photos, QuickTime movies, notes, and other files.

Enter any amount of information with each record.

Bird Brain makes all kinds of life lists. It creates checklists and target lists for 200 nations and any US state or Canadian province. Nearly any bird report you can want, Bird Brain will create.

We can do a custom import of your AviSys data to Bird Brain for $20.

Read more about Bird Brain...    

Buy Bird Brain

SPRING SPECIAL
FREE HARNESS & BIRDING DVD

VORTEX DIAMONDBACK 8X42

We like the Vortex Diamondback. It's our best -selling binocular, and it sets the standard for good, reliable optics in the medium price range.

It comes with a lifetime no-fault warranty that actually covers accidental damage!

Limited-time offer: With each 8x42 Vortex Diamondback binocular you purchase from Birdwatching Dot Com, we'll include a free Vortex Harness and our birding DVD, "How to Start Watching Birds."  $219.99.

Vortex Diamondback 8x42

VORTEX DIAMONDBACK 8X42 binocular
FREE VORTEX HARNESS
FREE BIRDING DVD

GUEST PHOTO
Snowy Owl by Kathy Tollenaere

Photo copyright 2018 Kathy Tollenaere

Kathy Tollenaere reveled in the Midwestern winter by spotting this Snowy Owl on a birding trip to Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Thank you, Kathy, for permission to share your beautiful photo with visitors to Birdwatching Dot Com.

To see a larger picture, click here.

See past guest photos

REVIEW by MICHAEL & DIANE

Top Binocular Review Update
March, 2017
Since our 2015 Titans review of the top Leica, Swarovski, and Zeiss binoculars, all three manufacturers have brought out new models.

Michael and Diane Porter do a hands-on, side-by-side comparison and report on the 2016 Swarovski EL with FieldPro Package, the 2016 black Zeiss SF, and the completely new-in-2017 Leica Noctivid.
See the whole article.

 THIS MORNING OUTSIDE
with Diane

I hadn't seen a bluebird for a month. But this morning I heard sweet notes from the woods, tur-a-lur. Already that made me feel pretty cheerful. And then this female Eastern Bluebird lit and lingered a while before my eyes.

See larger image

Want more?

To see more episodes of This Morning Outside with Diane, click the picture matrix.

SWAROVSKI BTX REVIEW

THE TWO-EYED SCOPE

Swarovski BTX
(February, 2018)

The new Swarovski BTX Ocular Module lets you see through a superb spotting scope while using both eyes!

Your brain is designed to compare images coming from two eyes to construct what you see. Using two eyes makes the image more real, richer, and more natural.

Michael and Diane give a guided tour through this new and revolutionary optical product.

See our review.

NEW REVIEW — POCKET BINS

POCKET BINOCULARS 2018

We review 14 pocket binoculars. Prices range from top end to dirt cheap.

Individual reviews of 10 noteworthy binoculars. 

This review originally appeared in the January 2018 Bird Watcher's Digest.

READ THE REVIEW

LATEST NEW INFO ON TRIPODS

TRIPOD KITS 2017

There's a bewildering number of tripods and heads. So we studied and tested them. Here are the best solutions for birders.

They range from affordable aluminum to top-line Gitzo carbon fiber. Each matched to the right head. Something for every price range.

  BINOCULAR FAVORITES

Our Binocular Faves
Michael and Diane's personal picks in binoculars, from the least expensive good binoculars to the ultimate in high-end optics. Many come with free shipping.

  GREAT GIFTS FOR BIRDERS

Gifts for birdwatchers. Many specials and closeouts on great binoculars.

Our pick of the best high-quality bargain spotting scope. Feeders and birdbaths for a backyard bird oasis.

OTHER OPTICS REVIEWS

Affordable 8x42 Binoculars
Report on birding binoculars — $200 to $300
Read how the judges rated each affordable binocular. And how to audition a binocular for yourself.
See whole article

Pocket Binocular Reviews
Feb. 2017 Birdwatching Dot Com exclusive
Here are links to our reviews of compact binoculars of a variety of prices, and an overview of what a birder hopes to find in a good pocket binocular.
See our review.

Swarovski CL Pocket
Swarovski's new pocket binocular is good enough to use as a birder's full-time binocular. See Michael and Diane's hands-on review.

Best-of-the-best Bins Review
May, 2012 Bird Watcher's Digest
We review high-end binoculars in the 8x42 size class, selling for $600 and up. Review includes bargain 2nd-tier binoculars by Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leica. See our review.

  BIRDING STARTER KIT

Here are the essentials for a successful start in bird watching. We offer several Birdwatching Starter Kits at a range of prices.

A great favorite is the Better Birdwatching Starter Kit, with a Shrike binocular, a field guide to help you identify the birds you see, and our own DVD, How to Start Watching Birds.