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.

BIRD BRAIN FOR THE MAC
2018

BIRD BRAIN 7.3  Updated Oct. 2018
World Birding Database for the Mac

New version Bird Brain 7.3 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

FALL 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

SEEDS FROM BIRDWATCHING DOT COM
By Diane Porter

Photo copyright 2018 Diane Porter

Rosin Weed is a native wildflower of the Midwest. It has grown here for thousands of years with no help from humans. It persists in scraps of prairie, along roadside, and now, at last, in gardeners' backyards.

It feeds many birds. This American Goldfinch is nibbling the petals, from which he extracts chemistry (carotenoids) to color his feathers yellow.

We've now begun growing and packaging wild flower seeds, in the hope that bird lovers will help out the birds by planting flowers that feed them.

See our seeds

REVIEW by MICHAEL & DIANE

Top Binocular Review Update
Updated 2018
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

It's been years since I've seen this species in my backyard. 

But good morning! How I split my face chuckling to see this shrimp of a bird zipping around in the redbud tree. With the speed stripe through his eye, and his tangerine-sherbet belly. I watched him pull this morsel out from under the bark of the tree. Probably an insect larva.

Red-breasted Nuthatch is the easiest of all birds win over. And then they'll land on an open palm for treats. Please stay for the winter! I promise a goodly supply of walnut chunks.

See larger image

See more?

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

SWAROVSKI BTX REVIEW

THE TWO-EYED SCOPE

Swarovski BTX
(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 2018

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

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.

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.