
Welcome! Are you new to birding? We've teamed up with our friends at Bird Watcher's Digest to create this resource center to help you get started.
- Where Should You Go Birding?
- Three Essential Apps for Birders
- The Rules of Birding, or Getting Started on the Right Foot: Birding Etiquette and Ethics
- Staying Safe While Birding
- What to Wear and Bring While Birding
- A Regional Birding Guide
- What Birds Am I Likely to See?
- Bird Identification: Narrowing It Down
- Getting Started in Bird Watching
- The Ultimate Guide to Observing Land-Based Objects
- Understanding the Magnification and Objective Lens of my Binocular and Spotting Scope
- What is the field of view of a pair of binoculars?
- When choosing a pair of binoculars, what factors should I consider?
- What are some important features of binocular construction?
- What is the difference between BaK-4, BK-7 and K9 glass?
- Sport Optics Glossary of Terms
- What is Exit Pupil and Eye Relief for Sport Optics?
- I want to use my spotting scope to take pictures. What’s its f-number?
- Should I use a tripod or a monopod?
- When should I use a tripod for my binoculars?
- Does my Spotting Scope accept Astronomical Eyepiece & Filters?
- What does ED stand for on my Sport Optics' scopes?
- What are lens shades and dew shields? Why do I need one?
- How do I use my spotting scope for photography/ digiscoping?
- What is interpupillary distance? How do I adjust it on my binoculars?
- How do I focus my binoculars? What is diopter and why is it important?
- What is the difference between roof prism and porro prism binoculars?
- Difference Between an Angled and Straight Spotting Scopes
Best Selling Beginner Binoculars
Featured Bird of the Month
May: American Goldfinch

A common sight in fields, meadows, and at feeders across the lower 48 continental U.S. states, the American Goldfinch is bird watcher’s delight. The males display bold lemon-yellow body plumage, accented by jet black, white highlighted wings and a jaunty forward tilted black cap, while females feature only slightly more subdued colors. These charming little birds are readily attracted to thistle and milkweed seed. In fact, if you’re really wanting early summertime color in your garden, plant milkweed to attract both American Goldfinches and Monarch Butterflies for an explosion of yellow and orange. And don’t worry about the goldfinches eating the Monarchs – the finches are strictly vegetarian and the Monarchs eating the milkweed make them unpalatably bitter to other birds that might be tempted to eat them.