Compact binoculars

In my haste to get out of town last week for my vacation in northern Wisconsin, I made a decision which haunted me for the entire trip. There on the table sat my full-size Nikon Premier SE. Should I pack it or not? I'd be hiking and climbing in some canyons and gorges along some rivers to view waterfalls. Moisture would definitely be present and the Nikon Premier SE, as good as it is optically, is not waterproof.

Since I had recently sold my little 10x25 Premier LX to pay some bills, all I had to fall back on was my little Nikon HG monocular. That's asking a lot of a monocular, but I decided not to risk my Premier, should I encounter rain or snow (which I did) or, worse yet, take a dunking (which I did not).

The monocular, however, did very well. A partial list of birds seen with the Nikon HG includes Snow Buntings, a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrows, Juncos, Sandhill Cranes, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Kestrel, Belted Kingfisher, Cedar waxwings to name just a few. Not bad, considering my trip was more about photography and hiking than it was about birding.

Don't get me wrong; I am not advocating a monocular as a primary birding optic. If my finances could have taken the strain, I would have added the excellent Leica 8x20 Ultravid BR compact and been in heaven. Of course, I would also take a look at the Zeiss Victory and the Swarovski 8x20B, though the Swarovski is a bit short on eye relief.

Will I take a bino on my next trip? Absolutely. Will I also take my Nikon monocular? Again, absolutely. In fact, I suspect I will be buried with it.