A tip for using compact binoculars

What do you do when you're stuck in a long line of traffic after work, barely moving and getting stressed out? I'll tell you what I do. I turn off into a Forest Preserve parking lot and go birding. That's what I did last night. What a great way to end the work day and, besides, it's warbler time here and like any hardcore birder, I do my best to make the most of the spring migration.

Of course, an emergency bird stop is something I'm always prepared to do, since I keep a spare bird guide, hiking sandals and change of clothes in the trunk of my car. I also typically have an optic of one kind or another in my purse. Last night, it was the excellent Nikon Premier LX 10x25 compact binocular.

Now, normally I don't like 10x compacts for this type of birding. Compacts, being lighter, are hard enough to steady and going to 10x just makes it worse. If you have the same problem, here's a little tip that will help. Hold your field guide at eye level, and use the edge of it to support the binocular. It may look a little odd to a passerby, but the extra weight and surface of a stout field guide like a Sibley's will do a nice job of taming the jitters.

So what about the warblers? Yes, plenty of action, though I arrived fairly late in the evening, so my list was a bit short. Yellow-rumped warblers, of course, were everywhere, but between the Yellow-rumps, I also picked up a Bay-breasted and a Tennessee. The bird of the evening, though, was the magnificent Scarlet Tanager, which put on quite a show for me (or, more likely, his intended mate). I will carry the vision of that bird for a long, long time.