And it is a lot like a homecoming for me to check out favorite birding locations. Having spent years in the field, I know where to look for some bald eagle nesting areas, great blue heron rookeries and it is a good time to be in the mountains to watch for fall migrations.

I carry in my car a compact pair of binoculars for handy roadside viewing when I have a lot of driving to do. They are Bushnell 8X25 from quite a while ago when I first started using compact binoculars for field work. For my camping time I will use a spotting scope which is also made by Bushnell, actually. Though I had not thought of this before now. I guess the photography shop where I bought my scope and binoculars liked Bushnell products in particular.

Here is a mini review of my binoculars before I go and pack my gear. I carry 2 bird guides with me on this sort of trip. One specifically for right in the car beside me on the console beside the compact binoculars. And one for reading and browsing through at night in my tent. It is very refreshing for me and gives me some really peaceful images to drift off to sleep with. For mini reviews of the bird guides that I am taking with me, go to my sister site in a couple of days.

The closest model to what I have in my car is the Bushnell Powerview 8X21 compact folding binoculars.

• Who makes them: Bushnell located in Kansas for the past 50 years. Bushnell is the parent company of several brands of optical equipment. Bushnell, Blackwater Gear, Browning Sports Optics, Bollé, Hoppe’s,Tasco, Uncle Mike’s, , Butler Creek, Serengeti, Stoney Point, and Uncle Mikes Law Enforcement.
• Who uses them: with this wide range of related optical products there are many different dedicated users from birdwatchers to hunters to police, sports arena and concert goers.
• What are they like: They are comfortable and affordable and almost 100% waterproof. Compact and lightweight.
  
• What are their special features:Â Excellent quality and durability at extremely affordable rates. These cost less than $15.00. Fully coated lenses and fold down eyeglass cups, lightweight. At 8X magnification they have a field of view of 378 feet of an area 1000 yards away. Black rubberized coating protects them for sustained use.
  

My spotting scope is also a Bushnell product which I truly enjoy. Particularly on my budget.This spotting scope cost just a little over $100.00. Spotting Scope reviews will be covered in a future post. There is a zoom feature and that is the second set of numbers. I use the first viewfinder to locate the birds I am watching and then use the zoom focus for closer views.