Your bird watching experience will be either helped or hindered depending upon how well you have set up your binoculars to meet your individual vision situation. Doing it right is simple and takes only a minute but it really makes a difference. I have done it wrong and I have done it right; doing it right is definitely better. What follows is a workable method for people with eyes that do not have problems other than the usual near-sightedness issues.

Your binoculars are hinged to accommodate people with differing distances between eyes. You ought to be able to adjust this to the point where you see only one complete circle and the view is comfortable. If you do any of this wrong your eyes will tell you by giving you a slightly uncomfortable feeling. It has taken me years to convince myself that I do not need to try to stretch my field of view by expanding the two tubes. It does not add anything but discomfort.

I wear glasses - do you? This is biggest single problem among birders since the glasses move the binoculars away from your eyes. You could take the glasses off each time you view a bird but that is a big bother and is not necessary for most people. If your binoculars have roll-back rubber cups, then you obviously have rolled them back and you are done. If yours, like mine, have adjustable hard rubber cups, then you will need to turn them until you get the best viewing. If they are too short then your views will seem to be crossed left and right. If they are too long then your will experience a greatly reduced field of view. Make sure that both cups are in the same position. This part is pretty obvious.

Focus is a bit trickier for many people. If both your eyes are exactly the same correction (prescription) then it is easy. Mine are not. This is what I do: I want to set up the right-hand adjustment of the eye piece to compensate for the left. I cover the right hand large lens so that I cannot see out of that side but I can still keep both eyes open. Now I am looking only through the left side even though I have both eyes wide open. Look at something far away and use the center wheel to focus it perfectly. Now it is fine for the left eye. Switch the lens cover from the right side to the left and use only the eyepiece focus wheel of the right to bring the same object into focus. Do not adjust the center wheel since you have already set it for the distance using the left eye. Now remove the lens cover from the right side and you should find that the object is in focus and that viewing it is very comfortable for your eyes. There should be no sense of work or strain. If it is not quite right, do it again to fine tune the binoculars. When you are all set pay attention to the positioning of the right eyepiece focus wheel so that you don't have to do this again. At this point the binoculars ought to be set up for your eyes and the adjustment will stay the same no matter how much you change the center wheel to compensate for near or far objects.

In a word, the point here is "comfort". You will want your viewing and your day to be comfortable and the proper settings for your binoculars will go a long way towards achieving comfort. Who needs a headache, anyway?

Very Important! The finest tuned binoculars in the world won't do you any good if you can't find the bird in the lens image. The normal way to use a pair is to put them to your eyes and then search for the bird. That will work sometimes but here is a simple better way: Look directly at the bird without using the binoculars and keep the bird right in the center of your field of view. Simply bring the binoculars up to your eyes and allow them to intersect your view. If you have not moved the center of your focus, ,the bird will simply appear like magic! It works every time. It is particularly effective with hawks way up in the sky. Try it.

Now, this is a great idea! This harness allows you to hang the binoculars from your shoulders instead of your neck. I removed the original neck strap that came with my binoculars and replaced it with this. The comfort level soared. No more sore necks! I would never use a pair without this little strap. Also, it is made of elastic so that I can pick up the binoculars and raise them to my eyes with no drag at all. I strongly recommend this strap. Simply click on the image at the right and you will be taken to a vendor who can provide you with one. When the vendor page loads, in the search window on the upper right of the page, enter                                                     " Audubon Harness"

The Audubon Harness