And here's a pennysworth to echo Andy Sorenson's high praise of the
Celestron 8x42 binoculars. I've birded for many years, but only since I
got a pair of the Celestron glasses (the Ranger model offered by Eagle
Optics) three weeks ago did I come to understand why I was such a POOR
birder. The under-$100 binocs I'd been using over the many years weren't
giving sharp images and color. Or, at least the wonderful quality of
the light through the Celestron product provides me with a good excuse!
But another nice characteristic of the glasses is the focal range --
down to 5 ft. away. So on an early morning walk through the Nisqually
you can move from the flicker in the tree 50 yards away to sort out the
sparrows and juncos feeding on the ground just a few feet in front of
you -- with just the barest turn of the focuser -- and then back up to
catch a raptor in an instant. Can't wait 'til the return of the warblers
next spring! Finally I'm going to be able to see faint olive streaking
on yellow before the bird flits away!! "Oh," I'll be saying, "so that's
what they mean by 'lores.'"

Bill Ward
Lacey WA
wward at cco.net