Concerning the night vision glasses request, REI used to sell them but
discontinued then two years ago. Perhaps some requests for them would
induce REI to carry them again. Here is the address of the company that make
them.

ITT Night Vision
7371 Enon Drive
Roanoke, Virginia 24019
540-362-8000
ittnv at roanoke.infi.net
www.ittnv.com

They have several models, monocular and binocular. The binocular ones have
a head mount so you don't have to use your hands. These NV glasses are not
adversely affected by light which is a big improvement over the old type.

They are called binoculars because they cover both eyes but in fact these
have no magnification, actually things seem a bit farther away through them.
The other drawback is that while you can see almost as well as in
daylight, there is not much contrast. Things look greenish and do not show
up well unless there is movement. Also, there is a depth of field problem,
and while you can close focus down to a couple inches away and inspect your
fingernails, it is difficult to focus and stay focused on birds flying
around in the sky. There is a rather narrow field of view as well, and
finally, you can't take them out of the country. Other than that, they're
great!

I counted over 450 bats coming out of a 2' x 2' x 5" bat house near my cabin
one night this summer.

I think this company might work to adapt their product to birders needs if
they were approached and convinced of a potential market.


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