Thanks so much for all the great recommendations! I looked on the Cornell site for their survey and I had my eyes on the Nikon Monarch 7. The 8x42 got great reviews but wondered about the 10x42 for additional distance. I am also easy driving distance to Wild Birds Unlimited in Olympia to try some out and also the Cabela?s in Lacey. I received a gift card for my birthday to B&H photo and was hoping to make my purchase there since they seem to have very good prices.

A friend of mine let me try her Canon 8x25 with Image Stabilizer and another friend has a very old Bushnell 8x40 that I tried when I first went out birding with her.

Decisions, decisions?.

Thanks again! :)

Gail
Rochester, WA
(13 miles south of Olympia)