Feathered Finds: 2025’s Best States for Birdwatching

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

1. Binoculars

2. Field Guide (paper guide or phone app – see recommendations below)

3. Protection from the elements (sunscreen, rain gear, boots, bug spray — the exact needs depend on your location)

What are the best type or brand of binoculars for birdwatching?

There are many optics companies that produce binoculars, and the differences in quality between the best, most expensive binoculars from makers like Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leica, and the more introductory-level binoculars from other companies have been narrowing rapidly. This shift is good news because you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get nice binoculars anymore.

In my ornithology class, we use Vortex Diamondbacks and Nikon Monarchs. Both are in the $200-$250 range, and I recommend the 8×42 model rather than the 10×42 for beginners. The 8×42 has less magnification, which means the view won’t be as close, but the field of view is larger, making it easier to actually find the bird in the binoculars. That last piece is critical when you’re first starting out.

My final piece of advice is to spend more than you’re comfortable spending on binoculars. They will last for decades with proper care and spending more usually results in a brighter, sharper view, which makes birding more enjoyable. I’m still using the same Nikon Monarchs 8×42 that I purchased in 2005.

What are your three best tips for first-time birdwatchers?

1. Go with someone more experienced if you can. Your local Audubon Society, Parks and Recreation Department, or birding affinity group likely offers guided birding trips for free.

2. Start out focusing on larger birds, like ducks on the water, or smaller songbirds and woodpeckers at bird feeders to get comfortable with your binoculars.

3. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of bird species and give up on trying to learn to identify them. Some groups like sparrows (mostly small brown birds) have so many species that look almost identical at first glance. It will get easier with practice. You will learn which birds to expect in different habitats and that will narrow the list of possible species substantially. Also, remember point one: go out with someone experienced who can help you with these identifications initially.

What are three interesting North American bird species that should be on every birding bucket list?

There are around 800 species of birds that breed regularly in North America, so it’s very difficult to pick only three, and my choices inevitably suffer from my Eastern U.S. bias.

1. Winter wrens are tiny brown birds that are difficult to spot and visually unimpressive, but they sing the most amazing bubbly song that’s unforgettable.

2. Northern shrikes are a bird of prey disguised as a songbird. They have a hooked upper bill and will literally impale lizards, rodents, and large insects that they capture on thorns and barbed wire to save them for later. It’s an amazing behavior if you can get past the gore.

3. Finally, Blackburnian warblers are stunningly beautiful with orange or yellow throats and faces. These tiny birds move quickly throughout the canopy searching for insects, which makes them difficult to spot, but those who do will be rewarded.

What are the three top resources for identifying birds?

1. Merlin Bird ID: a phone app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that’s totally free. The app can help you identify birds by sight (upload a photo) and sound (make a recording). It is the absolute best tool for birding.

2. “National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America” is my top choice for beginners. The “Sibley Guide” is excellent for more experienced birders. Sibley’s artwork is beautiful.

3. Your local Audubon Society or birding affinity group. These communities are amazingly supportive and helpful. If you don’t have one close to you, the internet and social media can be very helpful too.

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

1. Sustenance — water and snacks to share.

2. Protection — appropriate clothing, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.

3. Optics — binoculars and/or camera.

What are the best type or brand of binoculars for birdwatching?

The best kind is an affordable pair that you like. Its feel (weight and size in the hand) and its optics need to help you see birds and enjoy walking with other birders, not hinder you. It really depends on you, and the best-rated models change every year, so read a bunch of reviews before you buy.

For some, it’s all about bragging rights, so they go spend a lot of money on the newest cool pair. For me, it’s about feel, durability, and optics that do not hinder viewing at the right distances. Plus, I never spend more than $200, but I have three pairs of roof prism binoculars that all feel good in my hand and have no distortion at the edges of the lenses. Why do I have three?

• I have a pair of 10×50 for big open spaces (grasslands and seabird trips need brightness and high power — Vortex Crossfire HD 12×50 Binoculars).
• A pair of 8x42s with a close focus for interior forest birding (Celestron Nature DX 8×42).
• If I’m doing both open grasslands and forest, I have a pair of 10x42s (a bit tougher to handle but you get used to them — Celestron 10×42).

If I go backpacking, I borrow my husband’s compact Nikon PROSTAFF P3 10x30s.

What are your three best tips for first-time birdwatchers?

1. Find local birders to pal around with. You’ll learn the birds and gear faster, get more exercise and nature time, and make lovely friends all at the same time.

2. Pay attention to behaviors of the birds. Don’t just check off the species and look for the next — spend time and effort learning what each species does that makes it unique. When I go birding, I don’t like to be rushed too much because I like to watch each species as long as possible. This way, the birds will start to feel like familiar friends that you know, and they become more relaxed as you watch them quietly.

3. Don’t become reliant on tricks to see birds, like playback. Learn how to walk, sit, look, and move quietly and unobtrusively so that when you see birds they are in their relaxed and authentic states. You will see so much more (other species, unique behaviors, rare events, etc) if you are not aggressive in your tactics. Let the birds know you are not there to distract, scare, or threaten them, but rather to just be with them.

Being a bird is hard. They have to eat constantly and keep from being killed by hawks to survive each day, so honor them by being a quiet, kind birder.

What are three interesting North American bird species that should be on every birding bucket list?

1. Any chickadee or titmouse is worth a lot of your time as they are smart, they have a huge vocabulary and they talk all the time. Learning what they are talking about is one of my greatest joys. Case in point – I was out birding one day and I heard a titmouse behind me utter a call I never heard a titmouse make before – I stopped, turned around, and saw a bobcat. I heard a titmouse say “Yo – there’s a bobcat!”

2. Acorn woodpeckers in California – they kill me. They are easy to observe in open woodlands and live in groups and group members stuff acorns in snags to make ‘granaries’ that are easy to spot. If you get near a granary tree, you’ll hear from the birds. They guard their food caches vigorously. I once tossed an acorn in the air near some acorn woodpeckers and one of them swooped and caught it in midair and zoomed to its granary and stuffed it in a hole. Then, it looked at me and called as if to say “Thanks!”

3. I love black and white warblers a lot, too. They are warblers that act a bit like woodpeckers or nuthatches, creeping along woody trunks and branches. They are so pretty and in winter they stay close to titmouse flocks for protection here in Florida.

What are the three top resources for identifying birds?

These days, I coach students to start with two apps and one website:

1. Merlin Bird ID app is magical. When birds are making noises around you, just open the app and let it tell you which species is making noise. Then, you can learn the noises and the birds making the noises much faster. And it is unobtrusive – it just enhances your ear-birding skills (with AI of course).

2. Any field guide app in addition to Merlin (which is also a decent field guide) — but Audubon, iBird Pro, and Sibley Birds are also great bird ID and learning apps.

3. Birds of North America Online is a great website to learn all the dirty details known about all the bird species you are watching. You’ll also notice, as you read, there is still a lot we don’t know about some of our most common birds.

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

1. Binoculars.

2. Field guide that fits in your back pocket or as an app on your iPhone.

What are the best type or brand of binoculars for birdwatching?

Any quality name brand is fine, but the key is finding a pair that fits and feels like an extension of your hands and not something extra that you’re holding.

What are your three best tips for first-time birdwatchers?

1. Learn to identify the top 10 birds near where you live.

2. Go out with someone who knows the birds.

3. Learn to listen carefully because 95% of all bird detections are by sound alone. You don’t need fancy “tricks” to identify birds by sound — it’s as easy as learning to identify people by their voice alone — just listen for nuanced differences.

What are three interesting North American bird species that should be on every birding bucket list?

1. Black-backed woodpecker — to better appreciate the value and uniqueness of severely burned conifer forests.

2. Wrentit — to appreciate the value and uniqueness of chaparral.

3. Vermillion flycatcher — to appreciate what it’s like to be stunned by color.

What are the three top resources for identifying birds?

1. Binoculars.

2. Audubon field guide iPhone app.

3. Merlin song ID iPhone app.

Expert bio: I taught ornithology at UM for about 40 years, hosted a PBS television series called “Birdwatch” 25 years ago, and I offer birdwatching hints in a video series that my wife and I created at the start of the COVID outbreak.

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

1. Binoculars.

2. Field guide app or physical book — I prefer books because batteries can go dead.

3. Merlin app for identifying songs.

What are the best type or brand of binoculars for birdwatching?

The highest-end options are Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss. For less than half the price, Nikon, Vortex, and others are nearly as good, but maybe not as durable in the long (decades) term.

What are your three best tips for first-time birdwatchers?

1. Start off slow, with a few familiar birds — crows, or yard birds like robins and starlings.

2. Then, work to add one new species to your knowledge base each day or each week.

3. Use the Merlin AI app to identify songs for you. Knowing some songs greatly enhances your experience and ability to know what is around you. Many birds are shy and sing from concealed locations.

What are three interesting North American bird species that should be on every birding bucket list?

1. Painted bunting is arguably the most gorgeous North American bird.

2. American white pelican is a fantastic, huge, and surprisingly widespread bird — they are common in Wisconsin.

3. The California condor is an enormous scavenger bird that is a huge conservation success story and is now found in California, Utah, and Arizona.

What are the three top resources for identifying birds?

The Sibley and Peterson bird guides, as well as a growing list of apps (like Merlin) and citizen-science websites (like eBird), make it easier than ever to learn about birds and contribute observations to larger citizen-science efforts.

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

Smartphone with birding apps [such as]:

• Sibley
• Merlin
• eBird

What are the best type or brand of binoculars for birdwatching?

It really depends on your price point. A minimum of 8×35 power is needed if looking at birds in the woods, while 10×5 power is needed for birds on the ocean or that are far away.

What are three interesting North American bird species that should be on every birding bucket list?

1. Common tern — migrates from breeding grounds in North America to wintering grounds in Argentina.

2. Cerulean warbler — hard to find, and in need of conservation.

3. Upland sandpiper — hard to find, in need of conservation, and needs large grasslands (over 200 acres) for breeding.

What are the three top resources for identifying birds?

Smartphone with birding apps [such as]:

• Sibley
• Merlin
• eBird

What are three essential items to bring on a birdwatching trip?

1. Binoculars, if you can get some.

2. A field guide, if you want to identify birds — but it’s also fine to just go watch them and appreciate their beauty.

3. A friend who you can share the experience with.

What are your three best tips for first-time birdwatchers?

1. Look and listen. Birds are nearly everywhere. Some are small and hard to see but have big voices. Others are quiet but easy to see.

2. Morning is better if you like to listen to birds, but birds are active all day — so, if you’re not a morning person, that’s ok.

3. Relax and move slowly so you can get a better look at birds. Quick and sudden movement frightens many birds.