1. Brome Squirrel Buster Standard ($43)
2. Peterson Field Guide to Birds ($26)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Roger Tory Peterson's field guide to the birds of North America deserves a spot on your windowsill. Range maps help simplify identification, and the "sharp and detailed" illustrations point to species' distinguishing features. Buy it at Amazon.
3. Nikon Prostaff 3S ($120)
High-end binoculars often cost more than $2,000, but you can find a great pair for less than $200. Nikon's lightweight 8x42 binoculars "blew reviewers away," offering unmatched clarity, brightness, and color rendition in this price range. They're also fog- and waterproof. Buy it at Amazon.
4. Field Notes Original Kraft Notebook ($10 for 3)
You'll want a logbook for recording bird sightings, and Field Notes' classic memo book offers "the best combination of paper quality, durability, style, and ruling options that will actually fit in your pocket," writes Kevin Purdy at The Wirecutter. Buy it at Amazon.
5. Swarovski Optik dG ($2,310)
To be free of binoculars, a field guide, and a camera, consider investing in this new high-tech monocular. It sends photos of the birds you spot to Cornell University's Merlin Bird ID app for automatic identification and logging. Buy it at Swarovski Optik.
Editor's note: Every week The Week's editors survey product reviews and articles in websites, newspapers, and magazines, to find cool and useful new items we think you'll like. We're now making it easier to purchase these selections through affiliate partnerships with certain retailers. The Week may get a share of the revenue from these purchases.
-
5 drawn-out cartoons about the ongoing government shutdownCartoon Artists take on government employee cosplay, which side blinks first, and more
-
Political cartoons for November 1Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include insurance premiums, early voting in NYC, and more
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
