Wishlist

Birding-related goodies this month include binoculars, bird feed and a nestbox

ROHAN £65 WOMEN’S MERINO UNION 150 HOODED TOP This fitted top is made from a blend of breathable polyester and natural merino wool, providing warmth but keeping it lightweight. It comes in charcoal or white. I liked the hood on the baselayer for keeping the chill off my neck and the thumb loops on the sleeves ensured that the sleeves were pulled comfortably down into my gloves, keeping my wrists warm while holding a pair of binoculars! rohan.co.uk IVEL VALLEY MY FINCHES AND ME MIX £4.85 FOR 2KG The Ivel Valley business grows seeds in Bedfordshire, to the LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) standard, which promotes environmentally-responsible farming. No other growers make all of their seed mixes and suet products – and its factory is solar-powered. This mix is for finches and is designed for a niger feeder. It contains niger, red and white millet, sunflower and black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, quinoa and safflower seeds. Larger bags available. ivelvalleybirdfood.co.uk PÁRAMO MEN’S BENTU FLEECE £115 Made of Nikwax fleece fabric, the Bentu will keep mist and drizzle out, is wind-resistant, has a map-sized chest pocket and two handwarming pockets. With light stretch and great articulation, this fleece allows easy movement and has a curved rear hem to protect your lower back. Combine it with the Bentu Windproof jacket (£100) for a warm and waterproof winter combo. Pfc-free, recyclable and made ethically at the Miquelina foundation in Colombia. In moss, cobalt and marl grey. http://bit. ly/2gn0mlp (WITHOUTHAGLÖFS’ ESSENS HOOD), MIMIC £180 JACKET,(WITH HOOD)£160 The Mimic uses synthetic down to provide its insulation – it acts like down and looks like down, but is polyester and, unlike down, still performs if it gets damp. The insulation takes the form of small balls, which trap air both in their fibres and in the gaps between the balls. This insulation makes larger and longer compartments insulating possiblekeep you – even which helps warmer.Mimic has The toasty fluorocarbon-freedurable water repellencyA range of treatment.colours. haglofs.com NIKON MONARCH HG 8X42 £799.99 At 665g, this is a lightweight 8x42, with a very impressive field of view (145m @ 1000m), 17.8mm of eye-relief (good for glasses wearers) and a two metre close-focus. The Monarch HGS have ED glass, a field flattener system, dielectric prism coating, a magnesium chassis and scratch-resistant lens coating, and are waterproof and fogproof. europe-nikon.com/en_gb/ ALPKIT QARK 300 LUMEN LED HEADTORCH £36 In ‘manual’ mode the Qark’s main light has 300 (that’s a lot!), 100 and 10 lumens options, or can be set to flash. Alternatively, two additional LED sidelamps provide 15 lumens of light. In ‘sensor’ mode you can turn it on just by waving your hand in front of it, or set it up so that it adjusts output to suit your needs automatically! 130g including battery. Alpkit.com SNUGPAK BASECAMP EXPLORER SLEEPING BAG £29.95 A child’s sleeping bag – for the RSPB’S Big Wild Sleepout this summer, perhaps? It only weighs a kilo, packs down small and is machine washable. Suitable for late spring to summer use, this bag has a square toe, which gives more room for squirming and means it can be unzipped into a quilt. Two-way anti-snag zip, hanging tabs, and supplied with a stuff-sack. Available in petrol blue, vivid violet or ‘terrain’. 165cm x 65cm when opened. http://bit.ly/2hoox8h CJ WILDLIFE HONDURAS NESTBOX £10.99 Get your nestboxes up before the middle of February, but if you buy this one, don’t expect any Central American occupants! The hole on the Honduras is oval-shaped, which, apparently, is the shape of choice for discerning House Sparrows, who will loiter in the opening to defend their box. Redstarts prefer an oval over a round hole, too, and this box could also do the job for a homeless Nuthatch. It’s 28cm high and 15cm wide. Birdfood.co.uk ROYAL ROBBINS FIELD GUIDE VEST – KHAKI £80 If you’re heading off somewhere a bit warmer, you might want one of these. It’s lightweight, dries quickly and has a total of 17 pockets! 13 are on the outside and four on the inside, so you’ll never find your keys again! Except the chest pocket has a key lanyard so maybe you will. The back is ventilated and the neck and shoulders are padded for comfort. Nylon with a UPF of 30+ and a two-way zip down the front. royalrobbins.co.uk