Wishlist
Stuff to spend your hard-earned cash on this month
Birding-related goodies this month include children’s books, binoculars and hats!
PATAGONIA MEN’S R1 FLEECE PULLOVER, £110
Made from Polartec® Power Grid™ fabric this lightweight, slim-fit fleece has raglan sleeves for better mobility. It’s tough, stretches, breathes, and has permanent odour control! The shoulder seams are offset for backpack-carrying comfort and there’s a zip-up chest pocket. You can wear it with something underneath, or not, and it squidges down really small for packing. Patagonia have some good ethics, too. 93% recycled polyester, 7% spandex. In green, blue or black. XS –XL. eu.patagonia.com
SCHOFFEL MEN’S CLEARWATER JACKET, £269.95
The Clearwater is a breathable Gore-tex coat designed to keep the wind and rain out. It has a two-way zip and two lower pockets with flaps and zips. One of the breast pockets has a zip, too. And if you don’t like the hood out all the time, you can pack it neatly away in the collar. The jacket is available in charcoal or deep blue. Schoffel. co.uk
MINOX BL 8X56 HD, £721
An 8x56 is designed for low-light use – typically dawn, dusk and darker, but they do work when it’s brighter, too! This new one from Minox is open bridge, with a 136m field of view, HD glass in the objectives, multi-coating throughout and ‘enhanced anti-light diffusion coatings’. There’s twist-up eyecups, 20mm of eye-relief, and a case and neoprene strap. They weigh 1300g and close-focus to 3.5m. minox.com
COUNTRY INNOVATION RAPTOR SMOCK AND TROUSERS, FROM £145 EACH
Designed to be seriously tough, the raptors are made of military-grade, ripstop material. They are aimed at people who give their gear a really hard time. The smock has a zip-up kangaroo pocket, zip-up pockets on the side and a scooped back to protect your backside. The trousers are reinforced on the knees, inner ankles… and the backside, and have six pockets. This tough as old boots fabric is nice to wear and can be chucked in a normal washing machine. Smock in S-XXXX(!). Trousers in 30-48 inch waist. country innovation.com
ZEISS VICTORY POCKET BINOCULARS, £619.99 (8X) OR £649.99 (10X)
A good compact binocular might do a better job than you imagine. The new Victory Pockets from Zeiss are premium binoculars with FL lenses for ‘uncontested resolution, edge sharpness and minimal colour fringing’. There’s an 8x25 and a 10x25. Both are 112mm long, weigh just 290g, focus to 1.9m, and have impressive fields of view (130m and 105m respectively) and plenty of eye-relief (16.5mm). The single, offset bridge enables them to fold-up small. zeiss.com
SNUGPAK CONTACT FLEECE BEANIE, £9.95
A warm hat can make a lot of difference when the temperature drops. This one from Snugpak is made from double-sided brushed fleece. It weighs almost nothing (just 30g) and is windproof, so you won’t know you’re carrying it, but you will know you’re wearing it. Unisex, in black or pebble grey with embroidered snugpak branding. Snugpak.com
BUBEL TOWELS, £25 (COMPACT), £40 (LARGE)
If you’re a jet-setting birder, a travel towel is a good addition to your kit. The Barcelona-made Bubels come in a heap of funky designs. They absorb four times more water than a normal towel, dry in just 15 minutes, are lightweight, big on surface area but pack super-small, and repel nasty niffs. Durable and machine washable. Available in compact (95x54cm) and large (180x95cm) sizes. Stockists: manoleisure.com/bubel
RSPB BUMPER BOOK OF WILDLIFE STORIES, £7.99
A gift for the children, grandchildren, nephews or nieces. With words by Pat Kelleher and illustrations by Daniel Howarth (who have worked together on the RSPB’S Wild Times magazine) this new RSPB book is loaded with wildlife stories (no surprise there) as well as facts, games, puzzles and more. This book could be the first step on a lifetime of wildlife adventure, or a bit of fun for someone who is already on the journey. A very entertaining book. rspb.org.uk
PAXIS MT PICKETT 18 £180
You’re out birding and need something from your pack: sunglasses, a different camera lens or scope eyepiece, or just something to snack on. With the Mt. Pickett 18, you can keep your straps and pack on, and the things you need swing to the front in one swift, secure motion using ARC swing technology and the innovative ‘shuttle pod’. There’s plenty of room for a DSLR and lenses, or the equivalent. Also comes in Action Green color. paxispax.com