Wish List
More stuff to spend your hard-earned cash on this month
Birding-related goodies include a bird box camera
LEICA LEATHER BINOCULAR CASES, £100
These new bits of Leica luxury are for 8x20 or 10x25 binoculars in the Trinovid and Ultravid ranges. The case is made from top quality black leather, and has a soft, red lining. It also has hidden reinforcement to keep the case in good shape, and protect your compact Leica investment. Comes with a removable, clip-on, shoulder strap – in matching leather of course. Good for general storage, or as travel protection. leicastore-mayfair. co.uk
RAPANUI PLAIN WOMEN’S CREW NECK TEE, £12.50
This is a brand worth knowing about – it’s based on the Isle of Wight and working to make fashion more sustainable. Its main organic cotton supplier has its own wind farm, and the UK factory is powered by renewables. The company use advanced manufacturing techniques to reduce waste, making its products more affordable. And you can send your old purchases back – and turn the material into store credit. This tee is made from soft, organic cotton, in white, grey or black, sizes 8-18. rapanuiclothing.com
AVIAN EVO BINOCULARS, FROM £449
Two new flagship binoculars from Ace Optics of Bath, available as an 8x42 or a 10x42(£469). The blurb claims “outstanding performance and handling for the most discerning of users”. And at a reasonable price point, too. The Evos are waterproof, open bridge bins with ED glass, flat field multi-coated optics and water repellent lens coating. Both weigh 700g and close-focus to about 3m. The 8x has a 122m@1,000m field of view, the 10x has 105m. Full review coming soon. aceoptics.co.uk
AQUAPAC PACKDIVIDER DRYSACKS, FROM £8.99
Available in four sizes – two, four, eight and 13 litres, these drysacks are meant to be used inside another bag. Use them to organise your kit and reduce your rummage time, and, of course, to provide some extra protection from the wet stuff. Or to stop stuff leaking on to the other things in your bag! They’re made from translucent siliconecoated ripstop nylon – so you can see what’s inside. Each size has a different, brightly-coloured base, and a grab handle at each end. aquapac.net
HEDBERG HEDGEHOG HOUSE, £49.99
Who was it who said “if you build it, they will come?” Well, you don’t have to build this, and they may or may not come, but it could be worth a try – Hedgehogs need all the help they can get. This hog-home is FSC certified. Find a quiet bit of garden, stuff the box with dried leaves or other suitable dry bedding, and hope. This box is part of the Kew Wildlife Care Collection. Buy one and you help Kew’s conservation work. birdfood.co.uk
RITR BIRDERS’ JOURNAL, £11.64
A waterproof notebook from Rite In The Rain, designed for birders. It’s aimed at the US market – it includes the American Birding Association’s Principles and Code of Birding Ethics – but would be just as waterproof in the UK! A double-pagespread includes space for sketch opposite a lined page for notes. It has bird topography diagrams inside the front cover, and an imperial ruler on the back. 64 pages (32 sheets), 4 5/8” x 7”, with a yellow polydura cover and spiral binding. anyweatherpaper. co.uk
WIFI BIRD BOX CAMERA, £99
Want to know what birds get up to in your nestbox? This could help. It’s a small, colour camera that sends moving pictures and nestbox noises to Android and IOS mobiles, PCS or tablets. And it does it wirelessly. It records in colour during the day, and black and white, courtesy of infrared LEDS, at night. It has a focusable wide-angle lens, and a Microsd slot to record footage. Note that power is via a 3m mains cable – so that bit’s not wireless! nhbs.com
FROG POT HANGER, £6.99
Picture the scene… it’s a warm summer evening and you’re sipping your favourite wine, beer, coffee or champagne in your idyllic back garden, with good friends for company. “Look – there’s a frog climbing into that flower pot”exclaims the gullible one. Ha – got them! This frog pot hanger is made from resin and is 15cm long. And it’s versatile – you can hang it on bowls and vases, too. Fully house-trained. shopping.rspb.org.uk
STORM JACKET SLR PRO CAMERA COVER, FROM £49.99
Don’t be a fair-weather photographer! The Storm Jacket protects your camera from the wet and the dirt. Easy to get on and off, the PRO version has a Velcro bottom opening so you can use this with a tripod, and focus manually if you want to. When you take it off, just give it a good shake and shove it into its zip-up case. Made from high-tech Aquanylon – it “will never lose its water repellency”. Available in four sizes – medium – XXL, in black or camo. wexphotovideo.com