Allow us to introduce the 2021 Redstart Birding Optics Guide! It’s hot off the digital presses, it’s downloadable, it’s full of amazing products and content, and best of all, it’s FREE. Are you rolling your eyes at the thought of downloading yet another sales catalog to your growing digital pile? Trust us, our 2021 Optics Guide is much more than a catalog of products for you to flip through, although we do list them all—including every doggone detail and pricing… Read more »
Last year at this time we were in a COVID-19 tailspin at Bird Watcher’s Digest. Our governor had issued a shutdown order for all businesses in the state, and, like everyone in the world, we were terrified and dumbfounded. Honestly, our team of 12 people (who capably handle the daily workload of about 30 people) was just… Read more »
When I was growing up in landlocked Tennessee, our family spent summers in Florida. Our annual pilgrimage to the Sunshine State involved loading up the Country Squire “Woody” Station Wagon to the hilt with beach towels, bathing suits, pots and pans, cooking spices, and groceries. I felt a “Lewis & Clark” kind of pioneering adventure… Read more »
BWD Editor Dawn Hewitt and Production Director Bruce Wunderlich tested out a two different squirrel-proof feeders. Here are their reviews. Dawn My yard is rich with squirrels. I have used two Brome squirrel-proof tube feeders for several years—a SquirrelBuster Plus and a SquirrelBuster Peanut Feeder—and they have proven true to their claims. I have enjoyed… Read more »
by Marion & Rich Patterson Sometimes, when one is hustling to get to work or an appointment, a streak of feathery color zips in front of the car and perches in a roadside tree. Or an unusual raptor circles the highway. Perhaps a different-looking duck is cruising the edge of a distant pond. Dedicated bird… Read more »
In an alternate version of 2020, I would be in Rutland, England, this week, attending my first British Birdfair (not to mention my first visit to England!) with our publisher, Wendy Clark. Responsibly managing travel and public health safety during COVID-19 resulted in cancelation of the physical event, which normally draws about 24,000 attendees from… Read more »
As someone who started birding later in life, I was fortunate to have among my birding mentors professional guides, authors, biologists, and naturalists. Growing up as more of an “indoor girl,” this was intimidating for me, to say the least. I was not only intimidated by their knowledge and experience, I was also terrified by the equipment they used…. Read more »
by Chuck Jakubchak I have used a traditional bino harness for several years but always considered it awkward when wearing or storing. The RYO Ultra-Light Bino Harness caught my eye in a recent issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest because of its thin profile and advertised light weight. I contacted Redstart Birding and ordered the XL… Read more »
Biting bugs really love me. I’ve tried spray repellents, electronic repellent thingamabobs, wrist bands—all of it. Nothing has ever succeeded in keeping mosquito-ninjas from attacking me. I believed nothing would—except remaining behind closed doors. Until now. Earlier this year, I attended the North Shore Birding Festival on Lake Apopka near Orlando, Florida. Most of us… Read more »
Depending upon your physique, a conventional neck strap toting a full-sized binocular makes for some severe fatigue after a long session of birding. And while a crisscross harness’s design redistributes the weight more evenly across the back and shoulders, I’ve never found them to be the most comfortable. On my first excursion to Magee Marsh… Read more »
