The following are snippets from an online discussion. All three are providing good info to sort through.
JEFFREY W WRIGHT, NN Butterfly and Bird Count Compiler, past president Northern Neck Master Naturalists, pec11908@me.com
My "go to” binoculars are 8.5x42 waterproof/fog proof and with a fairly good close focus. Ideal for general birding and birding in forests with fast moving small species, and the “SUV” of binoculars.
The binoculars I use for the Winter Waterfowl Count, Christmas Bird Counts, and for surveys for the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, and other species counts are 10x50s. 10x42 or 10x50 are superb for looking for birds on or over the water and viewing in marshes swamps and the wonderful birding areas of the NNK and MP.
I highly recommend 8x40 or 8.5x42 as a great “forever” purchase to hook you on birdwatching and for observing Mother and Father Nature. 8X40 are also the most recommend binoculars by most of the birding groups and organizations that provide binocular guides for their members.
Here are two articles from within the Audubon community that try to shed light on what is optimal for birding and for birding where there is shoreline and a lot of birds to find flying and at a distance. Bay and river birding is amazing in our region.
https://ny.audubon.org/news/guide-birding-binoculars
https://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide
No matter what power binoculars you think work best for you there are a lot of good binoculars - both new and used - available. No matter what you get please make sure they are waterproof and fog proof. A lot of them these days also come with lifetime warranties.
KEVIN HOWE, past president Northern Neck Master Naturalists, juniper@erols.com
Small compact binocs, such as the Pentax Papilio (8 x 21), are light, small and easy to carry, and useful for things close to you (e.g. butterflies). But for things farther away, the field of view is so limited that small objects like floating or flying birds are very are hard to find. And your suggestion of a 7 power is important because the higher power (above 8) is difficult to hold without seeing a shaky image. Unless they are an image stabilizing binoculars like those made by Canon – they are fabulous but very expensive and heavy but do an excellent job of holding an image.
DAVID H. HERNDON, USCG Auxiliary, dhherndon@aol.com
A very good choice for waterfowl bird watching is the standard marine binocular which is a 7 by 50 (7 power with a 50 aperture). When not using this type for bird watching, it can easily be used on your boats. Because of its great light-gathering power, it also works well in dim light. 7 by 50 binoculars are sold by almost all binocular manufacturers and are easy to find in marine retail stores and online.