What goes in the car before sunrise.

Under $250

The best start we know at this price: ED glass that keeps colour fringing off a gull's white edge, a 6.5 ft close focus for butterflies at the feeder, fully waterproof. A little heavy (about 25 oz), and you feel it by noon.

The one we'd hand most people

Bright, sharp and light at 21.8 oz, with Vortex's unconditional lifetime warranty: a dropped pair is a phone call, not a new purchase. Often on sale well under list.

When you're hooked

A 435 ft field of view at 1,000 yards, so a warbler that moves stays in the frame. ED glass, a locking diopter, easy for eyeglass wearers. Not alpha glass, but closer than the price says.

The painter's guide

David Sibley's paintings show every plumage side by side, with the field marks pointed out; over 900 species. Too big for a pocket: the Eastern and Western editions travel better.

The classic

The guide that made the little arrow pointing at the field mark famous. Clean, quick to scan in the field, and where a lot of us started.

The lister's guide

The most complete on rarities and subspecies, with range maps beside every species. The one serious listers keep in the car.

Identify

Sound ID names the singers around you as they sing, and Photo ID works from a blurry shot. Download your region's bird pack before you lose signal.

Record

Log what you saw and it becomes data scientists use. Its maps and alerts also tell you what has turned up near you this week.

Notebook

Write it down before you look it up: the notes you take before the app answers are how you learn a bird. Ours carry a bird drawn right on the cover.

Hat

A brim keeps low sun off the eyepieces. Ours are washed caps, corduroys and beanies, one bird each in real thread.

Layer

Dawn is the coldest hour and the best one. A garment-dyed fleece crew over a tee, and you peel down as the day warms.

Feeder

Weight-activated: a squirrel's weight closes the ports, a cardinal's does not. It comes apart for cleaning without tools, which matters more than anything else about a feeder.

Bird bath

Water brings in birds that never touch seed, and in a freeze it is the scarcest thing in the yard. A heated bath keeps it open all winter; change the water often.