Equip yourself with a pair of decent binoculars
The only upfront cost to birding (other than gas for getting to places and entrance fees) is the cost of a pair of binoculars. Binoculars vary widely in price range, quality, and durability. While that $20 pair might be tempting, going for something a bit higher quality will almost certainly enhance your birding experience. Of course, that’s not to say you should spend thousands of dollars on a pair, but if you feel like you are going to spend a good amount of time looking through your binoculars, you want to make sure they’re decent quality and comfortable for you. It is important to always try a pair of binoculars before purchasing, whether that means asking a buddy to test their pair out before ordering online or going to a store that has a variety for you to test.
There are two numbers associated with binoculars. Most birders use 8×42, while some prefer 10×42. That first number is the magnification power – for 8×42, the image will be magnified 8 times to that of the naked eye. There is a tradeoff here in that the more magnification, the more instability you get. The second number is the diameter of the objective lens, which is responsible for letting light in. The wider the diameter, the more light, which will make what you see brighter and increase color rendering. Most birders use an objective lens of 42 (full-sized), which will let in more light and is beneficial for birding low light conditions. The next popular choice are 32s, which let in less light, but are lighter and smaller. This is why it is important to try before you buy – make sure you like how they feel in your hand, around your neck, and held up to your eyes. If you are trying them in a store, ask the associate if they’ll go outside with you to test them out.