August 11, 2013 My cousin Donna's garden Portland, Oregon
Scrub-jays swoop screeching into the backyard and shoo the other birds away. They're raucous. Some might call them rude. I call them gorgeous.
—Diane Porter
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Everyone interested in watching wild birds deserves her or his very own binoculars.
A good binocular for getting started does not have to be expensive, but it should have good optical quality.
The Eagle Optics Shrike 8x42 costs under $100.
This book lets you identify all the birds in western North America.
Like the Western Scrub-Jay.
It's the current, 4th edition of Roger Peterson's great field guide.
If you're new to birding, get this book! It has superb pictures, and the introduction shows you how to identify birds.
P.S. There's also an edition for birds of eastern North America.