Grab Some Binoculars

Ever squint to see whether a duck is a pintail or a mallard? Ever notice a bird way up in the sky and wish you could focus on how it hovers or soars with little or no effort? Now, you can.

Eighty national wildlife refuges will be able to offer visitors a new pair of loaner binoculars to focus on wildlife with new clarity. National wildlife refuges across the country received the binoculars and accompanying field guides, thanks to donations from Vortex Optics, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishers and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

"We were honored and excited to work with the National Wildlife Refuge System in providing Vortex binoculars to various refuges around the country. The binocular loaner program will be a great way for visitors to maximize their enjoyment on national wildlife refuges," says Joe Hamilton, national sales manager of Vortex Optics.

Almost a third of the nation's Important Bird Areas of global significance are on national wildlife refuges. National wildlife refuges are home to more than 700 bird species. The optics loaner program is part of the Refuge System's Birding Initiative, created to help birders understand the importance of national wildlife refuges to their sport, and to attract new enthusiasts to an adventure that already enthralls more than 46 million Americans.

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