Testing time

Production Editor Matt Merritt writes:
I spent yesterday at a gloriously sunny Rutland Water Nature Reserve with David Chandler, testing 12 of the best 8x42 binoculars available in the £200-£400 price range. We were both amazed at just how much binocular it's possible to get at an affordable price nowadays, but if you want the full lowdown on the bins from Bushnell, Kowa, Minox, Nikon, Pentax, Pyser-SGI, RSPB, Steiner and others, make sure you buy the July edition of Bird Watching.
Strange as it might seem, testing days are not always great for actually watching birds, because you get so caught up in the technical aspects of the kit, but we did see a lone Tree Sparrow, and marvel at the sheer range of Sedge Warbler songs. And, on the way home, I couldn't resist stopping briefly at Manton bridge to watch one of the breeding Ospreys tucking into dinner.