What spotting scope should I buy to improve my birding experience in the field?

That is a recurrent question with no unique answer. Choosing a spotting scope for birdwatching depends on several factors, including optics, the portability, the type of birds you want to observe, and your own budget. My recommendation for birdwatching is a spotting scope with a magnification of 20x to 60x and an objective lens size of 80mm. Here are some recommendations with three different budgets.