Birding and hunting are so diametrically opposite of each other that I’m halfway to arguing that they are a dialectical unity.

I learned this because I was researching binoculars, and the reviews diverge quite notably depending on whether you need them for birding or for hunting.

Birding is passive, open-ended, meditative, grounding, appreciative of what you observe through the optics. The purpose of the optics is to separate yourself from the bird, to disturb it as little as possible, to respect it and admire its creation. The bird is not yours, it is not property but a living being. You only have it for a fleeting moment, for as long as the bird decides.

Hunting is violent, purpose-driven, premeditated, anxiety-inducing, contemptuous of what you observe through the optics. The purpose of the optics is to bring you closer to the animal, to ultimately end its life, destroy it. The animal is made into your property, objectified and commodified.