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Hi, I live in Ocean City, Md and I need a scope for viewing birds in the inlet, ocean and ponds in the area.  Anyone have any suggestions for one in the 300 dollar range?  What power is ideal?  Thanks for your help as i am pretty clueless about scopes.

I use a Bushnell "Spacemaster" which is sufficient for my needs and well within your price range, I'm sure that others will have other suggestions....but whatever you do, save some of your budget for a good tripod.

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What is not forbidden is inevitable.

The Meade Redtail might be the best way to go for your budget, it seems very tough, with a rubber armor coat, its full water and fog proofing, comes with both hard and soft cases. And its 25-year warranty allows you to return it if it gets broken (even if its your fault) and they will give you a full refund - no questions asked or trade in for a better model. After some digging around for a suitable tripod I came up with the Slik pro 330 DX tripod the reviews say its very well made and sturdy (i.e. not wobbly on it's legs, it's a light-weight tripod so you'll still have issues with things like wind and vibration, but you'll get that from any light-weight metal tripod), and seems like the perfect tripod for your budget. Scope and tripod together would ring up as $252.00.

Unfortunately, I can't offer anything based on personal experience.  But, for extra info, check out this review of a full range of prices:  http://www.livingbird.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=272&srcid=667   Looking at your budget, they mention the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper ($359) as a "nice surprise."   As others point out, don't forget to figure the tripod into the budget -- Raptor does a nice job, there. 

Although I didn't heed this advice myself, trying scopes out before buying is the best way to discover if you have any personal likes/dislikes.