Recommendations for Mountain Raptor & Wildlife Viewing (1 Viewer)

Wondered if anyone could give me some pointers as to what would be the best 'budget' option for viewing raptors and other wildlife (chamois, deer, bear etc) in the mountain environment.

At the moment I am a little torn between whether I should be looking for a small scope such as the Opticron IS60 or whether perhaps I should try some 15x magnification binoculars which seem to be quite popular with the hunting fraternity.

I have to say that the 15x binocular idea has its appeal to me...have always felt more comfortable using both eyes rather than one.

Are 15x binoculars any good for raptor watching?

Are there any good/recommended 15x binoculars which can be had for under 400 pounds sterling?

Any comments or advice would be welcome.

I think 15x binoculars would be a good compromise between field of view (ability to find the bird in flight) and magnification. However, you will definitely require a support. I sometimes use 12x45 Zeiss Conquests on a monopod but a tripod is preferable. Bear in mind that for straight viewing with bins the support should extend to your own height minus about 20cm. With the height of the head and bino adapter this should give you sufficient margin for comfortable elevated viewing.
I see that you are likely to be carrying the gear for some distances and unfortunately, there is a dearth of tall lightweight tripods at affordable prices. Wooden tripods from Berlebach or Wolf are excellent value but will excede 3kg.
As to bins, I don't know what to recommend. If eye relief (glasses wearer?) and waterprofing are not issues a pair of later model Carl Zeiss Jena 15x50 (multicoated) from the bay might be a good starting point, and Manfrotto offer an inexpensive tripod adapter (035BN).

John