The initial months of 'being a birder' were without any optical aids but luckily a friend had access to a pair of 7×50 individual eyepiece focussing binoculars which we were allowed to 'share' although curiously NOT allowed to alter the right ocular which made for one eyed viewing!!
An unexpected and not entirely appropriate birthday present that first year came from my grandfather - a pair of brass (well brass looking) 4×40 opera glasses and these were packed into the ex-army gas mask case along with the Observer's Book of Birds, flask, sandwiches and Mars Bar for all outings for the next few months.
Luckily, my parents realised I needed something better and that Xmas (1967) saw the 'main present' turn out to be a pair of Prinz 16×50 binoculars from Dixons I think - basically junk by today's standards but at the time the single biggest improvement to my viewing experience to date.
Within a few days I'd seen Red-necked Grebe from the road bridge and a cracking male Velvet Scoter from the old Tudor Sailing Club.
Over the years another handful or more of binoculars came and went either sold, part exchanged for an upgrade or sometimes used to destruction - the old porro prism binoculars were always being dropped, knocked out of alignment or fogging up with damp incursion.
Half a dozen scopes came and went starting with a Nickel Supra funded by my degree grant which, being drawtube, eventually seized up - in hindsight I don't know why I didn't go for the Hertel and Reuss a much better instrument.
Luckily things are better now although if someone had said to teenage me that in 50 years you'd be paying £2,500 for a pair of binoculars and over £3,000 for a scope I'would have broken down in fits of laughter!!
