So the short answer is - A $400 spotting scope is not going to accomplish what I'm wanting and even a $1,000 scope could easily fall short if it was a hot day outside. ?
In a nutshell...yes.
As far as intended use, I think the way to do it would be to use the 10x binoculars to do the glassing and find the animals, and then use the spotting scope to figure out more details about the animals.
That would work nicely if you don't mind toting both around with you. With that thought in mind and your suggested budget I think I would suggest the 10x42 Monarchs you mentioned along with something like a Bushnell Sentry or Winchester 15-45x50. The bins and scope would put you back about $400 plus tax.
The Monarchs are excellent glass for the price. From personal experience I think the $300-$400 price pointin binocularsreally is where you get the most performance for your $. Beyond that you really start paying for moderate to small improvements in either handling or optical performance.
Are good binoculars like good lenses? On Nikon Cameras you can spend $$ on a lens and be confident that if you don't end up using it or liking it as much as you thought you can sell it used on ebay quickly for just a small % loss. They say that "good glass" holds it's value really well.
That is true of binoculars as well. I just sold two pairs of Leica Trinovids on Ebay for almost exactly what I paid for them. However, if you pick a popular lower priced binocular model, like the Monarchs, then they tend to hold their value fairly good as well. Case in point, I bought a pair of 10x42 Monarchs for a little over $250 last year and resold them on Ebay for $200 last summer. I am not sure if I could have done that with a less popular model but it definitely worked with the Monarchs.
Most of the stuff I'm researching right now I won't be using until October so I'm wondering if things are going to go up in price or down in price before then. Glass doesn't get cheaper
I wouldn't worry about a price increase on a binocular like the Monarchs. They have been the same price since they were originally introduced 4 or 5 years ago. The high end European glass though is due for another price increase shortly.
Glad I could help.