A little late to the party but... Popgun, it looks like you're budgeting $150 or so for binoculars. In general, you'll see a noticeable difference in binocular quality by spending just a $100 more. The slightly higher pricepoint will get you a lot better glass. Not Swarovski level but something you can use a lot and never regret buying.
If you can, go to a sporting goods store that carries a lot of binoculars and just look through several models. Tell the salesperson your $150 budget and then ask if it's worth it to go a little higher. They will show you a lot of binoculars which means you will get to look through all of them. Notice the differences for your eyes. You may decide you need to increase your budget a little which isn't a bad thing. Your eyes will thank you at the end of each day you're looking through binoculars a lot.