Monday, March 17, 2008
Surprisingly, we find ourselves scoping birds long distances over water as much or more in Arkansas than we did on the west coast. Many of Arkansas’ rarer birds are found on its lakes.
Homo scopeii
Pat caught the birding bug first. I realized it was serious when all she wanted for Christmas was a spotting scope. After suffering through our first few months of birding with inferior binoculars, we vowed from then on to acquire the best optics we could afford. We’ve had no regrets.
After Pat’s Bausch & Lomb Spotting Scope came the Nikon binoculars. Both the Superior E and Venturer LX are excellent. The Nikon Venturers are the smoothest focusing binocular I’ve ever used. Eventually the slightly higher magnification, sturdy construction, light weight, and overall superior ergonomics of the Swarovski EL won us over. The Swarovski ATS 65 HD has become our workhorse spotting scope. Combined with a light-weight carbon-fiber tripod and shoulder harness, carrying the scope all day, hands free, is a breeze.
The iPhone has become one of our essential birding tools. With birdJam and the iPhone’s built in iPod functionality, we can call in birds or remind ourselves of a bird’s song or appearance to clinch an ID. We can also bore everybody with our bird photos and videos. More importantly, we can post our rare find to the listserv immediately, so that other birders can confirm and enjoy it, and we can read other posts while still in the field. This website, including the birdcam, are iPhone-friendly.
For videoscoping we attach our Canon Elura 100 Camcorder to the Swarovski ATS 65 HD via a Swarovski Digital Camera Adapter. The DCA enables quick attachment and removal of the camcorder and permits changing the zoom eyepiece magnification while the camera is attached.
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