Not So Dead of Winter

Despite the lack of leaves on the trees and sunny skies most days there are quite a few birds around. Life is still abundant and evident. I look out my back window to see a ton of Robins and Cedar Waxwings at the bird bath. I am amazed when I go out to find it drained of all the water. There are also many of what the old-timers call “Butterbutts”—Yellow Rumped Warblers. Flocks of these three species have graced our corner of the world. And “flocks” doesn’t begin to describe the numbers.

One of my favorite visitors from the north is the Northern Junco. Juncos flit around the yard under feeders and under bushes cleaning up the seeds drop by other birds at the feeder. We enjoy Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, House Finches, American Goldfinches which visit the sunflower feeder and the Orange Crowned Warbler, Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers visiting the peanut feeder. Carolina Wrens and Ruby Crowned Kinglets dash in the bushes. Mourning and White Winged Doves and Cardinals grace the trees and the yard.

This yard is a grand spot for birding. How many people can make that boost about their yard?

Thanksgiving at Daingerfield State Park

November 25-27, 2009
We decided to spend this Thanksgiving in the woods, camping at Daingerfield State Park (Texas). We took the canoe since there is a very nice lake there. We fished a little with worms, but mostly fought the wind. No fish, but the birding was better. Days were sunny and mild (mid 60’s); the nights were cold (mid 30’s).

Broadwing Hawks
Turkey Vultures
American Robin
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Ruby Crowned Kinglet
Northern Junco
Carolina Wren (h)
Carolina Chickadee
Nuthatch sp.
Tufted Titmouse
American Coots
Great Blue Heron
Great Egrets
Double Crested Cormorants
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
Northern “Yellow Shafted” Flicker
Golden Crowned Kinglet
Yellow Warbler
Eastern Bluebird
Black and White Warbler
Blue Headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Pine Warbler
Eastern Phoebe (h)
White Throated Sparrow
American Crow

Photo by Bill Ravenscroft

Enjoying Birding

What can one do that is relatively inexpensive, helps you get away from the worries of the day, gets you outdoors, enables you to get some exercise, can be done alone or in a group, and provides you with lasting memories and good conversation? That is one heck of a question! Or is it a multitude of questions?

Birding, that’s the answer.

Let’s face it. This is cheap entertainment. First, all you really need to get started is a bird feeder or two and some seed or nectar. This is it, if what you hope to do is watch the birds that come to your own backyard. Hours of watching intently or on the spur of the moment can be had for pennies a day.

Of course, once you have enjoyed and learned about the birds in your yard, you’ll probably start noticing birds everywhere. It is just like buying a new car. Once you have bought the car, you start noticing that model on every road you travel. Once, you’ve noticed the birds in your backyard, you’ll notice them on your morning walk through the neighborhood, at the park, driving down the highway, in the fields on the edge of town, down at the river where you fish—everywhere.

So the next step is to get a good pair of binoculars, a field guide and your local checklist. And there is no stopping you. Your friends will start to ask you, the burgeoning expert, just what was that bird they saw the other day.

What is a good pair of binoculars going to cost you? One can spend any amount on binoculars. Consider that one will probably be using these for a number of years. Consider that you want a pair of binoculars through which you can actually tell the colors on the wings, or belly or tail. Consider that you want a pair that enables the identification of the bird. Consider that old birders never die; their eyesight just “ain’t as good as it used to be”. Therefore, do not buy a cheap pair of binoculars! Invest enough in your binocular to keep you satisfied with your purchase for many years. Here, look at it this way: if you bought a Vortex Diamondback and you knew that you were going to use these over the next ten years (a lifetime warranty not withstanding), the cost would be barely more than a nickel a day. Similarly, if you bought a Vortex Viper it would be about 14 cents per day. See, I told you this was an inexpensive proposition.

Lastly, investigate the local Audubon Society in your area. Find out when and where they meet. Once you start attending their meetings, you’ll learn of places all around you where there are wonderful and exciting birds to see. Then you will have new friends and a community with whom to share all this. That is more than satisfactory, that’s great!

Birding is the answer, yep!

One More for the Birders

Birders are constantly looking for any advantage to assist in identification and increase the pleasure of their field experience. Every birder knows that the conditions of weather and light can make decisions difficult. Every birder knows that sometimes it is the briefest of looks that the bird affords. Every birder wants to go into the field with as good a binocular as possible.

The 8 x 42 Fury Binocular is just the binocular to fit the bill. In fact, this new line of Vortex binoculars sets a very good standard. Wayne Mones writes in his review on Audubonmagazine.org, “Vortex really got everything right with this new line of binoculars”. He goes on to say that he loves the 8 x 42 and thinks they are a best buy.

The Fury binoculars are part of the new generation binoculars the use argon gas in the purging process to water and fog proof. Argon has several advantages over nitrogen. Being a member of the Noble Gases, argon is inert. Consequently, it won’t attack the o-rings that help seal the binoculars extending the life of the unit.

Images produced by Fury are of superior quality. The colors produced are natural: the contrast is excellent. One would think that he is looking through a very expensive binocular to get this wonderful an image. Not So! The entire line is modestly priced.

The focus wheel is large and placed well. One and a quarter turns allows quick focus, important for identifying darting little birds. The field of view on the 8 x 42 Fury is quite large at 358 feet at 1000 yards. This important aspect facilitates finding a bird with ease but also allows for a good bit of the landscape to be searched at any given time. For those of us who wear eyeglasses the eye relief is excellent at 20 mm. One can hardly beat that.

This is another model that will allow the birder to enjoy many an adventure in the field.

Advanced Birding and the Spotting Scope

Most of us begin birding with a field guide and a pair of binoculars. Yet, we eventually realize that certain situations demand our acquisition of a spotting scope. It may be that we find ourselves at the wetlands and can not quite tell if we are looking at a White Faced or Glossy Ibis. Or, we spot a raptor across the canyon and can not say if it is a Red Tail or some other hawk. Or, maybe, we just would like a better look at the Black Throated Green Warbler high up in the oaks.

Your advancement in birding does not mean you are becoming an elitist. Your expertise is growing and should be cause for celebration. Owning a spotting scope doesn’t make you an elitist either. In fact, many manufacturers have improved their processes to accomplish advances in construction and image quality while making their product more affordable. The spotting scope is now considered as essential as the binoculars.

There are many elements in the choice of a scope. Many are personal preferences. One such is whether to buy a scope that is straight through (ST) or angular (AN) sighted. It is probably easier to find and focus on some distant bird using the ST configuration. With practice, one can adjust to an AN scope and become just as proficient. However, if you find that you are often in a group and sharing a scope the AN may be the better choice. You can set the height to the shortest person in the group and everyone can easily view whatever bird is the subject of inquiry.

Light gathering ability is a major consideration in a scope. Generally, the larger the objective lens the greater the ability to gather light. An 80 mm objective gathers more light than a 60 mm lens. However, with a larger lens also comes added weight and cost. For most of us, and in most circumstances, objective lenses in the 60 to 65 mm range are quite adequate.

The eyepiece, or ocular, can be fixed or variable. A 20x ocular is good for fixed eyepieces, but variable magnification are either 15x-45x or 20x-60x. The lower magnification on the variable ocular is used to locate and focus the bird while the greater magnifications can be zoomed in to gain detail for a sure identification.

Eventually, one has to make a decision as to what amount to spend. For those whose budget is limited the Cornell Laboratory Scope Quest 2008 becomes an excellent source of information and advice. Ken Rosenberg organized this event and compiled data on a number of scopes. In this, the Stokes Sandpiper Scope did quite well. Ken writes, “An even nicer surprise was the Vortex Stokes Sandpiper, which at $359 or less could be the best buy of any model we tested. This small, lightweight scope is fully waterproof, works well with eyeglasses, and provides an image nearly as nice up to 45x as the more expensive [models].”

Considering image quality, ease of transport, magnifications, objective lens size and, of course, cost, it all comes down to what fits your personal needs and preferences. Once you have made your choice, enjoy it to the fullest.